At the Royal Palace in Paris, France, French King Louis Charles, French Queen Liu Muyu, the couple and their four children finished dinner together.
Then the children were handed over to the maids and teachers to study. Louis XVII read the news reported by various parties, and Liu Muyu looked through today's newspapers.
The husband and wife exchanged a few words from time to time, and mentioned what they saw that they needed to tell each other, or what they needed to consult with each other.
Ming Dynasty's new calendar has been a hot topic these days, and Liu Muyu saw the relevant interpretation again today.
Then Liu Muyu said to her husband with some uncertainty:
"Char, this newspaper seems to be saying that the Egyptian solar calendar that Ming Dynasty's new solar calendar refers to has nothing to do with the original Thai and Western calendar..."
Charles, Louis XVII, put down the documents in his hands and asked with a smile:
"Then my dear, do you think there is really no connection at all?"
Liu Muyu also smiled and said:
“I think there is definitely some, at least there should be some reference and inspiration.
"After all, the Taixi calendar is there, and the intellectuals of the Ming Dynasty have a basic understanding of it.
“When senior officials and His Majesty the Emperor make decisions, they will definitely refer to various existing information.
“Taishi has suitable technologies and methods, and the people of Ming Dynasty will not resist them.
"The use of unified numbers to mark the years since the First Emperor unified the world is obviously the same as the way Taixi used pure numbers to mark the years starting from the legendary Christmas year.
"The main time node of the solar calendar is ten days, which is also similar to the seven-day week of the Westerners.
"It's just that His Majesty always pursues simplicity and convenience in doing things. Looking at the confusing big and small months and Februarys of the Thai people, the messy special names for each month and day, and the number of seven days, which is neither higher nor lower, I must feel uncomfortable.
“So in the Ming Dynasty, each month was fixed to thirty days, and each ten-day period was fixed to ten days. The years, months and days were all numbered, which was extremely simple.
“Yet most writers in today’s newspapers are vehemently denying this.
"Only a few newspapers recognize this, but it has also been criticized by other newspapers..."
Charles sighed softly and said:
“Because today’s Thai people are conceited and have low self-esteem.
"They are eager to find traces of Ming people learning from Taixi, and at the same time they have strict requirements on the depth of this learning.
“Views and ideas are also severely divided among different social groups.
“Some people believe that as long as there is some sign that Ming Dynasty may have used and referred to the technology discovered by Taixi in some aspect, that is evidence that Ming Dynasty learned from Taixi.
"Other people are tit for tat. As long as there is a slight change, as long as there is a slight change, as long as it is not completely copied, this kind of thing has nothing to do with Taixi.
“For example, the current calendar, the tall palaces not long ago, and the concrete buildings even longer ago.
“There are different perceptions of these things, and there are strong differences in newspapers and among the people.
“There are people who can look at things calmly, but people who look at things calmly may be targeted by people from two sides at the same time.
“Fortunately, these circumstances have not yet affected the government.
"But it is foreseeable that there will definitely be an impact in the future."
Liu Muyun put down the newspaper:
“So, this time, will France continue to learn from the Ming Dynasty’s new calendar and new holiday system?
"With the current situation in France, it is probably impossible to achieve a six-day holiday per month for all people within ten years..."
Charles nodded slightly:
"It's really difficult. There is still a clear gap between France's overall technical level and Ming Dynasty.
“France also has fewer mineral resources and materials than Ming Dynasty, and the actual resource cost is higher.
“There is still a clear gap between the number of goods produced by French factories and workers in the same period of time and that of the Ming Dynasty.
“Looking at it on the other hand, France and Ming Dynasty produce the same goods, France takes more time, consumes more resources, and spends more manpower.
"Under such circumstances, if French workers pursue the same vacation and the same unit wage income as Ming people,
“It will make the cost of things produced in France far exceed that of similar products produced in Ming Dynasty.
“That would make French goods completely uncompetitive in international trade.
“Without international competitiveness, there is no way to earn foreign exchange.
“There is no way to continue to introduce new technologies and improve production efficiency.
“There is no way to reduce production costs and improve product competitiveness.
“If we can’t give workers more time and money to spend, the market won’t circulate.
“It’s a constant cycle.
“Once a link slips, it will become a vicious cycle, and the distance from Ming Dynasty will become wider and wider.
