Chapter 490 Dedicating Calculus to His Royal Highness the Regent
Chapter 490 Dedicating Calculus to His Royal Highness the Regent
Author: East Zhejiang Pifu
Chapter 490 Dedicating Calculus to His Royal Highness the Regent
Although Captain Morton hated Charles II and defected from England to the Netherlands, what he resented in his heart was only the ruler who reversed history, not his own motherland.
So despite Newton's persuasion, he finally spent some resources, and through the Dutch colleagues he knew and various operational relationships, he finally successfully sent Newton to Nanjing, and also opened up the door to some bureaucrats in the Institute of Biochemistry of the Ming Academy of Sciences.
Let Newton meet Song Mingde, who is now in charge of the Institute of Biochemistry of the Ming Academy of Sciences - yes, the guy who only joined Zhu Shuren as a scholar twenty years ago, Song Yingxing's distant nephew.
The person in charge of the Ming Academy of Sciences is at the level of a minister, and the heads of the following institutes are all at the level of a Yuanwailang. But for certain institutes that receive the most attention and have the highest allocation of R&D resources, the person in charge can be a doctor from the Ministry of Industry.
Song Mingde is currently enjoying the treatment of a doctor from the Ministry of Industry. He was not actually born in the chemical industry, but as an administrative bureaucrat, his major is not important.
Anyway, in the Regent's "New King's First Seven-Year Plan", the focus of Ming Dynasty's scientific research work is in the field of chemical industry, so there is nothing wrong with assigning his confidant to the person in charge of the most important department. As long as he knows management, he can understand
Just reward and punishment.
When Song Mingde took refuge with Zhu Shuren, he was only in his twenties, and now he is nearly fifty. His distant uncle Song Yingxing has passed away long ago. He made a lot of contributions to Ming Dynasty's scientific research while he was alive, and he enjoyed it after his death.
The treatment of a posthumous gift to the Minister of Industry.
When Newton came this time, Song Mingde didn't take it seriously.
Because a lot of things have happened in the Academy of Sciences recently, although they have nothing to do with work, they are also very complicated - Tang Ruowang, the head of the Institute of Astronomy next door, just passed away last month (Tang Ruowang died in 1666, so this does not involve the butterfly effect, just adapt to it)
History), the regent Zhu Shuren asked Song Mingde to take care of it for a while, while Nan Huairen, who succeeded Tang Ruowang, took over the work.
Song Mingde didn't know much about astronomy and was relatively poor at mathematics. He couldn't even handle the work of his own chemical institute, so how could he have so much energy to devote to such mundane affairs?
Although Nan Huairen has strong professional qualities in astronomy and calendar, and is Tang Ruowang's proudest disciple, he is a full thirty years younger than Tang Ruowang after all, and his age and qualifications are there. After all, it is a bit impossible to directly take over the master's position.
To convince the public, you need people with high qualifications and official positions to help you transition part-time to the town.
The timing of Newton's request for a meeting coincided with such a soft nail, so it can only be regarded as bad luck for him.
…
Song Mingde met Newton for the first time when he was very irritable and reluctant.
When they met, he roughly asked about the other party's purpose and identity. He heard that he was a scholar from a country in Western Europe called England. He wanted to plead with the Regent of the Ming Dynasty to send the Ming Dynasty's own ocean-going merchant fleet.
Go to England to sell new products such as carbolic acid, concentrated sulfuric acid and sodium hydrogen arsenic acid, as well as other drugs to help solve the plague. If it can help England survive the Great Plague in London, England will naturally be willing to be grateful to the Ming Dynasty for paying them back, and ask for a good alliance.
.
Newton's spoken Chinese was not very good, which made Song Mingde feel a little depressed. He had other things in mind, so he interrupted casually:
"Although these carbolic acid, sodium hydrogen arsenic acid and other substances are newly developed medicines by our Institute of Biochemistry in the past two years, I have no say in whether they can be sold to the outside world. The imperial court once issued a strict order that a batch of the above-mentioned substances must be strategically reserved.
, just in case something unexpected happens. You'd better hire someone else."
It was impossible for Song Mingde to tell a foreigner the military secrets of the Ming Dynasty, nor the fact that the Ming Dynasty was going to hoard disinfectants in advance in order to use troops against Burma and Vietnam. It was perfectly normal to speak in an official tone.
Newton was not good at socializing in officialdom, and there were huge cultural differences, so he had no choice but to ask Song Mingde to help him point out a way. He also said that he could do his best for mutual benefit and help Song Mingde do some small things within his ability.
As if to prove his strength, he also said: "When I was in England, I heard that the regent of the Ming Dynasty was very hungry for talents. Eighteen years ago, in order to get Mr. Descartes to work for him, he actually took seven thousand Dutch prisoners.
The Prince of Orange was asked to hand over Mr. Descartes in exchange.
Although I am not talented, I have been praised by many teachers at Cambridge University and am quite good in astronomy and arithmetic. As long as Mr. Song can show me the way, I am willing to offer some academic discoveries in exchange."
