Chapter 469 Small Body, Big Energy
Following Xu Zhi through the imperial city, I entered the palace from the side door of Chengtian Gate, and walked around until I arrived at the corridor outside the Liangyi Hall.
"Your Majesty, Lingnan Inspector Su Ying is outside the palace to receive the announcement." Xu Zhi came in and reported.
"Announce!" The emperor was reviewing memorials without even raising his head.
"Announce, Lingnan Inspector Su Ying comes to see you!" Xu Zhi shouted outside the door.
Su Ying tidied her appearance, took a deep breath, looked straight ahead, and walked into the Liangyi Hall.
The Liangyi Hall was brightly lit with candles, and a basin of silver frost was placed in the corner, which was warm but not dry.
At the top was a large desk piled with memorials. A burly bearded man in purple uniform put down the imperial brush and quietly looked at the young female official who came in.
There were two officials sitting at the two desks on the left. They also put down their pens and looked around silently.
This young Lord Su is even more curious than the Shao Yin of Jingzhao Prefecture.
"Your Majesty, I, Su Ying, pay my respects to you!" Su Ying bowed.
Fortunately, I traveled through time to the prosperous Tang Dynasty, where I didn’t have to kowtow three times and bow nine times to see the emperor.
If you travel back to the Qing Dynasty, you will kneel down more than ten or twenty times a day, your knees will be bent, and you will never be able to stand up again.
Many people mistakenly believe that in ancient times one had to kneel down when meeting the emperor. This is not true. This broken rule only came into being during the Qing Dynasty.
In other dynasties, unless it was a grand ceremony, ministers did not have to kneel when meeting the emperor.
"No need for formalities!" The emperor looked at His Highness Su Ying with interest.
She has a slim figure and doesn't look bloated at all even in a cotton coat.
Is this the legendary Su Ying, who has a wild imagination and countless brilliant ideas?
What a small body, but big energy!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Su Ying stood up straight, her eyelids drooping slightly.
"Su Qing! Are you wearing a cotton coat too?" asked the emperor.
"Your Majesty, yes!"
"How effective is the cold weather?"
"Your Majesty, although cotton-padded clothes are not as good as fox fur, they are simple and convenient to make. They are better than the kapok-padded clothes in the south and the reed and straw-filled clothes in the north, and they are windproof and warm."
Su Ying gave a truthful evaluation.
"In addition to being used to make cotton clothes and quilts to keep warm, Baidiezi is also the best substitute for kudzu and linen fabrics.
It can be grown in the fields and can be processed and manufactured after being picked. It does not require complicated production procedures, saving time and effort.
This will ensure that the imperial treasury is full, and farmers can also save a few to sew warm clothes, so that soldiers at the border will no longer suffer from the cold.
No one complained about the countless beggars, elderly and weak people who froze to death along the way.
This matter cannot be solved in a short time. Low productivity was a common problem in ancient times, and it was not due to the inaction of this wise ruler.
Even if cotton becomes widely available, people will still freeze to death because of poverty.
But the popularity of cotton allows most people to get cotton to keep warm to a greater or lesser extent.
The emperor glanced at Prime Minister Fang who was sitting at the desk next to him and said, "Look, seeing this young Lord Su is believing. He really has the people of the world in his heart."
If every minister had this awareness, why would he have to worry so much every time he promoted or transferred officials?
All the world knows is that he wrote the names of officials from various places on the screen, praising him for his personal involvement.
In fact, there are too many officials who are corrupt, inactive, and even exploit the people's wealth.
No matter how ambitious he is, he can only take charge of the overall situation and cannot take care of every detail.
There are very few ministers like Su Ying who are selfless, dedicated to the public, and loyal to the emperor and the country.
"If there are enough white floccoli seeds, how many years will it take for cotton fabrics to become popular in the Tang Dynasty?" asked the emperor.
"Your Majesty, if the weather is favorable, we will fully implement this policy in Henan Province, Hebei Province, and many other northern provinces.
Special personnel were sent to various places to guide planting and teach cotton-picking, spinning and weaving techniques.
In about twenty years, the people of the Tang Dynasty should be able to wear cotton clothes!" Su Ying replied, "But..."
