My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 91 The Allure of Productivity
Seeing how enthusiastically his friends were playing, Zhu Di and Zhu Su also became interested and rode their mounts over.

Before long, he was fighting with everyone.

Zhu Gang was also very envious, but he was still somewhat proud and couldn't let go of his status.

After Ma Yu noticed this, she leaned closer and said loudly:
"Cousin, wanna play a game with me?"

Empress Ma and the others also turned their gazes in that direction.

Zhu Gang didn't refuse him, and instead put on a magnanimous air, saying:

"Alright, cousin, bring it on!"

Ma Yu laughed and said, "You're just parroting what I say, but let's play something very basic, so you don't learn the wrong thing."

Zhu Gang nodded, but he was already on high alert, determined not to make a mistake.

Ma Yu coughed lightly and said, "Red."

Zhu Gang thought quickly, realized there was no trap, and then added:
"red."

Before he could finish speaking, Ma Yu quickly said:

"White."

Zhu Gang subconsciously sped up: "White."

"green."

"green."

"red."

"red."

The two exchanged questions and answers faster and faster, until Zhu Gang stopped thinking and answered subconsciously based on his feelings.

But what he didn't realize was that his mind was now filled with nothing but colors.

The other children also quieted down and looked at them.

Just then, Ma Yu suddenly asked:

What color is grass?

Zhu Gang replied instinctively, "Green."

Ma Yu pressed on, asking, "What color is the grass?"

Zhu Gang still didn't notice anything amiss: "Green."

Ma Yu spoke even faster: "I'll ask you one more time, what color is grass?"

Zhu Gang's stubbornness flared up: "Green, grass is green."

The others were a little confused at first; isn't grass supposed to be green?

But as the bystander sees more clearly, they quickly realized that this was parroting, not a question and answer exercise.

Seeing Zhu Gang's defiant expression, they couldn't help but laugh.

Zhu Gang was even more indignant. What did he mean? Grass is green, isn't it?
What are you laughing at?
Empress Ma laughed so hard she almost fell over: "Silly boy, you're just parroting me."

Zhu Gang was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening, and his face immediately turned red.

However, his blushing was just a subconscious behavior, after all, he has a strong personality.

But he wasn't angry inside.

What he envies most is that everyone can put aside their status and get along well.

His cousin was helping him; he was so grateful that he couldn't possibly be angry.

So instead of getting angry, he put on a defiant look and said:

"No, I'm inexperienced and got scammed. Let's try again."

Ma Yu said dismissively, "Too weak. Go play with Lao San and the others first. Come and challenge me when you've passed their test."

Zhu Gang then said, "Alright, you wait and see. I'll defeat you and take back my pride sooner or later."

Then, blushing, she rode her mount and joined the small group.

The members of the small group knew that he was still a little reserved, so they took the initiative to talk to him, and they quickly became familiar with each other.

Zhu Gang completely let go of his psychological burden and started playing around with everyone.

Empress Ma looked at her son laughing heartily and was genuinely happy, waving to Ma Yu.

Ma Yu quickly turned his horse around and approached the carriage. Before he could speak, Empress Ma praised him:
"Thank you, Yu'er."

Ma Yu naturally understood what he meant and smiled:

"In your words, we are family, aren't we?"

Empress Ma said with emotion, "Yes, we are all family. Yu'er is my most obedient child."

Consort Chang greatly admired Ma Yu's series of actions.

She had been wondering how her young cousin had managed to subdue these privileged youths and get them into a fight.

Now she's finally seeing some of it.

Xu Miaoyun was young, so she didn't think too much about it; she just envied others who had games to play.

Seeing Zhu Di having so much fun made her a little angry.

You're so busy playing with others and ignoring me. Wait till I get my hands on you and see how I deal with you.

Zhu Di, who was having a great time, had no idea that he had inexplicably become a criminal.

Chang Yuchun also wore a thoughtful expression; the scene he had just witnessed had once again changed his understanding of Ma Yu.

This kid is not only very knowledgeable, but he also has a knack for dealing with people.

In terms of being an official, the latter is more important than the former. If one possesses both, then one has the talent of a prime minister.

Given Ma Yu's relationship with the royal family, this probability is very high.

Although with Consort Chang around, their family was never short of wealth.

Having a powerful ally in the court is better than anything else.

The problem is that none of my family members are smart. When peace returns and the civil officials take over the military, we're bound to suffer.