Before Newton came, he had inquired about it and knew that the performance evaluation of the Ming Academy of Sciences was related to the number of results produced. Even if foreigners are invited to submit scientific discoveries, the authorship rights do not belong to the Academy of Sciences, but it can still be counted as political achievements.
Song Mingde originally despised this young man, but when he heard that he was proud of astronomy, physics, and arithmetic, he looked him up and down jokingly:
"Is the University of Cambridge you mentioned ranked high in your country of England? How about in the whole of Europe? How does it compare with the Dutch?"
Newton did not dare to boast: "Although Cambridge University does not dare to compare with Leiden University in the Netherlands, after all, Leiden University has produced great masters such as Descartes and Huygens. But I, Cambridge, at least in England, have no rivals, and the Dutch
In comparison, except for Leiden University, it is unrivaled.”
When Song Mingde saw that the other party was not bragging blindly, but instead believed a little or two, he got an idea, got up and took a few scrolls, and then threw them to Newton:
"It's all talk and no practice! I think you are sincere and I'll give you a chance. This is the case. This is the posthumous work of Tang Ruowang, the recently deceased director of the Institute of Astronomy of the Academy of Sciences of Ming Dynasty. Take a look at his writings to see if you can
The above planetary movement problem cannot be solved.
If you can solve it, you can ask a few more questions that are of appropriate difficulty, have practical value, and are worthy of investing resources in observation and verification. I can use them to test Mr. Tang’s proud student, Mr. Nan Huairen, and also
There are other senior colleagues from the Institute of Astronomy who help Nan establish his authority.
If you can do this well, I will naturally believe that you have real talent and knowledge, and I can help you introduce important people who can negotiate and sell hydrogen arsenic acid."
When Newton heard that it was about astronomical and calendar calculations, he immediately became energetic. He immediately picked up Tang Ruowang's legacy and took a few glances at it, and he immediately became convinced.
This level of astronomical and calendrical calculations, in continental Europe, is at best that of an ordinary university professor dabbling in arithmetic, or even a more powerful university teaching assistant.
Newton was not used to the writing brush provided by Song Mingde, so he took out the quill pen from the chest pocket of his shirt, dipped it in oriental inkstone ink, brushed it with Chinese and Western stationery, and quickly handed the answer sheet back to the other party.
Song Mingde was stunned for a moment, and for a moment he couldn't tell what was right or wrong, so he had to clear his throat: "Come here, please send this Mr. Niu down and treat him well. Mr. Niu, please rest in peace. I have some official duties today."
Let’s deal with it urgently. Let’s talk in depth the day after tomorrow when we have time.”
He secretly thought to himself, whether it is a mule or a horse, he will give Nan Huairen and the others a test tomorrow, and they will be able to tell whether it is true or false, so why should he, a layman, worry about it.
…
For the next two days, Newton stayed in the sanatorium affiliated with the Daming Academy of Sciences in Jiangning Town, eating and drinking.
The hospitality provided by the Daming Academy of Sciences is quite good, with good wine and meat, fragrant tea and delicious snacks, gauze curtains and brocade quilts, and mahogany furnishings. Moreover, living in the guest house of the Academy of Sciences, you can also visit all the museums, zoos, and botanical gardens in Jiangning Town without any barriers.
Although Newton was invincible in physics and arithmetic, he was not wealthy after all, and he had not had the money to travel around the world before. There are no museums or zoological and botanical gardens in Europe today, so it is impossible to see the wonders from all over the world in one place.
When Newton saw the museums affiliated with the Ming Academy of Sciences, he was immediately amazed. The few days he spent waiting for the summons were not enough for him to visit all the exhibition areas.
Three days later, when Song Mingde came to the door again, Newton was still studying a black and white bear that he had never seen before in the zoo. The sign produced by the Ming Dynasty showed that the scientific name of this thing was "Beast".
"Mr. Niu, why don't you rest in the library? I have been looking for you for a long time." Although it was the weather in early November, Song Mingde was still sweating profusely from running and looked very anxious.
When Newton saw the other party being so polite, he quickly said that he was "playful": "I have never seen these rare birds and animals, and I was just playful for a while, making it difficult for Mr. Song to find them."
Compared with three days ago, Song Mingde had a completely different expression: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, Mr. Niu, you are so lucky. I asked Nan Huairen and his colleagues from the Institute of Astronomy yesterday for the answer sheet and test questions you made that day.
All have been reviewed in detail.
Brother Nan could barely figure out one or two things. As for the few people with empty qualifications in the Astronomical Institute, they were all defeated. Alas, otherwise the prince often said that the best way to see the true ability is to learn this thing.
Whether you can or not, it doesn’t matter your age or seniority..."
Newton listened expressionlessly. Until now, he had not understood why Song Mingde was so arrogant and respectful to him.
That’s it? Is it worth it?
Fortunately, Newton also had some wisdom. Since he couldn't tell, he wouldn't express his opinion and just continued to listen quietly.
