"Ding-ding-ding-ding-"
The huge chimes began to ring, seemingly following a certain pattern, and the music danced, like mountains and rivers, the gurgling of a stream, or the whispers of birds, which had a unique flavor in my heart.
After the Longevity Festival, the entire palace moved to Yuquan Mountain again like migratory birds. The huge Forbidden City was empty, with less than 500 people staying behind.
Zhu Yixi closed her eyes and listened, her whole mind seemed to have been devoted to it.
Compared with erhu, trumpet, piano, pipa, etc., chimes have a more solemn feel, just like writing letters must be written in classical Chinese, the style is there.
This set of chimes comes from Taichang Temple and was specially made for the emperor.
In the pre-Ming Dynasty, Taichang Temple was specifically responsible for the worship of sacrifices. Although Xiao Jiuqing was called Xiao Jiuqing, he could only carry out the rituals and had to obey the instructions of the Ministry of Rites.
After Shao Wu's New Deal, since the Jiaofang Department was abolished and the Ministry of Rites was responsible for imperial examinations, sacrifices, diplomacy, vassal affairs and other matters, Lefang was placed in Taichang Temple to serve the royal family exclusively.
In some cases, Taichang Temple was like half of the emperor's retainer.
Naturally, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving the emperor in order to gain favor and ascend to the throne.
"That's right." The emperor nodded and sighed: "The artistic conception of the ancients is no longer as good as today!"
The Minister of Taichang Temple complimented: "Although I am not as happy as before, the Holy Lord is much stronger than he was then."
"Hahaha!" Zhu Yixi smiled: "Keep working hard, don't be limited to ancient music, you can also absorb the Western instruments, don't be limited to Chinese and foreign music."
"Even some Western musicians might as well absorb one or two,"
Tolerance, absorption and integration are the path that Ming Dynasty takes towards the world.
Zhu Yixi has also been practicing it herself.
For example, missionaries in Sitian Prison, Western scholars in the imperial examination, painters in the court, and businessmen making a living in Beijing.
Even when the statues of meritorious ministers were carved, many missionaries joined in, making them more realistic.
The people in the capital are now accustomed to the red-haired and blue-eyed Xiyi and no longer feel afraid.
Open thinking is the foundation of a country's strength.
On the other hand, powerful countries are basically very open.
Take today's Ottoman Empire as an example. Although people believe in the Peace Religion, it is indeed the most open country.
The Greeks have always believed in the Orthodox Church, and so have the Slavs. When the Jews were being beaten and killed by various European countries, only the Ottomans took them in.
Today's Ming Dynasty is already one of the world's most powerful countries, so it naturally has the confidence to open up.
"Yes." Qing Taichang Temple was not very happy, but he agreed bravely.
Who dared this emperor to include even Western Yi women in the harem, which was the first of its kind in history? He had no choice but to obey.
Maybe it was the pillow wind blown by the two Xiyi concubines.
Muttering in his heart, he left quietly.
After a moment, the emperor waved his hand and the chimes stopped.
After cultivating my sentiment, my mood inexplicably relaxed a lot.
Immediately, he put on a thin coat. The Yuquan Villa, which was built on the mountain forest, was exceptionally cool. Even without ice, it was still a bit chilly.
"Master, fishing?" Liu Afu said respectfully.
"No need, I can't fish every day."
The emperor said casually, and then walked out of the palace briskly, facing the waterfall, pouring on the floor, making it wet and full of moisture.
He threw some fish food casually, and soon a koi jumped out from under the pool, rolled around and took the fish food away.
Red, yellow, black, all kinds of people, each one is fat and strong, very eye-catching.
Unfortunately, this peaceful time for him did not last long, and Feng Xianzong, the second assistant, asked to see him.
"What is he here for?"
Zhu Yixi frowned: "Let him come over!"
After that, he found a recliner and sat on it, tied up his hair, and then slid it in along the pillow hole hollowed out in the recliner, so that he didn't have to worry about weighing down his hair.
In fact, it's not like Zhu Yixi has never thought about cutting her hair to make it easier to dress.
That is, the long hair is cut into short hair for later generations, and then the loose Eguan robe is changed into a close-fitting garment to better adapt to life.
Especially the long hair, which already reaches the waist. In summer, it is equivalent to wearing a cotton-padded jacket, which makes it extremely hot.
But the civil and military officials reacted fiercely, even to a slight temptation.
Some Confucian scholars even borrowed the words of Western barbarians. People with short hair can be seen as barbarians. There must be many unfaithful and unfilial people and no benevolence and righteousness.
Although this sentence is somewhat correct, why does he sound so awkward?
