Zhu Xiong Ying was naturally generous with his reward for a skill that could enhance the power and reliability of firearms. He not only wanted gold, silver, and land, but he also wanted to bestow a noble title upon the craftsman.
Because Zhao Tiezhu's skills were effective, and because Zhu Xiong Ying was willing to spend a fortune to buy horse bones, he wanted to set a benchmark and an example. He wanted to inspire other craftsmen who were still hiding their skills to follow Zhao Tiezhu's lead and offer their expertise.
It's hard to say whether the skills will be duplicated by then, how much they will help the Ming Dynasty, and how much reward will be given. In any case, if one wants to be like Zhao Tiezhu, one must offer some remarkable skills, and the titles in the Ming Dynasty are not easy to obtain.
Zhao Tiezhu was both excited and uneasy. He had finally offered up his ancestral skills. But he didn't know what kind of reward he would receive. He only knew that many officials from the Ministry of Works Academy had been watching him closely these past few days and conducting numerous experiments on him.
Now he was to pay his respects to His Highness the Crown Prince, something he had never dared to dream of before. After all, he had previously only been a craftsman with decent skills, and had only ever seen His Highness the Crown Prince from afar.
Along the way, many officials instructed Zhao Tiezhu on how to bow and answer. Zhao Tiezhu listened attentively, afraid that he might inadvertently blunder and be executed by the prince. That's how it's portrayed in plays; the imperial family dislikes the rudeness of commoners the most.
Increasingly nervous and with his mind a complete blank, Zhao Tiezhu followed the officials, but his legs grew weaker and weaker as they walked. Just as they were about to reach the main hall and hear the Crown Prince's summons, Zhao Tiezhu suddenly went limp and fainted.
Wang Chengen quickly informed Zhu Xiong Ying of the situation, probably because he hadn't expected such a turn of events. It's likely that no one else anticipated it either; ultimately, it's just that ordinary people get nervous when they see high-ranking officials and dignitaries.
But unexpectedly, Wang Chengen proved to be unreliable, fainting at the most crucial moment. This was an important meritorious official, and His Highness the Crown Prince was about to demonstrate his respect for talent and integrity, regardless of background.
But now things are really messed up. The important supporting role is gone, so we can't just let Zhu Xiong Ying perform a one-man show here.
Although the important supporting role was gone, Zhu Xiong Ying felt that some scenes should still be performed. Besides, it was good that Zhao Tiezhu, the craftsman, had been revived. However, the way Zhao Tiezhu was revived might not be so peaceful.
In a good mood, Zhu Xiong Ying spoke to Yan Zhenzhi and the others, saying, "I am very pleased that you have all been loyal to your duties and worked diligently. Today, the world is at peace and the government is clean and efficient. In addition to His Majesty the Emperor's great talent and wisdom, the ministers have also made great contributions by assisting him."
At this moment, the civil and military officials all stood up and bowed to the south. Although they were pleased to hear such praise, they could not truly accept it. They still needed to maintain a humble facade. If they had accepted it directly, they would have been impeached by the censor.
Zhu Xiong Ying looked at Yan Zhenzhi and the others, and continued, "I know that many civil and military officials in the court are gossiping in private, saying that I am curious about frivolous skills, that I do not study the classics, and that I am disrespectful to scholars. Let them talk. I'll say it here: as long as you can make meritorious contributions to our Great Ming, I will not hesitate to bestow high official positions and titles!"
Yan Zhenzhi and others now have mixed feelings. In fact, the backgrounds of civil and military nobles in the Ming Dynasty court are quite interesting.
Many of those who fought alongside Zhu Yuanzhang to establish the empire were of peasant origin, while there was certainly no shortage of so-called "properly educated" men. However, this also included some civil officials who weren't necessarily from traditional scholarly backgrounds. For example, Yan Zhenzhi was chosen as the grain official because of his wealthy family background and was subsequently appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang; he wasn't a "properly educated" civil official.
The civil and military officials present were now experiencing mixed feelings. Some were excited, some were doubtful, and some were probably feeling apprehensive. They felt that they also had a chance to make a name for themselves, but others felt that the Crown Prince's approach of not caring about a person's background was going to ruin the normal career paths for civil officials, which was not a good thing.
Zhao Tiezhu woke up and inevitably received a scolding, to prevent the old craftsman from making the same embarrassing mistake again at a crucial moment.
I'm finally not nervous anymore, or rather, I've calmed down a bit.
Led by Wang Chengen, Zhao Tiezhu entered the main hall and immediately bowed, saying, "This humble subject, Zhao Tiezhu, pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Zhu Xiong Ying stepped down from his seat, ready to go all out, "Your Excellency Zhao, please rise. Your skills have been of great help to our Great Ming. Your noble character is truly a blessing to our Great Ming."
Zhao Tiezhu, who had been helped up by Zhu Xiong Ying, was still dazed and seemed not to understand what Zhu Xiong Ying was saying. The way Zhu Xiong Ying addressed him felt strange, and Zhao Tiezhu felt he couldn't understand it at all.
He then obediently sat down and listened to what the Crown Prince was saying about great craftsmen, etc., but Zhao Tiezhu understood even less.
Zhu Xiong Ying wouldn't really ignore Zhao Tie Zhu, so she immediately asked, "Zhao Qing, how many people are in your family?"
Zhao Tiezhu quickly stood up and said, "Besides this humble citizen, there are also my son and grandson. My wife and daughter-in-law passed away many years ago."
Zhu Xiong Ying remained calm and asked, "How old is your grandson?"
"Twelve! Twelve!" Zhao Tiezhu exclaimed hastily, then knelt down. "This humble subject risks his life, Your Highness, could you please allow our grandson to enter..."
Zhao Tiezhu had indeed given it careful consideration. If it weren't for his grandson, he really wouldn't have been willing to part with his ancestral craft. He didn't ask for much gold or silver; he simply hoped his grandson would no longer be a craftsman and that his household registration would be changed.
Zhu Xiong Ying interrupted him directly, saying with a smile, "Since he's twelve, he's old enough. Let him come over and join the personal guard."
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