dognovel Chapter 102 Old Zhu: These two pieces of rotten wood have finally grown up!
Chapter 102 Old Zhu: These two pieces of rotten wood have finally grown up!
Yang Shaofeng chatted with Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San until it was almost evening, and the dozen or so portions of sand had almost dried out. Only then did he excuse himself and go to the shade of a tree to check on the sand.
Yang Shaofeng reached out and touched the first piece of sand, which was a 1:1 ratio of cement and sand. He felt that the sand was not very rough to the touch, but the cement surface was too smooth.
Reaching out to touch the second piece of sand, which is a 1:2 ratio of cement to sand, the cement surface is not as smooth as the first piece of sand, but for use in paving roads, such smoothness is still a bit too much.
Only when he touched the third piece of sand did a satisfied smile appear on Yang Shaofeng's face.
Yang Shaofeng tapped a few pieces of sand with his hand, then stomped on each piece before pointing to the third piece and saying, "From now on, use this method: one part cement to three parts sand."
Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San curiously touched the third piece of sand. They felt that the surface of the sand was not very smooth, but it was not rough to the touch either. Moreover, Yang Shaofeng had stomped on it hard but had not been able to break it apart, unlike the other pieces of sand next to it that had more sand mixed in, which crumbled as soon as they were stomped on.
Just as Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San were marveling at the properties of the sand, Yang Shaofeng continued to say to Bo Wu, "Tell the road construction site that when the roadbed is dug three feet deep, first mix this sand with gravel and lay it for three feet eight inches, and then lay two inches of this sand on top."
After Limpy Wu agreed, Zhu Lao Er looked at Yang Shaofeng expectantly and said, "Brother-in-law, after we return to the capital, can I teach this thing to the craftsmen in the craft camp?"
Yang Shaofeng nodded without hesitation: "If you're willing to teach, then teach. It would be best if the craftsmen in the workshop could improve upon it."
For Yang Shaofeng, there was nothing to hide about the method of firing cement and then mixing it with sand to make simple mortar concrete. It would be even better if someone could improve this method.
Zhu Lao Er was overjoyed and immediately bowed to Yang Shaofeng, saying, "Thank you, brother-in-law!"
Yang Shaofeng smiled and exchanged a few polite words without taking it seriously, but he didn't expect that Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San's repeated calls of "brother-in-law" would eventually bring about some bad consequences.
For example, Jin'er and Yu'er were both ashamed and angry about this. After staying in Ningyang County for five days, no matter how much the Zhu brothers, Zhu Shuang and Zhu Gang, acted up, they refused to stay even one more day.
However, Zhu Gang's repeated calls of "brother-in-law" weren't entirely without merit.
For example, before leaving, Jin'er and Yu'er each left a sachet and repeatedly told Yang Shaofeng to take care of his health and not to overwork himself.
As for other things, things like holding hands and kissing cheeks, which Yang Shaofeng, the magistrate, dreamed of, were all unfulfilled. So much so that the day after Jin'er and Yu'er left, Yang Shaofeng secretly washed his underpants himself.
"Damn it, being too young isn't good either; it's easy to have a mishap."
……
"So, are you satisfied with Magistrate Yang?"
Upon seeing Jin'er and Yu'er, the rather unrespectable Emperor Zhu Chongba smiled and said, "If you are satisfied, we will have your mothers arrange your marriages. If you are not satisfied, we will have your mothers choose other suitable partners for you."
Jin'er and Yu'er exchanged a glance, and finally Jin'er mustered her courage and said, "Your daughter will leave everything to your parents."
This means agreeing.
In ancient times, people also arranged marriages. If the matchmaker was satisfied, the daughter would say, "It's all up to my parents." If she was not satisfied, she would usually say, "I still want to stay by my parents' side and fulfill my filial duties."
This saying is similar to the idea of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress. If the hero is handsome, the rescued beauty will say, "I have no way to repay your great kindness, so I will repay you with my body." If the hero is ugly, the rescued beauty will most likely say, "I have no way to repay your great kindness, so I will repay you by being your servant in the next life."
So when he heard the words "It's all up to your parents to decide," Emperor Zhu Chongba laughed twice and said, "That's good. When we return to the capital, we'll have your mother arrange your marriage."
After discussing Jin'er and Yu'er's marriage, Emperor Zhu Chongba turned his gaze to Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San: "These two rascals, were they well-behaved in Ningyang County?"
