Zhou Xu looked at his wife's bright eyes and felt happy: "Why are you so happy? Tell me and let me hear it."
"You will know about the serious matters related to my daughter tomorrow." Xiao Luolan pursed her lips and smiled.
Zhou Xu pecked his wife on the lips, loving her carefree and joyful look. The two of them bathed in the hot spring for a while and then returned to their room. Xiao Luolan dried her hair and entered the bed first. After a while, Sect Leader Zhou came up.
Zhou Xu saw his wife reading, but he didn't like reading, so he looked at her.
The tips of Xiao Luolan's ears were reddened by the scorching gaze of Sect Master Zhou. She turned her head, remembering her daughter's wish, and asked tentatively: "Mr. Zhou, are there any female officials in Da Chu? I'm not talking about the female officials in the palace, but those who work outside." The official’s female official.”
Zhou Xu raised his eyebrows and said: "In the late years of the previous dynasty, there was a female general who was defeated and captured and committed suicide. The founding emperor of Chu State granted her a title after her death."
It’s not good for my daughter to be a general. She has no military knowledge, and fighting is so dangerous. It seems that civil servants also have to pass the imperial examination. The official who is a nominal official cannot be too big, and the position cannot be important. Otherwise, it will be easy for people to talk about it. What official positions are there? You can let your daughter do it. She was very moved when she heard what her daughter said, but she also has to consider practical issues.
"Are there any others?" Xiao Luolan said.
"The world is in chaos now, and there is no Dachu now." Zhou Xudao, seeing his wife frowning slightly, and then thinking of his daughter's high-spirited appearance tonight, asked with a smile: "Does your daughter want to be an official?"
"She means that after the surprise for you is successful, she wants to be a nominal official." Xiao Luolan was a little shy.
Zhou Xu thought for a while: "What kind of official does my daughter want to be?"
Xiao Luolan raised his eyes, a little surprised: "I haven't thought about it yet, I just want to know about it in advance."
"I understand." Zhou Xu smiled and said, "My good daughter also wants official positions and rights."
Xiao Luolan's hands clenched unconsciously, and she suddenly found herself a little nervous at the moment: "She doesn't have any other ideas."
Zhou Xu looked at Madam, with a smile in his narrow eyes: "No matter what your thoughts are, it's good if your daughter is ambitious, capable, and motivated."
If the good daughter is really aloof from the world, Zhou Xu is a little worried.
The madam's little thoughts also made Zhou Xu feel quite cute. If his daughter wanted to, the madam's always gentle and kind temperament also started to think about it, which was very brave.
Zhou Xu knew that beauty was in the eye of the beholder, but who could make his heart turn the wrong way? There were no female officials in Da Chu, but he, Lang Ge, did.
Chapter 166
Early in the morning, Xiao Qingxue saw that her father had not gone to work but was waiting for her.
She looked around and saw that her brother was not there. He must have gone to work.
"Dad, don't you have to go to the Yamen today?" Xiao Qingxue walked to her mother to prepare for breakfast.
"I'm not busy these days. I'm going to go to Shangqing Temple with your mother to help you." Zhou Xu said unhurriedly, seeing his daughter's eyes widening, like snowballs in the lady's arms. Similar.
"Dad, are you going too?" Xiao Qingxue was startled.
"I want to see my surprise in advance." Zhou Xu smiled.
Xiao Luolan asked her daughter to sit down to eat and said, "He went to grind flour manually." There was some remaining material at Shangqingguan, but they didn't use it up yesterday.
Xiao Qingxue's wrists were still sore. She thought about it and decided that it would be better for her father to understand earlier. Anyway, he would understand in the future. As for hiding it, Xiao Qingxue really wouldn't do that. The more powerful her father is, the better life she and her mother will have. The more her father values her mother, the more others will not dare to look down on her mother. It is like her father supporting her mother and pulling out the eunuch's tongue. Likewise, she has to hold herself up.
"Okay, grandma and I will be much more relaxed today." Xiao Qingxue said.
