Chapter 365: Washing Machine

Chapter 365: The Washing Machine

If they were to keep and use the washing machines, the common people might still harbor resentment.

No matter how Emperor Jingyang looked at it, it didn't seem worth it, so it was better to just not see them and be done with it.

Meanwhile, a palace maid came to report.

"Your Majesty, Empress, Princess Ye's washing machine has stopped. It seems the clothes inside are done washing!"

The Empress was thrilled to hear this, and she immediately stood up, saying, "Take me there to check it out."

Emperor Jingyang was curious too and followed right behind her.

At the Taiye Pool, Ji Yuntang was directing a palace maid to pull the cotton-padded clothes out of the washing machine.

The maid had braced herself, putting all her strength into lifting the clothes out, afraid the water they'd soaked up would make them too heavy to lift.

But when she got them in hand, she was surprised to find the cotton clothes, usually heavy and thick when soaked, had become half as light, easy to lift.

Ji Yuntang pointed to the washing machine and explained to everyone, "This rotating wheel in the back squeezes the water out as it turns, so we don't have to wring them by hand."

"However, it has a drawback—the clothes might not be completely dry after squeezing, and they usually still need to hang in the sun for a day or two."

The Empress stepped forward and touched the cotton clothes that the maid had hung up to dry, finding only a slight dampness on her hand, not the wet, soggy feel.

"The washing machine can get this much water out of the cotton clothes, which is already way better than wringing by hand. It also cuts drying time way down in winter. Princess Ye's washing machine design is truly amazing."

Luo Qingge also touched the cotton clothes out of curiosity, even holding them up for a closer look. After examining them, she was totally amazed.

"Mother, I remember these clothes were so dirty when we put them in—covered in mud and oil stains. Now they're not just clean, they've got a nice, subtle scent too."

She held the clothes to her nose and sniffed again, loving the scent. "Third sister-in-law, what's this scent? It smells so good."

Ji Yuntang smiled and said, "It's lavender. I added lavender extract to every bag of soap powder. It helps get rid of odors and leaves a light floral scent."

Hearing that, Luo Qingge liked it even more. "That's awesome! From now on, I'm using this soap powder for all my clothes."

Ji Yuntang's washing machine got the biggest cheers of the event, and Emperor Jingyang ordered craftsmen to mass-produce it, aiming to make laundry easy for every household as soon as possible.

Mei Zhuyu also saw the washing machine's magic firsthand and praised, "Once the washing machine really catches on, who knows how thankful the people of the other three nations will be to Princess Ye!"

At that, Emperor Jingyang's eyes darkened. He picked up the wine goblet next to him and said to Mei Zhuyu, "Director Mei, organizing the Canglang Poetry Talk here in Dongchen was a lot of work. Let me toast to you."

Mei Zhuyu raised his goblet and toasted Emperor Jingyang back, "If anyone should be toasting, it should be me toasting Your Majesty. The Canglang Poetry Talk has run smoothly for so many years, thanks to Your Majesty and the court's strong support. Without the royal family, the Canglang Poetry Talk wouldn't be what it is today."

"I'll down this cup to you first."

Emperor Jingyang took a sip, realizing he needed to speak up soon or it might be too late. So he said, "Director Mei, as the founder of the Canglang Poetry Talk, there's something I want to discuss with you."

"Your Majesty, please go ahead."

Emperor Jingyang laughed heartily. "Alright, I'll get straight to the point!"

"In past Canglang Poetry Talks, the candidates' best cultural works and woodworking designs were always sent to other nations right after the event, so people in all four nations could learn from and use them for free."

"Sharing culture is a good thing, but I've been thinking—isn't it too unfair to our candidates?"

"Director Mei, you've seen it yourself. This year's candidates from our nation are exceptionally good, performing excellently in every round. Over ten more candidates made it to the top three rounds than in previous years."

"Except for the first-place winner who gets my reward, the others are basically giving away their hard work for free with no benefit. Isn't that unfair to them?"

Mei Zhuyu frowned, then relaxed his expression.

He asked, "So, Your Majesty, do you want the court and Qingyun Hall to jointly reward the outstanding candidates?"

Emperor Jingyang: "..."

"Of course not."

If he rewarded everyone, he wouldn't be willing to shell out that much silver.

"What I mean is, when we send their woodworking designs and poems to the other three nations, shouldn't we charge a reasonable design fee?"

"After all, once our woodworking designs spread, the people of the other three nations benefit too."

"Then I can use the collected fees to reward these deserving students. That way, they won't feel discouraged, and Qingyun Hall won't have to foot the bill either!"

Mei Zhuyu's lips twitched. After listening, he finally got what Emperor Jingyang was up to.

He wanted to profit off the students' hard work, then toss out a few token rewards to pacify the rest.

Only Emperor Jingyang could make his selfish motives sound so righteous!

Mei Zhuyu tapped his fingers on the teacup lid and said calmly, "The Canglang Poetry Talk has been held for fifteen years, and there's never been a precedent for charging for cultural designs. This year, the Dongchen Kingdom's candidates all did excellently. I can understand why Your Majesty wants to charge fees."

Emperor Jingyang was secretly thrilled, thinking Mei Zhuyu had agreed!

But the next second, Mei Zhuyu said, "But on the flip side, if Your Majesty sets the precedent of charging fees for Dongchen, then in the future, if you want to use the other three nations' culture and designs, you'll have to pay high fees too. You have no problem with that, right?"

Emperor Jingyang was about to say he had no objection when Mei Zhuyu spoke up again.

"Even if Your Majesty objects, there's no way around it. If these fees can't be paid back, it'll create conflicts and lead to disputes between two or even all four nations."

"At that point, even if Qingyun Hall and the Royal Academy step in together, they might not be able to fix it."

After saying that, he gave Emperor Jingyang a pointed look. "The cost of war would be way more than ten times the design fees you'd collect."

Emperor Jingyang was speechless.

Emperor Jingyang was shocked!

How dare Mei Zhuyu talk to him like that!?

Who does he think he is!?

Seeing Emperor Jingyang's dark face and silence, Mei Zhuyu knew the emperor hadn't taken his words seriously.

He said slowly, "Your Majesty should think it over carefully. If you still insist on charging design fees after the Enrong Banquet, then I'll definitely convey your wishes to the rulers of the other three nations and let Dongchen charge fees on its own."

"Charge on its own?" Emperor Jingyang looked shocked.

Mei Zhuyu nodded. "To be honest, fifteen years ago, the rulers of the other three nations all said something similar to me."

"Culture is a treasure of knowledge, and students are a nation's future. They wouldn't destroy that treasure or do anything to harm their nation's future, and of course, they wouldn't use students' intellectual achievements to profit the royal family."

"I've held the Canglang Poetry Talk without ever seeking profit for myself or Qingyun Hall. It's all just to follow my heart's deepest desires—to see the four nations prosper and their cultures flourish in my lifetime."

------------