After rebirth, I made the princes cry

There are not many grand mansions in Taiping, and most of the people who live here are aristocratic families who live "separately" in a "small family" model - aristocratic families are not necessarily rich, but they must all have big surnames, and the clans have prosperous clans. Therefore, it is impossible for everyone to live in the same mansion, and separation is inevitable. Generally, four or three generations live together, but there are exceptions. Like Xue Shanhai, he did not live with his father and brothers, but with his children. Don't live in peace.

When Yingshu came back to visit Xue Xuanqing, she naturally would not wear the attire of a female official, and due to restrictions, she could not hand over the greeting card according to the etiquette first. Like Taijun Yang, she also became an uninvited guest. In order to be able to see the owner, she specifically said to the doorman: "Please ask the envoy to tell Madam Xue that I was the lobbyist in front of Xie Liuniang that day."

When the doorman saw that the visitor was wearing a splendid dress, but he didn't use his status to oppress him, and his face was as gentle as the spring breeze, he didn't let the visitor wait outside the door. He welcomed the visitor inside, took out the stool from the porter's room, and placed it under the porch. , allowing Yingshu to sit and wait, Yingshu looked at the screen wall that was not built according to the ordinary shape. It was a few stacks of lake stones, vaguely revealing the teahouse set up in the small courtyard at the back. There were green plants on one side of the lake stones. Bamboo and a trail on the other side.

Xuanqing welcomed him out in person, and took Yingshu around the path to the back of Hushi. He did not enter the tearoom. He only said that his father and brother were not at home. If they were at home, they would probably be playing chess or talking in the tearoom at this time. Yingshu saw that The teahouse is not big, and the yard in front is not big, and it is not even carefully decorated, but it should be the place where Xuanqing's family gathers most often.

There is a screen door on the courtyard wall to the left of the teahouse, and you can see a slightly larger courtyard at the entrance. The hall at the north end of the courtyard is more primitive. There are no flowers and plants in the main courtyard. , the upper two grids were planted with leeks, and the bottom two grids were planted with sunflowers. The hall should be the place where the owner entertained distinguished guests, but Yingshu saw several big fat rabbits popping out of the Xue family's hall.

Xuanqing directly took Yingshu to the west courtyard where she lived. The courtyard was also small, but she finally saw flowers and plants. There was also a small pond. It was really small, but it was full of water. The water diversion that Xuanqing built was used for In this waterscape, there is a wooden figure dozing off with his chin propped up. When he tilts the water diversion, a pipe of water pours onto the bluestone. A groove is cut into the bluestone, and the water flows along the groove. The ditch flowed down and flowed into another smaller pond at the bottom. The water in that pond was only half full, but the sedge on the edge of the pond was extremely green and prosperous. Yingshu thought that the small pond had a mechanism for autonomous watering. , heard another "ding" sound, and looked back, the dozing little man actually "sit upright" again.

"How is this done?" Ying Shu was very interested.

"They are all small ingenuities. They are nothing. In fact, many landscape architects can build such water features. But for a large mansion like yours, such small ingenuities are not applicable. Water features are large structures, let alone I’m talking about the palace. It’s just that for a small courtyard like mine, I can’t hire a garden architect to build it, so I have to use my own ideas.” Xuanqing stayed here with Yingshu for a while before inviting her into the house: “If it’s midsummer, , it’s good for us to sit at the bottom of the verandah, listen to the sound of water, and feel the breath of these moist mosses to cool off the heat, but after all, it’s autumn, come with me, and we’ll enjoy another scene.”

Another scene is outside the north window of the house. This is a larger pond with several koi carps. There are several golden osmanthus trees planted beside the pond. The fragrance of cinnamon is intoxicating. There is a high couch by the window. , you can sit more comfortably.

The two really chatted about various small machines. Yingshu was also involved in these things, but she didn't pay much attention to these things. There were many things that she still couldn't figure out, let alone do it herself. Xuanqing To be more proficient, Ying Shu quickly understood the principle after explaining it. The more the two talked, the more speculative they became. Xuan Qing even wanted to give the set of engravings she was using to Ying Shu.

