Chapter 392 Imperial power goes to the countryside
The main reason why Zhu Qizhen was angry was because Dong Gong had just been ordered by Zhu Jianshen.
Also, I was worrying about fire prevention, but I didn’t expect that this kid would actually hit the muzzle of the gun!
You can see bright light from a long distance away. Ordinary lamps and candles are not that bright. Are you tinkering with gunpowder again?
Zhu Qizhen thought to himself that he must be beaten today to relieve his anger!
However, when he arrived at the East Palace angrily, he was shocked by the scene in front of him.
"Father!"
Zhu Jianshen was playing with his new toy enthusiastically. When he looked up, there was someone else in front of him.
When he saw his father's dark face, he took a step back unconsciously, and then explained: "The child is not playing with fire. This is..."
"Did you make this thing?"
"Yes, ah, no, Master Tong did it, and I helped..."
Zhu Qizhen stepped forward and observed carefully.
There is an iron pot on the stove. The lid is specially made and has buckles on the outer edge to fix it. An iron pipe leads from the middle and is connected to a simple steam engine. The other end is an impeller. Driven by the steam, the impeller rotates and then drives the magnet to rotate.
, the last thing connected is the light bulb.
The wick is made of carbonized bamboo filament. After being powered on, the brightness is more than twice as bright as a fire candle.
"Is this made by Tong Xuan?"
"Yes, Master Tong did it, and the kid also helped!"
Zhu Jianshen introduced it enthusiastically: "Father, look at that copper wire, the cotton yarn on the outside is wrapped around it."
"Yes, Not Bad!"
The shock on Zhu Qizhen's face slowly turned into a smile, Ming Dynasty had electric lights!
It is really unimaginable, because we have just entered the steam age not long ago, is it going to reach the sky in one step and jump directly to the electric age?
You know, you are just providing an idea.
From idea to reality, it not only requires a lot of effort and trial and error, but also God's blessing.
Hard work and luck are both indispensable.
His current mood is very complicated. The wisdom of the working people is great and really incredible!
"Tomorrow morning, call your master Tong to come to my study room!"
Zhu Jianshen said excitedly: "My child obeys the order!"
No matter what I did before, I was either scolded or beaten. Today, it was the first time that my father recognized me. The joy of this kind of success is indescribable.
Zhu Qizhen was also very happy. His son was successful and he had a successor to the Ming Dynasty!
Returning to Qianqing Palace, she saw Wan Zhen'er kneeling on the couch, massaging Queen Qian's belly.
"emperor……"
The two of them stood up and kowtowed, but Zhu Qizhen waved his hand and said: "Don't move, you continue!"
Queen Qian lay down again and asked, "Your Majesty, is there any happy event today?"
Zhu Qizhen sat beside the bed and asked, "Why did the queen say this?"
"I am overjoyed to see the Emperor's face. It must be something happy."
"Yes, there is a happy event!"
Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "There is another breakthrough in the research of the Academy of Sciences... Forget it, I can't explain it in a sentence or two, you will know it yourself in the future."
When the queen heard that it was a matter for the Academy of Sciences, she stopped asking.
"I heard that some students have gathered to make trouble recently. I wonder what the reason is?"
"It's okay, it's been solved!"
Zhu Qizhen laughed and asked: "I have been busy handling government affairs these days and neglected the queen. Will my health improve?"
Empress Qian glanced at Wan Zhen'er and said, "Excuse me, Your Majesty. I feel much better now that Zhen'er is taking care of me."
Wan Zhen'er immediately became nervous and didn't know what to say.
Zhu Qizhen also looked at Wan Zhen'er and asked, "You can be considered half a doctor. I'm here to ask you, how is the Queen's health?"
"Go back to the emperor..."
Wan Zhen'er knelt on the bed and saluted, and said: "The empress is suffering from palace cold. The imperial doctor has already prescribed a treatment. In addition, the slave will massage her lower abdomen every day. It will take at least three months and at most half a year to get better."
"Gong Han?"
Zhu Qizhen frowned slightly. He had heard of this disease before, and it seemed to be very common.
"Are there many women suffering from this disease?"
"Your Majesty, there are many. However, everyone's physical condition is different, and the severity of their symptoms is also different. The Queen's symptoms are...severe."
“How serious can this disease be?”
"The main manifestation is menstrual colic, which may lead to inability to get pregnant. If it is more severe, it may be... life-threatening..."
Zhu Qizhen understood that it turned out that Queen Qian had been barren because she suffered from uterine cold syndrome.