Zhu Yixi thought about it. Historically, Jiangnan could have been taken naturally. However, the Qing Dynasty insisted on shaving their hair and changing their clothes, which forced many literati to rebel.
This was the result of the Qing Dynasty's massacre of the city.
He weighed himself. If he did this, it might be effective in a short time, but future generations would definitely not follow it.
He is likely to become a monarch with mixed reviews in history.
As for ease of use, it is more difficult.
Because this was Zhu Yuanzhang's modification of the clothes of the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is part of the etiquette. Changing clothes is no less than changing a dynasty.
This is the basis for self-destruction.
What a wise man would not do.
The reason why the Republic of China was easy in later generations was that, firstly, pigtails were really ugly, and secondly, the dignity of the Han people was rubbed on the ground, and it has become a custom to worship foreigners.
Therefore, cutting hair is nothing more than imitating foreigners.
Otherwise, why not grow your hair long? Return to ancestral system?
At this time, the Ming Dynasty was undoubtedly a dynasty of heaven. The people regarded themselves as the subjects of the heavenly dynasty. They looked down on the barbaric vassal states and asked them to imitate the Western Yi. Wouldn't that cost them their lives?
I would rather not have enough to eat, but I also want dignity.
That's the truth.
"His Majesty--"
Just as he was thinking about it, Feng Xianzong came in a hurry, raising his hands above his head in an extremely respectful manner.
In response, Zhu Yixi said lazily: "Why is the second assistant here? But there is something important?"
Hearing this address, Feng Xianzong felt a warning in his heart. It seemed that the emperor was in a bad mood.
But this is not the case.
Is it because I came at the wrong time?
He looked around with his peripheral vision, but there were no beauties or concubines. He sniffed it, but it didn't smell like that!
It seemed that the emperor was in a bad mood and was obviously angry with Jumonas.
He raised his chest slightly and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, regarding the affairs of Kang State mentioned by the Chief Minister not long ago, I believe that the lack of money and food is an important matter."
"Furthermore, Sichuan has many high mountains and is adjacent to Kang State and Wei Zang. Therefore, I thought that a governor could be established just in case."
"Chongqing Province originated from Sichuan. Although the number of people is small, there is no shortage of money and food, which is just enough to help."
"You mean to establish a governor-general of Sichuan and Chongqing?"
Hearing this, Zhu Yixi's expression changed and she felt a little happier.
This was serious business, and he had to take it seriously.
Today in the Ming Dynasty, there are governors of Jinsui, Guangdong and Guangxi, Shaanxi and Gansu, and it is not too much to add a governor of Sichuan and Chongqing.
Wouldn't it be appropriate to wait until Kangzang was captured by Weizang and then set up a governor of Kangzang?
"Very good."
Zhu Yixi stood up and praised: "Do you have anyone to choose?"
Feng Xianzong didn't dare to speak. He shook his head like a rattle and said: "I have no candidate. Your Majesty can see you thousands of miles away and you can try to choose one."
Zhu Yixi didn't pay much attention to these words. He thought about it a lot before sighing:
"What do you think of the prince?"
ah?
Feng Xianzong was stunned and had no time to react. He was caught off guard by these words.
Good guy, let the prince be the governor, what kind of operation is this?
There was no such thing in the three hundred years of Ming Dynasty.
However, this emperor was famously rebellious and the founder of the country. No one dared to oppose him no matter what.
"The prime minister started from the state capital, and now the prince is serving as a city lord in the northeast. Although he has performed relatively well, he still has difficulty in taking on a big job. Let him serve as the governor of Sichuan and Chongqing, which is just a good opportunity to hone his abilities."
Zhu Yixi chuckled and said: "He has managed the huge Sichuan, let alone the rainy day!"
Feng Xianzong was really shocked. The emperor was so open-minded?
You know, although the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty has a secure position, he basically attends classes on weekdays and has no power at all.
How courageous it is to govern two provinces.
Is the emperor in poor health?
Feng Xianzong was shocked, and his eyes turned red for a moment: "Your Majesty, you have to take care of yourself. Although women are beautiful, they are just scraping bones..."
Hearing this, Zhu Yixi wanted to slap him in the face.
This is also the Ming Dynasty. If in the Manchu Qing Dynasty, a person was convicted of slandering the emperor, the whole family would be executed.
"presumptuous--"
"I made a mistake!" Feng Xianzong hurriedly knelt down.
"You should keep these things in your stomach, don't talk nonsense, and wait until the time is right."
Zhu Yixi's attitude became cold, and she waved her hand and asked him to retreat.
