Li Ruizhang worked as a junior steward in the Ministry of Works, going there on time every day.
The daily work is not complicated.
Xiao Sheng's intention was to have Li Ruizhang teach the people in the Ministry of Works to draw and make tools.
Although Li Ruizhang was only a minor official, the entire Ministry of Works knew about the mechanisms he had built for the Qianji Gate.
Small waterwheels that farmers can use during the dry season.
Tools for drilling wells and tools for drawing water.
Sprayer, water truck.
There are also countless tools to facilitate farming and production for farmers.
Following the diagrams provided by Li Xingran, Li Ruizhang built the windmill.
This way, the chaff is separated, eliminating the need for manual sorting, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
There are also various knives, peelers, and graters.
There are even cooking utensils for cooking rice, such as pressure cookers.
Li Ruizhang's responsibility was to oversee the church's public works department in making tools that would make life easier for people.
Then the Ministry of Works would produce them in batches and sell them to the people.
Xiao Sheng stipulated that the tools used by the Ministry of Works could not be used for profit.
Therefore, only the cost plus the labor fee for production are charged.
This way, ordinary people can afford the price.
Li Ruizhang's outstanding performance was unanimously praised by the Ministry of Works, and Xiao Sheng took the opportunity to promote him.
A year later, Li Ruizhang's position in the Ministry of Works was second only to Zhang Changgong, the Minister of Works.
During that year, Zhang Changgong frequently invited his colleagues from the Ministry of Works to his home.
Zhang Changgong was a hospitable person, and Zhang Qingshu's admiration for Li Ruizhang made him even more enthusiastic about inviting his colleagues to his home.
However, just to be on the safe side, Zhang Changgong went through the proper channels with Xiao Sheng before making this decision.
He spoke frankly, expressing his desire to form a marriage alliance with the Li family.
Xiao Sheng was naturally pleased to see it happen.
He had met Zhang Qingshu, the daughter of the Minister of Works. She was a well-mannered and polite young lady, with a beautiful face that was a perfect match for Li Ruizhang's elegant and refined appearance.
Over time, Li Ruizhang remembered Zhang Qingshu, the beautiful and elegant lady from the household of the Minister of Works.
Zhang Qingshu also had her own unique insights into tool making, but unfortunately, being a woman, she could not show her face in public.
Li Ruizhang greatly admired Zhang Qingshu's talent.
Back home, during casual conversations, the number of times Zhang Qingshu was mentioned gradually increased.
Zhang Changgong was also a courageous official who dared to defy public opinion.
Occasionally, when he was on official business at the Ministry of Works, he would take Zhang Qingshu with him.
When Zhang Qingshu arrived at the Ministry of Works, he didn't wander around aimlessly; instead, he immersed himself in the making of various tools.
That day, Li Ruizhang was helping the students in the faculty department make blue bricks.
Li Xingran said that the houses in later generations were exceptionally sturdy, fireproof, and airtight.
In the Kingdom of Nanchen today, from the emperor down to the commoner, most houses are made of wood.
Some ordinary people have already adopted rammed earth for walls, but bricks cannot yet be mass-produced; they are only used for city walls and imperial city buildings.
After Li Ruizhang told Zhang Changgong about this, Zhang Changgong sent people from the Ministry of Works to collect clay throughout the entire Nan Chen Kingdom.
The clay was delivered today.
Earlier, Li Ruizhang had built a brick kiln on an open space in the Ministry of Works.
Zhang Qingshu followed Zhang Changgong to watch Li Ruizhang make brick blanks.
Because Li Ruizhang's brick kiln was relatively small, it could only hold 3,000 jin (1,500 kg).
Li Ruizhang made many molds for firing blue brick blanks.
Bricks are shaped into the same size using molds, which makes them more aesthetically pleasing after firing.
After watching Li Ruizhang demonstrate how to make brick blanks, all the people from the Ministry of Works joined in.
Zhang Qingshu and Zhang Changgong were prominently listed.
Seeing that the delicate young lady from the official family was not afraid of being tired or dirty, Li Ruizhang felt a strange emotion in his heart.
After the brick blanks are made, they need to be left to rest for about six days before they can be loaded into the kiln for firing.
Li Ruizhang and the others tidied up the site and let the bricks dry naturally on the open ground.
It was summer then, and the brick blanks could be put into the brick kiln in six days; in winter, it would take about ten days.
Six days later, when Li Ruizhang and the others put the brick blanks into the kiln, Li Ruizhang saw Zhang Qingshu also pushing a small wheelbarrow, helping to transport the brick blanks.
Some brick kilns are made with firewood, while others are made with coal.
Li Ruizhang was going to fire blue bricks this time, so he used a wood-fired kiln because bricks fired with firewood are bluish-gray, while bricks fired with coal are light white.
Li Ruizhang explained as he worked.
After all, none of the people in the Ministry of Works had ever fired bricks themselves.
“Three holes are drilled on the side of the top of the brick kiln to let out smoke. When the fire is ready and no more firewood is needed, the smoke holes are sealed with mud, and then water is poured on the top of the kiln to turn the bricks bluish-gray.”
“When firing bricks, if the fire is less than 10%, the bricks will not have a luster; if the fire is less than 30%, they will be fired into underfired bricks, showing the original color of the clay. After being eroded by frost, snow and wind, they will immediately loosen and turn back into clay.”
"If the bricks are over-fired by 10%, cracks will appear on the surface; if they are over-fired by 30%, the bricks will shrink, crack, bend, and break easily when tapped, like a pile of scrap iron, and will no longer be suitable for building walls."
"When firing the kiln, you need to observe the temperature from the kiln door. The brick blanks will look a little shaky when exposed to high temperatures, just like when gold or silver is completely melted. This requires experience to identify and master."
"This is our first time firing bricks, so we lack experience. Therefore, we hope that all colleagues will observe carefully and keep good records."
"Tonight I will stay here and record the firing temperature, time, and amount of firewood and water used to make the bricks."
Zhang Qingshu listened attentively, and after delivering the bricks, he even took out paper and pen to take careful notes.
The observant Li Ruizhang noticed it.
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