Empress Qian said softly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I'm much better now. After drinking the medicine, there is a faint burning feeling in my belly."
Zhu Qizhen held Queen Qian's slender hand, and a warm feeling suddenly came over him. Then he secretly felt relieved, because the Queen's hands were cold before.
"Just relax and cultivate yourself. You will get better."
"I thank the Emperor for your concern."
Wan Zhen'er looked at the two of them and silently got out of bed, not forgetting to pull down the curtain beside the bed before leaving.
Early the next morning, Kuang Ye, the Minister of Rites, led his people to block the door of the imperial study.
Everyone is used to the fact that the emperor doesn't like going to court.
The strange thing is that the emperor's absence from court does not seem to affect the operation of the court.
Six ministries and nine ministers, and yamen at all levels are still operating normally, and no major or minor matters have been left behind.
In fact, Zhu Qizhen has been laying out the layout since he returned from Tumubao.
He first asked King Tan to supervise the country, firstly to train his younger brother, and secondly, to train the entire court.
In the era of centralized feudal monarchy, the court was too dependent on the emperor.
What's even more frightening is that this position seems to be high up, but there are countless pairs of eyes staring at it.
Just like an egg, as long as it cracks a crack, swarms of flies will surround it, greedily sucking the egg liquid, and lay eggs inside so that their larvae can continue to suck blood.
This kind of imperial power is very fragile, especially during the transfer of power. One mistake may lead to catastrophe.
Historically, the first generation of emperors usually conquered the country, and the second generation of emperors defended the country. However, at the transition between the two, turmoil arose.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! At the end of the Warring States Period, the Qin State unified the world and established the first unified dynasty.
However, it only lasted for more than ten years. As soon as Qin Shihuang died, Qin II lost his country.
In the Tang Dynasty, there was the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Shimin killed his brother and his father, and his hands were stained with the blood of his relatives.
In the Song Dynasty, there was the sound of a candle shadow and an axe, and it was said that Zhao Kuangyin and his younger brother Zhao Kuangyin were located in Zhao Guangyi. The truth is still unknown.
Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, passed on the throne to Emperor Jianwen, and then...
Ahem, I can’t say this, don’t even think about it!
All in all, all dynasties in history will have problems with their second-generation successors. The reason is the disadvantage of centralized monarchy.
The life and death of the people in the world are controlled by one person. Such a regime is very unstable.
Zhu Qizhen was very aware of the shortcomings of imperial power, and he naturally knew how to resolve them.
The first step is to let King Tan supervise the country, which is equivalent to having a backup candidate. Even if he is not there, there is someone who can take charge of the country.
To put it bluntly, if one day I suddenly become karmic, someone can take over, so that I won't be leaderless, leaving opportunities for other places to take advantage of.
If you are a temporarily appointed monarch, if you are not fully prepared, unless God gives you a Yu Qian, the life and death of the country will only depend on a thought.
The second step is to launch a new policy, reform the official system, decentralize power step by step, and make every position fully operational. Merits will be rewarded and delinquencies punished. The court will not support idlers.
In order to test the court's ability to handle daily affairs, Zhu Qizhen began to go to court selectively. If he wanted to go to court, he would go to court once. If he didn't want to go to court, he would sleep in bed.
Of course, there is also a reason why he is lazy...
The last step, and the most critical, is to send imperial power to the countryside.
As the saying goes, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. Although the imperial power is supreme, at the local level, power and management rights are still in the hands of some clan chiefs and country gentry.
These people have more majesty and prestige in the countryside, and the interests of rural people are closely related to these people.
Although the imperial court could reduce taxes to benefit the people and promulgate some welfare policies that benefit the people, the power to control things in daily life still lies in the hands of these gentry and patriarchs.
Due to underdeveloped transportation in ancient times, it would take several months for the emperor to issue a policy from the capital to reach various provinces and cities. People in the countryside basically did not go to the city often, so many rural areas had relatively closed information and relatively few personnel.
closed.
For most people, the emperor was too far away, and they were basically illiterate. Even if the imperial list was posted, they would not know what it was about.
As a result, those village chiefs and country squires became the spokespersons of the imperial power.
Therefore, whether the local gentry can implement the court's policies has become the biggest problem.
Since the New Deal, the Ming Dynasty has shown extremely strong vitality. Countless industries have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain, and people's lives have also undergone earth-shaking changes.
Amid these changes, the traditional education model has also begun to change.
