57 Chapter 57
◎Telescope.◎
"I'm very curious about one thing, young master, is your grandma really sick?" Li Ying ran to Fusu to gossip.
After the glass windows were installed, Fusu set up a desk under the window. When the sun was not shining directly on this place, he would sit at the desk to read and write.
Li Ying sat opposite Fusu without any courtesy and stared at him curiously. Fusu couldn't continue reading the book.
Fusu said, "What does it matter whether it's true or not? She won't affect the overall situation, let alone your work, so you don't need to worry about it."
"I'm not worried. I just... I want to confirm whether I've stumbled into some palace intrigue scene by mistake," Li Ying said excitedly. "There are so many palace intrigue dramas in the Qing Dynasty. It turns out that your Qin Palace has its own palace intrigues!"
"There is no palace fighting in our Qin State," Fusu declared solemnly, "and you should not spread rumors."
Li Ying asked, "What about Zhao Ji?"
Fusu opened his mouth and said, "She saw my father and felt guilty, so she frightened herself and made herself sick."
Li Ying thought for a moment and said, "This possibility is still..."
Fusu interrupted him: "Stand still first."
"Why?" Li Ying asked in confusion.
"Because someone is coming." Fusu pointed outside the window.
Li Ying had no choice but to stand up with his hands hanging down. At the same time, he glanced at the man outside. Judging from his clothes, he didn't look like a eunuch in Ying Zheng's palace.
The visitor was a craftsman from the glass workshop. He brought good news to Fusu: Feng Yi had made a telescope and asked Fusu to come over and take a look.
"Really?" Fusu was overjoyed. "I'll go right away!"
When Li Ying heard this, he hurriedly said, "Master, I'm going too!"
After meeting Feng Yi as quickly as possible, Fusu immediately praised him, "Mr. Feng, you are indeed a man of great talent!"
Feng Yi hurriedly laughed and said, "I dare not, Young Master. It cannot be called a complete success yet. The lens is made, but it cannot see very far..."
"It doesn't matter." Fusu waved his hand. "As long as you take the first step, you will know which path is right. It will be much easier to move forward."
Feng Yi smiled and said, "I thought so too... Sir, please give it a try."
Fusu took the telescope handed to him by Feng Yi. Its shell was made of metal and felt a little cold in his hand.
Everyone walked outside together. Fusu raised the telescope to his eyes, closed one eye, and looked into the distance.
As Feng Yi said, the first telescope made could only see a dozen meters or so, so it could not be considered very successful.
But Fusu was not concerned about how far the telescope could see, but whether Feng Yi could successfully make concave and convex lenses.
Fusu put his hand down, still praising Feng Yi generously: "Mr. Feng is indeed outstanding. I hope you will continue to work hard and make even better telescopes."
Feng Yi bowed and said, "I will definitely live up to the trust placed in me by the King and the Young Master."
Fusu stood on tiptoe and pulled down his hand, saying with a smile, "Let's go and present this to our father!"
Feng Yi said, "I have an idea that I am eager to try. Please excuse me from appearing before you, Your Majesty."
"Then your business is more important, get busy." Fusu gestured, "Mr. Feng, get busy."
Feng Yi was surprised to see Fusu, who was so happy that he almost danced with joy. After all, in his eyes, the eldest son had always been very steady, but now he looked like a child, just like his appearance.
Fusu did not notice Feng Yi's eyes. After watching him return to the house, Fusu happily went to tell his father the good news.
…
The palace's glass windows have recently captured the attention of court officials. They count on their fingers: how many new things have appeared in the palace since last year, starting with paper! While they've benefited greatly, their wallets have also been drained. Not to mention the king's rewards, they've been buying paper, porcelain, tea, and other items. They thought they could escape the aesthetically pleasing glass, but now glass windows have caught their eye. Who wouldn't be tempted by the brightly lit main hall and bedrooms?
Currently, there is only one scope for the circulation of glass, and that is the king's reward. However, the fish tanks and cups given by the king cannot be inlaid on windows.
Therefore, in the intervals between their busy official duties, the ministers would often ask indirectly when they could receive the reward of glass from the king - preferably the kind that could be inlaid on windows.
Ying Zheng's current restrictions on glass mainly come from the telescope. Even though it has not been completed yet, Feng Yi said that he can do it, so there is no guarantee that others do not have this ability. This is a powerful weapon, and he will never allow any country other than Qin to have it.
Therefore, Ying Zheng did not respond to any direct or indirect inquiries from his court officials.
After another failed attempt, the ministers walked out of the palace in disappointment and happened to meet the smiling eldest son.
The ministers suppressed their depressed mood for the time being, went to greet Fusu, and asked him why he was so happy.
The king suffered a crushing defeat, so the eldest son should have some results, right?