Now that I have Ma Yu, I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Thinking of this, he looked at Chang Sheng in the crowd. This kid is really a lucky charm for our family.

You can meet such a talented person even when you're just out shopping.

The rest of the journey went smoothly, and Ma Yu didn't encounter anyone blocking her way to complain, which disappointed her somewhat.

In fact, he was overthinking it.

The Empress, the Crown Prince, and several legitimate princes traveled together, and the route had already been cleared countless times.

No one would come forward to complain.

Moreover, disturbing the emperor's carriage is a capital offense and will bring disaster upon the entire family. No matter how great the injustice, no one would dare to stop their carriage.

However, once the atmosphere became lively again, everyone chatted and laughed and didn't feel tired at all.

Around four or five in the afternoon, we finally arrived at our destination.

The small estate, consisting of 500 acres of land, is actually not very large, with only ten households and sixty-seven people in total.

After all, it's a royal estate, and the environment is much better than the surrounding villages.

There is a dedicated irrigation canal, and a pond covering four or five acres was dug next to the village.

The houses were genuine brick and mud structures, and every household raised livestock such as chickens, sheep, and pigs.

Most importantly, they have large livestock, cattle.

There were five heads in total.

In this era, this is the most important tool of production.

To put it bluntly, a strong, able-bodied ox is even more important than a human.

This time, including their small group and guards, there were several hundred people in total, so naturally they couldn't stay in ordinary people's homes.

Fortunately, Zhu Shuang had sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to make preparations several days earlier.

A large open space was cleared next to the pond for them to set up camp.

While the guards were busy setting up tents, Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, Ma Yu, and others went to the village to visit the people.

First, everyone went to the new home of Ma Baye's two sons.

The two adjacent houses, like the surrounding houses, have a brick and mud structure, with each house having three main rooms and two side rooms.

As for other livestock sheds and the like, they would need to purchase those themselves.

The house was furnished with a complete set of new furniture and farm tools, and the warehouse was stocked with enough food to last them a year.

In short, it's the kind of place where you can move in immediately with just your belongings.

After the visit, Ma Yu gave Yuan Lang a perfect score in her mind; he was indeed reliable.

Ma Baye's two sons were very excited.

Although it can't compare to the grand mansions in Yingtian City, this is my own home.

Empress Ma then bestowed some money and cloth upon the two families to express her gratitude.

After that, no one stayed long and went out to wander around other people's houses.

The ten households were incredibly excited upon learning of the arrival of the Empress and the Crown Prince.

They all wanted to bring out their most precious possessions to entertain them.

But even their best possessions seem so insignificant in everyone's eyes.

But no one complained.

Empress Ma, who also came from humble beginnings, naturally knew how to communicate with these common people.

As for Zhu Biao, I don't know what he was thinking, he just loved to go into other people's kitchens and lift up their rice bins and pot lids.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was starving.

But what he saw made him less optimistic.

There wasn't much food in the rice bin, and the pot was either empty or filled with half-grain, half-vegetable flatbread.

He picked up a piece and took a bite, only to feel a strange taste rush straight to the top of his head.

He forced himself to swallow it, packed up the rest of the bread and took it with him, leaving the family with several times the amount of dry food.

He planned to let everyone taste what the real food in the people's pot was like.

Ma Yu was interested in something else entirely: spinning machines and looms.

Empress Ma had previously stated that the entire imperial estate was planted with cotton.

So it's not surprising that ordinary people have these two things in their homes.

The spinning machine was similar to the one he had seen in his previous life, and the loom was almost the same style as in his previous life, with only one major difference.

Flying shuttle.

These looms didn't have shuttles; instead, the thread was wound around a wooden stick, and the loom was passed from one side to the other while weaving.

The wires were laid out manually during the transfer process, which was very slow.

He immediately realized that air shuttles probably hadn't existed yet at that time.

I asked the farmers, and sure enough, they all said that they had always woven cloth this way and had never heard of anything like a flying shuttle.

Having confirmed this, he immediately decided that it was time to bring out another essential skill for time travelers.

Inventions and creations.

However, it was already late, so he didn't say anything, but just kept it in mind. That evening, everyone held a bonfire party by the pond, and a group of teenagers, having a great time, sang, danced, and shouted.

The most reserved Zhu Gang, amidst the cheers of the crowd, performed a set of sword techniques, drawing thunderous applause.

