Soon Li Jinzhong sent a few eunuchs out of the palace to investigate glass products and glass mirrors, this thing at this time in the Ming Dynasty called glass, Chinese traditional glass is actually a kind of glass, but it is obtained from alchemy, the main ingredient is lead barium, is poisonous, not suitable for use as eating utensils, only suitable as decorations, this kind of ornaments can only be used by the royal family.

The eunuch went around the capital, and then went back to the palace to report. Li Jinzhong said to Zhu Youxiao: "Your Majesty, this kind of transparent glass mirror is very rare on the market, and the servants sent people out to look for it, but they didn't find a few. Basically, it's all so big, the exterior decoration is too strange, and the price is too expensive, so it's not very popular. As for the glass products you mentioned, there are basically not many, only some small objects. ”

This was not what Zhu Youxiao expected, but then he figured it out. Glass products are fragile products, easy to break during the voyage, and the mirror at this time is made in Italy as the manufacturing center, so glass products have not become a mainstream commodity in the import and export trade, and the Spaniards prefer to buy Ming goods directly with silver.

These mirrors were generally brought by missionaries, and they were not popular because they were European-style decorations. As the upper country of the Celestial Empire, the artistic level of the Chinese is obviously not comparable to Europe.

Still, glass is profitable.

Especially for large pieces of glass, the Italians and French at this time could not produce large pieces of flat glass, so there were no fitting mirrors, let alone glass windows and the like.

The Ming Dynasty is arguably the richest country in the world at the moment. Or in the country with the largest gap between the rich and the poor, the rich don't take money seriously. As long as glass is made, it is profitable, and the wealthy are definitely willing to pay a lot of money for flat glass that can make the house brighter, or a shingle-like glass skylight.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao immediately took action and ordered to summon the glass craftsmen. There are glazed craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry, because there are glazed tiles on the palace in the palace.

Soon more than a dozen craftsmen came over, and the craftsmen demonstrated to Zhu Youxiao the process of making zuò glazed tiles. However, the glass bottle is mostly used for funerals and palace construction, and it does look good.

In this kind of civilization in China, there is no need for glass eating utensils, because there is already porcelain. Therefore, since ancient times, the application of colored glass has not been widespread, so there has been no further development of transparent glass. In addition, the glaze is dedicated to the royal family, and the people cannot use the glaze without authorization, so naturally there is no development.

In the Imperial City's War Bureau, these more than a dozen craftsmen, under the guidance of Zhu Youxiao, began to carry out in-depth research and development work on glass. More than a dozen craftsmen were very valued by the emperor, and they were all extremely excited, wanting to show themselves well in front of the emperor.

On the first day they fired the glass with guò quartz sand and soda ash, but the glass was green. After Zhu Youxiao saw it, he knew that this green color actually contained a small amount of iron guide. After the addition of manganese dioxide, the original ferric iron becomes trivalent iron and appears yellow, while the tetravalent manganese is reduced to trivalent manganese and is purple. Optically, yellow and purple can complement each other in a certain way, and when mixed together to become white light, the glass will not be color cast.

Manganese ore is also needed, there are many mines in the Ming Dynasty, and manganese ore is easy to collect a large pile the next day. On the same day, after listening to Sun Chengzong's lecture in the Yangxin Palace, Zhu Youxiao came to the War Bureau with Li Jinzhong and the two masters around him, and started to work with the craftsmen.

The craftsmen are constantly adding different amounts of manganese ore to make the real thing, and the yellow and purple glass has been made by the craftsmen very smoothly.

On the third day alone, clear glass was successfully developed. Craftsmen used the blowing method to create palm-sized flat glass. Then tin foil is pasted, mercury is poured on it, and a mirror is made. However, this was not the end of the story, and the craftsmen began to make the frames.

Different from European frames, the style of Chinese frames is naturally a traditional element, and wood is used as the frame material. The craftsmen carved them with great skill, and in this way they were made of beautiful vanity mirrors.

However, the reflectivity of the back of the mirror is not so good to make the mirror with mercury, so it can be improved to the silver plating method, adding glucose water to the ammonia solution of silver nitrate, and the glucose reduces the invisible silver ions into silver particles, which are deposited on the glass to make a silver mirror, and finally painted with a layer of lacquer.

It's so simple to say that the craftsmen don't understand. So Zhu Youxiao soon became a chemist, and began to practice various chemical practices in the war bureau.

At the same time, because the flat glass is blown by the air blowing method, the flat glass is still very small and cannot be made very large. Therefore, Zhu Youxiao proposed a casting method to the craftsmen to produce larger plate glass. The craftsmen's minds are very good, and they have a high understanding of this production process, Zhu Youxiao just said a rough idea, and they quickly figured it out.

