Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 288: Moving News
After a dispute with Yang Yiming, Xie Wanquan had already made up his mind to return home. However, when Zhang Shou and Lu Sanlang brought him news that shocked him so much that he was speechless, and then left quietly, he changed his mind and decided to stay for a few more days to see how the world would develop. And then, he once again experienced the fickleness of human nature.
The fact that Grand Secretary Kong and Elder Wu spoke for him was confirmed by the endless visitors - of course, they also confirmed that the Prime Minister Elder Jiang hated him deeply. Of course, everyone who brought this news would definitely stand on Xie Wanquan's side, and then say something like "there is justice in the world" and so on, asking him not to worry about Elder Jiang.
After a day or two, Xie Wanquan was naturally annoyed, but his servant and long-time attendant felt relieved.
Our young master does not have to return home with a bad reputation. Although he has offended the Prime Minister, he has already gained the attention of the Second and Third Prime Ministers. Considering the situation is already very bad, this is the best outcome.
So, when Xie Wanquan quietly took them out early in the morning of that day, the two learned that Xie Wanquan was going to Zhang's house and actually planned to help Zhang Shou move. The two could not help but look at each other.
"Sir, although Dr. Zhang is very popular now, since you are not a student, he can't help you. You don't have to be so humble to work for him."
Hearing the servant's whisper defending him, Xie Wanquan shook his head disapprovingly and said, "You don't understand these things, so don't make rash comments. As for Dr. Zhang's invitation to me, he also made it clear that he just wanted to ask me for a favor. Whether it is to make up for the previous big mistake or to make my future smoother, this trip is very necessary . Well, you don't have to say anything."
Since Xie Wanquan had made up his mind, his servant and long-servant immediately shut up. No one intended to continue to show their loyalty by making blunt and tactless comments. When they found Zhang's house on the back street of Zhao's mansion, they saw several large carts parked at the door. A dozen strong men in uniform were carrying large and small bags in and out, most of which were book boxes.
As for why Xie Wanquan knew it was a bookcase, the reason was simple, because each box had a label on it. However, compared to the labels he was most familiar with, such as classics, history, and miscellaneous notes, there were also labels such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry that he was completely unfamiliar with.
Xie Wanquan couldn't help but stop and watch as he watched the 10 or 20 heavy book boxes being loaded onto the car. He didn't stop until he heard a loud "hello". He came to his senses and looked closely. It was Zhu Ying who came. He was so scared that he took a step back. Then he hurriedly saluted and said, "Hello, Miss Zhu."
Zhu Ying looked Xie Wanquan up and down for a while, then snorted and said, "A Shou told me that you would come to help today. Look at your thin body, you can't carry anything on your shoulders or lift anything with your hands, what can you do? Forget it, since A Shou said so, just come in, there's nothing you can't see anyway!" Fortunately, she stopped the eldest brother who was coming to help in advance!
Seeing Zhu Ying went into the house without looking back after saying this, Xie Wanquan was in a dilemma, so he decided to go in or go out. After thinking it over, he finally followed her in. When he saw Zhu Ying smiling and supporting a woman who should be young but had already seen the frost of the years, he learned that it was Zhang Shou's mother. He hurriedly stepped forward to greet her and said a few words to her. He was filled with disbelief.
How could such a woman who was definitely not graceful and had little knowledge raise a son like Zhang Shou? Even if the news had spread from the Shuntian government office, it was certain that Zhang Shou's biological mother was not Wu, but her adoptive mother, as shown in the archived marriage certificate.
Since he couldn't figure it out, Xie Wanquan didn't bother to think too much. When he learned that there were still many books in the study that had not been sorted out, he immediately offered to help sort them out. He originally thought that such a presumptuous offer would definitely not be accepted, but what he never expected was that Zhu Ying took a look at Wu and agreed on her behalf.
"Ah Shou doesn't have much free time. All the books are sorted and thrown into boxes. You might as well go and help."
At first, Xie Wanquan didn't quite understand what it meant to throw the books in the boxes. However, when he opened the boxes, he found that the books were not neatly stacked, but were piled up in a mess of dozens or even hundreds. He was used to keeping things tidy, so he frowned immediately.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to whether he would peek, he casually opened a book in the box with the word "Organize" written on it after sorting a box. However, when he saw the densely packed diagrams and various symbols that he couldn't understand at all, his scalp suddenly went numb.
