When the first movable type printed page came out, Zhu Guoxiang was also watching from the side.

Instead of cheering and celebrating, the father and son placed the drip and observed how long the ink dried.

Zhu Ming also did experiments on ink formulas, mainly to test its inking.

Then I found out that there was no need to experiment at all.

Tung oil, sesame oil or animal fat in traditional inks can be directly replaced with flax oil.

In addition, some turpentine must be added.

The iodine value of castor oil is 80-88, the iodine value of sesame oil is 103-108, and the iodine value of tung oil is 157-170.

For flax oil, the iodine price can reach more than 175. It dries very well, thickens quickly in the air, and forms an elastic oil bun on the metal surface.

As for turpentine, the function is to make the ink evaporate evenly, prevent the ink from crusting, and improve the leveling of the ink.

The reason why it takes several months to make the ink is to allow it to evaporate excess water and make various substances more tightly bound - when Zhu Ming did the experiment, he directly baked and heated, mainly to test the inkability, and did not care about the other properties of the ink.

Zhu Guoxiang touched it with his fingers, but the ink had not completely dried: "Converting the scale of the drip leak, it has been five minutes, and it is estimated that it will be completely dry in seven or eight minutes." If you want to speed things up, you can also add a desiccant. ”

"Take your time in the future, it will already work." Zhu Ming said.

Zhu Guoxiang also said: "Naturally placed ink has a better effect than fast baking, and the printed ink is more uniform. ”

Huang Ai stood next to him, listening to the conversation between father and son, and seemed to understand, but he didn't seem to understand. Does "five or six minutes" mean time?

Huang Ai suddenly suggested: "Do you want to try it with deep ink again?" ”

"You can give it a try." Zhu Ming nodded.

Zhu Guoxiang asked, "What is deep ink?" ”

Zhu Ming said: "Most of the ink strips used to write calligraphy and the ink used to print books are made of pine smoke ink. On the side of Guozijian Library, a kind of deep ink is also used, which was invented by Shen Kuo using petroleum smoke, and the printing quality is better than that of loose ink. ”

"Oil?" Zhu Guoxiang was a little surprised.

Zhu Ming smiled: "It's the oil you understand." ”

Zhu Guoxiang sighed: "Shen Kuo is very powerful." ”

Shen Kuo has always wanted to improve movable type printing, and even the whole set of methods left by Bi Sheng fell into the hands of Shen Kuo's brothers and nephews, and slowly spread through the Shen brothers.

There is a very big problem with movable type printing.

After long-term use, wooden movable type is not only easy to deform, but also wears out quickly.

If movable metal type is used, the inking is not good. Whether it is beautiful or not is secondary, and it is difficult to make out the number of strokes, and it looks like a black lump. There are also times when the print is printed and the strokes are missing. When the reader opens the book, there are some places that need to be guessed.

Five hundred copies of the Analects were printed in one day, and they were bound into a book by craftsmen.

Zhu Ming said to Huang Ai: "Come with me into the palace tomorrow and bring these hundreds of books." ”

Huang Ai was stunned for a moment, and then ecstatic: "Thank you Zhu Kusi!" ”

Huang Ai belongs to the technical officer, and also writes as a trick officer.

Astronomical officers, medical officers, painters, musicians, calligraphers, and those who build ordnance are all classified as technical officers.

Their income is so low that it is not easy to feed their families, and they have to live on rewards or corruption. Moreover, it is also very difficult to be promoted, civil officials are transferred every three years, military attaches are transferred every five years, and technical officers are transferred every ten years.

After Zhu Ming learned about Huang Ai's salary, he turned a blind eye to his corruption.

As long as you don't get too greedy, Zhu Ming can accept it, and even acquiesce and connive. If your family can't support you, what kind of work are you talking about?

Huang Ai grovelled and sent the Zhu family father and son out of the door.

Of course, he does not belong to any faction, and the technical officer is too lowly to be qualified to cling to the traitorous party.

