Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

Guo Jing was so excited that her eyes almost popped out and her cheeks were red.

"They said it was successful! It was really successful!"

Guo Jing was so excited that she could not speak a word. In the end, she could only repeat the words "success".

Although Zhu Di pursed his lips tightly, Zhang Yuchu could still see a hint of joy on his face.

What a disaster.

Zhang Yuchu held the brocade box in his hand and looked at the waste elixir he had practiced. In an instant, an elixir in a courtyard not far away appeared in his mind. A scene out of nowhere.

It’s over, Longhu Mountain is now in disgrace.

Zhang Yuchu couldn't help but tremble slightly all over. He, who had always been sincere, almost wanted to kneel down on the ground and admit his mistake to Zhu Di.

On the way to Nanjing City, Zhang Yuchu heard that King Yan was killing people without blinking an eye!

Although it is not as outrageous as the "green-faced fangs eating three children in one meal" rumored by the Jiangnan gentry before crossing the river, this emperor who was decisive and resolute in killing was able to kill many people in Nanjing as soon as he came to the throne. He killed the Nine, Ten, and Yi tribes. Family, you can choose from various genealogy elimination packages, it’s really cruel!

Of course, since His Highness King Yan arrived in Nanjing, his loyal city, the above-mentioned rumors have long since disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.

But at this time, Zhang Yuchu had begun to regret why he had to rush to Nanjing to show his loyalty.

Now that Dan training is useless, it's okay.

Throwing yourself into a trap is extremely stupid.

Zhu Di was a little confused when he looked at the fat black Taoist priest in front of him.

"Master Zhang?"

"Your Majesty, I am here."

A flattering smile appeared on Zhang Yuchu's face.

As the Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, the preservation of the Taoist tradition is the top priority. Anything that is shameless is for ordinary people to see.

"I have asked Commander Tong to go there to check the situation. After they finish, they will definitely leave the elixir behind. Then you can come and see what the elixir they have refined looks like, and then ask Master Yuan , what exactly is going on.”

"Okay, Your Majesty."

Listening to Zhu Di's words, Zhang Yuchu lowered his head and said yes. The moment he lowered his head, he closed his eyes tightly to hide the pain and despair deep in his heart.

The Jianwen Dynasty has been suppressed for four years. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the first thing he told him was messed up. Is it because God is not blessing me in Longhu Mountain?

Just as Zhang Tianshi was thinking about it, another clerk hurried over.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Jiang has finished today's lecture. He also said three things before ending."

"Oh? What did Mr. Jiang say?"

Zhu Di asked with interest after hearing this.

Chai Che had a straight face and answered truthfully without adding any extraneous words.

"The first thing, Mr. Jiang said, let them take the manufactured 'fertilizer' and go outside for experiments, select some plants with a short growth period, and use the same soil, light, and water sources. At the same time, they need both a control group and a Experimental group, and it is best to have more than three planting fields in each group to avoid experimental failure caused by a small probability of accident."

"The control group means the original experimental field without any other interference, that is, you can plant it as you normally would."

"The experimental group means the experimental field with added 'chemical fertilizers' and does not require additional care during planting."

Zhu Di nodded and understood. These are very simple things, and you can understand them as soon as you hear them. One group uses the fairy prescription, and the other group does not, and then compare the results, and use a few kinds at the same time to avoid accidents.

"What about the second thing?" Zhu Difu asked again.

Chaiche still answered honestly: "The second thing, Mr. Jiang said that after the experiment is over, he will tell them how to obtain fertilizers that can be promoted on a large scale."

Zhu Gaochi was slightly startled. He and Zhu Di looked at each other and saw the joy in each other's eyes.

In this way, Jiang Xinghuo is quite confident that the 'experiment' can be successful.

"What about the third thing?" Zhu Gaochi asked for his father.

Chai Che said: "The third thing. Mr. Jiang said that because he will be released from prison next year and there is no pressure on time, he is not in a hurry to give lectures every day, so he plans to change the lecture time to once every 15 days in the future. .”

When Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Di heard this, their expressions relaxed.

According to the previous intensity of class, there was one class a day. The two of them had to deal with government affairs and rush to attend classes every day. It was really a bit tiring for them who had so many things to do every day.

