My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 420 "Gewu" Magazine

Faced with this situation, even Little Fatty Jun couldn't make up his mind.

He ultimately chose to submit the memorial to his father, the Emperor, for judgment, but the Emperor Longqing soon returned it to him.

Little Fatty Jun looked at his father, the Emperor Longqing, who wrote a few words and handed them to him.

"You shall do it yourself."

What do you mean?
Let me decide?

Little Fatty Jun looked at his father again. It seemed that his father really wanted to leave the decision to him.
Little Fatty Jun was about to agree with Su Ze's suggestion and approve the memorial, but then he remembered Su Ze's teachings and said:

"Father, please allow me to think this over carefully."

The Longqing Emperor nodded, clearly granting his son time to think.

Just then, a eunuch announced that Consort Li was requesting an audience.

Emperor Longqing gestured to Feng Bao, who was standing beside him, to let Consort Li in. As soon as Consort Li entered the hall, she knelt down directly before the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that the outer court is discussing the matter of the Royal Practical Learning Society."

Even before he lost his speech, the Longqing Emperor was annoyed by Consort Li's behavior. Now that he could no longer speak, he was even more disgusted by her.

However, he was ill at the time, and even with the care of eunuchs and palace maids, it was far less comfortable than with Consort Li. After all, the two were a couple who had gone through thick and thin together, and they still had a great understanding of each other.

After the Longqing Emperor fell ill, Consort Li took care of him personally until recently when she also fell ill, at which point the Emperor issued an order for her to return home to recuperate.

"I have heard that my father has also been selected for the list, and I think this is really inappropriate."

Sure enough.

The Longqing Emperor knew Consort Li all too well.

The most controversial names on this list are the Taoist priest Tao Guan and the Earl of Wuqing, Li Wei.

Consort Li was extremely cautious and feared most that the court would accuse her family of favoritism.

Because of her elder brother Li Wenquan's recent prominence, Consort Li has become extremely nervous.

She even tried to persuade her father to give up the grain-growing competition, but the personal maid she sent home to persuade him was rebuked by the old man, Lord Wuqing, and thus failed to stop her father from showing off.

If Father were to be admitted to the Royal Practical Learning Society this time, wouldn't the outside court be even more gossipy?

Although Consort Li was not very knowledgeable, she still possessed the cunning of a woman.

She knew, of course, that this was a critical moment, and that her son could smoothly take over the reins as long as he remained calm and discreet. There was no need to create any unnecessary complications.

Emperor Longqing wrote a note and handed it to Consort Li before she left the Imperial Study.

After Consort Li left, Feng Bao handed Crown Prince Zhu Yijun a note from the Emperor.

"What's the judgment?"

Upon seeing his father's handwritten letter, Little Fatty Jun looked up at his father.

Unfortunately, Emperor Longqing's sallow face showed no expression whatsoever.

In the past, Xiao Pangjun would probably have opposed the proposal and refused to establish the Practical Learning Society.

However, his mother's outburst today only fueled Xiao Pangjun's rebellious spirit.

Neither the outer court nor the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs objected!
Moreover, this was Master Su's memorial to the throne, which inadvertently gave Little Fatty Jun strength.

Little Fatty Jun immediately said:
"Your Majesty, I request permission to issue this decree!"

After hearing his son's words, Emperor Longqing finally smiled.

He nodded and then had Feng Bao hand over the imperial edict with vermilion ink to Xiao Pangjun.

After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Pangjun still took the imperial brush and marked the memorial in red.

Immediately afterwards, the chief eunuch Feng Bao affixed the imperial seal, signifying that Su Ze's memorial had been approved by the emperor and issued as an imperial edict.

After doing all this, Xiao Pangjun was so nervous that his heart was pounding. Had he finally passed the test?

But he still didn't understand why his father would show a pleased expression when he supported Master Su's memorial.
The Longqing Emperor was exhausted, so today's observation and learning session was over.

When Xiao Pangjun returned to the palace, he immediately dispatched his trusted eunuch Zhang Hong to tell him about what had happened that day, and then asked him to go to Su Ze's residence to ask for Su Ze's opinion.

"Go and summon Master Tao again. I want to tell him this good news!"

These days, Tao Guan worked day and night and finally completed the process for preparing red phosphorus.

In addition, Tao Guan discovered that the weight of the substance was the same before and after combustion in his experiment of burning red phosphorus.

Just as Suze predicted, this phenomenon also overturned the previous theory of phlogiston.

Based on this, Tao Guan speculated that combustion is a phenomenon that occurs during a material transformation, but the weight of the substance remains the same before and after the reaction.

Tao Guan further speculated that combustion occurred because some substance in the air combined with the reactants.