However, to their disappointment, after the eldest son returned the gift, he looked like he didn't want to talk any more. He said a few perfunctory words and went into the hall with the brocade box in his hand.
...Wait a minute? A brocade box?
According to what the king said when he was showing off his son, the eldest son often gave him this and that. This brocade box must contain such a thing. What kind of rare thing is it?
After a while, a monk came out of the hall and said in a friendly manner, "The king asked why they were staying here?"
The court officials dared not delay any longer and ran away without stopping, full of doubts and grievances.
Little did they know that as soon as they left, the father and son in the hall came out.
Ying Zheng snorted in annoyance, "I think they are really too idle. That's why they have the time to think about all sorts of things and dare to ask about anything."
"Father, please calm down. Ignorance is not a crime." Fusu comforted his father. "They must think it's just porcelain. What I'm holding is just a beautiful thing."
"Forget it, let's not talk about them first." Ying Zheng said impatiently, "I'll try the telescope again."
Just now, inside the palace, Ying Zheng had used a telescope to observe the courtiers outside. It was truly crystal clear, as if they were right before his eyes. Now, taking another look outside, he felt like he was entering a whole new world.
A dozen meters is not far, but for people who can only see with their naked eyes, it is still shocking.
Ying Zheng tried again and again with great interest, then put his hand down with a smile, saying, "Send the order to reward Feng Yi."
The king's trusted aides immediately accepted the order, and after the king finished explaining the contents of the reward, they had to draft an edict.
Fusu hurriedly reminded him: "Father, it's not just Feng Yi, the craftsmen also helped him do some work, they deserve a reward."
As long as there was merit, Ying Zheng was never stingy when it came to rewards. Upon hearing this, he immediately added the craftsmen to the reward list.
After this moment of joy, Ying Zheng asked again, "Feng Yike mentioned that he wanted a telescope that could see farther. When will he be able to make one?"
Fusu smiled and said, "He didn't say it, but Father, if you count the days, it's only been a few days, and he's already been able to produce this version. I'm sure the more distant ones are not far away."
Ying Zheng nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Feng Yi is different from the Mo family members I usually know. He is a man of real talent."
What Ying Zheng disliked most were the disciples of the Hundred Schools of Thought who endlessly expressed their own ideas - except for his favorite Legalists. It seemed that if the country was not governed according to their teachings, it would be doomed, and Feng Yi was exactly what he wanted.
Fusu patted his chest and said, "Yes, fortunately he is in Qin."
"I'm so happy that I forgot something important!" Ying Zheng hurriedly waved his hand and called his attendants to come closer.
Practice has proved Feng Yi's talent and the practicality of the telescope. From then on, the glass workshop and Feng Yi became key protected objects.
…
Only a few people knew about the newly made telescope, but the reward for Feng Yi quickly spread throughout the court.
The king first gave an official position to a disciple of the Mohist school. Not long after, he promoted him and gave him generous rewards. However, no one knew what he did.
The court officials all knew the seriousness of the matter, so they just explored the glass window. After all, it was the king who placed it in front of them. But the king had already hidden it so deeply, and if they continued to explore it, they would be seeking death.
The ministers of the Qin court were very aware of the current situation, but the minds of the six states in Xianyang were very worried - the King of Qin must be hiding something extraordinary!
Look at the current situation of the Qin State. Who knows how many secrets the King of Qin has hidden!
In view of this, the homes of Qin's court officials have been very uneasy recently, with people constantly coming to visit. Everyone has some relatives and friends in this world, and some people, even the prime minister or the nine ministers, cannot be ignored.
But can I accept this gift? If I accept it, I might lose my life one day.
For now, they can only go to the king to file a report.
Ying Zheng has also gained a lot recently. In order to find out the situation in the Qin court, many people decided to go deep into Huxue.
First surrender to the King of Qin, then gain his trust, and then you can find out whatever you want to know. Isn't that easy?
Ying Zheng never turned away anyone with real talent and knowledge. The people of the six countries who successfully obtained an official position in the Qin court were secretly happy that their first step was successful.
——As for how they were later assigned many tedious tasks and were busy every day, and had to work even harder to gain the trust of the King of Qin, but they could never step into the core and could not get any core secrets. Instead, they made contributions to the great cause of Qin's unification of the six countries. That is a story for later.
Ying Zheng was picky and accepted all gifts, and he also allowed his ministers to accept any gifts that they had to accept - of course, they'd better control their mouths, otherwise their family would have to move to another place to reunite.
After receiving the king's instructions, the court officials went home to do what they wanted. Those who could get in front of the king were all the smartest of the smart. They just accepted the gifts and then gave them a perfunctory response. Who can't do that? It was just a good opportunity to make up for the loss from spending too much money this year.
Everyone gained something, including Fusu. The caravan that went to the Xiongnu returned. Not only did they do business with the Xiongnu, they also brought back some "specialties".
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