Zhao Xiangxi, the eldest daughter of the Goryeo Fengyang Zhao family who once wanted to seduce Zhu Ying and force her way to the throne, has now devoted all her attention to the research and development of matchlock guns.

In the ancient Ming Dynasty, due to the restrictions on knowledge, it was almost impossible for women to access state secrets such as firearms.

However, Zhao Xiangxi happens to have a strong talent in this area.

Actually, there are reasons why Zhao Xiangxi is capable of doing this task.

Zhu Ying had already decided on the research direction of the matchlock gun, so there was no need to wander around like a headless fly.

What Zhao Xiangxi had to do was not to focus on the research and development of the matchlock gun, but to manage these carpenters who served as researchers.

As the eldest daughter of the family, she is naturally very familiar with this aspect, and coupled with her great interest in firearms, she was able to achieve such success.

"Your Highness! Princess!"

Zhao Xiangxi, who was giving orders in the main hall, suddenly saw two people walking in. She frowned and wanted to scold them.

But he immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.

"You're doing very well. I just came to see how you are doing recently."

As Zhu Ying opened his mouth, the carpenters and eunuchs in the hall immediately kowtowed and saluted.

Zhu Ying waved his hand and asked them to get up and leave.

"Your Highness, I am blessed by your grace. I am doing very well in the Gunpowder Department. I have never touched firearms before. Everything here is very new to me."

"I myself am also very interested in firearms."

Zhao Xiangxi spoke with a low voice, with a strong light in her eyes.

This is half true and half false.

When she saw the matchlock gun being fired one shot after another during the test phase, she was instantly conquered.

On the outside, she is a very beautiful woman, but on the inside, she is extremely strong.

Encountering a weapon like the matchlock gun that was powerful enough to change the current war pattern was like an eagle seeing a rabbit and pulling it directly into its trap.

Ye Yueqing pursed her lips when she heard what Zhao Xiangxi said, but Zhu Ying didn't take it to heart.

They both knew that this was an extremely powerful woman, so they just needed to say some high-sounding words.

If we are not careful, the technology of the matchlock gun might be leaked to Goryeo.

It is even possible that it will be sold for a large sum of money in exchange for wealth and glory.

Although Zhao Xiangxi now seems to be very authoritative in the Gunpowder Bureau, he has actually been under surveillance all the time and has completely cut off contact with the outside world.

In addition, the envoys from Goryeo had already returned, so Zhu Ying put him in charge of the gunpowder department and made matchlock guns.

"Don't worry, Yueqing will remember your contribution. She has mentioned it to me many times. If you achieve results, you will naturally get a share of the reward."

"Okay, take me to see the results."

Zhu Ying comforted him and then spoke directly.

I don't want to waste too much time with Zhao Xiangxi.

After all, Zhu Ying is now considered half the ruler of a country. He should not have too many things on hand. If he is really busy, he will never be able to finish all the work.

Now, the reform of many official positions under the power have not been fully implemented. For now, Zhu Ying can only do it himself like an old man.

There is still a long way to go before complete liberation.

"I obey your command."

When Zhao Xiangxi heard Zhu Ying's promise, she obviously ate it up in one gulp.

This made her more energetic and she quickly led the way.

The Gunpowder Department is very large, and Zhao Xiangxi kept introducing it along the way.

"According to Princess Yueqing's advice, I made an overall plan for the entire Gunpowder Department and arranged all the personnel in different areas."

"For example, the area in front is mainly used by masters and apprentices to make products. It can be considered a teaching area."

"Here on the left is the research on the proportion of gunpowder particles. Currently, many masters who know gunpowder are doing the proportioning here, and quite a few are recruited from the public."

"The one on the right is now mainly responsible for the production of matchlock gun barrels, and the research institute here is set up next to it."

"This is a fire bomb..."

"Here is the matchlock..."

"This is..."

Zhao Xiangxi's introduction was very detailed and effortless, without any pause.

This shows that she is very familiar with almost every corner of the huge Gunpowder Department.

The management model that Zhao Xiangxi is using now is the one that Zhu Ying conveyed to Ye Yueqing.

This is an efficient management model from later generations, of course, this is in comparison with the current Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Ying was very satisfied with Zhao Xiangxi's performance.

Some things are easier said than done.

The difficulty lies in actually implementing it, which is the critical point.

Soon, they finally arrived at the production room of the muskets.

This is where all spare parts are finally assembled and processed.

The people working here are generally older master chefs, but they are still very skillful.

You can see that next to each master chef's workbench, there are four or five apprentices following him to help.

Zhu Ying's arrival did not have much impact.

The master worked attentively, and the apprentice watched attentively as well.

It should be noted that the apprentices who can study here are almost one in a hundred, and there is a rule that the last one will be eliminated.

The one who ranks last will be replaced by the apprentice behind him.

An eunuch in charge of guardianship noticed the arrival of Zhu Ying and others and wanted to kowtow and pay homage, but Zhu Ying waved his hand to stop him.

Then Zhu Ying casually walked up to a master craftsman and watched him assemble a matchlock gun.

The apprentice next to him saw the clothes Zhu Ying was wearing and wanted to pay his respects, but was interrupted by Zhu Ying again.

The assembly of a matchlock gun is not just a simple assembly, but also requires high-precision polishing of many accessories to make the matchlock gun more stable.

The master in front of me is polishing the gun barrel to facilitate installation into the wooden gun handle.

Zhu Ying looked at it for a while, frowned and said, "The polishing of the gun barrel is not just about the outside, but more about the inner wall. Especially when the gun barrel is in use, there will be gunpowder residue, so the smoothness of the gun barrel needs to be higher."

"Also, if the rifling in the barrel is not deep enough, you need to deepen it. Otherwise, it will be filled with gunpowder residue after a few uses, and the accuracy of your aiming will be affected when you use it again."

The master chef working in front of him was very proud of his craftsmanship. This was their livelihood, so they naturally wouldn't tolerate anyone pointing fingers.

Without even raising his head, the chef directly scolded: "Where did you come from, you young brat, and you dare to teach me how to do things? I think you want to..."

Having said this, the chef looked up and saw Zhu Ying in a gorgeous robe and Zhao Xiangxi following beside her, and the words got stuck in his throat.

"You old man Zhang, you don't want to live, do you? You are so bold, don't you? This is His Royal Highness Chang Sun, how dare you disrespect His Royal Highness Chang Sun!" The eunuch from the Gunpowder Department who was following Zhu Ying directly scolded him.

Old Zhang was so frightened that he almost weakened, and his mind went blank.

"It's over. I'm dead."

Old Zhang immediately knelt down on the ground, his whole body shaking.

He had offended the royal family, especially His Royal Highness the Chang Sun. Even if he had some backing, no one could save his life.