At this moment, Xie Wanquan finally understood why Zhang Shou was not afraid of others seeing these books - because except for certain specific people, like him, even if these books were given to him, he would not be able to understand them at all!
Because Zhang Shou had already sorted the things, all Xie Wanquan had to do was to put them in order. As for moving, the servants of Duke Zhao's mansion would do it for him, so it took him less than two quarters of an hour to completely empty Zhang Shou's study and living room. When Zhu Ying shouted outside that everyone should get in the car to go to Zhang Garden, he took a look at the furniture that was obviously left by the previous owner, and followed him out after a while.
Zhang Shou, a poor boy who grew up in the countryside, had traveled farther in less than a year in the capital than he had traveled in three years. In a sense, he was very unconvinced, but he had to accept it. Because there were many things that even his senior brother Tang Ming, who he always thought was a genius, had not done, let alone such an adventure as getting the emperor's favor.
Xie Wanquan rode his horse at the end of the long line of vehicles, but when he arrived at Zhang Garden, he found that the vehicles on this side had not yet started to unload, but something was already being moved at the gate over there. Among them was a machine that he vaguely recognized.
Just as he was thinking about where he had seen this before, he heard the surprised voice of his long-servant behind him: "Isn't that... a spinning wheel? Could it be that Dr. Zhang's mother has moved to the city and plans to spin yarn to make a living?"
Unlike the long-servant, Xie Wanquan came to his senses and remembered Zhang Shou's great achievement - the new spinning machine that had made the first and second princes bleed. He watched the spinning machine being sent into the garden, and when a large pile of various wooden parts were unloaded from another cart, he suddenly came to his senses.
If Zhang Shou had not hired one or two carpenters and blacksmiths, how could he have made the textile machine?
Just as he was thinking this, a young boy who was too young appeared at the gate. He looked a little shy, and kept bending and nodding when talking to the servants who were carrying things. He looked like an apprentice. Just as he was thinking this, he saw Zhu Ying smiling and waving at him, and then he ran over quickly.
The next moment, he heard Zhu Ying calling his name: "Xie Wanquan, you are not strong enough, you don't need to move these things, just let your two followers help here. Go and see Guan Xiaoqiu off, he is familiar with this place, you can help him wherever he needs help."
Guan Xiaoqiu? Xie Wanquan was chewing on this name suspiciously, but he saw the young man he had just noticed said helplessly: "Miss Zhu, my name is Guan Qiu, not Guan Xiaoqiu."
"Little Guan Qiu, you just don't understand jokes! It doesn't matter anyway, you're younger than me!" Zhu Ying glared at Guan Qiu unreasonably, then winked at him, and finally said with a smile, "You've been here once before, don't just focus on assembling your weird things and ignore Master Xie, he is much more knowledgeable than you."
"Everyone is more knowledgeable than me. I just barely recognize a lot of words." Guan Qiu muttered a few words, but finally walked calmly to Xie Wanquan, bowed with a very unstandard etiquette, and said, "Mr. Xie, please follow me."
Xie Wanquan didn't have time to think about it. He told his attendant and bookboy to follow Zhu Ying's instructions. He immediately dismounted and followed Guan Qiu into the gate. But before crossing the threshold, he couldn't help but stare at the sign of the garden by the door. As a result, he heard Guan Qiu in front of him whispered: "It is said that the eldest lady begged the emperor to write these two words."
Although he knew that Zhu Ying went in and out of the palace as if it was a daily routine, Xie Wanquan couldn't help but be speechless for a while. Even for the top officials, it was a great honor to be granted calligraphy by the emperor, and it was even more difficult to ask the emperor to write a plaque. But this young lady was so good that she begged and begged for the calligraphy, but she didn't put it up for display, but just hung it casually next to the gate.
It was just like ordinary people hanging a wooden sign on the wall next to the door to distinguish themselves from other neighbors... Of course, perhaps it was precisely because of this that it was not the kind of plaque hung high up and was not too ostentatious, so the emperor easily agreed to write the inscription?
While Xie Wanquan was daydreaming, Guan Qiu had already brought him into Zhang Garden.
He had been in the capital for three years and was one of the famous talents, so he had attended many banquets of high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and had seen many wealthy families. But when he walked in Zhang Garden, he finally understood why there were rumors that the emperor had fought with Prince Lu for this garden.