A few days later, a huge piece of plate glass, two meters long and two meters wide, was fabricated. And Zhu Youxiao also completed the research on the silver plating method.

Zhu Youxiao learned that a large piece of flat glass had been made, and he happily ran to take a look, only to find that there were still a lot of bubbles on it.

Obviously, the craftsmen did not grasp it well when it was cooled, which is a matter of production experience, and it is necessary to continue to be proficient in the production process. But in general, the flat glass is out, and the mirror is also out. And the quality is even better than the mirrors of the Italians, mercury is toxic, while glass mirrors made by the silver plating method are non-toxic and more reflective.

The technology came out, and in order to ensure that the technology was not leaked, Zhu Youxiao rewarded the craftsmen with some silver taels, and then ordered them to prohibit the leakage of the manufacturing technology of glass mirrors.

This is a holy decree, and the craftsmen naturally dare not divulge it. It doesn't matter if the secret is leaked, Zhu Youxiao is the emperor! Who would dare to rob the emperor's business? Isn't that to provoke the brocade guard to come to the door?

So it's an exclusive business.

"The emperor is really the Son of Heaven, and the glass mirror was made so quickly." When Li Jinzhong saw the mirror come out, he immediately slapped his ass wildly. Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "There are not only mirrors!" ”

The craftsmen soon had a new task: to make fitting mirrors two meters high and one meter wide, as well as to make glass windows and skylights.

A few days later, the palace began to distribute vanity mirrors. But all the concubines of the two generations of Shenzong and Xizong have been delivered. Li Xuanzhi, who failed in the palace transfer case, was also taken to Ciqing Palace by Zhu Youxiao at this time. After all, she was a woman that cheap Lao Tzu liked, and she was wronged in the palace removal case, so Zhu Youxiao took her out of the cold palace and arranged to live in Ciqing Palace. In addition to the dressing mirror, there is also a fitting mirror for Li Xuanshi.

The craftsmen began to busily replace the windows and skylights, and the lattices of the Yangxin Temple, which were originally made of pasted paper, were now torn off and glass windows were installed.

The tiles on the top of the head were also lifted and two tile-shaped skylights were installed. This kind of construction is very fast and does not take half a day.

In less than half a day, the appearance of the Heart Cultivation Hall has changed greatly.

There is no need to light candles in the house during the day, and bright light shines through the overhead and windows, and the temple looks very bright during the day.

When Sun Chengzong entered the palace to give a lecture to Zhu Youxiao, he suddenly found that the Heart Cultivation Hall had directly changed, and the environment was much more comfortable than before. He looked at the glass window again and again in amazement, and asked, "Your Majesty, what is this?" ”

"This is the latest colorless glass developed by the craftsmen in the palace, and it took me more than ten days to make it." Zhu Youxiao said triumphantly. Sun Chengzong couldn't help but be a little disappointed when he saw that Zhu Youxiao had been busy with this for the past few days, and said: "Your Majesty, just leave these things to the craftsmen to do, and your energy should still be focused on governing the country." ”

"I know, but now that the Donglin Party is in control of the government, I have nothing to do. In addition, the withdrawal of the mining tax will make the imperial court's finances tight next year. If I don't find a way to make some money, this country won't last long. Zhu Youxiao nodded, Sun Chengzong listened to the emperor's words, and was speechless. That's the real thing! The Donglin Party controlled the government from the beginning of the Wanli Dynasty, and now the power is getting bigger and bigger, and it is almost difficult to contain Cheng Dù.

"Your Majesty, it is indeed necessary for you to make money. However, the state's finances mainly rely on the reform of the tax law. Sun Chengzong persuaded, afraid that the emperor would go in the wrong direction.

"Teacher, since the merchants control the court with financial resources, our royal family can also develop commerce, and finally replace the private merchants, so that the world's commerce will become a government-run business." Zhu Youxiao said.

This is also a way to improve finances, and the Song Dynasty was the official system. It's just that business isn't that simple. If you don't do it well, it's just in vain. Sun Chengzong agreed with Zhu Youxiao's idea, but he had little confidence in Zhu Youxiao's implementation.

"It's hard to say business, but it's also extremely simple. It's nothing more than eight words -- buy low and sell high, and strange goods can live. Zhu Youxiao said confidently, as a traverser in the 21st century, although he has not practiced capital operation, he has never eaten pork and never seen a pig run?

Zhu Youxiao continued: "This glass mirror and glass window, even the barbarians of Europa can't make it, this is a strange thing, and you can definitely earn silver." ”

"Then try it!" Sun Chengzong nodded and said, since the emperor is so confident, it is not impossible to let him try. It's naturally good to be able to earn silver, and if you can't earn it, it will also make the emperor sober up.