The son-in-law of a prosperous family

In the Forbidden City in winter, the morning light has not yet penetrated the thick clouds, and the candlelight in the Hall of Supreme Harmony is flickering.

As soon as the eunuch on duty finished his shrill voice, Lin Quan, the Supervisory Censor of the Censorate, stepped out quickly, his robes brushing against the blue brick floor, and he said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, a sudden snowstorm hit this winter, and the counties surrounding the capital were hit by a snowstorm. Many houses were crushed, and the people's travel was blocked!"

After the words were spoken, the hall did not fall into panic as usual.

The military generals looked calm and communicated in low voices in an orderly manner; the civil officials twirled their beards with steady eyes. The emperor, sitting upright on the dragon throne, frowned slightly, but soon regained his composure and his eyes naturally turned to the Prime Minister Zhao Yunchuan, who was ranked first among all the ministers.

Zhao Yunchuan, wearing a scarlet crane robe, stood tall and took a leisurely step forward, his voice loud and clear: "Your Majesty, the Great Jing Dynasty is now peaceful and the people live and work in peace. Over the years, we have promoted high-yield crops such as potatoes and corn. Granaries in various places are full and people have enough surplus food in their homes. In addition, the court has reduced taxes, which has greatly reduced the burden on the people, making them more confident in dealing with disasters."

Chen Kang, the Minister of Rites, also stepped forward. The previous one had already retreated, and he saluted and agreed: "What Prime Minister Zhao said is absolutely right. Moreover, various places have already set up refugee shelters in accordance with regulations to deal with such emergencies. In my opinion, we can immediately activate the emergency plan and carry out rescue according to the past procedures."

The emperor nodded slightly, with a trace of relief in his eyes: "You are right. The rescue work for this snow disaster will be coordinated by the Ministry of Revenue, and the other ministries will cooperate."

The Minister of Revenue was a bit stout. Upon hearing the decree, he stepped out quickly, clasped his hands together, and said in a loud voice: "I accept the decree! The Ministry of Revenue will do its best to prepare materials and ensure the smooth progress of disaster relief."

At this time, Zhang Zhongliang frowned slightly and said worriedly: "This snowstorm is fierce, and most people live in adobe houses, which are easily crushed by the snow. Although shelters have been opened to resettle the people, the subsequent reconstruction work is imminent. I wonder if the cement mentioned by Prime Minister Zhao has been developed? If it can be used in large quantities, new houses will be able to withstand snowstorms once and for all."

Zhao Yunchuan looked determined and calm, and said slowly: "My Lords, to be honest, a few months ago, I arranged for skilled craftsmen and learned people from the Ministry of Industry to work together to develop cement. Now, key progress has been made, and the first batch of finished products has been produced. This snowstorm is just the opportunity to promote its use in the disaster area."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a commotion in the hall.

An official was full of doubts. He stepped forward and said with his hands clasped, "Prime Minister Zhao, although you mentioned that cement has been successfully developed, it is a new thing after all. It is hard for us to imagine that houses made of cement can really withstand snowstorms? Ordinary adobe houses have been built for many years and have mature experience. Can cement... really have such a miraculous effect?"

Zhao Yunchuan had anticipated this kind of questioning. He smiled slightly and gestured to the young eunuch beside him.

Soon, two guards carried a square block of cement into the hall.

The surface of this cement block is smooth and has a bluish-gray luster, which is completely different from common bricks and stones.

"My Lords, this is something made of cement." Zhao Yunchuan reached out and tapped the cement block, making a dull and solid sound. "Although this block is small, it can demonstrate the characteristics of cement."

At this time, the burly General Zhenyuan Li Xiao strode forward, clasped his hands together and said loudly: "Prime Minister Zhao, I, Li, have always been straightforward. Today I want to try how hard this cement is!"

After saying that, Li Xiao took a few steps back, gathered his energy in his Dantian, and threw a punch, hitting the concrete block hard.

A muffled sound echoed in the hall, and Li Xiao's fist turned slightly red, but only a faint white mark appeared on the cement block, without any cracks at all.

At the same time, there was a clicking sound.

Someone whispered, "General, is your hand okay?"

Li Xiao's body trembled violently, and his originally flushed face instantly turned as pale as paper. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped onto the blue brick floor.

"General!"

Someone shouted again, and the hall suddenly became chaotic.

