This is the workshop of Emperor Tianqi. For Emperor Tianqi, he stays here longer than anywhere else. And the minister who is lucky enough to be summoned here, it goes without saying that he is definitely Emperor Tianqi.
A proper minister of humility.
However, this Qiqiao Pavilion is not a difficult place for Wei Zhongxian to enter. He is probably the only person in the entire Ming Dynasty who does not need a pass to enter this Qiqiao Pavilion. In fact, if his formal titles are not counted,
He also has the title of "Chief Eunuch of Qiqiao Pavilion" above his head, but this title is only taken seriously by him and Emperor Tianqi, and others don't value it very much.
Probably they stayed at the Queen's place yesterday, and the relationship between Emperor Tianqi and Queen Zhang was still considered affectionate. Emperor Tianqi who appeared in Qiqiao Pavilion today was full of energy and radiant. As expected, when he walked in,
Wei Zhongxian is already waiting here.
"Wei Qing, the Tang Dynasty thousand-layer flower-and-bird pattern box you presented to me the day before yesterday has been carefully considered. I will demonstrate it to you now. In fact, the craftsman who made this box is a bit clever, but as long as it is clear
The joints in it are no surprise!”
"Your Majesty is a genius. No matter what exquisite things are in your hands, there must be no secrets at all!"
Wei Zhongxian said with a smile: "If I were to be as stupid as I am, I would definitely not be able to figure it out clearly in my next life!"
"Hahahaha!" Emperor Tianqi pointed at him and laughed, feeling very happy: "I see that you are not a stupid person, at least you have used your brain to collect these wonderful things for me."
Entering the Qiqiao Pavilion, Emperor Tianqi's eyes suddenly lit up. In the most conspicuous place, there was a wooden sailboat that was half a man tall. The sailboat was painted a bright color, and it looked like an exquisite thing at first glance.
"This wooden boat is a bit strange!" Emperor Tianqi circled around the sailboat and asked with interest: "Isn't this our Ming Dynasty's boat?"
"Your Majesty has good eyesight!" Wei Zhongxian gave a thumbs up. "You can tell at a glance that this is a foreign object. It is said that this object is made of thousands of stacked and interspersed wood pieces. There is no room for error in the position of each piece of wood.
Just these wood pieces, if installed in a different way, can be used to create a completely different sailboat!"
He lowered his head and pointed at the sailboat and said with a smile: "Although this sailboat cannot be launched into the water, I feel that this sailboat has some merits, so I found it and presented it to Your Majesty!"
"Oh!" Emperor Tianqi became interested as soon as he heard this: "Can we form another different sailboat? This is a bit interesting. Do you have any drawings for this?"
"There is a drawing!" Wei Zhongxian said: "However, this drawing is kept as a family heirloom in the home of a foreign craftsman, and he is not willing to show it to anyone else!"
"How much effort does it take to return a family heirloom?" Emperor Tianqi smiled and shook his head: "It doesn't matter if there are no blueprints. I will think about it carefully and I will definitely be able to crack it!"
While he was talking, he got started, took out a pen and paper, and started to draw the appearance of the sailboat, one stroke at a time, very seriously.
"Your Majesty, this sailing ship was made by the Folangji gang. They have some skills. The cannons our court wanted to buy last time were also made by them. I heard from people in the Ministry of War that the cannons made by them are not bad!"
"Buy more if they are well made, and then let our craftsmen learn their skills and sell them back to them!" Emperor Tianqi said without raising his head: "When it comes to mental agility, no one in the world can compare with our Ming Dynasty. The craftsmen are incompetent!"
"That's what I told the people below!" Wei Zhongxian said: "We started negotiating the business last year, but it has not been settled yet. These people are too disappointed!"
"Go, go, go, go and do your business. Don't bother me with these things. Just take care of it!"
Emperor Tianqi waved his hand and studied the sailboat intently. Wei Zhongxian showed a smile on his lips, lowered his head, and slowly exited the Kit Kat Pavilion.
An hour later, Peng Jin, the minister of official affairs, hurried from Honglu Temple to the palace. He waited outside the gate of Qianqing Palace for half an hour before being taken outside Qiqiao Pavilion by the eunuchs in the palace.
In the midst of his anxiety, Wei Zhongxian appeared in front of him: "Master Peng, do you know why your Majesty summoned you to the palace today?"
"Peng Jin doesn't know!" Peng Jin smiled flatteringly: "Can you please give me some advice, Eunuch Wei?"
"Don't dare, you are the noble minister, how dare we give you any advice!" Wei Zhongxian said slowly: "Your Majesty just found out that the matter you discussed with Fo Langji has been fruitless, and he was a little unhappy. We have been talking for a long time. It’s only because of your kind words that Your Majesty won’t punish you. Mr. Peng, you understand our family’s hard work!”
"I understand, I understand!" Peng Jin's expression changed: "Thank you so much, Eunuch Wei. Peng Jin knows how to thank Eunuch Wei!"
"Why do you want to thank our family for what you have done? You have to thank His Majesty for his magnanimity!" Wei Zhongxian's face sank: "Please do this quickly. It will delay the war in Liaodong. You, Peng Jin, don't have many heads to chop off. Do you understand? "
"Thank you, father-in-law, for reminding me. I will speed up the progress and get this matter done as soon as possible!" Peng Jin wiped cold sweat from his face: "I don't know about this matter. Does your Majesty have any specific instructions?"
"If His Majesty has to worry about everything, then why do you officials need to do it?" Wei Zhongxian said slowly.
"Yes, yes, what my father-in-law said makes sense. Does your father-in-law have any instructions?" Peng Jin naturally knew that Wei Zhongxian was pretending for a long time just because of his words. However, since the emperor is inside at this moment, then Wei Zhongxian's The meaning is not the emperor’s meaning but the emperor’s meaning.
"What can I say..." Wei Zhongxian waved his hand: "I'm too busy with matters in the palace. Who has time to take care of your affairs? By the way, King Xin didn't send someone to you. Is he there? If you are unsure about anything, just ask him..."
He chuckled: "The people who King Xin can send must have some knowledge, and they are much more knowledgeable than me, who only knows how to serve people!"
"No, no!" Peng Jin was a little confused, but he shook his head repeatedly.
"Forget it, what do you think of our family? It's not that we don't know, it's just that we have read a few more books and feel that our family is unlearned and unskilled. Our family is not angry at all. We believe in the Wang sect. Those who go, but you scholars, it is better to discuss among yourself than if I tell you to do this or that, so you should feel happier!"
"Father, please don't misunderstand..." Peng Jin was in a hurry and wanted to explain.
"Forget it, let's go. We have to serve Your Majesty. We don't have time to mess around with you here. Let's go!" Wei Zhongxian flicked his sleeves and turned around to enter the Kit Kat Pavilion.
Peng Jin was left alone, stunned for a long time, then he let out a long sigh and slowly walked towards the palace gate.