Chapter 239: The Hydraulic Textile Machine That Won't Work

In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

During this period, both Li Shimin and Chen Yan were busy with various matters.

Li Shimin was busy counting money and executing corrupt officials.

He was also ruthless; when the merit‑stele fundraising scheme was first set up, he publicly handed full authority to Dai Zhou and Duan Lun, never intervening himself.

When officials or others donated money, the Ministry of Revenue collected it, and Li Shimin acted as if he were uninvolved.

His purpose was to use the method Chen Yan had originally suggested, taking this opportunity to clean out a batch of corrupt officials and some aristocratic henchmen.

After all, in recent years the aristocratic families have indeed produced too many officials; if this continued, their influence in the Court would keep growing, making a purge inevitable.

Meanwhile, Chen Yan continued to vigorously develop Weinan County.

Using the white candles he produced, sold at low prices and with Li Chengqian's behind‑the‑scenes support, he quickly monopolized the market and made a fortune.

Of course, candles were just a money‑making scheme and not worth Chen Yan's excessive attention.

For the past two months, he has been studying one thing.

If he can finish it, Weinan County's development will face no obstacles.

Unfortunately, he recently ran into a problem.

"TMD! Why won't this thing turn?!"

Chen Yan, looking irritated, squatted in front of a massive wooden structure resembling a waterwheel, almost out of patience.

"Lord Bo, this is too difficult," a man in his fifties, somewhat stout, said beside him with a wry smile.

His name is Tao Dashan, a carpenter Chen Yan had recruited, and he has been with Chen Yan for over a year.

During that year, all the wooden items Chen Yan designed—chairs, stools, and the like—were made by him.

However, starting a year ago, Chen Yan gave him a task: to create a device called a hydraulic textile machine.

He labored for almost a year, and with Chen Yan's occasional guidance and assistance, finally produced a rough version.

Unfortunately, while the rest of the hydraulic textile machine is fairly refined, it has a major flaw: its gears and bearings cannot withstand prolonged rotation.

After a short run, problems arise—either the gears shatter or the bearings break.

In this state, putting it into service is clearly absurd.

For two months, Chen Yan, Tao Dashan, and several of Tao Dashan's sons and apprentices have been trying to improve it.

But progress has been minimal.

At this point, Tao Dashan's son Tao Bing hesitated briefly and said, "Lord Bo, forgive my bluntness, but the difficulty of completing this hydraulic textile machine is immense; the gear and bearing issues cannot be solved quickly and will require huge amounts of time and money. Should we keep researching?"

"Of course we must continue!" Chen Yan gave Tao Bing a casual glance and said firmly, "It's just a hydraulic loom, after all."

"I don't believe we can't even make a simplified hydraulic textile machine!"

Finishing his sentence, he stood up, brushed dust from his clothes, walked to a stool and sat down: "You keep trying other materials; I'll take a break."

"Alright, fine," Tao Dashan replied respectfully, and with his son and apprentices continued testing other woods for bearings and gears.

For them, as long as Lord Bo is willing to research, they have no objection.

After all, Lord Bo pays them a very high wage.

What reason could they have to refuse?

Of course, they aren't being sly; they simply have no good solution to this problem.

Just as Chen Yan watched them work, a small figure entered from outside, eyes instantly locking onto Chen Yan, then ran over.

"Young master!"

Hearing the voice, Chen Yan turned, saw the newcomer, and smiled slightly: "Xiao Qingyue, what's up?"

He truly liked this obedient child—smart, sensible, and very perceptive; she usually played with Sizi.

"Young master, Her Highness the Princess has invited you to a meal," Zhao Qingyue said softly.

"Oh~" Chen Yan glanced at the sky, puzzled, "Then why are you the one calling me, not she herself, or Xiang Lan and Qing'er?"

Zhao Qingyue's bright eyes stared unblinkingly at Chen Yan, innocently saying, "Her Highness the Princess said only I and Sizi can get you to move."

Chen Yan: "......"

"Alright, alright, we'll go then."

Chen Yan, reluctantly, stood up; just as he was about to leave, he saw Qingyue not following but staring curiously at the hydraulic textile machine a short distance away.

"Qingyue, let's go, to the meal."

"Young master, my mother and brother have already eaten, you go ahead; I want to stay here and watch."

"Alright, then I'm leaving." Chen Yan saw Xiao Qingyue's apparently interested look at the hydraulic textile machine, thought it was just a child's curiosity, didn't take it seriously, waved his hand and left.

When he arrived at the dining room, Gao Yang and Sizi were already seated, presumably waiting for him.

"Yo, sitting there?" Chen Yan walked over laughing, sat down, and patted Sizi's head: "Sizi's grown taller; when your mother sees it, she'll be delighted."

Sizi said nothing, looking at him plaintively.

Just as he was about to ask, a hammer blow landed on his shoulder.

Turning his head, he saw Gao Yang glaring at him with an annoyed expression.

"...... Uh." Chen Yan covered his shoulder, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "I'm wrong; can't I be wrong?"

"Eat, eat, ha."

"Wrong?" Gao Yang, relentless, gave Chen Yan another blow: "Where did you go wrong?"

"Look at how you say that," Chen Yan sneered, "I'm not wrong, can you still hit me twice?"

Gao Yang was momentarily stunned; though he wanted to laugh, he held back, intending to argue seriously with Chen Yan.

"Day after day, you have to invite me to a meal eight hundred times; might as well starve you, you bastard."

"Besides, how long have you been fiddling with those pieces of wood?"

"You go deal with those woods yourself!"

After hearing that, Chen Yan put down the chopsticks he had just picked up, and also lost his temper: "No, Li Zhaotang, am I giving you too much face?"

"I've noticed your temper has been getting worse these past two months. What's going on?"

"Am I indulging you?"

"If you don't get a beating for three days, you'll be tearing off roof tiles, right?"

"Is what I'm saying not the truth?" Gao Yang didn't back down at all, retorting: "If you're out handling official business, I wouldn't say more, but you spend half the day at home and only go out in the afternoon."

"By the time you finally make it to evening, you just flop onto the bed and sleep; to anyone who doesn't know, it looks like you've gone into the mountains to mine ore—you're always tired here and tired there."

"I suspect that if you keep going like this, you'll even forget you still have a wife."

"Fine, fine, my fault, my fault." Chen Yan simply couldn't be bothered to argue with Gao Yang.

I don't know what's gotten into him, but Gao Yang's temper has been getting worse and worse.

Especially lately, he pounces on the tiniest little things and won't let go, needing to nag about them for a couple of sentences or he feels uneasy.

"......"