At Hai hour, people will return to their roots and sleep well in the morning.

However, no one was sleeping in a small and inconspicuous kiln. The military craftsmen were working on the kiln all night long. Chen Ji and Liang Maoer pushed the huge stone roller, and the prince, Liu Quxing and She Dengke sifted the raw materials together.

Even the little monk rolled up his sleeves and worked, constantly bringing in new raw materials.

No one loves a dog with his legs crossed and a straw hat on his head.

The prince squatted beside the stone mill, covered his mouth and nose with a cloth strip, and asked in a loud voice: "Chen Ji, if we accomplish this, can we really leave a name in history?"

Chen Ji smiled and said: "Yes."

The prince asked again: "What kind of name should I leave behind?"

Chen Ji replied: "In the autumn of the 31st year of Jianing, the cement made by Zhu Yunxi, Zhu Baili, Chen Ji, She Dengke, Liu Quxing, the little monk, and Liang Mao'er has a lasting legacy. Cement is a thing that subverts the times. It takes less than a hundred years for every household to build a house.

We no longer use yellow mud and glutinous rice mortar to build houses, but use our cement. Even if the history books of later generations forget King Fu, King An, and King Qi, they will not forget us."

The prince's eyes sparkled: "Work, work!"

At this moment, a carriage stopped at the door of the kiln.

Everyone looked around and saw old man Yao slowly getting out of the car with the help of the coachman, holding two bamboo sticks in his hand...

Liu Quxing and She Dengke's expressions changed: "That's bad. I didn't tell Master about not going back at night. Master is here to beat us!"

Both of them looked at the Crown Prince: "Your Majesty, help me! Master will definitely not kill you for the sake of your face!"

The prince said bitterly: "How can I have any face with Imperial Physician Yao?"

Old Man Yao sneered from afar: "Your Majesty, you still have some self-awareness."

Liu Quxing took the initiative to approach Old Yao and said with a smile: "Master, you are tired of carrying two bamboo sticks. I will help you carry them for a while."

But as soon as he stretched out his hand, a bamboo stick hit the back of his hand.

Old Man Yao said in a calm tone: "I remember the last time I beat you for staying out at night, it was just a few days ago. After all, I am old and my strength is weak. I can't even remember a spanking for you."

Liu Quxing rolled his eyes and quickly changed the subject: "Master, today Chen Ji's father came to the kiln factory and said that he has discussed with you that he will be sent to Donglin Academy so that he no longer needs to be an apprentice in our hospital."

"Oh?" Old Man Yao slowly looked at the traces beside the stone roller: "This is a good thing. Why didn't you go with your father, instead of pushing the stone roller and doing menial work here?"

"Master, I want to stay at Taiping Medical Center."

Old Man Yao was happy: "You don't want the fine clothes and food of the Chen family, why don't you have to eat hard? I have already promised Mr. Chen, you should go back to the Chen Mansion quickly."

Chen Ji said calmly: "I don't believe you agreed to him."

Old Yao raised his eyebrows: "Your father came to the hospital today and politely gave you eight gifts, including ten silver collars and a silver ruler. Why didn't I agree? Don't make you look like a treasure.

, I wish you could go home early and stop being angry with me in the hospital."

Liu Quxing took the opportunity to bring a chair to Old Yao and helped his master sit down: "Master, when Mr. Chen came today, Chen Ji had already rejected him righteously. Please calm down, he doesn't want to go back to the Chen Mansion.

It’s the master-disciple relationship with you.”

Old Yao was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Liu Quxing: "There is some food in the carriage, including roasted donkey meat and sugar and garlic. Go get it and share it. Young people don't know the importance of a hungry meal. You will understand when you are old.

Having a good body is the most important thing.”

Liu Quxing's eyes lit up and tears of emotion almost flowed from his mouth: "Master still cares about us!"

In the evening, they went back to the kiln factory without eating. If the military craftsmen hadn't shared some cakes, they would still be hungry now!

Everyone ran towards the carriage, but Chen Ji stopped and did not move.

The young man and the old man looked at each other from a distance in the night, and the tiger and the tiger stared at each other like the old era and the new era.

This master was mean-mouthed, but he brought a cart full of food.

Old Man Yao was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "Go back, go back to Chen Mansion."

Chen Ji was surprised: "Why?"

Old Man Yao looked up at the night sky and said slowly: "The Chen family status is beyond the reach of others in several lifetimes. It will be good for you to go back. Whether you continue to study medicine or go to Donglin Academy to prepare for the imperial examination,

It's better than staying in my little Taiping Medical Clinic. I have nothing left to teach you about tiger ways, so you don't need to stay with me."

