While Zhang Juzheng was still racking his brains to think about how to deal with this matter next, his eyes met Yan Song's inadvertently.
Both parties obviously did not expect this situation, so their eyes only met for a moment before they looked away.
With Yan Song's vicious eyes, he could naturally detect that something was wrong with Zhang Juzheng, and he could only see his brows frowning slightly, thinking so.
"Well, logically speaking, after learning the news, shouldn't Zhang Juzheng be happy for Prince Yu? Why does he look so worried?"
"Is it possible that something happened in the meantime that I don't know about?"
Yan Song thought so and suddenly raised his inner vigilance to the highest level. In his opinion, it was now a time of life and death, and everything needed to be treated with caution!
"How about deliberately messing up tonight's banquet so that King Yu doesn't have a chance to perform?"
Suddenly, an idea suddenly emerged in Yan Song's mind.
But soon, this idea was rejected by Yan Song himself: "No, you can't do this. This would be too deliberate. Your Majesty will definitely notice it. If your Majesty is angered by then, the gain will outweigh the loss!"
In stark contrast to Yan Song, who was helpless, it was Xu Jie.
At this moment, Xu Jie was still pretending to deal with the memorial in his hand, but in fact, his mind was not on it at all.
Xu Jie is now only thinking about how to make Zhu Zaijing shine at tonight's banquet, so that he can show his talents in front of Jiajing, and then establish his position as the crown prince in one fell swoop!
After all, this is the temptation of Conglong Gong, and no one in the world can resist it!
Xu Jie had even begun to imagine in his mind what would happen in the future after King Yu succeeded to the throne, and he would be promoted to the position of chief minister of the cabinet, with power in both the government and the opposition.
"Yan Song, you are an old and immortal thing, do you have to sit in the position of chief minister of the cabinet until you die?"
"Since you don't want to go down, then let me, Xu Jie, kick you down from this position with my own hands!"
Xu Jie thought so, a cold and stern look flashed in his eyes.
…
On the other side, when Lu Fang came to the Arms Department with a flintlock gun, he saw such a scene.
The entire weapons department was in full swing, with hurried craftsmen everywhere. The roar of bomb explosions could be heard from a distance from time to time, and the air was filled with the smell of burning gunpowder.
Lu Fang did not wait too long. Not long after, Yi Bin, the chief of the weapons department, hurried over to greet him after receiving the report from his subordinates.
"I have met Eunuch Lu!"
When Yi Bin saw Lu Fang arriving, he hurriedly bent down and saluted respectfully.
Although the Arms Department is extremely busy at the moment, Yi Bin does not dare to neglect Lu Fang's arrival at all!
After all, Lu Fang is His Majesty's most trusted person, and what he says usually represents His Majesty's will. Moreover, after the recent incident confirmed it, Lu Fang's position is even more difficult to shake!
"Um."
When Lu Fang heard this, she just nodded and responded in a subtle way.
After that, Lu Fang was seen very carefully taking out the flintlock gun that Jiajing had given him earlier.
When Yi Bin saw the flintlock gun in Lu Fang's hand, the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and he immediately lowered his head and asked cautiously.
"Eunuch Lu, what are you..."
When Lu Fang heard this, she glanced at Yi Bin quite indifferently and explained unhurriedly.
"This flintlock gun is a gift to Your Majesty from the Rakshasa envoy who came to Beijing to meet the Holy Spirit!"
"Your Majesty has asked your Arms Department to imitate this flintlock gun from now on. Once the imitation is successful, Your Majesty will ask the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate money to your Arms Department!"
When Yi Bin heard what Lu Fang said, he suddenly looked embarrassed. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke.
"Eunuch Lu, to be honest, the Weapons Department is currently short of manpower. The experienced craftsmen under the official are busy making paper bullets, as well as grenades, firecrackers and other weapons to prepare for the next imperial court's suppression of the southwestern chieftains. !”
"Your Majesty has tried his best, but right now, the Arms Department simply cannot mobilize enough experienced craftsmen to imitate the flintlock gun in your hand!"
After Lu Fang patiently listened to Yi Bin's complaints, she couldn't help but frown slightly and asked coldly.
"Not long ago, Your Majesty just asked the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate five million taels of silver to your Arms Department."
