Chapter 363: Selfish Motives

Chapter 363: Selfish Motives

Ji Yuntang chuckled lightly, "The washing machine takes about half an hour to wash the clothes. No need for everyone to just stand around waiting—you can use this time to do other things."

The Empress chimed in, "Princess Ye makes a good point. Let's move on to the second design."

The second item was a water wheel designed by Jiang Yunhang. His design philosophy was to harness the water turbine principle to help common people draw water from wells, saving time and labor.

Jiang Yunhang had the guards carry the water wheel over to the well, installed it on top of the wellhead, and then personally showed everyone how to quickly draw water.

In the time it usually took to boil a pot of water, servants could only draw five buckets of water, but now he could draw fifteen buckets up.

It was more than three times faster and more efficient, and for a scholar, he made drawing water look surprisingly easy.

After seeing this, Emperor Jingyang sang praises for Jiang Yunhang's water wheel and ordered the craftsmen to produce it in large quantities.

Furthermore, he also required that every well in the palace be fitted with a water wheel, to cut down on the servants' working time and boost their efficiency.

Ji Yuntang curled her lips. Jiang Yunhang designed the water wheel to lighten the servants' workload and give them more time to rest.

And Emperor Jingyang?

He wanted the servants to use the time they saved to do other chores.

He didn't treat people like people at all—he worked the servants like oxen and horses.

A flicker of scorn flashed in Ji Yuntang's eyes. So this was the ugly face of feudal imperial rulers.

Normal people treated them as tools to save their own effort, while feudal rulers thought of using the time saved by tools to make servants do twice or three times the work.

Squeezing them dry.

At this thought, Ji Yuntang began to reflect inwardly—had her original intention in designing the washing machine been wrong all along?

Not only had it failed to help the palace servants, it had become a tool for the black-hearted emperor to exploit them.

But she quickly came to a conclusion.

Her original intention in designing the washing machine wasn't wrong, and the tool she'd built wasn't wrong either—the only thing wrong was the people.

Whether it was the washing machine, the water wheel, or anything else the candidates had designed, once mass-produced, these tools would serve not only the imperial and noble classes, but also, and more importantly, the common people who worked hard with their own hands.

She couldn't very well keep the common people from using them just because of Emperor Jingyang, could she?

After Jiang Yunhang finished demonstrating the water wheel, no one stepped forward to unveil the next red cloth for a long time.

Emperor Jingyang said, somewhat displeased, "Who designed the next woodwork piece? Why haven't they come up to introduce it?"

Eunuch Zhang said, a little awkwardly, "Your Majesty, the next piece was designed by Third Miss Murong—a versatile expanding drawer. Because she cheated and set up Princess Ye and Second Miss Ji, the Crown Prince ordered her thrown into the Dali Temple's dungeon, where she's awaiting sentencing!"

Eunuch Zhang thought for a moment, then added, "And the piece after the next one was designed by Third Young Master Ji—a folding bed. He was also thrown into the Dali Temple's dungeon for assaulting someone in the street and framing Princess Ye!"

"Both Third Miss Murong's and Third Young Master Ji's scores have already been disqualified by Qingyun Hall. They probably won't be able to make it today!"

Emperor Jingyang: "..."

Emperor Jingyang: "!!!"

He was shocked and furious. "Two people locked up in the dungeon, and both cases involve Princess Ye? How does she manage to stir up so much trouble?"

Eunuch Zhang didn't dare to respond to that.

It wasn't unheard of for examinees to have their scores disqualified for violations, but having two examinees in a row frame the same person and end up in the Dali Temple's dungeon—that was a first.

Clearly, Ji Yuntang was not someone to mess with.

Emperor Jingyang thought for a moment, then said in a grave tone, "Then let's skip their pieces for now and deal with them later."

Eunuch Zhang respectfully replied, "This servant obeys."

When the list came to the next name, Song Weilan came forward to present her design—a warming table.

She had a palace maid bring over a basin of burning charcoal and pour it into a copper drawer beneath the table. Soon, the entire tabletop began to warm up.

Song Weilan then found a bookish boy who was very sensitive to cold and had him sit at the table to read and write. The boy's reaction was quite genuine.

"I don't feel cold in my hands or feet at all anymore, and my whole body is warm. From now on, I won't have to fear the cold when reading and writing!"

Song Weilan smiled again and said, "This warming table has another function—it can be used for meals. Especially in winter, if you place food on the table with charcoal burning underneath, it will keep the food warm and slow down the cooling."

"When not heating, it can also be used as a regular table—two uses in one."

After her demonstration, the warming table immediately received unanimous praise from the audience.

Especially the concubines in the harem—their bedchambers all had charcoal braziers in winter, and they all wanted a warming table for their own palaces.

As for families with scholars, there was no need to mention it—everyone wanted such a wonderful item.

The Empress's lips curved into a gentle smile. "It seems all my sisters really like the warming table designed by Princess Shuyang. In that case, let the craftsmen mass-produce it. I'll make the decision myself and gift one to each of my sisters in the harem."

Emperor Jingyang had no objection to this. Good inventions should be designed and submitted to the royal family for priority use.

However, the thought that these designs would spread to the other three kingdoms and be imitated by their royal families left him feeling quite frustrated.

Consort Chu noticed his furrowed brow, poured him a cup of tea, and asked with concern, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"

Emperor Jingyang took a sip of hot tea, and his brow gradually relaxed.

He said, "I find it deeply unfair that the masterpieces designed by our kingdom's talents will flow into other countries, letting them enjoy our inventions for free."

A subtle look flickered in Consort Chu's eyes as she looked at him in surprise.

"But Your Majesty, hasn't it always been this way with the Canglang Poetry Talk?"

"Hasn't our Dongchen Kingdom also freely imitated the excellent works designed by the talents of the other three kingdoms?"

She recalled the crescent stool designed by a Xishu Kingdom examinee last year—now nearly every concubine in the palace had one.

And the drawer table designed by a Beiming Kingdom examinee the year before—now virtually every household in Dongchen Kingdom had one.

Why did Emperor Jingyang suddenly find it unfair now?

Emperor Jingyang snorted coldly with disdain. "Can the things they designed even compare to the quality of our Dongchen Kingdom?"

"Not to mention Princess Shuyang's warming table and Jiang Yunhang's water wheel—even Princess Ye's washing machine alone outshines everything the other three kingdoms have designed combined."

"Letting them use our achievements for free—that's too generous for them!"

Consort Chu: "..."

She wasn't a good person herself, but at this moment she found Emperor Jingyang utterly shameless.

The Canglang Poetry Talk was itself about cultural exchange and promotion—sharing and spreading the excellent works of one's own kingdom's examinees.

This wasn't a matter of silver at all, but a matter of cultural heritage, and also a demonstration of friendly exchange among the four nations.

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