Following this line of thought, Tao Guan conducted several more experiments. He also discussed with Su Ze, and finally named this substance in the air that can react with other substances to help combustion oxygen.

The discovery of oxygen itself was nothing special, but Tao Guan's method of using precise weighing and calculation to study chemical reactions pointed out a clear path for many people exploring the field of chemistry.

From this point on, chemistry was no longer a haphazard experiment like alchemy, but a science capable of quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Su Ze highly praised Tao Guan's achievements and published them in the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper. He also strongly encouraged Tao Guan to write a book about his previous experience in material classification and experimental methods, and Su Ze would fund its publication.

This time, upon rejoining the Practical Learning Society, Tao Guan will likely work even harder.

After thinking for a moment, Little Fatty Jun said:

"Go find Master Su first. I'll give Master Tao a surprise!"

Su Ze never expected that he would run into Zhang Hong as soon as he got home.

"Mr. Su, His Highness the Crown Prince would like to ask for your opinion?"

After listening to Zhang Hong's account of what happened in the Imperial Study, Su Ze thought for a moment and said:
"Zhang Daban, please tell His Highness."

"As the crown prince, you must make your own decisions, whether to grant or deny permission."

"For family matters, you can consult the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, but for political matters, you should listen to the opinions of all parties. Listening to all sides will lead to a clear understanding."

Zhang Hong hurriedly wanted to deliver a message back, but Su Ze took out a red wedding envelope and stuffed it into Zhang Hong's arms.

Even Zhang Hong felt embarrassed now, and every time he came to Su Ze's residence to deliver a message, Su Ze would prepare enough silver dollars.

Su Ze said:

"There is a joyous occasion in the household, and we would like to invite Zhang Daban to share in the celebration."

Zhang Hong thought for a moment and quickly realized that the happy event at Su Ze's residence was probably that matter. He immediately said:
"Then I congratulate Mr. Su on the birth of another son."

Su Ze saw Zhang Hong off. It seems the system worked its magic. Consort Li's request had the opposite effect, which is why the emperor supported Little Fatty Jun's decision.

Having been married for many years, the Longqing Emperor certainly knew what kind of person Consort Li was.

If she were to pass away, Consort Li would be promoted to Empress Dowager and might assume power.

In fact, Empress Chen was more politically astute, but unfortunately, she was in poor health and had become somewhat disillusioned with the world, so she did not interfere in politics.

Given Consort Li's political acumen, the court was bound to descend into chaos.

However, Xiao Pangjun was, after all, Consort Li's biological son, and the Emperor could see his son's filial piety. This time, the Emperor supported Xiao Pangjun's opposition to Consort Li's opinions in order to desensitize his son and prevent him from listening to Consort Li in future political affairs.

So that's how the system works!

Come to think of it, if it weren't for this, Emperor Longqing probably wouldn't have approved his memorial so quickly.

However, the Royal Practical Learning Society was still established, which pleased Su Ze greatly.

Moreover, if the seeds could be sown to exclude Consort Li from the decision-making circle of the Ming Dynasty, that would seem like a good outcome, since in the original timeline, this Empress Dowager was somewhat unreliable.

Zhang Hong relayed Su Ze's original words to Xiao Pang Jun. Seeing that the Crown Prince still seemed somewhat confused, Zhang Hong reminded him:
"His Majesty and Mr. Su mean that family matters can be discussed with the Imperial Concubine, but matters of state..."

Now Little Fatty Jun finally understood, and he blurted out:
"Don't involve Mother in state affairs!"

Zhang Hong coughed immediately, and Xiao Pangjun changed his tune, saying:

"Don't trouble your mother with state affairs."

Zhang Hong nodded quickly.
-
The following day, the emperor issued a decree to the whole country, establishing the Royal Practical Learning Society, which was placed under the Hanlin Academy.

Members of the Practical Learning Society were not given official ranks or any special privileges. Their only right was to enter the palace and demonstrate the latest achievements of practical learning to the emperor.

Those with political acumen still recognized the significance of this Practical Learning Society.

Nothing else matters; these days, those who can afford to research practical knowledge at their own expense are probably not short of money.

The important thing is to be able to enter the palace and demonstrate the results of practical learning to the emperor!
This means that members of the Practical Learning Society will have the opportunity to come into contact with the emperor!

This is equivalent to having another way to access the center of power!

Following that, the nominations for members of the First Practical Learning Society were also announced. Apart from Li Wei, the Earl of Wuqing, the rest of the candidates were unsurprisingly approved by the Emperor and the Cabinet.

Thus, the first Practical Learning Society was established.

Following that, Su Ze proposed that the Yuefu Xinbao assist the Practical Learning Society in publishing another special publication.

