The king's sword is forged, and we'll conquer the world! Who's to blame? This king's...
Everyone's eyes fell on the young man who suddenly spoke.
The young girl still looked the same, tall and thin, looking like she couldn't afford to eat. But at this moment, her eyes were bright and her expression was firm, and she actually had the aura of a capable person.
"Are you a girl?"
Hu Youan asked hesitantly.
The young man nodded heavily, his voice a little hoarse from not speaking for a long time, his pronunciation a little unskilled, and some of the sounds were not very clear.
"Yes, I am a girl. Please forgive me for concealing my identity. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to inherit my father's skills and forge iron for you, Your Majesty."
No matter how unclear the pronunciation was, Shen Zhiwei understood it.
Not only is he not mute, he can also speak elegant language!
Anshou really brought her a treasure.
Shen Zhiwei became excited all of a sudden. According to the general plot, a scene like this where a woman disguises herself as a man would definitely happen to the protagonist!
The young girl didn't know how much courage she mustered before she stood up. She had to stand up. If she didn't take a step forward, Hu Youan's sword would fall on the craftsman's heart.
Shen Zhiwei asked, "What's your name?"
"My name is Jin, I have no surname or clan name."
Some craftsmen were of commoner origin, or even slave origin, and of course they did not have surnames. As for clan names, they were often only possessed by noble men, symbolizing the territory they were granted.
"Since you are from Anguo, then take the surname An."
Shen Zhiwei was not used to not having a surname. She didn't know how to address the other person, so she just gave the boy a surname.
There are very few people who take the country's name as their surname. An Shou did not even grant others the surname An, but Shen Zhiwei could, because she was the emperor of Zhou, and anyone could have whatever surname she wanted.
An Jin bowed her head and responded with a "yes", feeling confused and frightened. Getting a surname was certainly a very good thing for her. For a craftsman to get his own surname was the greatest reward from the master to the craftsman.
But she hasn't forged what the king wants yet, so is the king giving her a reward first?
Or perhaps, this surname is not a reward for her future achievements, but a reward for her actions today.
When other craftsmen were still hesitating, not knowing whether to be loyal to the king, she was the only one who stood up.
When in Anguo, An Jin heard many people say that the new emperor was a young princess who had no talent or reputation and could not even recognize all the characters. The royal family simply had no talent, so they let the princess ascend the throne.
At that time, she was thinking that perhaps the Zhou emperor's world would really change hands in the future, and she wondered who would be the most powerful of the vassal states in the end to gain the upper hand.
But now standing in front of the king, An Jin's thoughts changed. She felt that this princess was not as bad as the rumors said.
An Jin was changing her opinion of the king when she heard the king give her a drawing of what a pot looked like.
There are also some blacksmithing steps.
Shen Zhiwei didn't know how to make iron specifically, but she roughly knew how to make steel. Water quenching and tempering steel were essential steps.
In order to be able to use the big iron pot as soon as possible, Shen Zhiwei gave everything she knew to the talented person she found.
"Ajin, don't let me down."
Shen Zhiwei earnestly advised An Jin, wishing she could eat stir-fried dishes tomorrow.
An Jin held the light paper in her hand, feeling it was as heavy as a thousand pieces of gold. She knelt on the ground and solemnly replied "yes".
The other four craftsmen were all taken away by Hu Youan.
They can't speak elegant language and are not loyal enough. Leaving them here would be leaving a backdoor for the enemy. Hu Youan would never allow this to happen.
However, these four craftsmen still have some skills. After all, they came from Anguo, so they cannot be killed like this. It is better to exchange them with other nobles for some useful apprentices.
It is impossible to let An Jin do the iron smelting alone. We should find a few apprentices to help An Jin. It is more reliable to use those apprentices who have not yet completed their studies than the craftsmen who have already been recruited.
After everything was arranged, Shen Zhiwei returned to the bedroom.
On the way, Hu Youan did not follow Shen Zhiwei because he had to escort the four craftsmen out of the palace, but walked out with Wen Tao.
The two of them were walking on the road, and since they couldn't remain silent, they started talking about those craftsmen.
Wen Tao said that she happened to have an apprentice at home, and she could speak the Anguo language, so she would give the four craftsmen to her. She would send someone to send the apprentices to the palace when she returned, and she would ensure that the apprentices she chose were people with clean backgrounds.
Hu Youan didn't trust Wen Tao very much, so he planned to go to Wen's house to see it with his own eyes before making a decision.
Wen Tao welcomed him warmly, saying, "If Doctor Hu were to come, I would certainly make a room to welcome him. Doctor Hu is so loyal to the king, which is truly rare."
"You are rare too."
Hu Youan made no secret of her slight dissatisfaction with the Wen family, nor did she hide her admiration for Wen Tao personally.
When the king appointed her as a doctor before, the one who opposed it most strongly was Wen Taifu. However, later on, the king said something to Wen Taifu in private, and finally Wen Taifu backed down.
If the king had not been so determined, she would have lost the official position she had obtained and Hu Youan's future would have been ruined. Thinking of this, she had no good feelings towards the Wen family.
But Wen Tao is different from other members of the Wen family. To be more precise, she is different from those who are of aristocratic origin.
