The whole family travels through time and space, and the three of them struggle together

Chapter 194 Glass Factory Operation

Zhou Dajiang had no idea that the Duke's Mansion was considering coming to his house to propose marriage, and he was currently drinking with Lord Cui at home.

He was a little drunk, so he started to complain:

"Tell me, am I a scoundrel? It would be so nice to stay in the Ministry of Industry, but I had to run around. Now, not only am I exhausted, but I still don't get anything good in the end."

Master Cui was also a little drunk. "It's not your fault. You're a practical person, so of course you don't like those people. Let me tell you, it's not just the Chief of Works; every department has its own style."

Take our Ministry of Industry for example, there is a unified spirit from top to bottom. Don't be pretentious, just work hard.

The Ministry of Personnel is also a classic example. If a single sentence can send you flying, then your mind is worse than a sieve. Normally, they are nice to everyone, but when it comes to assessments, they are more ruthless than anyone else.

The Ministry of Revenue is even more powerful, with a poverty-stricken atmosphere every day. No matter what you do, if you pay the money, it's okay. But for those of us who go to request payment, they will almost search you from head to toe. If you ask a question, nine times out of ten they will just say two words: no money!

So, it's not your problem, it's the Supervisor of Works from top to bottom who are like that, delaying work whenever possible, shirking it whenever possible, and always having a mountain of work on hand. Otherwise, how would the emperor know you're busy?"

Zhou Dajiang was so angry that he took another sip of wine. "I don't have the time to waste on them. At this rate, mass production won't start until next year. No, I have to think of a way!"

"Then take it easy."

-

After Zhou Dajiang complained to Master Cui, he became ruthless and determined to get rid of this evil trend.

For this purpose, he asked for leave from his superior, Minister Fang, the next morning and went straight to the official residence of Lord Zhan, the Chief Craftsman of the Imperial Household.

When he arrived, Lord Zhan was drinking tea.

Seeing Zhou Dajiang, he was very enthusiastic. "Why are you here this morning, Mr. Zhou? Come, come, sit down and have a cup of tea. This is the good tea I just bought. Try it."

Zhou Dajiang thought to himself, "Master Cui was right. This is a trend that has spread throughout the Production Supervisory Office, but the factory director isn't in a hurry and is still enjoying his tea." He wanted to give up, but he didn't want to embarrass himself, so he forced himself to drink a pot of tea with Master Zhan.

After the tea was finished and the atmosphere was relaxed, he began to open his heart to Lord Zhan.

"Master Zhan, can you tell me the truth? What are your plans for that glass factory? The Emperor is waiting for our report."

Hearing him say this, Lord Zhan couldn't help but laugh and cry, "You think I don't want to, but I really have no choice."

"How do you say this?"

Lord Zhan glanced at him and lowered his voice, saying, "Since we're in the same boat, I'll tell you the whole story. Regarding the glass factory, I heard that both the Empress and Concubine Zhang were interested. I don't know who started it, but it's still a different story.

Concubine Zhang's uncle is the Minister of Rites, Lord Zhuang, and his son is our Chief Craftsman, Lord Xiaozhuang. The Zhen office you often visit is under the jurisdiction of Lord Xiaozhuang. Do you understand now how deep the water is here?

Even though I'm in charge of the Ministry of Works, I often have no control over my own actions. The Minister of Rites is a third-rank official, while I'm only a third-rank official. A higher rank can crush someone, so if his son makes the slightest move, how can I manage him?

Zhou Dajiang felt a headache. "We can't keep dragging this out, can we? With nothing but an empty field, how are we supposed to do anything?"

"So, we have to wait. Once these two people figure it out, it will be easier for us to do it."

"Then why don't you report this to the Emperor?"

"How should we react? We'll call them over. They have a reason. They're busy with other projects and can't spare any manpower. As for the materials, they've already been purchased and are on their way."

If you force your opponent, they won't be intimidated. You either have to avoid their attack or find a solution yourself. Honestly, I don't want to just sit there and wait, but unfortunately, I don't have any connections, so there's nothing I can do."

In Zhan Peiyuan's opinion, Zhou Dajiang has just entered the officialdom and may still have some drive, but he has elderly parents and young children to take care of, and is already past the age of fighting and struggling. Since the situation is not up to me, I will just let it be.

Zhou Dajiang thought about it and decided he couldn't let it go on like this. He gritted his teeth and said, "Since you don't want to confront me head-on, then I'll do it. Give me a letter of authorization and I'll go to the Ministry of Revenue to request the money myself. I'll find the materials and the people myself. I don't believe that without him, I can't do this anymore."

Seeing that Zhou Dajiang was determined, Lord Zhan did not stop him. He thought that if Zhou Dajiang could really figure out the matter, it would be a good thing for him, so he agreed to his request and signed a note for Zhou Dajiang.

Zhou Dajiang took the note and thought of what Lord Cui said. He didn't want to go to the Ministry of Revenue and find out that nine times out of ten he had no money, so he didn't go directly. Instead, he went back and wrote a detailed request for money. He took a detour and did not go to find the Revenue Envoy, but went to the Revenue Department to find Qi Shoucheng, the Deputy Director.

When he arrived, Qi Shoucheng had just sent the people in front of him away with a stern face. When he saw it was Zhou Dajiang, his stern face immediately changed to a smile, "Oh, what a rare guest! What's the wind that brings you here today? Come, come, come and sit down!"

Zhou Dajiang didn't hesitate, and said directly, "I came here today to ask you for approval."

After saying that, he handed him the documents and the note, and then explained, "I am now holding two positions. This is the authorization from the General Supervisor, along with detailed instructions for requesting payment, allowing me to withdraw the expenses of the glass processing factory."

Qi Shoucheng was puzzled. "Isn't the request for funds the responsibility of the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Examination Office? How did it end up with you?"

"Oh, forget it. The Recruitment Office is too busy and our glass factory can't get a number, so I had to go in myself."

Qi Shoucheng looked at the explanation handed over by Zhou Dajiang again. The labor costs, material costs, auxiliary material costs, and various costs were all detailed in detail. In addition, with the authorization of the head of the production supervisor, he could approve this project.

"Today, you're the only one who's prepared the materials in such detail. If it were someone else, I'd have to send them back at least once or twice. Okay! Curry has the money ready, so take this approval slip and go collect it."

After saying that, he handed the written note to Zhou Dajiang.

Zhou Dajiang took the approval note and went directly to the Ministry of Finance to withdraw all the silver notes.

Now that we have the money, the rest is easy. Don't we have people or materials? Just buy them ourselves!

He asked Lord Cui to help him make the connection, and the sand, shells, and wood ash were all purchased through the Water Department's purchasing channels. He also asked Uncle Fu to help recruit people at the dental office.

As for the kiln and crucible, they are available in the empty space.

Seeing that Zhou Dajiang had solved the three major problems of money, people and materials, Lord Zhan couldn't continue to slack off, so he arranged for the remaining processing tables and grinding tools.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the two people, the glass factory finally operated normally before the holiday.