Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 31 A Gathering of Wise Men: The Beginning of the Inner Court
Sometimes, things in this world are just a matter of chance.

Wei Zhongxian had just finished selecting the imperial concubines when the brothers Song Yingxing and Song Yingsheng arrived.

The next morning around 9 a.m., under a bright sun and with a clear autumn sky, Zhu Jue arrived at the fields beside Taiye Pond.

This time, he didn't come to see the sweet potatoes in the field; he was there to help Xu Guangqi build something nice.

He directly ordered Liu Ruoyu to bring dozens of bricklayers to dig around the field that Xu Guangqi had cleared, and they quickly dug out a circle about a mile in circumference!
Upon seeing this, Xu Guangqi couldn't help but lean closer and ask, "Your Majesty, are you digging an irrigation canal?"

Who would dig a canal in a circle?
He didn't say that.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "No, I had them dig a foundation for the wall."

Uh, foundation?

Why are you building a house next to the fields?

This area is so large, it's probably big enough to build a palace.

The problem is, nobody usually builds houses next to fields, let alone palaces.

This is because there are many mosquitoes near the fields, and the smell of fertilizer lingers in the house for a long time.

Is there no room to build a palace in this imperial city?

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi looked utterly puzzled.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue said with a hint of smugness, "Zixian, you've never seen a greenhouse before, have you?"

greenhouse?

I've never even heard of it, let alone seen it.

Xu Guangqi asked with some curiosity, "Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance, but what is this greenhouse?"

This greenhouse is a wonderful thing.

Zhu Jue explained in detail: "A greenhouse is a big house. Once the doors and windows are closed, the cold wind and snow outside can't get in. If we put a stove or even a boiler inside, it can be as warm as spring in winter."

You said sweet potatoes aren't cold-hardy, but they'll be fine growing in a greenhouse. They won't freeze in winter, so you can plant a batch before next spring.

Greenhouses were originally used for growing things.

However, it's not enough for it to just be warm and cozy inside.

Xu Guangqi thought about it carefully, and then cautiously reminded him: "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, it is not enough for crops to grow in a warm, spring-like environment. In addition to watering and fertilizing, crops also need sunlight. Without sunlight, crops cannot grow normally."

I naturally know this.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "That's no problem. We can open more windows in the walls and even the roof."

window?

Xu Guangqi cautiously reminded him, "Your Majesty, if the window is to let in light, it can only be covered with thin paper or gauze. Thin paper will tear if it gets wet or if there is a strong wind, and gauze will leak air. I'm afraid that won't work."

Thin paper and gauze are obviously not suitable.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "The windows of this greenhouse cannot be covered with thin paper or gauze. The windows of the greenhouse must be fitted with something called glass. Glass is similar to crystal. It is transparent and hard, and it will not leak wind or be afraid of wind, frost, rain and snow."

Glass?

Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, are you referring to the kind of glass used in Western telescopes?"

I almost forgot that the European powers had already invented telescopes long ago. It's normal that you've had contact with their people and seen telescopes.

That's it, no explanation needed.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Yes, you're right, it's the kind of glass used in telescopes."

what?
Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi was dumbfounded and said, "Your Majesty, that glass is very expensive. A telescope is made of glass, and although the tube is made of copper, it is not worth much. Only the glass inside is valuable. I have asked about the price, and a telescope costs at least a thousand taels of silver. I simply cannot afford it."

That's because things are rare and therefore valuable. Moreover, European colonial bandits love to raise prices on the spot. Those guys are really ruthless. If you don't have something they have, they can make you pay exorbitant prices!
Zhu Jue slowly shook his head and said, "The cost of glass is actually very low, it's not worth much at all. When Chang Geng and Yuan Jiu come over, I will have them make it, and then you will know how low the cost of glass is."

Do the Song Yingxing and Song Yingsheng brothers make glass?
Upon hearing this, Xu Guangqi's face showed a look of surprise.

Life is full of coincidences; speak of the devil, and he appears.

As they were talking, Fang Zhenghua suddenly strode over, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Song Yingxing and Song Yingsheng have arrived."

Excellent! All the palace officials have finally arrived. We can open for business now.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Yes, have someone bring them over."

Soon, the brothers Song Yingxing and Song Yingsheng arrived together, cupped their hands and bowed, saying, "Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty."

The two brothers are not very old; Song Yingxing is only in his forties, and Song Yingsheng is probably not even fifty yet.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "You know what's used to fire porcelain glaze, right?"

I do know about the Song brothers, Song Yingxing and Song Yingsheng. They are both from Jiangxi. Jingdezhen is only about 200 miles away from their hometown. There are countless folk kilns that produce porcelain in their area.

Moreover, they really enjoy tinkering with these things. Song Yingxing's "Tiangong Kaiwu" is known as an encyclopedia. How could they not know about the specialties of their own hometown?

Song Yingxing declined for a moment, but Song Yingsheng quickly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I know that the main materials for porcelain glaze are quartz, feldspar and clay, and the auxiliary materials are limestone and talc, as well as copper ore, iron ore, zircon sand and other coloring agents."

"No need for colorants, I want transparent glass." Zhu Jue said decisively, "If we use quartz, feldspar and clay, supplemented with limestone and talc, wouldn't the resulting porcelain glaze be as transparent as crystal?"

This firing method does exist.