This publication is a monthly publication, unlike newspapers which publish reports, but rather detailed research findings of the Practical Learning Society.

Gao Gong naturally supported Su Ze's proposal, believing that it would add another platform for practical learning in the field of publicity, and he personally wrote the name of the publication - "Gewu" (格物).

Zhao Zhenji and Yin Shidan did not object to the name, as "investigating things to acquire knowledge" is the core idea of ​​Yangming's philosophy of mind.

In any case, this publication is not limited to submissions from members of the Practical Learning Society; it can also encourage disciples of the Mind School to submit articles, which can also serve as a platform for promoting the Mind School.

Su Ze also received the settlement report.

The petition to establish a Royal Practical Learning Society was passed.

The Royal Society of Practical Learning was established.

The Royal Society of Practical Science is the highest honor for scientists, and countless people dedicate themselves to science in order to gain admission.

The Royal Society of Practical Science has led the world's scientific and technological development for over a century; the most advanced scientific and technological advancements of the last hundred years originated from this society.

A century later, the Royal Society of Practical Learning was renamed the Royal Society of Sciences, marking the end of its glorious mission.

[National fortune +1.]

[Prestige Value +500]

[Remaining Prestige: 2490]

Sure enough, I gained prestige points.

That's true. With the development of technology, science, or "practical learning," has gained a certain following.

Of course, there weren't many full-time scientists like Tao Guan among them; most were part-time.

For example, officials like Pan Jixun held concurrent positions, or nobles like Li Wei conducted their own research.

Scientists are not saints either; they also have the pursuit of fame and fortune.

By personally petitioning for the establishment of the Practical Learning Society, he naturally enhanced his prestige within this group.

Satisfied, Su Ze closed the "Handheld Ming Dynasty" book, having finally understood the whole story.

But why didn't Zhang Juzheng make the decisions that the system predicted?
If he had directly opposed it, the memorial would have been rejected by the cabinet, and the section about the palace would not have happened.

Unfortunately, since it involves Zhang Juzheng, Su Ze probably doesn't understand it either.
-
Zhang Jingxiu packed his bags, preparing to leave the capital and return to Laizhou.

Zhang Jingxiu returned before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Admiral Li Chao, showing great kindness, granted the entire Naval Academy a Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

Zhang Jingxiu hadn't planned to go home, but Li Chao forced him to come back.

Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for family reunion, and Zhang Jingxiu finally returned to his long-lost home.

When Zhang Jingxiu returned home this time, he found that his father Zhang Juzheng's attitude towards him had changed again.

The previously strict father-son relationship became harmonious, and Zhang Juzheng would call him to his study to listen to him talk about the navy.

Zhang Juzheng would also tell Zhang Jingxiu about some non-confidential government affairs and explain the situation in the court.

This was also the period in Zhang Jingxiu's twenty years of life during which he had the closest relationship with his father.

The old steward came to Zhang Jingxiu's room and summoned him to the study.

"Father is back?"

Zhang Jingxiu was a little confused. His father was a typical workaholic and was never home unless he was on a day off.

Today is the day for going to the yamen, but Father has actually returned?

Zhang Jingxiu chose to return to Laizhou today to avoid separation between father and son.

Could it be that my father came back specifically to see me off?
Zhang Jingxiu was pleasantly surprised and followed the old steward to Zhang Juzheng's study.

After paying his respects to his father, Zhang Juzheng hesitated for a moment and asked:
"Are you really going to join the ocean-going fleet?"

Zhang Jingxiu nodded emphatically and said:
"I have already informed Father last time. In order to verify the accuracy of the lunar angular distance celestial clock method and the nautical clock method, the Admiral has decided to send a Southern Ocean Exploration Fleet. I have already signed up to participate, and the Admiral's Office has approved it."

Zhang Juzheng looked at his eldest son, whom he was most proud of in recent years, and sighed slightly in his heart.

No one knows a son better than his father. He knew that this son was most like himself, both having the kind of personality that would never give up once they set their minds on something.

Knowing that persuasion was futile, Zhang Juzheng gave up trying to persuade his son.

He said:
"You know about the founding of the Royal Society of Practical Learning, right?"

Zhang Jingxiu nodded.

Zhang Juzheng said:
"The Practical Learning Society has already held its first meeting, and the meeting decided to establish a Longitude Committee to verify the two laws."

"Your voyage will probably be delayed for a while."

Zhang Jingxiu was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected his father to be so concerned about maritime matters.

Zhang Jingxiu smiled and said:

“Father, it’s alright. No matter which method of longitude is used, it will eventually have to be verified by navigation. This voyage will definitely begin.”

"Your son has returned this time to bid farewell to his father. The sea frontier is vast, please forgive your unfilial son."

(End of this chapter)