Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

It was already December, and it was dusk when Lingyan returned to her residence from the outskirts of Beijing.

At this time, the carriage was traveling on the street, and apart from the vendors on both sides of the street who had to endure the cold and shout hard to make a living, there were very few other pedestrians.

Lingyan lifted the carriage curtain and saw one or two pedestrians passing by, all dressed as scholars.

She remembered that the imperial examination was in two months, so had these candidates arrived in the capital more than two months in advance to prepare?

Those who were able to come to the capital to participate in the imperial examinations were among the most outstanding and capable scholars of the Great Zhao Dynasty.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they stood out from the crowd.

Hopefully, they will all get what they want this time.

Just then, she felt a chill.

I looked up and saw that it was snowing.

The snowflakes falling are graceful and romantic.

But then she noticed that the street vendors looked worried and sad.

Lingyan felt a pang of sadness.

For distinguished people, snowfall is a beautiful sight, a poetic scene, and a way to appear cultured.

But for ordinary people, it was a time of disaster.

If it's just a light snowfall, it's fine, but if it snows heavily, it will be a catastrophic disaster for them.

Not to mention that it would collapse the houses, leaving them without shelter.

Just consider how many people would freeze to death in the dilapidated houses of ordinary people.

Thinking of this, she sighed deeply.

I dared not look at the vendors' sorrowful expressions any longer, and I lowered the carriage curtain.

At the same time, an idea came to mind.

With her current abilities, she is not capable of ensuring that all the people can safely get through the winter without anyone freezing to death.

Because she couldn't provide every household with a brick and tile house to keep warm in the cold.

Therefore, she can only do all that she can do.

So she went to the palace early the next morning.

Emperor Jingzhao had just finished court when he heard a eunuch report that Princess Rui was requesting an audience, which surprised him.

After all, she rarely enters the palace and has not been summoned. Her sudden entry into the palace must mean something is wrong.

So he immediately summoned her into the palace.

Lingyan stepped into the imperial study and bowed to Emperor Jingzhao at the head of the table.

She immediately got straight to the point: "Father, I have a method that can prevent ordinary people from suffering from the cold in winter and reduce the number of people who freeze to death. Please summon the Minister of Works to the palace. This matter requires the help of the Ministry of Works."

Emperor Jingzhao, who had been nonchalant, immediately stood up with surprise and excitement upon hearing this, asking incredulously, "Is this really true?"

Lingyan's eyes were clear, and her tone was calm yet firm: "Your daughter-in-law would never dare to deceive Father Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingzhao laughed out loud with joy and excitement.

His face was flushed, and even his breathing became much heavier.

Then, realizing what had happened, she sat down again.

Then he pressed for details, asking, "Tell me what the method is?"

Lingyan took out a drawing from her sleeve and had a eunuch hand it to Emperor Jingzhao.

Emperor Jingzhao looked down and examined it closely. He could roughly make out that the painting depicted a kang (a heated brick bed), but he couldn't understand anything else.

Lingyan then explained, "Father, this is a heated kang. Its principle is to use the heat generated by combustion to heat the kang body, thereby raising the temperature of the kang surface and achieving the purpose of heating. When the fuel in the stove burns, the heat generated enters the kang hole through the flue inside the stove, circulates in the kang hole, and causes the kang surface to heat up."

"At the same time, the flue gas produced by combustion is discharged outdoors through the flue and chimney, which can also ensure the freshness of the indoor air. Because the kang body and flue have good heat storage performance, it can still keep warm even after the stove stops burning."

Emperor Jingzhao understood immediately after the Lingyan Temple explained it and combined it with the illustrations above.

Then he laughed and praised, "Great! Great! This method is truly convenient and warm! With this heated kang (traditional Chinese bed), surely not so many people will freeze to death this winter! It's wonderful!"

Seeing Emperor Jingzhao's excitement, Lingyan remained silent.

It's surprising that she had never thought about this before, because she was only focused on living her own life.

If she hadn't seen those vendors yesterday, and if it hadn't snowed, she wouldn't have thought of this method.

At this time, the Minister of Works requested an audience outside.

Emperor Jingzhao immediately summoned him into the palace.

The Minister of Works was surnamed Lu, and he was an old man around fifty years old.

At this moment, he had just entered the palace and finished paying his respects to Emperor Jingzhao according to the rules.

Emperor Jingzhao exclaimed excitedly, "My dear minister! You're in for a lot of work right now!"

Minister Lu looked puzzled.

