usatvline Chapter 97 Convex Lenses
Chapter 97 Convex Lenses
A few days later, Qin Xuan and the others returned to Beining City safely.
"Phew, I'm finally home. I'm exhausted from the journey."
Upon arriving at the Chu King's residence, Zhao Luoying couldn't wait to take a bath and change her clothes.
Qin Xuan then went to the council hall to listen to reports from Qiu Xingzhi, Cui Yu, and Zhuge Xuan.
"The reclamation of the northern wasteland is nearing completion, and the construction of Beining College is in full swing."
"Other items such as refined salt and honeycomb briquettes are also being produced and processed normally at Tiangong Workshop."
"The soap has already reached its sixth scent, and Beining City's fiscal revenue is soaring."
"The new land system has been promoted very well. Currently, more than 5,000 mu of new farmland have been added, and the number continues to increase."
"At this rate, the food crisis in Beining City will be completely eliminated by the time of the spring harvest."
The three officials in charge of Beining City reported in turn, their faces beaming with barely suppressed joy.
Qin Xuan smiled and nodded: "You three have worked hard. The Confucian Sage will be arriving in Beining City soon, so I plan to print 'Confucianism' first. Once the Confucian Sage arrives, we can see the effect."
The Confucian sage has already handed the manuscript to Qin Xuan, who took it back to Beining City.
"Really? Your Highness, may I take a look at the manuscript first?"
Qiu Xingzhi immediately said urgently.
"Students also want to learn."
Cui Yu felt it was a bit difficult to argue with Qiu Xingzhi, after all, he was her teacher.
Zhuge Xuan had no more reservations and sneered, "Mr. Qiu, why should you look first? I should be the one to look first."
“As a strategist, Confucianism won’t be of much help to you, so I’ll read it first.”
Qiu Xingzhi stroked his beard, speaking with considerable pride.
"You're just a high priest, and an ex at that. What's there to be proud of?"
Zhuge Xuan immediately retorted, his face full of disdain.
"Zhuge, you scoundrel, are you trying to start a fight?"
"I've been a veteran of many battlefields, and I never argue, I only fight. You can try me if you don't believe me."
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
"Then come!"
"Go ahead and make the first move if you dare!"
"..."
The two great scholars quickly engaged in a war of words.
Scholars have always been prone to belittling each other; the ancients were right.
On Zhuque Street, there is a two-courtyard house.
Qin Xuan brought Cui Yu and Ning Yuanfeng to this place. A middle-aged woman dressed simply walked over, her eyes and brows full of smiles.
"Hongmei greets Your Highness and Lord Cui."
Liu Hongmei bowed respectfully; this house was specially arranged for her by Qin Xuan.
Her only son has now arrived in Beining City, and the mother and son have been reunited.
"How is the Phoenix Infiltration Plan progressing lately?"
Qin Xuan nodded and sat down. Liu Hongmei quickly brewed tea herself and then replied, "With the strong support of the Princess, all the spies who followed me have surrendered. I am currently further undermining the power of Gongsun Liao and Su Luliu."
Zhao Luoying gave Liu Hongmei a great deal of authority and at the same time provided her with unlimited financial support.
The expenses of the young phoenix were huge. Qin Zhen had been struggling to keep it afloat, and the money he gave to the various spies was actually very little.
But with the gold mine of Beining City as a backer, Liu Hongmei could offer several times more in compensation than Qin Zhen.
This is why Liu Hongmei was able to quickly regain power in less than a month.
"I have something for you to do."
Qin Xuan said, "I want you to spare no expense and, in the shortest possible time, plant spies in various foreign countries."
"I obey my orders."
Liu Hongmei agreed immediately without any hesitation or even asking a question.
She knew that her newfound life was entirely due to the opportunity Qin Xuan had given her, and therefore she cherished it immensely.
"With trade between various countries and Beining City imminent, we must control all useful information. The spies you have planted do nothing in the early stages, just help collect local prices of various materials and what materials each country urgently needs. You can contact the Princess or Lord Cui about this."
Before returning to Beining City, Qin Xuan had already considered opening up trade to the world, so this move was inevitable.
As for the four major chambers of commerce, relevant information would naturally be transmitted to them, but Liu Hongmei focused more on infiltrating high-level officials in various countries to obtain deeper information.
In the following days, Qin Xuan stayed at the Prince's Palace to plan the comprehensive opening of trade.
Beining City was originally a military fortress, so it had excellent transportation connections, linking it to various countries. This was both a bad thing and a good thing.
However, for safety reasons, Qin Xuan planned to build a trading city, located fifty miles outside Beining City.
This would both ensure the safety of Beining City and facilitate trade, achieving two goals at once.
"Cement, cement, Beining City must further increase its cement production."
Having made up his mind, Qin Xuan made another trip to the Tiangong Workshop. While adjusting the workforce, he began to recruit new craftsmen on a large scale.
Fortunately, he brought back news that the Confucian sage was about to come to Beining City to give lectures, so the flow of people in Beining City has been increasing dramatically in the past few days.
People from neighboring cities have already begun to migrate in large numbers, and with the completion of land reclamation by 200,000 displaced people, another huge labor force will be available.
"Your Highness, this is newly made glass. Please take a look."
The craftsman, Kao Hsiung, excitedly delivered two pieces of glass. Qin Xuan looked down and couldn't help but be surprised.
This first piece of glass was clean and transparent, and was no different from modern glass.
The second piece of glass is quite interesting; Kaohsiung actually made a convex mirror, which is a so-called magnifying glass.
Seeing that Qin Xuan was attracted by the convex lens, Gao Xiong said somewhat embarrassedly, "I have seen this thing made of crystal lens elsewhere before. It can make people who can't see clearly see clearly. So I figured out how to make it myself by grinding and polishing glass. I hope Your Highness likes it."
Nearsightedness has existed since ancient times, and the solution, as Kaohsiung mentioned, is to polish crystal lenses to make convex mirrors. However, such things are too expensive to afford for the average person.
Qin Xuan guessed that Kaohsiung had specially created this to please him because she saw that he was too busy every day.
However, his attempt to curry favor gave Qin Xuan an idea—a telescope!
This item doesn't exist yet, but it plays a crucial role on the battlefield.
“Old Gao, you have given me a wonderful surprise. I really like this convex mirror, but there is another type called a concave mirror. You can take the craftsmen to study it. This is extremely important for the entire Beining City.”
Qin Xuan gave Gao Xiong a shot of adrenaline, and after Qin Xuan gave him another detailed explanation, the latter immediately patted his chest and said, "It's just a convex and concave shape. With the skills of our craftsmen, it's definitely not a problem."
"Okay, then I'll wait for your finished product."
Qin Xuan laughed, thinking that he should come to this workshop more often in the future.
The Great Qi Dynasty, the Imperial College.
An imperial edict arrived, and Pan Ruoan was dismissed from his post.
“Master Pan, His Majesty has not considered this matter thoroughly. Please do not be too hasty. Let me go to the palace to meet with the Emperor before we discuss this further.”
The Imperial Academy judge tried his best to comfort him.
In this matter concerning the Confucian sage, the imperial court had to find someone to take the blame. Ironically, Guo Shanxi, a mere merchant, was spared from being implicated because he had Qin Yu backing him up, while Pan Ruoan, the chief priest who had passed the examination on his own, became the scapegoat.
Pan Ruoan couldn't help but recall Qin Xuan's four sentences from that day: "To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for life, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations!"
"No need!"
Pan Ruoan shook his head and then left alone.