Due to work requirements, Li Yuan often works day and night.
Especially in the past year, due to the continuous disasters across the country, the work of the Qintian Supervisor has become even heavier. They need to be on guard against astrological abnormalities every day.
It was late at night, when other officials were asleep, Li Yuan was still watching the stars at the observatory.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of horse hoofbeats, and the eunuch shouted at the top of his lungs: "Your Majesty has decreed that Li Yuan, the Supervisor of Xuanqin Tianjian, can go to the Leopard Room!"
The astronomical officials looked at each other, thinking something big had happened.
Li Yuan quickly ran out the door and saluted the eunuch who delivered the order.
Before he could ask the question, the eunuch said: "Li Jianzheng, please ride with me on the same horse. Your Majesty summons you urgently. There must be no delay!"
Li Yuan did not dare to neglect, quickly climbed on the horse's back, and ran all the way to the west.
Along the way, when encountering patrol officers and soldiers, the eunuch held up his waistband and shouted: "The Leopard Room is doing its business, don't stop it!"
What surprised Li Yuan even more was that after the eunuch entered the east gate of Chang'an on horseback, he continued to ride his horse on the imperial road of Tianjie. Only the emperor, queen mother, empress and other nobles in the palace could ride horses or ride in carriages on these imperial roads.
Doing so is a capital offense.
Li Yuan felt anxious and couldn't help but ask: "What is so important that you are so urgent?"
The eunuch was also full of doubts and said angrily: "How do I know? Anyway, His Majesty and Master Wang were in the Leopard Room, and suddenly he asked me to go to the observatory to summon Li Jianzheng."
It was already midnight when Li Yuan arrived at the Leopard Room. He was taken by the eunuch to a courtyard where a strange cylinder over three feet long was placed.
"Your Majesty, Li Yuan, bow before you!" Li Yuan knelt down and kowtowed.
Zhu Houzhao said: "Get up."
When ministers in the Ming Dynasty reported work to the emperor, except for the deduction required during the meeting, they could stand and answer questions the rest of the time, unlike the Qing Dynasty where they had to kneel the entire time.
Li Yuan stood there uneasy and couldn't help but look towards Wang Yuan, only to see Wang Erlang sitting on a chair and looking at the stars.
Zhu Houzhao suddenly asked: "Li Jianzheng, is the sky round and the earth round?"
what's the situation?
Li Yuan was confused and didn't know how to answer. He could only bite the bullet and said: "That's what I said."
Zhu Houzhao asked again: "Just now, Wang Erlang and I discussed the universe. What is the universe?"
Li Yuan asked back: "Your Majesty, are you asking Hun Tian?"
"I'm asking you, not you asking me!" Zhu Houzhao said displeased.
Li Yuan could only reply: "Zhang Pingzi (Zhang Heng) of the Han Dynasty said: The sky is like a chicken's egg, the celestial body is as round as a bullet, and the earth is like the yellow inside of a chicken's egg... Those who pass by here may not know it. Those who have not seen it may know it.
The universe is called the universe. The surface of the universe is infinite, and the end of the universe is infinite."
Translated into vernacular, Zhang Heng believes that the world is like an egg, all celestial bodies are spherical, the earth is like an egg yolk, and the heaven and earth rotate. Beyond the sky, there is the universe, which is endless, has no beginning and no end, and has no limit.
This is somewhat similar to the geocentric theory. The earth is the center of the world, and the sun, moon, and stars are all spheres, and they all revolve around the earth.
If we follow modern astronomical knowledge, the cloudy sky mentioned by Zhang Heng can be understood as the observable universe. And there are unknown celestial bodies outside the universe, and those unobservable worlds are the original meaning of "universe" in Zhang Heng's mouth.
Zhu Houzhao listened silently for a long time, and finally said: "In other words, the moon is a sphere, and the earth we stand on is also a sphere?"
Li Yuan did not dare to draw a conclusion and could only reply: "According to Hun Tian's theory, it is indeed the case."
"well!"
Zhu Houzhao sighed and pointed at the telescope: "Li Jianzheng, come and take a look at the moon."
Wang Yuan explained: "Li Jianzheng, this is the Miracle of Ten Thousand Miles, which can observe the details of the moon."
Li Yuan approached cautiously, put his eyes in front of the eyepiece, and took a closer look. He was surprised and delighted, and trembled: "The moon is like the ground, with mountains and pits, but there are no people!"
Zhu Houzhao looked up at the starry sky and murmured to himself: "How does the world we live in move? If the moon is like this, what will the sun look like? If the earth is like a ball, what country is on the other end of the ball? They can't stand upright.
Will it fall?"
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Your Majesty's last question, I can explain it to you."
"Say." Zhu Hou looked after Wang Yuan, and Li Yuan also listened with his ears raised.
Wang Yuan said: "A few days ago, I and Jin Yiwei met Gu Yingxiang to discuss the principles of all things. We assume that the earth is like a magnet, attracting all things. Therefore, we are based on the earth and are attracted by the earth. The other side of the earth
One end is also firmly attracted."
Zhu Houzhao said: "Maybe so."
Wang Yuan asked Li Yuan: "Li Jianzheng, do you think the moon is rotating around the earth?"
Li Yuan replied: "According to observations, it should be so."
Wang Yuan took off his belt, put it on the handle of the teapot, and poured out the tea in the pot. Then he waved his belt and made the teapot rotate around his right hand: "My right hand is the earth, and the teapot is the moon. My belt
It is the force of gravity. Therefore, the moon always rotates around the earth, neither moving away nor setting."
"Wonderful!" Li Yuan clapped his hands and praised. He felt that countless doubts in his heart were solved by Wang Yuan's metaphor.
Wang Yuan then said to Zhu Houzhao: "If your Majesty wants to know what the other side of the earth looks like, I can sail a huge boat across the sea thousands of miles to find out!"
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "The world is so mysterious, I also want to see it. Maybe there are countless treasures there, or maybe there is endless food there."
"Hahaha, Erlang is always thinking of good things." Zhu Houzhao laughed.
Wang Yuan said seriously: "Your Majesty, I am serious."
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said: "Let's talk about unrealistic things later."
Having said that, Zhu Houzhao was aroused with endless curiosity, and he even wanted to go to the other side of the earth to see it in person.
Li Yuan was completely immersed in the world of astronomy. According to what Wang Yuan said about the universal gravitation and the centripetal and centrifugal forces expressed in the image, the Qin Tian Supervisor wanted to go back immediately to observe and calculate. He could even predict the time of the solar eclipse.
He is well aware of all kinds of horoscopes, and Wang Yuan’s words have given him so much inspiration!
Zhu Houzhao pointed to the telescope and said to Li Yuan: "Li Jianzheng, please take this Wanli Mirror back to Qintian Prison."
As an astronomical official, Li Yuan was more sensitive than Wang Yuan, and he asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. How should we handle it?"
Zhu Houzhao instructed: "There is no need to hide it, and don't deliberately publicize it. Let everything take its course."
Li Yuan cupped his hands and said: "I obey your order!"
Zhu Houzhao added: "When you are ready to study astronomical phenomena, if you have any questions, you can discuss them with Wang Erlang. Although I don't know why, I always feel that I am doing something big."
Wang Yuan sincerely praised: "Your Majesty is wise!"
"I am a foolish king, hahaha!" Zhu Houzhao laughed.
Isn't he a foolish king?
If it were a normal emperor, he would have destroyed the telescope long ago. How could he dare to throw it to Qin Tianjian?
(This chapter is a supplement. Tomorrow is my son’s first birthday party. The update may be late, but it will definitely be supplemented.)