"What Your Majesty and I think is actually very simple." Zhang Weizhao felt that there was no need to talk about the big truth in a detour, but to the point: "It is to get more materials and make more money through sailing." Didn't Lord Xie have a heart set out in Dayan to eliminate the famine? However, in the Great Heat, there are floods every three or five times in the east, and there is a major drought in the west every eight years and ten years, regardless of the floods and droughts, it will cause a decrease in grain production and an increase in the number of hungry people. When I was a child, I heard that there was a vast continent west of the heavens, across the vast sea, and on that continent there were two amazing crops called sweet potatoes and potatoes. These two crops, generally grown annually, can yield 5,000 catties per mu, and when the year is good, it can reach 8,000 catties. If we can find such crops, we will have a way to withstand famine years. ”

"How many thousand catties per mu? Where did this charlatan come from to deceive the mother? Do you really believe it too? An acre of good wheat field can produce up to 800 catties, and the same is true for rice fields. This liar is really ashamed. Xie Qian only felt incredible.

"If before today, I said that I could cure your pain with one injection, would you believe it? If I say that I can invite you to taste the freshly picked gourds and shepherd's cabbage in the middle of winter, would you believe it? ”

"Even if there is such a thing, can the mother make sure that the voyage can find it?"

"Voyages and commerce can bring about material and cultural exchanges, and exchanges can bring about technological changes. The development of glassmaking technology alone can bring so much profit. Taifu, imagine what more technological innovations will bring to Dayan? ”

Xie Qian lowered his head and pondered, and after a long time, he said to Chen Youcong and Zhang Weizhao: "Please think about it carefully with Your Majesty and Niangniang Rong Weichen."

Chen Youcong said: "Taifu, you have time. Please sit down and have something to eat. ”

Zhang Weizhao also nodded in agreement.

Of course, they didn't expect Xie Qian to understand their train of thought right away. The debate between Zhang Weizhao and Xie Qian is actually a collision between industrial civilization and agricultural civilization, and behind it is a completely different value system, which cannot be replaced in a short period of time.

In fact, Chen Youcong and Zhang Weizhao have made up their minds and are ready to devote their lives to promoting Dayan's navigation career, not only to go overseas to find useful crops, but also to meet the upcoming changes in the world pattern.

Even if Xie Qian is against it, Chen Youcong and Zhang Weizhao will stick to it. It's just that if you can win Xie Qian's support, things will go a lot smoother.

The plates on the table were removed, and new dishes were brought up.

The monarch and the minister no longer mentioned the matter of navigation, Xie Qian asked Zhang Weizhao how to make more mellow wine, Zhang Weizhao did not hide his selfishness, and replied in detail.

This time, from Xie Qian's entry into the palace to the end of the meal, it took two hours.

Near the end, Zhang Weizhao said to Xie Qian: "I see that Taifu likes that little cart very much, I have several here, so I will give one to Taifu." ”

Xie Qian was not polite, so he knelt down to thank him. He was going to go back and study how the wheels of the cart were made.

Chen Youcong smiled and said: "Don't be busy, Taifu, there is one more thing for you to enjoy." As he spoke, he motioned for Xie Qian to walk outside with him.

Xie Qian followed Chen Youcong out, only to see a little eunuch riding a strange thing from the stone road far away, flying towards the wind.

In the blink of an eye, he came closer, and the little eunuch jumped down and knelt down in salute. Xie Qian took a closer look at the thing, but saw that there was a seat on two wheels, there was a horizontal bar in front of the seat, as if it was used to grasp the direction like a rudder, and there were two pedals under the seat.

Chen Youcong walked to the bottom of the steps, lifted his robe and tied it around his waist, rode up and pedaled, and at the same time turned the horizontal bar with his hand to adjust the direction, turned left, turned right, and circled, very flexible.

The little eunuch and the little palace maid next to him laughed while watching, and the front of the incense hall was very lively for a while.

After a while, Chen Youcong jumped down and said to Xie Qian: "This is called a bicycle, you can move by constantly stepping on your feet, and this is what I just said I want to ask Taifu to try." ”

Although Xie Qian has been educated by Confucianism for many years, he is actually a person with plenty of energy and a penchant for new things. Today, although he has many concerns about the new ideas of the emperor, he is actually deeply attracted. Otherwise, he would only quote the scriptures and use the words of the saints to deny all these new things, and he would not have to refute them one by one.

Anyway, I've done enough things out of the ordinary today, and it's not bad for this one. Xie Qian said: "Thank you, Your Majesty." As he spoke, he approached with the same flirtatious robe, and tried to ride it with the help of the two little eunuchs. Although I haven't fully learned it, I have already tasted the joy of riding. After two laps of riding, there was already fine sweat on my forehead, but it was not due to exertion, but from nervousness.

