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墨書 Inktalez
In the afternoon, gentle sunlight bathed the surroundings, warm and mixed with a hint of cool breeze, creating a perfect temperature. In the yard, Liu Qingxi's clear voice directed Kid to work.
Yang Yichen stood nearby, providing timely and appropriate assistance. Compared to the morning's inexperience, his speed had significantly improved, but the model of Garden-style Architecture was quite complex and could not be completed in just a short time.
Even though Liu Qingxi's blueprints were detailed enough, there were still some inadequacies during the production process. Fortunately, everyone contributed ideas and quickly came up with solutions.
Recently, Liu Qingxi's work focused on model making, while Yang Yichen was also engaged in similar tasks at the Ministry of Works.
The Ministry of Works managed all national engineering affairs. It was responsible for civil construction methods, the utilization of machinery, irrigation techniques, and the rituals for royal tombs. It oversaw all national civil and water conservancy projects, machinery manufacturing (including military weapons and equipment), mining, textile industries, and part of financial currency management and standardization of measurements.
Currently, the Minister of Works was Lin Shurong, a first-rank official who was sixty years old this year. He was proficient in mechanical manufacturing and held the emperor's favor, having made significant contributions to the Western Moon Kingdom over many years.
Aside from him, the most notable figure was the second-rank Minister of Works. The position was divided into left and right Deputy Ministers. The Left Deputy Minister was named Liang Yujing, in his forties, with an eighteen-year-old daughter known for her arrogance and fondness for men, making her infamous in the capital.
The Right Deputy Minister was Yuke, thirty years old, currently head of the Yu Family. He was the grandson of Empress Yu's father Yupeng and a cousin to Dugu Hao.
Yuke was smooth-talking and capable, benefiting from his family's military background. He had a unique sentiment and talent for weaponry.
In addition to these three individuals, there were other officials responsible for various categories. Yang Yichen's presence here might not be welcomed by everyone; no one would appreciate someone so favored who could easily overshadow them.
The next day, Yang Yichen brought his purchased items to the Ministry of Works. Here, responsibilities varied among those in charge of weapons and agricultural tools.
For someone as talented as Yang Yichen, Dugu Han's primary interest wasn't how many threshers he could invent but rather more advanced weaponry.
Historically, being backward meant being vulnerable to attacks. Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the lake lay turbulent undercurrents.
Thus, every nation had its specialized departments dedicated to developing military weapons. Everything here was classified and inviolable; each country treated its research results as top secret.
Moreover, for advanced weaponry, they spared no effort or resources because even a slight edge in weaponry could turn the tide on the battlefield.
Yang Yichen was assigned to the weapons manufacturing team, and his superior was Left Deputy Minister Liang Yujing. Upon arriving at the Ministry of Works, he was completely ignored by the young Kid, making it difficult for him to grasp the situation on his own.
"Lord Yang has arrived. You are a favored person in front of the Emperor; such matters do not require your personal involvement," a man of similar age stopped Yang Yichen just as he picked up his tools to start making models.
Even the items in his hands were taken away: "Even if you do nothing, you can still earn the Emperor's trust. We can only look up to you from afar and naturally would not dare to trouble you."
Such grandiose words left Yang Yichen speechless.
No matter what he wanted to do or whether others discussed him in his presence, there was no place for him to interject.
So today, he brought his own materials, but even so, as long as someone found fault, they could easily point out issues.
Sure enough, before he even began, his superior, Liang Yujing, called him over: "Lord Yang, you should know that what we do is top secret; no one will know. But why are you doing this?"
He paused slightly and lowered his head in contemplation: "Although I understand you are doing this for the benefit of our Ministry of Works, what if there are unsafe elements involved? What if an enemy infiltrates with ulterior motives? For example, those who bring materials."
In summary, he simply did not like Yang Yichen.
After decades of serving in office, he had only climbed to his current second-rank position, while Yang Yichen had achieved so much at just seventeen years old, which truly unsettled him.
Moreover, due to someone's instructions within the palace, he had no choice but to act this way.
Yang Yichen did not expect the other party to be so ruthless as to not allow him to use the materials he brought. Therefore,
"I thank Lord Liang for your guidance. As I am new to the Ministry of Works and unfamiliar with many matters, I hope you will provide me with more instruction. However, since I cannot directly use the materials I brought, I would trouble Lord Liang to allocate some resources for me."
This was Liang Yujing walking straight into a trap. Seizing this opportunity, Yang Yichen made a direct request as a subordinate. If he refused in front of so many people and did not use his own resources, it would naturally lead others to express Liang Yujing's malice to the person sitting on the dragon throne.
Liang Yujing's face turned bright red as he stammered: "You..." but found himself unable to refute.
If he refuses now, then the intention of making things difficult for Yang Yichen in the officialdom is too obvious.
Such situations are not only common in the official world but also in ordinary business or personal interactions. However, when laid out in the open, it becomes quite unpleasant.
Suppressing the anger that was bubbling inside, Liang Yujing's flushed face gradually returned to normal as he composed his voice: "Lord Yang is deeply favored by His Majesty. Since you have come forward, I shall certainly lend my full support."
The other officials could sense Liang Yujing's anger, but they could not deny the brilliance of Yang Yichen's approach.
In this way, he incurred no losses while getting Liang Yujing to willingly provide the necessary materials—something that none of the officials present would have dared to do or could accomplish.
As expected, Liang Yujing could not deliberately go back on his word after publicly agreeing to something, as it would tarnish his own reputation. By the afternoon, Yang Yichen received the materials he needed.
As for what Yang Yichen had brought himself, since it was unwanted by others, there was no need to keep it; he simply took it back home for his own use.
Yang Yichen had smoothly resolved his first soft and hard challenge at the Ministry of Works without making a fuss.
Regarding the cold shoulder he had faced a few days ago, although Yang Yichen had nothing at that time, he was fully aware of everything that had transpired among those involved.
As for those who had tried to take advantage of him, they now found themselves in an awkward position facing Yang Yichen.
Yang Yichen also did not make it a point to please any particular individual; instead, he focused on doing his work diligently, which earned him newfound respect from others.
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