In the early morning mist, Lin Jue walked out of the Jiangnan Grand Theater with a tired face. In order to guide and supervise the work of the painters and craftsmen, Lin Jue barely slept last night. In the middle of the night, he went outside Yongjinmen to see the progress of the stage.
, and then I have to watch the painters and craftsmen at work in the Grand Theater. I have to rush to the Wanhua Building from time to time until rehearsals, and I am really as busy as a local dog.
One night, I could only stand in a daze for half an hour in the early morning because I was too tired. In addition, I was actually up all night last night, so now I felt dizzy and my steps were sluggish.
After turning his sore neck to stretch his muscles and taking a few breaths of the cool autumn air in the morning, Lin Jue felt much better. He wanted to sleep comfortably for a while, but he still had a lot of things to do until
Before everything was prepared, he had no time to rest and could not rest peacefully.
"Uncle, where are we going now?" Xiaohu also stayed up all night, but he was in good spirits. After all, for a young man, it doesn't matter if he stays up all night.
"Go to the palace." Lin Jue climbed into the car.
Lin Hu handed in an earthen pot and some warm noodles from the car window. Lin Jue asked in surprise: "Where did they come from?"
Lin Hu said: "Miss Xie came over to give it to me just now. She said you didn't have time to have breakfast, so she simmered the broth and made some pancakes and asked me to give it to the young master to eat in the car."
Lin Jue felt warm in his heart. Xie Yingying was very kind to him. He kept serving tea and water all night last night and almost stayed up all night. He stared at himself in confusion for a while in the early morning. She must have gone to get these things at that time.
"She is very thoughtful. Xiaohu, come here, share half of each person, eat and drink everything."
"Young master, come and eat. I had already eaten a few big cakes when we were harnessing the carriage just now. Drink it while it's hot, sir. I'll drive the carriage more slowly to avoid spilling it." Xiao Hu jumped onto the shaft of the carriage, pulled the reins and drove the carriage.
Lin Jue sat in the carriage, stretched out his hand to open the earthen pot, and a scent came out. Smelling the fragrance, his stomach growled. He ate cakes and soup, and soon half the pot was filled with stew.
The broth and some noodles were all gone down my stomach. I burped and felt extremely comfortable.
The carriage arrived in front of the palace. The princess had already ordered people to wait here. Lin Jue got off the car and entered the palace. The princess also came from her residence and was shocked when she saw Lin Jue's disheveled appearance.
"Why do you look like this? Come to my yard and I will tidy up your hair."
"How can I have time to do this? How is the progress here? Take me to see it." Lin Jue waved his hand.
"According to your instructions, I worked hard all night last night. However, I don't have some of the things you mentioned in the palace's warehouse. I have ordered people to search in various shops." The little princess said as she walked.
"What's missing?" Lin Jue strode forward along the corridor.
The little princess held up her skirt and trotted next to him and said: "That's the transparent glass you want. The glass we have in Da Zhou is small pieces. What you want is a large piece. These are only owned by foreign countries and are expensive. They come from the sea."
Most of them are difficult to preserve after being shipped back, so there are very few merchants purchasing them. I think there should be some. If it is not possible, just use small glass to splice them, what do you think?"
"No, after the small glass is spliced, the light will magnify the traces. In this way, you can order someone to find it. I will ask Xiaohu to go back to my Lin family warehouse to search for it later. This thing is very critical."
"Okay, okay, you walk slower. Why are you walking so fast? I can't even catch up." The little princess said angrily.
Lin Jue smiled bitterly and stopped, waiting for the little princess to catch up. The little princess looked at his bloodshot eyes and said: "You are trying your best. If you lose, you lose. Don't fight so hard."
"What are you talking about? You are talking about this now. Take him up quickly and take a look." Lin Jue said angrily.
The little princess sighed and led Lin Jue through several courtyards to a large courtyard, where hundreds of craftsmen were busy hammering, chiseling, axing and sawing. Lin Jue turned around and saw Looking at these things that were almost taking shape, he nodded and said: "Not bad. It should be completed before noon. The comprehensive installation and commissioning will be officially carried out in the afternoon. There must be no delay."
The little princess said: "I didn't sleep much last night. I kept coming here to keep an eye on it. As long as you are satisfied."
