The emperor actually sent someone to ask for samples of the new textile machinery!
If Zhang Shou had not reminded them in advance, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu would have no idea how terrified they would have been when they faced the smiling Lü Chan, the attendant of the Imperial Household Department. But since they had been prepared in advance, they immediately agreed without hesitation, but they put forward a condition that they would personally accompany Lü Chan to transport the spinning machines into the palace.
As for why this was the case... they didn't care. Since Zhang Shou had specifically emphasized this to them, they would definitely do it. After all, facts had proven that they had never suffered any loss by following Zhang Shou, and had enjoyed all the benefits.
And Lu Chan had no objection at all, and agreed to this request with a smile. Not only that, when the things were delivered to Dong'an Gate, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were about to leave, but he coughed and said, "You two will be the royal sons-in-law in the future, so it's not too late to get familiar with Donghua Gate first. Besides, good things should be done to the end, and you should send people to the west, so you should send them to Donghua Gate!"
Although Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu were somewhat skeptical, they did as they were told. When they arrived at Donghua Gate, they discovered that besides the eunuchs wearing special hats and uniforms, there were also many low-ranking officials wearing green official uniforms. However, all of them held their heads high and were full of vigor and vitality. After asking, they learned that they were the secretaries of the cabinet.
Various imperial edicts that were not particularly important were written by these Zhongshu Sheren.
The two brothers saw these promising and talented officials for the first time, so they naturally looked at them curiously. However, they did not know that they also attracted the attention of those people when they stood at Donghua Gate. Therefore, when Lu Chan thanked Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu with a smile and sent them away, and then drove the huge carriage into Donghua Gate, naturally someone came to inquire.
Although Lü Chan was known as a smiling tiger, there were always some unscrupulous people among the secretaries. For example, Wu Zhongshu, who had a similar personality to Wu Ge Lao and shared the same surname, was careless in his work but liked to talk a lot and spread all kinds of news. He smiled and asked questions. He didn't expect to get any answers, but he got a lot in the end.
Lü Chan said lightly, "The one on the carriage caused the Second Prince to kill slaves without authorization, and also reported the First Prince for competing with the people for the so-called things that benefit the country and the people. It is said that it was a new type of spinning machine invented by Dr. Zhang and Lu Sanlang, which is several times faster than the previous folk spinning machines. I don't know how the First Prince found out about it, but he insisted on buying 100 of them from Lu Sanlang at a high price. But the first ones to use it were the weaving and dyeing workshops of the brothers Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu."
Wu Zhongshu's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, and then he said with a half-smile: "Eunuch Lu, are you exaggerating? My hometown is in Jiangnan, and my family is not from a wealthy family. I have seen my elders spinning and weaving since I was a child. If you say there are machines that are faster than the ones they use, I believe it, but if you say it is several times faster, isn't that an exaggeration?"
Lu Chan immediately laughed: "I don't know whether it is true or not, but if it is not really effective, why would the eldest prince spend a lot of money to buy it, and why would the second prince report the eldest prince for robbing? Since the second prince keeps saying that it is beneficial to the country and the people, it cannot be controlled by private hands, the emperor naturally wants to take a good look at the real thing."