“In this cycle process, among the factors that can affect product costs, whether it is production time or input raw materials and resources, they are all factors that can be significantly reduced artificially through objective methods.
“Unless the product quality is also significantly reduced.
“What we can actually artificially compress is workers’ wages and rest time.
"So as a late-developing country, if you want to catch up with technologically advanced countries, the only way is to tighten your belt and work hard..."
Liu Muyu and her husband often discuss politics.
Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty no longer restricts the harem from participating in politics, and there is no tradition in Taixi that the harem is not allowed to participate in politics.
The queen herself is also the monarch of the country.
The two of them came from completely different environments. They are both top students in their own country, and collisions of ideas often occur.
When Liu Muyu listened to her husband's words, or complaints, she couldn't help but have another idea:
"Actually...there is actually another possibility, right?
“That is, not participating in extensive international trade, or participating only through barter.
“Use domestic surplus industrial and agricultural products to exchange technology and required materials with other countries.
“At the same time, explore and improve the country’s production technology on its own, and simultaneously improve the country’s consumption level.
“Then there is no need to make the people’s lives more difficult than in other countries…
"But...then it will be difficult to catch up with technologically advanced countries..."
After hearing this, Charles couldn't help but nod:
“Yes, if you don’t interact with other countries, or if you are not connected to the world market, in the classical agricultural era.
“Any country that is self-sufficient in food can live its own life behind closed doors and explore its own way of life.
“But not anymore.
“There is a more advanced benchmark out there, and there is a definite and correct direction that has been explored by others.
“If we refuse to follow, refuse to learn, and continue to explore on our own, the cost of development will definitely be higher than others.
“That will only make us fall further and further behind, not to mention shortening the distance with Ming Dynasty.
"Energy is conserved. If you want to shorten the distance with the forerunners, you must pay more.
“Someone has to pay, and enough people have to pay more, either farmers or workers, or both.
“To be precise, the pursuer has to pay more to catch up than the pioneer needs to maintain its status.
“It’s not the price the other party needs to reach its current state.
“Generally speaking, since the forerunners have already discovered the path, the cost for the pursuers to reach the same level as the forerunners will definitely be lower than that of the forerunners.
“The cost incurred by pioneers in the exploration process can be saved by us as pursuers.
“This is also the basic logic why pursuers can catch up with forerunners, otherwise our efforts will be meaningless.
"In fact, people in Ming Dynasty have more holidays, and workers in Ming Dynasty get more wages. This is an opportunity for us in France.
“We can use the rest time of the Ming Dynasty to study and work, and use the money that the Ming Dynasty spends on entertainment to purchase new technologies and materials.
“In this way, we will have a higher possibility of catching up with Ming Dynasty, and the speed of catching up with Ming Dynasty will also be faster.
"After we equal the Ming Dynasty, our people will no longer have to fight so hard.
“In the final analysis, it is because of Daming’s hard work that it has the lead now.
"We in France have wasted time and cost a lot, and now we have to make up for the shortcomings.
"The current generation is working hard to repay the debt of their predecessors who did not work hard."
Ciel has been a real king for several years, and a de facto king for more than ten years, and his way of thinking has become clearer.
What Charles said is a matter of course. As long as people with normal brains observe and summarize more, they can gradually understand these things.
These principles were also applicable to Zhu Jingyuan's previous life, otherwise our country would not have been able to catch up with others' two hundred years of accumulation in seventy years.
But in this world, in Louis Charles' current life, it may not actually be useful.
Because there are two idiots here, Emperor Guangwu and Zhu Jingyuan.
Ming's technology iteration speed is also the speed of "chasers", not the speed of explorers.
Especially since the computer has been developed by Zhu Jingyuan, Ming's lead is likely not to be shortened, but may actually become larger and larger.
In fact, according to the experience of Zhu Jingyuan's later generations, instead of trying hard to catch up, countries like France might as well just lie back and let the ridicule go.
Although it is difficult to catch up with the Ming Dynasty in terms of material standards, it is not difficult to make life simple and happy.
Liu Muyu also felt that what Charles said made sense, and these directions and logic had been discussed by the two of them on a regular basis.
Then Liu Muyu subconsciously asked another question:
"So, should France continue to follow Ming Dynasty's new policies?"
Ciel nodded very firmly and said:
"Of course you still have to learn. Your Majesty's idea is undoubtedly correct.