"Besides, didn't your Arms Department use this money to build workshops in other parts of the capital and recruit a large number of craftsmen? How come there is a shortage of manpower?"
Yi Bin heard Lu Fang's words and after sorting out the words in his mind, he answered.
"Eunuch Lu, you don't know something. At the Arms Department, just producing paper-cased bullets requires a lot of manpower, not to mention other weapons that are being developed!"
"Not only that, but recruiting craftsmen is becoming increasingly difficult!"
"Those workshops have just been built and have not yet been put into use. In addition, there is still a lot of equipment that needs to be moved there..."
When Lu Fang heard this, she was no longer patient. She snorted coldly and said slowly.
"Our family doesn't care about this. Our family came here this time just to obey His Majesty's order!"
When Lu Fang said this, he paused for a moment and then added.
"Your Arms Department is short of manpower, so go put up notices on the streets and recruit more craftsmen. Don't worry about money. If you have any difficulties, let us know and we will inform your Majesty!"
Seeing that Lu Fang had already said this, Yi Bin did not dare to refuse anymore, so he had no choice but to take the flintlock gun from Lu Fang's hand.
After Yi Bin carefully looked at the flintlock gun in his hand, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
Because the structure of the flintlock gun in hand is relatively simple, it is not as difficult to copy as imagined!
After that, Yi Bin looked stern and assured Lu Fang.
"Yes, Eunuch Lu, I will do my best!"
When Lu Fang heard Yi Bin's words, she nodded and immediately responded.
"Well, our family has things to do next, so we won't stay here too much!"
"Eunuch Lu, walk slowly!"
After sending Lu Fang away, Yi Bin hurriedly called his subordinates and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Release some of the craftsmen who make paper-cased bullets and let them start copying the flintlock gun in my hand!"
"In addition, post notices in the capital to recruit more craftsmen and increase the salary!"
The subordinate who was summoned by Yi Bin immediately lowered his head and responded respectfully after hearing these words.
"Yes, sir, I will do it now!"
…
Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.
After Lu Fang came back from the Arms Department, she reported the current situation of the Arms Department to Jiajing in detail.
"What are you talking about? The Arms Department is short of manpower, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to recruit craftsmen?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, according to Yi Bin, the Chief of the Arms Department, the Arms Department is currently busy producing large quantities of paper-cased bullets, as well as grenades, firecrackers and other weapons to prepare for the next imperial court's suppression of the Southwest Chieftains!"
"Because of this, the Arms Department has been short of manpower, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit craftsmen!"
After listening to Lu Fang's report, Jiajing couldn't help but frowned and fell into deep thought.
Seeing this situation, Lu Fang did not dare to disturb him rashly.
Time passed by so slowly. I don’t know how long it had passed, but Jiajing came back to his senses, with an inexplicable look in his eyes, and turned to speak.
"Lu Fang, what do you think about the imperial court funding the establishment of a school dedicated to training craftsmen?"
When Lu Fang heard what Jiajing said, she thought about it for a moment and then spoke.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. Although you have abolished the craftsmanship system and opened voluntary schools, which have greatly improved the treatment of craftsmen, in fact, unless they are desperate, there are still very few people who are willing to engage in the profession of craftsmen!"
After listening to Lu Fang's words, Jiajing sighed helplessly and turned to speak.
"Oh, yes, the concepts formed over so many years cannot be changed overnight!"
But when Jiajing said this, he changed the subject and added immediately.
"Although I know this phenomenon, I can't do nothing. There is a saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This old concept should start to change from me!"
"Lu Fang, please include this matter in the next cabinet discussion!"
Lu Fang, who was on the side, heard Jiajing's words and immediately leaned down and responded in a deep voice.
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
After that, Jiajing seemed to suddenly remember something, turned his gaze to Lu Fang, and asked immediately.
"By the way, Lu Fang, has the Kong Mansion proposed a new candidate for Yan Shenggong?"
"Your Majesty, according to the news that this slave has received, the Kong Mansion, after a long period of discussion, finally decided to let Kong Shangxian's younger brother, Kong Shangtan, succeed the Holy Duke!"
When Lu Fang heard what Jiajing said, she immediately responded after thinking about it for a moment.
When Jiajing heard this, after pondering for a moment, he raised his eyebrows and turned to ask.
