minions live

Chapter 770 Craftsman
Star City

Xingningfang, Weihai General's Mansion.

"General, we're home."

Lu Fuhai seemed not to hear, only looking up at his familiar doorway, remaining motionless for a long time.

In previous years, he would write a lavishly decorated memorial to the capital at the end of each year, hoping to receive a response from Xingji City.

The result was disappointment each time.

Now that the new emperor has just taken office, before he could even figure out how to write his memorial, he received an imperial edict ordering him to return to the capital for a personal audience...

"General?" the guard couldn't help but remind him again.

Lu Fuhai snapped out of his reverie and nodded slightly.

After glancing around, he sighed inwardly.

If things hadn't gone wrong back then, my family would have been promoted to the rank of Earl, just like Wei Junqian, Yuan Xingwen, and Kong Chunhui.

As a result, one wrong step leads to another.

As a result, his wife and children are still living in this narrow, ordinary alley.

Yo--

Just then, an old voice rang out from not far away.

The voice was full of surprise.

"Isn't this General Lu? No wonder the magpies in the house kept chirping this morning. It turns out the General has returned."

Looking in the direction of the voice, Lu Fuhai quickly recognized the old neighbor who was speaking.

He laughed.

"It's Uncle Liu! What a coincidence, I just got home and saw you."

"Long time no see, how have you been?"

When Lu Fuhai left the Dali Temple, the first neighbor he met was this old Liu.

Lu Fuhai thought about it carefully.

He seems to have a son who is a merchant on the east bank.

When Old Liu saw that the other party answered as always, without any sign of disdain on his face, his brows immediately relaxed.

His smile was even brighter.

"Thanks to the general, it looks like my old bones can still hold on for a while longer..."

The two exchanged a few casual words, and seeing that it was getting late, Old Liu finally explained his purpose.

"General Lu, you have been guarding the East China Sea these days, so the Japanese pirates probably dare not approach the shore."

At this point, he was both expectant and worried.

“You know me, old Liu, my eyesight is failing. The newspapers say one thing one minute, and the neighbors say another the next. I don’t know who to believe.”

With the year-end approaching, and having not received any news from his son's caravan for some time, he couldn't help but feel anxious and have wild thoughts.

Haha.

Lu Fuhai walked over with a smile and patted Old Liu's shoulder a few times in a comforting manner.

"Don't worry, Uncle Liu. Everything in the newspaper is true."

"The Japanese pirates have long been driven back into the sea by our East China Sea Barrier. Now, let alone on the shore, there is absolutely no trace of a Japanese pirate even 800 miles from the shore."

"Really?" Old Liu asked, half believing and half doubting.

Humph.

The young guard beside him scoffed coldly, clearly annoyed, "Of course it's true."

What kind of status does his superior have that he would need to lie to an old man like you?
Old Liu breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

"That's wonderful. Thank you, General Lu."

At this moment, some neighbors gathered around, and Lu Fuhai chatted with them a few more times. Finally, after glancing at the sky, he waved goodbye.

Upon entering the general's mansion, it was completely quiet.

Only a few servants whose names I didn't even know rushed over to greet me.

Lu Fuhai was not surprised.

Just now, when they returned to the south gate of Xingji City, they encountered a long and strange funeral procession.

The funeral procession was a diverse mix, including high-ranking imperial officials, ordinary citizens, and even some families who had never met before were mixed in side by side.

Surprised, he asked out of curiosity.

Only then did they realize that it was the people of Xingji City, including the Emperor and Empress, who were escorting the coffin of Princess Yiguang back to her ancestral home in Xingluo. Their own family's lintel wasn't high, but it was certainly not low either.

The lady of the house, Zhu Shaming, was not present at the time; she was clearly also in the funeral procession.

Since that's the case, Lu Fuhai went to wash up first.

Half an hour later, when they returned to the main hall, the long-absent butler greeted them with a cheerful smile.

"This old servant greets the general."

Lu Fuhai nodded and asked in return, "Has His Majesty returned to the palace?"

"Reporting to the General, His Majesty has returned to the palace and issued a summons ordering you to come to the palace for an audience immediately."

Lu Fuhai straightened his court robes, which he had changed into earlier, and hurriedly headed to the palace with various documents.

Just as they arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Study, they happened to run into another general from the East Sea Barrier.

Xiao Zheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

At that moment, the little eunuch's shrill voice rang out.

"Announce that General Xiao Zheng and General Lu Fuhai of the East Sea Barrier Legion are here to pay their respects."

The two quickly tidied their clothes and stepped into the hall.

"Your Majesty, your subjects Xiao Zheng and Lu Fuhai, guards of the Eastern Sea."

Ren Ning smiled and nodded, "You two have worked hard, please rise."

After saying that, he didn't wait for the two of them to speak, and his gaze fell directly on the golden pillar on the left.

"Come, let me first introduce a skilled craftsman to my two ministers."

Xiao Zheng and the other man were taken aback and turned to look.

Only then did they realize there was another person in the imperial study.

The other person was physically strong and had a rough face, especially his two large hands, which were covered with thick calluses.

"This is Tie Tiangong, an expert in forging."

Ren Ning laughed heartily, a flash of memories crossing his eyes.

“Back when I was just a lowly scout at the Yanchui Fortress, he helped me build telescopes and various weapons, which suited my taste perfectly.”

It would be a waste of a skilled craftsman like Tie Tiangong to stay in the fortress to retire or repair ordinary swords or even farm tools.

Ren Ning plans to add a Fine Engineering Department to the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.

Summon skilled craftsmen from all legions and among the common people, and give them a place where they can fully display their talents.

Lu Fuhai and Xiao Zheng exchanged a glance, and their expressions unconsciously became more serious.

If you were to ask who Tie Tiangong is, they would have absolutely no idea.

But when it comes to telescopes, even the most knowledgeable among them can't help but give them a thumbs up.

"Nice to meet you." Xiao Zheng laughed and patted Tie Tiangong on the shoulder. "So it was you who made the telescope, Master."

"That's a really good thing, especially at sea. It can detect the traces and movements of Japanese pirate ships immediately. The East China Sea Barrier's successful defeat of the Japanese pirates is definitely thanks to the telescope and the blacksmith."

"On behalf of the people of the East China Sea Barrier and the eastern counties, General Lu and I thank Master Tie for his invention."

After he finished speaking, the two legion generals saluted him in unison.

"Absolutely not!" Tie Tiangong was startled and quickly stepped aside.

He was initially a little dizzy.

He thought to himself, a mere old blacksmith, half his body buried in the ground, that he would never have the chance to enter the palace, let alone meet the emperor...

Upon hearing Xiao Zheng's words, Tie Tiangong finally came to his senses and immediately felt his face burning.

"You two generals are too kind."

He cupped his hands in the direction of the dragon's throne and explained honestly.

"The telescope was actually designed by His Majesty. The old blacksmith simply built it according to the design. It's a blacksmith's livelihood, nothing special. As for the forging camp in the fortress, most people can do it."

Ha ha.

Ren Ning, sitting at the head of the table, smiled and shook his head.

“Master Tie is too modest. The telescope’s structure isn’t particularly complex, but it’s not something just any blacksmith could forge. I spent a long time searching the forging camp before I finally found you.”

"As expected, just like today's steam engine, you have not disappointed my expectations."

Steam engine?
Xiao Zheng and Lu Fuhai couldn't help but exchange another glance.

"Your Majesty, what is this steam engine?"

A monarch is busy with countless affairs of state every day, especially in the imperial study. The people he meets and the things they say must have their reasons, and they would never speak without reason.