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The blacksmith shop was bustling with activity at the moment. The furnace was glowing red from the bellows, steam was rising, and there were clanging sounds everywhere. It was even more lively than before Min Xi left.

The new apprentice didn't know Min Xi, so he greeted him while swinging his hammer: "Sir, what do you need?"

Min Xi smiled and asked, "What do you have in your shop?"

"That's a lot. We have the unique bicycles in Beijing, as well as the best ironware in the city. There are samples in the store. You can go in and choose at will." The apprentice said as he was busy, with a proud tone.

Min Xi walked inside. A waiter was about to greet him, but he looked up and saw Min Xi. He was stunned for a moment before speaking: "Boss! The boss is back!"

When everyone heard him call him "boss", they all looked over, then put down their work and gathered around, talking to Min Xi. Min Xi raised his hand to greet everyone, and then asked the shopkeeper about the situation of the blacksmith shop.

Over the past year, the blacksmith shop has not been idle. Not only has it seized the time to expand its business, it has also been trying to refine new steels based on the original steel formula. What's more, it has actually refined two different types of steels, one with good toughness and strong ductility, and the other with extremely high hardness.

Min Xi looked at the sample the shopkeeper gave him and said, "Not bad. This kind of steel with good ductility can be used as the bottom of a sailboat to replace copper sheets, which will greatly reduce the cost of shipbuilding. You can take the sample to the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War and promote it to them. By the way, prepare some for me as well. I need it."

So when he went to Yunxiang Restaurant to treat his guests to dinner that evening, Min Xi brought some steel samples to the restaurant.

The guests at the banquet were good friends of Min Xi and Yun Ji. In addition to the Baron, there were Feng Hao, Sun Hua, Zhao Shizhen and Yu Liang. Qiao Zhilian was still in office and had not returned.

Shortly after the afternoon, Yun Ji came out of the Ministry of Revenue. Not long after he arrived, Min Xi also came over, and several guests arrived one after another soon after.

We hadn't seen each other for a long time, so we were very excited to see each other and exchanged pleasantries. The food came quickly, and we had hot pot and dry pot, so we didn't have to worry about the food getting cold while we were eating.

The guests and hosts chatted while drinking and eating, mainly listening to Min Xi and Yun Ji talk about their trip to Southeast Asia. Everyone was also very curious about Baron Fernando, and heard him talk a lot about Portugal and Europe. Everyone also talked about a lot of old news in the capital in the past two years, and they kept chatting until curfew before leaving.

Of course, Min Xi also gave the steel samples he brought to Zhao Shizhen and Yu Liang, asking them to take them back and study them to see where they could be used. If necessary, the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of War would go directly to the blacksmith shop to place an order.

This not only provided high-quality steel to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry, but also brought business to the blacksmith shops, which was a win-win situation.

As for the machine drawings he brought, Min Xi originally wanted to show them to Zhao Shizhen and Yu Liang, but everyone was happily chatting at the dinner table, and talking about the design drawings was not only inconvenient but also a bit disappointing, so he changed his mind and made an appointment with Zhao Shizhen and Yu Liang to chat again at the old place the next day.

Zhao Shizhen worked as a builder in the Ministry of War, so naturally he didn't have to sit in the yamen every day. Yu Liang, the head of the Ministry of Works, also didn't have to stay in the yamen every day. He needed to go to the workshop to supervise frequently, so going to see Min Xi's design drawings could be considered a business trip.

The next day, Min Xi went to the Honglu Temple to report for duty and then left. He went to the private room of Yunxiang Restaurant where he had eaten yesterday. Not long after, Zhao Shizhen and Yu Liang also arrived. The three of them looked at the design drawings in the private room and discussed the purpose and specific practices of the machine.

We chose to talk about this at Yunxiang Restaurant because this is Min Xi's territory. You can have whatever you want there. If you are cold, you can light a brazier, if you are thirsty, you can have hot tea, and if you are hungry, you can have snacks and hot meals.

Yu Liang knew that the bicycle that was popular in Beijing was designed by Min Xi, and he admired his ingenuity very much, but it was the first time he had seen Min Xi's design drawings. When he saw the exquisite design drawings, he was shocked beyond words: "Mr. Min is really a genius, your drawings are more complex than those of our Ministry of Industry. The conception is also more ingenious, which makes me admire him!"

"Thank you for your praise, Lord Yu." Min Xi was indeed a little reluctant to take credit for himself. After all, these drawings of his were the result of hundreds of years of human wisdom, not his own work.

The three engineering men discussed the drawings enthusiastically for a whole day and added some new ideas. It was not until nightfall that the waiter brought the food. Only then did they reluctantly put away the drawings and have dinner.

Min Xi said, "I originally planned to make these machines myself, but then His Majesty asked me to work part-time at the Metropolitan Procuratorate. I'm afraid I won't have as much time to tinker with them in the future, so I want to ask Lord Yu to take them back to the Ministry of Works to see if there are any skilled craftsmen who can make them."

Yu Liang's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Are these drawings really going to be sent to our Ministry of Industry?" He had chatted with Min Xi for a day and knew how useful those machines were. If they could be built, it would benefit countless people.

Min Xi nodded: "I will rely on the officials and craftsmen of the Ministry of Works in the future."

Zhao Shizhen also agreed with Min Xi's approach: "Brother Quanzhen will be working as a censor in the future. He will no longer be as idle as the Honglu Temple. He really doesn't have much time to devote himself to making these machines. Sending them to the Ministry of Works is the best choice. You can also make a copy and leave it in your blacksmith shop. Maybe a skilled craftsman can make it."

"Chang Ji is right. We can place bets on multiple parties, and the chances of making it successfully will be greater." Min Xi decided to leave a copy of the drawing in the blacksmith shop.

Before leaving, Min Xi gave all the draft drawings to Yu Liang. Yu Liang happily held the drawings and said to Min Xi: "I will take them back and let my colleagues study them. I think it is very likely to be done."

Min Xi said, "Making these things is very expensive. But I can provide some materials. Please give me a list of what you need. I will try to buy as much as possible to reduce the financial pressure on your Ministry of Industry."

This was a complete surprise. Yu Liang bowed to Min Xi and said, "Mr. Min is so kind. When I return, I will ask everyone to do their best and will not let you down."

"Then we'll just wait for good news!" Min Xi said with a smile.