No, I was just a concubine, how did I become the queen?

“There really is a car like this?!”

"Can such a big lump of iron really run faster than a horse?"

"And they brought so many people. If they brought food, wouldn't they be invincible?"

"I happened to be there when it was being tested, and it's real! And it's very stable, much better than a horse-drawn carriage!"

"Really? My hometown is in Tianjin. I don't have to travel all the way home for the New Year!"

......

The Fourth Master deliberately did not stop the ministers' discussion, and everyone was so frightened that they couldn't help but shout loudly.

Especially the ministers who had a good relationship with Li Yongshao, who had already experienced the train, were very convincing when they spoke out now.

The ministers who had never seen such new things felt like country bumpkins.

Because they have no way of imagining what a train is like.

Ordinary horse-drawn carriages were made of wood, and every effort had to be made to reduce the weight so as not to tire the horses to death.

Not to mention that the carriage is too narrow to accommodate many people, and it is often so foggy that people can't breathe. If the journey is long, you will be exhausted after the ride.

Trains are mostly made of iron. How can they run so fast if they are so heavy?

Not to mention that it can accommodate so many people and it doesn’t feel stuffy at all.

Is this really something that exists in the human world? Isn't it a divine artifact?

Since Lin Mingyan was in charge of this matter, the Fourth Master was really proud of it.

He shocked everyone for a while before he began to praise the Ministry of Industry's achievements.

She also specifically mentioned Lin Mingyan: "The steam engine, train, and rails were all developed with the painstaking efforts of craftsmen specially hired by the Queen."

"I am very happy to have achieved such an accomplishment now!"

The Fourth Master was too lazy to hide it and just said that it was all thanks to the Queen.

He is happy that the queen is so nice!

The ministers had long been accustomed to the Fourth Master's "flattery" from the Queen, and their hearts had become numb.

But he still had to compliment her verbally, praising the Queen like a fairy who had descended to earth.

The Fourth Master still felt that it was not enough, and he insisted on drafting an imperial edict, praising Lin Mingyan from beginning to end.

Later historians were indeed shocked by such a queen.

What kind of smart person could develop steam engines and trains in the deep palace?

This is also an unsolved mystery in the world!

Lin Mingyan was certainly unaware of the worries of later historians. She had long been confident about the successful operation of the train.

After all, steam engines and rails have been developed, so trains are inevitable. China has never lacked skilled craftsmen throughout history.

In another time and space, China may have missed the opportunity of the first industrial revolution due to poor decision-making by its rulers.

But in this time and space, the Qing Dynasty was the first to start the Industrial Revolution!

They will take this opportunity to build their empire on which the sun never sets!

The people of Beijing have been secretly buzzing about this new train for a long time.

When the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month came and the Beijing-Tianjin railway was officially opened, everyone was excited.

For the first train, I didn’t buy the ticket, but got it through a lottery.

Families who need to go to Tianjin can register through their Beijing household registration and can choose the number of people traveling when registering.

Finally, ninety-nine passengers were selected through a lottery.

Widow Wang and her three sons and one daughter were standing on the platform waiting for the train.

She looked at the lump of iron in front of her, and couldn't help but feel doubtful.

I quietly asked my daughter Wang Xiaohua: "Xiaohua, how many oxen do you think it takes to pull this cart?"

"Are those horses all up ahead? Why can't I see them?"

The best car she had ever ridden in her life was an ox cart, and the best car she had ever seen was a landlord's horse carriage.

So she also thought that this train was also pulled by horses.

And how many horses would it take to pull such a long car?

Don't let the horses get tired to death on the way and leave them in the middle of nowhere!

Wang Xiaohua comforted her and emphasized again: "Mom, I've told you many times that this train doesn't need horses to pull it, so don't worry!"

Widow Wang had indeed heard her say this several times, but she didn't believe it: "Xiaohua, stop teasing your mother. How can there be a carriage that doesn't need a horse to pull it?"

"Without something pulling it, can it move?"

Wang Xiaohua slapped her forehead, feeling truly impressed by her mother. She could only say, "It's almost time to get on the bus. You'll know once the bus starts moving!"

Because this car was developed by the Empress Dowager, Miaorentang had already sent people to learn more about it and informed everyone.

That's why Wang Xiaohua knew so much about it, because her maternal family lives in Tianjin, so she got the chance to register first and was lucky enough to be drawn for a free ride.

However, the trip you drew is the one going there, so you have to pay for the return trip yourself.

Widow Wang began to feel bad about the money again: "If you ask me, it doesn't matter if we don't go, why bother spending the money?"

She left her parents' home at the age of fifteen and married in the suburbs of Beijing. She was considered one of the better-married women in her family.

Although Tianjin is not far from Beijing, how can a poor family afford to visit relatives?

So after all these years of marriage, she has never actually gone back home. At most, she would ask someone to bring gifts back to her parents' home during festivals.

Later, her husband died, and she had already prepared herself that she would never be able to return to her parents' home in this lifetime.

Unexpectedly, Xiaohua actually grabbed the train ticket this time and can take everyone back for free.

But you can only sign up for this one lottery, and you will have to spend real money when you come back!

"Xiaohua, tell me the truth, how much does the return train ticket cost?" Widow Wang felt very uneasy because she didn't ask clearly.

If it's really too expensive, she would rather give up the opportunity to go back for free!

Wang Xiaohua was really helpless, her family was no longer poor now!

First of all, she has become a master and is now a doctor at Miaorentang, with a monthly salary of three taels of silver.

If you make house calls, you will receive extra rewards and can earn a lot of money in a year.

Besides, the eldest brother has passed the imperial examination and received a certain amount of allowance every month. Moreover, because of his title of scholar, their family’s land is exempt from taxes.

My second and third brothers started growing sweet potatoes and then high-yield rice, and there was enough food for the family all year round.

In particular, the two of them conducted some research and started a circular farming and breeding model.

They planted sweet potatoes, then used the sweet potato residue and sweet potato vines to start a pig farm, and used the pig manure to make fertilizer to grow rice and sweet potatoes.

In this way, no matter what, it’s a good harvest, and I really made a lot of money this year!

But Widow Wang was still very stingy and she would rather split every penny into two!

Wang Xiaohua shook her head. "A regular seat ticket costs one hundred wen per person, so for the five of us, that's five hundred wen."

"Five hundred coins?! We might as well just rob them!" Widow Wang exclaimed, her heart bleeding. "I'm not going to sit here anymore! I'm not going to sit here anymore!"