Chapter 546 - 544 The Legend
To express his dissatisfaction, Jinrong did not bother to manage the trial use of the hand-pulled gourd. He did not even attend the demonstration or make a supporting appearance. Without His Highness Prince Yu’s active participation, others naturally lacked enthusiasm and did not take it seriously. Only Yan Zhixing, an advisor from Prince Yu’s Mansion, accompanied by two artisans reeking of earth, lifted three different weights of iron ingots at the site prepared by the Ministry of Works.
Although the preparation for demonstrating the hand-pulled gourd’s function was low-key, the actual demonstration caused a sensation.
His Highness Prince Yu appeared indifferent, and His Majesty the Emperor also thought it was a trivial matter. He merely sent a eunuch who attended him personally to have a look, as a courtesy to Prince Yu.
The trial was conducted in the Courtyard outside the office halls of the Six Ministries. The location was extremely convenient for onlookers, and though not a single high-ranking official attended, it was easy for the minor ranking clerks and secretaries to take a glance.
The dullness of the office was enlivened by the crowd; therefore, more people happened to pass through the Courtyard on that particular day.
As Du Dazhong, leading a young attendant, succeeded in the first hoist under the indifferent gaze of the few onlookers and hung a thousand-catty iron ingot steadily on a temporarily erected gantry frame, those who were mere placeholders at the scene, as well as the clerks who chanced to pass by, all fell silent for a moment.
Then, someone let out the first exclamation, and the scene became somewhat chaotic. The placeholders couldn’t care less about the dirt coming off the artisans; they crowded forward to take a closer look and ask questions, while Yan Zhixing and his attendant hurriedly advised them to step back. The clerks who watched the iron lump rise were also astonished, gathering in groups to discuss animatedly.