My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 219 Quinine, Sweet Potatoes, and Glass
Su Ze followed Zhang Hong to the East Palace. As soon as he stepped into the Minglun Hall, he saw the Emperor's brother-in-law, Li Wenquan, who was beaming with health. Behind Li Wenquan were several large boxes, which should be the gifts that Zhang Hong had mentioned.

Li Wenquan's skin had become a bit tanned. After Su Ze, the emperor's brother-in-law grinned and then coughed lightly.

Zhu Yijun, meanwhile, was hunched over a box, rummaging through its contents. He only pulled his head out of the box when he heard Li Wenquan cough, then excitedly looked at Su Ze and said:
"Master Su, my uncle brought back a lot of good stuff this time!"

After Su Ze bowed to the two men, Li Wenquan said, as if presenting a treasure:

"As expected of Su Hanlin, I encountered Portuguese people in the south this time and obtained some things that Su Hanlin was interested in from them."

Li Wenquan took out two kinds of plants from the box.

"This is... a sweet potato?"

Su Ze could barely make a connection between the tuberous-shaped object and the sweet potato of later generations.

Unfortunately, the sweet potatoes Su Ze ate in later generations were all superior varieties that had undergone multiple selections and were large and sweet. If it weren't for the stems and leaves, Su Ze would never have guessed that this tuber, which was less than the size of a fist, was a sweet potato.

Li Wenquan nodded, and he first recounted his experiences after arriving in Penghu, saying:

"After arriving in Penghu, Li took the Crown Prince's order and went to Fujian to recruit people. However, most people were unwilling to leave their hometown, and the development of Penghu came to a standstill."

Su Ze nodded slightly. If Penghu were so easy to develop, it would have been developed long ago.

The coastal areas of Fujian offer views of the Kinmen Islands.

It is precisely because of the harsh living environment that no one is willing to develop Penghu.

"Later, Li had no other choice but to remember that Su Hanlin had said that there were Portuguese people staying at Langbai'ao, so he took a boat to Langbai'ao."

"At the market in Langbai'ao, Li met the Portuguese who were selling Southeast Asian natives."

“Li immediately bought a group of natives. These Portuguese were very happy. Not only did he offer a buy-three-get-one-free deal, but he also provided shipping services to Penghu.”

Hearing this, Su Ze said seriously:

“Li Guojiu, these Portuguese have seized Langbai’ao and have always harbored ambitions towards our Great Ming. Moreover, I have heard that these Portuguese measure the hydrology and mountains wherever they go. It would be better not to let them deliver anything in the future.”

Upon hearing Su Ze's words, Li Wenquan immediately replied:
"Li understands. From now on, we will send our own ships to transport them back."

Li Wenquan then said:

"Besides the Portuguese, I also met an acquaintance in Langbai'ao."

Li Wenquan didn't keep them in suspense and said directly:
"It was the Hongyi captain Defreis whom I met in Dengzhou and Laizhou."

Li Wenquan then recounted Captain Defres's experiences: on his return voyage from the Ming Dynasty, he encountered the Ottomans, was then hired by them to go to Sumatra, and then went to Langbai'ao for trade, where he happened to meet Li Wenquan.

"Li followed the map provided by Su Hanlin and had Defres inquire among the foreign merchants, which led to the discovery of the two crops you requested."

Su Ze looked at the sweet potato and then asked:

"Two?"

Li Wenquan then took out a small tree with broad green leaves from a box.

"Cinchona tree!"

Su Ze put down the sweet potato he was holding and picked up the sapling!

In the present Ming Dynasty, cinchona trees are far more valuable than sweet potatoes!
Cinchona tree is a tree native to South America. The bark of this tree contains alkaloids, the main component of which is quinine, which is an effective drug for treating malaria!
Before Su Ze traveled through time, he played a historical strategy simulation game in which the prerequisite technology for colonizing Africa was quinine.

The most terrifying thing about tropical rainforests is the various infectious diseases brought by mosquitoes, and malaria has the highest mortality rate.

Therefore, those who went to Southeast Asia in those days were people who couldn't survive in the Ming Dynasty's mainland; they were truly gambling with their lives.

Before the advent of quinine, a highly effective drug for treating malaria, the vast primeval rainforests of Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Africa were definitely off-limits to humans.

Now that we have cinchona trees, Suze can use the [Family Planting Mat] to cultivate seedlings and then plant them in tropical regions like Penghu, which will produce quinine, a treatment for malaria.

Su Ze accepted the cinchona tree with great care, intending to plant it as soon as he got home.

After Su Ze and Li Wenquan finished their conversation, Zhu Yijun quickly said:
"Master Su, come and see the treasure my uncle brought me!"

Su Ze walked to Zhu Yijun's side, and saw him take out a small mirror from the box.

"Master Su, this is a treasure that my uncle bought at great expense!"