Chang Yuchun, who was sitting next to Ma Yu, suddenly said:

"You made the right decision to hold this event."

Ma Yu naturally knew what he was referring to, and sighed:

"People are complex, and I hope that today's impact will last for a while longer."

Just as they would feel distressed to witness the poverty of the people.

But back in the bustling city of Yingtian, enjoying a life of luxury, how many people can truly recall all of that?

Now everyone is singing and dancing like brothers, but when they get older, various interests will come into play.

How many people will still remember this day?

Chang Yuchun laughed and said, "Don't be so discouraged at such a young age. At least some people will be changed by today's experience, and that's enough."

Ma Yu nodded and smiled again: "Yes, that's enough."
-
The next morning, Ma Yu was woken up by the noise outside while she was still asleep.

I opened my eyes and found that it was already daylight. I quickly got up and crawled out of the tent.

Once they found that everyone was already up, the friends went to the pond in twos and threes to wash up.

He glanced over and saw Zhu Shuang's figure, then quickly chased after him:

"Second brother, do you know anyone who knows carpentry?"

While rubbing his eyes, Zhu Shuang said, "There are some in the village, but their skills aren't very good."

Ma Yu said, "That's alright, it's just a simple little thing. Take me to him later."

Zhu Shuang nodded.

As they were talking, they arrived at the pond. Ma Yu found a stone and prepared to place it under her feet to prevent herself from slipping into the water.

He looked surprised as soon as he picked up the stone.

So light.

Only after careful observation can one understand what happened.

Although I was a little curious about how there could be such a stone in this place, I didn't think too much about it and prepared to put it under my feet.

Just then, he saw some of his friends skipping stones on the water, and an idea suddenly came to him.

So he picked up the stone and shouted loudly:

"Hey everyone, stop for a second."

Everyone looked at him, and Empress Ma, who had just finished washing up and stepped out of the tent, also came over, wanting to see what kind of trouble he was up to.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Ma Yu said:
"There's something I've been keeping from everyone for a long time, and I'm really sorry."

"Today I've decided to reveal this secret."

Everyone was somewhat surprised. What was going on?
Ma Yu continued, "Actually, am I a deity descended to earth?"

Everyone:? ? ?
Zhu Shuang shoved him and said irritably:
"I'm still the Jade Emperor reincarnated, get lost, don't delay my washing up."

Ma Yu said seriously, "Really, if you don't believe me, I can demonstrate my magic for you right here."

Everyone was surprised again. What do you mean? You're not serious, are you?

Empress Ma also came over and said, "Oh? Then give me a performance."

The others chimed in, urging him to do one.

Ma Yu coughed lightly and said, "Do you see the stone in my hand?"

"I can use a magic spell to make it float in water."

Fearing that people wouldn't believe him, he picked up another stone and struck the two stones together, making a loud banging sound.

Then they threw the stones they picked up into the water, and they sank to the bottom with a splash.

Everyone was certain that it was a stone.

They no longer doubted the stone in his hand.

As for his supposed magical powers, no one believed it, but everyone wanted to see how he would explain himself.

Then Ma Yu made a strange gesture with her right hand and muttered:

"May the Supreme Lord Laozi hasten his decree, by the law!"

Then he said to everyone, "Alright, the magic has been completed."

Everyone looked at him with bewilderment. That's it?

Now everyone basically thought he was joking.

Even Empress Ma shook her head helplessly; this nephew just loved to cause trouble.

However, Ma Yu just smiled mysteriously and then waved his hand to throw the stone into the water.

Despite their disbelief, everyone instinctively looked over.

The stone hit the water with a splash and then sank to the bottom.

Before everyone could look away, the stone rolled and surfaced.

Then it just swayed and floated on the surface of the water.

Everyone: Σ(д|||)！！

The gaze directed at Ma Yu was filled with awe.

Zhu Shuang slipped and almost fell into the water.

He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the mud on his body, and stared in shock at the rocks on the water's surface.

The guards who were working in the distance heard the commotion and came over to check, and they were also shocked.

Empress Ma was also stunned. The stone really floated up?
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

No wonder he knows so much at such a young age, no wonder he can see things from a historical perspective...

However, Empress Ma was Empress Ma after all, and she quickly calmed down, walked to Ma Yu's side, and asked:

"You brat, tell me what happened."