I don't understand what Your Majesty means.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Jingzhao immediately ordered a eunuch to hand him the blueprints.

Minister Lu, as expected of a professional, understood the principle after only one reading without needing Lingyan's explanation.

He was so excited that he could barely hold the thin piece of paper in his hand, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, this is a matter that will benefit all people. It can prevent many people from freezing to death. It is a blessing for the people and a great achievement for our time!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingzhao smiled and agreed, saying, "What you say is very true, my dear minister. This method was devised by Princess Rui. If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask Princess Rui for guidance. I have only one request: within a month, these heated kang beds must be installed in every household of the entire Great Zhao. Can you do that, my dear minister?"

Minister Lu's expression hardened upon hearing this.

He then knelt down solemnly and bowed, his voice firm: "Your subject obeys the decree and will do his utmost to live up to Your Majesty's trust and ensure that heated kang beds benefit all people!"

Emperor Jingzhao nodded in satisfaction.

Then, looking at Lingyan with a loving expression, he asked, "Sixth Brother's wife has contributed the method of making a heated kang bed. I cannot fail to reward her for such a great contribution. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Upon hearing this, Lingyan gently shook her head, her expression firm and sincere: "Father, I offered this method so that these ordinary people could get through the winter safely every year. I did not expect any reward. As long as the people are no longer suffering from the cold, I will be very happy. So I don't need this reward."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingzhao nodded in approval with satisfaction.

The sixth son's wife is truly concerned about the country and its people; such a righteous and magnanimous heart is rare indeed.

Even Minister Lu, who was standing to the side, felt a sense of respect, his eyes filled with admiration and reverence.

Emperor Jingzhao then thought for a moment, and then looked at Lingyan and finally decided: "Although you are wholeheartedly devoted to the people and do not seek any reward, such great merit cannot go unrewarded. How about this, I will reward you with 100,000 taels of gold, 20 shops, 10 estates, and all the shops under your name will be exempt from taxes for three years. How about that?"

Upon hearing this, Lingyan immediately smiled and thanked the Emperor, saying, "Thank you for the reward, Father."

Although she didn't intend to receive any reward on this trip, she did it solely for the sake of the people of Dazhao.

However, since Emperor Jingzhao had bestowed the gift, she would naturally accept it gladly.

Emperor Jingzhao was actually quite troubled about how to reward her this time.

After all, she was already a princess of the highest rank, and there was nothing more she could be rewarded with.

She had no family members serving in the court, so she couldn't be promoted even if she wanted to.

As for her other relatives, apart from the sixth prince, who also had nothing to reward, the others were essentially left with nothing.

After much thought, all I can do is reward them with some gold and silver.

After Lingyan and Minister Lu left the Imperial Study one after the other, as they walked out of the palace, Lingyan began to explain the process of making the heated kang (a traditional Chinese heated brick bed) to him in detail.

The construction of this heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) is not complicated; it is very simple and uses very ordinary materials.

People in ancient times were very capable with their hands. They could probably learn to do it themselves after watching it a few times, because it really wasn't complicated.

Although Minister Lu had already understood the principle, he still listened very carefully to Ling Yan's explanation.

"The materials used to make a kang (heated brick bed) can be bricks, adobe bricks, stone slabs, etc. First, a dry and well-ventilated location must be selected. Then, the kang body is built with bricks or adobe bricks. The kang body is generally rectangular and has a flue and a kang hole inside."

Next, a flue is installed inside the kang (heated brick bed). The shape and layout of the flue depend on the size and shape of the kang.

Then, the kang surface is laid on top of the kang body. The kang surface can be made of bricks or stone slabs, or it can be smoothed with adobe bricks or yellow mud.

Next, a stove is set up at one end or side of the kang (heated brick bed). The stove can be built with bricks or adobe, or it can be made with an iron pot or a ceramic pot.

Finally, the stove's chimney is connected to the flue of the kang (heated brick bed) to vent the combustion fumes outdoors. The chimney can be built with bricks or adobe, or it can be made of sheet metal or ceramic pipes.

After saying everything, they had already left the palace and arrived at the palace gate.

Just to be on the safe side, Lingyan asked again, "Minister Lu, have you remembered everything? Is there anything you don't understand?"

Upon hearing this, Minister Lu replied excitedly, "This old minister has remembered it all. This method is brilliant! How come this old minister didn't think of it before!"

Lingyan smiled and replied, "I'll remember that."

After that, there was nothing more for her to do.

They were all handed over to the Ministry of Works.

She also gained so many benefits, so it can be considered a win-win situation.