The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Chapter 635: Chapter 622: Remarkable

“Watching a play is fine, but we can’t be idle just watching, we must get busy.” Chu Jinnian said.

“Obviously, the Ministry of Works is bustling with many matters, and I’ve been quite occupied lately too.” Chu Yunzhao sighed.

These days had indeed been busy, to the point where he didn’t even have time to pay a visit to Miss Luo.

“This isn’t busy enough, we need to be even busier.” Chu Jinnian handed a few draft papers he had on hand to Chu Yunzhao. “Take a look at this.”

Chu Yunzhao took the draft papers and examined them carefully.

Each of the papers had different items depicted on them.

The first paper had the image of a large bamboo pipe-like object, which had a handle at the end. Beside this image, there were two other drawings. One of them depicted pulling the handle to draw water into the pipe from a tank, and the other showed pushing the handle to spray the water out from the pipe. In the corner, there were two large characters, water gun.

Chu Yunzhao found this object quite interesting and intriguing, so he went on to see the second draft paper.

This sketch was of a carriage, but it was quite peculiar. Unlike the usual two-wheeled carriages, it had six wheels. Moreover, the top of the carriage seemed to have two stacked ladders. The detailed sketch on the side showed that the two ladders could be extended and connected together to form a very tall ladder. Next to it, inscribed were the words “ladder truck”.

The third draft was a bit more complex than the previous ones, with more detailed sketches. It was essentially a small bamboo pipe nested inside a larger one. The small bamboo pipe could move in and out, with the water entering from the bottom of the big pipe and discharging from the top of the small one. Beside it, the word water gun was written.

Chu Yunzhao studied them closely, then raised his head, “Why do all these items have something to do with water?”

“Of course, they do because all of these are designed for firefighting.” Chu Jinnian replied, “The water gun and water pistol can both spray water upwards, to put out fires in high places, while the ladder can be used for rescuing people stranded on the second floor and above.”

“Whether it’s residential houses or palace buildings, though the walls are made of non-combustible materials like bricks and stones, the roofs are mostly made of wood. Nighttime illumination often involves candles, creating a substantial fire risk. In addition, houses are typically closely packed together, meaning one household catching fire can lead to catastrophic loss for the entire street.”

“In order to prevent the disaster caused by fires and to ensure swift firefighting in case of an outbreak, we can propose to the Emperor to establish a special Submarine Fire Army. They would patrol day and night and quickly respond to fire incidents to prevent disasters.”

“Within the capital city, we can also establish several fire lookout towers, where they can take turns standing guard. When a fire is suspected, they can quickly identify the location and dispatch personnel promptly.”

“Hmm…” Chu Yunzhao nodded, “Although the imperial guards who guard the city patrol daily and also respond to fires, they are multitasking and don’t deal with firefighting very efficiently. If we have a dedicated Submarine Fire Army to handle this, it would undoubtedly be much more effective.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“That’s one reason.”

Chu Jinnian added, “Another reason is that if you initiate this proposition, the Emperor will give you credit.”

On one side there’s Chu Yunhe, who is solely focused on the power struggle and scheming for the position of the crown prince, while on the other side there’s Chu Yunzhao, wholeheartedly committed to his duties. The contrast is clear, and Chu Shengrui naturally knows who he should trust more.

Chu Yunzhao understood Chu Jinnian’s intentions and nodded, “I will have these tools made to these specifications.”

When the time comes to present these to Chu Shengrui, they could even carry out a live demonstration to avoid accusations of armchair theorizing.

“Yes, we should do it that way. But before doing so, shouldn’t you give me some benefits for providing these draft papers?” Chu Jinnian blurted out his demand quite frankly.

“All I now have is one shop!” The moment Chu Yunzhao heard that Chu Jinnian was asking for benefits, he was nearly exasperated, “You’re interesting indeed. You’re only interested in asking for this one thing. Won’t you even glance at anything else? Isn’t this a bit too overwhelming?”

Trying to fleece him was one thing, but persistently targeting just one spot, not letting go even when it’s already bare, was simply outrageous.

“Only one left?” Chu Jinnian was quite disappointed, “But it seems I can’t be picky anymore, I’ll just have to make do and accept it.”

Chu Yunzhao glanced at Chu Jinnian.

So, you feel aggrieved about receiving a shop?

If he knew that the shop in question was the biggest and finest one that had never been revealed to the public before, Chu Jinnian definitely would not feel shortchanged.

Thinking about the fact that his last bit of assets was also cleanly seized by Chu Jinnian, Chu Yunzhao couldn’t help but sigh in resignation.

“Prince Four, don’t feel aggrieved. Although I asked for this shop this time, it isn’t for me. It’s for the one who drew these drafts.” Chu Jinnian smiled.

“Oh?” Chu Yunzhao’s interest was piqued upon hearing this, “Who is this person?”

Anyone able to draft such ingenious devices must be a rare talent. Perhaps they could be recruited for the benefit of the nation.

“Someone you know, Miss Zhuang.” Chu Jinnian didn’t try to hide it and honestly replied, “Miss Zhuang had someone deliver these draft papers to remind us that they can be turned into achievements, providing solutions to problems we may encounter in the future.”

“Miss Zhuang is a businesswoman, so giving her a shop as a thank-you gift fits her interests.”

This meant that not only had Zhuang Qingning drafted these mechanisms, but she had also shown astute judgement regarding the court’s power dynamics.

Chu Yunzhao grew even more admiring of Zhuang Qingning, “Miss Zhuang has worked hard. This shop should be given to her.”

Not only should this shop be given to her, but he should also add a few more gifts to express his thanks.

“If this is the case, then you should get someone to prepare it sooner.” Chu Jinnian stood up.

Chu Yunzhao saw Chu Jinnian out, then came back and looked at the drafts again and again.

Very good, indeed very good.

However, it felt like something was amiss.

Just now Chu Jinnian also mentioned that Zhuang Qingning is a businesswoman, so giving her shops as gifts would cater to her preferences.

And all this while, Chu Jinnian had kept demanding for various shops from him, probably not for himself, but to give them to Zhuang Qingning.

If he calculated from the time Chu Jinnian started asking him for the shops…

Chu Yunzhao felt as if he had stumbled upon some significant revelation.

—-

A few days after Zhuang Qingning had Su Mu keep an eye on Su Zhengshi and gather information, Su Mu brought some news to Zhuang Qingning.

In the recent period, Su Zhengshi spent most of his time busying around in the dried noodle workshop. And because the business was thriving, they had to hire an additional dozen or so workers. These new hires were not locals of Shijiazhuang.