Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 576 The real problem lies after returning to Beijing.

That bastard!

When he was in Ningyang County, he ate and drank at the behest of the officials. It was the officials who made him study. In his rare free time, he had to teach those scoundrels everything he knew, from astronomy and geography to the theory of contradiction.

Now look what's happened! This bastard is actually trying to sneak around and recruit laborers through Yangjiang, trying to protect himself from me.

Yang Shaofeng grew angrier the more he thought about it, and finally said to Emperor Zhu with a dark face, "Father-in-law, that scoundrel Li Hui is clearly targeting the laborers in Annam and Siam. This precedent of acting recklessly behind the back of the court must not be set, and he should be severely punished!"

WTF?

How could such words come out of this bastard's mouth?

Damn it, is it because we didn't sleep well last night, or is this world just too crazy?

Emperor Zhu glanced coldly at Yang Shaofeng and sneered, "When it comes to acting recklessly behind the court's back, among the thousands of officials in the entire Ming Dynasty, who can compare to you?"

"What precedent is absolutely unacceptable? Then tell me, which precedent didn't start with you?"

"The practice of using prisoners as laborers began in Ningyang County, while the practice of using Japanese slaves and Koreans as laborers began in Dengzhou."

"Now you're telling me that precedents must not be broken?"

Yang Shaofeng grunted twice and said, "Using prisoners as laborers is not a precedent set by your son-in-law, so even if you want to blame someone, you can't blame your son-in-law."

Strictly speaking, using prisoners for hard labor is an excellent tradition of the Central Plains Gang since ancient times.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, even sons-in-law were considered part of the hard labor system.

Yang Shaofeng glanced at Emperor Zhu and said, "As for using short, ugly people and sticks as laborers, well, there's nothing we can do about it."

"If Dengzhou had hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, how could I possibly use short, ugly men as laborers?"

Yang Shaofeng's argument became increasingly reasonable: "Besides, Korea is a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and the Korean people are also people under Father-in-law's rule. Considering the hardship the Korean people face in making a living, giving them a chance to support their families is also for Father-in-law's sake."

Emperor Zhu glared at Yang Shaofeng through gritted teeth.

So we should thank you?

The more Emperor Zhu thought about it, the angrier he became. Just as he was contemplating whether to slap that scoundrel, Xia Yu ran over with a secret report, bowed to Emperor Zhu, and said, "Your Majesty, an urgent report from Dengzhou Prefecture."

Emperor Zhu was slightly taken aback.

Yang Shaofeng was also a bit confused.

Urgent report from Dengzhou Prefecture.

As the prefect of Dengzhou, I haven't even received the news yet, but Xia Yu, the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, found out first?

Just as Yang Shaofeng was pondering this, Emperor Zhu had already opened the secret report and started reading it.

Then, Emperor Zhu sighed and handed the secret report to Yang Shaofeng.

"At the College of Chemical Engineering of Dengzhou University, Mr. So-and-so used improved gunpowder to build a rocket, and then tied the rocket to a chair, attempting to take off in broad daylight. Unexpectedly, the rocket exploded after takeoff, and Mr. So-and-so died on the spot."

Yang Shaofeng was completely stunned.

I recognize all these characters, but when they are put together, they feel unfamiliar.

What the heck is this "ascension to heaven in broad daylight" nonsense?

Also, wasn't the guy who used gunpowder to build rockets and then went into the sky called Wan Hu? How come such a ruthless person appeared during the Hongwu era?

No, no, Wan Hu seems to be a craftsman, while the one who wants to ascend to heaven in broad daylight is a teacher from the School of Chemical Engineering, who is also a Taoist priest.

Thinking of this, Yang Shaofeng immediately stood up.

These Taoist priests with their ox-nose noses, how come they're all so awesome!

This time they used gunpowder to launch rockets, will they use lightning next time?

No.

We need to find a way to deal with these scoundrels in the future, and not let them continue to act so recklessly.

And then there was that unlucky guy who died in the fall this time.

The compensation is manageable, but the problem is that this guy was a top expert in gunpowder, and now that he has suddenly died from a fall, where am I going to find a teacher to replace him?

Seeing Yang Shaofeng pacing back and forth like a donkey pulling a millstone, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but rub his forehead and scold, "Sit down! You're getting so worked up over such a small thing. What will you do if something bigger happens in the future?"

Yang Shaofeng gave a soft snort and plopped back down in his chair.

"First, arrange for someone to provide compensation to his family."

"Give the money that should be given for burial."

"We also need to establish some rules and regulations to allow them to experiment, so as not to dampen their enthusiasm, but we can't let them do it themselves, so as to avoid similar situations from happening again."

Emperor Zhu picked up a cup of tea and said slowly, "If pigs, sheep, or other live animals can be used as substitutes, then live animals should be used."

"If all else fails, then use the Japanese."

At this point, Emperor Zhu turned his gaze to Xia Yu: "How are things going with the Japanese and the Wa people?"

Xia Yu cupped his hands and replied, "Your Excellency, we have just acquired more than two hundred Japanese slaves from the Jiangzhe region, and they will be sent to Dengzhou after the New Year. As for Japan, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already selected a few from among the Japanese slaves. After the New Year, we will send them back to Japan to lie low, and they will be put to use when the court needs them."

Emperor Zhu hummed in agreement, then looked at Yang Shaofeng and said, "Did you all hear that? There will always be Japanese pirates. Use them sparingly for now, and replenish them slowly later."

Yang Shaofeng glanced at Emperor Zhu discreetly.

Old Deng is quite calm.

Unfortunately, what worries me isn't this death, but rather that no one knows what other trouble those audacious Taoist priests might cause!

But upon further reflection, Yang Shaofeng realized that Emperor Zhu's approach was arguably the best solution at the moment.

What's the point of going back to Dengzhou?

In reality, it's completely useless.

Aside from arranging pensions and funerals, all that's left is to come up with some new rules and regulations to restrict those who are too powerful.

However, as Emperor Zhu said, using short people instead of cow noses to conduct various experiments can also avoid some potential risks.

Just as Yang Shaofeng was pondering this, Emperor Zhu gave a soft hum and said, "We'll find a way to send you a master craftsman who knows gunpowder to Dengzhou later."

"We can't really let Dengzhou University lack teachers who understand gunpowder."

"The real problem right now is what we'll face after we return to the capital."

Yang Shaofeng was slightly taken aback and asked, "After returning to Beijing?"

Emperor Zhu gave a cold laugh and said, "Otherwise what?"

"From the first year of Hongwu to now, in just over four years, first the household registration system was reformed, then the teaching content of community schools and county schools was reformed, even the Imperial Academy was split up, then the territories of the various provincial administrations were redivided, and now the Six Ministries and the Secretariat are to be reformed."

"Any of these messy issues can be resolved with just a few words?"

"I've had a headache since returning to Beijing this time."