This is a glass mirror, slightly yellowish, but much clearer than a bronze mirror. It reflects Zhu Yijun's chubby face, and even the hair on his face is clearly visible.

Zhu Yijun held the mirror with great delight, and while looking at himself in it, he asked:
"Master Su, my uncle said this is a specialty that Captain De Vries brought from that Ottoman... one mirror costs five thousand silver dollars!"

"Master Su, do you think it would be profitable to resell this mirror in the capital?"

How many?

Five thousand silver dollars?

And is this mirror a specialty of the Ottoman Empire?
This is clearly a Venetian specialty.

Well, considering the relationship between the Venetian Doge and the Ottomans, it doesn't seem wrong to say it's an Ottoman specialty.

Su Ze took the mirror. The workmanship of the mirror was acceptable, and the surface was polished very smoothly. But a mirror the size of a palm was selling for five thousand silver dollars.
Su Ze then remembered that the Venetians of this era seemed to have monopolized the craft of mirror making.

The Venetians gathered all the mirror-making artisans on an island and strictly prohibited the leakage of mirror-making techniques. It was during this era that the King of France purchased a life-size mirror for 150,000 francs.

Good heavens, those Venetian merchants really know how to make money.

Su Ze thought for a moment and said:
“Your Highness, Imperial Brother-in-law, this mirror is actually not difficult to make.”

Li Guojiu was startled. He had heard Captain Defried say that such a mirror was a rare thing even in the Ottoman Empire. Could this Su Hanlin really be a genius?
Su Ze smiled and said:

"Your Highness, Imperial Brother-in-law, do you know what this mirror is made of?"

The two quickly shook their heads, and Su Ze said:
"It's just sand on the beach."

Even Zhu Yijun, who trusted Su Ze the most, was somewhat skeptical after hearing Su Ze's words.

The glassmaking process is actually not difficult; it simply involves melting sand, shaping it, and then allowing it to solidify.

The earliest large-scale glassmaking process appeared in Rome. The Roman Empire turned the entire Mediterranean Sea into an inland sea, and the artisans along the coast discovered that calcining sand could produce glassware, thus developing the glassmaking process.

The use of glass by coastal civilizations, just as the use of ceramics by Chinese civilization originating on the mainland, was a technological development driven by the need for containers.

After choosing ceramics, Dongfang did not continue to develop technology in glass.

History unfolds by chance; ceramics outperformed glass in every way, so much so that for thousands of years, Chinese civilization exported ceramics and reaped substantial profits.

However, it was precisely during this era that the West discovered the technology of transparent glass. Transparent glass is the foundation of optics, and the telescopes made in Beijing today are all made of polished natural crystal. The value of natural crystal is too high, keeping the price of optical instruments high.

Transparent glass that can be mass-produced is much cheaper. Transparent glass has driven the development of optics, as well as astronomy and navigation technology.

Su Ze thought to himself, how could he have forgotten the essential skills for a transmigrator?

The process of making glass is actually not complicated.

Su Ze looked at Zhu Yijun and said:
"Your Highness, do you have any ceramic workshops under your command?"

Zhu Yijun quickly said:
"Yes, yes, there is a closed-down official kiln outside the city."

"Then give me a few days, and I will be able to make such a mirror."
-
The process of making mirrors was indeed not complicated. Su Ze directed the official kiln outside the city to quickly produce glass.

Then, the liquid glass was placed on a heated copper plate and flattened with a roller, and Su Ze successfully produced flat glass.

Finally, tin amalgam, a mixture of tin and mercury, was used. However, this substance was poisonous. Su Ze carefully directed the craftsmen to complete the final coating work, creating a long mirror that was the same height as the person.

The craftsmen at the official kiln were so impressed by how easily Su Ze had created such a bright mirror that they almost knelt down to worship him.

But Su Ze was not happy at all.

The craft of mirror making is not technically demanding, and the Venetians kept it a secret for over a hundred years through a monopoly. With the advent of the industrial age, it was quickly broken through by public relations efforts from various countries.

Tin amalgam is not a particularly complex compound. The Ming emperor was keen on alchemy and had a good understanding of the properties of mercury. Su Ze found a court alchemist and created tin amalgam.

The real constraint on large-scale production is alkali.

Su Ze once read a novel that said acids and alkalis were the cornerstone of modern industry, and now he understands the weight of that statement.

Take the current industries of the Eastern Palace as an example. Making soap requires alkali, bleaching wool requires alkali, and making glass also requires adding alkali to lower the melting point.

However, the source of alkali produced by the ancient method is wood ash, which is biological alkali. Nowadays, the wood ash around the capital has been bought up by the shops of the Eastern Palace.

If we add the glass industry to the mix, the salt production plants in coastal areas also require alkali, and the production of alkali has become a factor restricting these industries.

