Chapter 1 Making a Choice
Zhu Yuhuan's original intention was to return to Yunnan after watching the ceremony. If possible, it would be best to take the manpower and materials he needed with him. However, due to the wedding and the Double Fifth Festival, both the court and the country were very busy, so Zhu Yuhuan naturally did not need to rush.
All she had to participate in were rituals such as the worship of ladies of high rank. Hu Shanxiang, Empress Dowager Sun and a group of concubines from the Temple of Emperor Xuan helped with palace affairs. Zhu Yuhuan was happy to have some free time. Every day when she had free time, she would go straight to the Wunong Temple in Nanhaizi and hand over the drawings she had previously obtained from the Shen family to the craftsmen of the Wunong Temple to see if it would bring them any new inspiration.
"I pay my respects to the princess."
A year had passed since Zhu Yuhuan left. The craftsmen had all heard about Zhu Yuhuan leading the troops to battle and winning great victories. They also knew that the eldest princess could offer sacrifices to the ancestors as a woman, which showed that she had both a kind heart and ruthless means.
Although she was a princess, to the craftsmen who had once chatted with Zhu Yuhuan about agricultural tools and machinery, the eldest princess was also a junior whom they had watched grow up. Seeing Zhu Yuhuan return, everyone was inevitably excited.
In recent years, Wunong Temple has been busy developing what Zhu Yuhuan called the "steam engine", but the capital city is short of mineral resources. The two factories have to supervise the production of armor every year and take away most of the resources. There are not many resources left for Wunong Temple, and the scale of Wunong Temple is too small. Even if a furnace is built, the materials that can be produced are very few. According to Zhu Yuhuan's idea, a large amount of iron ore is needed to complete it.
After that, the Ming Dynasty went to war with Luchuan, and most of the raw materials were used to make armor, weapons, etc. Moreover, agricultural tools and hydraulic tools could also be made of wood, and there were no new features. Therefore, the amount that could be allocated to the Wunong Temple became less and less. Due to material limitations, craftsmen could only try to research some ingenious gadgets, such as the compass car in ancient books.
"No need to be so polite." Zhu Yuhuan smiled and waved his hand, asking Huai En and Han Guilan beside him to help the craftsmen to stand up. Then he asked the palace servant to take out the blueprints and said, "This is a blueprint from Jiangnan. It shows the flying shuttle used for weaving. Combined with water power, it can weave faster and produce more complex patterns. I thought of showing you the blueprints to see if it can inspire you."
When everyone saw the new drawings, they were excited at first, and then inevitably a little nervous.
The reason is simple: it is really unacceptable that Wunong Temple cannot provide what the eldest princess wants.
Zhu Yuhuan noticed their different expressions and vaguely guessed their thoughts. He comforted them, "I finally returned to the capital, and I'm not here to rush you. I just wanted to show you something new. Besides, the court has been busy fighting the Luchuan war over the past year, so it's inevitable that you may have made some mistakes. Your Majesty and I will naturally not blame you."
After hearing what Zhu Yuhuan said, everyone's expressions suddenly became much more relaxed. The old craftsman in the lead then carefully took the drawings and looked through them carefully with the other craftsmen around him.
Seeing them gathered around the blueprint and fascinated by it, they would occasionally make sounds of sudden enlightenment. Some of them even wanted to take out the flying shuttle right away and build a simple loom in Wunong Temple to test whether this "flying shuttle" could really help them weave as if they were divinely assisted.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh, then said, "Actually, I have something else to tell you."
Upon hearing this, everyone who had been taking turns looking at the blueprints turned around and looked at Zhu Yuhuan, their faces showing panic. Someone hurriedly said, "Your Highness, just tell me what you want to say."
"After your majesty's wedding is complete, I will return to Yunnan. Your majesty has allowed me to bring along the craftsmen from Wunong Temple to promote and disseminate the various tools developed there throughout Yunnan." Seeing the crowd exchange glances, Zhu Yuhuan continued, "Yunnan has abundant iron ore, sufficient raw materials, and ample manpower for smelting. Besides the minerals that need to be transported to places like the capital, the rest can be used to develop ironware. Of course, this still requires official approval, but it's much more convenient than in the capital. I believe developing tools there will be faster and more convenient, without the constant constraints of the capital."
When everyone heard this, the joy on their faces gradually faded.
Yunnan is a remote place with many barbarians and poor people. It has just experienced a war and is in a period of reconstruction. They are just ordinary craftsmen, not as wealthy as the princess, so their lives are probably much more difficult than in the capital.
Zhu Yuhuan saw that they looked hesitant, and continued, "Don't worry, I will only transfer half of the craftsmen from Wunong Temple. Not everyone must go to Yunnan with me, but their families must go to Yunnan together. Don't worry, Yunnan is still heavily guarded, and the local officials have all been appeased. They will definitely not let you lose your lives in a muddle. The only troublesome thing is that Yunnan has a special climate, and I'm afraid you may not be able to acclimate to the climate there." Seeing everyone looking at each other, she threw out the final bait.
"I have also requested permission from His Majesty that the descendants of craftsmen willing to go to Yunnan can be exempted from the artisan status and become civilians, eliminating the need for generations of craftsmen to serve the royal family."
When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned. They never thought that Zhu Yuhuan could actually obtain such an imperial decree. To them, it was like a dream.
Even though going to Yunnan is hard, if it can help their descendants get rid of the status of craftsmen and avoid this painful job, it will all be worth it for them.
Even if you run a small business and suffer more, it is better than serving the royal family for generations.
When the family has some money and is able to raise a few scholars, it will be a blessing for their descendants as ancestors.
Seeing their expressions change rapidly, Zhu Yuhuan then stated her conditions, saying, "The journey to Yunnan is long, and the local climate is extremely volatile. Craftsmen over fifty are not allowed to accompany us." Seeing the changes in the expressions of the elderly craftsmen, she continued, "Priority will be given to recruiting craftsmen from Wunong Temple. If there are younger generations in their families who are skilled in tool making, they can also come to Wunong Temple to participate in the assessment. As long as they pass the assessment of the Wunong Temple Shaoqing, they can also accompany us to Yunnan."
Huai En saw that they were all a little excited, and said, "You are going to Yunnan to work, which is not much different from developing equipment in Wunong Temple, but the environment is quite different. But His Highness has always been kind to me, and he will naturally take good care of you. There is no need to rush to make a choice. Those who are willing to accompany us should inform the Wunong Temple officials before May 15th and enter their names on the list."
Everyone nodded repeatedly and started discussing the blueprint again, but their minds were inevitably focused on Yunnan, which they could not imagine what it looked like.
I don’t know how far away Yunnan is, or what it looks like…
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