Chapter 59: Du Ze Surprised

"Commoner Wang Shifu, awaiting Your Highness's decree."

Wang Shifu dropped to his knees immediately, his dark-skinned face suffused with excitement and sheer disbelief.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Zhu Yuntong said in a clear, resonant voice: "I hereby appoint Wang Shifu as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. He is tasked with leading the Wang clan in establishing a Scientific Research Bureau, primarily responsible for building, restoring, and studying the various crafts and techniques detailed in the *Book of Agriculture*. Should there be breakthroughs, further rewards shall follow."

Right Vice Minister of practical works.

Upon hearing the title, Wang Shifu froze in place, momentarily doubting whether his ears had played a trick on him.

Du Ze, standing nearby, flashed a look of envy and whispered gently, "Lord Wang, why don't you thank His Highness?"

During this period, Du Ze had extensively studied the life of Wang Zhen and his masterpiece, the *Book of Agriculture*. Consequently, he understood many things others did not, and he was acutely aware of how immensely beneficial it would be for the Great Ming dynasty if the various techniques within the agricultural treatise could truly be revived.

This was precisely why he had not tried to dissuade Zhu Yuntong from bestowing the high rank of Right Vice Minister right off the bat.

"Thank... thank Your Highness for your immense grace," Wang Shifu stammered slightly.

Ever since the chaotic turbulent era at the end of the Yuan dynasty, his Wang clan had retreated deep into the mountains under the leadership of their ancestors to escape the ravages of war, and a full fifty years had now passed. He had never expected that upon stepping out of the mountains once more, he would receive such heavy trust from the new sovereign. To call this grace as vast as a mountain would be no exaggeration at all.

Moreover, Zhu Yuntong's decree commanded him to independently establish a Scientific Research Bureau, dedicated solely to promoting and advancing the writings of his ancestors.

This was far beyond ordinary favor.

With a monarch like this, Wang Shifu felt that even if he were to die at this very moment, it would be entirely worth it.

"Very well! Sanbao, have someone arrange a residence for Lord Wang's clan," Zhu Yuntong instructed Ma Sanbao, then rose once more and stepped down from the imperial dais.

Smiling, he walked over to Du Ze and Wang Shifu, personally pulling them both up as he said, "Come, accompany Us to the Ministry of Works to take a look at those things."

"Yes! We will certainly not disappoint Your Highness." Du Ze was so excited that his body trembled slightly.

Although he still had not figured out what the items Zhu Yuntong had ordered him to manufacture were actually for, the notion that they were mere playthings had long since vanished from his mind.

Since Zhu Yuntong could treat the Wang clan with such courtesy and place such high value on the *Book of Agriculture*, how could he possibly be someone who only knew how to idle away his time in amusement?

It must have been his own misunderstanding, or perhaps he was simply too dull-witted to comprehend His Highness's true intentions.

At the Ministry of Works.

Guided by Du Ze, Zhu Yuntong soon came upon a pile of familiar components.

Zhu Yuntong picked up a piece from the ground and observed it closely for a moment. Though somewhat crude, its functionality was already basically sound.

"Your Highness, what on earth are these things used for? This official has pondered over them for a long time and still cannot figure it out."

Watching Zhu Yuntong pick up one item after another, only to set them down again, Du Ze could no longer suppress the curiosity burning in his heart and spoke up.

Zhu Yuntong set down the clamp he was holding, turned around, and was just about to speak when he noticed Wang Shifu looking as though he had something to say but holding back.

Instantly intrigued, he asked, "Minister Wang, do you know what these are?"

"Replying to Your Highness, these should be machine tools used for processing certain components, am I correct?" Wang Shifu said with almost zero hesitation.

As he spoke, he even picked up the few parts Zhu Yuntong had just put down, introducing them one by one: "This part should be used for gripping objects, this one is meant to drive the rotation of the workpiece, and this one..."

