It was the first time that Liang Hengchen met Xiao Hanzheng and Shi Qingluo. As expected, they didn’t look like they were from a remote place.
He was very tactful and took the initiative to say: “Father, should I leave now?”
The Emperor raised his hand: “No, you continue to grind the ink.”
Liang Hengchen’s expression remained unchanged: “Yes!”
Shi Qingluo heard the conversation between the two and roughly guessed that this person was the low-key eldest prince.
From this point, it can be seen that the Emperor trusts and values the Eldest Prince.
Instructing to grind the ink felt like a kind of closeness of the Emperor to the Eldest Prince.
The Emperor had a good impression of Xiao Hanzheng and Shi Qingluo.
So he ordered someone to give them seats.
Xiao Hanzheng and Shi Qingluo didn’t shrink back. Since the Emperor gave them seats, they sat down.
The Emperor chatted with the two for a few words first.
Then he looked at Xiao Hanzheng and asked: “Are you the apprentice of the miracle doctor?”
Xiao Hanzheng nodded and replied: “Your Majesty, yes.”
“I heard that your medical skills have completely inherited the legacy of the miracle doctor. It was you who cured Master Fei’s great-grandson.”
“Are you good at conditioning, the body?”
Hearing the Emperor’s question, Xiao Hanzheng immediately realized what he was going to do.
He smiled and replied: “I’m quite good at this.”
The Emperor was in his prime, and his style of doing things was not that conservative.
So he preferred people he valued to be confident and not to be evasive when answering questions.
So he was very satisfied with Xiao Hanzheng’s answer.
“You should have heard of Prince Yi, my younger brother. He was born prematurely and has had insufficient fetal energy since childhood, so his body has always needed to be nursed back to health.”
“When your master was still alive, he prescribed a good prescription, and the effect is superb after taking it.”
He said straight to the point: “It’s a pity that your master is gone now, so I want you to help continue to nurse Prince Yi back to health.”
Xiao Hanzheng naturally couldn’t refuse: “Yes!”
The Emperor thought for a while and said: “In 2 days, I will let Prince Yi find you himself.”
Xiao Hanzheng nodded: “Yes.”
The Emperor knew that Xiao Hanzheng was going to participate in the imperial examination, and asked him a few more questions about related topics casually.
Then he looked at Shi Qingluo and asked as if jokingly: “I heard that you are going to the palace to offer a prescription?”
Shi Qingluo thought to herself: As expected, fortunately, I am prepared.
She smiled and replied: “I do want to go to the palace to offer a prescription.”
“It’s just that I am of low status, and I can’t just go to the palace whenever I want, so I’m going to ask Xi Rong to help pass a message to his majesty.”
“Who would have thought that I would be summoned by the Emperor today.”
“The Emperor is smart.” A dragon’s fart can never be worn out.
Sure enough, the Emperor’s smile deepened.
“You, girl, are good at flattering people.”
Shi Qingluo smiled and said:L “I’m telling the truth.”
The Emperor chuckled and said: “What prescription do you want to offer this time?”
Shi Qingluo gave Xiao Hanzheng a look: “I want to make rubber.”
Xiao Hanzheng took out the paper drawn by his wife from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch.
The Emperor took the paper and looked at it. He only saw a tree drawn on the paper, and the details of the tree’s appearance and habits were described next to it.
On the second piece of paper, there was a method of cutting.
He asked curiously: “What is this rubber used for?”
Liang Hengchen also looked at Shi Qingluo curiously.
Shi Qingluo smiled and replied: “Your Majesty, this rubber has many uses.”
“It can be used to make tires, which can replace our current carriage wheels. If we replace them with rubber wheels, they will not only be more wear-resistant when running, but also increase speed, and traveling with them will be more stable and comfortable.”
“Rubber can also be used to make soles, and the rubber soles are not easy to get wet.”
“So to say, when you step on water or snow, the soles will not get wet like they are now, and they will be more durable.”
