"Song Yingxing, who is standing in the maintenance office of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, bows to my emperor, long live, long live, long live!"
Song Yingxing was originally preparing for the fourth general examination at home, hoping to win the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. Unexpectedly, Jin Yiwei came directly to his door and became the seventh-grade director of the Ministry of Industry and Repairs.
Originally, he was still worried about his status as a civil servant, but he did not expect to fall directly into the eyes of Mr. Xu, Minister of Industry, and was interviewed by Emperor Chongzhen. Song Yingxing put aside his worries and devoted himself to the management of several factories.
Today was his second visit to Emperor Chongzhen, and he was quite excited. As soon as he saw Emperor Chongzhen, he paid homage to him.
"Song Qing, please be flat." Emperor Chongzhen looked at this simple and slightly restrained man and said kindly.
Ever since he was disgusted by someone with Jinshi background regarding Zuo Yingxuan's promotion, he had become a little bit rebellious, and he paid more attention to and had a favorable impression of capable candidates.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Song Yingxing kowtowed again before standing up. Then he lowered his head and did not dare to look at Long Yan, waiting for more information.
"Song Qing, just now An Guiyi reported to me that you couldn't provide cement for him to sell. Is this a problem?"
When Song Yingxing heard that the emperor was blaming himself for not being able to provide cement, he was ready to kneel down and answer.[
"This is an informal court meeting. Since Song Qing is a member of Master Zhong, there is no need to be more polite and we will discuss the matter as it is. After this matter has been dealt with, I still have to pass on the news to the chief minister." Emperor Chongzhen stopped Song Yingxing from kneeling and said in a gentle tone.
If Song Yingxing had worked his way up from the officialdom step by step, he wouldn't be so nervous.
He only knew who it was when Emperor Chongzhen said this. Although he was surprised how this man could meet him, he could still tell from the emperor's tone that Master Zhong was a person who had great trust in the emperor.
"Your Majesty, the cement production is no longer enough after the great victory in Gyeonggi Province. Even if the new cement plant is put into operation, I am afraid that there will be excess and it will be difficult to use and sell it." Song Yingxing listened to Emperor Chongzhen's words, stopped saluting, and lowered his head to explain.
"Oh, why is this?" Emperor Chongzhen asked curiously, why is the insufficient cement production connected with the Great Victory of Gyeonggi Province?
"Your Majesty, during the period after the Great Victory of Gyeonggi Province, the weather has warmed up compared to before. The frozen road surface has also thawed a lot. The progress of road construction has been accelerated, and the consumption of cement has also increased. Secondly, the Jingying Camp was adapted to build roads.
The army has been put in place, and the increase in the number of people has accelerated the progress of road construction. Three things, three things."
When Song Yingxing came to the third point, he hesitated a little and did not continue.
When Emperor Chongzhen saw this situation, he frowned slightly, thinking that Song Yingxing was still too restrained. He said, "Song Qing, if you have something to say, just say it and discuss the matter as it stands. I won't blame you."
When Song Yingxing heard this, he thought of Emperor Chongzhen's previous attitude. He gritted his teeth, looked up at Emperor Chongzhen, and said in a slightly faster tone: "Your Majesty also rewarded the ministers with a lot of cement. When you put these things together, there will be no more."
The cement was sold by Mr. An."
After Song Yingxing finished speaking, his forehead was slightly sweaty, but he still had the courage to look directly at Emperor Chongzhen.
After listening to these reasons given by Song Yingxing, Emperor Chongzhen thought for a moment and then said: "In that case, there is no need to give it to An Guiyi to sell. First, for road construction, I will reward the ministers with cement, which is also useful.
I mean it. Master Zhong said that as long as the advertising is done, there will be no need to worry about selling the cement. If there is no rush now, what about the glass?"
It was Master Zhong again. Song Yingxing was curious. He didn't know who this Master Zhong was and why he was so valued by the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I am currently focusing on the glass factory. There is no problem with the output. I have also handed over a batch of glass to Mr. An and asked him to sell it. However, the magnification of the microscope handed down by the court is not up to the requirements. We are working hard.
"In." Song Yingxing did not dare to ignore Emperor Chongzhen's question, put aside the questions in his mind, and answered quickly.
"Okay, I know you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. It's just that the microscope is very important and plays a very important role in the prevention and control of plague, etc., and the microscope is also related to the development of other disciplines, so you have to be careful." Emperor Chongzhen said that state-owned enterprises make money.
Things were not as urgent as before. After all, he now had food on hand and was not panicking. He relayed what Zhong Jinwei had told him to Song Yingxing, emphasizing the importance of the microscope.
Song Yingxing heard a few words in Emperor Chongzhen's words very freshly, and could probably guess the meaning, but he did not dare to ask Emperor Chongzhen for confirmation. He just nodded and said: "I will try my best."[
Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly. After going to those factories, Song Yingxing got up early and went to bed late. He was really focused on them. He knew this.
As for the iron smelting matter, since it did not involve the sale of state-owned enterprises, Emperor Chongzhen did not intend to ask Song Yingxing. After understanding the situation, he asked Song Yingxing to go back to work.
After Song Yingxing left the palace door, he quietly wiped his sweat, and then felt chilled by the chilly spring breeze. But in his heart, he felt hot.