Chen Ji was startled. He didn't expect that his master, after thinking hard all day, finally came over overnight not to stay with him, but to persuade him to leave.

He knew that Old Man Yao must have rejected Chen Liqin at first.

But Old Man Yao thought about it for a whole day, and after experiencing many changes in his mind, he still chose a smoother road for Chen Ji.

Just because this road is better for Chenji.

Old Man Yao said calmly: "Tiger's way is like running water. If you stay in Taiping Medical Center, even if you learn my medical skills, it will only be a patient's one tael of silver slowly saving money. In the end, you will waste your life and you will never be able to touch it."

Reach the threshold of the Shinto realm. If you return to the Chen family, as long as you obtain the title, even a concubine will have a lot of money for you to spend."

Chen Ji hummed.

Old Man Yao talked a lot tonight and continued: "Today the golden pig came to the medical clinic again, but he still couldn't find you. His patience will always be exhausted. If you return to the Chen family, he will not dare to use the rat weapon.

How are you?"

"Go back, the Chen family is more suitable for you."

Chen Ji said: "But Master, you can't always choose what suits you, you have to choose what you want."

He looked at the Crown Prince and others who were devouring food at the door of the kiln factory, and suddenly asked: "Master, in fact, you have already calculated that there will be a disaster if you leave the palace, so now you don't want to see me involved in this whirlpool, so you choose to send me away, right?

?As long as I return to the Chen family, stay away from the Taiping Medical Center, stay away from Prince Jing’s Mansion, stay away from the crown prince, and stay away from the princess, can I stay out of it and avoid this disaster?"

Old Man Yao was silent for a moment: "Yes."

Chen Ji said seriously: "Master, since my fate can be changed, can the fate of Prince Jing's Mansion be changed?"

Old Man Yao stared at the traces: "The fate of Prince Jing's Mansion is complicated and cannot be changed by one person. Their fate has been determined, but your fate still has infinite possibilities. If you don't leave, you are just a moth flying.

Fire, caught up in the unknowable flame."

At this time, the Crown Prince, who had been hungry for a long time, stuffed his mouth full of donkey meat and burned it while giggling. Liu Quxing leaned on the carriage and teased She Dengke about her eating appearance.

Chen Ji looked at these people and suddenly said: "Master, they are very good friends. I can't leave. Even if my fate is doomed, I want to try to change it."

The young monk once said that Chen Ji had eliminated the two words greed and anger in his life, leaving only the word "infatuation" that could not be understood.

Madness is stubbornness and persistence.

Old Yao looked at his apprentice and said nothing for a long time.

After a long time, he stood up and said: "You can pretend that I didn't say these words tonight, but don't regret it when you see your fate."

"No regrets."

But Chen Ji smiled and waved to the prince and others: "Are you full?"

"I'm full!"

"Work!"

Liu Quxing laughed and said: "Chen Ji, you eat one too, I'll keep the one with the most donkey meat for you!"

Old Yao turned around and got on the carriage. When he was halfway on the carriage, he looked back at the kiln. The young men had already burned the donkey meat in their hands and stuffed it into their mouths. They pushed the stone grinder again, as if pushing a heavy fate.

…

…

The next afternoon, the sun was just right.

A carriage drove slowly on the official road.

Princess Baili opened a crack in the curtains and let the cold wind caress her light hair on her temples: "Dad, my brothers didn't come back home yesterday."

Prince Jing sat at the end of the carriage, closed his eyes and meditated, and only hummed softly.

Bai Liqing said, "Dad, if my brother stayed out at night, you would hang him up and beat him. Why are you so tolerant now?"

Prince Jing didn't even open his eyes: "I had strict requirements on him before because he would become Prince Jing sooner or later. Sitting in that position, every word and action affects the livelihood of countless people. Naturally, we cannot let his temper run wild.

"

"What about today? Why don't I see you angry?"

"Because he's doing the right thing."

Bai Li looked out the window and casually asked: "Dad, you have been concentrating for a long time with your eyes closed, are you thinking about how to plot Chen Ji?"

Prince Jing slowly opened his eyes: "Dad, in your heart, are you such a narrow-minded person?"

Bai Li closed the curtains, sat up straight and said seriously: "Dad, you know how big your own ambitions are. Just tell me, you suffered a bad loss yesterday, how do you plan to plot against him?"

Prince Jing was happy: "Why are you asking this? If I told you, wouldn't you just turn around and tell the truth? Okay, Bai Li, you are starting to play tricks on your old father."

"Stop plotting against him, I'll make braised pork for you when you get back!"

"Dad doesn't like braised pork anymore. It's too greasy."

"Then I'll give you a slap on the back!"

Prince Jing exclaimed: "Why are you looking at this kid like this? Is he filling you with ecstasy soup?"

