The ministers in the Wenhua Hall all had a meal before going back to work.
After Zhong Jinwei left the Forbidden City, he did not return to the capital camp immediately. He said to the guard following him: "Let's go to the Glass Research Institute."
In fact, he was so busy that he forgot about the glass mirror. When giving a banquet this time, Emperor Chongzhen remembered it and asked his chamberlain to go to the Queen's office to bring a mirror out to Zhong Jinwei. Only then did he remember the glass mirror.
Zhong Jinwei initially thought that the Glass Research Institute had finally built it, and he was immediately overjoyed.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Chongzhen told him that this was a tribute sent by the Portuguese when they apologized last time, and said that the mirror was comparable to gold.
Emperor Chongzhen specifically asked Wang Chengen to check it out. Although the price was exaggerated, it was actually not much different.
There are only very few mirrors in the Ming Dynasty, and they were all brought by these Westerners. Because they are much clearer than bronze mirrors, they suddenly became extremely popular among the wealthy people of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, this thing is still extremely rare in Ming Dynasty, and only the wealthy people in Guangdong and the capital can own it.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at Zhong Jinwei longingly, hoping that he would go to the Glass Research Institute to see why they had not developed a mirror for so long and see if he could solve it.
Because Zhong Jinwei didn't need to tell him this time, he also knew that once the mirror was developed, it would become a major economic pillar of the Ming Dynasty.
On the way to the Glass Research Institute, Zhong Jinwei saw the bustling streets of the capital with people coming and going. He couldn't help but sigh, from the country to the people, money is indispensable.
Thinking of this, an investment opportunity suddenly appeared in his mind. He couldn't help but secretly thought that officials did not need to be corrupt at all. As long as they took advantage of the asymmetry of information and made arrangements in advance, they could make countless money.
At this time in ancient times, who would pursue this matter?
Therefore, when he arrived at the entrance of the Glass Research Institute and there were no other outsiders around, Zhong Jinwei said to the guards surrounding him: "If you have some spare money, you can go to Tianjin to buy land early and build some shops or something."
By saying this, he could give back to the guards who devoted themselves to protecting him.
These guards regarded Zhong Jinwei's words as imperial edicts. Although they were confused when they heard Zhong Jinwei's words, they understood after being stunned for a moment, and a surge of ecstasy surged from the bottom of their hearts.
As for those who don’t have enough money, that’s just a way of saying it. With Marquis Zhongxing, you have made many military exploits, so naturally you will be rewarded a lot. And even if you don’t have any money, aren’t there banks where you can get loans?
"Thank you, Lord Marquis!"
Zhong Jinwei ignored them, got off his horse and walked towards the entrance of the research institute.
The concierge of the institute heard the noise, came out to see it, and hurriedly went to greet him.
Everyone in the research institute knows about Zhongxinghou. Because this set of things was all developed under Zhongxinghou’s suggestions and guidance.
Zhong Jinwei went directly to the workshop where glass mirrors were developed. At this time, the craftsmen in the workshop had already come out to welcome him.
Zhong Jinwei didn't wait for them to salute, and directly asked the leading craftsman Hu Guangdao: "Why haven't glass mirrors been developed yet?"
Hu Guang is a middle-aged man in his forties, tall. Hearing that Marquis Zhongxing asked this question as soon as they met, he seemed to be a little depressed, and replied naa naa: "Master Hou, the little people are doing something."
Various experiments will take time."
Zhong Jinwei also knows that they will not be lazy. Not to mention supervision, just the dividends received after the products developed by other research institutes are sold well will make the people in these research institutes jealous and work hard.
Therefore, he did not blame them further. He took out a palm-sized object from his arms and said, "This is a tribute from the Westerners. Take it and take a look. Do you have any inspiration?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Guang took a closer look and found that his face clearly appeared in the palm of Zhongxing Hou.
It turns out that Zhong Jinwei asked Emperor Chongzhen for the mirror and brought it to the institute for sample reference.
Hu Guang carefully took it from Mr. Hou and started to read it on the spot.
Other craftsmen also stretched their heads, wanting to see what the glass mirror they had been working hard to make looked like.
When Zhong Jinwei was trying to get Hu Guang to look again, he heard him let out an earth-shattering "ah" sound, and then he reached out and slapped his forehead with his palm.
The noise was so loud that Gu Baichuan and others were so frightened that they immediately stepped in front of Zhong Jinwei, thinking that something had happened.
Two of them had swords drawn in their hands, ready to pounce on Hu Guang.
Upon seeing the movement of the guards of Marquis Zhongxing, Hu Guang reacted and quickly explained: "Master Marquis, Master Marquis, do you know how to make this mirror?"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a immobilizing spell had been cast on the two soldiers who were about to pounce on Hu Guang. It turned out to be a misunderstanding.
Zhong Jinwei pushed aside the guard, looked slightly happy, looked at Hu Guang and said: "Why, how did you do it if you figured it out so quickly?"
There was no surprise on Hu Guang's face, but a look of annoyance. He explained to Zhong Jinwei: "Master Hou, this villain, it's really dark under the lamp!"
"Oh, why do you say that?" Zhong Jinwei asked curiously.
Hu Guang first looked at his colleagues, and then immediately explained to Zhong Jinwei: "Look at this mirror, it must be made of tin amalgam. Although the little people thought of it at the beginning, they did not try this method.
Instead, I kept trying other methods.”
Zhong Jinwei heard this strangely and quickly asked: "Why is this?"
Hu Guang smiled bitterly and replied: "Master Hou said that this glass mirror can illuminate people very clearly, a hundred times better than a bronze mirror. Therefore, the villain immediately ruled out the tin amalgam method to make a glass mirror.
"
Hu Guang then explained the reason in detail to Zhong Jinwei, which made him sigh, it was really dark under the lamp.
It turns out that bronze mirrors before the Tang Dynasty were plated with tin amalgam, which had higher clarity. In other words, the Chinese nation had mastered the tin amalgam mirror making method a long time ago.
But starting from the Song Dynasty, due to various reasons, the material of bronze mirrors changed and became high-tin bronze mirrors.
If you plating tin amalgam on a high-tin bronze mirror, it is already redundant, and the result will inevitably be that the originally practical bronze mirror will be plated into a waste product that is neither practical nor of appreciation value. In addition to returning the scrap material to the furnace for smelting,
No other use is possible.
Therefore, plating tin amalgam on the surface of a high-tin bronze mirror that already has very good reflectivity is completely redundant. Only a group of craftsmen who know how to make tin amalgam will leave this method alone and experiment with other methods.
Now that I saw the samples presented as tribute by the Westerners, I suddenly came to my senses.
No matter how many detours Hu Guang and others took, it was a good thing to be able to do it now. Zhong Jinwei no longer delayed them and asked them to experiment with tin amalgam production methods to make glass mirrors.
Soon after, the Ming Dynasty had another tool for making money. Emperor Chongzhen, Wen Tiren, Bi Ziyan and others were so happy that they couldn't open their mouths from ear to ear. Their impression was further deepened by the idea that as soon as Zhongxing Hou took action, money would roll in!