Lin Jue smiled and said: "Thank you for your hard work. But the matter is not over yet. We are going to go outside Yongjin Gate now. The craftsmen were up all night last night, and the stage is basically completed. We are going to take a look. There are some big things and institutions. It’s ready for installation and debugging.”
The little princess said: "My brother wants you to meet him when you come."
Lin Jue said: "What's the matter?"
"If I ask about the situation, he won't worry."
Lin Jue waved his hand and said: "You don't have time to talk to him. If you want to see me, come to me yourself. Let's leave now. Time is urgent."
The little princess was speechless and had no choice but to follow Lin Jue out. The two of them also avoided suspicion and got into a carriage in front of the doorman. The carriage quickly rushed to Yongjin Gate.
"I still haven't figured out how to install and operate these things? And how can the stage mechanism you mentioned be raised, lowered, and unfolded? Also, how do people walk on water? Is it really possible to walk on the Lingbo Microstep? These How do you change the lighting, scenery, etc.? Can it really produce the effect you said?" The little princess on the carriage frowned and asked a series of questions, staring at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window.
"..." Lin Jue said nothing.
"You are talking, what are you thinking about?" said the little princess.
"..."
The little princess looked at the bow of the boat in surprise and saw Lin Jue leaning on the car seat with his eyes closed and snoring slightly.
The little princess was stunned for a moment, and then she showed a look of love on her face. She reached out to pull down the curtains of the car window, put her arms around Lin Jue's head and moved her gently until she rested Lin Jue's head on her lap. She looked at Lin Jue in the dim light. Looking at Lin Jue's sleeping face, the little princess sighed, lowered her head, kissed Lin Jue's forehead gently, and hugged him tightly.
…
On the east bank of the West Lake, there is a busy area within a radius of hundreds of steps. Boats shuttle back and forth, pulling the logs on the shore into the water one by one, and heading to the construction site. Along the way, there are various pieces of wood floating on the water, making it look like It is extremely messy and dirty. However, there are boats specially designed to clean up the garbage on the water surface. They are cruising on the water again and again. The people on the boat hold long poles and wooden forks to collect the garbage one by one, load it and transport it to the shore for disposal. Tonight, The water here must be clean, so there is no need to worry.
Two of the three floating platforms a hundred steps offshore have been basically completed. The floating platform of Jiangning Mansion in the south has even begun to be decorated with colorful curtains and covered with scarlet carpets. The screens and partitions at the rear have also begun to be decorated, and they can already be vaguely seen. The prototype of the glory. The progress of the floating platform in Yangzhou Prefecture in the north is slightly slower, but the overall structure has been completed. What is left is the floating dock at the side for ships to dock. More than a dozen craftsmen are working hard, one or two It should be completed within time.
However, the floating platform of Hangzhou Prefecture in the middle of the two floating platforms is now made of wood and bamboo intertwined like a fish skeleton. There are more than a hundred shirtless craftsmen crawling up and down the floating platform, sweating profusely with axes and chisels. Look. I don’t know when this posture will be completed.
What’s even stranger is that after the floating platform was dismantled yesterday, the newly built floating platform no longer looks like before. Not only is the area much larger, but the increased height makes it look less like a floating platform and more like a floating platform on the water. The pavilion is average.
"What is this? It's just a floating platform for a competition. Why is it so complicated? Isn't it necessary to build a building on the water? It's really unnecessary to take off your pants and fart."
"That's right, these people were busy all night yesterday. They even drove deep piles to the bottom of the lake without bothering them. I heard that Wanhua Tower and Qunfang Pavilion invited Lin Jue, the head of the Lin family, who Lin Jue ordered this to be done, and he also said it would be built three stories high. Isn’t it funny?”
"This Mr. Lin is a good person, but he was a little confused this time. No matter how well-built the floating platform is, what's the use? The oiran competition is not about comparing whose floating platform is stronger. Isn't this nonsense? I saw them coming I won’t be able to finish my work tonight.”
"..."
The craftsmen nearby were pointing and chatting while working, and they were all very puzzled by this matter. However, they soon saw the object of their discussion. Lin Jue of the Lin family was sitting on a boat with the princess of the royal family and headed towards The magnificent water stage is approaching.