The Guozijian library is indeed rich in oil and water, but the successive directors are all officials of the Beijing Dynasty. The money in the small treasury was taken away by the Beijing officials, and Huang Ai could only eat some kickbacks in private, and these kickbacks had to be shared with other officials.

Huang Ai's salary plus gray income is only twenty or thirty per month, barely reaching the well-off level in Tokyo.

"This person is good," Zhu Ming sat in the carriage, "Although there are all kinds of kickbacks, the work is completed with quality and quantity, and he knows how to give some dirty money to his subordinates." The letterer I recruited externally, he didn't deduct a penny from his salary. ”

Zhu Guoxiang couldn't help but complain: "It's really a bad era, and if you are not insatiable, you can be a good official." ”

Zhu Ming said: "Movable type printing has improved, but unfortunately I don't know how to improve papermaking. I'm fed up with shaving my ass with a toilet chip, and I miss toilet paper immensely. If it goes on like this, sooner or later hemorrhoids will be scraped. ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "Straw paper can also be consumed, and I heard that many powerful people use straw paper. ”

"Even Cai Jing only dares to wipe it with paper quietly," Zhu Ming said with emotion, "If Cai Xianggong dares to publicly say that he wipes his butt with paper, I will respect him as a man." ”

Papermaking was developed in the Song Dynasty and in the middle of the Ming Dynasty.

Putting aside the price of paper is a hooligan, but it can be converted by purchasing power.

The wages of low-level employees in the Ming Dynasty were all used to buy the same quality paper, which could buy eight times that of the Song Dynasty and thirty times that of the Tang Dynasty.

It is precisely because the price of paper in the Ming Dynasty is cheap that it is possible to wipe the butt with paper, so a large number of long stories have come out.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "Papermaking technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, it must be the use of chemical means, when we go to visit, maybe we can add acid and alkali agents to improve." ”

"Let's talk about it," Zhu Ming asked, "what kind of polyploid breed are you, and what's going on?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "It's not clear, you have to take your time." ”

In the past few months, Zhu Guoxiang has not been idle, and asked for a piece of land from Song Huizong.

Improved varieties are mainly cultivated through hybridization and chemical mutagenesis, and the experimental objects are vegetables and flowers.

Vegetables have a short growing period and can see results quickly.

As for the flowers and trees, they are completely catering to the emperor, such as polyploid peonies or something.

But peonies generally take five years from sowing to flowering. The time is too long, Zhu Guoxiang is afraid that the emperor can't wait, and is currently focusing on polyploid peony.

Zhu Ming suddenly thought of something: "Can the seeds of polyploid plants reproduce normally?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "Odd polyploids cannot reproduce, even polyploidy can. In particular, heteropolyploidy, such as traditional wheat, is a naturally occurring heterohexaploid plant. Many of the genetic traits of artificially induced polyploid plants are unstable and need to be screened from generation to generation. ”

The carriage passed by the neighbor's house, and Zheng Hong and Zheng Yuanyi, brothers and sisters, were waving goodbye to people.

"Erlang, come up!" Zhu Ming beckoned.

Zheng Fatzi immediately paid for the taxi and took his sister to board the Zhu family's carriage.

Zhu Ming asked, "Who were those two just now?" ”

Zheng Hong said: "The new neighbor, surnamed Hu, bought the house next door. ”

"Expensive, right?" Zhu Ming said.

"It's much smaller than your house, but it also costs 80,000 yuan," Zheng Hong gossiped, "This family, three jinshi, and one yin official, all work as officials in the capital." said that he is the descendant of Hu Su, the founder of Anding County, and his family also has female dependents, and he can talk to the young lady very well, and today we went to see a sideshow. ”

The founding marquis is a title, not a founding honor.

The title system of the Song Dynasty was as chaotic as the official system, and it was impossible to write a dissertation, so you had to write a book.

It is difficult for princes to be hereditary, let alone dukes and marquises.

