Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

Meanwhile, our retired emperor is developing a sewing machine!

Chapter 3622 Mechanical Research

Wen Huanzhang established an experimental area in the outer city on the east side of the imperial city, and the BMW has been moved to a secret room there.

The headquarters of the Inspectorate is just a hundred meters away, and the Dengwen Drum is located outside the Donghua Gate.

To the south was the waiting area for officials and the parking lot for carriages traveling to and from the imperial city.

There are also temporary dormitories for officials nearby, specifically for officials who work too late to stay overnight. This usually indicates that something big has happened.

At this moment, only Shen Yourong and Li Qingzhao came along, bringing their children to watch the retired emperor messing around.

Besides members of the royal family, there were also several young artisans and apprentices.

The craftsman graduated from Jinling Shipbuilding School, which offered a mechanical engineering major.

The apprentices were all from Luoyang and Kaifeng, with respectable family backgrounds, and were allowed to access and study BMWs.

“Prime Minister, this kind of hook is extremely unstable; it will hook the wrong line while hooking,” a young craftsman said.

Wen Huanzhang sat beside him and instructed: "Observe carefully why it made a mistake."

So a group of young people lay there, their eyes fixed on the wooden hook shuttle.

The final product shuttle of a sewing machine will definitely be made of iron.

However, this is currently in the experimental stage, and wood is easier to sand and improve quickly.

Since there was no rubber available, the drive belt was made of cowhide instead.

Among the crowd was a fifteen-year-old boy, the son of Wen Huanzhang and Wen Xiaomei, named Zhu Wenzhu.

Zhu Wenzhu is skilled in painting, especially bamboo.

I don't particularly like Confucian classics, but I'm quite fond of poetry and prose.

He doesn't like agronomy, but he's interested in mathematics and physics, and in the last two years he's become fascinated with mechanics.

After observing carefully for a while, Zhu Wenzhu said, "When the hook is reset, it may cause the line to be skewed, interfering with the subsequent insertion of the line."

An apprentice named Yu Ang said, "If the hook and shuttle need to be reset, it's difficult to avoid interfering with the stitching."

"Is it possible to make a hook and shuttle that doesn't require resetting?"

"How can we repeat the drawing without resetting?" another apprentice questioned.

Yu Ang said, "Just make it so that it can be repeated."

Zhu Wenzhu had a sudden inspiration: "Have you ever seen a Tai Chi symbol with two fish?"

"The yin and yang symbolize endless cycles and continuous life."

“Make this single hook into two hooks with their heads connected, just like the yin and yang fish.”

"Press down the hook line, and instead of resetting it to put the line back, let the line slide to the other end."

"The next hook and shuttle hooks the line and presses it down, and the previous line is pulled out."

"After this improvement, the stitches are interlocked and won't all come apart if one thread breaks."

Not only did the craftsmen and apprentices not understand, but even Wen Huanzhang was a little confused.

Wen Huanzhang didn't know much about machinery, but he had seen sewing machines when he was young.

After all, back then, the sewing machine was a classic dowry item, one of the "three turns and one sound" (referring to the three essential items of a house, a watch, a revolving door, and a radio).

Therefore, Wen Huanzhang knew the external structure of the sewing machine and directly instructed the craftsmen and apprentices to make it.

However, the internal structure had to be independently researched and designed, and refined and improved bit by bit.

Just as everyone was completely confused, the apprentice named Yu Ang understood and clapped his hands, praising, "The Yin-Yang Pisces are indeed wonderful!"

These two boys conjured up an image of a sewing machine's shuttle motion in their minds!

Zhu Wenzhu said to everyone, "Here's what we're doing. Bring us the axe, the wood, and the knife."

Soon, he picked up an axe and chopped the wooden board, then carefully sculpted it with a knife, creating a deformed yin-yang symbol.

Zhu Wenzhu pulled the thread off with her left hand, turned the newly made shuttle half a turn with her right hand, pressed the hook down, turned it half a turn again, and then pulled the thread out with her hand.

"That's fine. Just call this kind of shuttle the Yin-Yang Shuttle."

Everyone finally understood.

The most skilled carpenters began to create more intricate yin-yang shuttles.

Then install it and press the pedal to start working.

But the Yin-Yang shuttle only turned half a circle before getting stuck on the thread...

Zhu Wenzhu looked a little embarrassed as she crouched down to observe why the wire was stuck.

The idea is correct, but the shape of the Yin-Yang shuttle still needs to be adjusted.

If you're lucky, it can be done in a day; if you're unlucky, it can take several days to adjust.

Wen Huanzhang did not interfere at all, but just sat quietly and watched.

Li Qingzhao accepted the cold drinks brought by the eunuch, handing one to Shen Yourong and the other to Wen Huanzhang: "The thread in the hands of a loving mother, the clothes on the body of a wandering son."

"If this sewing machine is made well, it will be much easier for my loving mother to sew clothes."

Wen Huanzhang said, "It was first used to sew official robes, military uniforms and other items, and a large number of burlap sacks were also used to sew goods."

"If it is gradually converted to civilian use, merchants will definitely be willing to imitate it."

The original sewing machine was still considered too technologically advanced for the Ming Dynasty's industry.

However, many parts can be replaced, so it is not necessary to follow the original.

As for components like the Yin-Yang shuttle (pendulum shuttle), after the final design is finalized, they can be cast using clay molds and then finely polished by craftsmen.

