In the early morning, Emperor Chongzhen came out of Kunning Palace and felt that the weather was a bit cold.
The leaves on the trees have begun to turn yellow.
The first autumn after Chongzhen ascended the throne came.
In the bleak autumn wind, a leaf fell down with the wind and landed on the young emperor's shoulder.
Chongzhen was startled for a moment, then reached out and picked up the fallen leaf, facing the rising sun.
It seems that the leaves are transparent and the veins inside can be clearly seen.
"One leaf falls and the world knows autumn," Chongzhen murmured.
Seeing the emotion in Long Live Lord's heart, Wang Cheng'en felt a little sad.
The emperor is only eighteen years old this year, and the weight of the world rests on his young shoulders.
Alas! Such troubled times.
This year, the whole of Beizhili and parts of Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi have not had rain for a year, and the crops have basically stopped producing, and food prices have skyrocketed.
The price of rice has increased tenfold, and grains have also cost one tael per load.
I don’t know how many people will starve to death this winter.
Chongzhen came to Qianqing Palace today because there was an early morning dynasty.
In order to be considerate of the ministers getting up in the middle of the night to go to court, he specially changed the morning court time to his own time (9 a.m.). In this way, the ministers living in Nancheng could get up in time to go to Qianqing Palace in time even if they got up at midnight.
To some veteran ministers, this was considered very considerate. For a time, His Majesty's benevolent voice filled the whole court with praises.
At this time, there is still an hour before the court.
Chongzhen came to the Qianqing Palace in advance every day.
He first listened here to the reports from Dongchang and Jinyiwei personnel on the major events that happened in the capital and various places yesterday, as well as other situations.
He can also make preparations in advance for the morning meeting that day.
Chongzhen was a very diligent emperor. He had an early morning court meeting every five days and a regular court meeting until the end of Shen Shi (5 p.m.).
When there are no court meetings on weekdays, he will listen to government affairs on the platform on weekends.
In the summer, ministers arrived one after another and gathered at Qianqing Gate. When the time came, His Majesty went to the imperial gate of Qianqing Gate to listen to the government.
Now the autumn wind is blowing and the weather is getting cooler.
Moreover, the wind in the imperial capital was very strong in autumn, and the howling wind made it difficult to hear what was being said, and the dust was also heavy, making it easy to become disgraced. Therefore, court meetings were usually held indoors in the Qianqing Palace.
At this time, two huge heating stoves made of bronze components were being installed in the Qianqing Palace.
A handsome young man is directing the installation.
"Your Majesty has arrived!" As the eunuch sang loudly, people in the hall immediately knelt all over the floor.
Chongzhen walked in and saw the construction workers and two large copper furnaces that had been installed.
I walked around one of them twice with great interest.
The copper furnace is two meters high and one meter in diameter. The soaring dragon pattern is embossed on the furnace wall.
It looks very grand and spectacular. The golden furnace body is very in line with the royal style.
"Well, not bad. This stove is beautifully made. It shows that Yang Qing put a lot of thought into it." Chongzhen said with satisfaction.
Since the Kunning Palace was heated with the iron stove and briquettes donated by Yang Fan, the whole winter has been as warm as spring. This year, Yang Fan also instructed Xinghe Supermarket to install plate glass windows in all the three palaces.
After all, it works well and is used in the emperor's family. This is the best advertisement.
I am also afraid that the ministers will not take the bait.
The officials of the Ming Dynasty had a lot of money. As long as your goods were good, they would not have to worry about buyers.
Now that Chongzhen had more than ten million taels of silver, he wanted to improve the living conditions in Qianqing Palace. After all, such an empty palace was still a bit cold in winter.
In the Qianqing Palace, only the Xinuang Pavilion has ground dragons for heating, and there are no heating facilities in the main hall. It is very cold in winter, and the wind flows in through the gaps in the doors and windows.
After all, the building has been built for 2670 years, so the wood will shrink, and it is normal for the gaps to be large. The imperial capital is in the wind, and the northwest wind in autumn and winter is particularly strong.
"Are you the foreman in charge of installation? Raise your head." Chongzhen said.
Zhuzi quickly kowtowed to the emperor and said excitedly: "In reply to Your Majesty, Chen Zhuzhu, a young man, is the foreman of the installation. Long live your Majesty. Long live your Majesty.
The emperor asked: "How old are you?"
The emperor looked at this boy with a shrewd look on his face, but his body was still very young. He was probably not very old.
"Xiaomin just turned fourteen this year."
"This thing is so big, how many pieces of briquettes should be added at one time? Do I need to change the briquettes frequently?" Chongzhen looked at the stove. After all, this is a court, so it is not convenient to disturb. If you keep changing the briquettes, there will always be people coming in and out, which will affect the proceedings.
"In response to your majesty, this stove can hold two hundred briquettes at a time. As long as it is loaded, adjust the air intake through the air inlet below, and it will be enough to burn for a day and a night. Just change the briquettes once at midnight every day. It will not delay going to court." Zhuzhu quickly replied.
"Xinghe Supermarket will also provide training services. In the first ten days, there will be a dedicated person with the responsible young man to add coal and start the fire. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
When Yang Fan asked people to design this stove, he took these situations into consideration and compiled all the precautions and instructions for use.
Zhuzi works carefully and carefully, and has carefully understood these situations.
Although he has not read much, he knows the priorities of things. In royal affairs, there is no small matter. If there is a mistake, ask yourself whether the crime is small and don't bring trouble to the master.
Seeing him as a young boy, when he saw the emperor, he did not panic, responded calmly, and answered fluently. Chongzhen was very satisfied. He couldn't help but look at him one more time. He also remembered the boy named Chen Zhuzi under Yang Fan.
"Wang Chengen, reward him with one tael of silver and the other craftsmen with five hundred coins," Chongzhen said.
He was very satisfied with the stove today. From now on, no matter how cold the weather is, the hall will be warm every day.
These workers all arrived at the palace half an hour ago. This thing is assembled from parts and installed very quickly.
Otherwise, such a large copper furnace would not be able to be moved, even if there is a crane.
Zhuzi is one of Yang Fan's important personnel in the capital, and he often gives gifts to the prince. This guy is a good talker, and he often makes the prince happy.
The prince had a good impression of him and arranged for them to install the stove at this time. This was to take care of him and give him the opportunity to see the beauty of the sky.
Zhuzi is a smart guy and he understands it.
I thought about giving Wang Chengen some inexpensive but thoughtful items later to express my gratitude.
Zhu Zhu and others thanked him very excitedly and then exited the hall.
Although the reward money is not much, these installers are employees of Xinghe Supermarket, so they earn a lot. However, after all, this is a reward from the emperor, and it is even more of an honor.
Everyone was so excited that they said they would put it in a silk bag and place it in front of the ancestral tablet when they returned home. This would be regarded as honoring the ancestor.
Seeing the craftsmen exiting the hall, several officials from Dongchang and Jinyiwei quickly stepped forward and stood respectfully with their hands lowered.
"Did you have anything important to do yesterday? Let's talk about it." The emperor was in a good mood. He sat on the high chair placed by Wang Chengen himself and asked pleasantly.