After finishing the meal, they did not set off immediately. Xiao Luolan asked the kitchen to prepare osmanthus cake, jujube cake, and plum blossom cake, and then brought milk tea for Shen Zhi before going out.
Xiao Qingxue drank milk tea and carried a food box into the Langge Mansion Office. The Jiedu Envoy Office was next to the Governor's Mansion. Someone was already at work in the government office, and Xiao Qingxue happened to run into Dou Dalang.
At this moment, Dou Dalang and his mentor Judge Xu were walking together. When they saw Mrs. Xiao, they came up to say hello. Judge Xu was having a good year. His granddaughter was going to marry his student, Dou Dalang, and the wedding was on the New Year. Later, he had known Dou Dalang's character and temperament over the years, and he thought he was worthy of development. Later, he was promoted to Zuo Adjutant, the direct official of the court. At his age, it is not too much to say that he is young and promising, not to mention Dou Dalang. He has bought a house in Langge and lives in Langge, so that when his granddaughter marries him, they, the elders, can still look after him.
In short, Judge Xu became more and more satisfied as he watched.
"Dou Dalang, do you know where my brother is? I want to give him something." Xiao Qingxue asked the familiar Dou Dalang.
"Miss Xiao, please come with me." Dou Dalang led the way and said to his mentor: "Judge Xu, I will send Mrs. Xiao to the Major General first."
"Okay." Judge Xu smiled while stroking his beard and watched them go away.
Xiao Qingxue walked through the Yimen and entered the sixth room of the government office. The six rooms were arranged around the lobby. On the east side were the civil servants, and on the west were the soldiers and punishment workers. They were divided into civil officials on the left and military soldiers on the right. Looking down the road, the land occupied One hundred acres, majestic, there are two halls, three halls behind the lobby, and a back garden at the end.
Moreover, Xiao Qingxue also discovered that the offices of her father’s subordinate officials were also here, such as the Marching Sima, as well as the Secretary-General, Deputy Ambassador, Zhongmen Envoy, and Commander Envoy. Their yamen were relatively close to the inner hall. Xiao Qingxue saw that dazzled.
After listening to Dou Dalang's explanation, I finally arrived at my brother's office, which is the left wing next to the lobby. It is right next to my father's office. The Jiedushi Office is very big, much bigger than Xiao Qingxue's imagination. When I wanted to go in, I found that Brother seems to be busy, there are quite a lot of people inside.
Xiao Qingxue stayed away. The official position of Jieduzhi was quite special and could be passed down from father to son. Maybe it wasn't the case before, but now this custom could not be changed, and the court was powerless to change it.
Dad is the governor of Youzhou, and brother is the next successor. He is a major general and also works as a general of the Red Flame Army, so brother also has his own subordinate officials.
After Zhou Shenzhi finished his work, he learned that his sister was here after being informed by Dou Shengming. Zhou Shenzhi looked at his sister sitting outside the hall in surprise and strode over: "My sister, why are you here?"
"Aniang saw that you came to the government office early, and asked me to bring you some food and drink." Xiao Qingxue handed the food box to her brother.
Zhou Shenzhi felt warm in his heart and said with a smile: "Thank you for me." He had learned in the morning that his father was going to play with his mother, and it was normal for his sister to follow him. Maybe he was at someone else's house. My sister is old enough to get married, but in their family, she is just a carefree child.
In fact, Zhou Shenzhi liked this kind of A-mei, who was lively, cute, bright and generous.
"Then I'm leaving. You should also pay attention to eating when you are busy." Xiao Qingxue said.
"Goodbye, sister," Zhou Shenzhi said.
Xiao Qingxue bent her eyes and waved to her brother. When she walked out of the government office, she went to Shangqing Temple with her mother and father.
Because her father was here this time, she and her aunt were separated. Xiao Qingxue took the carriage alone, while her father and aunt shared the same carriage.
It was not yet noon when we visited Shangqing Temple. The sun was rising and the snow was melting.
Xiao Luolan got out of the carriage with Sect Master Zhou's men. Zhou Xu looked at the dilapidated mountain roads and the lonely Taoist temples around, and smiled at his wife: "It's hard for Xiaoyaozi to live here for so long."