But Su Ze doesn't know how to make alkali industrially!

Su Ze's understanding of alkali production methods was based on the Hou Debang alkali production method described in textbooks, but that was modern technology, which the Ming Dynasty certainly couldn't replicate.

The earliest industrial alkali production originated in France during the Napoleonic era. It seems that the French were forced to invent the industrial alkali production method because the war in Europe led Britain to block France from importing alkali.

However, Napoleon wouldn't be born for another 180 years, so Suze could only rely on himself.

Well, it seems we'll have to rely on the wisdom of the masses.

Looking at the glass that had just been made, Su Ze thought of Shi Xue, who had been feeling somewhat down lately.

It seems it's time to add bricks and tiles to practical learning.
-
November 14th. It rained all day yesterday, and it's even colder today.

Gao Gong stepped through the palace gates and walked on the damp palace road, feeling the warmth on his body.

In the past, this time of year was the most difficult for court officials. It wasn't cold enough to wear felt coats yet, but even a single layer of clothing was chilly, with the autumn wind whistling down their necks.

Today, beneath Gao Gong's official robes is a sweater hand-knitted by his wife.

Last month, Su Ze's wife, Zhao Lingxian, came to the mansion to pay her respects, and she and the rest of the Gao family stayed home knitting sweaters.

At first, Gao Gong even mocked his wife for being clumsy, but today, after putting on the sweater, he felt warm all over.

When Gao Gong arrived at the cabinet, the charcoal stove had already been lit, which made Gao Gong feel even warmer. He loosened his official robe and sat down in his seat.

Thanks to the efforts of the four cabinet ministers, the backlog of official documents has finally been processed.

The newly appointed Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, Yang Sizhong, was a diligent man; he would always send his memorials early.

Gao Gong opened the memorials on his desk.

The first document was a memorial submitted by Yin Shidan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

The imperial court attaches great importance to this civil service examination, so Yin Shidan is personally in charge. The civil service examination is scheduled to be held in early November, and the registration and confirmation process has been completed.

Yin Shidan submitted a memorial because there were too many Shandong scholars registering for the civil service examination this time, and he was worried that it would cause controversy in Shuntian Prefecture.

After thinking it over, Gao Gong wrote down his proposed opinion, opposing Yin Shidan's memorial.

The imperial court said that there would be no restrictions on household registration for the first civil service examination. If the scholars of Shuntian Prefecture did not register, they could not blame the scholars of Shandong for registering.

The second memorial was also from the Ministry of Rites. Wang Shizhen had already sent back the results of the peace talks by express courier. The emperor and the cabinet had agreed to the investiture and tribute, and the emperor had ordered the Ministry of Rites to manufacture the gold seal for the imperial investiture.

This memorial from the Ministry of Rites reports that the gold seal and gold book have been made in accordance with the Korean custom.

Gao Gong nodded in satisfaction. If Anda could successfully pay tribute, the northern border of the Ming Dynasty would be at peace.

Gao Gong drafted his opinion, suggesting that the emperor bestow upon Wang Shizhen the title of tribute envoy, and send a golden seal and book to the grasslands by fast horse, completing the tribute ceremony before the end of the year.

It seems that Wang Shizhen will be joining the cabinet after returning after the New Year.

It can only be said that official career is something that is truly hard to explain.

Wang Shizhen had only been in mourning for his father for a little over six months when he made two missions to the grasslands and quickly entered the cabinet.

The main reason was that the merit of the tribute mission was too great, and Wang Shizhen's two missions were both remarkable, enhancing the prestige of the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor was very satisfied with him.

Gao Gong was not worried about Wang Shizhen joining the cabinet. According to the current division of labor in the cabinet, Wang Shizhen would probably continue to handle the affairs of tributary states.

This was not originally within Gao Gong's sphere of influence; the one who should be having a headache is Zhao Zhenji, who also oversees the Ministry of Rites.

In fact, Zhao Zhenji probably wasn't too bothered. Besides being interested in the Taizhou School of Mind, Grand Secretary Zhao was more concerned with military affairs, and he had long since given up on dealing with the mess that was the Ministry of Rites.

However, whether Wang Shizhen's entry into the cabinet would disrupt the existing balance within the cabinet is something Gao Gong needs to consider.

At this moment, Liu Jun, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat, entered the cabinet and bowed to Gao Gong upon seeing him.

Seeing Liu Jun holding a stack of newspapers, Gao Gong asked:

"Has the latest issue of the Yuefu Xinbao been published yet?"

Liu Jun quickly pulled out a copy of the "New Yuefu Gazette" and handed it to Gao Gong.

Gao Gong opened the newspaper and, sure enough, saw Su Ze's article on the fifth page, "Investigating Things and Extending Knowledge."

Is this the surprise Su Ze was referring to for practical learning?

(End of this chapter)