Lin Jue and the little princess stood on the bow of the boat, looking at the busy scene around them with excitement. The water surface with a radius of hundreds of steps has undergone such changes in a few days. Not to mention the three stages, the north and south stages The water pier where dozens of red boats are berthed has also been completed. The water surface directly in front of the three pontoons will no longer allow large and small ships to gather. Instead, floating logs will be used to build floating piers of approximately 100 meters in length and width A huge floating platform of hundreds of steps. And flat wooden boards have been nailed on top of the logs to form a huge flat platform on the water.
Seven or eight small boats carrying tables, chairs, screens and other objects approached the platform. Dozens of handymen on the platform were busy carrying tables and chairs to arrange them. Needless to say, this platform, which is more than a hundred steps long and wide, is a floating seat for watching the oiran competition. Of course, it is definitely not prepared for the common people. It must be provided for those officials who are said to be very large in number, as well as high-ranking officials and celebrities who came from the capital. The rest are the officials, squires, and prominent figures in Hangzhou City. You are eligible to sit here and watch.
In addition, a water cordon has been set up with driftwood in further surrounding areas. A dozen warships are patrolling the lake in the distance, and the countdown to the Oiran Competition has begun.
"The scene is really big, bigger than all previous oiran competitions." The little princess said excitedly.
Lin Jue said with a smile: "Of course, the three cities are fighting for hegemony, celebrities from all over the world gather, and there is a gimmick to compete for the first capital in the southeast, so the scene is naturally grand."
Lin Jue slept for a while in the car. When he arrived outside Yongjin Gate, the little princess felt sorry for Lin Jue and specifically ordered the carriage to stay for half an hour so that Lin Jue could sleep for half an hour longer. Although Lin Jue complained after waking up. After a while, Lin Jue seemed to be full of energy and energy now.
"Our stage doesn't look ready yet. The other two are almost completed." The little princess pointed at the huge water stage in front of it which was still a skeleton and frowned.
Lin Jue also frowned, but he didn't seem worried.
"Well... the main structure has been completed. Have you seen the thick column in the middle? When the column is erected, it indicates that the main body has been completed. It is the central axis that controls the stage. It looks like it is all wood and bamboo.
It’s ugly at all, but as long as the main body is completed, other things will go very quickly. Let’s test it, and if everything is correct, we can install other systems.”
The boat the two were traveling on was close to the front of the stage. More than a hundred craftsmen who were busy stopped one after another. Some stood on the floating platform to salute, and some simply rode on the wooden beams to salute Lin Jue and the little princess.
"Thank you for your hard work, Father Zhou. It looks like the main spindle has been installed, right?" Lin Jue said with a smile and cupped his hands.
An old craftsman rolled up his sleeves and held an ax in his hand. He crossed a pile of leftover materials and came to the bow of the ship. He cupped his hands and said, "It's done. It's in full accordance with the master's instructions last night. I, Lao Zhou, are doing things. The princess and the
Mr. Lin, just be patient."
Lin Jue pulled the little princess onto the floating platform and said with a smile: "Dad Zhou has worked hard, and everyone has worked hard. I will debug it. If everything is running normally, we can reinforce it and install some other small pieces.
.Dad Zhou, are you confident? This is related to your well-being."
"Of course, I'm afraid it will cost the young master a lot of money." The old man chuckled.
The little princess asked in surprise: "What are you talking about?"
Lin Jue smiled and said: "Last night, in order to encourage Father Zhou and the craftsmen, I made a promise that if the main machine shaft is installed and debugged smoothly, I will double their wages."
The little princess said in astonishment: "Such a promise? Why didn't you tell me?"
The craftsmen around him suddenly became worried. This Young Master Lin works for the palace, and this little princess is the real owner. Young Master Lin’s words may not be of any use. Couldn’t Young Master Lin pay for it himself?
However, I heard the little princess complain: "They work so hard and stay up late to work. If they can meet your requirements, they will be able to complete the work in time. For such a capable group of brothers, you only double the wages. This is stingy."
Already."
"Ah?" The boss of a group of craftsmen opened his mouth, and his eyes were jumping on the ground.
Lin Jue laughed dumbly and said, "Then how much do you want to add?"