Xiao Luolan held up the train of her skirt and her plain-colored cloak curled up. She looked sideways and asked, "Is Taoist Xiaoyaozi very famous?"
"He is not famous. What is famous is his senior brother. He is good at alchemy. It is said that he has the art of immortality. He has always been sought after by the world. He was just named the Grand Protector of the Country by the Holy One a few years ago. He is also a figure in Chang'an. Waiting for next year, Madam Maybe we'll see him." Zhou Xu held his wife's waist, letting her walk easier.
Xiao Qingxue had already run ahead.
"Taoist Xiaoyaozi is also good at alchemy. He once gave me pills. Later, the pill furnace was put away. It is not good for my daughter to do something close to a fire source." Xiao Luolan and Zhou Zongzhu were walking on the small stone path in the mountains. , speaking softly and softly, the dead branches of the trees on both sides of the road were weighed down by the snow, the cold wind was blowing, and the air was crisp.
When Xiaoyaozi learned that Master Jieduzhi had arrived, he and the little Taoist boy waited respectfully outside the gate of the Taoist temple. The white-haired old man's face was glowing red at the moment. As soon as he saw the figure, he went down and slapped the Taoist priest on his head.
"The general and his wife came to the humble residence, and it was a great blessing for our Taoist sect to be able to see the general's heroic appearance."
Xiao Qingxue was speechless at Xiaoyaozi's exaggerated enthusiasm. It was so mean. After all, he was still her client, so he couldn't be more dignified, Xiao Qingxue cursed in her heart.
"Taoist Priest Xiaoyaozi, please get up." Zhou Xuxu gave him a hand, and Xiaoyaozi stood up without hesitation, not daring to let Master Jiedushi hold him up.
"I'll take my father and mother to the backyard. Xiaoyaozi, you're busy in front." Xiao Qingxue didn't want to waste any more time. She had something to do later, so she walked back a few steps and looked at her face. Xiaoyaozi, who couldn't hide his joy, said: "My mother likes to eat the tofu vegetarian dish you made. Please make it again today."
"I know." Xiaoyaozi said with a smile while stroking his beard.
As soon as Zhou Xu entered the backyard, his nose moved and he smelled the smell of sulfur. When he arrived at the alchemy room, he looked at his wife and Qingxue: "Are you making gunpowder?"
Firecrackers don't need such tight protection and high purity sulfur.
Xiao Luolan didn't expect Sect Master Zhou to guess so quickly.
Xiao Qingxue raised her chin high and said confidently: "This is not ordinary gunpowder, this is black/fire/powder."
Zhou Xu looked at the ignorant wife and daughter. For a moment, he didn't know whether he was worried about their boldness or angry about their recklessness. He knew that his daughter made firecrackers years ago, but he only thought it was for fun. Unexpectedly, the two I'm thinking of gunpowder.
Zhou Xu asked his wife and daughter to sit in the outer room. He went in to check and found that there was no heat source or open flame before leaving.
"Langge's military workshop has gunpowder." Zhou Xu sat next to his wife, a little dumbfounded by the surprise his daughter gave him. His wife and daughter had never been on the battlefield, so they probably learned about the power of gunpowder from some book and wanted to make gunpowder. As for the black/fire/powder that his daughter mentioned, Zhou Xu didn't pay much attention to it, because there were craftsmen who specialized in making gunpowder in Langge Military Workshop.
"Fire attack is a commonly used means of warfare by military officers. There are gunpowder packets in military workshops. When attacking a city, gunpowder packets are used instead of stones and grease fireballs to be thrown with slings. In addition, there are also rockets and fireballs." Zhou Xu As he spoke, he still praised his daughter: "But my good daughter can think of sharing her father's worries, and my father is still very happy."
"But." Zhou Xu's voice changed: "Gunpowder can easily hurt others and yourself if you are not careful. It's better not to play with it in the future. The Yanshi I found for you knows some mechanism skills. If your good daughter is bored, you can let them Play with you."