And Jiang Xinghuo now plans to change the interval between the last class to 15 days.

It is now the end of August, and next year the Chinese New Year will be celebrated in mid-January. At that time, the year will be renamed as the Amnesty, so the total will be September, October, November, December, and January, which is five months short. Less than one hundred and fifty days.

In other words, there are 9 classes left!

Jiang Xinghuo is in prison and will attend the last 9 classes before ending his prison lectures.

But Zhu Di thought about it for a while, then frowned and said thoughtfully: "Is this not possible? I always feel that only nine classes are too few."

Zhu Gaochi coughed dryly and reminded his greedy father.

"Father, Mr. Jiang can also give lectures after he is released from prison. It's not that he will stop teaching after he is released from prison. It's just that he may have to do some other things that he proposes, but it doesn't mean that he can't give lectures in his spare time. "

Zhu Di waved his hand and said, "That's different!"

"Assuming that Mr. Jiang didn't actually see through it, then when he didn't know the identity of the people around him or that anyone was eavesdropping, what he said would definitely be more true and bold. Without this layer, it wouldn't necessarily be so in the future. It’s interesting and rewarding.”

"Then we also know how to listen. After listening for so long, we are used to it, aren't we, Father?"

Zhu Gaochi said with a smile: "What's more, if I think about it, if Mr. Jiang really doesn't know all this, when he is released from prison next year, he will see that his cellmate is the second prince and the leader of hundreds of officials. Duke Cao Guo, I don’t know what his expression will be like.”

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Zhu Di also laughed when he thought of Jiang Xinghuo's confused face and joked.

"Then think about it again. By next year, the Ming Dynasty's national debt has been issued, and the work of sharing the land has been promoted. Things such as supporting the clan, sailing to the West, and conquering Japan are also in preparation. Mr. Jiang saw that in prison Scenes that I didn't expect to come true all appeared in front of him. When I think about this kind of thing, I find it extremely interesting!"

Hearing Zhu Di's teasing, Xia Yuanji, the minister of household affairs in a scarlet robe, couldn't help but laugh. Suddenly, he was also looking forward to it.

——What kind of psychological activity would Jiang Xinghuo feel if he came out of the imperial edict and saw a notice posted at the door that the Ministry of Revenue was selling Ming Dynasty treasury bonds.

"So, Father, there is no need to worry." Zhu Gaochi said with a smile, "No matter how Mr. Jiang lectures, we are all going to attend the lectures anyway. What difference does it make in how many lectures we attend? Moreover, Mr. Jiang's course schedule is not just for It gives us enough time to do other things."

Zhu Di nodded in approval and said: "Yes, I was originally worried that Mr. Jiang would not be willing to give lectures after he was released from prison. Now that I think about it, I was overly worried."

While they were talking, Yuan Gong, who was dressed in linen and had white beard and hair, walked over with a vigorous step carrying the fertilizer that was successfully produced there.

"I have met His Majesty, His Royal Highness the First Prince."

Yuan Gong first saluted Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi, and then looked at Zhang Yuchu, the contemporary Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain.

Zhang Yuchu's purple-black face showed a friendly smile, and he bowed his head repeatedly and said: "Master Yuan, please come and be well!"

As the leader of the Taoist sect, Zhang Tianshi naturally suppressed other sects, but he was extremely respectful to Yuan Gong, a highly virtuous and respected senior who had no sect and no sect.

What are rivers and lakes? Human beings and sophistication are the rivers and lakes.

If you don’t show respect to your seniors to the people in your circle, who will respect you when you get older?

After the two of them met.

Zhu Di pondered slightly and then said: "I remember that Master Zhang once said that if other alchemy Taoist priests can refine it, you can also refine it at Longhu Mountain?"

Zhang Yuchu quickly bowed and said, "Yes, I dare not hide it from Your Majesty."

Zhu Di said with a hint of suspicion: "I heard that the formula of this elixir for you is exactly the same as that made by Master Yuan? Don't fool me, otherwise, hum -!"

"I don't dare!"