"Actually, ordinary people don't have access to these things, and it costs a lot to make one. Of course, it's nothing compared to the ones used in palaces and noble mansions, but it's more exquisite and compact, and it doesn't take up much space and can add more It is beautiful and suitable for a woman's boudoir," Xuan Qing said.

Today's timekeeping tools are not available in ordinary people's homes. During the day, they usually listen to the morning bell and rest after listening to the evening drums. At night, there are watchmen playing bangs in every neighborhood to tell the time. Timekeeping tools are usually provided by palaces and government offices. , of course, the nobles would also have more in their homes, but public-made ones had a longer lag time, so they were all large in size, and they also required manual operation. It was indispensable to have maids who were dedicated to serving as watchmen, like Xuanqing used this kind of watch. The leak has been improved, but the timing is limited. It is usually filled with water or sand at night before going to bed. There is no need to manually control it, but it can only be timed within three hours.

In fact, it is not very useful for ordinary people, but for Ying Shu, she is now a female official and has to be on duty at all times, so it is only of some use.

"I really want to keep it as my own, but it's too troublesome to bring items outside the palace into the palace." Yingshu sighed.

Xuanqing thought for a while: "It's not difficult for you to master the principle, but the difficulty is that many components must be made by craftsmen according to the drawings. If the craftsmen in the palace..."

"That would be even more troublesome."

Both of them were helpless, and Xuanqing remembered another fantastic idea of ​​hers: "I thought of it when I was conceiving the water guide. I could use a similar principle to make an ironing machine, just like in the palace, where the majesty and the concubines are wearing silk clothes. The robes had to be ironed every day, and the palace people would inevitably be tired from ironing with a fire iron. If there was an ironing machine, the clothes would be fixed on the ironing machine, and the fire iron would be mechanically operated back and forth. Only two palace people would be required to do the ironing. On both sides of the machine, the shafts are driven by pedaling, so the palace guests can sit and iron, so they won't be so tired."

Yingshu thought it was good at first, but after thinking about it carefully, she shook her head and sighed: "This mechanical ironing method will malfunction if someone tampered with it. Once something malfunctions, the clothes may be damaged. If the clothes of the nobles are damaged... the palace servants will be punished."

A labor-saving machine may become a tool to frame others. This is an even more frustrating thing.

"To be honest, madam, the reason why I suddenly came to ask for advice is because I thought that these machines can be used to improve water conservancy and agricultural tools for farming. However, although I have read some books on this subject, I can't figure it out..."

Xue Xuanqing felt even more helpless: "Actually, I also have a collection of mechanical books at home. I have liked them since I was a child. After reading them familiarly, I gradually came up with some of my own ideas and played with them to add some interest to life. My father doesn't like these mechanical books. , what he loves more is a simple and natural lifestyle. Although my family is considered aristocratic, the few members of the family live on the land and houses allocated by the family. I don’t have much spare money to specialize in these skills. You can rely on accumulation to test your ideas bit by bit.”

Like many axle and wheel components, without lathe tools or craftsman skills, Xuanqing had no theoretical knowledge, but could only hire another craftsman to customize it, which would inevitably cost money. Therefore, in her previous life, she built her own "ideal life" ”, which took more than ten years.

Whether it is improving farm tools or water conservancy, more money is spent than playing with these small gadgets, and funds are still on the one hand.

"I don't know how to farm, and I don't have a place to experiment. I'm afraid I can't help you."

"I still know something about farming. I have managed the farm at home since I was ten years old, and I have always loved miscellaneous studies, so I have consulted the tenants at home for a long time. My family still has a farm. Although I am not directly managing it now, As long as you tell your father and mother, you don’t have to worry about it. This is my idea, and of course I will fund it. What makes me most confident is that we now have a foreign aid. If we really encounter difficulties, You can ask Deng Ling Zhoulang for advice."