He could feel Emperor Chongzhen's trust in him. It was unimaginable to think that he had experienced a major turning point in his life in just a few days as a civil servant!
Song Yingxing quickened his pace, followed the chamberlain out of the Forbidden City, and walked to the side of the horse harness. But he immediately found someone waiting for him over there.
After Song Yingxing took a closer look, he hurriedly came over and cupped his hands and said, "Is Mr. An waiting for the next official?"
"Haha, exactly." An Guiyi replied with a smile.
"We have killed the lower official. How can we let Mr. An wait? If anything happens, let him know and the lower official will come over." Song Yingxing bowed and walked over, untying the horse's reins.
"It's nothing. We just thought we were going together, so we went back together so we could have company on the way." Eunuch An took the reins from his entourage, got on his horse and said.
Song Yingxing didn't believe his lies, and he had no friendship with him. But it was inconvenient for him to ask directly, so he followed An Guiyi's words and replied: "I've bothered you so much, Mr. An, please go ahead." After that, he
He also easily got on his horse, one horse head behind An Guiyi, and headed out of the capital city.
After walking for a while, An Guiyi controlled his dismounting speed slightly and said to Song Yingxing beside him: "Today, the emperor asked about the cement sales. Our family only reported the truth. It was only about matters, not people."
"Ah, how dare you, we are all on errands for the emperor, we should do it." When Song Yingxing heard this, it turned out that An Guiyi was waiting at the Meridian Gate specifically to explain this matter to himself. After being surprised, he quickly responded to An Gui
Righteousness.
An Guiyi turned his head and saw the concerned look on Song Yingxing's face, so he felt relieved and said: "Yes, we are all working for the emperor. Haha, let's go, we will treat you to a drink at home if you are free in the evening."
"How is that possible? It's better to lower your rank and invite Mr. An." Song Yingxing replied politely, feeling a little puzzled as to why Mr. An was so polite to him and seemed to be a little afraid of him. Is it because the emperor valued him?
No, I just came here, I don’t have any results yet, and there’s no reason for it.
Song Yingxing was thinking about a few questions as he hurried on, but he couldn't figure it out. Could it be related to the Master Zhong who lifted him up? But he had never known any Master Zhong!
The more Song Yingxing thought about it, the more confused her head became. Finally, she couldn't help but ask An Guiyi, "Mr. An, I have a question. I don't know whether I should ask it or not."
When An Guiyi heard this, he turned around and said to Song Yingxing with a smile: "If you have anything you should or shouldn't ask, feel free to say it. If we know anything, we won't hide it from you."
"Your Majesty keeps talking about Master Zhong. I wonder who this Master Zhong is?" Song Yingxing finally raised his question and stared at An Guiyi, waiting for his answer.
An Guiyi didn't expect that Song Yingxing would ask such a question. He looked stunned at first, and then said in confusion: "You don't know who Master Zhong is?"
Song Yingxing nodded: "Yes, I wouldn't ask you if I knew. The official only knows that Master Zhong promoted the official."
An Guiyi stared at Song Yingxing and saw a trace of doubt in his eyes. It seemed that he was not lying. He couldn't help but feel a little funny. Song Yingxing didn't know who the person who recommended him was.
"Master Zhong is the Marquis of Zhongxing. He recommended you to the Emperor and Lord Xu, Minister of Industry. You don't know?"
As soon as An Guiyi finished speaking, it was Song Yingxing's turn to look stunned: "Ah, it's him. After the official arrived at the capital to meet the emperor, he went directly to the factory. He had never seen Zhongxing Hou. He just listened to what the emperor said.
I know it was Marquis Zhongxing who promoted him to a lower official."
After Song Yingxing arrived at the factory, he devoted himself to his work. He used the knowledge he gained from going to the capital several times to take exams and inspecting people's sentiments on the road to improve several processes, but he did not take care of other things.
An Guiyi sighed secretly, this stupid old Jiangxi cousin actually got the favor of a noble man like Zhongxing Hou, and he was still kept in the dark and didn't know where the blessing came from. It was really annoying to compare people to others.
Song Yingxing had heard about Zhongxinghou from time to time. In the capital and in the factory, he could hear about Zhongxinghou from time to time. Now that he found out that it was Zhongxinghou himself, it was no wonder that the emperor trusted him and An Guiyi would wait for his explanation.
, I don’t want to misunderstand myself.
He secretly decided in his heart that when Marquis Zhongxing came back, he would definitely pay his respects at his door.
Along the way, An Guiyi told Song Yingxing about his friendship with Marquis Zhongxing. If you belong to Marquis Zhongxing, then we are a family.
As a result, the relationship between the two became more harmonious, and they talked all the way back to the factory area outside the capital.
It is almost evening, at Qingshui Mingyue Pass. This place has just experienced a war, and the buildings in the pass were devastated by huge rocks thrown by catapults. Now it has basically been restored to its original state.
The patter of spring rain enveloped this juncture of rebirth after the disaster. Although the weather was very cold, it was full of vitality.
What brought life to this small city were the more than 5,000 soldiers who had just arrived from the death camp. This cavalry army was here to provide supplies for the last time, and then they would embark on an arduous road of revenge.
The soldiers were all resting, but several generals gathered in Cao Wenzhao's barracks to discuss matters.