Bai Li said solemnly: "He has no family to rely on, so those of us who are friends naturally have to think about him. He is not one of those gentry. You are not allowed to deal with him the same way you deal with gentry."

Prince Jing was silent for a moment: "Okay, but some things involve military strategy, and I won't let those secrets leak to the people. And you have to understand that letting him enjoy some things like a child's jade will cause trouble."

Bai Li stretched out his little finger: "Anyway, you promised me, pull the hook."

"Okay, okay, pull the hook."

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the kiln door. Before Feng Daban could put down the footstool, Bai Li had already opened the curtain and jumped out.

Feng Daban said anxiously from behind: "Hey, princess, please slow down, the muddy road is slippery!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Li ran through the gate and disappeared.

Prince Jing's cough came from the car, and Feng Daban turned to look: "Your Majesty, how are you doing?"

Prince Jing smiled: "I feel better after drinking the medicine from Dr. Yao... Why is it so warm here? Go in and take a look!"

At this time, in the kiln factory, a solid inverted flame kiln fell into the middle, and coal was being thrown into the combustion chamber by shovels by Chen Ji and others.

A raging fire ignited and swept through the closed inverted flame kiln. The raw materials were swallowed up by the flames, melted, and sintered bit by bit.

Prince Jing stood silently in front of the kiln. He could not see what was happening inside the kiln, he could only feel the heat waves coming towards his face through the kiln wall.

He looked at Wang Kezhi: "How?"

Wang Kezhi said sternly: "Your Majesty, the flame is close to white, and the temperature is higher than we imagined."

"What are they burning right now?"

"cement."

"How much longer?"

"This is the third furnace. Before dawn in the morning, they had already fired the first furnace and built a brick wall with the clinker from that furnace."

It was only then that King Jing noticed that there was a brick wall in the corner of the kiln, and there was plaster adhering between the brick joints.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ji stopped shoveling coal, looked at Prince Jing with a smile, and handed out a hammer: "Your Majesty, please take the hammer and hit the brick wall to see if my cement can replace the glutinous rice mortar.

"

Feng Daban said from the side: "My lord, you just drank the medicine, please come and take the medicine."

Prince Jing looked at the brick wall but shook his head: "No need, I will do it myself."

After that, he dragged the hammer to the brick wall and swung the hammer vigorously. He saw that some of the stone skin had been smashed off the blue bricks, but the brick wall was extremely firmly adhered and did not move at all!

Prince Jing hammered a few more times and finally knocked down a few green bricks.

When the prince saw that the wall was broken by hammering, he looked at Chen Ji worriedly: "What should I do? It's not strong enough."

However, the next moment, I heard Prince Jing ask: "This wall was built this morning?!"

Wang Kezhi explained: "Reporting to the prince, I watched them build the base this morning."

Prince Jing continued to ask: "If it is glutinous rice mortar, how long will it take to reach such strength?"

"Reporting to the prince, the glutinous rice mortar will take ten days. If this cement is used to repair the city wall in the border town, it may have miraculous effects."

King Jing asked again: "How long will it take them to boil this cement?"

"Replying to the prince, it's less than one stick of incense. If you change it to glutinous rice mortar, it needs to be boiled on site for four hours and then left to stand for two hours before it can be used."

King Jing asked again: "How much do you think this thing costs?"

"Reporting to the prince, the raw materials for this product are only clay and chalk ash, and the cost is less than one-fifth of the glutinous rice mortar. If the materials can be obtained locally, the cost will be less than one-tenth after excluding the transportation requirements..."

The prince was silent. As the saying goes, laymen watch the excitement, and experts watch the door. Only military craftsmen like Wang Kezhi can understand the significance of cement to this era.

Prince Jing looked at Feng Daban and said, "Go and invite Mr. Zhang Zhuo and Mr. Chen Liqin and Chen to come over."

Feng Daban was confused: "Your Majesty, Master Zhang still needs to preside over the autumn palace affairs of Gongyuan today, and Master Chen also has to deal with river embankments and river affairs. I'm afraid he won't be able to come."

Prince Jing smiled and said, "Then tell Mr. Zhang, isn't he worried about how to build houses to solve the problem of the refugees in Yuzhou? Now his problem is solved. With this thing, the refugees can have some temporary shelter. If there are no deaths in Luo City this winter,

, this is Zhang Zhuo’s great political achievement. Compared with this matter, Qiu Wei is nothing, he knows which is more important than others."

"What about Mr. Chen?"

"Tell him that his river embankment can be saved."

The prince suddenly cheered, Bai Li looked at him and Liu Quxing with a smile, and She Dengke raised Chen Ji together: "It's done! It's done!"
Chapter completed!