Chapter 471: Stay true to your original aspirations and get promoted

Chapter 471: Stay true to your original aspirations and get promoted

Chapter 471: Stay true to your original aspirations and get promoted

Although the Ministry of Industry is within the Imperial City, it is difficult to enter the Imperial Palace.
You still have to pass through Hongwu Gate, Chengtian Gate, Duanmen Gate, and Wumen Gate, so it is not very close.

When Qin Kui, the Minister of Works, arrived at the Wuying Palace Square,

The sky was already dark, and sporadic moonlight sprinkled on Gongdao, like a layer of fine white salt.

Qin Kui had a lot of thoughts in his mind and a blank look in his eyes. He just followed the eunuch in front of him and walked carelessly.

Regarding the quarrel in the government office,
He knew clearly that the cart was not the point;
The key lies in the ownership of the workshop, whether it was built by the imperial court or by private individuals.

Similarly, there are frequent disputes over raw materials in many workshops.

On one hand, the Ministry of Works obtained it on its own, and on the other hand, it purchased it from private merchants.

Ultimately, it is a question of the ownership of the court's money.

Moreover, Qin Kui also knew that this involved interests.

In the Ming Dynasty today, gentry, scholar-gentry, big landlords, big merchants, and the powerful are all the same kind of people, all officials.

But unfortunately, you are in me and I am in you, which not only makes it difficult for him, but also causes headaches for the entire court.

"Lord Qin, we're almost there." At this time, the eunuch in front turned around and reminded.

Qin Kui's dazed eyes gradually became serious. He nodded slightly and his expression became solemn.

The Wuying Hall is not as grand as the Fengtian Hall, but once it gets dark and the lights are on, it still looks majestic.

Walk across the square in front of the temple and arrive at the gate.

Qin Kui met Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, and bowed: "Greetings, Lord Wuding."

Guo Ying, wearing armor and holding a long sword, nodded slightly:
"Minister Qin works hard every day."

Qin Kui was somewhat puzzled, "Why did Lord Wuding say that?"

Guo Ying smiled and pointed at his beard.

Qin Kui reached out to grab it.

It turned out that at some point, his beard had been pulled into a tangled mess, like a knotted braid.

Qin Kui laughed and said as he stretched out his hand to take care of it:
"Thank you, Lord Wu Ding, for reminding me. Otherwise, I would have made a fool of myself."

"hehe."

Marquis Wu Ding smiled, made way, and made a gesture of invitation.

Qin Kui took a deep breath, looked serious, and walked in the Wuying Palace!
Entering the hall, everything he saw made him slightly stunned, and he began to wonder if he had come to the palace.
Inside the main hall of Wuying Palace, an "old farmer" and the prince were walking around a novelty.
He commented on it with a serious expression.

Qin Kui was a little stunned. Who is this person?

But soon, he walked closer and saw the man's face clearly. He was shocked and bowed quickly:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, is greeted by your servant Qin Kui."

He felt a little absurd that the old farmer-like man in front of him was actually His Majesty.

Moreover, this sweat shirt and straw sandals look harmonious at all.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang looked up and nodded slightly:

"Qin Kui, come and look at this thing. It can replace a carriage, horse, or child and can travel ten miles."

Qin Kui cast his gaze over and looked it up and down. He thought carefully in his mind and swore that he had never seen such a thing.

"May I ask your majesty, what is this?"

"Bicycle." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the prince and said, "Explain it to him."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao bowed, called Qin Kui closer, and talked about the magical power of this object and the changes it might bring.
Qin Kui's face looked more and more strange as he listened. He kept looking at the bicycle.

Finally, he asked a question:
"Your Highness, this bicycle has two legs, front and back, can it really walk upright?"

The prince was speechless, so he simply sat on it and began to pedal skillfully.
Then, under Qin Kui's shocked gaze,

The thing in front of him actually started to move. Although it was a little awkward for His Royal Highness to curl up in the cart, it could actually move.
Moreover, it is faster and more agile than a horse-drawn carriage and can turn around.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, where did this thing come from? Why has the Ministry of Works never heard of it?"

Qin Kui was a little bit unbelievable. How could there be something in the world that even the Ministry of Works had not seen?

Zhu Yuanzhang curled his lips:

"Qin Kui, don't be a jerk. There are so many things that the Ministry of Industry doesn't have.

This thing was developed by the military. Come and have a look. It was supervised by the Ministry of Industry. How much does it cost?"

Seeing the prince still wandering around in the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened:
"Prince, you are still playful at this age!"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao rode his bicycle over with a smile on his face, and it was obvious that he was also very happy.

Seeing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's expression softened, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he glanced at him.

