Chapter 302: Craftsmen gather in Beijing competition

Green grass lays on the houses, the willows sway and the breeze is gentle. The sound of the light returns to the swallows, and the water in the north is warm and warm.

The weather is getting warmer and warmer. The swallows come home, and the stream is soft. As a heavy rain falls, the people in the spring plow breathe a sigh of relief.

The capital has become more prosperous at this time. Some people who want to go out for a trip are choosing the tour group they want to join. Those who participate in this year's spring exam are busy submitting posts and worshiping the door. The place where the brothel also sings a new poem from time to time, either being praised by everyone or being secretly demoted.

Those who want to save some food at home also take their children to dig wild vegetables. After the rain, more people pick mushrooms, and storytellers are still looking for suitable topics.

The new animals in the zoo attracted many curious people to watch. The flowers were placed in the East and West Market, with carriages and horses coming and going, and the wine and food were fragrant, giving people a feeling of prosperity.

But today, all these things are not the most important. The most important thing is that the outstanding craftsmen who have come from all over the country to Beijing after a competition, will participate in a one-month competition.

The craftsmen who were not valued usually finally ushered in the spring of their own industry. The court arranged a large enough place for Shuiyunjian to spend 20,000 pounds of money to purchase materials and reward the best craftsmen in various industries.

The craftsmen fought all the way from all over the place, and they all thought that they had good skills. Everyone had at least a small invention or had improved a certain artifact. Their travel expenses were taken out from the money earned by the government or local merchants after invention and improvement.

It’s not that the government and businessmen don’t want to monopolize the money, but that this time the matter is too big. If you come to the capital, if you don’t send a good craftsman up, you will lose the opportunity to become famous. Especially the local officials, who are the most closely guarded and hope to be in the eyes of the court. Thinking of him, a small local official, gives him a position.

Some craftsmen from all over the country have been starting last year and have been thinking about it all the way, and they should be able to improve or make something new.

We arrived in the capital one after another and were placed in the place provided by Shuiyun, waiting for today's competition.

Many visionary businessmen have turned their attention to the craftsman competition, hoping to find good craftsmen to recruit them in their respective transactions.

Unfortunately, after they knew that Shui Yunjian had to choose first, they could only give up the best craftsmen and turn their attention to the lesser ones again. They could not compete with Shui Yunjian. Not to mention that the wages given during the recruitment could not compete with Shui Yunjian. Even if it was the same money, even if it was a little more, the craftsmen would choose Shui Yunjian.

Everyone knows how abundant the infrastructure and the supply for research in Shuiyunjian are. In addition, Shuiyunjian is famous enough, so there is no need to worry about being deceived. As long as the craftsmen who come to Beijing think that their level is high enough, they all aim to enter Shuiyunjian.

The first time I saw the craftsmen taking the imperial examination, the people were curious and came to the east city of Beijing, which was the place for the competition.

The court has sent officials to take charge. At this time, He Zhizhang, the Minister of Rites, Wei Shu, the Minister of Works, and Luo Bin, the young eunuch sent by Gao Lishi, announced the start of today's competition.

Because there are many craftsmen and involve all aspects, they cannot be held at the same time. There are not enough places. In order to attract people, the first day's competition is a warm-up, and the content is to make something ingenious, which can make people feel novel and fun.

The tool tables were mounted one by one, and various materials were placed in fixed places according to the category. The craftsmen participating in this project looked around nervously and confidently, and successively instructed their apprentices to get various materials. Some used wood, some used copper and iron, and some even used animal fur and bones.

The competition starts from morning until noon. When everyone is having a good meal, the craftsmen's meals are provided by the Zhuangyuan Building. People in Beijing and the surrounding homes are given a chance to make money. Deyiju first lends them the materials, makes them into boxed lunches, various buns and wontons, allowing them to hawk the crowd.

After a month, you should be able to make a lot of money. Then you will pay back Deyiju’s money, which is very humane, and of course it will also cause complaints from restaurants and restaurants that are not allowed to enter.