Feng Xianzong realized that he had said the wrong thing, but he was very happy because the emperor was not sick and was still in good health.
The monarchs and ministers who have been in power for twenty years naturally expect a long-lasting relationship.
The deeper reason is that a large number of people have gathered around the prince. If he inherits the throne in a short time, he, the second assistant, will never become the first assistant.
You have to make room for your close ministers!
After he left, Zhu Yixi shook his head.
These people just have a lot on their minds.
If I wasn't afraid that my family would die in the second generation, I wouldn't have cultivated the prince like this.
In fact, the lessons of history are too profound.
Immediately, he thought of his other sons.
The vassal system must be carried out in his lifetime, otherwise it will be difficult to continue. He will be satisfied if it can persist for two or three generations.
After a while, he actually fell asleep.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Suddenly, a soft cry came from his ears. Zhu Yi frowned and opened his eyes: "What's wrong?"
Years of pampering made him very angry when he got up, and his voice was a little louder unconsciously.
All the palace ladies knelt down one after another, not daring to speak.
Liu Afu said with trembling fear: "Sir, it was the Ordnance Department that sent the news, is it the so-called steam engine breakthrough? You have always been most concerned about this..."
"Steam engine?"
Upon hearing these three words, Zhu Yixi immediately woke up.
He stood up hurriedly: "Quick, change my clothes."
After a while, he put on a bright yellow uniform, sat down and walked away.
The Ordnance Department has always been valued by the emperor, and is basically located near Yuquan Villa, which is only seven or eight miles away.
Not only are various ordnances studied here, various artillery and muskets are improved, but agricultural tools are also constantly added and modified. It has become a Ming technology research and development center.
Once the Ordnance Department has made a good study, the Ministry of War will report it to the Cabinet, and then let the Ministry of War make it and put the equipment into the army.
Various civilian equipment are sold to various places through the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Ordnance Department covers an area of nearly a thousand acres and contracts a small hill. The scope is huge.
Therefore, the Ordnance Department was divided into three parts, firearms, equipment, and steam engines.
The steam engine only covers an area of 50 acres, but there are hundreds of craftsmen working on it day and night, and there are many missionaries helping out.
A steam engine, as its name implies, boils water to produce heat, thus providing power.
The emperor's request was that it must be able to drive a hundred or tens of thousands of kilograms of power at a time like a rail carriage.
Because whether it is military or civilian, trains are always the most important.
In this way, there are extremely high requirements for the size and efficiency of the steam engine. At the same time, gears, wheels, etc. must be studied, not to mention the braking ability.
It is said that it is a study of steam engines, but in fact it is a study of the entire train.
"Your Majesty, to make this machine, you need to know geometry and arithmetic. The craftsmen only know how it works but don't know why it works, so the calculation is very slow."
"At the same time, it has to be mass-produced, and the endurance and scale must be extremely precise..."
The craftsman explained tremblingly, obviously not very clever, and his complaints were revealed in his words.
Zhu Yixi said she didn't care about this: "Quick, take me to see the steam train."
"yes!"
After a while, a train was on a track nearly a mile long.
Zhu Yixi counted and found that the carriages were eight sections long, each section five feet long. According to the style of side-by-side seats in later generations, there were five people in each row, leaving an aisle free.
Each carriage can hold seventy-five people, so eight carriages can accommodate 600 people.
The carriages are made of wood, and each carriage has eight windows. They are about the size of your head and have windows just like a room.
The locomotive was huge, and the steam engine was equally huge, almost as big as a carriage. There was a hole in it, and there were a lot of coal next to it.
"Your Majesty, as long as you put coal into it, once it burns, the water will boil, and then the hot steam will rise, driving the wheels to move."
The craftsman said respectfully: "No matter it is windy or rainy, we can travel, but the most fearful thing is the deformation of the rails."
"Your Majesty, the train is extremely heavy. The wheels are made of steel and the rails are made of pig iron, which will easily deform..."
"If the rails are also made of steel, the cost will be high..."
“It doesn’t have to be replaced with rails.”
Zhu Yixi shuttled back and forth in the carriage with great interest. Although it was extremely simple, it made him very interested.
"Steel can be used to cover the rails, which not only saves costs, but is also safe."
In fact, adding manganese to the rails is the best solution, but manganese is not like iron and cannot be directly forged. Special techniques are required to separate the manganese from pyrolusite.
Unfortunately, this kind of technology today is simply impossible to achieve. This is another topic.
So let’s make do with the rails first, and then add them after the manganese is separated.
"First, we will cover the railway track to Yuquan Mountain with steel and try out this new train to benefit the people."
(End of chapter)
