Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 347: Response in front of the emperor! Test, reward and calculation!
The bell of the Science Museum rang slowly.

With the continuous improvement of science and technology and industrial level in the Ming Dynasty, the application of pendulum clocks became more and more popular.

All government offices in Jinling City have adopted pendulum clocks for timekeeping, and they can be seen everywhere in the imperial palace.

Correspondingly, the twelve hours originally used to divide time were gradually replaced by what people call twenty-four hours.

Today, the emperor is granting a large-scale banquet, which is indeed a grand event.

At around nine o'clock in the morning, outside the imperial palace, a group of craftsmen and technicians had already lined up neatly in accordance with the requirements of the Guanglu Temple, and then began to call out their names one by one.

After confirming that the personnel were correct and the bell rang, indicating that the time had come, everyone, led by the officials, slowly walked towards the palace.

Before officially entering the Science Museum, one must go through three extremely strict body searches to prevent anyone from hiding weapons or having bad intentions.

After the body search, under the careful arrangement of the officials, everyone entered the Science Museum in an orderly manner.

As soon as they stepped into the magnificent hall, they felt their own insignificance, and a sense of awe arose in their hearts and became stronger and stronger.

Everyone followed the instructions and stood silently at their respective tables. No one dared to sit down without permission. They all waited quietly with nervous and anxious moods.

"I once had the honor of meeting His Majesty the Emperor." Someone lowered his voice and whispered.

"I was working at the Manufacturing Bureau developing steam engines at the time, and His Majesty personally visited me several times to give me instructions, which is why I was able to see His Majesty's face."

"Yes, at that time the Manufacturing Bureau had not yet been abolished, and Your Majesty was still the crown prince. He often visited the Academy of Sciences and the Manufacturing Bureau." Someone said, "I was also fortunate enough to see them."

"Then tell me quickly, what does His Majesty look like?" someone asked in a low voice with curiosity.

"Your Majesty is handsome, dignified, and heroic. Just looking at you, you can see the majesty of a true dragon emperor. You are completely different from mortals like us." Someone boasted with a smug look on his face: "Anyway, you will know when you see His Majesty later."

"Looking directly at the emperor is a crime of great disrespect. I dare not peek at him casually." Although this person said this, he secretly thought in his heart that he must take a few more glances secretly.

"I heard that His Majesty will also reward those who have made contributions to the development of the steam engine during this banquet." Someone whispered, "His Majesty once said that whoever can develop the steam engine will be canonized as a duke. Do you think anyone among us will receive this honor?"

"It shouldn't be." Someone shook his head and said slowly, "Your Majesty, you mean that one person succeeded in developing the engine alone. But the steam engine was finally developed successfully because of the concerted efforts of many people, not just one person. How could he reward only one person?"

"You are right." Wen Yuanliu was also among the crowd, and he could not help but sigh: "If we talk about the first person to make the contribution to the development of the steam engine, I think it must be Your Majesty."

"If Your Majesty had not proposed the operating principle of the steam engine and how to make it, no one else in the world would have been able to come up with this thing."

As an engineering technician and physics and mathematics researcher, Wen Yuanliu has conducted in-depth research on the three laws proposed by Zhu Yunhuan.

While others are still unclear about the role of the three laws, he is already well aware of their importance.

It was also because of this that he felt that His Majesty was even more unfathomable.

Not only him, but also others who are proficient in technology and good at mathematics and physics think so.

In their eyes, His Majesty is not only the supreme ruler with all the power in the world, but also a leader in the scientific community, a god-like existence.

Just as everyone was eagerly waiting, the eunuch's loud voice suddenly rang out: "Your Majesty has arrived!"

In an instant, the whispers in the field stopped abruptly.

Zhu Yunhuan walked out slowly from the villa and appeared on the high platform of the Science Museum.

"Long live the emperor!" Everyone knelt down on the ground in unison.

Zhu Yunhuan glanced at them lightly, then made a slight gesture, and the eunuch beside him immediately shouted loudly: "Stand up!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" After expressing their gratitude, everyone slowly stood up from the ground.