In the East City, in addition to places where the people are allowed to watch, there are also specially built stands for officials and people from aristocratic families to watch. The privileged class always has to receive different treatments. Of course, no matter how much enjoyment is, the money that should be spent cannot be lost.

The stands are divided into positions A, B and C, with different levels, different telescopes provided, and there are also differences in food and drink. The best position at the top is empty, and it is left for Li Longji. No matter whether he comes or not, the location is indispensable. What if he goes to Dongshi on a whim?

The craftsmen were busy, and the little eunuch Luo Bin walked back and forth, his eyes dripping around, afraid that someone would cheat. However, he was repeatedly reminded by Gao Lishi that he should not go wrong, because the competition not only made the capital more lively, but more importantly, selected talents for the Zhang and Wang families.

He Zhizhang, the Minister of Rites, seemed not to be on the competition. He sat in a good position in the stands and looked at the prosperity of the East City with a telescope. It seemed that he was preparing to write a poem.

Listening to the squeaking sound of sawing wood and the jingle of iron, Wei Shu, the Minister of Works, was also bored and yawning. He really couldn't understand why a craftsman sent himself as a minister to the presidency of a competition, which felt a bit overused.

Just as he was squinting his eyes and preparing to take a nap, a group of people came from the table, with each knife on the outside, and two people surrounded by inside, without saying hello to others, went in from another specially closed staircase, and then he heard his footsteps going upwards and reaching the top directly.

Wei Shu was shocked and was no longer sleepy. He just now felt why the person who was equipped with a knife looked so familiar. It was the Jinwu Guard. The one who followed the two was the imperial guard. Mom, the emperor actually came. Needless to say, one of the two was the lord and the other was Gao Lishi.

Well, it seems that there is no uselessness. If you can't do it, you have to go on and go. Don't continue to sit on the stage. If the emperor thinks that he doesn't do his best, it will be troublesome.

Before going down, Wei Shu kindly touched He Zhizhang next to him, "Shishou, should you go down and take a look?"

"Oh, okay, that's the point." He Zhizhang replied with pleasure. He couldn't hear such a big noise just now. The poetic and picturesque in his heart suddenly sublimated and began to do practical things, such as art forms, higher than life, but also from life.

Li Longji sat in the highest position, watched under the telescope, and said to Gao Lishi: "Lishi, the craftsmen below are a great help from Feiteng's plan. Please help me see which one is the best."

How could Gao Lishi know who is better? He hasn't compared it yet. Everyone seems to be different in things, and they don't know what rules to judge.

When I was anxious, I suddenly saw one of the craftsmen below who seemed to have seen it. After careful recollection, I remembered that Liu Zhirou's distant relative had been with the Zhang family for a long time. I don't know why he came to participate in the competition this time. When I looked at the place in the competition sign, it actually represented Fengzhou.

Seeing this person, Gao Lishi felt confident and said to Li Longji: "Your Majesty, I think the person sitting there may be the best in this game. Please see, Your Majesty."

Li Longji followed Gao Lishi's finger and asked in confusion: "Can Lishi predict the situation first?"

"I don't have that ability. I have seen this person. A distant relative of Liu Zhirou, who was appointed as the Minister of Works, was always with the Zhang family. I guess he could learn a lot of skills, but I don't know why he appeared on Fengzhou." Gao Lishi explained.

"Oh, it turns out that he is Liu Qing's relative. He is with the Zhang family. What's wrong with Liu Qing recently?" Li Longji felt that since he was from the Zhang family, he must be very powerful. He suddenly remembered Liu Zhirou, who was no longer in office, and asked.

After hearing Li Longji's question, Gao Lishi smiled before answering, "Haha, Your Majesty, Liu Zhirou is busy moving, and he tells everyone that Xiaobao and Juanjuan are ungrateful wolves."

"Why? Xiaobao and Juanjuan gave him less things? Where do you want to move to?" Li Longji's curiosity was aroused.