The emperor stood up from the dragon throne with both hands tightly grasping the armrests, veins popping out on his forehead, and shouted angrily: "Li Xiao, you idiot! What are you doing!"

Li Xiao grimaced in pain, his arms hanging limply, but a smile spread across his face: "Your Majesty... this cement is so strong! With it, the people will not be afraid of any snowstorm when they build houses in the future! We can also use it to build city walls. When the time comes, our city walls will be the strongest and best able to protect the people!"

The emperor was angry and anxious, and quickly waved to the guards beside him: "What are you standing there for! Send the general to the Imperial Hospital!"

The guards finally came to their senses, stepped forward quickly, and carefully supported Li Xiao.

As Li Xiao was being led out, he turned around and shouted, "Prime Minister Zhao, this cement is great! My hand injury is worth it!"

Zhao Yunchuan stepped forward quickly and said, "General, rest assured and recover from your injuries. Cement will definitely be of great use in this snowstorm to ensure the safety of the people."

After Li Xiao left, the court returned to normal.

Seeing this, Wang Qu walked forward, stretched out his hand and stroked the cement block, and the doubt on his face gradually dissipated: "Prime Minister Zhao, I had many doubts before. After this test, this cement is indeed extraordinary."

As soon as Wang Qu finished speaking, Zhou Zheng also asked curiously, "Prime Minister Zhao, although this cement is very strong, I don't know what its cost and output are. If the cost is too high and the output is low, even if the effect is good, it will be powerless to promote it on a large scale in the disaster area, or even to build city walls and roads."

Zhao Yunchuan smiled calmly, glanced at everyone, and said calmly: "Don't worry, everyone. During the development of cement, the Ministry of Industry has already considered the cost and output. After calculation, the raw materials for cement are mostly common soil and stone, and the cost is not high. Now, the Ministry of Industry has built a special workshop. As long as the manpower and material resources are properly allocated, it will not be difficult to significantly increase the output in a short period of time."

Gu Qing frowned slightly and asked, "In addition to repairing houses and building walls, Prime Minister Zhao also mentioned that cement can be used to build roads. This is quite new. I wonder how cement roads are better than ordinary dirt roads or stone roads?"

Zhao Yunchuan stood with his hands behind his back and spoke eloquently: "This cement road has many advantages. First, it is solid and durable, and can withstand the erosion of rain and snow, and the crushing of vehicles and horses, greatly reducing the frequency of repairs; second, the road surface is flat, and it is not easy to accumulate water in rainy and snowy weather, which is convenient for people to travel and transport goods. To be honest, I have ordered people to build a section of cement road outside the capital. If you have free time, you may go and take a look."

Chen Youshan's eyes flashed with interest, and he nodded and said, "Prime Minister Zhao has considered everything. If this cement road is really as you said, the transportation in our Great Jing Dynasty will definitely be greatly improved in the future."

The emperor listened to the heated discussions and became more and more curious about the cement road. He glanced at his ministers and asked, "My lords, if there is no other urgent business today, I intend to go to the outskirts of the capital and see this magical cement road with my own eyes. What do you think?"

The ministers all bowed their hands and accepted the order: "Your Majesty, please make a wise decision. We are willing to follow you."

Soon, the emperor's carriage drove out of the Forbidden City in a grand manner.

Although the winter wind was biting and cold, it did not dampen everyone's interest at all. When they reached the outskirts of the capital, they could see a wide and flat road in the distance, which shone with a different luster against the backdrop of the white snow.

The emperor lifted the curtain of the imperial carriage and was amazed at the wide and smooth concrete road before him. The carriage moved forward steadily. The bumpy feeling on the dirt road disappeared instantly, and the carriage was as stable as if it was driving on a mirror.

"It really lives up to its reputation!" The emperor couldn't help but praise, and cast his eyes on Zhao Yunchuan who was riding a horse beside him, "Mr. Zhao, this cement road is not only solid, but it is also so stable for driving."

Zhao Yunchuan pulled the reins and bowed, "Your Majesty, I am ashamed to accept your praise. The surface of cement roads is flat and smooth, which can greatly reduce the friction between the wheels and the road surface. Not only will it make driving smoother, it can also reduce the wear and tear of carriages and horses and improve transportation efficiency."

The ministers accompanying him echoed the sentiment, and the Minister of Rites said with emotion: "In this way, it will be much more convenient for the people to transport food and grass to various places in the future, and the trade of the Great Jing Dynasty will become more prosperous."