Yingshu then asked: "Have you given your advice to Deng Lingzhou Lang?"

"Of course. If my suggestions are rejected, what kind of female counselor would you be?" Xuan Qing smiled and said, "You want me to recommend you to General Zhou?"

"No, no, no." Yingshu had no intention of taking Xuanqing's shortcut: "During the autumn hunting, I should be accompanying him, not to mention General Zhou. Then I will go and become my disciple myself. This will show my sincerity. "

Yingshu added: "Our plan to promote agricultural production must start from a small start, such as pounding rice, which is a laborious job. During the Great Depression, someone proposed using water power as a driving force to pound rice instead of human labor, but it was not promoted. I used to I have read records and it is probably because it is not easy to build a set of machinery, but I think it should be improved, such as a linkage machine. A set of machinery can drive several hammering machines, which can save costs and increase the rice pounding capacity, which has a practical effect. The effect of saving manpower and material resources will be easier to promote."

When Yingshu first took over the management of her family's farm, she actually asked a craftsman to build a water bucket according to the drawings, and she also discovered the problem herself - it was a trivial matter that the water bucket cost money, but the key was that it was difficult to prevent the food from being exposed to the sun and rain. The problem is that she still needs to build a water mill house. The key is that one water wheel only drives one water mill. There is also a lot of manpower and material resources invested in building a house in advance. The amount of rice pounded does not seem to show a huge "profit". She At that time, she thought that it would be great if one waterwheel could drive multiple waterwheels. It would be better to add a transport function to save more manpower. However, her idea was never realized and she asked many craftsmen. No one can solve the problem of linkage.

Xuanqing didn't even know how to pound rice.

This was not difficult. Yingshu explained it clearly easily and drew a traditional foot-operated rice pounder and a simplified diagram of a water hammer on the spot.

Xuanqing thinks she can try to improve.

The two of them were talking and almost lost track of time. It was Xuanying who reminded Yingshu, and Yingshu reluctantly said goodbye to Xuanqing. Xuanqing's excitement had not passed yet. When Xue Shanhai came back, she hurriedly went to ask about farm matters such as crops. Although Xue Shanhai is a celebrity, a celebrity also has to support his family. As the head of the family, although he will not plant rice and sow the rice himself, he still needs to worry about the harvest of the mulberry fields under his name. Naturally, he will not be like his daughter. I have never seen anything like a rice pounding machine.

"You, a female counselor, don't learn the art of war, how can you care about farm equipment?" Xue Shanhai joked.

He really didn't think that his daughter could mediate in troubled times with ease like Xin Xianxian.

Then I found out that just when he went to ask Yang Taibai about Shenxuan in the afternoon, Shi, the middle daughter of Qianyang Palace, actually came to visit. The two daughters' families were discussing how to promote water conservancy and increase agricultural production. Xue Shanhai couldn't help but be upset. Rolling his eyes: "You guys really overestimate your capabilities!"

Xuanqing smiled and said nothing.

She still remembered that when the Queen Mother ordered to promote business and craftsmanship, her father also puffed his beard and glared, angrily accusing the court of promoting luxury. But not long after, seeing that many people benefited, the court finally started to When building water conservancy and promoting agriculture and mulberry trees, my father drank wine, full of regret that he was old and could no longer contribute to the temple where the Queen Mother ruled.

At that time, her two brothers, like her father, had no choice but to talk, and they were more determined than her father to hide in Linquan. Because her father was ill, she could no longer live without the summer house she had built with great difficulty. The most emotional thing is that I was born at the wrong time.

There was also regret and pain in his heart.

Perhaps only she knew her father's regret, but she was unable to comfort him at that time.

That autumn, the wind and rain were strong, and her father passed away with regret. She heard her father say with her own ears——

I don't expect high-ranking officials to be rich in salary, but I shouldn't be so indifferent in my life.