For example, Hu Su's grandson Hu Yixiu failed to inherit the title, but Enyin became the master of the prison.

Hu Yixiu's brother and nephew, who passed the three Jinshi examinations, were all transferred back to the capital to serve this year. So as soon as the four uncles and nephews combined, they pooled the money to buy a mansion and became neighbors with the Zhu family's father and son.

Zheng Yuanyi said: "The younger sister of the Hu family is very talented, and she hit it off with the slave at first sight, and she also made an appointment to go to Xiangguo Temple at the end of the month. ”

"It's good to have playmates, but I'm afraid that I'll be bored at home all day." Zhu Ming said with a smile.

Zheng Fatzi is already happy, Lai doesn't want to leave in Tokyo, anyway, he can eat and drink at Zhu's house.

As for Zheng Yuanyi, she is still young, and Zhu Ming plans to have sex again after a while. In ancient times, there was no contraceptive measure, and if the belly was enlarged, the girl was very prone to dystocia.

All the way home, Zheng Yuanyi chattered non-stop, and Zheng Fatzi also added fuel and vinegar to tell the content of today's play.

Zheng Hong said: "This Hu family is really rich, and in the past few decades, there have been almost ten jinshi. My family is still doing business in Changzhou, and when I heard that I live in Dalang's house, they rushed to pay for the guests, and I was embarrassed to eat and drink for nothing. ”

Zhu Guoxiang advised: "If someone has a treat, you can eat and drink." Never accept gifts, let alone promise to help. ”

Zheng Hong smiled: "Zhu Xianggong and rest assured, I am not such a fool." In ten days and a half months, I should also go back to Yangzhou, although Tokyo is good, it is not as good as home after all. ”

Zhu Guoxiang approvingly: "Erlang is wise and foolish, and he is a big thing to do." ”

"Zhu Xianggong praised it falsely, I am a little clever." Zheng Hong said happily.

Following.

The father and son first took a carriage to the Guozijian Library, took Huang Ai and 500 copies of the Analects, and went to the palace together to meet Song Huizong.

This year's battle is even bigger.

The outer city wall is being demolished and built, Mingtang, Genyue, Tianzhang Pavilion...... Many palaces and palaces were built at the same time, and countless building materials arrived in Tokyo every month.

But those who are homeless have found work and work on construction sites. Although I can't make a few bucks, I can barely eat enough.

Song Huizong took the third immortal pill and was meditating and cultivating at the moment.

The father and son could only wait slowly until noon, and finally were allowed to go over to face the saint.

Song Huizong's face was full of red light, he seemed to be a little excited, and said to Zhu Guoxiang with a smile: "Although the Lingzhi offered by Mr. is less than ten thousand years, and most of the aura has been dispersed, the divine object is a divine object after all, and the elixir is a hundred times stronger than usual. ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The minister doesn't know the way of pills, but just congratulates the officials." ”

Zhu Ming secretly observed, suspecting that this faint gentleman had taken some stimulants.

Song Huizong asked, "What's wrong with your movable type printing?" ”

"I'm about to ask the official family to take a look." Zhu Ming turned his head and glanced at Huang Ai.

Huang Ai immediately stepped forward, and several eunuchs followed with boxes.

Song Huizong opened a copy of the Analects, and he didn't need Zhu Ming to explain it, so he could see the role of the full stop and comma. He was surprised: "The font is really new, although it looks ordinary, it is quite beautiful to print on the book." ”

Zhu Ming said: "This font is suitable for printing, clear and clear without fainting ink, and the minister named it 'Ming Ti Zi'." ”

"Very good," Song Huizong nodded approvingly, "Printed with movable type?" ”

Zhu Ming said: "All are printed with movable type, which is 100 times more convenient than engraving. Today's movable type is still cast first and then engraved. If the official family gives more money, you can make a copper mold and cast the movable type directly, without additional engraving, and you can use it with a little polishing. ”

Song Huizong said: "It's better to engrave the lettering, and use the copper mold to cast movable type, and wait until the copper material is surplus in the future." ”

Today's Great Song Dynasty is making a money shortage, and Song Huizong also used copper to cast Jiuding, and the lack of copper materials led to the suspension of many coinage supervisors.

