Yesterday morning, Niu Huang was at home in Zheng County with his apprentices, crafting furniture for a prominent local family.
Suddenly, a group of men dressed in black stormed into his home. The leader looked at Niu Huang and said,
"Henan Province, Bian Prefecture, Zheng County. Carpenter Niu Huang, is that you?"
Niu Huang, bewildered by their appearance, nodded repeatedly. "I am indeed Niu Huang. May I ask what business you honorable sirs have with me?"
"If you are Niu Huang, then all is well. By order of the Duke of Shenyang, you are summoned to Shenyang to work."
The man threw a cloth bag at Niu Huang's feet and continued,
"If you agree, this is a settling-in fee. You may bring your family and apprentices with you.
Your food, clothing, shelter, and transportation will be taken care of. Once you arrive, you need only focus on your work."
The cloth bag was unfastened, and silver ingots spilled out.
Niu Huang's heart pounded as he looked at the silver. In his sixty-plus years, he had never seen so much money!
However, he had already accepted work from others and dared not simply walk away.
"Esteemed sirs, this old man has already accepted..."
Niu Huang's words were cut short by the man.
"You are currently working for the landlord Zhou. The complete set of furniture is only five hundred wen. If you agree, these matters will be handled."
Niu Huang pondered for a moment. Seeing the distinguished bearing of the man before him, he mustered his courage and agreed.
He did not expect, however, that less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after he accepted the task, a wooden shell monster would descend from the sky and land in front of his house.
"Do not bring anything except your personal belongings and money. In Shenyang, new things will be provided for you."
And so, Niu Huang, along with his elderly mother, wife, children, and three apprentices, boarded their first-ever helicopter.
It wasn't just him; other artisans were also brought to Shenyang in this manner by the Eastern Depot.
Upon arrival in Shenyang, Lai Yifa arranged for Sun Simiao to personally attend to Niu Huang's elderly mother. The house assigned to them was bright and spacious, even more beautiful than the landlord Zhou's home.
Similarly, weavers, goldsmiths, lacquerware artisans, and others were all brought here through this method.
Once the Eastern Depot agents located their addresses, they immediately went to their homes, confirmed their identities, explained their purpose, offered money, and took them away.
It was as simple as that!
It was akin to scenes from a disaster movie where NASA conscripts scientists.
And these few were merely the first batch.
A large number of skilled artisans were still on their way to Shenyang.
The status of artisans meant their living conditions were not ideal. Although Emperor Taizong had issued an edict to abolish the artisan registry, the process of changing the reality after its proclamation to the world was slow.
In terms of talent discovery, Fang Er had far surpassed the Ministry of Works, leaving Du Yiyang in the dust!
After handling matters related to these artisans, Fang Er returned to the wedding banquet and continued to drink heartily with Liu Dacheng, Chai Shao, and others.
The mental effort required to draw designs all day was immense.
Today, Fang Er had truly let loose, drinking whatever was offered and accepting every toast.
Before the banquet concluded, he was carried back by Yan Shuangying and Su Feng.
He was drunk, but the festivities at Zhu Zi's place were still in full swing.
After the banquet ended, the soldiers from each division returned to their camps, but the division commanders, including Liu Meng and Wu Yong, remained.
On such a joyous occasion, it would be a disservice to their strong friendship not to eavesdrop, wouldn't it?
Thus, the four men, unnoticed, quietly climbed onto Zhu Zi's rooftop.
Carefully moving the tiles, they could clearly see Zhu Zi sitting on the bed through the gaps in the wooden planks of the roof.
Carrying wine bottles, they drank and waited for the live broadcast.
Tie Lao Ba, in particular, fearing he might not see clearly, had even brought binoculars.
As the sky darkened, Hua Niang returned from outside and pushed the door open.
Swaying her hips, she walked to the bedside and softly called out to Zhu Zi, "Zhu Lang~~!"
Her voice was exceptionally charming, and she reached out to lift Zhu Zi's chin.
"Hiss! How cheesy!" The four on the roof shivered. Was this the same tigress from earlier today?
"Hua Niang, stop playing. Hurry and lift the veil." Zhu Zi had been sitting in the room for most of the day, his backside almost numb.
"Puchi~~!"
Hua Niang giggled and tapped Zhu Zi's forehead with her finger. "Mischievous~!"
"What, my Zhu Lang can't wait any longer?"
After saying this, she picked up a steelyard from the bedside and lifted a corner of the red veil covering Zhu Zi's head.
At the same time, Hua Niang began to chant:
"One scale of the heavenly balance, set with sixteen stars, seven north, six south, welcoming fortune, prosperity, and longevity."
"Zhu Lang, I'm lifting it now~~!"
With a final push, she pulled the red veil off.
"Damn, I was suffocating!"
With the red veil removed, Zhu Zi jumped up from the bed as if a monkey that had been suppressed for five hundred years was finally freed, and began to stretch his limbs.
"I say, Hua Niang, you've had your moment of glory today. From now on, I...!"
"Shh, don't speak. Here, drink."
Hua Niang placed a finger on Zhu Zi's lips and offered him a wine cup with a smile.
"This is the He Jin wine, the ceremonial wine for couples."
Zhu Zi hadn't eaten much all day and his stomach was rumbling with hunger.
After drinking the ceremonial wine, Hua Niang pointed to the food box on the table. "Zhu Lang hasn't eaten all day. Hurry and fill your stomach."
"Hmm, I picked the right person. Hua Niang is so thoughtful!"
He opened the food box to find a whole roasted lamb leg, still steaming.
After eating and drinking their fill, Zhu Zi turned around and saw Hua Niang had changed into a sheer garment and was lying on the bed, propping her chin in her hand, looking at him with a radiant face.
"Quick, quick, it's about to begin!"
Tie Lao Ba on the roof whispered lewdly to Wu Yong and the others.
"Where? Where?"
Wu Yong, Zhang Tian, and Liu Meng quickly crowded closer.
"Crash~~!"
Suddenly, someone's foot slipped, and a tile shattered.
"Who!"
Zhu Zi, who was about to make his move in the room, was startled by the noise.
He rushed out of the room in his underpants, leaped outside, used the window for leverage, and landed steadily on the rooftop.
The four peeping men had just thought "oh no" in their minds when they saw Zhu Zi's expression, which seemed as though he wanted to devour them.
"Brother Zhu Zi, don't misunderstand. We were keeping watch for you."
Zhang Tian quickly waved his hands in explanation.
"Keeping watch? Watch my ass!"
Zhu Zi would have to be an idiot to believe him. He immediately kicked out.
"Hahaha, Brother Zhu Zi, don't be angry. We're leaving, we're leaving. We won't disturb you and sister-in-law making little ones."
Zhang Tian jumped off the roof and yelled as he ran into the distance.
At this moment, Hua Niang inside the room finally understood what had happened.
She threw off the bedsheet, wrapped it around herself, and stood in the courtyard, cursing loudly.
"You bunch of bastards! If you want to watch, come into the room! What's the meaning of climbing on the roof!"
"Tomorrow, every single one of you will fix the roof for me!
Otherwise, you'll see how I complain about you to the Duke!"