She was more easy-going, and her attitude towards both the craftsmen and Hu Youan was normal, without the arrogance of an aristocrat.
Wen Tao tightly gripped the dagger at her waist and accepted all of Hu Youan's praise. She believed that having a good relationship with the guards around the king would only bring benefits and no harm in the future.
Moreover, Hu Youan's background is actually very special.
"Actually, there is something I don't know whether I should tell the doctor."
"Just say it, girl."
Wen Tao had not yet officially entered the court as an official, so Hu Youan did not call her by her official name.
"Do you know, Doctor, that your great-grandfather once studied in the Bian Kingdom. He and my teacher Changzi were both students at the Bian Kingdom Academy, and were taught by Chunzi?"
Dafu means grandfather, which is a respectful title.
Hu Youan knew very little about his family.
She had even forgotten what her parents looked like, and now, Wen Tao told her that her grandfather had a past with Changzi, and she was indirectly related to Wen Tao.
"I've never heard of this. Junzi, a great sage, actually taught my grandfather..."
Then her eldest father brought his entire family and offended the previous king, leaving the elderly, the weak, women and children to be mistreated by the world, and now she is the only one left.
The Hu family was originally a branch of the Si surname. For more than ten generations, they were considered one family. Later, the Hu family was granted a fiefdom in Hu land and had some conflicts with their original family. Finally, they simply changed their surname to Hu and completely separated from the Si surname.
The situation is not much different from that of the Wen family, except that the Hu family has completely declined, while the Wen family now has Wen Tao, a talented woman who is famous all over the world.
Wen Tao told Hu Youan about the past events again. Before she returned to Jingchang this time, her teacher had mentioned Hu Youan's grandfather to her many times. It seemed that the two had a good relationship in the past.
More than forty years have passed in a flash. Changzi has grown old, old friends have passed away one after another, and the children have grown up.
In the next few days, the first thing Shen Zhiwei did when he opened his eyes every day was to ask if the iron pot was ready.
Hu Youan brought her disappointing news every day, which made Shen Zhiwei feel uneasy every time she saw Hu Youan shaking his head.
Seven days later, Shen Zhiwei got up early and habitually asked if he was okay.
She was waiting for Hu Youan to shake his head, but unexpectedly, Hu Youan couldn't hide his excitement and nodded this time.
"alright?"
"While the king was asleep, a palace servant came with a message saying that it was done, the iron had been smelted!"
Hu Youan didn't know the specific situation either, she heard it from second-hand information.
Shen Zhiwei, who had received the third-hand information, got up quickly, washed up, and asked someone to tell Master Wen that she would not be attending classes today. Then she took people to the remote Baigong Workshop.
Baigongfang is where An Jin is currently located. There are many empty houses and venues and materials where craftsmen can freely display their skills. I heard that it was very lively there twenty years ago.
Now, only An Jin and her apprentices are working.
However, Shen Zhiwei believes that the Baigongfang will be filled up soon. She has many clever ideas to realize and she wants to improve her quality of life!
As a tyrant, what else could he be obsessed with if not with strange and ingenious tricks? Would he be obsessed with war or with government?
She can't be obsessed with the harem. Shen Zhiwei is destined to become a king who loses his country. Why should she delay him?
Nowadays, in a country that loses a war, whether it is the former dynasty, the harem, or the land and people, all become the spoils of the victor.
On the way, Shen Zhiwei had already begun to imagine the good days of eating her favorite stir-fried dishes and having three meals a day.
When they arrived at the Hundred Workers' Workshop, An Jin, who had darkened several shades, stepped forward to salute. Before he could completely bend his waist, he was helped up by Shen Zhiwei.
"Don't be so polite, just let me see the things."
Wok, wok, wok! Big wok!
Shen Zhiwei's eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky, brighter than An Jin's bright eyes, and they were full of the desire to eat a full meal and a good meal.
Then An Jin, facing Shen Zhiwei's gaze, brought a long box.
Pushing open the wooden box, an extremely sharp iron sword lay quietly inside.
"I have lived up to your trust, Your Majesty. In just seven days, I have finally forged this divine weapon, capable of severing hair with a single blow. However, the time is too short, and this sword is not yet magnificent enough. Please give me a little more time, Your Majesty. I will surely forge a sword that will suit you best! For you to conquer the world!"
In the past seven days, not only has An Jin's ironmaking skills improved, but her elegant speech has also improved better than before.
But when Shen Zhiwei listened, he felt that this elegant language was very unfamiliar.
"T-This is the sword you forged in seven days?"
Shen Zhiwei's last word was about to float to the sky.
After looking at it several times, I realized it was indeed a sword, not a pot.
She wanted the pot! She was now the distinguished Party A! Why would they forge a sword for her and even passionately say they would help her conquer the world?
An Jin nodded heavily and said yes, then looked at Shen Zhiwei expectantly with bright eyes, hoping very much that Shen Zhiwei would be happy.
Shen Zhiwei took a deep breath and comforted herself in her heart, it doesn't matter, the sword is already there, how far away is the pot? People with ability have some flaws, she is a tolerant king who lost his country.
So, she can't be angry with An Jin, she still needs An Jin to make the pot!
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