Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

Therefore, Lin Ping never judges a person based on their level of education.

The reason he set the threshold for becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) was simply because he didn't want to take on disciples. Even if someone did become a Juren, they might not necessarily become a disciple of Lin Ping.

In order not to become the kind of person he hated, Lin Ping deliberately gave these blacksmiths another option: no education is fine, but do you have money?

Since he's a spendthrift anyway, it's only natural that he would use such mercenary language.

To be honest, Jiang Yunying hoped that these blacksmiths would improve their skills so that they could make greater contributions to the City Lord's Mansion, but she did not force Lin Ping, after all, his words from last night were still ringing in her ears.

Lin Ping has made an indelible contribution to the City Lord's Mansion by producing two new types of weapons and greatly improving the efficiency of weapon forging.

Jiang Yunying dared not ask for too much; in other words, what had she ever given to Lin Ping?

It's nothing more than holding hands, nothing serious, and occasionally kissing, but then getting into physical fights.

If the two of them truly reach the day of consummation and become one, Jiang Yunying will also have the right to ask Lin Ping to do more for the City Lord's Mansion.

After all, this nominal marital relationship is somewhat delicate. Jiang Yunying couldn't figure out her husband's true thoughts. He could stay as a guest, and he wouldn't be so constrained in his actions. His status would be a thousand times better than that of a live-in son-in-law.

“My lady, a cavalryman should have at least three types of weapons: a crossbow for long-range attacks, a spear for mid-range attacks, and a short sword for close-range attacks. Now, the spears and short swords have been improved, leaving only the crossbow for long-range attacks. It seems that the strength of our private army has increased considerably. Next, we will conduct actual combat training,” Lin Ping said seriously.

Jiang Yunying was taken aback again. She even suspected that Lin Ping had been on the battlefield and killed countless enemies. Otherwise, how could he know more about military affairs than she did?

The city lord's private army only had crossbows and spears. Once they got close, their strength was greatly reduced. She had tried to find ways to improve the situation, but with little success. Now, Lin Ping had just pointed it out.

Since its melee capabilities are weak, why not equip it with a short sword suitable for close combat? Especially a kukri that can cut through iron like mud.

At that time, it can not only shoot at the enemy from 100 meters away, but also thrust at the enemy from 2 meters away, and then draw its kukri to slash the enemy fatally when it gets close.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Jiang Yunying immediately went to the military camp, eager to equip all her private troops with the most advanced weapons.

At this point, the private army's training was on track, and Lin Ping was no longer needed. He didn't want to waste time looking at Jiang Yunying a few more times, so he might as well take the opportunity to expand his business and make more money.

The city lord's mansion is now just an empty shell with little real foundation. Although the rock salt mine is an inexhaustible treasure, it would take a long time to convert all the salt into silver.

Lin Ping allowed Lin Fugui to return to business in order to amass wealth and fill the vacancy in the city lord's mansion.

With that in mind, Lin Ping led Li Mingxuan and the others into the inner city in a grand procession, heading straight for the Mingyue Tower, which was making a fortune every day.

Outside the gate of Mingyue Tower, five or six scholars dressed as Confucianists stood around the couplet, their brows furrowed in worry, sweat beading on their faces. They waved their painted fans incessantly, managing to generate gusts of hot air.

"The sweltering summer is coming again, and I wonder when it will end." A scholar kept waving his painted fan, but the sweat on his forehead was pouring down even faster.

As the saying goes, a calm mind brings coolness. How can someone so impatient not feel hot? Furthermore, fanning oneself consumes energy, generates heat, and accelerates the rate of sweating.

In ancient times without air conditioning, the only way to escape the heat was to build a pavilion by the lake, lie in a rocking chair, and have a maid fan you.

Of course, this is an enjoyment exclusive to the rich; it's already difficult for these poor scholars to afford even a decent painted fan.

"Let's go to Mingyue Tower and have some iced porridge," another person said hurriedly.

In the days before refrigerators existed, there was no such thing as "iced porridge"; it was simply another name for well water.

"Iced porridge?" Lin Ping suddenly had a hunch, and an idea to make a lot of money popped into his mind.

If he could create a truly authentic iced porridge, it would definitely become a sensation across the country, attracting a huge following among the wealthy.

Lin Ping was excited because he knew how ice was made.

Whether it's a refrigerator or an air conditioner, any appliance that can cool down does so by using a medium to carry away heat.

Although he couldn't find Freon, he could find some substances that absorb heat when they come into contact with water.

"Saltpeter!" Lin Ping shouted excitedly.

This substance was practically a god-like existence in ancient times, and was commonly known as an essential item for time travelers.

For a moment, Lin Ping felt that he was not a qualified transmigrator, as he had only thought of saltpeter now.

Lin Ping couldn't possibly count on his ten fingers how many uses saltpeter had in ancient times. For example, it could be dissolved in water to make ice, mixed with sulfur and charcoal to make gunpowder, and even added to firewood to increase the temperature of the flame, thereby smelting better steel.

In short, every use of saltpeter was enormous and revolutionary.

"Little Li, go and buy up all the saltpeter in every clinic in Jiangcheng Prefecture right now!" Lin Ping ordered loudly, taking out several thousand taels of silver as he did so.

“Not again…” Li Mingxuan was speechless, naturally recalling the scene when he bought the soapberry.

Seeing Lin Ping's stern expression, Li Mingxuan was so frightened that his legs cramped up, and he hurriedly rushed into the various medical clinics in Jiangcheng Prefecture.

Lin Ping targeted the medical clinic because saltpeter was a traditional Chinese medicine in ancient times. It was recorded separately in Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica". Although there was no Li Shizhen or "Compendium of Materia Medica" during the Daye Dynasty, saltpeter had already been used as a medicinal material to treat heat accumulation in the five internal organs, stomach bloating, clearing away accumulated food, promoting metabolism, and eliminating evil qi.

Therefore, Lin Ping was certain that there would be saltpeter in the clinic.

The reason he wanted to buy all the saltpeter in Guangjiang City was that saltpeter had many uses, was used in large quantities, and had low production, so it was necessary to stockpile it in advance.

Secondly, because ancient saltpeter was divided into two types: real saltpeter and mirabilite, which closely resembled saltpeter, and the two had similar therapeutic functions, making it difficult for the ancients to distinguish between them.

Therefore, if you buy saltpeter from only one clinic, you might end up with Glauber's salt instead of mirabilite. If you buy from several clinics, you're more likely to find genuine saltpeter.

"Mount Laojun!" Lin Ping's eyes flashed with a cold light as he uttered these words.

In ancient times, there was only one way to obtain saltpeter: during the crisp autumn season, it would usually precipitate out in the form of a crust or salt flakes, covering the ground and the base of walls; this was known as ground frost.

They are especially common in the corners of walls near pigsties, stables, and toilets.

Therefore, the yield is not high, barely enough to make ice porridge. If Lin Ping wants it to play a greater role, he must find a saltpeter mine.

In the vast land of China, only Mount Laojun has abundant saltpeter mines.