Zhu Yunhuan looked indifferent and asked softly, "Who is Wen Yuanliu?"

When Wen Yuanliu heard this, his heart tightened slightly, and he hurriedly stepped forward and said respectfully: "I, Wen Yuanliu, pay my respects to the emperor!"

Zhu Yunhuan looked him up and down, and said with a smile: "The Academy of Sciences and the Assets Department both said that you have made an indelible contribution to the development of the steam engine and solved many problems."

Wen Yuanliu quickly knelt down and bowed, "I am terrified and cannot accept this!"

"If we talk about the first achievement of the Ming Dynasty's successful development of the steam engine, it must be your Majesty."

Wen Yuanliu spoke sincerely.

"If Your Majesty had not proposed the operating principle of the steam engine and how to make it, no one else in the world would have such an original idea."

"Your Majesty has pointed out the direction for the development and production of steam engines, which is beyond the reach of others."

"The next level of credit belongs to officials at all levels of the Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Assets, such as President Lai and others."

"Without their good command and effective organization, the steam engine would have been difficult to manufacture successfully."

"As for me, I have only contributed a little and I dare not take credit for it."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. I am extremely terrified!"

Wen Yuanliu spoke humbly and politely, and he knew when to advance and when to retreat.

A hint of surprise suddenly appeared on Zhu Yunhuan's face.

You know, for ordinary people, meeting the emperor for the first time is extremely stressful. It is very rare to be able to speak a few words fluently without stuttering.

Many people who took part in the imperial examinations and won the top spot were so nervous that they could hardly speak when they met the emperor for the first time.

Wen Yuanliu was able to remain so calm and speak so eloquently. His psychological quality and coping ability had indeed surpassed many officials in the court.

Zhu Yunhuan wanted to test him, so he smiled and said, "I heard that you have made great achievements in physics and mathematics, and have published many excellent works in the special issues of the journal Science. I have some free time today, and I have also drafted some content, but it is not yet complete. Please take a look and see if you can complete it."

After saying this, he took out the manuscript on calculus that he had just written.

When he was studying in his previous life, Zhu Yunhuan also learned a lot of knowledge about calculus very well.

I know all the theorems and proofs by heart.

However, after traveling back to the Ming Dynasty, I have been away from campus for a long time. Most of the knowledge I learned in the past has been "returned" to my teachers, just like passing clouds.

When he picked up calculus again today, when he started writing, he could only outline a vague and rough principle and idea, without any complete formula derivation and rigorous proof, which made Zhu Yunhuan feel embarrassed.

I thought to myself: I don’t have the amazing ability like Sir Newton.

What should I do if I can’t prove this calculus?

Historically, although Newton and Leibniz respectively proposed the theory of calculus, the issue of the rigor of their mathematical analysis remained unresolved for a long time.

For a long time, the theoretical foundation of calculus remained unclear. It was not until the advent of Cauchy's limit theory that calculus was built on a rigorous analytical basis.

Zhu Yunhuan started out by standing on the shoulders of giants and thought he could accomplish everything in one go. However, due to the loss of knowledge and the fact that he himself was not a gifted mathematical genius, what he wrote was naturally incomplete.

At this moment, he handed the manuscript to Wen Yuanliu, partly to test whether his mathematical foundation was solid and whether he had real talent and knowledge.

After all, when it comes to articles and writings, there is no guarantee that someone will falsify information.

Look at Wen Yuanliu, he seems to be a man who is good at dancing and slick in dealing with people, rather than a "pedantic nerd" who only knows how to study hard. Zhu Yunhuan can only feel completely at ease after testing him in person.

The second is to see if I can use this to complete the derivation and proof of calculus.

Only in this way can the application be promoted.

Wen Yuanliu stepped forward, his expression full of caution, and carefully took the manuscript handed to him by Zhu Yunhuan.

He gently opened it, and in an instant, he seemed to be frozen in place.

His eyes were fixed on the ideas, principles and arguments about calculus on the paper. For a moment, he completely forgot about the noise of the outside world and the existence of the people.

