4-47 Neon

Hearing the eldest brother talk about the lanterns, Qi Dian immediately smiled confidently: "The eldest brother is going to underestimate me, why am I also in the manufacturing department for so many years, and the skilled craftsmen and exquisite skills under my hands have gone to the sea, you can rest assured, this matter is wrapped up in me, and the emperor likes it." ”

"Hmm" Qi Zhenming nodded with satisfaction, it seems that this cousin is not useless.

Besides, Liu Ziguang's side, Peng Jingwei is clamoring to go to the palace to play, but in fact, it is not that there is anything fun in the palace, but that her little sister Xu Yuanhui is now the queen of the six palaces. Even if Liu Ziguang doesn't take her, she has her own way to enter the palace to play.

"You have to be obedient, you are not allowed to take what you like, and you are not allowed to scratch people casually, otherwise my sister will not take you there." Peng Jingwei put on a dress of being a sister and said to Liu Xiaomei.

"Meow" Liu Xiaomei squatted on the chair and nodded, as if she understood, she was wearing a newly bought water-red armor, her face was greased and powdered, and she was wearing a pair of green embroidered shoes on her feet. Of course, this is all from Peng Jingwei's handwriting, since the last ice cream incident, even if the two don't know each other, they have made friends, and often play together, Peng Jingwei looked at her masterpiece, nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, you can come out." ”

Three carriages came out of Zhenwubo's Mansion, sitting Liu Ziguang, Song Yingxing and Addison, as well as the female dependents, and the last car was pulling motors, wires, lights and other things. With this thing dedicated to the emperor, why worry that Song Yingxing's official position is more stable.

After arriving at the palace, a group of female dependents went to talk and chat, Liu Ziguang took Song Ai and the two to the Qianqing Palace, the little emperor was reviewing the chapter with a sad face, and when he saw Liu Ziguang coming, he immediately dropped the pen and said: "Liu Aiqing came just right, this review is too boring, what fun does the Qing family bring?" ”

"Your Majesty, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and the ministers specially brought the motors and lanterns designed and produced by Song Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry to add some joy to the palace." Liu Ziguang said.

"Illuminations?" Zhu Youxiao's eyes lit up, and he quickly brought it up for me to see.

Eight little eunuchs lifted the motor from the carriage, Song Yingxing and Addison gave the emperor a salute, took out a large bottle of alcohol and poured it into the machine, hundreds of special small light bulbs were strung into a long string with wires, and then sent someone to hang on the eaves of the Qianqing Palace, here with a crank to shake the machine, generating electricity, a lamp lit up, the outside of the bulb was coated with a thin layer of colored paint, in the night sky out of the colorful light, the Qianqing Palace was decorated like Qionglou Yuyu.

"It's so beautiful, Aiqing, this is all done by Song Shangshu?" Zhu Youxiao slapped his hands and praised it.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Song Shangshu and his nephew made it especially for the emperor." As expected, Zhu Youxiao, who is most interested in novelties, has been completely conquered by this set of lanterns.

"These two Aiqing are really geniuses, come on, reward." Zhu Youxiao glanced at Song Ai and the two with appreciation, and then patted Liu Ziguang on the shoulder and said, "A good talent recommended by Aiqing." ”

"Emperor Xie praised, for the ministers for a long time to hear that the emperor is proficient in physical chemistry, and I also want to ask the emperor to point out the shortcomings, and give the lamp a name." Addison knelt down and said that this trick was arranged by Liu Ziguang in order to satisfy Zhu Youxiao's vanity.

"Good! I'll just tell you about it, this bulb is still a bit big, it would be better if it could be smaller, and if this current can be controlled, the effect of the bulb flashing and flashing, making it look like a star, wouldn't it be beautiful. Zhu Youxiao thought for a while and said.

"Your Majesty." Liu Ziguang took the lead in praise. This is not a sycophant of the emperor, Zhu Youxiao's suggestion is still very reliable, and the next words make Liu Ziguang admire the five-body throw.

"I'll give this lamp the name Neon."

It turns out that the name of neon starts from this.

After admiring the neon lights, Zhu Youxiao asked people to put away this set of things, saying that they would wait until the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival to put them out and surprise the ministers. Then he pulled Liu Ziguang into the Qianqing Palace to discuss state affairs.

"Aiqing, can you agree to the conditions of the Zheng family?" Zhu Youxiao asked Wei Zhongxian to hand a piece of music to Liu Ziguang to see, although Wei Zhongxian was in charge of the East Factory, but he was still serving next to the emperor, firstly, the emperor was used to him, and secondly, Father-in-law Wei also knew the importance of the Holy Family, and staying by the emperor's side was better than being an official.

Liu Ziguang read the fold at a glance and ten lines, it is written about the affairs of the Zheng family in Fujian, Zheng Zhilong, who was entrenched in Fujian and Taiwan, was originally an island, and then gradually became home, and his subordinates also had thousands of warships, more than 100,000 armor, and occupied half of Fujian's rivers and mountains, Taiwan Island, Penghu Islands and other places, the strength is quite strong, but recently it has been at odds with the Netherlands and the Japanese countries, wars are frequent, and overseas trade has been greatly affected. Moreover, relying on the Ming Dynasty, he was able to recruit sufficient soldiers in the interior and buy cheaper porcelain and silk in the mainland.

