On the huge Imperial Plaza, the center of the square was very lively. With the lights shining on it, beautiful girls were dancing vigorously, driving the atmosphere and rhythm of the whole place, just like a concert scene in later generations.
Around the square, the clerks from Daming Electrical Company are constantly explaining to everyone how to use electric lights, precautions, installation matters, etc., and handing out promotional posters from the electrical company, which introduce the electric lamps in detail.
Many young and old people in the Ming Dynasty also learned about electricity and electric lights for the first time, and also got to know this magical thing.
At the same time, here are the Imperial Palace in the capital and the Prince's Mansion in the East Palace.
As night fell, Emperor Hongzhi habitually read a book and went to sleep.
Since the civil service reform was carried out in the Ming Dynasty, and Liu Jin became a cabinet minister, there were not many memorials that needed to be reviewed by Emperor Hongzhi. There were only dozens of memorials a day, and sometimes there were more than 100 memorials.
After the morning court meeting and the small meeting, Emperor Hongzhi could finish approving the memorials early in the afternoon, and he had a lot of free time every day to do things he liked.
For example, you can play with your precious daughter Princess Nanyang, or you can go and see how your precious grandchildren and granddaughters are studying in class.
In the evening, I also started to develop the habit of reading. I can read all kinds of books, including traditional books, newly learned books, etc. I can be considered well-read.
"Why don't you hold the lamp yet?"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at the dim Qianqing Palace and asked the eunuch Li Quan next to him in confusion.
"Replying to Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince gave special instructions today, saying that instead of holding a lamp at night, he would use something called an electric lamp that he invented."
Li Quan also replied quickly.
"Lamp?"
"What is this?"
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he immediately asked in confusion.
"I don't know either. His Royal Highness said you can start lighting this lamp at 7 o'clock. He said it is very bright compared to candles, oil lamps and the like."
Li Quan replied, then looked at the watch on his wrist and said, "Your Majesty, it will be seven o'clock soon."
"Hmm~"
"What did this kid come up with again, a light bulb?"
"Both the electric light and the telegraph have the word "electric". Are they the same thing?"
"Something related to electromagnetism?"
Emperor Hongzhi thought quickly in his mind.
Soon, it was seven o'clock in the evening.
"Turn on the lights~"
Following Li Quan's order, the little eunuch who had already been prepared quickly pressed a switch button according to the instructions of the Daming Electrical Trading Company clerk.
In an instant, the originally dark Qianqing Palace suddenly became extremely bright. The crystal lamps that had been installed and hung in advance lit up one after another, illuminating the entire Qianqing Palace and making the Qianqing Palace magnificent.
Illuminate it all.
"Ouch~"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at the bright lights, his eyes widening slightly.
The light turns on too quickly.
In the past, the lamps in the palace needed to be lit one by one by the eunuchs. Some tall lamps also required the use of stairs, but now, all the lamps were lit at once.
Moreover, these lamps are very bright. Every corner of the palace is illuminated by each lamp. This is an effect that whale oil lamps, candles and the like could not achieve in the past.
The special crystal lamps bloomed with brilliant light under the illumination of electric lamps, making the entire Qianqing Palace extremely bright and magnificent.
At this moment, not only Emperor Hongzhi was amazed by this electric lamp, but the guards, eunuchs, and maids in the palace were also attracted by the bright electric lamp. They all looked at the bright light and the illuminated Qianqing Palace.
"This is an electric light. I thought it was something when they installed it."
"It's really bright."
"Yes, it's really bright. This Qianqing Palace looks much more magnificent."
"No, it's too bright."
Everyone was talking quietly.
"This kid has always liked to tinker with weird things, and he really made something good."
"This electric light is really good, very bright, and there seems to be no smoke or smell."
Emperor Hongzhi was smiling with pride.
Zhu Houzhao may not be a qualified prince, but he is still a very filial child. The key is that he can also rely on his own intelligence to research something useful to the people.
Harvesters, steam trains, telegraphs, and electric lights are all very good things, and they are of great help to people's lives and production.