Since then, people's enthusiasm for reading has begun to rise. The reason is very simple: there are people who can read and work, and the labor costs are two to three times higher than ordinary people.
Who doesn't want their children to get ahead? Even if they don't get a gold medal, it would be good to earn more money in the future.
Some people have more flexible minds. Anyway, they are not very old, so they can still read and write now!
As a result, adults can be seen in many schools, and many schools have been developed specifically for adult education.
As the literacy rate of the people continues to increase and road transportation becomes increasingly developed, no matter what policy provisions the court has, they can be quickly distributed to the most remote countryside.
The common people can receive information from the court in a timely manner, and it is no longer possible for the gentry to deceive the superiors and conceal the information from the inferiors.
In this way, the barriers between the emperor and the people will gradually be eliminated and they will slowly merge into a whole.
Only such a regime will be stable. Even if the emperor is away, the entire court will be like a giant machine, with all the parts operating step by step and in an orderly manner.
When the time is right, a cabinet council can be established.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty will transform from a monarchy and autocracy to a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary decision-making.
Zhu Qizhen knows a truth very well, history is like a wheel that is progressing every day. If you don't take the initiative to do some things, sooner or later someone will stand up and shout, "Princes, generals, ministers, it's better to have the guts!"
With the continuous improvement of productivity, the feudal monarchy will definitely be replaced. Rather than being eliminated by history, it is better to take the initiative. Only in this way can we ensure that the Ming Dynasty will last forever, and at the same time, it will also pave the way for our descendants.
Therefore, he did not go to court today...
Kuang Ye has long been used to it. The emperor can come whenever he wants, and it doesn't matter if he doesn't want to come.
Anyway, big things have to be reported, and small things are settled at the level of the six ministers and the cabinet.
However, when he came to the imperial study room, he found someone there.
The eunuch on duty today is the eunuch Zhang Min. He is standing at the door with a professional smile on his face and says: "Kuang Shangshu, please wait for a moment. The emperor is discussing business with Tong Hanlin."
"Tong Hanlin? Which Tong Hanlin?"
Kuang Ye was a little confused and couldn't think of this person at all.
"It's Tong Xuan from the Electric Power Laboratory of the Academy of Sciences."
"Tong Xuan...oh, I remembered it!"
Kuang Ye suddenly realized it and said, "Is he the one who used the thunder to fry the fish?"
Zhang Min nodded and said: "Yes, that's him."
Kuang Ye had no choice but to wait, but after waiting for a long time, there was still no movement.
Seeing this, Zhang Min said: "Kuang Shangshu, why don't you go back to the Ministry of Rites first? When the emperor is finished, our family will send someone to send a message to Kuang Shangshu."
Kuang Ye shook his head and said: "I would like to go back, but the Rites Yamen is blocked by students rushing to take exams. Can you go back?"
Zhang Min smiled awkwardly and said: "Let's move a chair to Kuang Shangshu..."
Before he finished speaking, the door opened with a creak.
Tong Xuan led Zhu Jianshen out of the imperial study room. When he saw the two of them, he raised his hands and saluted.
Zhu Jianshen also saluted gracefully, and Kuang Ye hurriedly returned the salute, and then walked into the imperial study impatiently.
"Your Majesty, veteran..."
"I know!"
Zhu Qizhen knew what he wanted to say, waved his hand to stop him, and said: "Don't worry, the problem of Gongyuan has been solved."
Kuang Ye sighed helplessly and said: "The Chief of Ceremony is so stingy. He only prepared one candle for each candidate, and it was a very thin one, which was not enough."
Zhu Qizhen smiled and said: "There is no need for candles anymore."
"ah?"
Kuang Ye was stunned and looked very confused. Didn't he give any more?
Zhu Qizhen asked again: "When will the exam start?"
"There are only five days left to return to the Emperor!"
"Five days are enough!"
Zhu Qizhen nodded and said: "As for the issue of lighting in Gongyuan, I have ordered the Academy of Sciences to make arrangements. You can go and see it in three days!"
Kuang Ye looked confused and thought to himself, why is it related to the Academy of Sciences again?
Can the Academy of Sciences conjure up candles?
Or is it that someone has developed a lamp that can illuminate but will not cause a fire?
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PS: Thanks to book friend 7760, I Eat Guobaorou, book friend 8460, book friend 2632, book friend 4045, Super Legend Brother, and the frozen soil frost wolf for the reward!
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This volume is mainly about science and technology. There are about three plots prepared. The first one is about electric lights, and the next two are related to war, but the coding speed is worrying...