The little princess put her hands on her hips, full of pride, nodded to the many expectant faces above and below, and said: "On the basis of the double promised by Mr. Lin, I will double the labor. A total of four times the wages. It will be completed on time in the evening, and I will add one more.
A total of five times the salary.”
"Wow! Amazing! I'm rich!"
"The little princess is really generous and grateful."
"A person as heroic as the little princess will definitely be a hero among women in the future, and will be admired by thousands of people."
"Bah, what future? The princess is now a hero among women. Let me tell you, the little princess will be rich and powerful in the future and marry the best husband in the world."
"Hahaha, exactly."
The crowd started shouting like crazy. Everyone was smiling happily and extending their thumbs up, down, left and right.
Lin Jue said softly: "You are very generous. Five times the salary is a lot of money."
The little princess rolled her eyes at him and said: "It won't cost you any money." Lin Jue was speechless, and the little princess added: "It won't cost me any money anyway."
Lin Jue laughed and said: "That's right, it's your father's money that was spent. It's so generous to others. It's awesome."
The little princess smiled proudly. Lin Jue turned to Father Zhou who was smiling from ear to ear and said: "Dad Zhou, don't be happy, we haven't tested it yet. Whether you can get five times the salary, just Let’s see the test results. Come on, come on, follow my instructions, let’s see if it’s a mule or a horse.”
…
The lobby of the Hangzhou government office was full of distinguished guests. Wu Chunlai, the director of the government office from the capital, and Li Shiqing, the director of the southeast room of the Privy Council, Shen Fang, the prefect of Jiangning, Liu Sheng, the prefect of Yangzhou, and other relevant people were all present.
In the early hours of last night, Wu Chunlai and Li Shiqing arrived at the pier outside Beimen Gate with a group of bachelors from the Hanlin Academy and a group of celebrities from the capital. Shen Fang and Liu Sheng waited at the pier outside the city gate for two hours before finally welcoming them from the capital. These important people.
Wu Chunlai is the head of the Political Affairs Department of the Political Affairs Hall. Although he is only a fourth-rank official, everyone knows Wu Chunlai's status in the Political Affairs Hall. In addition to the Prime Minister Lu Zhongtian and several deputy prime ministers, the ministers of each house in the Political Affairs Hall are It is the backbone of it. There are five offices under the Zhengshitang: Kongmu, Li, Hu, Xing, and Bingli. The Kongmu office is actually just a department for file management, so it is the other four offices that actually have real power. Wu Chunlai was the head of this official office, and his authority was almost equivalent to that of the official minister in other dynasties, which shows the importance of his status.
By the way, among the five rooms under the Government Hall, the military room is supposed to be an extremely important room, but the military room is combined into one room, which shows that the control of military affairs in the Government Hall is insufficient. The two offices are juxtaposed. The separation of military and political affairs is the biggest feature of this dynasty. The Privy Council is the highest military institution in the Great Zhou Dynasty. No matter how powerful the Zhengshitang is, even now even the three bureaus are actually under the control of the Zhengshitang, the military power of the Privy Council is still beyond its reach. There is no point in setting up the barracks separately, but it would be useless if it were not set up. After all, it still has the power of supervision. Therefore, the military ceremony room, a relatively unimportant department, was merged with the barracks room into the military ceremony room.
This somewhat means trying to save face, and is a bit nondescript. The affairs of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Ministry of Etiquette are actually completely unrelated. The Ministry of Rites is in charge of the formulation, observance and inspection of various etiquette systems, and its most important responsibility is to be in charge of the country. The imperial examination presided over the national imperial examination and selected talents. Think about it, linking military affairs with the imperial examination, it is quite absurd that a scholar meets a soldier.
As for Wu Chunlai, he is quite legendary. Wu Chunlai is from Gyeonggi Province. He was quite talented when he was young. It is said that he could recite poems and write lyrics in his teens, which made him a sensation. When he was fifteen years old, Wu Chunlai was still the imperial censor at that time. Fang Dunru, a public speaking official in Taiwan, was his teacher, and he was a good talker. Although Fang Dunru was only a public speaking official in Yushitai at that time, he had already become famous all over the world at that time. His poems were highly praised by the literary world, and Fang Dunru was praised for his work. Dunru is famous for his outspoken and remonstrating style.