Everyone subconsciously swallowed and turned their eyes to him.

Ma Yu realized that her joke had gone a bit too far, and dared not continue her charade, so she quickly said:
"Just kidding, it has nothing to do with magic, it's actually just floating stone."

Empress Ma frowned slightly: "What is pumice?"

Ma Yu explained, "It's a type of rock formed by volcanic eruptions, with many cavities inside."

Seeing everyone's blank expressions, he thought for a moment and said:

"Copper coins sink in water, but copper basins float on the surface; everyone knows that."

"Actually, pumice and copper basins work on similar principles, but their formation conditions are very demanding and they are extremely rare."

Everyone was still confused. They knew about copper basins, but could a stone be compared to a copper basin?
Empress Ma was the most decisive, immediately ordering a guard to retrieve the stone.

Upon inspection, I discovered that the stone was indeed very light and had many small holes on its surface.

That wasn't all; she then ordered people to smash the stone open.

They discovered that the interior was indeed filled with cavities, just as Ma Yu had described.

At this point, she finally believed Ma Yu's words.

However, upon learning the truth, she felt a slight disappointment.

Even though I knew long ago that there would be no magical powers, people always have some unrealistic fantasies.

Now that her illusions have been shattered, she naturally can't be happy.

Then she reached out and grabbed Ma Yu's ear, twisting it: "That'll teach you to tease people again."

Ma Yu screamed in agony, "Ouch, I'll never do it again, Auntie, have mercy! It hurts, it hurts!"

Zhu Shuang was equally angry and kicked him in the butt:
"You bastard, you lied to people."

Other friends also voiced their condemnation, and Ma Yu could only apologize repeatedly.

Empress Ma reprimanded him a few times before going about her own business, and everyone dispersed.

Only Ma Yu rubbed her ears, looking utterly miserable.

I wanted to show off, but I ended up showing off in a ditch instead.

Hey.

Being a time traveler is too difficult.

However, I was still a little proud of myself; a little bit of physics knowledge was enough to fool so many people.

Hey.

He simply overlooked the fact that there are two things in this world: boasting and rumors.

Soon after, news spread that he possessed magical powers and could make stones float on water.

This also caused quite a bit of amusement.

But that's a story for later, so let's leave it at that for now.

After breakfast, Empress Ma led a group of people to the fields to check on the growth of the crops, while the other children went off to do whatever they were interested in.

Led by Zhu Shuang, Ma Yu arrived at a farmhouse and found the man who knew a little about carpentry.

The man naturally dared not refuse their request and immediately brought out his tools.

Under Ma Yu's guidance, a seven- or eight-inch long wooden shuttle was carved.

Then, the center of the wooden shuttle was hollowed out and a very small pulley was installed.

Once the shuttle was finished, a weaver was found, and she wound the thread onto the shuttle's pulley and tried weaving cloth.

The woman was not very skilled at first, but she quickly mastered the trick and happily said that with this flying shuttle, the speed of weaving could be increased tenfold.

Ma Yu did not find this result strange at all.

Previously, the wooden shuttle required manual line feeding, but with the flying shuttle, you just need to toss it back and forth, and the pulley feeds the line automatically using inertia.

A tenfold increase in speed is a bit of an exaggeration, but five or six times is easily achievable.

This represents a leap forward for the current textile industry.

Zhu Shuang initially thought he was going to make toys, but when he learned that he wanted to improve the loom, he laughed at his wild idea.

But after witnessing the efficiency of the shuttle with his own eyes, he was shocked again and couldn't help but ask:
"You little rascal, is there anything you don't understand?"

Ma Yu laughed and said, "There are many things I don't know, but I know far more than you can imagine."

"So, do you submit or not?"

Zhu Shuang rolled his eyes, then dashed outside and sent someone to inform Empress Ma of the news.

Empress Ma rushed back immediately upon hearing the news, and was even more excited after witnessing the changes brought about by the flying shuttle.

Having come from a humble background, she knew all too well how much this efficiency improvement meant for ordinary people.

He repeatedly praised Ma Yu for doing a good job.

But Ma Yu's performance wasn't over yet; he then tried to improve the spinning machine.

The improvement method is also very simple: place the horizontally placed spindles vertically, and arrange several in a row.

then……

Seeing the surprised Empress Ma, Ma Yu smiled and said:
"Auntie, this is the charm of increasing productivity."

(End of this chapter)