The layout was grand, the houses were exquisite, and in many inconspicuous corners, one could see extremely exquisite woodcarvings and stone carvings. Moreover, despite having gone through many years of wind and rain, it still looked well-maintained. Even though he had seen many gardens known as famous gardens when he was in Jiangnan, he could not help but secretly admire them. Most importantly, he immediately noticed that this garden actually had running water.
Even the top dignitaries may not receive such treatment!
Xie Wanquan was amazed at Zhang Shou's good fortune. But at this moment, he found that Guan Qiu had stopped in front of him. He noticed that he was in a courtyard with high walls, but there was no main house in the courtyard. There was only a small house at the gate. It looked completely inconsistent with the scenery and houses he had just seen along the way. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
"There is a secret room underground here that was left over from the past. Almost the entire courtyard was hollowed out, so there are probably no buildings on the ground. Dr. Zhang submitted the blueprint of the secret room and originally planned to fill it up, but the emperor said there was no need to build a large-scale building, and it would be better to keep the waste for reuse. So Dr. Zhang turned it into a workshop and moved all my things in."
Xie Wanquan was certainly somewhat concerned about the so-called secret room, but when he heard that the emperor didn't care, he certainly didn't think about it any more. After listening to Guan Qiu's words, he keenly caught the words "my things", and he was immediately surprised.
"So you're not an apprentice, Brother Guan?"
Guan Qiu smiled and said, "I am an apprentice who has not yet finished my apprenticeship. I used to like asking questions to my master. Not only my master, but even my fellow apprentices all disliked me. Later, Dr. Zhang hired me to work, and he was the only one who always thought my questions were interesting. He paid me and provided me with materials. He treated me better than my parents!"
Although this was not very clear, Xie Wanquan was a smart man after all, and he quickly asked: "Did you make the new spinning machine?"
"No, it was Dr. Zhang who drew the blueprints, and Brother Zhao Si and Brother Luo did it." Guan Qiu groped for the mechanism on the wall and opened the secret passage. Then he went down the stairs without turning his head, not caring whether Xie Wanquan followed him or not. He said, "Dr. Zhang originally gave them a lot of money, but the brilliant ideas were all Dr. Zhang's, and no one can take credit for it."
Hearing that the new textile machine was not made by Guan Qiu, Xie Wanquan felt relieved. He thought to himself that after all, his age was there. Zhang Shou was already scary enough. If every young man could have outstanding talents, then let alone him... wouldn't those elders in the court who were just sitting in their positions and doing nothing be ashamed to death?
He asked two more questions and learned that Zhao Si and Luo Xiaoxiao still received a generous reward, and that the spinning machine might be called Zhao Luo Spinning Wheel in the future. He still sighed inwardly, thinking that Zhang Shou really did not seek fame, otherwise he would call it Zhang's Spinning Wheel, and what else could outsiders say?
When he finally walked down the long staircase and stepped on solid ground, Xie Wanquan found that the air was not as turbid as he had imagined. Although the oil lamps around were a little dim, after walking down the passage, he found that the top of the wall was actually chiseled to let in light. When he saw clearly that this was a stone chamber with a radius of at least 20 steps, he couldn't help but think about how much effort King Lu had put in to get here.
However, these places that were supposed to be used to ambush soldiers and store weapons are now filled with countless wooden parts.
"Mr. Xie, look at this. Dr. Zhang said that when a heavy object is suspended and swung, according to our common imagination, it will naturally fall from a high place and take a long time to swing once. But in fact, it is not the case..."
"Look, Master Xie, a copper ball and a stone ball, of the same size but different weight, fell to the ground at the same time from the same height."
"Thank you, sir, look at this..."
Xie Wanquan was dragged by Guan Qiu to watch a series of strange experiments. Thinking of the fact that such experiments were often held in Banshan Hall, and such classes were called physics, he suddenly understood the origin of Zhang Shou's bookcase labels. However, the next example Guan Qiu brought out shocked him greatly.
"Dr. Zhang said that since water can be used to drive water wheels, it can be used to irrigate the land. Then, boiling water can overturn the heavy objects on the pot lid. Can this thrust be used for other purposes? For example, to pull or push heavy objects?"