“Consumption and production must increase simultaneously, otherwise production capacity will stagnate, products will not be sold, and technological development will stagnate.
“So while catching up with Ming Dynasty’s productivity, we must also work hard to improve the consumption power of French people.
“But we also have to learn based on our actual situation.
“Emperor Shizu Guangwu once said that the first rule of government is to seek truth from facts.
“No two leaves in the world are the same, and no two countries are exactly the same.
“The Ming Dynasty has the same situation as the Ming Dynasty, and France has the same situation as France.
“Our production level is lower than that of Ming Dynasty, so the demand for consumption power is also relatively low and can be relatively suppressed.
“But it can’t be without improvement!
“The Ming Dynasty’s goal is to achieve a six-day holiday per month for all people within ten years.
“We can set a goal of four days of holidays per month for all within ten years.
“The minimum wage standard can also be lowered relative to Ming Dynasty.
"Generally speaking, the idea is to catch up with the Ming Dynasty, but the intensity is in line with the actual situation of the country."
Although France is now called the Little Ming Kingdom in Western Europe, it is a representative of the system that comprehensively imitated and learned from the Ming Dynasty.
But King Charles himself knew very clearly that France and the Ming Dynasty were different.
It is impossible for France to completely copy the Ming Dynasty's system.
A complete clarification that really doesn't take into account the current situation will not actually make it completely clarified.
Only by gradually advancing system reform based on the actual situation can we truly achieve a thorough enlightenment.
Liu Muyu also nodded naturally:
"Well, that is indeed the case, Your Majesty the King, you have always insisted on this.
"But what about the new calendar? I just saw that some newspapers advocated the simultaneous use of the Ming Dynasty's new solar calendar.
"The calendar before the Ming Dynasty was too complicated. Ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty were very confused, and people in Taixi couldn't understand it at all.
“That’s something our royal family and the court couldn’t learn even if we wanted to, so we didn’t copy the Ming Dynasty’s calendar before.
“The new solar calendar announced by Ming Dynasty is similar in logic to the current Gregorian calendar in Western Europe, but it is simpler and more accurate.
"So it shouldn't be too difficult to switch to the past now..."
Charles licked his beard slightly when he heard this:
“It can indeed be learned, and it also has certain practical significance if the religious factors attached to the Gregorian calendar are completely eliminated.
"It's just that... January 1st of the Ming Dynasty calendar is more than a month different from the Gregorian calendar, so there may be another April Fool's Day."
Liu Muyu couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.
The last time France changed its calendar, it moved New Year's Day from April 1st to January 1st.
Later, there was a legend that a group of conservatives refused to change the calendar and still celebrated the New Year on April 1st.
As a result, many reformists celebrated the New Year on January 1st, and deliberately held holiday parties on April 1st to invite conservatives.
When the other party went there and found that there was no banquet, he realized that he had been deceived.
Then April 1st became April Fool's Day.
The authenticity of this kind of story cannot be tested, but it is conceivable that all kinds of chaos that may occur when the time of the New Year is changed.
However, with Charles's current ability to control France, if he directly switches to the Ming Dynasty's new solar calendar, the chaos will not be too messy.
At most, it's just another April Fool's Day, mocking a wave of old conservatives.
Liu Muyu also knew the situation in France and knew that her husband was also capable, so she did not continue to interfere on this issue.
Then Liu Liu Muyu changed the topic to a topic more suitable for the royal family:
"There is also the coronation ceremony of the new British King George IV, and the British are definitely going to hold a large-scale ship parade.
“It stands to reason that the King of England is of equal status to us, and both of us should be present.
"However, there is less than forty days between the coronation ceremony of His Majesty the Ming Emperor and the coronation ceremony of the British King.
"As both of us, we should also attend His Majesty's coronation ceremony.
“If you think about it this way, time is very tight.
“However, the situation is the same in other countries in the West, and countries like Lucia and Austria are even more troublesome.
"We can contact each other. After the royal families of various countries have participated in the coronation ceremony and the ship review of the British King, they will go directly to Daming together.
"The royal families and fleets of each country move together, and the entire journey is time for diplomatic activities..."
Charles thought about it for a moment, smiled and nodded gently and said:
"I think it's okay, then I'll leave it to Madam to arrange our itinerary..."
(End of chapter)