Song Huizong inquired in detail about the movable type printing process and the improvement work made by Zhu Ming, and then said with joy: "I am rich in the Song Dynasty, the people are happy, and the education is prosperous. This movable type printing technique is God's reward, and it will open the prosperity of culture and education! ”

"The official family inherits the mandate of heaven, and the Great Song Dynasty will prosper for ten thousand years!" The eunuchs next to him patted their ass.

Song Huizong laughed: "If I promise you to know the state, I won't break my word." Bring it to you! ”

The eunuch hurriedly went to get the map and bowed down to hold it in front of the emperor.

Song Huizong drew a circle on the map: "Don't go too far, except for Gyeonggi, the rest of the state army is up to you." ”

Zhu Ming originally planned to go to the frontier to practice, but the emperor drew a circle with Kaifeng Mansion as the center. After thinking about it carefully, Zhu Ming pointed to the north: "The minister will go to Xiangzhou." ”

"Yes," Song Huizong said again, "Chang Chaoyi on the first day of the next month, I will call all the officials." You choose a lot of movable type, and then bring ink and paper, and let them open their eyes on the spot. ”

Song Huizong wanted to show the Mandate of Heaven, straighten the city wall, build the Ming Hall, cast Jiuding, and rebuild the etiquette, all in order to show the Mandate of Heaven.

Movable type printing, Dali culture and education, also belongs to the Mandate of Heaven.

Not only should the ministers be called to watch, but also let the Dasheng lyricist compose the lyrics for this purpose.

Song Huizong was still unfinished, and said: "This kind of movable type is called Dasheng movable type." This kind of ink is called Dasheng ink. Plain characters can not be changed. ”

Sheng, bright, prosperous.

The meaning of Dasheng is similar to that of Fengheng Yuda.

Song Huizong remembered something, and suddenly became even happier: "The Fusang grafted by Mr. bloomed yesterday, hurry up and go with me to enjoy the flowers." ”

Dean Zhu's current identity has become half of the royal gardener.

Hibiscus flowers could not survive the winter in the north, and Tang Dynasty poems often mentioned that Song Huizong always wanted to plant Fusang in the imperial palace.

The ones that were planted before had no time to bloom before they froze to death in the cold winter.

Song Huizong also thought about grafting, but whether it was cuttings or grafting, the survival rate of Fusang was very low.

It was still our Dean Zhu who took action, lived directly in the palace for a month, and waited carefully every day, and finally fed the grafted Fusang.

This faint gentleman took everyone to enjoy the flowers, and even Huang Ai followed.

Enjoying and appreciating, Song Huizong sighed again: "I am alive today, but I have to freeze to death in winter." ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The minister can try, maybe let Fusang survive the winter." ”

Song Huizong did not doubt Zhu Guoxiang's skills, and immediately took Zhu Guoxiang's hand and said very affectionately: "If it is done, I will give Mr. the title of marquis!" ”

Feudal marquis?

Zhu Ming was dumbfounded when he heard this, and then thought of Song Huizong sealing a strange stone as a marquis, it seemed that it was nothing to give Dean Zhu a marquis.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The minister is unwilling to be a marquis, if he can let Fusang spend the winter, please ask the official family to allow the minister to return to his hometown to visit his family." ”

"Just bring them to Tokyo." Song Huizong said.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The little girl is still young and unbearable. ”

Song Huizong nodded and said, "That's good, as long as Fusang can survive the winter, Mr. can return to his hometown for a year." It's not that Mr. won't leave, but there is a shortage here, and there are many strange flowers and trees that need to be taken care of by Mr. ”

(End of chapter)