This is a good thing, but the conditions offered by the Zheng family are too high, Zheng Zhilong wants to follow the Korean customs, divide Xiamen, Kinmen, Penghu, and Taiwan as Zheng Guo, accept the canonization of the Ming Emperor as King Zheng, and then seek to take the position of the governor of Fujian in the Ming Dynasty to his younger brother Zheng Zhibao.

"It's blackmail!" Zhu Youxiao said indignantly.

Liu Ziguang remembered that on the day of the Battle of Fengtian Palace, the young man who fought side by side with them was Zheng Zhilong's son Zheng Sen, and they took the opportunity to come to congratulate the emperor on his wedding, but no one dared to agree to such conditions, the cabinet and the military department kicked back and forth, and finally pushed it to the emperor, and the emperor also felt that it was tricky

； Don't fight, such harsh conditions are too deceitful.

"Bold Zheng family, dare to look at me as no one?" Liu Ziguang said angrily, "For the minister's wishes, the heavenly soldiers destroyed the Zheng family." ”

"Good! It's still bloody Aiqing, but ..... Hubu said that there is not much silver to use for war, I didn't know that the treasury was empty to such a point, and the large taxes of the imperial court went to the pockets of individual people, hmph, sooner or later, let them spit out with interest! "Zhu Youxiao didn't know that firewood and rice were expensive, and now that he is really the emperor with real power, he knows that this battle is really not easy to fight.

"Aiqing..... Zheng family's business... It is still mainly to appease. Zhu Youxiao was also helpless.

"Your Majesty's mercy is truly a blessing to all people." In fact, Liu Ziguang was not willing to start a war with the Zheng family, not because of anything else, but mainly because he felt that everyone was Han, and there were still foreign captives in the north and west.

"At most, give him the position of governor of Taiwan, and want to establish a country? No way! Since they took the initiative to come to sue for peace, it means that they have pressure, this is just a lion's big mouth, the so-called sky-high asking price, sitting on the ground to pay back, let's slowly drag with them, and when they can't afford it, they will naturally lower the price. Liu Ziguang said.

"Okay, just Yi Aiqing, let them wait and see how long the Zheng family can last." Zhu Youxiao nodded.

After discussing state affairs, Liu Ziguang should also go back, before leaving, Zhu Youxiao seemed to suddenly remember something, and asked: "Aiqing, how much silver taels does it cost to make this set of neon signs?" ”

Liu Ziguang knew that Zhu Youxiao was born in hardship, and his pocket money was very restricted in the past, so unlike other wealthy emperors, he paid great attention to the cost-effectiveness ratio, and he would rather not use too expensive things than add them to the palace.

"The raw materials plus the handiwork are only three hundred taels of silver." Liu Ziguang replied that this is indeed the cost price of neon lights, but the huge research expenses in the early stage are not included.

"Yes, the palace will be lit with this thing in the future." Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied.

On the side of Kunning Palace, Peng Jingwei and Liu Xiaomei were also sent out, and Gong E walked slowly behind with a large pile of imperial gifts, and it seemed that these two people had gained a lot.

"Brother-in-law, don't worry, I take her very seriously, and I didn't steal the queen's things." Peng Jingwei triumphantly asked Liu Ziguang for credit, and turned around to follow Liu Ziguang's example to pat Liu Kitten's head, Liu Kitten dodged with a whoosh, except for Liu Ziguang, no one could pat her head, Peng Jingwei smiled awkwardly and asked: The kitten has never seen such a magnificent palace. “

"Meow" Liu Xiaomei screamed noncommittally, and Liu Ziguang thought to himself: "I'm afraid that Liu Xiaomei is more familiar with this palace than the emperor." All these years of snitch have not been done for nothing. Of course, he couldn't say this, he just smiled: "Okay, let's go home." ”

The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and Qi Zhenming went out to enter the palace with an old face and recommended the lanterns made by his cousin.

"Qi Dian? Is it the one who is ready to mention the waiter? It turned out to be from the Manufacturing Department of the Ministry of Industry? The lanterns he made must not be bad, so I will take a look at them. In Zhu Youxiao's heart, the Manufacturing Department of the Ministry of Industry is a cradle of new technology, and the things presented there can only be more advanced and beautiful than Song Yingxing's neon signs.

"The emperor forgives the sin, the lanterns are still in an urgent hurry, and they will definitely be presented during the Mid-Autumn Festival." Qi Zhenming said that since he handed over the task, Qi Dian has summoned a group of skilled craftsmen to work overtime to produce, and there is indeed no finished product to come up with.

"You still want to surprise me, hehe." Zhu Youxiao is very happy, the Ministry of Industry is really full of talents, not only has a talented scholar, but even the future squire is so talented, it seems that Daming is promising in his hands.