Zhang Yuchu's heart trembled, and he quickly flattered him sincerely: "Your Majesty's holy life is boundless, and your blessings stretch for eternity! If there is any difference, it must be that our alchemy skills at Longhu Mountain are not enough, but we are definitely not deliberately deceiving Your Majesty!"

After scaring Zhang Tianshi, Zhu Di signaled Yuan Gong to bring over the elixir he had refined.

Yuan Gong stretched out his hand and handed the wooden box containing the elixir 'fertilizer' to the eldest prince Zhu Gaochi next to him.

Zhu Gaochi turned his hand and presented it respectfully.

Zhu Di reached out to pick up the wooden box, opened the lid and took a look. He saw five light yellow pills lying inside, about the size of his thumb. The color was not translucent, and they even looked unremarkable.

Well. This is because the experimental equipment is crude. There are too many impurities in solid ammonium sulfate, and the dissolution of ammonium sulfate is very large and affected by temperature. Normally it should be gray-white, but because of the presence of ferric iron and other substances, it is Unpurified recrystallization, so it shows a light yellow color.

In this case, in the laboratory, it can usually be solved by adding 3-5% dilute ammonia water, soaking it for a few minutes, and then centrifuging it to dry it. However, considering the current technological level of Ming Dynasty, which does not even have a drum washing machine, it can only rely on the simplest and stupid method, which is to repeatedly dissolve, cool, and recrystallize for purification.

But it doesn't matter if it's pure or not. I'm not the King of Litang, so long as it can be used.

The pills look different except for the color. The one made by Master Zhang is red-gray and this one is light yellow. There seems to be no difference between the others?

Even the pungent gas smell was exactly the same.

Zhu Di and Zhu Gaochi looked at each other, feeling a little surprised.

Zhu Gaochi whispered: "Father, this elixir is exactly the same as the elixir refined by Zhang Tianshi except for the different color."

"Indeed." Zhu Di pondered for a moment and nodded: "Since the elixirs refined by the two real people are almost the same, I can't favor anyone. I didn't put them in the farmland for comparison. It's hard to say that the elixir refined by Zhang Tianshi must have failed. of."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuchu breathed a sigh of relief. There were fine beads of sweat on his forehead, which showed how much pressure Zhu Di put on him.

Zhu Di stared at the elixir carefully for a while and then suddenly said: "Master Yuan, Mr. Jiang, have you ever told you whether the elixir is successful if it is like this?"

Yuan Gong replied: "That's it. It's done."

At this time, Zhang Tianshi, who had successfully passed the test with the emperor, finally had time to relax and think.

"I thought there really was some magical recipe, but in the end, wouldn't the resulting products be the same except for the color?"

"Hey, the emperor is so easy to deceive. He will be fooled by such obvious charlatans."

"In all my years of refining alchemy and drawing talismans, this Heavenly Master has never seen such an outrageous elixir recipe."

"Green alum is used as a medicinal material. It is mainly used to treat throat paralysis, dental aphthous ulcers, malignant sores and scabies. It can also eliminate stagnation, dry the spleen and dampness, resolve phlegm and saliva, and relieve fullness."

"But what does soot do? It chokes people's throats?"

"If you pour soot into the green vitriol, why don't you pour the gold juice into the mercury?"

Just when the fat black Taoist priest was complaining in his heart, Zhu Di issued an eviction order.

"Tianshi Zhang, Zhenren Yuan, you two should go back first. I will call you back in a few days to see the results."

Zhang Yuchu and Yuan Gong naturally did not dare to disobey. After the two left, only Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi and Xia Yuanji were left in the empty courtyard.

The commander of the Zhongyi Guard, Tong Xin, led his soldiers to guard the entrance of the courtyard, while Guo Jing and Chai Che went back to continue to sort out "Mr. Jiang's Lecture Notes".

In front of Zhu Gaochi and Xia Yuanji, Zhu Di finally revealed some of his true emotions.

Zhu Di was a little doubtful.

Zhu Di looked at the gray-red and light-yellow elixirs in front of him with a look of contemplation, and asked without turning his head.

"Chi'er, do you think Mr. Jiang's elixir called 'fertilizer' will work?"