“Or you can make rubber rain boots directly, so that you can step on the ground at will on rainy days, without getting your socks and trousers wet.”
“It can also be used to seal things. For example, when making sealed food, the rubber can be put on the cap to prevent air leakage and deterioration.
“Rubber can also be used on some machines.”
“Rubber may have other uses. People from the Ministry of Industry can try it out then.”
After hearing her words, the Emperor was very interested in rubber-soled shoes and rain boots.
It often snows on the northern border in winter. If there is a war in the future, it will be an advantage for the soldiers of Daliang to wear a pair of shoes with soles that will not get wet.
And the sealing thing should also be useful.
If the wheel modification was really as Shi Qingluo said, it would also be very useful.
Especially now that the concrete floor was paved, it can make the carriage travel faster and more stable, which has many benefits.
He asked: “Is rubber cut from this tree?”
Shi Qingluo nodded: “Yes, it needs to be cut directly from this tree, just like cutting lacquer, it also needs to be cut from the lacquer tree.”
“According to the method written on the paper, you can cut rubber.”
The Emperor nodded and asked again: “Then do you know where this rubber tree is?”
Daliang was so big, that it took a lot of time and effort to find this tree without a general direction.
Shi Qingluo smiled and replied: “I have heard from my master that this kind of rubber tree can be found in Qiongzhou, southern Fujian, Lingnan, and Nanzhao.”
The Emperor knew that Shi Qingluo was indeed well-prepared when he heard it, and he was very satisfied.
Although she was just a mountain village woman, she had a heart for the court and offered whatever recipe she thought of, which was very good.
He also valued Xiao Hanzheng a little more.
“Okay, I will send people to Qiongzhou, southern Fujian, and Lingnan to look for it.”
Nanzhao was too far away, so he won’t bother.
Shi Qingluo smiled and nodded: “I would like to wish the Emperor success in bringing back the rubber.”
The Emperor laughed out loud: “Haha, you are a girl who knows how to talk.”
She can talk nicely, and she is also good at making sarcastic remarks. She was eloquent.
He then changed the subject and asked: “What reward do you want this time?”
Shi Qingluo thought for a while and said, “Your Majesty, the rubber has not been found and used yet, so I dare not take credit for it and ask for a reward.”
“How about waiting until the rubber is found, and making rubber-soled leather shoes, rubber shoes, rubber tires, etc. as I said, then Your Majesty will give me a reward?”
The Emperor found that Shi Qingluo was not only good at talking but also knew how to give in.
He asked again: “This is also OK.”
“Then you can talk to me about what you want first.”
Shi Qingluo found that the Emperor was suspicious.
Looking at her and asking, nine out of ten times he wanted to see whether she would seek justice for her mother-in-law by offering the prescription this time, as she said on the street yesterday, or whether she wanted to get benefits from him.
She smiled and asked tentatively: “I don’t want anything else, I just want Your Majesty to seek justice for my mother-in-law in the future.”
This was also what the scumbag father owed her mother-in-law.
The Emperor’s smile deepened, “Okay, I agree.”
This girl was as straightforward as ever. He likes people who value feelings and like to tell the truth.
“Today, your former father-in-law was reported by the censor. I am going to remove him from his position in the Ministry of War.”
He added meaningfully: “But I’m afraid he will misunderstand you.”
Shi Qingluo knew what the Emperor meant. They entered the palace today, and tomorrow or in two days, the scum father’s position in the Ministry of War would be removed.
He would think it was their fault.
The Emperor was also very bad. He let them take the blame.
When she presented the glass recipe, she would cheat the emperor more, hehe.
But it would be more beneficial for them to take the blame, which would shock and deter the scum father and others.
She smiled and said: “Your Majesty, we are not afraid of misunderstandings.”
The Emperor laughed again, “Okay, then it’s settled.”
He likes to deal with smart people.
He wanted to make use of Xiao Hanzheng and his wife, so naturally he didn’t hope that one day Xiao Hanzheng and Xiao Yuanshi would restore their father-son relationship.
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