vrcanaries Chapter 167 Teaching
Chapter 167 Teaching
Just as the Empress was about to say something, Ye Yuwu suddenly poked her head out from behind her and glanced at the things inside the hall.
She then used her mental search system to search, but the information was too disorganized, so she had to carefully browse and filter it.
Unexpectedly, the princess suddenly called her at this moment, and she quickly came back to her senses, no longer lingering her gaze on the transparent and empty mid-air.
"Yuwu, what's wrong? Why haven't you responded to my calls for so long?"
Faced with the princess's sudden concern, Ye Yuwu could only look away from the panel and explain to the princess.
"Your Highness, when I saw this soil, I suddenly thought of a way to build this warm palace, which would not only keep the house warm but also give off a fragrance."
"Oh? So amazing?!" The Empress and the Princess's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this.
Ye Yuwu nodded, stepped forward, and looked at the people kneeling on the ground.
"However, I'm afraid I can't accomplish this alone."
"Of course, Yuwu only needs to instruct these few people to do it." The princess had changed her address to Yuwu at some point.
Ye Yuwu walked to the side and glanced at Wang Yong on the ground.
"Are you in charge of all of this?"
"Indeed, indeed, it is I, the humble one," Wang Yong stammered.
"Alright, come with me for a moment."
Wang Yong followed Ye Yuwu to the pile of earth.
"Do you have paper and pen?"
"Yes, we do, but only charcoal pencils."
"That's okay too."
Wang Yong took out paper and charcoal pencil from his pocket.
Ye Yuwu took the paper, looked around, and couldn't find anywhere to put it. So, without caring whether the ground was dirty or not, she put the paper on the ground and took out her charcoal pencil to start drawing.
Wang Yong peeked at him from the side.
However, the Princess and the Empress did not let the craftsmen get up, but kept them kneeling. The two of them walked to Ye Yuwu's side and looked down at the drawings she had made on the ground.
In no time, Ye Yuwu finished the drawing. She picked up the paper from the ground and handed it to Wang Yong, saying, "If you make it according to this drawing, there shouldn't be any mistakes."
Wang Yong took the blueprints with surprise. He knew a few characters and could easily recognize the carefully marked words on the blueprints.
Besides, the drawings are also very detailed.
"Actually, your method isn't wrong, it's just that you used the wrong materials. You can grind peppercorns and mix them with soil, then add seasonal flowers and plants, and make a wall with a passageway using soil. This passageway should connect to the heated kang (heated brick bed) passageway. Then mix the soil and peppercorns together and apply it to the inner walls of the palace. This will form an insulation layer, allowing the heat from the heated kang to dissipate into the wall without losing heat. This way, the people living inside won't feel cold. More importantly, after doing this, there won't be any strange smells in the room, but rather the fragrance of flowers and plants."
Wang Yong listened excitedly as Ye Yuwu explained these things to him. He took out a new piece of paper from somewhere and started taking notes with coal as he listened.
"Did you remember it?"
Wang Yong nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice, "Thank you for teaching me, young lady."
Wang Yong didn't know how to address her, but the fact that she could stand behind the Empress and the Princess meant that she must be someone important. Only then did he dare to look up and steal a glance at her.
This woman had a cool and aloof appearance, with eyebrows like crescent moons and a bright, star-like gaze. She was like an unbreakable green bamboo, and he had never seen such an indomitable clarity in a woman before.
He was stunned by her for a moment and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.
He had assumed that a "noble lady" like her would not deign to look at him, just as the craftsmen in the palace looked down on him.
He never expected that she would see him at first glance and then impart such a top-secret knowledge to him. How could he not be excited?! How could he not be grateful?!
Ye Yuwu understood Wang Yong's situation when she saw him again. Looking out the window, she realized it was getting late, so she made an excuse to say goodbye to the Empress and the Princess.
The Empress and the Eldest Princess sent a young palace maid to escort her out of the palace.
Not long after Ye Yuwu left, the emperor and the crown prince arrived at Kunning Palace.
"How is it?"
"It went very smoothly, but I don't know if that mud-brick maker from the countryside has learned anything."
"But why did you go to such lengths to do this, Your Majesty?"
The emperor just smiled and said nothing.
Why? Naturally, we need to see for ourselves whether she truly has the ability.
The emperor's probing never ended, and the crown prince was not worried about Ye Yuwu's abilities.
The craftsmen who had been kneeling were to remain kneeling until the Empress told them to get up; this was the Empress's punishment for them.
One purpose was to punish them for making a ruckus in the Queen's palace, and the other was to curb their arrogant nature.
The Empress was already very merciful and did not punish them severely, only making them kneel for a day.
After being forced to kneel for a day, the craftsmen became very obedient. Wang Yong appreciated their skills and taught them his techniques. The craftsmen never dared to cause trouble again.
They did whatever Wang Yong told them to do.
In just a few days, under Wang Yong's command, the sleeping quarters were finally completed.
After they finished, they would also inlay a layer of floral soft satin on the walls that were covered with peppercorn paste.
The curtains inside the sleeping quarters were made of Shu brocade and silk, and the floor was covered with thick carpets from the Western Regions, which were soft and warm to the touch.
The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and the sleeping room were separated by a screen made of cloud-patterned silk gauze, so that the cold air would not enter the body when sleeping.
After the renovation of this palace was completed, not only the eldest princess, but also the emperor, the crown prince, and the concubines in the palace came to see it.
The Empress then invited the concubines from the harem into the palace to experience it as well.
However, with the emperor present, they dared not act rashly and sat properly to the left and right of the emperor and empress.
"Brother! Sister-in-law! It's so warm!"
Upon entering the palace, the outside temperature immediately contrasted sharply with the temperature inside.
The first thing everyone felt upon entering the hall was the warmth that enveloped them.
Who would have thought that while it was snowing outside, it was as warm as spring inside?
"There's also a faint fragrance. Your Majesty, I want them to renovate a house like this in my residence!" The Princess couldn't help but ask after smelling the fragrance of flowers and plants in the palace for a short while.
His Highness the Crown Prince found the Princess's shameless behavior quite unbearable.
"If you want to make changes, just tell the Imperial Household Department and they will arrange it for you."
The emperor sat in the bedchamber for a while longer before reluctantly leaving.
As soon as the emperor left, the eldest princess moved close to the crown prince.
His Highness the Crown Prince was still calmly sipping his tea when the Eldest Princess whispered to him, "I heard that Your Majesty sent that clay craftsman from the common people back home."
His Highness the Crown Prince nodded calmly, but his eyes did not look at her.
"What does this mean? Is it really just about sending mud into the palace to renovate the palace for my sister-in-law?" Don't blame her for exposing her, her own sister; she always felt that the emperor was not so simple.