When he finished, he could not help letting out a sigh of awe: "The person who designed this machine tool is a supreme genius! My ancestors' *Book of Agriculture* also records similar machine tools, but their structures are far simpler. Over the years, we have built a couple ourselves, but their scope of application was far too limited. Yet I dare guarantee that if this machine tool can be assembled and put into operation, it will undoubtedly prove far superior to anything my ancestors designed."

Then, fixing an eager gaze upon Zhu Yuntong, he asked, "Your Highness, could you... could you introduce this genius who designed the machine tool to this official?"

"What? These are actually—"

Before Zhu Yuntong could reply, Du Ze cried out in astonishment.

He looked at Zhu Yuntong with a face full of shock and disbelief: "Your... Your Highness, the... the things you designed are actually processing machine tools?"

"Yes! Is there anything strange about that?" Zhu Yuntong said without changing his expression or missing a beat.

Wasn't it just a simple manual machine tool? Was there any need to be this excited?

Had there been steam power or electricity available, Zhu Yuntong could easily have produced a proper, full-fledged industrial machine tool.

"What? Th—this was actually designed by Your Highness?" Wang Shifu was even more agitated than Du Ze.

In his eyes, apart from sheer astonishment, there remained only disbelief and an intense thirst for knowledge.

Thud—

Wang Shifu dropped straight to his knees on the floor, pleading aloud, "I implore Your Highness to take this official as your disciple. I am willing to follow Your Highness closely and attend to your every command."

"Uh—! Lord Wang, are you planning to steal this humble servant's position?" Ma Sanbao said, holding back a laugh as he looked at Wang Shifu.

Wang Shifu's entire body gave a sudden jolt, his dark face flushing with intense awkwardness.

How on earth could he have forgotten about that?!

The person standing before him was no ordinary individual; in just a few days, he would be the new sovereign of Great Ming.

And the only ones permitted to serve closely by an emperor's side were eunuchs!

"Hahahaha!"

Seeing the expression on Wang Shifu's face, Zhu Yuntong could no longer restrain himself and burst into hearty laughter.

Prompted by his laughter, Du Ze and Ma Sanbao could no longer hold back either.

The laughter of the three men instantly made Wang Shifu feel even more mortified, yet he could not help chuckling along himself.

After all four of them had finished laughing.

Zhu Yuntong glanced at the components scattered on the floor, pondered for a moment, and said, "Minister Wang, since you can tell these are machine tools, you presumably know how to assemble them, right?"

Wang Shifu was stunned for a moment, then nodded with overwhelming excitement, "Your Highness honors me too much! If there are detailed blueprints, this official can give it a try."

Naturally, he understood that Zhu Yuntong's intention in letting him assemble them was to give him a foothold within the Ministry of Works.

Gratitude and deep emotion surged through his heart, so intense that words failed to describe them.

If he had to put it into words, it would simply be: a scholar dies for one who truly knows his worth.

Zhu Yuntong smiled and nodded, turning to give Jiang Huan a look.

Jiang Huan immediately fished a blueprint out from his robes. This was the drawing Zhu Yuntong had told him to bring along when they left, though at the time Jiang Huan had looked at it without understanding what it represented at all.

However, seeing the excitement on the faces of Wang Shifu and Du Ze right now, if Jiang Huan still didn't understand, he might as well go hang himself with a noodle.

With trembling hands, Wang Shifu took the blueprint and stared at it with utter concentration for a long time.

Du Ze also crowded close beside him, peering at the sheet and letting out occasional cries of amazement.

It wasn't that the two of them lacked exposure; rather, although the machine tool Zhu Yuntong had produced was the simplest variety from future generations, placed in the present era, it was an immensely powerful treasure.

Once he had roughly familiarized himself with the blueprints, Wang Shifu set to work on the assembly, with Du Ze pitching in as his assistant.

A dignified Minister of Works and a Vice Minister were squatting directly on the ground, completely ignoring the grime on the parts, assembling them at a rapid pace.