newbobooks Chapter 61 Birds Out in the Snow
Chapter 61 Birds Out in the Snow
In the end, the Liu family was indeed secretly lured out of the capital, and the other party did so willingly.
[The old emperor was truly a master swindler. That old woman was a hopelessly superstitious feudal lord. He had the Minister of Works disguise himself as a fortune teller and trick her into heading northwest, promising not only great wealth but also a grandchild—five in a year, no problem. The old woman, desperate for grandchildren, headed west without a shred of suspicion.]
[Heh heh, before leaving, the Minister of Works actually said: If a grandson isn't born and wealth isn't made, it's because we haven't gone far enough northwest. Just keep going.]
Hahaha, that's awesome!
After laughing for a while, Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but sigh.
[The old emperor was indeed a good emperor; he actually went to such lengths for Ambassador Liu.]
Ambassador Liu, who came to report to the old emperor on the progress of the down jacket project: ...
She knew all too well that the old emperor would lift a finger over such a trivial matter concerning her family, all because of the court attendant beside him.
She suppressed all her thoughts, bowed to the old emperor, and then wore a happy expression on her face.
"Your Majesty, the textile technology and tools I brought from Yazhou have been greatly improved by several officials in the Ministry of Works, resulting in significantly increased efficiency. This should make it easy to lower the price of cotton quilts, but..."
The old emperor sighed, "But in the past, the demand for cotton was not high, so there were hardly any people growing it."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The air became a little quieter.
Upon seeing this, the Minister of Works frantically winked at Ambassador Liu.
What's wrong with this Minister of Works? Is his eye acting up?
The old emperor raised his eyes and looked at the Minister of Works.
The Minister of Works gave an awkward smile.
[That's true. Even though the Minister of Works didn't know what had happened at home, his eyes had already given him warning signs. Hahaha, I'm so curious! He'll definitely break down when he gets back from his shift.]
The Minister of Works stood frozen in place.
Ambassador Liu blinked, somewhat curious, but felt this wasn't something she should hear.
The old emperor, along with Zhang Sheren and Chen Decai beside him, were not so polite.
[In a courtyard of the Minister of Works' residence, his grandson has been kept locked up for a long time.]
The old emperor stroked his beard and looked disapprovingly at the Minister of Works.
How could they lock up their own grandson? It's outrageous!
This ordeal lasted seven or eight years. The farthest his grandson ever went was to come out for a family reunion dinner in the front hall during holidays.
Everyone present turned to look at the Minister of Works.
This isn't just outrageous, this is downright unbelievable!
The Minister of Works' lips trembled.
No, please listen to his cunning... explanation!
The Minister of Works may seem like a scoundrel, but actually, letting his grandson out into the world would make his entire family lose face.
[But even seven or eight years in jail was pointless; that bastard had already run out into the street while the servants weren't looking.]
Shen Zhiyi looked up at the top of everyone's heads, her eyes gleaming with the light of anticipation for a big surprise.
【Ugh, why did I have to go to this damn job!】
I'm so envious of those people on the street! They got to see this.
What's up!
The old emperor licked his lips, his heart burning with anxiety and his curiosity itching unbearably, when the Minister of Works suddenly knelt down.
A loud thud on my knee.
"Your Majesty, I have some matters to attend to."
The old emperor felt a bit mocking and deliberately made things difficult for the emperor.
"Oh dear, we haven't finished talking about this yet. It's not too late to deal with it after we've finished."
The Minister of Works pursed his lips into a straight line, looking at the old emperor with a bitter expression.
"Your Majesty, something truly has happened, and it concerns my reputation!"
The old emperor said in surprise, "You still have the nerve?"
Minister of Works: ...
He realized the old emperor was joking about his red underwear deal.
That happened so long ago!
How come you haven't forgotten!
[Waaaaah, old emperor, let me out! I don't want to see you reviewing those boring memorials every day anymore, please let me out to see some fun!]
The people on that street are so lucky. I recently saw a video of the former Minister of Personnel's son being ridden by a fat pig.
Old Emperor: That sounds strange.
Now we can see the Minister of Works' grandson frolicking with his birds in the snow again.
Ok?
Those present were momentarily taken aback.
[Running naked in the dead of winter, that's fucking amazing! Why can't I see the live version instead of watching the video? It's all the old emperor's fault, he's not a good boss at all!]
The Minister of Works was about to cry.
His whole family's reputation.
His old face...
It's all gone now.
The Minister of Works, his hands shattered on the ground, raised them tearfully: "Your Majesty."
The old emperor suppressed his shocked yet amused expression: "My dear minister, what were you about to say?"
The Minister of Works continued to give Ambassador Liu meaningful glances.
Ambassador Liu was deeply moved.
I never imagined that after being unfortunate for most of my life, I would still be able to meet such a good boss.
She stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, although we cannot promote cotton quilts and cotton clothing at present, we can try to pass on the method of making down jackets. Those who raise ducks and geese can try to replace the original non-warm materials such as willow catkins with warm ones.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiyi struggled to look away from the screen.
Down jackets aren't just about stuffing them with feathers!
Shen Zhiyi soon realized that she was overthinking things.
The people in the Ministry of Works not only accomplished it, but also achieved excellent results.
[I'm really being overly pessimistic. The ancients were only limited by our current economic and technological levels; they weren't truly intellectually disabled. What couldn't they handle with a simple down jacket?]
The Minister of Works pointed at Ambassador Liu with a broad smile.
"Your Majesty, Ambassador Liu is exceptionally talented in craftsmanship and weaving, even highly skilled, far surpassing the vast majority within the Ministry of Works."
Upon hearing this, Ambassador Liu quickly replied, "Minister, you are exaggerating. If it weren't for everyone pooling their wisdom, these things wouldn't have been perfected so quickly. This is not the achievement of this official alone."
"But it's also true that you made a significant contribution."
The old emperor laughed heartily.
"Alright, stop arguing. Everyone involved in this cotton spinning and down jacket project will be rewarded. Ambassador Liu, a ninth-rank official is too low. I think the position of Director of the Construction Office is quite good. You will be the one from now on."
As for Shen Zhiyi?
He had already planned to reward him.
The head of the Construction Office was a seventh-rank official.
Shen Zhiyi was genuinely happy for Liu Shi.
Liu, who had only been a low-ranking official of the ninth rank for more than half a month, suddenly found herself promoted to a seventh-rank official.
"This this……"
"Stop with the 'this and that' talk. This is what you deserve. You'll have a lot to do later. After all, the common people can't read. It's up to you officials to go to the fields and the humble dwellings and teach them hand in hand."
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Your subject will certainly do practical things for the people."
After giving his instructions, the old emperor could no longer sit still.
"Alright, we need to try things out, so let's start from Xuanwu Street and go check out the nearby villages."
Minister of Works: He was too embarrassed to expose the old emperor!
Shen Zhiyi's eyes lit up instantly.
Xuanwu Street? Yay! I want to see birds frolicking in the snow!