After the prince came down, Qin Kui lay on it and studied it carefully, looking at it non-stop.
He found that many of the parts on the bicycle were nothing new, but the assembly structure was very strange.

He quickly came to the conclusion and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, this bicycle is very expensive, probably costing several taels of silver.

But if the Ministry of Industry were to make it, it might not take more than one or two taels.”

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao looked at each other and nodded slightly.

"It seems that the boy was not lying. This thing is indeed not expensive and ordinary people can afford it."

The resolute lines on Zhu Yuanzhang's face softened a little, and he looked at Qin Kui and asked:

"Still arguing about the cart?"

"Your Majesty, the officials in the yamen all hold different opinions and have yet to decide who is superior."

Seeing his honesty, Zhu Yuanzhang sneered:
"What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I am the Minister of Works, so naturally I hope that the workshop will be built by the Ministry of Works."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Qin Kui in surprise, walked to the square table beside him, sat down, picked up the teacup and drank it all.

"Aren't you afraid of being dragged down by the workshop?"

Qin Kui showed respect:
“Your Majesty, even if the workshop is chaotic and complicated, it is better than letting those merchants do whatever they want.

Merchants pursue profits, and porters are used by merchants, and wheelbarrows are also made by merchants.

I'm afraid that carts will appear all over the country.
And their workshops will employ the fewest workers to do the most work.

The livelihood of the people will not be alleviated, but will be aggravated.

Moreover, the silver generated by the carts would not fall into the hands of the people.

By then, the Yuezhou incident will happen again, and it will be imminent.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded:
"Shang people have no country. If we allow them to do whatever they want, the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos.

I plan to have both of them supervised by the Ministry of Works and set up workshops at the same time.

It should be used in the military first, and the amount flowing into the civilian population should not be too much or too little.

Even if we need to change, we have to do it slowly, starting from Yingtian."

Qin Kui paused and quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind:

"Yes, Your Majesty." After the words fell, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Qin Kui's eyes, and he pursed his lips slightly.

Now that the palace has issued an edict, there must be a result for the many opposing voices in the government office, and this chaos cannot continue.

At this time, the Crown Prince Zhu Biao asked:

"Minister Qin, if the people in the government are pretending to obey but actually disobeying their orders and working without putting in any effort, you can report this to Lord Zhan of the Censorate."

After he said this, Qin Kui felt light all over.

With the support of the palace, he is now fully confident in dealing with some of the opponents in the government.

Qin Kui bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, but I think that since it is a matter for the Ministry of Works, let the Ministry of Works handle it. I believe that some adults are also sensible."

Crown Prince Zhu Biao knew that if the chief official was unable to suppress the internal affairs of the yamen and sought help from external forces, even if the problem was resolved, his prestige would be greatly reduced.

Thinking of this, he said:
"Master Qin, please do what you want. No matter what, you must get the job done. The palace only cares about the results."

"Yes, Your Highness, please rest assured."

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke calmly:
"Qin Kui, I remember you were a Jinshi in the eighteenth year of Hongwu?"

"Your Majesty, I am the twelfth place in the second class of the imperial examination in the eighteenth year of Hongwu."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, his beard slightly raised:
"From the Imperial College? Where is he from?"

Qin Kui showed respect, his beard trembling slightly:

"Your Majesty, I am from Xuancheng County, Ningguo Prefecture, Southern Zhili, and was born into a farming family.
In the sixth year of Hongwu, with the grace of His Majesty, I was able to recruit students from all over the world to study at the Imperial Academy. After more than ten years of hard study, I finally achieved success. "

"When you were in the Censorate, you acted vigorously and vigorously, cleared prisoners, and was lenient and strict at the right time.
You do things that others dare not do, and you also do things that others find troublesome. You are a good official.

Do you know why I transferred you to the Ministry of Industry? And promoted you. "

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke calmly, while Qin Kui looked stern.
The prince standing aside also looked stern and serious.

"Your Majesty, I don't know."

Qin Kui meant this sincerely. He had served as a Langzhong in the Ministry of Works for many years and supervised the construction of many fortifications.

Last year, when the Vice Minister of Works Chen Guangsong got into trouble, he was promoted to Right Vice Minister of Works, which was an unexpectedly happy event.

But unexpectedly, within a year,
He was promoted to Minister of Works, which was not just a promotion of one level, but at least five levels.

It was already a lot of trouble for an ordinary Right Vice Minister to be promoted to Left Vice Minister.

The left assistant minister and the minister seem to only need to take two steps from the second rank to the first rank.
But to reach this level, one must at least go through three or four government offices and spend nearly ten years before one can possibly reach the level of a second-rank official.
Most of them retire while in office, and very few are able to step out.