Jin'er said, "The two princes were very studious when they were in Ningyang County. They learned a lot of skills from Magistrate Yang, and Magistrate Yang taught them very well."
Yu'er glared at Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San and said, "After all, the two princes keep calling him brother-in-law, so why would Magistrate Yang keep anything to himself?"
Upon hearing Yu'er's words, Emperor Zhu Chongba's eyes widened as he looked at Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San and said, "You two are calling him brother-in-law directly?"
Zhu Laosan raised his head and replied, "I did shout, and my brother-in-law didn't say I couldn't shout."
Emperor Zhu Chongba was furious. He pointed at Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San, and then said to Jin'er and Yu'er, "You two go back to your rooms and rest first. We have something to say to these two scoundrels alone!"
After Jin'er and Yu'er left, Zhu Chongba, the emperor who was originally furious, suddenly changed his expression and instructed Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San: "Tell me everything that happened after you arrived in Ningyang County."
Zhu Lao Er spoke first: "When we first arrived in Ningyang County, Magistrate Yang was having people weigh limestone and clay in the back office. Later we learned that these two materials were fired in a kiln, cooled, and then mixed with sand and water before they could be used to repair roads. Moreover, once the road surface was dried in the shade, it became quite solid and could withstand the trampling of vehicles and horses."
"However, if it is used directly to pave the road, no one can gather enough cement and mortar for the whole road in a short time, so it can only be repaired section by section."
"Moreover, this stuff can't withstand direct sunlight and can only be air-dried. So, if you want to build a road, you have to prepare enough straw mats. As soon as the mortar surface hardens slightly, you have to cover it with straw mats, otherwise it will crack in strips."
"Magistrate Yang also said that this kind of road surface is neither as dusty as a dirt road nor as afraid of rain as a 'field'. It can be used by the people to dry grain during the autumn harvest, which is an additional use."
Emperor Zhu Chongba's eyes lit up, and he said, "With just this one thing, your trip wasn't in vain."
Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San's understanding of "roads" was ultimately a bit superficial, but in the eyes of Emperor Zhu Chongba, a road that was not afraid of being trampled by carriages and horses, and a road that was not afraid of rain, was simply the best road for mobilizing troops and transporting supplies!
While pondering the advantages of this cement road, Emperor Zhu Chongba asked, "Besides this cement road, what else have you learned?"
Without hesitation, Zhu Laosan said, "We also learned the principle that 'to punish without teaching is cruelty.'"
Emperor Zhu Chongba, curious, exclaimed "Oh!" and asked, "Then tell me, what does it mean to punish someone without teaching them? That is cruelty?"
The phrase "to punish without teaching is cruelty" first appeared in the "Biography of Dong Zhongshu" in the Book of Changes, which states: Confucius said, "To punish without teaching is cruelty. If cruel government is applied to the people, how can one expect moral education to spread throughout the world? It is therefore difficult to achieve."
The reason Dong Zhongshu said "Confucius said" is because the Analects of Confucius, in the chapter "Yao said", states: "To kill without teaching is called cruelty".
Besides the Analects, Xunzi also mentioned in "Enriching the State": "Therefore, if one punishes without teaching, then punishments will be numerous and evil will not be overcome; if one teaches but does not punish, then wicked people will not be deterred; if one punishes but does not reward, then even relatives and friends will not be encouraged; if punishment and reward are not differentiated, then the people will be suspicious, customs will be treacherous and the people will not be united."
Emperor Zhu Chongba deeply regretted not having received proper education in his youth, so he specially invited renowned scholars such as Song Lian to teach his sons. Naturally, these scholars also taught the classic tale of "punishing someone without teaching them."
But despite the lectures, Zhu Lao Er, Zhu Lao San, Zhu Lao Si, and Zhu Lao Wu were typical "unruly fellows." No matter what great Confucian scholars like Song Lian said, these guys would just let it go in one ear and out the other, at most giving a few perfunctory replies when the teacher asked them questions.
Now that they've gone to Ningyang County, how could Emperor Zhu not be surprised that these two "rotten woods," Zhu Lao Er and Zhu Lao San, have actually learned the principle of "punishing without teaching is cruelty"?
These two pieces of rotten wood have actually grown up!
Zhu Lao Er chuckled and said, "Back then, Lao San and I lamented that those county magistrates whose jurisdictions suffered from drought and locust plagues should be hung up and beaten..."