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Chapter 22 Li Zhizao

After arranging the residence of the craftsmen, Hong Tao stopped asking about Wang An's past. He still had a more important person to meet at this time.With the permission of the cabinet, Li Zhizao, a member of the Ministry of Industry's Camp, Renovation and Cleaning Department, introduced to Gao by Zuo Chunfang's concubine Ye, also came to give lectures at the banquet. Will this person bring surprises to him?

He is in his 30s, has a rectangular face, medium height, and three long beards.The impression Li Zhizao left on Hong Tao when they first met was very average. Except for his neatly trimmed beard, his appearance and temperament were not outstanding.

"Westerners have a clear mind and are good at creating mathematical and celestial images. Your Highness, please see, this is a book of star maps written by Matteo Ricci and the countries of Europe. I have approved it many times. It is generally the same and it is very wonderful. "

In less than 5 minutes, Hong Tao had a more intuitive understanding of his conduct and temperament.In addition to simple etiquette, he is eager to show off the practical information as soon as he comes up, without any foreshadowing and regardless of whether the audience has the ability to accept it. He is not a master of communicating with others and is better at technical work.

"Yuanwai Lang uses the things in his hands to see the stars in the sky?" But Hong Tao didn't pay too much attention to the star map books on the table. Those things were only Europeans' preliminary observations of the universe, and they were far from the star maps that later generations would need for navigation. A thousand miles away, there was no reference value, but he became interested in what Li Zhizao was holding.

"My vision is blurry, so I use it to cover my eyes to see clearly. The Western monk said glasses. There are also glasses (àidài) available in this dynasty, which are slightly inferior." Seeing that the prince was interested in his glasses, Li Zhizao simply handed them over and said State its origin and approximate use.

Glasses, yes, the thing Li Zhizao holds to read the star map is glasses. The general structure and shape are basically the same as those of later generations, except that there are no temples and a small vertical handle.When using it, hold it in your hand and dynamically adjust the distance between the lens and your eyes to achieve focusing.

It's not that Hong Tao has never seen glasses in his life. There are similar things in the palace, both single-piece and double-piece.The source may be donated by foreign envoys, or it may be made by the royal family, but there are very few users.

Just as he was about to doze off, someone handed him a pillow. He was worried about how to attract this Ming Dynasty astronomy enthusiast to the talent pool, so he handed over the excuse himself.

Myopia was not particularly rare in ancient times, especially for the elderly ministers in the imperial court. It was very troublesome to always stare at the small print in an environment with insufficient light.

The chiming clock is indeed a good thing, but it is too delicate, complicated and expensive. If you add glasses, you can not only make money quietly for yourself, but also get acquainted with some officials and ministers who are willing to try new things without causing the emperor to go too far. focus on.

The most important thing is that the production of glasses is basically the same as the production of telescopes. Using it as a cover can cultivate a group of skilled craftsmen and find opportunities to develop the chemical industry in the future.

"When I was young, I had nothing to do. I would melt ice into flakes in winter. After combining several flakes, I could see far away, which is beyond the reach of the human eye. Has Yuanwai Lang ever tried it?"

So how to use glasses to make Li Zhizao take the initiative to get into his trap?The ancients said that once you are familiar with it, you don't need to be unfamiliar with it. Hong Tao doesn't know how to use too high-end tricks. He still uses the old method. In one word, cheat!

If you don’t like astronomy, then you must be inseparable from observation. Nothing can attract astronomy enthusiasts more than an astronomical telescope.Whoever allows them to see more celestial bodies more clearly is their teacher and best friend.

"... I'd like to hear the details!" Sure enough, Li Zhizao understood immediately. He concentrated on the artifacts drawn by the prince and completely forgot about the lecture.The whole morning was spent discussing the design ideas of the telescope. Hong Tao did not draw the design out at once, but deliberately only talked about the beginning, letting Li Zhizao use his imagination first, and then the two people debated before finally forming the final draft. .

Then the foreign minister left impatiently with more than a dozen sketches, saying that he was going to ask Matteo Ricci and others to see if there were any flaws in the design drawings.I have to come back with interest in a few days and continue to communicate on the problems discovered and subsequent manufacturing steps.

Did you see it? Hong Tao didn't say a word, and the official from the Ministry of Industry of Ming Dynasty took the initiative to come closer.In time, after he saw the chimes and more fantastic ideas, he had no choice but to continue following.Even if you know that there is a danger of moths flying into flames, you can't help but get closer. This is called giving in to others.

In the afternoon, Hong Tao turned into a lecturer, teaching ten confused and dull-eyed eunuchs and craftsmen in the East Wing of the East Palace, teaching them bit by bit how to understand the drawings and how to proceed. Machined parts.

This job sounds easy, but it is extremely difficult to do.The eunuch craftsmen were in their 30s and [-]s, and in their [-]s as young ones. They were all good at craftsmanship, but the better they were, the more fixed their thinking patterns were.In addition, I had never been in such close contact with the prince, so my inner anxiety distracted my attention, and my understanding was as slow as a snail.

Fortunately, Hong Tao had been in contact with eunuchs in his previous lives and knew their mental state. He was mentally prepared for this situation and was not anxious at all.If you don’t understand it once, tell it twice. If you still don’t understand it twice, tell it ten times. When you understand more than half, you can talk about putting it into practice.

Chen Ju only sent craftsmen and smelting equipment, but did not say that the internal officials would also be responsible for the materials.Now the East Palace is responsible for its own profits and losses. If you can't afford it, don't waste it. You must live frugally.

"My lord, has this always been the case for Qiantose Master?" In addition to the eunuchs and craftsmen, there were also several East Palace officials standing at the door.We are all newcomers who have been here for a short time, and are not very familiar with His Highness the Prince's character and temper. How can we not ask questions when we see this situation?

"Wang Jucheng, we should do things according to Master Qiantose's wishes and think less about other things. Okay, everyone, go to work. Tomorrow His Highness will light a fire in the courtyard to burn the kiln. Have the necessary items been prepared?"

In fact, Wang An had never seen such a eloquent prince. He kept muttering in his heart, but he couldn't say I don't know in front of all his subordinates, so he had to put on official airs and drive away the idlers to avoid trouble.

On February 30rd of the 23th year of Wanli, Prince Zhu Changluo led a group of eunuch craftsmen and officially established a clock workshop called Time in the side hall of the front yard of the East Palace and began the production of self-ringing bells.

It is said to be a workshop, but in fact, except for the two crucibles, most of the materials are purchased from the Silver Manufacturing Bureau.Making clocks is a delicate job that doesn't require large equipment and doesn't make much noise.

In the eyes of outsiders, there is nothing wrong with the East Palace. The prince still goes to the Wenhua Hall to attend classes every day, rain or shine, and persists.The learning progress cannot be said to be fast or slow. It is steady and consistent, which is in line with my foundation and personality.

However, as a prince, it is impossible for his every move to escape the attention of the inner court and the outer court. Within half a month, a report was delivered to the Supervisor of Ceremonies, saying that the prince was not doing his job properly.But they were all detained by Chen Ju. Before these people could continue to pester, another incident attracted their attention.

(End of this chapter)