Technology is gradually advancing.

Once the sewing machine was finished, Wen Huanzhang would begin building the steam engine.

Chapter 3623 The New Wife

It didn't need to be too sophisticated. Initially, it was only used in various mines near coal mines to drain the water accumulated in the mine shafts.

Train a group of skilled craftsmen to improve other machines.

Both spinning and weaving machines need improvement; otherwise, even with steam engines, they will be difficult to use in textiles.

Moreover, cotton has not yet been widely adopted; there are currently only over two million mu of cotton fields.

Before the Dongting Lake basin is fully developed, farmland in Jiangsu and Zhejiang cannot be converted into cotton fields on a large scale, as the nation's food security must be guaranteed!

The Ming Dynasty's Patent Law is about to be drafted, but its implementation may be difficult in the future.

Putting aside the difficulties of implementation, let's get the Patent Law out first.

When superiors have certain preferences, subordinates will follow suit.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, people are now actively improving machinery and manufacturing processes for various goods.

In particular, after the publication of the books "Basic Mathematics" and "Basic Physics", many ordinary scholars and even craftsmen bought the books to study and research.

Practical books have always been bestsellers in ancient China.

For example, various agricultural books and arithmetic books sell very well.

Abacus books from the Ming and Qing dynasties were always very popular, and booksellers would directly use woodblock printing.

The technological impact brought about by Zhao Yuan is currently in a state of gradual accumulation and eventual release.

The next few decades may see an explosive growth.

They studied it until evening, and improved the Yin-Yang Shuttle twice.

It can now sew normally, but even after rotating it about ten times, the thread still occasionally gets stuck.

Wen Huanzhang clapped his hands: "It's getting late, let's stop here for today. We'll continue to improve the Yin-Yang Shuttle tomorrow."

"Today's research has made a major breakthrough. As a reward, we will add a meat dish to dinner and give each person a hundred coins."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The craftsmen and apprentices bowed with delight.

Craftsmen are paid wages, while apprentices are provided with room and board, and receive additional rewards upon completion of the project.

Wen Huanzhang added, "Zhu Wenzhu and Yu Ang performed exceptionally well today, so each of them will be awarded a silver dollar."

The two bowed in gratitude.

Zhu Wenzhu wasn't short of that one dollar; what made him happiest was gaining his father's approval.

Upon returning to the mansion, Wen Huanzhang escorted Shen Yourong and Li Qingzhao back to their respective courtyards.

Then, he took Zhu Wenzhu to Wen Xiaomei's place—a mother is naturally proud of her son's good behavior.

Empress Dowager Du of Annam was left alone in her room on her very first day in the palace.

Two days passed before a servant finally reminded him: "Prime Minister, His Majesty sent Lady Du here two days ago."

Wen Huanzhang then remembered and said, "Arrange to go to her place tonight."

Lady Du waited and waited, and finally a servant came to deliver the message. She then carefully dressed and made up, and finally heard "The Prime Minister has arrived" as it got dark.

"This servant greets the Prime Minister!" Du's newly learned Chinese had a rather strange accent.

Wen Huanzhang observed carefully and was quite satisfied with this concubine; at least he liked her appearance and temperament.

Wen Huanzhang asked, "Can you communicate in Mandarin?"

Mr. Du replied, "I know some; I've been studying for half a year. For what I don't understand, we can discuss it in writing."

Wen Huanzhang asked, "How much rice can one mu (unit of land area) of the best paddy fields in Annam yield?"

"what?"

Mr. Du seemed to understand, but then felt that he had misheard.

This Ming Dynasty prime minister, upon their first meeting, didn't ask for names or ages, but instead inquired about the grain yield per mu in Annam?

Fearing she might have made a mistake, Lady Du quickly grabbed paper and pen and wrote down a few Chinese characters: "The Prime Minister is asking about paddy fields, grain, and yield per mu?"

Wen Huanzhang nodded and said, "Yes."

Du replied in a panic, "I don't know."

Wen Huanzhang laughed and said, "It seems you must come from a wealthy family, as you don't usually pay attention to farming."

Du became increasingly flustered, and the more flustered she became, the less she understood: "I...didn't quite understand."

“It’s alright, you can learn Chinese slowly,” Wen Huanzhang said. “It’s almost the height of summer, so I’ll take you to Dongxi Garden to escape the heat in a couple of days.”

"Let me introduce you to the other sisters at Dongxi Garden."

"You can play games with them; these are the ones who play mahjong often."

"They also like to play Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and shuttlecock."

Du gripped her sleeves tightly with both hands and said awkwardly, "Prime Minister, could you speak slower and less? I don't understand."

Wen Huanzhang laughed and said, "Never mind, let's eat. Do you want some wine?"

Mrs. Du said, "I can drink a little."

A few candles were lit, making the room much brighter.

Du and Wen Huanzhang sat facing each other, secretly observing each other, and the more they looked, the more they liked each other.

Wen Huanzhang's appearance would be considered quite good by modern standards, but in ancient times he would have been considered an extremely handsome middle-aged or elderly man.

A well-proportioned, square face, slightly plump, represents composure, solemnity, and nobility.

After a few drinks, Du's face turned red. This widow seemed to have a second spring in her life, and her eyes were practically drooling as she looked at Wen Huanzhang.

Wen Huanzhang picked up a slice of meat and casually asked, "Do you have any children in Annam?"

Du replied, "One son and one daughter."