Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 148 Xishan Coal Industry and Glass Workshop Construction Plan
Duke Zhang Rong of England looked Zhang Yunxiu up and down, and seemed quite satisfied.

He stroked his beard and said with a sigh.

"My daughter is fourteen years old, and she is both beautiful and intelligent, with a lovely appearance. I think she is a good match for you. If we can get together, I will definitely prepare fine silks and satins, estates and shops, and I will not let you suffer the slightest grievance!"

Zhang Rong was a rough man, but his mind was anything but rough.

Even if he loses the bet, he won't be at a loss if he manages to snag Zhang Yunxiu, a wealthy and eligible bachelor.

Zhang Yunxiu nearly spat the mouthful of tea he was drinking onto the other person's face.

Fame brings trouble!

Ever since Zhang Siwei and Xu Xuemo were brought down, many people in the capital have been keeping an eye on him, secretly asking Zhang Juzheng about his marriage.

Regarding marriage, Zhu Yuanzhang, the meticulous steward, once issued an order in the first year of Hongwu.

"Men aged sixteen and women aged fourteen and above are permitted to marry."

Zhang Yunxiu is a bit young, but he is quite good-looking.

The Zhang family had good ancestry, and later generations recorded that Zhang Juzheng was "tall and elegant, with a slender face and beautiful eyes, and a beard that reached his belly."

In comparison, Zhang Yunxiu's appearance was not bad either; among the many纨绔子弟 (playboys) in the capital, he could be considered outstanding.

Recently, Zhang Yunxiu has gained the emperor's favor and, at a young age, has been promoted to the rank of Assistant Magistrate of the Third Rank.

If you don't make a move on such a golden catch at fourteen, and wait until he's sixteen, he'll have already been snatched up by someone else.

Zhang Yunxiu never expected that when he was having a good talk with Zhang Rong about state affairs, this old guy would actually want to be his father-in-law!
He couldn't help but scrutinize the appearance of Duke Zhang Rong of England. He had a standard round face, a flat nose, and single eyelids—the kind of man who wouldn't be able to find a wife even in the village.

How beautiful could Old Deng's youngest daughter possibly be?
But the British ducal family is rich!

Over generations of Dukes of England, the Zhang family must have amassed a considerable fortune. If I could...
Zhang Yunxiu immediately dismissed the idea.

Is he the kind of person who would sell his body for money?

"That won't be necessary," Zhang Yunxiu said, looking embarrassed, and politely declined.

"I am still young and want to focus on achieving success. We can discuss matters of romance later."

"That's it~"

Zhang Rong nodded, a hint of disappointment on her face.

"That makes some sense. Don't worry, my daughter isn't in a hurry to get married. It won't be too late to propose when you're ready!"

Zhang Yunxiu's face stiffened. This old man had him figured out, hadn't he?
He could only laugh and change the subject.

"We'll discuss this matter later. Let's first discuss the resettlement of these displaced people."

As they were talking, Zhang Yunxiu took out a document and handed it to Zhang Rong from the desk.

"This is the construction plan of Xishan Workshop. Your Excellency will understand once you take a look."

"A proposal?"

Zhang Rong frowned deeply; it was the first time he had ever heard such a strange name.

However, no matter how strange the words were, they didn't seem strange in Zhang Yunxiu's mouth.

Everyone in the capital knew that Zhang Yunxiu was the best at creating his own words, and they even gave him a rather teasing nickname—"Manager of the Lyrics Forest".

Strange as it may be, Zhang Rong found the contents of the proposal quite pleasant. Compared to the Ministry of Works' cumbersome drawings, Zhang Yunxiu's proposal was much clearer and more concise, and even included a scale and grid.

Upon seeing the scale grid, Zhang Rong's eyes lit up.

"This thing is quite amazing. With just a few squares, it can display the method of 'planning squares' so vividly. If it were used in the military, it would surely be of great benefit."

Zhang Rong was immersed in military affairs every day, so he was naturally particularly sensitive to related matters and could see his extraordinary qualities at a glance.

Ancient military maps, starting with Pei Xiu of the Western Jin Dynasty, proposed the "Six Principles of Cartography." This concept, which divides the map into "ten li" and "one cun" (an inch) to represent a hundred li, is equivalent to the scale of later maps.

To make the drawings clearer, Zhang Yunxiu added many fine lines and squares to them, which made the proportions of the details clearer.

In addition, the dimension lines, which imitated later "CAD" industrial drawing software, were obviously much clearer and more understandable than previous maps.

It can even make the geomantic map more accurate and clear through the small squares!

The other person looked surprised, but Zhang Yunxiu didn't seem to care and said with a smile.

“I asked Minister Zeng of the Ministry of Works to assist in the drawing, but I didn’t expect his drawing to be so rough, so I made some minor improvements.”

