Fang Yizhi, courtesy name Mizhi, was from Tongcheng, Anqing Prefecture, South Zhili.
In history, Fang Yizhi first fled to Nanjing after the fall of the Ming Dynasty, and then defected to the Prince of Gui, Zhu Youlang.
After being falsely impeached and dismissed from office by the eunuch Wang Kun, he became disheartened, shaved his head and became a monk, and secretly organized an anti-Qing and restoration movement.
In the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, Fang was arrested for being implicated in the Zhiyue case. On the way to Guangdong, he developed a carbuncle (suspected) and died on the boat.
The nature of the Guangdong case cannot be verified due to the long time and incomplete information. According to the existing information, there are theories that it was a case of treason, a theory of literary inquisition, and a theory that it was reported by an enemy.
Speaking of literary inquisition...
The Qing Dynasty actually had the opportunity to lead the world, or not fall behind.
But the literary inquisition in the Qing Dynasty completely wiped out this possibility.
Literary inquisitions began during the Shunzhi period and ended during the Qianlong period. During the 140 years or so, more than 160 literary inquisitions of relatively large scope occurred.
This created a situation where all the horses were silent, which was extremely sad.
The victim of the first literary inquisition case was Zhang Jinyan, who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. There was a sentence in one of his articles that said "a talented general of the Ming Dynasty."
Shunzhi felt that there was something wrong after seeing this, so he ordered his arrest and imprisonment, confiscated his property and exiled him to Ningguta.
Someone has counted that the number of literary inquisitions in the Qing Dynasty was more than that in all other dynasties combined!
During this period, countless people were killed, punished, and affected.
It truly is more important to guard against the people's mouths than to guard against the river!
Under the influence of literary inquisition, thoughtful scholars in the Qing Dynasty did not dare to serve in the court.
After all, a simple sentence from Qingfeng, who is illiterate, can kill thousands of people just by flipping through books. Those maverick scholars can only stay at home to study and write books.
This is the case with Gu Yanwu, Huang Zongxi, Wang Fuzhi, Fang Yizhi and others.
Of course.
Even if they could serve in the imperial court, they would not go.
Although these people have ideas in their minds, they are unable to spread them.
Even if it could be spread, no one would learn it, because firstly, they have never been an official, and secondly, they have never taught any students to become officials.
In that era, people were proud to serve in the court.
If one wants to spread his ideas, he must become a high-ranking official in the court, or teach some students to become high-ranking officials.
......
Looking at Fang Yizhi who was somewhat dazed, Minister of Industry Fan Jingwen pushed his shoulder and said, "Your Majesty is asking you a question!"
After Fang Yizhi recovered, his eyes were full of doubts.
Of course he understood Chongzhen's question and knew the answer.
But he always felt that the answer in his heart was wrong.
Out of respect for Chongzhen, Fang Yizhi slowly replied: "Your Majesty, the reason snow falls downwards is the same as the reason water flows to lower places."
"Then why does water flow to lower places?"
Fang Yizhi replied with a serious face: "I think the theory recorded in the Mo Jing Jing Shuo Shang is correct. Jing Shuo Shang says: force is weight. The lower and the weight are the same."
What this sentence means roughly is that the weight of an object is caused by gravity, and the object falls under the action of gravity while accelerating at the same time.
Chongzhen smiled faintly: "Then... do you know where this force towards the earth comes from?"
This question stumped Fang Yizhi.
yes...
There is a force downwards, but where does this force come from?
Looking at the silent and thoughtful Fang Yizhi, Chongzhen knew that his goal had been achieved.
The ancients had observed the phenomenon of gravity long ago, but they only observed and recorded the phenomenon without exploring the mystery behind it.
Chongzhen wanted to change this situation.
Looking at Fang Yizhi's confused face, Chongzhen smiled and said, "Fang Yizhi, I made a promise in front of all the ministers. If you can figure out where the power of the earth comes from, I will reward you with ten thousand taels of silver."
"Except Fang Yizhi, anyone can answer this question. As long as he can come up with an answer that convinces me, I will reward him with ten thousand taels of silver."
The officials and craftsmen present all widened their eyes.
Ten thousand taels of silver is definitely a huge sum of money. If we can get this money, the whole family will be able to rise from being farmers and become masters of their own land.
"Your Majesty, are you serious?" Jiao Xu asked first.
"Really? If you don't believe me, I will publish this in the Chongzhen 17th Year Gazette."
"Stop gathering around and go back to think of the answer!" Fan Jingwen called out to everyone.
The officials and craftsmen from the Ministry of Works all bowed in unison, then turned around and left in a hurry.
Some even took out paper and started writing down what they were thinking.
Fang Yizhi did not leave. He stood in front of Chongzhen with his head down, feeling a little ashamed.
Chongzhen did not blame him.
Fang Yizhi inherited his family's teachings and received traditional Confucian education since he was young. It is not easy for him to have his current knowledge.
"Fang Yizhi." Chongzhen said.
"I am here."
"I heard that you studied under Wang Xuan, and he has a book called "Physics"?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Fang Yizhi answered honestly.
Wang Xuan was from Jinxi, Jiangxi Province. He was a physicist and also Fang Yizhi's teacher. His book "Physics" had a great influence on Fang Yizhi, so much so that Fang Yizhi later "borrowed" a lot of knowledge from "Physics" in his "A Brief Knowledge of Physics".
"Learn more, think more, write more!" Chongzhen said these three words and turned and left.
Before leaving the Ministry of Works, Fan Jingwen quietly came up to him and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to tell you."
"Don't mention the money. I know that your Ministry of Works is a government agency that spends money. It is normal for officials to have some gray income." Chongzhen's tone was flat, but his expression was very serious.
Kickbacks are unavoidable.
It is impossible for Chongzhen and the Jinyiwei to keep their attention here all the time.
In the long term, we rely on the system; in the short term, we can only rely on the self-discipline of officials and the supervision of Fan Jingwen.
"Your Majesty, this is not about money, but about the steam engine on the self-propelled steamship."
"Any clues?" Chongzhen was overjoyed.
Fan Jingwen looked ashamed and said, "Your Majesty, it's too early to be happy. What I meant was not that there was a clue, but that I was in trouble."
"Tell me slowly, what's the trouble?"
Fan Jingwen paused and recounted the troubles he encountered in the process of manufacturing the steam engine.
The first problem encountered was the casting problem.
Previously, we used clay molds to cast iron, and the surface of the cast iron parts was uneven, which required a lot of manpower and material resources to grind and polish.
The second problem was that the castings were not strong enough and broke repeatedly, which slowed down progress.
Sometimes the steam engine would even be damaged, and would have to be overturned and redone.
There are also various issues such as air tightness and pressure relief when the pressure is too high.
Although there are capable people in the Ministry of Works, they are not omnipotent.
Dealing with these problems requires solutions, money, and time.
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