Song Mingde cleared his throat and continued: "Mr. Niu, you are lucky. If it's just that, that's it. After I helped Brother Nan establish his prestige, he also related the matters of the Institute of Astronomy to the Academy of Sciences.
The dean made a report and gave the dossier you wrote to dean Fang for review.
Unexpectedly, when President Fang went back in the evening, he somehow mentioned it to the prince. This morning, the prince personally came to the Academy of Sciences to inspect the work, and wanted to summon you by name - don't you think this is a coincidence? Now I have a big tomorrow, everything will
Major political policies are all stated by His Highness the Regent. If you can be personally summoned by him, if you have anything to say, as long as you get his approval, what else can you do?"
Newton was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He paused for a long time, and his voice even trembled when he spoke: "Master Song, did I hear you right... Are you saying that His Highness the Regent is going to summon me in person?
I am just a Cambridge graduate from England! I am only 23 years old and just graduated last year. What can I do that is worthy of being summoned by His Royal Highness the Prince Regent?"
Newton felt a burst of blood rushing to his head.
Not to mention big figures like Zhu Shuren, he had never seen such relatively minor figures as Charles II, Prince of Orange or Lord Protector Cromwell.
Unfortunately, Song Mingde couldn't answer his question. He just gave him a few words to remind him not to be rude, and then hinted that he "should express that he is very satisfied and grateful for the reception he received these days after meeting the regent."
When Song Mingde came into contact with Fang Ziling before, he had already heard the implicit message. The prince seemed to attach great importance to this talented mathematics young man from Europe. Therefore, he must let the prince know that he had treated him very thoughtfully before, "Corporal Courtesy".
Of course Newton would not stumble in this regard, and immediately said that these were acceptable, but before meeting the regent, he hoped that he could go back to the library to prepare and get something, and Song Mingde also agreed.
…
After a while, Isaac Newton was brought to the main hall of the Ming Academy of Sciences in a dazed state.
There are two golden nanmu chairs in the hall. The middle one is covered with gold carvings from all sides. Sitting there is a tall and tall man in his forties who is both elegant and majestic.
The man's demeanor fit so well with the gold-wrapped nanmu seat. In addition, there was a bright light next to him in broad daylight that he had never seen before, giving people the impression that he himself would be like the sun.
It generally has the illusion of emitting thousands of golden lights - at least that's how Newton felt.
On the gilded nanmu chair next to it, there is a slender, elegant, dignified and generous virtuous woman sitting sideways. The woman is wearing a thin veil, and her actual age is actually close to forty years old.
But because of the looming effect of the veil, coupled with her slender figure and the luster of her skin, people mistakenly thought she was a young woman in her twenties.
Fortunately, Song Mingde had introduced him in advance before entering. Newton knew that the woman was Fang, one of the concubines of His Highness the Regent, who helped the Regent in charge of a considerable part of the cultural, educational and scientific work.
This Fang wrote several natural history encyclopedias and other popular science works, one or two of which Newton had actually read in England, but they were translated into English by Europeans themselves.
At this moment, seeing the regent and the respected academic seniors in person, Newton couldn't help but feel a pilgrim mentality.
"Your Highness the Regent, you are a latecomer in school. Thanks to the grace of God, I am honored to meet you. Your majesty shines from Mexico to Japan, and the people of the earth are grateful."
Newton used the same etiquette as Macartney in parallel time and space, that is, he put his hands on his chest and got down on one knee, like a knight being knighted.
Zhu Shuren was sitting in the upper position, actually looking at the other person carefully all the time, and the curiosity in his heart was definitely unavoidable.
Although it had been more than 20 years since he traveled through time, he had never met any big shot. Descartes even worked for him eighteen years ago. But when he saw Isaac Newton, Zhu Shuren still felt a little unreal in his heart.
He could generally understand Newton's poor Chinese, and he jokingly replied in Chinese: "Isn't there only a vast ocean between Mexico and Japan?"
Newton was stunned for a moment and quickly said: "I mean from the Atlantic Ocean, the entire American continent and the Asian, European and African continents."
Although the Ming Dynasty had not specifically organized a circumnavigation of the world, Westerners of this era would never dare to doubt the Ming Dynasty's openness to the world.
This trend has become more and more obvious since at least twenty years ago. Now in top Western metropolises such as London and Amsterdam, more and more savvy people can understand the potential of Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Shuren did not talk to him about anything else, and asked directly and casually: "I heard that you graduated from Cambridge University? But you received the academic ideological inheritance of Descartes and Huygens? Why are you coming to Ming Dynasty this time?"
Newton quickly stated his idea of "hoping to come to Ming Dynasty to buy new rat poison and disinfectants to save the Great Plague in London" that he had told others several times. Then he mentioned that he himself also traveled because he was avoiding the plague.
Study abroad.
As if to emphasize his usefulness, after he briefly stated his needs, he immediately took out a few scrolls from his arms and presented them respectfully with both hands. Zhu Shuren gave a wink and motioned to the palace maid next to him to take them.