noffsinger Chapter 281. That's it? And he calls himself a Grand General?
Chapter 281. That's it? And he calls himself a Grand General?
Whether Yinreng would have time to spend a few days of comfort with him was unclear to Yinzuo, but for him, his days were extremely pleasant.
"What's that poem again? 'Suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of pear trees burst into bloom.' Dexi, look, just yesterday we were saying that plum blossoms without snow were a bit lacking, and today it's snowing! Here's what we'll do: have someone go to the plum garden and break off a few plum branches, and also find our little stove. Everyone says that boiling snow to make tea is an extremely elegant thing, so let's be elegant for once today..."
Since it was rare for their master to want to indulge in some refined pursuits, Dexi naturally wouldn't let him down halfway and spoil his mood. Almost as soon as Yinzhuo finished speaking, the servants inside and outside the pavilion began to bustle about. Some went to the plum garden to pick plum branches, while others went to the storeroom to fetch a charcoal stove. Red dates, goji berries, peanuts, chestnuts, tea leaves, longan, and even ginger slices were quickly brought to Yinzhuo. Dexi squatted opposite Yinzhuo, carefully filling the teapot on the charcoal stove with water before getting up and retreating behind him.
Don't be fooled by Yinzhuo's annual fuss about bringing out his equipment every time it snows; when it comes to tea-making experience, he's practically a zero. But thankfully, he has the almost omnipotent Dexi by his side, who occasionally reminds him and lends a hand. So, Yinzhuo's tea-making process goes relatively smoothly. Yintang, Yinxi, and the Fourteenth Prince arrive through the wind and snow. Even from a distance, they can already see Yinzhuo, wrapped in a blanket, huddled on the couch by the window watching the snow, through the large glass windows surrounding the pavilion.
"They say it's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Look, I've managed to catch it today. 'Brewing tea and roasting chestnuts, gathering around the stove morning and evening,' these lines of poetry are quite fitting for the occasion. Thanks to Sixth Brother, even this rough guy like me has had a moment of elegance today."
Look, if it weren't for the fact that everyone likes people who can talk so well, compared to Yinzhen's mouth which can infuriate anyone with its opening, Yin's little mouth is simply as sweet as honey, and the words he speaks are so comforting to hear. Yinzuo glanced at the three people standing at the door covered in snow and raised his hand to beckon them in. Dexi, being very perceptive, helped Yinzhen and the others get slippers to change their snow-covered shoes.
"You've just come in from outside, don't rush to take off your clothes. Let them rest for a bit first. Dexi, go pour some hot tea for Ninth Master, Tenth Master, and Fourteenth Master to warm them up. Tenth Master, haven't you been keeping an eye on things at the estate outside the city these past few days? What brings you here today? Has Dai Zi made such a breakthrough?"
It's no wonder that Yinzhi thought that way. After all, since the last test of the machine gun, there had been no news or progress from Dai Zi's side. Yinzhi had been ordered by Yinzhi to stay at the Imperial Estate so that he could react quickly as soon as there was any progress. So when Yinzhi returned, Yinzhi naturally assumed that Dai Zi's side had made a breakthrough.
"Sixth Brother, let's not get too excited. I didn't come back this time because Dai Zi made any breakthroughs. I just came back because I was bored at the manor. Sixth Brother, didn't you say before that invention is never something that can be done overnight? So this can't be rushed. But I did come back with some good news. Although there's not much progress on our machine gun, we have artillery. Didn't you tell Dai Zi about that Armstrong cannon? He's been researching that thing for the past few months. A few days ago, I don't know what he was thinking, but he suddenly gave me the blueprints and parameters and told me to have someone cast it. Father gave us special permission, so the cannon should be ready by the New Year. You can go and take a look after the tests are done."
This is indeed good news. For Yinzhuo, any breakthrough in any area is something to be happy about. In fact, compared to machine guns, artillery plays a greater role in modern warfare. Yinzhuo is only half-knowledgeable about weapons manufacturing. He didn't ask too many questions about it. He only knew that no matter what, Ai Gong's words were always right: dignity lies only on the edge of a blade, and truth lies only within the range of cannons.
"Old Ten, you've been running back and forth a lot lately, it's really tough. The roads are bad because of the snow, and there are people watching you over there, so you don't need to go for now. Old Ten, next time you see Dai Zi, why don't you ask him for me if he's interested in taking on a few apprentices? If he agrees, send someone to tell me, and I'll find a group of people to send over for him to choose from."
Yin'e originally thought that his sixth brother would ask some questions about artillery, but unexpectedly, he made a complete 180-degree turn and suddenly jumped to the issue of taking on apprentices. Although Yin'e didn't know what his sixth brother was up to this time, he still nodded seriously to show that he remembered and would definitely ask Dai Zi for help when he saw him later.
With that, the topic of the imperial estate came to an end. The brothers then gathered around a small charcoal stove to brew tea, drink tea, and chat, which was quite pleasant. There was a fire in the pavilion, and even though the doors and windows were left slightly ajar because of the charcoal fire, the temperature inside wasn't low. However, aside from Yinzhuo, Yintang and his brothers were completely out of touch with the concept of elegance. Their pleasant tea-brewing session naturally turned into a hot pot meal in the end.
"On such a cold day, nothing beats eating meat to your heart's content. Although brewing tea around a stove sounds elegant, it's really just about filling your stomach with water. Come on, Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, let me fill your cups. Let's have a drink together."
Yinzhuo rolled his eyes at the Fourteenth Prince's vulgar behavior, saying, "Is this all? And he's the Grand General? And he's his father's chosen successor? Don't be ridiculous. The court isn't just about fighting and killing. They really play the game of intrigue and deception. I'm telling you, with the Fourteenth Prince's brains, it's a miracle he can even handle fighting and killing. Asking him to play the game of intrigue and deception is really asking too much of the child."
"Fourteenth brother, listen to your sixth brother's advice. Try to speak less when you're out in public. Otherwise, you'll easily expose your lack of intelligence. You spend every day with thirteenth brother, but you haven't learned any of his good qualities. Look how composed he is. What kind of behavior is this, always making a fuss? How about this, I'll talk to Father tomorrow and let you go to the Ministry of Revenue with your fourth brother for some experience. With your fourth brother keeping an eye on you, I don't think you can cause any big trouble."
He could certainly gain experience, but Fourteen really didn't want to go to the Ministry of Revenue. His dream was to become a general, so if he wanted to gain experience, the Ministry of War would be his first choice.
"Fourth Brother is so busy every day, he doesn't have time to take me to train. Sixth Brother, why don't you go and talk to Father Khan and let me go to the Ministry of War to train? You know, my dream since I was a child is to become a general and lead troops to fight on the battlefield. The Ministry of Revenue is full of people who are busy with abacus beads. Their minds are more empty than lotus roots. What can I learn there?"