At one point, Yunyin started working on his own plans with the help of Heiluan who had organized a few things.
Yueling only glanced over and didn't say anything, but her attacks somehow moved her closer, leading to her hearing a few things.
Yunyin chuckled at this, and since his plan was about the Yueling Province, he might as well ask Yueling about it.
He heard from her that since she was young, she had visited the province at least four times a year with her father, and at other times she would go out with her mother and occasionally also end up there.
If it wasn't because the earthquake had caused immense damage, requiring the assistant minister's full attention, then she would've gone along with him.
After some careful consideration, Yunyin asked a question he had been curious about for a long time, "Yueling, why don't you just go out of the courtyard to meet new people?"
She considered her words for a long time before she only uttered one sentence, "The capital is a dirty place."
Yunyin no longer asked her about it after hearing this. He hadn't lived in the capital long enough to understand it, but with the presence of so many nobles and wealthy families in one place… one can imagine how troublesome it was.
With the help of Yueling, his plans weren't only form but also gained substance. Specific knowledge about some cities, general understanding about the focus and progression of different crafters' associations, and other things only someone who had been there could know of.
Many ideas of creating items that could increase harvest yearly popped up in Yunyin's mind, but the most important creation he thought of was the ballista!
In this day and age, a ballista would never be as useful as it was in Yunyin's memories. Even the lowest soldiers are higher martial arts trainees. They might've not entered the path of martial arts, but they at least had such extensive training that they are only a window's distance away.
Usually after a major conflict, a row of these soldiers also awaken innate potential and enter the path.
Based on this, he couldn't imagine a ballista's power to have as much effect on a battlefield… on the other hand, if one ignored the battlefield and focused solely on destroying enemy fortifications, then, with the help of these crafters, one may truly achieve a great achievement!
He didn't consider the later consequences of this weapon too deeply. As long as it created war achievements, he would be more than satisfied.
Besides these, he focused also on various farming tools, but he realised that everything has basically already been invented.
He realised once more how, although this time seemed to be ancient, it was still so innovative!
No wonder the Ning Dynasty had existed for three thousand years already…
…
Time passed and Yunyin had breakfast with Yueling, chatting with her about a few things. She asked him about the ballista drawing and he told her it was a siege weapon, but that he didn't know how strong it would be against fortified cities.
Later she told him that probably only the eastern kingdom would be susceptible to it, since every other kingdom focused heavily on protecting themselves with the great Ning Dynasty as their neighbours…
A few previous emperors had wild thoughts of conquest, which were all halted once they reached enemy heartland, where countless hidden masters suddenly appeared, forcing the armies to stop. Later, other kingdoms would jump in to attack them while they were in their conquest, and this led to them having to disperse the armies and allow them to return…
Yunyin only chuckled at this. This was expectable, the natural course of action. These people had their own way to protect themselves against this giant.
Anyways, most of the time, the dynasty had many internal conflicts, whether it was the court, or some heavenly demon invasion of the martial arts world, or clashes between scholars… each of them created a spectacle that attracted people's attention there, making it very difficult to promote war and conquest.
Yunyin didn't comment on it, continuing his breakfast and leaving right afterward.
Watching his receding back, Yueling felt a bit sad. It's been a long time since she wasn't so alone…
…
After returning to his own courtyard, Bailuan informed him that another group of Grand Secretariat servants and Ministry of Revenue servants informed him that the evening court would happen and that the Ministry of Revenue's council meeting would take place in just an hour.
He hurriedly changed his robes and drove right to the Ministry of Revenue's main building, where he saw many officials entering alongside him.
This was truly a shocking sight, as these officials were not just court officials but officials of different provinces who come to the capital with their ministers.
On a single glance, over a thousand people were present.
One Grand Minister, Twelve Ministers and over twenty assistant ministers!
It was a rare sight. When would all the key figures appear on stage together?
The Grand Ministers of each ministry resided in their respective main ministries in various provinces. Most ministers only came to the capital when it was their province's reporting day.
Usually, in court, only three ministers would be present from each ministry – the General Minister, that day's province's minister, and a minister who handled a matter in the evening court!
It wasn't that ministers were lazy, but that working from the capital was too much of a waste of time, so they'd rather stay in the provinces and work that way.
Besides the general ministers, only the Prime Minister was always present in court… but he talked even less than the emperor, only observing the moves of the ministers below him.
Yunyin followed the crowd to the second floor of the grand building, where, similarly to the offices behind, there was also a huge meeting room here!
Only this time, it was even larger, and many had already been seated!
Different officials directed people based on their status, leading them to sit in twelve distinct ministries' positions.
All the officials from the capital court were placed in the general ministries' seats, which were rather empty compared to the seats of other ministries.
Yunyin looked ahead, awaiting the start of this council that rallied so many ministers together!