"Just what?"
“First, the white shavings would be exploited by middle-level officials, landlords, and nobles, who would hold them in their hands for huge profits, leaving the people who really need them with nothing to keep warm.
Second, the profit margin of Baidiuzi is huge, which will cause a large amount of fertile land to be converted to Baidiuzi cultivation, and grain planting will be greatly reduced.
Even in years of good weather and good harvests, there will still be famines and disasters.”
Whether in a year of plenty or a year of famine, landlords and nobles would never go hungry.
Baidiezi would cause landlords and nobles to convert a large amount of farmland to Baidiezi cultivation, and the corresponding tenants and farmers would be burdened and forced to reduce their arable land.
After paying taxes, there is little left, and even without a famine, they will starve to death.
"According to Su Qing's opinion, how can we avoid it?" The emperor showed admiration.
Su Ying sighed, "Alas! The emperor has so many capable ministers and generals around him, it's not difficult to devise a way to circumvent this.
There is a saying: Every policy has its own countermeasure. No matter how perfect the policy is, if someone wants to fool people, they will always find a way to do it.
It is impossible to completely eliminate it. There are so many officials in the Ministry of Revenue, so it should not be difficult to issue a set of policies.
With further supervision and regulation, Baidiezi will become popular in ten or twenty years.
Only when profits are no longer exorbitant will it truly enter the homes of ordinary people.”
Su Ying felt a cold wind blowing in from behind her. She turned her head slightly and saw a young man in royal blue clothes coming in from outside the hall.
Bright eyes and a calmness on his small face that doesn't match his age.
His figure is not as tall and burly as the emperor's. He has thinner bones and is quite handsome and elegant like a gentleman.
"Father!" Li Chengqian saluted.
"Gao Ming is out of school!" the emperor said with a smile.
"Yes! I heard that the emperor summoned Lord Su from Lingnan, so I came here specially to see him." Li Chengqian said, tilting his head to look at Su Ying.
"Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" Su Ying bowed.
"No need to be so polite!" Li Chengqian stared at Su Ying, and had so many questions he wanted to ask.
"How did Master Su come up with the idea of dividing the hold of a large ship?"
Su Ying looked up in surprise. Could it be that this prince is an engineering student?
"Well, Your Highness, the watertight bulkhead method was not invented by me, but by Lu Xun of the Jin Dynasty.
When cutting the bamboo, one can see that the bamboo is hollow inside and separated by nodes.
On a whim, he created the 'Eight-Boat Ship' by dividing the cabin into nine compartments.
"Master Su has a wide range of interests! I have also read the History of Jin, but I overlooked the details." Li Chengqian listened with great interest.
"I saw the fire caltrop you mentioned. The explosion sounded like thunder, and the broken iron fragments could kill or injure people and animals within three meters!
Master Xiao Su, how did you know that the alchemists had this thing? Your proportions are even more precise than theirs."
"I accidentally saw an alchemist making it." Su Ying said vaguely.
"In the production of crossbows, the weapons supervisory department has been unable to find good materials to make torsion ropes, and the ejection distance is only over fifty meters." Li Chengqian talked freely about military equipment.
These novel weapons are more interesting than cold swords and guns. You don’t need to be strong to kill people on the battlefield!
It suits his taste very well! He goes to the weapons depot when he has nothing to do.
Listening to the rumbling sound of the fire caltrops exploding and the earth-shaking scene, I was extremely excited and my blood was boiling.
"Uh, Your Highness, how about improving it and using a torsion spring?" Su Ying suggested.
This type of crossbow has high requirements for the material of the torsion rope and the weight of the projectile has a limit.
Later, it was improved to a reciprocating motion of pentagonal gears and chain mechanisms, which automated the preparation, loading and firing of the crossbow.
"Torsion spring? Come on, draw it and let me see it!" Li Chengqian pulled Su Ying to the prime minister's desk, and a eunuch immediately handed her paper and pen.
Su Ying sat down, holding a pen and drawing while thinking. Li Chengqian lay on the table, watching intently without blinking.
Even the emperor couldn't help but stand up and come to see.
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