When Ou Shinian stepped into the Hall of Supreme Harmony during the morning assembly, everyone's eyes uniformly darted toward the top of his head.
He was wearing a brand-new official's hat, completely concealing what lay underneath.
Facing the stares of others, Ou Shinian did not say a single word nor look at a single person. As soon as the morning assembly ended, he left immediately, not even bothering to go to the Ministry of Works office.
In the study, Song Jinzhao was calculating the renovation costs for four shops. Separated only by a wall, Song Anhao's stuttering recitation drifted into her ears, with Song Shixue chiming in from time to time to correct him.
Even though the County Princess's estate was large enough, boasting seven or eight courtyards alone, the three Song siblings were unwilling to live in separate courtyards.
Fortunately, Song Jinzhao's courtyard was the largest in the estate, with twelve rooms in total, so it didn't feel crowded even with four people living there.
The heavy snow continued to fall. Every four hours, the servants had to come over with iron shovels to clear the snow, and even the roofs had to be swept clean using bamboo poles.
Qingshuang ran under the eaves, clutching a freshly issued land deed to her chest. She shook the snowflakes off her body before entering the room.
"Miss, here is the land deed for the last shop on Qipan Street." She took the deed from her robes and placed it on the table.
Song Jinzhao glanced at the deed, then looked up at Qingshuang. "Has that Miss Wei finalized her divorce?"
Qingshuang replied, "She got the divorce papers yesterday. The managing mama said her young lady is preparing to leave the capital and return to her maiden home, so she is urgently selling all the shops under her name. This shop was fifty taels of silver cheaper than the original price. The other party mentioned that there are still people occupying it, and it might take some effort on your part to drive them out."
Song Jinzhao put the deed away in a drawer. "There is no rush. Once they know the buyer is me, they will naturally move out. After the snow stops, have Lanxi take some people to claim the shop."
Qingshuang nodded in compliance.
Footsteps approached, and a servant stood outside, knocking before entering.
"County Princess, the Minister of Works, Ou Shinian, has come to visit and is waiting quietly at the entrance."
Why would he come in such heavy snow? At this hour, he should have just finished the morning assembly.
Song Jinzhao said, "Let him wait for me in the front hall."
"Yes."
In the front hall, Ou Shinian sat in a chair with freezing hands and feet, yet his heart felt like it was burning in a furnace of firewood, crackling and popping in his ears.
Seeing Song Jinzhao enter, he hastily stood up and greeted her, "Greetings to County Princess Linghui."
Song Jinzhao gave a slight nod. Seeing that the dark circles under his eyes were darker than a giant panda's, she asked in surprise, "We haven't seen each other for a few days, why does Lord Ou look so haggard?"
His skin was sallow, his face gaunt, his eyelids swollen, and his eyes completely bloodshot.
Ou Shinian let out a heavy sigh and sat back down limply, leaning against the chair. "To be honest with the County Princess, I haven't slept for several days."
"Why is that?" With the end of the year approaching, was the Ministry of Works really this busy?
Ou Shinian sighed again. He struggled to lift his eyelids to stare at Song Jinzhao, his eyes filled with not only blame but also grievance, nearly brimming with tears.
"A few days ago, Vice Censor-in-Chief Ye wrote a memorial detailing the County Princess's ideas about finding a new continent and submitted it to the Emperor. The Emperor ordered our Ministry of Works to build an ocean-going sailing ship. I led everyone in the Ministry at the office, brainstorming for three days and three nights, but we haven't even finalized a blueprint."
He took off his hat, revealing a rat's nest of hair that stuck out wildly no matter how it was tied. "I was so exhausted that I lay down next to the brazier for a while. As a result, I rolled over and my hair turned into this. In a few days, the Emperor will ask about the shipbuilding progress. I implore the County Princess to guide me out of this confusion."
Song Jinzhao stared blankly at his hair, which looked like withered grass. She could almost smell the scent of burning hair at the tip of her nose.
After a long moment of meeting his gaze, Song Jinzhao asked hesitantly, "May I ask what difficulties you have encountered, my lord?"
Ou Shinian replied, "There are difficulties everywhere."
"..."
Seeing that Song Jinzhao had fallen silent, Ou Shinian took out three ship design blueprints from his robes and spread them out on the table next to her.
"These are a few design blueprints the Ministry of Works drew up over the past three days, but all of them were rejected."
"They can't withstand tsunamis, the speed is too slow, the sea breeze will overturn them, they can't continuously sail in the ocean for months, the ship's bottom will corrode, they can't carry too much cargo... A whole series of problems cannot be solved. I beg the County Princess for guidance."
With every word Ou Shinian spoke, Song Jinzhao's brows knitted tighter. She picked up the design blueprints on the table and observed them carefully.
They were very ordinary blueprints. The structure was simple, and nothing special stood out. They looked no different from the merchant ships sailing on the canals, except the dimensions marked on the side were much larger, roughly equivalent to an enlarged version of a merchant ship.
Song Jinzhao recalled the sailing ship models and information she had seen in the maritime museum. The difference was quite significant; these were clearly much more primitive.
However, she was not a professional. She didn't know where to start explaining, and it would be disastrous if she said something wrong!
After pondering for a moment, Song Jinzhao turned to look at Ou Shinian, whose fervent gaze looked as if he wanted to eat her alive.
"Minister Ou, I have not dabbled much in this field. Although I have some ideas, the Ministry of Works will still need to verify for yourselves whether they can be put into practice. Please consider them carefully, my lord."
Ou Shinian's pupils lit up brightly. He heard nothing else except Song Jinzhao saying she had some ideas.
"Please speak quickly, County Princess. I will judge what is right or wrong for myself."
Song Jinzhao took a deep breath, pointed at the design blueprints, and began to explain in detail.
"Although flat-bottomed ships are spacious, their large water-contact area leads to slow sailing speeds and poor wave-resistance. They are only suitable for navigating calm lakes and canals. I suggest changing to a V-shaped hull to reduce the water-contact area. With less resistance, it can cut through the water more efficiently."
"The ship's hull can be supported by a keel structure, which can make the vessel sturdier. In addition, the keel adds weight and deepens the draft, which improves the ability to withstand wind and waves. The entire hull can also be reinforced with iron rings."
"Then there are the sails. A single sail has too little effect and poor upwind capability. In fact, you can have three sails: a headsail, a mainsail, and a fore-and-aft sail."
"The headsail is for traction and steering, the mainsail is the primary source of power, and the fore-and-aft sail helps maintain balance. You could even add a few more without issue."
"The ships you are making right now are all different from one another. If they suddenly break down at sea, they can't be repaired at all. You need to make identical, standardized parts. That way, no matter what breaks, it can be immediately repaired with universal parts."
"As for the issue you mentioned about the ship's bottom rotting, first, you must choose wood with strong corrosion resistance, like teak, oak, and so on. Their high density makes it difficult for seawater to penetrate. Then, apply tar to form a waterproof coating. You could even nail a layer of lead sheeting to the bottom of the ship. Lead is toxic and will keep corrosive marine organisms, such as barnacles and shipworms, away..."
Song Jinzhao spoke intermittently about many things. Some points she explained clearly, while others she only gave a general outline of, leaving the Ministry of Works to figure them out on their own.