He saved ten years of effort and the energy he would have spent on moving between various departments.
He was promoted to the second rank as the Right Vice Minister. Now everyone in the court and the country is saying that he is trying to cling to the power.

But only he himself knows that the promotion
He himself was also confused and had no idea why he was promoted inexplicably.

Qin Kui thought for a long time, and Zhu Yuanzhang was still silent, so he bowed again:

"Your Majesty, I am at a loss as to why this is happening. Please help me."

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Qin Kui:
"You come from a poor family, and there are many scholars from poor families in the Imperial College.
Some of them passed the imperial examinations, some passed the imperial examinations, and some were appointed to official posts.
But some people have forgotten their origins, and some have abandoned what they learned in school about serving the country and the people.

You have not forgotten your origins.
You did a great job in changing the status of craftsmen.

Now all the craftsmen in the capital remember you, and so do I."

At this, Qin Kui suddenly raised his head, suddenly realized, and fell into memories.

In April of the 19th year of Hongwu, the imperial court recruited craftsmen from all over the country to come to the capital to build military equipment in preparation for the 20-year expedition against Nahachu.

At that time, he submitted a memorial to the court, suggesting that the shifts for craftsmen to go to Beijing should be determined according to the distance from the capital.
After the craftsmen are registered and signed a contract, their families will be exempt from corvée labor after they report to the Ministry of Works.

This law was later implemented and written into the Ming Dynasty Code and became a law.

From then on, craftsmen no longer had to stay in the capital all year round.

You only need to come to the capital to work during a certain period of time, and you can work in the government office in your hometown for the rest of the time.

Also, because they could avoid rocking chairs, the enthusiasm of the craftsmen was unprecedentedly improved.

Qin Kui thought this was the best thing he had ever done in his life.

It is even better than the ancient imperial temple built in the 20th year of Hongwu.

Thinking of this, Qin Kui finally understood why he was promoted.

His lips moved, his clasped hands trembled slightly, and his voice was choked:
“Your Majesty, I am a scholar and a craftsman, and I know that craftsmen are the foundation of the world.

Since the Yuan Dynasty was able to treat craftsmen well, the Ming Dynasty should do the same.”

"Well said! There are many officials in the Ming Dynasty, but only a few of them can treat the people well.

You did what you should do, and I should reward you.

I promoted you because I wanted to tell you, and to tell officials like you who work for the people,

The court can see what you have done, and will not treat you unfairly.
Those who deserve promotion will be promoted, and those who deserve reward will be rewarded."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up suddenly and waved his hand.
A powerful aura surged up, and he looked at Qin Kui with sharp eyes:
"Now that you are an official in one of the six ministries, I hope you will not forget your original intention and serve the people wholeheartedly.

You have to handle the workshop affairs properly.

You don't have to worry about some people who are doing trouble openly or secretly.

I have found a helper for you. If there are people in the government who pretend to obey but actually disobey, and harm the people in the name of petitioning for the people, let him come forward and beat them up!"

Qin Kui was so moved that he burst into tears.

But after hearing this, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes, and he hit hard?
He confirmed again and again that he had not heard wrongly.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, who is this person?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the crown prince Zhu Biao. He stepped forward, pointed at the cart in front of him, and said:
"Sir Qin, since we are going to build a workshop to manufacture carts and bicycles,

Of course, we can't avoid its creator, and the helper I found for you is the prince's guest Lu Yunyi."

Qin Kui's eyebrows twitched wildly and his eyes widened!

Why is it him?

He still remembered that his daughter went missing the day before yesterday and he searched all over Yingtian City before finding her in Qinhuai River. When he asked her the reason afterwards, she turned out to be accompanying someone to look for Lu Yunyi?
But soon, Qin Kui was shocked and looked at the bicycle in front of him in disbelief:

"Your Highness, did he also make the bicycle?"

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was very satisfied with his reaction and nodded slightly:
"It has just been delivered to the Prince's Mansion today. Let him take the blueprints and the craftsmen to the Ministry of Works tomorrow!"

Qin Kui was shocked and his pupils shook violently.

Whether it is a wheelbarrow or a bicycle, they are things that can make people famous through the ages, and now they are made by one person.

Moreover, he also knew that many of the top-secret weapons in the military were made by this person.

If it weren't for your majesty's previous comfort.

He now almost thought that he had done something wrong and that this person had come to snatch his position as the Minister.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled rarely and said in a deep voice:
"Practice."

The secretary beside him quickly picked up his pen and pretended to write.
Zhu Yuanzhang's powerful voice echoed in the Wuying Hall:
"Lu Yunyi is also the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and is still in charge of all military affairs. He is also the Doctor of the Imperial Academy's School of Craftsmen and the Guest of the Crown Prince."

(End of this chapter)