Because of the needs of work, Li Yuan often reversed day and night.

Especially in the past year, because of the continuous disasters in the country, the work of Qin Tianjian has become even heavier, and they need to be careful every day against astrological anomalies.

At night, the other officials were asleep, and Li Yuan was still watching the stars from the observatory.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of horses' hooves, and the eunuch opened his throat and shouted: "Your Majesty has a decree, Xuanqin Heavenly Prison Supervisor Zheng Li Yuan can go to the leopard room!" ”

The astronomical officers looked at each other, thinking that something big had happened.

Li Yuan hurriedly ran out of the door and bowed to the eunuch.

Without waiting for him to ask, the eunuch said: "Eunuch Li, please ride with me, Your Majesty will summon you urgently, and you must not delay!" ”

Li Yuan didn't dare to slack off, hurriedly climbed on horseback, and galloped all the way to the west.

Along the way, when they met the night patrol officers and soldiers, the eunuchs all held up their waist cards and shouted: "The leopard room is doing things, and you must not stop it!" ”

What surprised Li Yuan even more was that after the eunuch rode into the east gate of Chang'an, he actually continued to ride his horse on the Tianjie Royal Road. These royal roads, only the emperor, the queen mother, the empress and other nobles in the palace, can ride horses or cars, eunuchs to do so is a capital crime.

Li Yuan was worried, and couldn't help asking: "What is the important thing that is so urgent?" ”

The eunuch was also full of doubts, and said angrily: "How do I know? Anyway, His Majesty and Master Wang were in the leopard room, and suddenly asked me to go to the observatory to summon Li Jianzheng. ”

It was the middle of the night when Li Yuan arrived at the leopard room, and he was taken by the eunuch to a courtyard where a strange cylinder more than three feet long was placed.

"Minister Li Yuan, knock to see Your Majesty!" Li Yuan knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

Zhu Houzhao said: "Get up." ”

The ministers of the Ming Dynasty reported to the emperor, except for the need to buckle their heads when they met, they could stand and answer the rest of the time, unlike the Qing Dynasty, where they had to kneel all the way.

Li Yuan stood there uneasy, and couldn't help but look towards Wang Yuan, only to see Wang Erlang sitting on a chair looking at the stars.

Zhu Houzhao suddenly asked: "Li Jianzheng, is the sky round?" ”

What's the situation?

Li Yuan was confused, and he didn't know how to answer, so he could only stubbornly say: "There is such a thing." ”

Zhu Houzhao asked again: "Just now, Wang Erlang and I discussed the universe. What is the universe? ”

Li Yuan asked rhetorically: "Your Majesty is asking Hun Tian?" ”

"I'm asking you, not you're asking me!" Zhu Houzhao said unhappily.

Li Yuan could only reply: "Zhang Pingzi (Zhang Heng) of the Han Dynasty said: The sky is like a chicken, the celestial body is round like a projectile, and the earth is like a chicken in the yellow...... Those who have passed through this have not known or not. Those who do not know or know the universe are also said. The surface of the universe is infinite, and the end of the universe is infinite. ”

Translated into the vernacular, Zhang Heng believes that the world is like an egg, all celestial bodies are spherical, the earth is like an egg yolk, and the heavens and the earth rotate. Beyond the heavens, there is the universe, endless, without beginning or end, without limits.

This is somewhat similar to geocentrism, where the earth is the center of the world, and the sun, moon and stars are all spheres, all orbiting the earth.

According to modern astronomical knowledge, the armillary sky mentioned by Zhang Heng can be understood as the universe that can be observed. And there are unknown celestial bodies outside the universe, and those unobservable worlds are the original meaning of "universe" in Zhang Heng's mouth.

Zhu Houzhao listened to it for a long time, and finally said: "That is to say, the moon is a sphere, and the earth on which we stand is also a sphere?" ”

Li Yuan didn't dare to make up his mind, so he could only reply: "If you say it according to Hun Tian, it is indeed so." ”

"Alas!"

