Chapter 39: The Wedding Ceremony
Although he was not sure whether this Wang Zhen was the same Wang Zhen, Zhu Yuhuan always wanted someone to keep an eye on him, so he specifically asked the female officials to keep a close eye on Wang Zhen for a while to see if he had any other purposes.
However, the appearance of Wang Zhen did alert Zhu Yuhuan, and the Battle of Tumu was not far away.
After taking all kinds of precautions, all he got was his own family. Thinking about it carefully, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but laugh at himself.
Zhu Zhanji made drastic changes to eliminate redundant institutions, and also prepared the yamen that Zhu Yuhuan had proposed to be responsible for the improvement and production of agricultural tools. Although the craftsmen did not get rid of their craftsman status, they were officially organized, which was completely different from the nature of their previous service.
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help feeling a little guilty, but she was ultimately under someone else's control, so there was nothing she could do about it.
However, the craftsmen were extremely excited when they learned that they could receive their monthly wages as usual. If Zhu Yuhuan had not asked Huai En to stop them, they would probably have kowtowed to Zhu Yuhuan to express their gratitude.
"In the past, the princess always subsidized our monthly allowance. Now we finally have the monthly allowance from the government, so we don't have to waste the princess's money."
Zhu Yuhuan felt that they were being wronged and consoled them by saying, "These farm tools are of great use to the country and the people. I'm willing to pay for them even if you continue to pay for them. How can you say they're a waste?"
For these artisans, born into the profession of craftsmanship, they could never escape their fate as craftsmen. For generations, they could only make a living by relying on their skills, working tirelessly to provide for the imperial family. They had neither social status nor generous salaries. But now, they had a formal government office, no longer serving in vain, and with a monthly salary, even though they were still craftsmen, their lives were much better than before.
Zhu Yuhuan said seriously, "Even if you are only a craftsman, it won't stop you from doing great things. Even if it doesn't seem like much at the moment, decades or centuries later, people will remember your contributions."
The craftsman was slightly stunned when he met her serious gaze, and nodded subconsciously.
Xu Wangzhi was originally standing aside, leaning against the wooden shelf that Zhu Yuhuan had brought. When he heard her words, he was also stunned.
Zhu Yuhuan seemed to have some magic power. No matter what she did, she seemed to be able to convince the other party and make them believe her involuntarily.
Thinking about it now, perhaps it was because Zhu Yuhuan sincerely regarded the other person as a person like herself, and would never change her attitude because of the other person's background, status, or wealth. Most importantly, she would not give charity from a high position, but would think from the other person's perspective from the bottom of her heart.
"Look at it?"
Xu Wangzhi came back to his senses, patted the wooden pillar next to him, and said, "What is this shelf for? I see you specially had it brought here, and you even tied a red silk on it."
Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile: "Of course it has a special use."
A red silk cloth with a hydrangea tied to it was hung between two wooden pillars. It was placed at the gate of the yard, which looked a bit weird no matter how you looked at it.
Previously, the craftsmen worked in Hu Shanwei's yard. Later, Zhu Zhanji allowed Zhu Yuhuan to expand the scale slightly and built a blast furnace, which was considered a small scale. Now that it has become a formal government office, and officials will come here to work in the future, it has been properly renovated to make it look more imposing.
The plaque hanging on the main gate was also covered with red cloth at this time. It was difficult to see what was written on it, but it made people look forward to it for no reason.
"Master Xue is here!"
Zhu Yuhuan looked not far away and saw the official Xue Xuan who was assigned to the scene. The man was not tall, but because of his dark skin and thick beard, he looked a bit like a farmer. He also had thick eyebrows and big eyes, but at first glance he did not look like a scholar.
Zhu Yuhuan even suspected that the three Yang officials in the cabinet had also dismissed Mr. Xue because he didn't look like a scholar. However, he was also a Jinshi in the 19th year of the Yongle reign, a fellow classmate of Zeng Heling, Yu Qian, and others Zhu Yuhuan knew well. Zhu Yuhuan still had confidence in his abilities.
Xue Xuan had no idea what Zhu Yuhuan was thinking, so he simply greeted her as usual and said, "Your servant Xue Xuan greets Princess Shunde."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded slightly and said, "You're welcome, Mr. Xue. We'll see each other often in the future."
If nothing else, Zhu Zhanji's arrangement was a good one. After all, Xue Xuan's original rank wasn't high, and he wasn't particularly valued. If there were any disagreements, Princess Zhu Yuhuan might be able to hold the line. If someone older or had been in office earlier had been in charge, Zhu Yuhuan wouldn't have much to say.
Xue Xuan looked at the red silk on the plaque, then at the two wooden pillars and the embroidered red silk in front of the door, and asked in confusion, "Princess, what are you doing?"
He had heard of Princess Shunde before learning he was being assigned to this yamen, but he'd mostly heard that she was favored and intelligent, but even so, there was no reason for a princess to interfere in government affairs. It was only later that he did have to interact with her, and he also asked Zeng Heling, a fellow Jinshi, that he realized she was truly "unique."
But looking at the scene in front of him, Xue Xuan was still a little confused.
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Now that Shaoqing Xue is here, we're all here. Let's officially begin."
As soon as she finished speaking, Huai En came over with a wooden tray containing a pair of golden scissors.
Zhu Yuhuan beckoned the oldest craftsman forward, and then asked Xue Xuan to come along. She then picked up the golden scissors and handed them to the already gray-haired craftsman. She held up the red silk in one hand and said to Xue Xuan, "Shaoqing Xue, please lift the red silk on the other side of the hydrangea."
Although Xue Xuan didn't understand why, he didn't refuse.
When Xue Xuan picked up the red silk, Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said to the old craftsman, "Cut it, cut it in the middle."
The old craftsman showed a helpless expression on his face and his movements became stiff, but he finally did as Zhu Yuhuan said and cut the red silk in half with the golden scissors. Then he looked at Zhu Yuhuan eagerly, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
As the red silk fell lightly to the ground, they heard the sound of wind behind them. The three of them turned around together and saw that the red silk on the plaque had been torn off by Xu Wangzhi and the female official. On it were three large characters "Wunong Temple" written in gold ink.
Despite the silence all around, Zhu Yuhuan immediately applauded and cheered.
This was something she and these craftsmen had fought so hard for, and it wouldn't do to just accept it as such.
The crowd who had been looking up at the plaque came to their senses and couldn't help but cheer along with Zhu Yuhuan.
Even if they didn't understand Zhu Yuhuan's behavior, they would never mistake his joy.
This is an unprecedented government office, and not only that, it is also a brand new beginning for them.
Even Xue Xuan couldn't help but sigh, "It's truly worthy of being written by His Majesty."
The old craftsman who was in charge of cutting the ribbon couldn't help but tear up and said, "I...I don't know these three words."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned, feeling a little bitter in his heart, before he spoke: "Wunong Temple, these three characters are read from right to left, pronounced Wunong Temple. From now on, you are the craftsmen of Wunong Temple, craftsmen who receive a monthly salary."
The old craftsman muttered to himself, "Wunong Temple...Wunong Temple...This is the first word I've learned besides my name!"
Xue Xuan secretly looked at Zhu Yuhuan and saw that the young princess looked relieved as she comforted the craftsmen around her.
This princess was indeed beyond his expectations. No wonder Zeng Heling and others praised Princess Shunde highly. Apart from her intelligence, this princess also had some abilities that were largely unnoticed.
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