Raising chickens and pigs and digging for wild vegetables, the county magistrate's promotion wa

Chapter 112 Congratulations, County Magistrate!

As soon as Wang Laowai arrived at the county government office, Magistrate Yang asked him bluntly, "Do you know how to make bricks?"

Seeing Wang Laowai nod, Magistrate Yang continued, "Do you know how to build a brick kiln?"

Old Wang nodded again and replied, "Reporting to the master, when that lime kiln in the east of the city was being set up, I followed along the whole process and knew how to set up the kiln. Moreover, that lime kiln can be used to fire bricks, but the bricks produced are not very good."

Yang Shaofeng grunted and said directly, "That kiln still needs to be used to fire cement, and it can't be used to fire bricks for a while. We can only build a new kiln. However, I don't know how to build a kiln, so this matter will have to be left to you."

Old Wang bowed and agreed, but after a slight hesitation, he tentatively said, "Sir, there are several ways to start a kiln. There are wild kilns like the lime kiln in the east of the city, and there are better rotary kilns. I've heard there are even better kilns, but I don't know anything about them."

"If we're going to start a new kiln, I think it would be better to just build a rotary kiln. It can fire more bricks than a traditional kiln, and the bricks produced will be better too."

The so-called "wild kiln" is actually the simplest and oldest type of intermittent kiln. According to its structure, it can be divided into pit kiln and pile kiln, that is, those with fixed kiln walls and those without fixed kiln walls. According to the fuel used, wild kilns can be divided into wood kilns and coal kilns.

The lime kiln in the east of Ningyang County is an example of a pile kiln without fixed walls, which uses grass and wood as fuel.

The so-called rotary kiln is a further development of the field kiln, which is a continuous operation kiln with improved operating conditions and more reasonable heat utilization.

However, Magistrate Yang was completely ignorant of all this nonsense. When he heard Wang Laowai say that building a kiln was better than a field kiln, Magistrate Yang simply waved his hand and said, "I have already said that I do not understand these things, let alone how to build a kiln."

"If you think a rotary kiln is better, then just build one. Tell Limpy Five how many people you need, and report back to me once the kiln is up and running."

After waving Wang Laowai away again, Yang Shaofeng, the county magistrate, sat in the chair in the main hall of the county government office, lost in thought.

The brick kiln project was settled, but the mushroom cultivation project in the greenhouse was put on hold because there wasn't enough steel to make planing blades, and they could only passively wait for Emperor Zhu Chongba's reply.

In other words, before a small iron smelting workshop was set up in Ningyang County, even if Magistrate Yang had successfully built a greenhouse, he could only cultivate mushrooms in small quantities by manually shaving wood.

In other words, a dignified county magistrate might only have cabbage and radishes stored in his "cellar" to survive on during the winter. If he wanted to eat chicken stew with mushrooms, he could only add more chicken, because he would feel bad about adding more mushrooms.

Tsk tsk, this official's job is really pathetic.

However, just as Magistrate Yang Shaofeng was secretly grieving, the yamen runner responsible for guarding the county government gate rushed over and shouted loudly upon seeing Yang Shaofeng: "Congratulations, Magistrate! Congratulations, Magistrate!"

Yang Shaofeng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "How is the celebration?"

Could it be that Old Zhu feels that I have worked so hard for his family, and suddenly has a change of heart and wants to marry his two adopted daughters to me, the county magistrate?

However, the bailiff's words shattered Yang Shaofeng's illusions: "Reporting to the magistrate, it's Wang Sheren again, saying he's here to deliver His Highness the Crown Prince's reward to the magistrate!"

Wang Sheren? Wang Qiong? Zhu Biao's reward?

Yang Shaofeng quickly got up from his chair and followed the yamen runners out of the county government office.

As we walked through the halls and courtyards, until we exited the county government office, we saw Wang Qiong, the interpreter, standing smiling on the main street of the county government office, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

Yang Shaofeng rushed forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother Wang, it is an honor to have you here. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly. I am truly sorry."

Wang Qiong quickly reached out to support Yang Shaofeng and said with a smile, "It was my fault for not informing you in advance, not Brother Yang's fault. Why are you being so polite?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Qiong pointed to the two men behind him and said, "Brother Yang, do you still remember what we said back at Daming Lake?"

What did I say by Daming Lake?

It can't be something like, "Your Highness, do you still remember Yang Shaofeng by Daming Lake?"

Upon seeing the smugness in Wang Qiong's smiling face, and then looking at the two men dressed as craftsmen behind him, Yang Shaofeng had a sudden thought and asked, "These two... could they be craftsmen who know how to make paper?"

Wang Qiong, however, kept everyone in suspense, laughing and saying, "No, no, only one of these two is a craftsman who knows how to make paper. Brother Yang, why don't you guess what the other one does?"

As the saying goes, good fortune brings inspiration, Yang Shaofeng exclaimed directly, "The other one, is he perhaps a craftsman who knows printing?"

Wang Qiong immediately gave a thumbs up and praised, "Brother Yang is indeed very quick-witted. That's right, this Zhu Liuqi knows how to make paper, while this Chen Choulu knows how to use woodblock printing."

"His Highness the Crown Prince knew that Brother Yang wanted to make paper and print books, so he sent people to select two of them from the artisan camps.

“However…” Before Yang Shaofeng could be happy for long, Wang Qiong changed the subject and poured cold water on Yang Shaofeng’s head: “These two are both master craftsmen in the craft camp. They can only stay in your Ningyang County for a year. After a year, these two will have to return to the capital to take up their posts.”

a year?

A year is fine too.

It's already quite generous of the dignified Vice Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to send two craftsmen to Ningyang County. What more could you ask for?

Furthermore, as long as a few clever young men are selected from Ningyang County to become their apprentices, even if the two masters don't teach them diligently, a year would be enough for them to learn by observing and learning. By then, these two master craftsmen could return to the capital without any problems.

While pondering which clever young men to assign to learn the skills, Yang Shaofeng cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is truly grateful for Ningyang County's consideration."

After exchanging a few polite words with Wang Qiong, Yang Shaofeng turned and called over a yamen runner, instructing him directly: "Find a courtyard near the county government office, one with a nice environment, but far away from the breeding farm and lighter workshop. Have someone clean it thoroughly."

After the constable agreed, Yang Shaofeng turned to the two master craftsmen and said, "Master Zhu and Master Chen are new to Ningyang County. I will have someone prepare a courtyard for you to settle down. If there is anything you are not satisfied with, please tell me. I will do my best to resolve it."

Zhu Liuqi and Chen Choulu were immediately shocked and bowed to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "We dare not accept such praise, sir! You are too kind to us!"