Midsummer.

An official ship entered Beijing, and there were already eunuchs and guards waiting at the wharf.

I saw the official ship docking, first a few officials came down, and then an old Taoist priest appeared.

The eunuch hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "I am on the order of the official family to welcome Chen Laozhen into Beijing!" ”

The old Taoist priest replied, "I'm tired." ”

There was a carriage next to it, it was the royal chariot, and the old Taoist priest was invited to sit on the chariot.

Immediately, the palace guards opened the way and the eunuchs followed them on foot, and the group went straight to the direction of the imperial city.

The business travelers on the pier felt very strange.

Today, the Son of Heaven does not believe in Buddhism, nor does he want to see auspiciousness, and even says that the earth revolves around the sun.

Why did you suddenly receive a Taoist priest with a high standard?

People can't help but think of Song Huizong, is there going to be "Lin Lingsu" in the capital again? Could it be that the emperor is getting older and has begun to pursue immortality.

I heard that the official family accepted a new concubine a few days ago, maybe the concubine blew some pillow wind.

The people of Tokyo were worried about the appearance of the old Taoist priest, and the news soon spread to half of the capital.

When the imperial chariot drove into the Donghua Gate and got off the car with the old Taoist priest in the north of the cabinet, even several ministers quickly received the news.

They heard that the emperor personally walked outside the side hall to greet them!

Li Bangyan was overjoyed when he heard this, he had experience in befriending Taoist priests.

If the emperor really wants to cultivate immortals, Li Bangyan can help recruit Taoist priests and take out the means that cater to Song Huizong in the first place.

"Sir, please come in." Zhu Guoxiang smiled warmly.

Chen Yang was flattered, and hurriedly made a Taoist priest to return the salute: "The mountain trail is not daring to greet the official's family." ”

"You and I are fellow believers, so we don't have to be formal." Zhu Guoxiang took Chen Yang's hand and dragged him into the side hall.

This old Taoist priest is not only familiar with the Confucian classics, but also learns from the hundred schools of thought. He knows all kinds of yin and yang techniques, and usually makes a living by planting medicinal herbs, but he was recommended by the local government because he wrote a "Book of Agriculture" last year.

Entering the side hall, Zhu Guoxiang introduced: "In order to facilitate discussions with the cabinet, I usually do not work in the vertical arch hall, but in this side hall. There are also beds here, so when you are tired, you can lie down and sleep for a while. ”

Chen Yang sincerely admired: "Your Majesty is worried about state affairs, and he is really an immortal monarch!" ”

"Please take a seat." Zhu Guoxiang sat on the edge of the couch by himself, and let Chen Yang also sit on the couch.

Sitting across from the Emperor?

Chen Yang was a little weak-hearted, for fear that he would be rude and disrespectful.

The eunuch came over with a stack of manuscripts, and Zhu Guoxiang said: "Yizhen (Yizheng) county order presents this book, I can't read it, and Mr. has a lot of research on agricultural affairs." ”

Chen Yang hurriedly said: "Don't dare." Poor Dao wrote the book of agriculture, which was also inspired by His Majesty. ”

This is not a polite remark, Chen Yang's "Book of Agriculture" in history only has a total of 12,000 words. But now this "Book of Agriculture" has more than 50,000 words, and most of the content is influenced by Zhu Guoxiang.

Not only is it more space, it covers a wider range of fields, but it is also extremely in-depth and detailed.

Take "land preparation" as an example, it is more detailed than Zhu Guoxiang.

He divided the cultivated land in Huainan and Jiangsu and Zhejiang into different types, such as high fields, lower fields, sloping fields, feng fields, lake fields, early fields, and late fields. He also analyzed and expounded on different types of land, and also summarized that the embankment of Potang can be planted with mulberry, fish can be raised in the pond, and pond water can be irrigated, and the details of the development of these agricultural, sideline and fishery combinations are clearly explained.

There are also how to raise and manage buffalo, how to prevent and control buffalo diseases, and there are also mulberry interbreeding techniques.

He even taught the peasants how to manage the cultivated land, and advised everyone not to blindly seek perfection. How much financial resources the family has, how to farm and manage it, everything depends on their actual situation.

He also divided the types of soil, calling the depletion of fertility "soil" and the compaction of the land "gas failure", and explained how to revitalize this "decayed field".

Chen Yang also conducted in-depth research on the "roasted field" that Zhu Guoxiang instructed when he was in Shangbai Village, and his technology surpassed that of the previous agricultural books.

If Zhu Guoxiang had not appeared, Chen Yang's "Book of Agriculture" would represent a new height of ancient Chinese agriculture.

The emperor and the old Taoist priest had a very happy conversation, and the topics all revolved around how to farm.

While chatting, Chen Yang suddenly asked: "Poor Dao listens to what the peasant official said, Your Majesty wants to practice the 'three dry and one wet method'." Why is it that alternating wet and dry planting of cotton and rice can improve the soil and control pests and diseases? The observation of the dry and wet rotation of rice and rape seems to have this effect. ”

Zhu Guoxiang explained with a smile: "Let's talk about the prevention and control of pests and diseases first. Pests and diseases of crops are caused by bacteria and insects. There is a difference between pests and diseases of different plants, especially for dry and watery crops. Suddenly turning a paddy field into a dry field will make it difficult for the germs and insect eggs that had depended on the humid environment to adapt to the new soil environment. Vice versa. ”

"I see," Chen Yang asked again, "Poor Dao knows insects, but what are the germs?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "I gave my husband a microscope, and my husband can look at it himself." The Department of Agriculture and the Medical College also have microscopes, and even the prefectural-level Department of Agriculture always have microscopes for research. ”

Chen Yang didn't understand it at all, so he decided to visit the Quannong Division first.