Song Yingsheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the glaze on those cheap porcelains that don't require coloring is made from these simple ingredients. We call this 'qing glaze' in our area, the 'qing' in 'clear water'."

Clear glaze should be similar to glass.

Zhu Jue decisively said, "Then let's try firing some clear glaze, is that alright?"

Uh, just firing clear glaze?
Song Yingsheng carefully said, "Your Majesty, porcelain glaze is applied to the porcelain body before firing, and too much glaze can be applied. If too much glaze is applied, it will flow down like water during firing."

This is simple.

Zhu Jue pondered, "Then you can make a porcelain pot. Cut an opening in the pot and attach a porcelain trough to the opening. Once the glaze is fired, let it flow out like molten iron and into a special mold to cool. The mold is very simple, just a plate about one-tenth of an inch thick. You can decide on the length and width. Fire some samples first and see if there are any problems."

Burn it like that?
Song Yingsheng nodded slowly and said, "Your Majesty, there should be no problem."

That's good.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Then you should go and stay at the Hall of Mental Cultivation first. After lunch, we will hold an inner court assembly."

Inner court meeting?

Song Yingxing and Song Yingsheng were both taken aback for a moment before quickly cupping their hands and saying, "Your humble servants understand."

Zhu Jue then instructed, "Ruoyu, order someone to arrange accommodations for them. Also, order someone to convey my oral decree that Zhou Kui, Tian Hongyu, and Yuan You should attend a court assembly in the main hall of the Yangxin Hall at 1-3 PM this afternoon."

Yuan You's family originally lived in the northern suburbs of the capital, and they moved into the Yangxin Hall yesterday afternoon. Tian Hongyu's family lived a bit further away, but Wei Zhongxian sent a fast horse to deliver the order, telling them to take the fast boats of the Tianjin Three Guards to the capital, and they arrived last night.

After lunch, it was soon time for the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).

All the officials of the inner court gathered in the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Xu Guangqi, Wang Zheng, the Bi Maokang brothers, and the Song Yingxing brothers stood neatly in a row on the left.

Zhou Kui, Tian Hongyu, Yuan You, Wang Chengen, Fang Zhenghua, and Liu Ruoyu stood neatly in a row on the right.

Zhu Jue sat high in the main seat, slowly scanning the area. He couldn't help but feel full of ambition. The inner court was about to be established, and the Ming Dynasty was about to flourish.

He thought about it carefully, then said solemnly, "Today, the Inner Court is officially established. The purpose of establishing the Inner Court is to develop industry and make the Ming Dynasty prosperous and strong."

The so-called industry refers to the material production sector that extracts and utilizes resources and processes various raw materials. The so-called sector is similar to a government office. In the future, we will also set up departments and bureaus under the inner court government offices, and set up various factories under the departments and bureaus.

We need to produce civilian goods such as grain, silk, cloth, porcelain, and glass; we need to manufacture weapons and equipment such as muskets, cannons, telescopes, and machines; and we need to build large equipment such as steamships, steam trains, and warships.

In short, we will produce whatever can make money and whatever can make the Ming Dynasty rich and powerful.

The inner court first established six government offices, and then expanded them as needed.

Zixian, you will be appointed as the Minister of Agriculture in the Inner Court, in charge of agricultural production.

Liangfu, you will be appointed Minister of the Imperial Shipbuilding Department, in charge of building steamships.

Chang Geng, you will be appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Equipment Department, in charge of developing various machines.

Lord Meng, you shall be appointed Minister of Weapons of the Inner Court, in charge of the research and development of firearms and cannons.

Shi Gao, you will be appointed as the Minister of Commerce of the Inner Court, in charge of all kinds of business in the Inner Court.

Yuan Jiu, you will be appointed as the Minister of Resources of the Inner Court, in charge of the extraction of various resources.

"Lord Zhou, I will first promote you to the position of Left Commander-in-Chief, in charge of the allocation of merchants and medical households."

"Lord Tian, ​​I will first promote you to Right Vice-General, in charge of allocating farm households and military households involved in production."

Lord Yuan, I will first promote you to Right Vice-General, in charge of the allocation of all kinds of artisans.

I will have Ruoyu draft an imperial edict for you. Once you have the edict, you can each perform your duties.

Cheng'en, you will be responsible for overseeing all the government offices and factories within the inner court and protecting their safety.

Zheng Hua, you are responsible for secretly collecting various information for my and the ministers' reference.

If you are foolish, you will be in charge of allocating funds and provisions.

You must be careful; the inner court and the outer court have no connection. Whatever you do, do not tell the officials of the outer court, nor associate with them. Maintain secrecy.

This means that officials in the inner court are appointed by imperial decree and have nothing to do with officials in the outer court. Officials in the outer court, and even local officials, can ignore these inner court ministers and the like.

There is precedent for this. During the Jiajing reign, many Taoist priests were appointed as ministers of the inner court by imperial decree. These ministers of the inner court had no power in the outer court.

Xu Guangqi and his colleagues didn't care about any of that; they just wanted to use their skills to save the Ming Dynasty from peril.

As for what kind of power they have, they don't care whether they have any real power or not.

They actually wield real power, and their power is immense, involving enormous interests, which are simply not yet apparent.

Once the inner court develops, the millions or even tens of millions of taels of tax revenue from the outer court will be nothing compared to the interests they control!

(End of this chapter)