After getting out of the car, Xie Qian and Chen Youcong looked at each other and laughed, and returned to the room. Zhang Weizhao greeted him with a smile and said, "What does Taifu think of the bicycle?" This bicycle and that small cart were made by students in my art academy. Of course, the original idea was put forward by Zhang Weizhao. But Zhang Weizhao is a doctor, not an instrument master, she put forward a concept, and the specific implementation is done by the girls in the art academy. They drew drawings, found craftsmen to make parts, improved them repeatedly, and finally assembled them by the girls themselves.

"Famous teachers make high apprentices! Wechen is convinced! Xie Qian felt that although the emperor and queen often came up with some unbelievable ideas, he was not only curious, but also often panicked. But being with such an emperor and empress always makes people feel that they have become much younger and full of vitality, which is actually rare.

In April, the weather was mild and warm, and the Empress Dowager took a group of grandchildren to the Xiyuan pontoon boat to enjoy the scenery.

There was laughter by the Taiye pool, even the Queen Mother couldn't laugh, it turned out to be a fresh play designed by the girls in the painting academy, and today I took it to the West Garden to try, because it was very funny and interesting, so it attracted laughter constantly.

I saw that in the shallow place near the shore of the Taiye Pool, a little eunuch was wearing a shoe like a small boat on each foot, walking on the water. Because the shoes were large and unusually heavy, he had a hard time walking on the water, and several times he staggered and almost fell into the water. Every time he stumbled, the people on the shore were exclaimed, and a few people with long bamboo poles with hooks were ready to reach out to rescue, but every time he twisted his body left and right, and finally stood firm, which attracted the applause of the people on the case.

After a long while, the little eunuch went to the shore and climbed up, and watched the bustle of the crowd disperse to do other things.

The eldest princess of Deqing rode out on a bicycle, attracting a group of girls to watch. Most of these girls are the daughters of clan relatives, and when they are in their teens, they are curious and playful, and they are a little bold, and they are eager to try it.

The eldest princess Ren and the eldest princess watched her sister ride a bicycle and was very envious. But her mother said that she was fourteen years old, and that she should be elegant and dignified, and that she could not act like a country girl, so she held back.

The eldest princess of Deqing just turned twelve years old this year, and Deqing's mother does not require her to be chaste and clumsy, tell her to see what kind of person the queen is, and you will learn it well, so Deqing usually runs to the painting academy, and dares to try anything new.

Renhe sighed quietly, turned around, ordered someone to take out a chess piece made of fine glass beads, and beckoned someone to play checkers. The glass beads themselves are transparent, but they are embedded with colorful ice flowers, distinguishing the six colors. The six colors are six teams, and the six players compete on the board according to the rules to jump at speed, and whoever can reach the destination faster wins. Because this kind of game doesn't involve fighting, killing and killing, the girls like it. Checkers also came out of the art academy.

After watching the water walk, the Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager Yu and Zhang Weizhao sat back at the table together.

The palace maid brought the tea cup to the Empress Dowager Yu and Zhang Weizhao. The Empress Dowager is old and easy to get sleepy when drinking tea, so Xiangyu poured hot rose fruit juice from the thermos for the Empress Dowager to drink.

This thermos is different from what was used in the palace in the past. The old-style thermos in the palace are wrapped in a cotton sleeve on the porcelain pot to keep warm, and the water will be cold after a long time. And this thermos is made of two glass bottles, one large and one small, together, in which the outer layer of the inner tank is coated with a layer of mercury, the air between the two bottles is extracted as clean as possible, and the bottle mouth is tightly plugged with a wooden stopper, and the warmth effect is surprisingly good. This is also produced by the art academy.

The Empress Dowager said while tasting the roses and fruit dew: "Those girls in the painting academy are really ingenious and smart. This thermos is really good to use, especially convenient when you go out with you, or when you get up in the middle of the night to drink hot water. ”

Empress Dowager Yu joked beside her: "I think the water shoes just now, and the bicycle ridden by Deqing, are also weird and interesting." ”

The Empress Dowager said: "That bicycle is just a good one." In addition to the children who love to play, usually between the two palaces to ask the little eunuch to deliver a message, send something, ride this car very fast, when not in use to put it in the corner of the wall does not take up space. That treads," the Empress Dowager said and couldn't help laughing: "It's just for everyone to see the fun, what's the use of that?" If you can't paddle and can't run, you can't run, do you have to stand and fish like this? It's good not to be dragged into the water by the fish. ”

The crowd laughed.

Empress Dowager Yu said: "It is worth it to have a moment of laughter from the Empress Dowager." ”

Zhang Weizhao, the initiator next to him, just pursed his lips and smiled, and did not answer.

She has always been inspired and encouraged by the students in the academy. If they had any wonderful ideas, Zhang Weizhao supported them to implement them without much interference.

This kind of boat-like shoes were tried to be made in Renaissance Europe, and they could indeed walk on water, but because the speed was too slow and unstable, it was far less practical than a boat, so it did not become popular.