amaotonovel Chapter 239 I was really screwed over by that guy surnamed Yang!
Chapter 239 I was really screwed over by that guy surnamed Yang!
After arranging for the two blacksmiths to search for iron ore, Yang Shaofeng also summoned the two glassmakers to the county government office.
"First, I want transparent, colorless glass."
"Secondly, I want large panes of glass that can be installed in windows."
As soon as the two glassmakers arrived at the county government office, Magistrate Yang got straight to the point and instructed them: "If you need any materials, go ask Brother Limpy Fifth for them. I will give instructions to him and have him cooperate with you."
"You can discuss what kind of site you need, or what kind of kiln you need to build. Then just tell me, and I will find a place for you and arrange for people to help you build the kiln."
"As long as you can produce large, transparent, colorless panes of glass that can be fitted into windows, I will provide you with manpower and money as needed."
As soon as Magistrate Yang finished speaking, the two glassmakers looked troubled.
One of the glassmakers cautiously cupped his hands and said, “Your Excellency, we two know how to make glass, and even transparent glass would not be difficult for you. However, we dare not directly agree to make such a large piece of glass. I am afraid that we will need to conduct repeated experiments over a period of time.”
Magistrate Yang smiled and nodded. "I don't care about anything else. You can conduct the experiment for as long as you need. All I need is to see a large, transparent, colorless pane of glass that can be set in a window."
At this point, Magistrate Yang pointed to a window in the county government office: "These panes of glass will be used first in the Minglun Hall of the Confucian Temple, which is the school where your children study."
"Only when the Minglun Hall is completely replaced with this type of glass will the county government begin to gradually replace it."
Upon hearing Magistrate Yang say that the transparent glass would be prioritized for replacement at Minglun Hall, the two glass craftsmen's expressions immediately turned solemn.
If it's replacing glass in other places, we can probably test it gradually later.
But replacing Mingluntang's item first would involve their own child.
Experimenting gradually?
Slow my ass!
The two glassmakers exchanged a glance, and the one who had spoken earlier bowed again and said, "Your Excellency, please rest assured, we will do our best."
Magistrate Yang smiled and nodded, then continued, "However, I have one more condition. If you agree, I will give each of you an extra ten taels of silver as a reward, and I will also petition His Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince, and the court on your behalf."
The two glassmakers looked at each other in bewilderment again, wondering what Magistrate Yang was up to. Magistrate Yang smiled and said, "I plan to have someone write down the entire process of you two finding sand, building the kiln, and firing the kiln."
"This content will be included in the Hongwu Encyclopedia, which is being compiled by the Southern Branch of the Duke Yansheng and the Ministry of Rites. In other words, the two of you and your skills will appear in the book, and while you will be remembered in history, it may also allow more people to learn your skills."
"If you two agree, I will send someone to follow you and make records. If you two do not agree, I will not force you."
"how?"
The two glassmakers exchanged another glance, then bowed together and replied, "We will obey the magistrate's orders!"
Magistrate Yang then smiled and nodded.
Just record it. If it's recorded, many skills can be spread. The wider the spread, the lower the risk of it being lost.
Some craftsmen worry that teaching their apprentices will starve them, or they practice the old ways of passing on skills only to their sons and daughters-in-law, but not their daughters. In the end, most of these methods will lead to the loss of their originally amazing skills.
……
Just as Yang Shaofeng was assigning future jobs to the craftsmen, Chen Mo, Wu Yanhu, and Lü Peng gathered together.
Wu Yanhu, who was appointed as the temporary county magistrate by Magistrate Yang, looked at Chen Mo and Lü Peng with a worried expression. He hesitated several times before finally letting out a long sigh and saying, "Things have come to this point. We're already on a sinking ship. Now we're afraid there's no turning back."
Chen Mo sighed, his face also full of worry, and said, "What's the point of turning back? If we had known that all those messy things were caused by our county magistrate, we shouldn't have come to Ningyang County in the first place! Now, our whole family's household registration is already in Ningyang County, so what's the point of talking about turning back?"
Lu Peng glanced at Wu Yanhu, then at Chen Mo, and finally sighed, "I'm afraid that the moment we set foot on the road to Ningyang County, we were already being resented, which will affect our future path in the imperial examinations..."
Damn it, this time we've really been ruined by that guy surnamed Yang!
Who would have thought that the idea of canceling preferential treatment for students who were not in school was proposed by the magistrate of Ningyang County?
Who would have thought that the rumors about the Wangtian system that had been circulating before arriving in Ningyang County were actually related to this Magistrate Yang?
Then there are the Northern and Southern Dukes of Yansheng, who were utterly betrayed, plus a host of powerful figures in the court…
If Wu Yanhu and Chen Mo hadn't looked through the files of Ningyang County, the three of them probably wouldn't have known how long they would have been kept in the dark!
Wu Yanhu, Chen Mo, and Lü Peng no longer really want to participate in the imperial examinations.
Even if I pass the exam, what then?
Since I came from Ningyang County, I naturally carry the label of Ningyang County with me.
Those officials who were badly wronged by Magistrate Yang might not be able to do anything to him, but could they easily let themselves off the hook?
Thinking of this, Lü Peng couldn't help but sigh again.
After a long while, Wu Yanhu suddenly spoke up: "No, the path of the imperial examination may not be impossible."
Chen Mo's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What do you mean?"
While carefully considering his words, Wu Yanhu slowly said, "We were thinking the wrong thing just now—although Magistrate Yang has offended the officials in the court, he is still fine now, which means that someone must be protecting him."
"Who could possibly protect Magistrate Yang when all the officials in the court harbor resentment towards him?"
"So, the fact that we were born in Ningyang County is not only not a bad thing, but may actually be a good thing. It might even save us from taking many detours compared to others."
"Of course, before this matter turns into a good thing, we still have to face the bad things first. After all, we can't go directly to the palace examination. We still have to go through the provincial examination and the metropolitan examination before we can finally reach the palace examination, which will turn the bad things into good things."
“Before this, we could have been ousted at any time.”
"But it doesn't matter. Even if we are dismissed, we can come back and continue to serve as county magistrates, registrars, and clerks, right? We will still receive the same preferential treatment, and we won't necessarily be much worse off than those who came from the regular imperial examinations."
Chen Mo had already understood that Wu Yanhu was inclined to give up on the imperial examination—since the worst outcome was already unchangeable, it would be better to stay in Ningyang County as the county magistrate from the beginning.
Thinking of this, Chen Mo couldn't help but sigh and said, "Speaking of which, all the trouble our county magistrate has caused... sigh."