Zhu Gaochi was actually not that optimistic. He said with some hesitation: "I haven't tried this before and I don't know much about it, but I think that since my father believes in Mr. Jiang, I still have to do it with the idea that it can be done. Erchen feels that since Mr. Jiang is so sure about this thing, it should be very reliable."

Zhu Di nodded and said: "What you said makes sense, but..."

Xia Yuanji couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, are you worrying too much? I am quite confident about this."

"well"

Zhu Di sighed quietly, stood up and walked to the edge of the courtyard, looking at the scenery of Zhongshan Mountain in the distance with his hands behind his hands, and fell into a long silence.

Zhu Gaochi also paced, and he realized that his father was very worried today, and he immediately guessed the reason - his father was hesitant and hesitant about the 'fertilizer' elixir.

After all, anyone would probably subconsciously feel disbelief in something like this.

As of this year, no one in China's history of thousands of years and countless dynasties can dare to say that there is something in this world that can double the yield of crops per acre as long as it is sprinkled.

Because before, there really was no such thing.

Therefore, the limitations of the times still limit the imagination of the highest levels of the Ming Empire.

How can we be certain about something that has never appeared before?

Although Zhu Di is the king of a country, this kind of thing still makes him feel a little unsure.

The handling of such matters often determines the well-being of tens of millions of Li people. Moreover, the outcome of this decision may affect the future Ming Dynasty and directly determine the rise and fall of a dynasty.

Even Zhu Di would feel a little nervous and uneasy.

But Zhu Di was Zhu Di after all, and he fought his way out amidst countless swords and blood.

This emotion that affected his decision-making began to be forgotten by him.

However, Zhu Gaochi did not feel Zhu Di's thoughts in time. He wanted to persuade his father out of the consideration that he did not want to see his father so entangled.

"Father," Zhu Gaochi suddenly said, "Don't take this matter too seriously. We can just do our best and listen to fate."

Zhu Di stopped and turned around: "Chi'er, do you really think so?"

Zhu Gaoxu said: "Father, I am telling the truth. I really think so. Although the elixir may not be successful, there is no loss in the end. As long as the father does not place too high hopes, everyone will be happy if it succeeds. But if it fails, the Ming Dynasty will not actually suffer any adverse effects. I have thought over and over again, it would be great if it succeeds, but if it fails, my father can just think about agriculture separately."

Xia Yuanji also persuaded: "I also believe that since Master Jiang is so sure, then there really is such a magical formula in the world that can double the yield of an acre of farmland. I think it is not wrong!"

Xia Yuanji paused for a moment and then said: "Your Majesty, after I return, I will summon the officials in charge of agricultural affairs to study it together, and then select a few fields in the imperial village to try to cultivate. Once the results are obtained, we can draw conclusions at that time." not late."

After the two of them finished speaking, they quietly waited for their father's decision.

"I understand."

Zhu Di finally let out a long breath and turned back, "I'm just a little concerned and confused, so I'll do what you said, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Father!" Zhu Gaochi suddenly smiled.

"I will immediately summon the officials to select farmland for testing in Huangzhuang." Xia Yuanji also said.

Zhu Di asked: "What crops does Xia Qing plan to use for experiments?"

"The growth cycle of rice and the like is too long, so we need to use vegetables with short growth cycles, namely shepherd's purse, rapeseed, sprouts (bean sprouts), lettuce, amaranth, and green garlic."

Xia Yuanji said the answer in his mind without hesitation.

Zhu Di thought for a while and asked again: "How long are these growth cycles?"

"90 days for shepherd's purse, 50 days for rapeseed, 7 days for sprouts (bean sprouts), 40 days for lettuce, 45 days for amaranth, and 50 days for green garlic." Xia Yuanji replied.

"Try them all, but focus on the sprouts."

Facing the emperor's instructions, Xia Yuanji could only nod.

On one side, Zhu Di instructed Xia Yuanji to use chemical fertilizers to grow vegetables. On the other side, Jiang Xinghuo also received an unexpected letter and met an unexpected person after class.

"You said this is a letter from a friend of Jushi Yuan?"

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the letter in his hand and asked strangely.

Li Jinglong nodded, Yuan Gong was behind him.

Well, what Li Jinglong didn't say was that this friend of layman Yuan was named Dao Yan.