Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 358: You Can't Not Acknowledge the Other's Excellence

"Master Pei, we have been king and subject for more than 20 years. You know me very well, but I also know you very well. You always speak so flawlessly and considerately.

What? Are you afraid that the waterwheel won't work, so I'll punish the flower farmer. Or are you afraid that the waterwheel is useful, and I'm afraid that I'll promote it, but won't give the flower farmer the benefits? "

Emperor Shengwu smiled and said as he sat back behind the desk. Without waiting for Old Marquis Pei to reply, he continued, "However, what Old Marquis said is very true. Benefiting the people and the world is never something that can be achieved overnight.

Since a small farmer like Hua Nongzheng can take great pains to build this waterwheel from scratch out of compassion for the people, then as the ruler of a country, I will make it perfect.

If so many people in the Ministry of Works cannot make it with the blueprints, data, and models, I will let them all go home and fetch water and farm themselves." Emperor Shengwu stroked the blueprint on the table, smiled, and said again.

"Mr. Pei has just said so much and praised me so much. It would be unreasonable for me not to give Hua Nong Zheng some benefits. How about this? Let the Ministry of Industry make the water wheels that Hua Nong Zheng needs on the barren mountain for free. On the one hand, it can be regarded as training for the Ministry of Industry, and on the other hand, it can be regarded as a benefit to Hua Nong Zheng. When the time comes, let the Ministry of Industry and Hua Nong Zheng discuss the specific production."

After flipping through a few pages of the book, Emperor Shengwu saw the reason why Hua Lei made the waterwheel. His fingertips paused, and he remembered the information that the shadow guard had found, which said that Hua Lei provided a series of small pottery jars, fried rice noodles, moxa sticks, moxa pills and other methods to ensure that the soldiers in Western Xinjiang had good food and sleep. There was also the retired soldier with a broken hand who stopped him from entering Baihua Manor, and his mind moved slightly.

After a pause, he spoke to the steward Fu who was standing beside him, "Staff Steward Fu, ask the Ministry of Rites to convey my oral order. Flower farmer Zheng is dedicated to serving the people and has excellent character. I will reward him with one thousand taels of gold. In addition... I will also reward him with some fabrics and cloth suitable for the girl's household." Steward Fu responded and went down to convey Emperor Shengwu's oral order.

"I, your humble servant, thank your Majesty, and I would also like to thank your Majesty on behalf of Lord Hua." Old Marquis Pei stood up contentedly to express his gratitude, left the palace refreshed, and went straight to Yongningfang to find Hua Lei.

Hua Lei was surprised and delighted to hear the good news brought by Lord Pei. Is this really the good news? The Ministry of Works really helped her build a waterwheel? And also gave her another 1,000 taels of gold? Wow, that's great. Hua Lei loves gold the most.

So, the next day, accompanied by Lord Pei, who did not need to go to court and hang around, he went to the Ministry of Rites and happily received a thousand taels of gold and some fabrics. When Rong Jin found out, he smiled happily. Xiao Yuan looked at Rong Jin and seemed to like him a little bit.

Two days later, the Minister of Works, Lord Li, brought several of his subordinates to the Ministry of Agriculture to find Hua Lei. Although there was no need to check the fields below during these two days, because it was the beginning of the new year, there were several small meetings that required Hua Lei to attend, so Hua Lei had been busy in the office these two days.

After the two sides exchanged greetings, Li Shilang went straight to the point and asked Hua Lei for the waterwheel production drawings and waterwheel model. Hua Lei was stunned. Aren't they all given to Emperor Shengwu? Why did Li Shilang ask her for them?

After carefully asking the reason, we found out that Emperor Shengwu asked them to ask Hualei for it. Emperor Shengwu said he wanted to keep the explanatory book that Hualei handed in, and Emperor Shengwu said he wanted to put the small waterwheel that Hualei handed in in the imperial garden to water the flowers and plants. So he asked the people from the Ministry of Works to ask Hualei for another copy.

Looking at the rainy weather outside, Hualei was a little speechless. Do I need to water the flowers and plants now? If I don't water them, they will be drowned. But what can I do? Since the Ministry of Industry is doing me a job for nothing, I can only copy a new explanation book myself.

Fortunately, I was smart and kept a backup of the waterwheel's description. It was a small waterwheel. After Lord Pei took it away, Uncle Zhao looked at the remaining wood and said he wanted to make a new one.

When summer comes, they can water the flowers and plants in Hualei's yard. Hualei thinks this is a good idea, so she lets Uncle Zhao continue to work on it, and now half of it has been done.

It seems that this half-finished waterwheel may not be preserved. However, it doesn’t matter. By exchanging the small for the big, the flower buds will not lose out.

Four or five days later, Hua Lei brought the explanatory book she had copied and the new waterwheel made by Uncle Zhao to Mr. Li from the Ministry of Works.

Lord Li looked through the waterwheel production book. It is said that an expert can tell the quality of a waterwheel with just one look. As the Minister of the Ministry of Works, he is indeed quite skilled. As soon as he saw the waterwheel production book and the waterwheel model, he knew that Hua Lei had real skills.

The terms used in this production book are quite professional, and each detail is marked very carefully. Even the points of attention are all marked out. It can be seen that only real skills can be used to produce such a professional production book.

With the model of the waterwheel, it can indeed continuously raise water, and the effect is many times better than the waterwheel in Jiangnan. It is impossible not to admit that the other party is excellent. Li Shilang secretly admires her in his heart. A girl who is only sixteen or seventeen years old, a girl who is only a few years older than his granddaughter, has such ingenuity. It is really not simple.

As a result, Minister Li's tone became more polite involuntarily. After asking about a few places in the production manual that he did not quite understand, he also tactfully suggested that when the Ministry of Works prepared the materials, he hoped Hua Lei could take the time to come to the Ministry of Works for some pointers. It would be even better if Uncle Zhao could be brought along.

Hua Lei did not hesitate and readily agreed to Lord Li's request. After all, if the waterwheel was made as soon as possible, she would benefit from it, so why would she refuse? The Ministry of Industry did not want to take a detour, so she had no reason to disagree to borrow Uncle Zhao for a few days.

Seeing Hua Lei being so straightforward, Lord Li was also very happy. Having a colleague who was not selfish would make the work of the Ministry of Works much easier.

He heard from his superior, the Minister of Works Yuchi, that the emperor attached great importance to this waterwheel and hoped that the Ministry of Works would make it as soon as possible. If it was really feasible, it would be promoted to the people as soon as possible.

I heard that the weather has been good these days. After the court session, the emperor went to the imperial garden to water the flowers and plants with a small waterwheel. Although I heard that many flowers died of waterlogging, it can be seen from the side that Emperor Shengwu was very much looking forward to this new waterwheel.

After finishing her business with Li Shilang, Hua Lei stood up to say goodbye. However, at the door, she ran into Bai Yunhe again. It turned out that he had been transferred from the Miscellaneous Department of the Ministry of Works to the Construction Department of the Ministry of Works.