Suddenly, Wen Yuanliu slapped his thighs, looking crazy, and shouted loudly: "Wonderful! It's really wonderful!"

This sudden shout attracted the attention of everyone in the field.

Wen Yuanliu finally woke up from his dream, and hurriedly knelt on the ground, saying with great fear and trepidation: "Your Majesty, I was shocked when I first saw such exquisite and extraordinary mathematical ideas and principles, and I lost my composure in front of Your Majesty. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Zhu Yunxun smiled faintly and said gently, "It's okay. I haven't finished the draft yet. Do you have the ability to complete it?"

"The common people are extremely terrified!"

Wen Yuanliu was so excited that he immediately asked someone to bring him a pen and ink, and he began to write quickly on the spot. After a while, he put down his pen and held it up with both hands, respectfully presenting it to the emperor.

Zhu Yunhuan reached out to take it and looked at it carefully.

After all, it was the knowledge learned in the previous life. Although I had forgotten a lot due to the passage of time, so that I could not even write it down completely, but now looking at what others had written, the memories of the past were like a river breaking through the ice in spring, flowing and coming one after another.

After a closer look, it turned out that Wen Yuanliu had filled in all the principles, formulas, and derivations and proofs of calculus.

“Is this what a mathematical genius is capable of?”

Zhu Yunhuan secretly marveled in his heart: "Just by taking a look and understanding the mathematical ideas and principles, you can derive complete formulas and proofs by yourself!"

He couldn't help but feel a complex emotion. He was happy to have found such a talented person, but also felt a little disappointed because of his own lack of knowledge.

However, on second thought, mathematics is a subject that has always required talent, so this situation is not unusual.

I'm not a math genius, so it's no wonder that I can't compare to him.

In a moment, Zhu Yunhuan calmed down, looked at Wen Yuanliu, and praised: "Not bad, really good!"

"Your Majesty is a man of great military and literary talents, and I am fortunate to have witnessed some of them today. It is truly a great honor for me."

Wen Yuanliu was still immersed in deep shock, unable to extricate himself.

This was the first time he had seen calculus.

Thinking that Your Majesty could be the first to come up with such a shocking theory, my heart was filled with disbelief. I felt that Your Majesty was like a god who had descended to earth, extraordinary and otherworldly.

As for his deduction and proof just now, he thought that it was just a test given by His Majesty.

After all, Your Majesty has almost written the whole picture, including ideas, principles, and even preliminary deductions. Subsequent improvements will be a natural thing for people with a solid foundation.

Of course, he would never have thought that Zhu Yunhuan couldn't think of it and therefore didn't write it in full.

In Wen Yuanliu's opinion, Your Majesty deliberately did not write it down just to test yourself!

Normally, Wen Yuanliu felt that he had some talent. Although he appeared to be respectful to the people around him on the surface, he couldn't help looking down on them in his heart.

Those "idiots" had absolutely no idea about the difficult math and physics problems they were studying.

But today, in front of His Majesty, Wen Yuanliu felt that his intelligent mind, which he had always been proud of, was like an ant under Mount Tai, and was completely crushed.

Compared to Your Majesty, who was able to propose the three laws and calculus, I am truly stupid.

Zhu Yunhuan did not say much, and accepted his flattery calmly without changing his expression. Then he calmly instructed: "Publish the knowledge of calculus in the special issue of Mathematics under the journal Science, so that students all over the world can study it."

After saying this, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and a huge stone in his heart fell to the ground quietly.

Zhu Yunhuan had just written down the half-baked calculus derivation and argument, and for a moment he was really flustered and didn't know what to do.

I thought I could teach calculus to everyone in the world, but it turned out that I couldn’t even copy it myself.

Fortunately, thanks to Wen Yuanliu's extraordinary talent, this problem has been cleverly resolved.

In this way, in the future history, his reputation as the "Father of Calculus" will be firmly established and justified.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunheng's mouth corners unconsciously rose, and when he looked at Wen Yuanliu in front of him, he felt that this man was more pleasing to the eye.