"Minor improvements?"

Zhang Rong looked somewhat incredulous. He suddenly stood up and said with a serious expression.

"Do you know how much benefit these seemingly minor changes you speak of will bring to the army?"

Zhang Rong slammed his fist on the table in great excitement and walked straight to the map of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty that stood in the center of the tent.

He pointed to the location of the capital and the border defenses above.

“In the past, although these geomantic maps were fairly accurate, they were not exquisite. The method of ‘drawing squares by measuring distance’ used would always have some flaws. For example, if a large river was drawn a little off-center, or a mountain was drawn a little crooked, even a half-inch deviation on the geomantic map would result in a hundred-mile error when marching!” Zhang Rong said excitedly, his eyes wide and his snow-white beard trembling.

"Normally, everything is fine, but on the battlefield, even the slightest mistake can lead to rivers of blood and affect the course of a war!"

You dare to talk about minor changes? Why didn't you bring them up earlier?

As they talked, Zhang Rong, the old military general, actually became somewhat angry.

Zhang Yunxiu took a step back, not expecting such a strong reaction from the other party, and quickly explained.

"Isn't this a recent invention? I didn't think that much about it. However, this method has already been taught to Zeng Sanxing, the Minister of Works. If the Duke is interested in improving this military geomancy map, he can be asked to draw it."

Since the "chart method" was introduced, Zeng Shengwu almost wanted to become Zhang Yunxiu's student.

To distract himself, Zhang Yunxiu said in a disappointed tone.

"If he doesn't draw well, he will have failed my teachings. Your Excellency, you can give him a good beating as punishment!"

Zhang Rong was initially very excited, but Zhang Yunxiu's words left her speechless.

He glanced at the other person helplessly, thinking that this kid was definitely there to insult him.

Not only have he taken all the doctors in the capital as his disciples, but now even Zeng Shengwu, the Minister of Works, an old minister who is nearly fifty years old, is being taught by him.

What's going on in the imperial court lately?
In the future, wouldn't I be able to discuss things with him as an equal?
Zhang Rong, with a complicated expression, let out a breath and said.

"That's fine too."

He turned his attention back to the blueprints for the "Xishan Workshop".

Zhang Yunxiu's plan was extremely detailed and well-organized, including not only coal mining areas, but also residential areas for artisans, family settlements, dining areas, and even plans for schools and clinics.

In Zhang Rong's view, this didn't seem like building a workshop; rather, it seemed like building a small city.

The only difference is that no city walls were built.

Zhang Rong looked hesitant and looked at Zhang Yunxiu.

"Young man, this workshop must have cost a lot of money, right? Have you convinced your father?"

It's a pipe dream to expect the officials of the court to spend money to build a "disorganized" city.

The only possibility is that Zhang Yunxiu sought help from his father, Zhang Juzheng.

"My father?" Zhang Yunxiu looked resentful. "How could Uncle Zhang, that pedantic sparrow, possibly understand the lofty ambitions in my heart! Let's not even mention it!"

This kid is still very filial.
Zhang Rong's facial muscles twitched, and she looked like she was gritting her teeth.

Thank goodness this wasn't his son; if it were, he would have beaten him to death for saying such things.

But it was ultimately someone else's family matter, and Zhang Rong couldn't interfere, yet she still couldn't help but offer a reminder.

"Young man, I know you have some money, but feeding twenty or thirty thousand people is no easy task. Even if you have a fortune, you can't sustain it!"

"money?"

Zhang Yunxiu said confidently.

"Who said I was going to lose money? I hope the Duke knows that I, Zhang Yunxiu, went to Xishan to earn money, and I won't lose a single penny!"

Zhang Rong was somewhat speechless and said with disbelief.

"So you're relying on the coal from those western mountains? I wouldn't even take that stuff if it were given to me for free. You expect to make money from the nobles of the capital like a medical clinic?"

"No and no."

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head.

Seeing Zhang Rong's doubtful look, and considering that the construction of "Xishan Workshop" would require his strong support in the future,

Zhang Yunxiu simply took out another item from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Rong from the table.

"Speaking of which, I do have a small item that I would like to present to the Duke. If the Duke has the opportunity to go to war in the future, I think it will be of great use."

"Small items?"

Zhang Rong stared blankly at Zhang Yunxiu's collar, wondering just how much this kid was hiding inside.

But then the other party pulled out a long, cylindrical object that resembled a musket.

Zhang Rong was immediately startled, took a step back, and quickly said.

"You reckless brat, hiding a musket in your clothes, aren't you afraid it will explode and kill you?"

"Explosion?"

Zhang Yunxiu said with a sneer.

"No, no, this thing is called a telescope!"

(End of this chapter)