"I was going to move to Baoxin County first. I wrote to Xiaobao and Juanjuan. The two of them did not agree, saying that it was Tian Nuannuan and they did not give a boat to pick him up. As a result, Liu Zhirou couldn't stop wandering in the sanitation area behind Deyi Hospital. When he met someone he knew, he mentioned that many ministers who went to check their bodies were avoiding him."

Gao Lishi laughed again after saying that.

Li Longji understood and laughed twice, saying, "It seems that he hasn't recovered yet. Thanks to the Deyi Hospital, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to take out good things in the palace to save his life. I guess he wanted to live a few more years and he had to go to Xiaobao and Juanjuan."

"Yes, many officials are preparing to leave office and join the Zhang and Wang family. Xiaobao and Juanjuan have written to me to build a large villa area in Sanshui County and prepare to resettle people who are joining the fun. I am also anxious. All the officials cannot end up living in Sanshui County."

Gao Lishi continued to introduce the situation.

Li Longji pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is easy to deal with. Everyone thinks that the Zhang family has good medical conditions and good food. Then everyone cannot go there. Officials above the fifth rank can go after leaving office. Under the fifth rank, it depends on what they have done. Only those who have made great contributions in this dynasty can pass. Officials above the fifth rank should also see how they leave. If they do well, they can't do well, and refuse, as for the required expenses..."

Speaking of money, Li Longji didn't know who should pay, but the court gave it all, and he couldn't bear to let the officials pay for it themselves. That little money might not be able to afford it.

"Your Majesty, Xiaobao mentioned this point in his letter, saying that money is a small matter. He wanted to gather outgoing officials together to discuss major affairs of the country in his spare time, which is called a think tank. However, if it is useful to the people, it will be worthy of the wealth that Zhang and Wang families invested."

"Money is a trivial matter, and only the two families can say such things. Well, you can take a look at this matter and wait until Zhang Zhong returns to Beijing to become an official."

Li Longji was in a happy mood and asked Gao Lishi to take care of it. Then he would give Zhang and Wang family policy compensation. The anti-money should never be taken out.

As the two of them turned around, the craftsmen in the competition also made their own things one by one. The excellent craftsmen from all states across the country were indeed better than ordinary craftsmen. There were craftsmen who specialized in carriages, and now they have developed a gadget.

It is divided into two parts. The first part is placed under the axle, like a small groove, and the other is on the top of the car. There is a jar containing the car oil. As the wheels rotate, a drop of oil will drop from it every once in a while. If there is too much, the small groove below will be caught, making it much more convenient for those who are driving the car.

This small invention is very practical, especially for people with cars and horses. If you walk a little further, the coachman can't catch the car while busy oiling the axles. Even if there are bearings with very poor quality and speed, this design is still easy to use, not to mention that bearings are not affordable to anyone.

Some people also made things for people who raise animals that feed water automatically, using changes in buoyancy and gravity to trigger boxes containing feed and water. As long as the animals eat almost the same amount of water and material, the boxes can be opened and things can be found from it.

The invention is good, but the people who feed animals in the crowd are not grateful at all. It is not easy to have a livestock at home, so they are treated as treasures. How can you use such things to feed them instead of yourself? When feeding, you can talk to the livestock and see if the livestock feels uncomfortable.

Another craftsman studied in addition to anti-theft devices. Generally speaking, thieves enter the house at night, one is to walk through the window and the other is to walk through the door. Not everyone has windows, so they can only walk through the door. The door has a bolt, so they have to use a thin thing to go through the door and push it away bit by bit.

The anti-theft design is to connect a rope behind the door latch, and tie a bell to the other end of the rope. When the door latch is pushed to a certain level, one is that the thief is struggling to pull it, and the other is that the bell will ring.

This design has six links, which are linked together, and the cost of things is not too high. If it is mass-produced, one set will cost only forty cents, and you can choose the bell yourself.

