Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1266 Iron Tree

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old?

Is it?

Those three words made Yu Shizhang grit his teeth in anger, and his shame vanished instantly.

Seeing this, Shen Zheng grinned and said, "Think about it, what should we call that air that's even lighter than air?"

Yu Shizhang rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Lighter than air, what else would you call it but 'light air'?"

"That's it!" Shen Zheng exclaimed with admiration, slamming her hand on the table. "It's light! You're a genius!"

Yu Shizhang laughed in exasperation, unable to even discern whether Shen Zheng was deliberately teasing him.

Just as Shen Zheng was about to speak, footsteps sounded again from outside the hall.

The person who came this time was indeed Fang Qizheng.

"This humble official, Qi Zheng, greets Your Excellency and Lord Shen!"

Fang Qi greeted her loudly, and as soon as he approached, Shen Zheng smelled a faint scent of blood.

"Lord Fang," Shen Zheng stood up, slowed her breathing, and smiled, "It's been a long time."

Fang Qizheng's expression was no longer cold and hard, but had a slight smile: "Long time no see, Lord Shen."

The last time they met was during the Chinese New Year, when he personally delivered the blast furnace to Tongan County.

At that time, the woman in front of me was only the magistrate of Tong'an County. Now, less than a year later, she has not only become the prefect of Liuyang, but also served as the assistant minister of the Six Ministries.

In fact, Fang Qizheng himself could not smell the blood on his body, but he knew that he must smell terrible at the moment.

He took a half step back and said, "I was unable to leave the torture chamber just now, please forgive me, gentlemen."

In one sentence, he explained why he did not come immediately and why he smelled of blood.

Shen Zheng shook his head: "I apologize for my sudden visit, and I hope Lord Fang will not mind."

Fang Qizheng also shook his head: "I don't mind."

After he finished speaking, the two fell silent, and the scene became somewhat awkward.

Shen Zheng wondered why Fang Qizheng didn't ask her why she had come.

Fang Qi was wondering why Shen Zheng hadn't said what she had come for.

Yu Shizhang looked around and clicked his tongue, then said, "Commander Fang, Lord Shen and I have come here today because we have suspected the discovery of a kind of exotic gold."

"An unusual type of gold?" Fang Qizheng immediately became interested upon hearing this and looked at Yu Shizhang: "Lord, is this gold not among the 'Five Metals'?"

"Five metals" is actually a general term used by the government and the general public in the Great Zhou Dynasty for common metals such as gold, silver, copper, and iron, and does not refer to any five specific metals.

Yu Shizhang nodded, following Shen Zheng's earlier words, and said, "This substance is made by mixing and refining calamine and charcoal."

"Calamine?" Fang Qi looked puzzled. "Lord, are you talking about... the calamine used in the clinic to treat eye diseases and skin ailments?"

Yu Shizhang paused, then secretly glanced at Shen Zheng out of the corner of his eye.

Shen Zheng nodded secretly.

Seeing this, he nodded: "Exactly."

Fang Qizheng was shocked upon hearing this: "Calamine can be used to refine gold?"

Yu Shizhang cleared his throat: "That's right. After discussing it with Lord Shen, I want to name this gold 'zinc'."

Shen Zheng secretly applauded.

"Heart?" Fang Qizheng was momentarily dazed.

He hadn't even seen the item, yet they had already chosen a name for it.

“It’s zinc with the metal radical.” Yu Shizhang emphasized, then took out some scrap paper: “This is the refining method summarized by Lord Shen and Uncle Ben. Take a look first.”

Fang Qi was even more dazed.

I just heard about a new kind of gold. They've not only named it, but they've even compiled the method for refining it.

"You..." He slowly took the paper, unsure of what to say, and could only manage to stammer, "Please wait a moment, both of you."

Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang nodded at the same time, their eyes then being drawn to a potted plant on the desk.

Fang Qi was looking at alchemy, while Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang were looking at bonsai.

It was a potted cycad.

A true "iron" tree—including the pot, the tree itself, the branches, and the fruit—is made of iron.

Yu Shizhang stood up and walked to the table: "This item is quite ingenious."

Shen Zheng nodded in agreement: "The cold fruit is indeed special."

The two men discussed it and asked, "Lord Fang, do you have any more of these iron potted plants in the yamen?"

At this moment, Fang Qi was completely awestruck by the power of zinc—it could not only improve the hardness and color of brass, but also greatly extend the service life of copper products...

In this way, when the imperial court produces copper coins in the future, it will not only be able to reduce the cost, but also make them more wear-resistant and durable...

It benefits the country and its people! It benefits the country and its people!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Fang Qizheng didn't even look up and directly granted the "Iron Tree" to Shen Zheng and his companion: "If you two like it, please take it with you."

"How could I possibly accept this..." Yu Shizhang said, "I'm sorry," while lifting the object. "Wow, it's quite heavy."

Shen Zheng rolled up her sleeves: "I'll do it!"

Wow, that's pretty heavy.

The two men discussed it again and decided, "Let the yamen runners deliver it."

Fang Qi was carefully reading through the thick stack of draft paper, word by word.

Before we knew it, the sun had set and the sky had turned black.

By the time the yamen runners quietly entered and lit the candles, Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang had already walked around the hall seven or eight times.

Having found no enjoyment, they could only urge Fang Qizheng: "Lord Fang, haven't you finished reading yet?"

Fang Qizheng's answer remained unchanged throughout history: "Soon, soon... Please wait a moment, my lords."

“...You’ve said that five times already.” Yu Shizhang gritted his teeth.

Just as Yu Shizhang and Shen Zheng were about to go out for a stroll, Fang Qizheng finally raised his head, his eyes filled with excitement: "My lords, if this gold is genuine, then the copper-smelting techniques of our Great Zhou will... will..."

For a moment, he couldn't even think of a suitable adjective.

Yu Shizhang stood at the door with his hands behind his back, feigning composure: "Whether it's true or false, we'll know once we find a furnace and refine it."

"Yes, yes..." Fang Qizheng tightly gripped the straw paper, stood up and said, "There is a small kiln behind the yamen. I will go and buy calamine now. Please wait a moment, gentlemen."

Wait?

Yu Shizhang shook his head.

Waiting is out of the question; they need to go home for dinner.

He asked Fang Qizheng, "Bo Ben and Lord Shen have given you the refining method and blueprints. Are you confident that you can refine zinc according to the method described?"

Fang Qizheng was taken aback: "You two... are willing to entrust this task to me?"

This question was asked.

Yu Shizhang said, "Bo Ben and Lord Shen believe in your ability and your character. Just give it a try."

With just a few words, Fang Qizheng was completely bewildered and dizzy. He even personally carried the potted "iron tree" and helped Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang onto the carriage.

“Three days!” Shen Zheng poked her head out of the small window and said to Fang Qizheng, who was standing on the stone steps, “The Lord said three days should be enough. If there are any problems along the way, come directly to the government office to find the Lord and me!”

Fang Qizheng nodded upon hearing this, bowed and said in farewell, "This humble official respectfully sees you two off."

Shen Zheng shrank back into the carriage, the wheels turning "clunk clunk," and she leaned against the side of the carriage, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Finally, I can go home for dinner."