Zhu Houzhao sighed and pointed to the telescope: "Li Jianzheng, come and take a look at the moon." ”

Wang Yuan explained: "Li Jianzheng, this is the Ten Thousand Miles Divine Mirror, which can observe the details of the moon. ”

Li Yuan approached cautiously, put his eyes in front of the eyepiece, looked at it fixedly, was surprised and delighted, and trembled: "The moon is like the ground, there are mountains and pits, but there is no one!" ”

Zhu Houzhao looked up at the starry sky and muttered to himself: "How does the world we live in work? If the moon is like this, what will the sun look like? If the earth is like a ball, what is the other end of the ball? Don't they fall if they stand upside down? ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "Your Majesty's last question, the minister can explain a thing or two. ”

"You say." Zhu Hou looked at Wang Yuan, and Li Yuan also pricked up his ears to listen.

Wang Yuan said: "A few days ago, the minister and Jinyiwei experienced Gu Yingxiang and discussed the principle of all things together. Let's assume that the earth is like a magnet that attracts everything. Therefore, we are grounded in the earth and are attracted to it. The other side of the globe is also firmly intrigued. ”

Zhu Houzhao said: "Maybe so. ”

Wang Yuan asked Li Yuan: "Li Jianzheng, do you think the moon is revolving around the earth?" ”

Li Yuan replied: "According to observations, it should be so. ”

Wang Yuan untied his belt, put it on the handle of the teapot, and poured the tea in the pot dry. Then, with a wave of his belt, the teapot rotates around his right hand: "My right hand is the earth, the teapot is the moon, and the belt is gravity." Therefore, the moon always revolves around the earth, neither moving away nor setting. ”

"Wonderful!" Li Yuan clapped his hands and praised, he felt that countless doubts in his heart had been solved by Wang Yuan's metaphor.

Wang Yuan said to Zhu Houzhao again: "If Your Majesty wants to know what the other side of the earth is like, the minister can drive a huge boat to the sea to find out!" ”

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary." ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "The world is so mysterious, the minister also wants to go and see it." Perhaps, there is an innumerable amount of treasure, or perhaps, there is an endless amount of food to eat. ”

"Hahaha, Erlang is used to thinking about good things." Zhu Houzhao laughed.

Wang Yuan said with a straight face: "Your Majesty, the minister is serious. ”

Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said, "Unrealistic things, let's talk about it later." ”

Having said that, Zhu Houzhao was aroused by endless curiosity, and he wanted to go to the other side of the world to see it in person.

Li Yuan was completely immersed in the astronomical world, and according to Wang Yuan's universal gravitational force, as well as the centripetal force and centrifugal force expressed in the image, this Qintian Supervisor was eager to go back immediately to observe and calculate. He can even predict the time of the eclipse, and he knows all kinds of stars well, and Wang Yuan's words have brought him too much inspiration!

Zhu Houzhao pointed to the telescope and said to Li Yuan: "Li Jianzheng, you take this Wanli Divine Mirror back to Qin Tianjian." ”

As an astronomical officer, Li Yuan was more sensitive than Wang Yuan, and said tentatively: "Your Majesty, the matter is very important, how should we deal with it?" ”

Zhu Houzhao instructed: "Don't hide it, don't deliberately publicize it, let it go naturally." ”

Li Yuan arched his hand and said: "The minister obeys the order!" ”

Zhu Houzhao said: "You are waiting for a good student to study the celestial phenomena, and if you have any questions, you can discuss them with Wang Erlang." I don't know why, but I always feel like I'm doing something big. ”

Wang Yuan praised from the bottom of his heart: "Your Majesty Shengming! ”

"I'm a faint king, hahaha!" Zhu Houzhao laughed.

Isn't it a faint king?

If it were a normal emperor, he would have destroyed the telescope a long time ago, and where would he dare to throw it to Qin Tianjian.

(This chapter is supplemented.) Tomorrow's son's first birthday banquet may be updated later, but it will definitely be made up. ）