The result was that he was sentenced to zero points. His idea was good, but it was useless. If you really wanted to lock the door, just add a card behind the door latch, or tie the bell directly to the door.

On the contrary, there are all kinds of strange things. The referee was sent by the Zhang and Wang families. He spoke very humorously and made the onlookers laugh from time to time.

They came over to give people comments. At this time, it was Liu Feitong's turn. He represented Fengzhou this time, and his hometown was there. Because of Liu Zhirou, he had never been able to enter the inner courtyard of Zhang and Wang's family. That was to sell himself. Moreover, before Liu Zhirou left office, he was the Minister of Works and was prone to leaking secrets.

He really didn't allow him to participate in the experiment, but he taught him a lot of theories. He could use the materials to complete his ideas by himself, and he could find someone if he wanted to help.

As soon as he got to the front, one of the judges said to him: "Fai Chuan, what do you think you are here for? How good is it to stay at home. The young master and the young lady have a new plan, and this time you can also participate and come here to compete. Since we are here, our judgment of you will be stricter than others.

After all, you have learned so many theories and are not on the same level as others. As long as someone has the same score as you, then you lose and the ranking will be delayed."

The man did not hide his concealment when he spoke, and his voice also spread. When the people around him heard it, they felt unfair. How could the craftsmen from the Zhang and Wang family participate in the competition? If the performance is OK, what should others do?

The craftsmen in the competition were also feeling a little disheartened. The judges were from the Zhang and Wang families. Whoever believes that they said that it would be like that, someone would definitely cheat.

Unexpectedly, the first objection was Liu Feitong. "This is a craftsman competition, not a level competition. Is it necessary to deliberately suppress it because someone has learned a lot? I don't agree. If you are fighting on the battlefield, just because one side has trained well, they will not be allowed to use better weapons?"

When the judge heard this, he could not do this. He did not avoid relatives and nodded and said, "Okay, no matter what level, just look at things."

Liu Feitong then took out his things amid the noisy discussion. A small box with seven rows of numbers that could move up and down on it. He asked someone to find a carriage and connect the thing to the wheel at the end. As the car moves forward, the support of the wheel will be constantly hit on a small piece.

Every time the next piece is hit, the last row of numbers on the box will change to a number. When the last place returns to zero, the penultimate jumps forward and becomes one, and the carry is carried back and forth.

It's a very interesting thing that the people have never seen before, and they don't know what they are for.

The content of the discussion changed from the fairness or not just now to what this thing can be done. Liu Feitong listened to the people's inquiry and was very contented. He raised his head slightly and straightened his chest, without explaining what his things were for. He didn't even say anything to the referee.

This attracted the attention of Li Longji in the stands and asked Gao Lishi: "Do you know what that is?"

"I don't know, so I might as well ask him to tell you." Gao Lishi is not a god, so how could he know the function of this thing? But Liu Feitong was a little disliked. Just talk about it quickly, why bother guessing it?

"No, it seems that he is a craftsman in the Zhang family." Li Longji waved his hand to stop him.

The judge was still waiting for Liu Feitong to say that it would be evaluated according to the usual steps and gave the score. However, seeing that Liu Feitong didn't speak and his face was not good-looking, he signaled each other and gave him a six-point score.

The person who used the hourglass to create an alarm clock with layers of up and down weights gave 8:5 minutes, but this thing actually gave 6 minutes.

When Liu Feitong saw the score, he was stunned for a moment, and then said dissatisfiedly: "You deliberately suppress me, why is this thing worth six points? Do you know what it is for?"

When the people saw that it was lively, the craftsmen of the Zhang and Wang family did not get high scores. Are they worried about each other? Or is it because the things they made are not as good as others?

The craftsmen also have hope in their hearts. As long as this person does not directly get tens, others will have the chance to win the final first place.

The person who spoke to Liu Feitong just now sighed and asked Liu Feitong in disappointment: "Do you know who we are?"
Chapter completed!