When you look at him, you feel that he is like a rough jade that has come into being, shining brightly.

On the other hand, Wen Yuanliu was completely unaware of this. The respect and admiration he had for His Majesty in his heart was like the surging river, endless and already surging to an unprecedented level.

In his eyes, the emperor before him was simply a god who had descended to earth, unattainable yet omnipotent.

The thought that the exquisite calculus would soon be made public would inevitably cause a sensation in the world.

Wen Yuanliu's heart was beating like a deer, and he could hardly contain his excitement.

"I have already said that whoever can develop a steam engine will be made a Duke!"

Zhu Yunhuan's voice was like a loud bell, breaking the silence in the science museum.

"The success of the steam engine is entirely due to your concerted efforts and united will."

"However, Wen Yuanliu's achievements here are truly remarkable and he deserves a generous reward."

"Today, I have specially summoned you all to the palace for a banquet to reward you all for your meritorious service."

"Wen Yuanliu, listen to my orders!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yuanliu hurriedly knelt down and paid homage with great ceremony. His movements were quick and decisive, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled slightly, looked at him gently, and said in a loud voice: "I confer you the title of Duke of Wei. I hope that you will be diligent and forge ahead in the future, continue to delve deeper into the fields of mathematics, physics and engineering, and make more contributions to the scientific development of our Ming Dynasty. Don't let me down."

"Duke?"

Wen Yuanliu seemed to be struck by a bolt of thunder. He was instantly stunned and stood there in a daze.

His eyes widened, and he could hardly believe his ears.

Your Majesty is really going to bestow such an honor upon me?

Although Zhu Yunhuan had made this promise before, in the eyes of everyone, the development of the steam engine was the result of the joint efforts of everyone, and the title of Duke would probably not be conferred.

Therefore, when he suddenly heard that he was about to be conferred the title of Duke, how could Wen Yuanliu not be dumbfounded and shocked?

Everyone present was stunned by this sudden decree.

For a moment, there was complete silence all around, and you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone looked sideways, looking at Wen Yuanliu with envy, their eyes revealing a complex look that was difficult to conceal.

Duke!
This is the position of Duke, which symbolizes supreme glory and honor!
Before this, only military generals who had expanded the territory of the Ming Dynasty, risked their lives, and made outstanding contributions could receive this reward, unless they were descendants of the Zhu royal family.

Wen Yuanliu was originally just a commoner, not even a ninth-rank official.

In the blink of an eye, he was transformed into a Duke.

Such earth-shaking changes have had a huge impact on many people.

It was like being hit hard and it took a long time to recover.

The eunuch next to him saw that Wen Yuanliu seemed to be distracted and had not responded for a long time, so he hurriedly reminded him softly: "Wen Yuanliu, why don't you thank me quickly."

Wen Yuan Liu Fang woke up as if from a dream, and immediately kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the ground with a sound, and shouted: "I thank your majesty for your grace!"

Seeing this, Zhu Yunhuan smiled even more and gently corrected him, "What do you mean by 'commoner'? You are now the Duke of Wei, so you should call yourself 'minister'."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." Wen Yuanliu kowtowed again.

He was calm and composed just now, but now he was so excited that he even stuttered when speaking.

"I have only done my best, Your Majesty has given me such a generous reward. I am truly ashamed to accept it!"

After the ecstasy, Wen Yuanliu began to feel a little nervous and uneasy.

If you can complete calculus, that would be a great achievement!
Zhu Yunhuan pondered secretly, but he would not say this out loud.

The honor of being the "Father of Calculus" belongs to me!

No one can take it away!

Of course, he will still reward those who help him achieve this goal!

"Since I have conferred the title upon you, you must be able to bear it."

Zhu Yunhuan had already made plans in his mind, and said solemnly: "I have appointed you as Duke, and I am also entrusting you with important tasks."

"I have decided to establish the Imperial University of Peking, to recruit talented people from all over the world to enroll, and to impart profound knowledge in various subjects. You, the newly promoted Duke, will serve as the first president of the Imperial University of Peking!"

……

(End of this chapter)