As soon as Xiao Luolan heard this, she knew that Sect Leader Zhou didn't take it seriously. Looking at her daughter's slightly red face with anxiety, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Dad, this is different!" Xiao Qingxue was a little anxious. She took out the semi-dried granular gunpowder and placed it in front of her father: "The gunpowder ratio in the military workshop is imperfect, and it cannot exert its power. The true power of the gunpowder, and if my guess is correct, the gunpowder there is probably in the form of powder. It is difficult to store and move, and it often even squishes, so it is equivalent to useless food, and it is a pity to discard it. "
Zhou Xu sat up straight and looked at his daughter with a slightly serious expression. Could it be that his daughter was proficient in military affairs? Why hadn't he noticed it before?
The situations mentioned by his daughter are indeed true. Gunpowder can only be used at specific times and in specific places, and its power is just that. Zhou Xu lowered his head and looked at the dark granular carbonized gunpowder, took out some and rubbed it with his hands. Rub it and smell it carefully, the smell of gunpowder seems to be stronger...
Seeing that her father was serious, Xiao Qingxue continued: "With my new ratio and new technology, the power of black/fire/drug is guaranteed to scare you."
Zhou Xu thought for a while: "You can't believe what you say, you have to see it with your own eyes."
Xiao Qingxue said in frustration: "It's not done yet. I originally wanted you to come over and see it, but you're here now, so let's do it together."
"But you must pay attention to safety. A lot of black/gunpowder can blow up mountains." Xiao Qingxue said a metaphor casually.
Zhou Xu paused, looking at the inconspicuous black particles, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Chapter 167
"Dad, what are you thinking about?" Xiao Qingxue looked up and saw her father's expression, and her heart skipped a beat for no reason.
Looking at it this way, Dad really doesn’t look like a good person.
Zhou Xu smiled and said: "I was wondering how my good daughter is so smart, even better than the craftsmen in the military workshop."
Xiao Qingxue felt guilty and a little happy when she was praised. After coming here for so long, she finally felt that she was of some use. Fortunately, she had just passed the college entrance examination when she came and could still remember a few things. If she went to college, she would I can't guarantee how much I can still remember. I just managed to succeed by trying hard to recall and doing experiments one after another.
"It's not my fault alone, my mother-in-law also helped me a lot." Xiao Qingxue said.
Sect leader Zhou praised his daughter, and his daughter praised her again. Xiao Luolan was amused by the father and daughter: "Okay, let's get down to business."
"I'll teach Dad." Xiao Qingxue was eager to give it a try.
"Okay." Zhou Xu responded.
"Let me help you." Xiao Luolan said.
Zhou Xu originally wanted his wife to have a rest. He still remembered that her palms were still red, but when he remembered that she had been smiling since entering the Taoist temple, Zhou Xu's words of persuasion to rest fell apart. In fact, she was just grinding something. He He considers himself to be completely competent. Zhou Xu inspects Langge's military workshop several times a year. He is also familiar with things like gunpowder. The recipes for making gunpowder are strictly confidential, and anyone who leaks the secret will be killed without mercy. Private mining of mineral deposits such as nitrate ore, sulfur ore, salt and iron is prohibited. Once discovered, it will be a crime of beheading, because all the mineral deposits in Youzhou are controlled by him alone.
Zhou Xu lowered his head and looked at the sulfur and saltpeter on the table, and thought of Xiaoyaozi's identity as an alchemist. It was normal for him to have some wealth.
No wonder my daughter can piece together the ingredients for gunpowder.
"Should we grind it into powder first?" Zhou Xu asked.
"Dad is so smart." Xiao Qingxue wrote down the ratio of gunpowder. Xiao Luolan was grinding willow charcoal with thick gloves. She found that there was not much willow charcoal left, so she said, "I'll go outside and light a fire to burn some charcoal. "
"You can let Xiaoyaozi burn it. Auntie, please wait beside me to weigh it." Xiao Qingxue didn't want Auntie to burn the willow charcoal.
"Then let me tell Xiaoyaozi first." Xiao Luolan poured down all the willow charcoal in the bucket, and then went out with the small bucket.