"What kind of character is this Kong Shangtan? I don't want to see someone like Kong Shangxian succeed Yan Shenggong again!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, to be honest, although this Kong Shangtan doesn't have much talent, he has good conduct and is well-behaved with others. He is often praised by outsiders. I think he should be able to be a good Duke Yan!"
When Jiajing heard this, he sneered, waved his hand, and said to himself.
"This Kong Shangtan had better be more knowledgeable, otherwise, if I can do away with the first time, I can naturally do away with the second time!"
When Lu Fang on the side heard this, a look of shock flashed across his face.
Something like the imperial court's abolition of Duke Yansheng has never happened in the past dynasties. But now, His Majesty has not only abolished Duke Yansheng, he actually plans to abolish it a second time!
Just when Lu Fang was still unable to extricate himself from this shocking fact, Jiajing saw that it was getting late, turned his eyes to Lu Fang, and gave instructions.
"Lu Fang, it's almost time, you should get down to business!"
Of course Lu Fang knew what "business" Jiajing was referring to. He would then send someone to pay attention to everything that happened at the banquet and report everything to Jiajing in detail!
After that, Lu Fang looked stern and answered in a deep voice.
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
"Um."
After Lu Fang left the Qianqing Palace, Jiajing slowly stood up from the dragon chair, sat directly on the futon, and began to meditate.
As time passed and as the meditation deepened, Jiajing felt that he had entered a mysterious and mysterious state.
Lilac mana rose up and enveloped Jiajing's entire body, and his breathing gradually became smoother.
At this moment, Jiajing felt that everything around him had slowed down. At the same time, his senses also became extremely sharp.
He could hear the chirping of the birds in the woods in Xiyuan, as well as the rustling sounds from the bushes from time to time. In addition to these, there were many visible and shady conversations, all of which were transmitted to Jiajing. in the ears.
"His Royal Highness King Yu, at the banquet later, you must seize the opportunity to perform well and try to leave a good impression in front of His Majesty!"
"Well, thank you Mr. Xu Ge for your advice, I know it!"
"His Royal Highness Prince Yu, the banquet is almost ready, you can go in!"
"Um."
"I have met His Royal Highness Prince Yu!"
"I was entrusted by my father to attend this banquet today. Don't be restrained..."
…
When Jiajing exited the meditative state, he suddenly discovered that during the process, the mana in his body had actually increased slightly!
"Could it be that you want me to eavesdrop on other people's conversations while meditating?"
After Jiajing checked the condition of his body, he looked strange and muttered to himself silently.
Not long after, Lu Fang was seen entering Qianqing Palace with silent steps. When Lu Fang saw Jiajing who was sitting on the futon, she suddenly quickened her pace.
"His Majesty!"
"Um."
After that, Jiajing slowly stood up from the futon, glanced at Lu Fang casually, and gave instructions in a deep voice.
"Lu Fang, tell me carefully what happened at the banquet!"
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Regarding Jiajing's request, Lu Fang did not dare to neglect it at all. After organizing the words in her mind, she spoke carefully.
"Your Majesty, this is what happened..."
What Lu Fang described was very different from what Jiajing had heard earlier.
After Lu Fang finished narrating, Jiajing nodded slightly and spoke words of encouragement.
"Well, Lu Fang, you are very good!"
When Lu Fang heard this, she was stunned for a moment and then immediately responded.
"This is all your fault, Your Majesty!"
Jiajing did not get too entangled in Lu Fang's words, but went back to sit on the dragon chair, turned his eyes to Lu Fang, and asked.
"Lu Fang, Prince Yu performed perfectly during the entire banquet, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Although Lu Fang didn't understand why Jiajing asked this question, driven by instinct, he answered Jiajing's question truthfully.
After hearing Lu Fang's answer, Jiajing's eyes showed a bit of sadness, he waved his hand and gave instructions.
"Well, I understand. It's getting late, so you should go back and rest quickly!"
"As...as you command, Your Majesty!"
Lu Fang obviously did not expect that the topic would end in this way, so after being stunned for a moment, Lu Fang came back to her senses and responded respectfully.
After that, Lu Fang did not stay in the Qianqing Palace for too long, but left directly.
"What does your Majesty's question just now mean?"
On the way back, this question still lingered in Lu Fang's mind. (End of chapter)
