Daming Crazy Emperor

Chapter 472 An Overlooked Masterpiece
Taichang really did not expect that someone would think of refining oil at this time.

Petroleum is a good thing, not to mention anything else, just kerosene and paraffin refined from petroleum can solve the problem of lighting at night.

These days, at night, common people's homes are usually dark and dark, and they are reluctant to light a lamp.

why?

Because the lamp oil at this time is basically animal fat, which is too expensive to burn, and it is impossible for people who are not rich to burn it.

When the common people were poor, they didn't even have oil for cooking, so how could they light lamps and burn oil?
At this moment, Daming is developing, and the people are getting richer and richer, but there are almost no people who really work with lights at night.

Because burning oil is too expensive, the money earned from lighting lamps is not as much as burning oil.

Therefore, even if ordinary people have a little money at home, they will not work with lamps.

No way, I can't afford it!

It would be different if a large amount of petroleum could be refined. The kerosene extracted from petroleum can be directly used as lamp oil, and paraffin wax can be used to make candles, and the cost is quite low.

In this way, ordinary people can afford to light lamps and candles at night.

Don't underestimate this little bit of progress, it's incredible.

This little improvement can at least increase the production efficiency or productivity of the entire Ming Dynasty by a few percent!
Because ordinary people can't afford oil lamps or candles, they have to sleep when the sun goes down, and they have to sleep when they don't want to sleep.

There's no way, I can't see anything, I can't do anything!

As for the lighting work, few people really do it.

There is no way, the cost is too high, the effort is thankless, it is better to sleep.

Calculated in this way, there are twelve hours a day from sunrise at Mao to sunset at You, and those who can really work are only six hours, and these six hours have to cook and eat. Excluding the time for cooking and eating, one day can The real working time is about five hours.

If the cost of lamp oil and candles comes down, it will be different if ordinary people can afford oil lamps and candles to work. An extra hour of work can increase the efficiency by [-]%!

In other words, hasn't this candle been around for a long time, and candles are mentioned in many verses.

Li Shangyin, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, once wrote a famous sentence, "The spring silkworms will only die when the silkworms die, and the wax torch will turn into ashes and tears will dry."

This proves that candles existed in the Tang Dynasty, and they are still very common.

How can people these days not be able to light candles?
Actually, this is a misunderstanding.

Candles have been around for a long time, but ancient candles are not the same thing as candles in later generations, or in other words, the materials used are fundamentally different.

The raw materials used to make candles are actually staged. Before there was no paraffin extracted from petroleum, the materials used to make candles were animal fats.

The most commonly used material for making candles in ancient times was beeswax or beeswax made from dissolved honeycombs. The cost was quite high, and the output was not high.

That is to say, the candles in ancient times were only affordable for wealthy families, and ordinary people could not afford them.

The candles of later generations are basically made of paraffin wax extracted from petroleum, and the cost is very low. An ordinary white candle that can burn for an hour is only a few cents.

Of course, later generations also have more expensive candles.

For example, the candles on the birthday cake cost a few dollars for a few small ones, and they burn out in a few minutes.

Why are candles on birthday cakes so expensive?
It's very simple, because the candles on the birthday cake must be made of animal and vegetable fats according to regulations, and cannot be made of paraffin wax extracted from petroleum. The cost is high, and naturally it is expensive.

This is the obvious difference, the difference between burning a few cents for an hour and burning a few dollars for a few minutes.

If the cost of lighting or lighting candles can be reduced, ordinary people can work with lights at night.

Right now, there is no need to think about gasoline for cars, diesel for diesel engines, etc. As long as there are kerosene and paraffin, the two simplest petroleum products, Daming's production efficiency or productivity can be improved by a few percent. !
How many more things can be produced by tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of people working an extra hour or two a day?
How big of an improvement is this?
The more Taichang thought about it, the more excited he became, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and the hand holding the test paper trembled with excitement.

Uh, what's the matter, Your Majesty?
Why is it shaking all of a sudden!

Seeing this, Song Yingxing couldn't help shouting: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"

what?
I am so happy!
Hearing this, Taichang couldn't help but excitedly said: "This kid is simply a genius, this year's science champion is him."

what?
Song Yingxing couldn't help being stunned and said: "Your Majesty, this examinee also relied on the records of his ancestors to refine what kind of oil. He said this at the beginning of the article. Can this person be the number one scholar?"

By the way, this guy's ancestors are even more powerful. He could even think of refining oil, and even predict that oil will be popular in the world hundreds of years in advance. This can no longer be described as a genius. This is simply a god!
Thinking of this, Taichang couldn't help but roared anxiously: "Hurry up, hurry up and get the original test paper of this candidate. I want to ask, who is the god-man of his ancestors?"

At this moment, because there are enough staff, the examination papers are quite formal. In order to prevent cheating, all the examination papers that the examiners see are transcribed examination papers, which only have numbers but no names on them.