This made Emperor Hongzhi quite gratified. Although Zhu Houzhao was a little playful and not doing his job properly, in the end he was still a useful person and contributed to the Ming Dynasty. This was enough.
"Your Majesty, this is the electric light."
At this time, Li Quan came over with a light bulb and several guys from Daming Electrical Trading Company and said.
"Oh, isn't this just glass?"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at the light bulb carefully and said.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this shell is made of glass."
"The inside is a filament used to emit light. When the filament is energized, it will emit light."
The clerk from the Daming Electrical Company next to him also quickly stepped forward to answer Emperor Hongzhi's questions.
"Oh, right~"
"Is this similar to a telegram?"
Emperor Hongzhi looked at it carefully, thought about it and asked.
"Actually, it's similar to a telegraph. It uses a generator to generate electricity, and then it works after being powered on. The telegraph is used for communication, and this lamp is used for lighting. They all use electricity."
The guy thought for a while and replied.
"I see, let's give it a try."
Emperor Hongzhi came to take an interest.
"Yes~"
"Your Majesty, this is the light switch. Just press this button and it will turn on. Press the other side and it will turn off and then it will go out. It is very convenient and convenient."
As the waiter explained, Emperor Hongzhi also curiously pressed the button. Suddenly a light came on, and when he pressed the button again, the light went out.
"Haha, it's really convenient."
"Not bad."
Emperor Hongzhi tried it several times and said with a satisfied smile.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this electric lamp is indeed much more convenient and brighter than candles, oil lamps, etc., but it also has issues that need attention."
"Once people come into contact with this electricity, they will get an electric shock, which is very likely to lead to death. Therefore, this wire needs to be wrapped with insulating rubber so that there is no danger."
The clerk also began to introduce many things about electric lights to Emperor Hongzhi in detail, and also let Emperor Hongzhi know a lot about electricity.
I know that this thing is easy to use, but it also has certain dangers, so it needs to be protected by insulating rubber.
For example, the lines installed in the palace use thick copper wires and thick rubber for safety. At the same time, the safety of the palace and palace is also considered as much as possible in the lines.
On the other side, in the Prince's Mansion in the East Palace, as night falls, the lights in the Prince's Mansion also light up one after another, illuminating the Prince's Mansion brightly.
The Prince's Mansion is now more lively than the palace, because Zhu Houzhao has so many women that there are not enough rooms to live in, so part of the palace area has to be occupied to arrange them.
In addition, there are a large number of emperors and grandchildren, who are the thorns in the heart of Emperor Hongzhi, so naturally they cannot be wronged, so now the East Palace is more lively than the Imperial Palace, with many people.
As the lights came on, the entire East Palace suddenly became noisy. Zhu Houzhao's women were all surprised, and some even became scared. Zhu Houzhao's women came from many places, some were selected from the draft, and some were brought back by Zhu Houzhao from his romantic affairs.
This also leads to a huge difference in the knowledge of these women. Those like the Crown Princess who grew up in the capital are naturally well-informed and well-educated. Some are from minority tribes, and many do not have much knowledge.
They were frightened when they saw such bright lights, but fortunately there was someone around them who quickly explained to them.
As for Zhu Houzhao's children, they immediately jumped up with excitement when they saw the bright lights. Just like during the day, they could continue playing. This also made the eunuchs and maids around them all frown. They didn't know what they were doing at this moment.
When will the master fall asleep?
The entire capital, Imperial Square, Qianqing Palace, and the Prince's Palace in the East Palace were all lit up with bright lights, attracting the attention of countless people.
Early the next morning, as the sun rose, the shouts of newsboys began to spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.
"Sell newspapers~ sell newspapers~"
"His Royal Highness the Prince of Ming Dynasty invented the electric light, which is very bright and illuminates the dark night~"
"Sell newspapers~ sell newspapers~"
"Da Ming Electrical Company officially launched electric lights. Last night the Empire Square was lit up all night, just like daylight."
Accompanied by the shouts of the newsboys, newspapers were sold quickly, which also made countless people learn about electric lights and things related to electric lights for the first time.
At the same time, electric light also quickly became popular in Ming Dynasty with the promotion of newspapers.