Zhu Guoxiang also said: "The alternation of dry and wet crops in the rotation of water and drought will also be accompanied by various redox reactions in the soil. Well...... How to put it, it is that the soil contains many substances, each of which has a different effect, and they will react with the air in different humidity environments...... Alternating wetting and drying inhibits emissions of a substance called methane and promotes the production of another beneficial substance...... When the soil is in a zone where aeration and anaeropiacy coexist, or when aeration and anaeropiacy alternately occur, the activity of certain bacteria in the soil increases......"

At this time, Chen Yang was completely stunned, and looked at the emperor in a daze.

After Zhu Guoxiang finished speaking, Chen Yang sighed sincerely: "Your Majesty is a scholar of heaven and man, and the poor road is not as good as in case." His Majesty's agromy has almost attained enlightenment, but the poor Taoist cannot understand it, and he cannot sit down with His Majesty to discuss the Tao. ”

Zhu Guoxiang was also very distressed: "This involves chemistry, and I can't understand many things, and I can't demonstrate it to the agricultural officials for the time being." ”

Chen Yang asked curiously: "What is chemistry?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The study of the biochemistry of all things. ”

Chen Yang was familiar with the Book of Changes, and suddenly became excited: "Heaven and earth are felt and all things are born, is the avenue of agriculture actually the avenue of heaven and earth?" That's right, without the sympathy of heaven and earth, how can all things regenerate and reproduce? ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "It is said that all things come from the five elements of yin and yang, and without proving their authenticity, I feel that there are many elements between heaven and earth. Some of the scholars who failed this year were willing to sign up to study agriculture. Several of them were selected by me as the first batch of students to study the way of chemistry. If you are interested, you can take a look. ”

"Poor Dao cultivation for half a lifetime, this Dao has not been cultivated, only some medicinal herbs and crops will be planted," Chen Yang arched his hand and said, "If you can get a glimpse of the way of biochemistry of all things before you die of old age, it can really be called enough to die at dawn and dawn." ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "I have already let people build all kinds of tools for chemical research, and it is estimated that they have been about the same in the past few days. The old gentleman lives in the capital, and everything is ready to start. ”

The two chatted for a while, and Chen Yang said goodbye and was taken by the eunuch to the temporary residence.

worked until mid-afternoon, and there was nothing important today, so Zhu Guoxiang simply left work early.

Li Qingzhao, who had just been named Concubine Chen, was playing a circus with the queen, the imperial concubine, and the concubine, which was probably a game of Monopoly made with a chess board.

In addition to playing, Li Qingzhao occasionally returns to the Hanlin Academy to bring out the academic materials he has recently studied.

Shen Yourong, Wen Xiaomei, and An Niang, the three concubines, also often consulted Li Qingzhao, and made progress in lyrics, songs, and rhythms.

"The official family can see that old Taoist leader?" Shen Yourong asked.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "He was originally good at farming, and he studied my agricultural books intensively, and played a role in many details. Especially in the cultivation and breeding of the Jiangnan region, this person is enough to be called the first in the world. Agronomy is a miscellaneous discipline that involves meteorology, biology, chemistry, geography, and so on. I have always wanted to form a system, but it is too difficult to do, and I can only let the blind people who persuade farmers to touch the elephant. ”

The four concubines didn't understand well, but they felt very powerful.

Zhu Guoxiang said with a smile: "I will take you to see new things another day, I asked people to make some chemical instruments and collect a lot of chemicals." Although it is far from enough, simple research can be carried out. ”

Li Qingzhao said: "The official family said that the study of the transformation of all things, the slave still does not understand. ”

"When the time comes, I will know that in fact, Taoist alchemy contains the way of chemistry." Zhu Guoxiang said.

Wen Xiaomei asked: "Do the official family also do alchemy?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang laughed: "I don't know how to do alchemy, but as long as I know the materials used in alchemy, I can probably guess the chemical principle of their refining." Coming and going, I also made a periodic table, and many of the words representing the elements were newly coined. ”

A periodic table opens, no different from a book from heaven.

Li Qingzhao said: "Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron...... It seems that the Danjing Taoist book, the official family really refines the channel method. ”

An Niang covered her mouth and smiled: "Maybe the official family can still live forever, since the slave served the official family, more than ten years have passed, and the official family has not faded." ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "If you look closely, you still have wrinkles, and I have been sick from time to time in recent years. ”

Zhu Guoxiang, the institution that studies chemistry, has not been named for the time being.

There are only a few students, all of whom are selected from the students who failed in this year's imperial examination.

Moreover, Zhu Guoxiang also invited several Taoist priests to help collect and obtain various chemical experiment materials.

The news gradually came out, and everyone thought that the emperor was going to make alchemy, and the ministers of the court and the central government were thinking about whether to advise.

Admonish, the emperor did not go out of line, did not reward Taoist priests on a large scale, nor did he build Taoist temples on a large scale. Now hiding for alchemy is just a little hobby of the emperor.

Don't advise, the pill is poisonous, this has long been a consensus.

Zhai Ruwen, as the first assistant, said at the cabinet meeting: "The pill has erysipelas, and this matter is known to the world, and if you are not good, you may cause trouble." We, the ministers, should jointly advise and not let the officials get into danger! ”

"But also, I will admonish him. If the official family doesn't listen, I'd rather dismiss the official than go straight to the end! "The Seed Master Dao was the first to respond.

(End of chapter)