Therefore, Taichang also had to order someone to fetch the examinee's original test paper to know who the examinee was.

As for who the ancestor of this examinee is, of course you have to call this examinee over to ask.

At least, Taichang thinks so.

Unexpectedly, just as the person who was ordered to collect the papers left, Song Yingxing said in a hurry: "Your Majesty, there is no need to ask the examinee, I will know who his ancestors are!"

Hearing this, Taichang couldn't help being pleasantly surprised: "Oh, you still know the grandfather of this candidate?"

How can I know someone's grandfather!

Song Yingxing shook his head again and again and said, "I don't know the grandfather of this examinee. The ancestor mentioned by the examinee must not be his grandfather. The ancestor he mentioned must be Shen Kuo, a famous official in the Northern Song Dynasty."

Shen Kuo?

Why is this name so familiar?
Taichang couldn't help muttering: "Chang Geng, do you know this Shen Kuo?"

Song Yingxing nodded repeatedly and said: "I know, I know, this Shen Kuo is indeed a god-man, and his "Mengxi Bitan" is simply a divine book, and the words of this examinee's preface are from "Mengxi Bitan", so, what this student wrote The ancestor mentioned must be Shen Kuo and Shen Mengxi, a famous official in the Northern Song Dynasty."

Yes, "Mengxi Bi Tan"!
As soon as Taichang heard the title of the book, he immediately remembered that the name of oil was given by Shen Kuo, the author of "Mengxi Bi Tan".

However, he has not read "Mengxi Bi Tan".

All he knew was that the book was famous and would be famous in later generations.

Most people in later generations must know who wrote this book.

However, everyone is probably the same as him. They only know that "Mengxi Bitan" was written by Shen Kuo. As for what is written in "Mengxi Bitan", I am afraid that few people know.

So what exactly is written in this book?

Taichang couldn't help but asked curiously: "Chang Geng, do you still remember what was written in this "Mengxi Bi Tan"?"

Uh, this.

Song Yingxing was stunned when he heard this.

This really stumped him, because there were too many things written in "Mengxi Bi Tan"!
He thought about it for a while, and then slowly said: "There are a lot of things written in this "Mengxi Bi Tan", which can be said to be astronomy and geography, history and military affairs, local customs, principles of nature, farmland and water conservancy, medical prescriptions and herbs, and strange Yin. Skills, calligraphy and painting appreciation, etc., are all-encompassing."

Is it that great?

Hearing this, Taichang couldn't help asking with great interest: "Where do you have this book?"

Of course there is. In fact, Song Yingxing later edited "Tiangong Kaiwu" to some extent borrowed some things from "Mengxi Bi Tan".

In other words, this "Mengxi Bi Tan" is a very important reference book for him.

Of course he couldn't have this book.

He nodded without hesitation and said, "Your Majesty, I have it over there."

Just have it.

Taichang was rather anxious and said, "Can you lend it to me?"

This said.

You are the emperor, can I not lend you a look?
Song Yingxing nodded quickly and said: "It's no problem if the emperor wants to see it, why not, I will order someone to get it?"

OK!

Taichang waved without hesitation and said, "Send someone to fetch it and show me."

Song Yingxing didn't dare to be negligent, he immediately got up and walked out quickly to talk to the general of the Beijing camp outside, and then sat back down.

Taichang couldn't help asking again: "Why isn't such a good book used as a science course?"

There is no such book in the science course, he can be sure of this, because he had carefully read the covers of all the science course when he came up with the exam questions a few days ago.

If there is such a famous book as "Mengxi Bi Tan" by Shen Kuo, it is impossible for him not to remember it.

Unexpectedly, Song Yingxing shook his head repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, this book cannot be used as a science course."

Taichang couldn't help asking curiously: "Why?"

Song Yingxing said without hesitation: "Because this book has thirty volumes, and there are too many things recorded. If this book is used as a tutorial, I am afraid that science candidates will not have to learn other things."

Uh, okay.

Thirty volumes is indeed too much.

Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why this famous book is not taken seriously in this era.

Thirty books, it takes a lot of time just to read them, let alone delve into what is written in them.

Of course, the more important reason is that almost all the things recorded in this famous book have nothing to do with the previous imperial examinations.

Scholars these days are basically squeezing their heads on the single-plank bridge of the imperial examination. There are books that have nothing to do with the imperial examination, and there are still [-] books. Who would be bored to study it!
In fact, this book is similar to "Algorithm Tongzong". In the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties in history, people didn't pay much attention to it. On the contrary, Dongying and European countries took it and translated it, and regarded it as a treasure!

It has to be said that this is a great regret.

Just like oil, Shen Kuo already knew about it during the Northern Song Dynasty, and he also studied it, and he was sure that this thing would be popular in the world.

It's a pity that no one behind him in history paid attention to this thing at all.

If people have paid attention to oil since the Song Dynasty, history may be very different!

(End of this chapter)