Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 35 A Two-Pronged Approach of Deception and Treachery
Minister of Works Wu Chunfu was imprisoned and forced to hand over his ill-gotten gains!

The next morning, Zhou Yanru, the Minister of Personnel, submitted a memorial recommending Li Changgeng and Liu Tingyuan as candidates to succeed as Minister of Works.

Clearly, this is a power struggle between the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party for control of the imperial court.

In the third year of the Tianqi reign, Li Changgeng was promoted to Minister of Revenue, but was subsequently implicated in the Donglin Party by Wei Zhongxian and dismissed from office.

Liu Tingyuan was Shen Yiguan's handpicked successor and the leader of the Zhejiang Party, holding a higher position within the party than Yao Zongwen and Wen Tiren.

After reading the memorial, Zhu Jue couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

Both the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party want to seize power, so let them fight it out first.

He picked up the memorial and said coldly, "Order the Cabinet to organize a court discussion."

Who will win this battle between the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party?

He had just finished reviewing the memorials and was about to get up to go check on the newly built glass factory when Fang Zhenghua suddenly rushed in with another memorial in hand, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, this is a memorial sent by the Cabinet."

Are these guys trying to impeach Wei Zhongxian again?

Zhu Jue took the memorial and glanced at it, and couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang submitted a memorial stating: "After we have completed the court discussion as ordered by the Emperor, most of the senior officials in the court believe that Li Changgeng should be appointed as the Minister of Works."

This time, Donglin won again, which was quite unexpected for him.

Last time, the Donglin faction won again. Although Zhou Yanru was not a true member of the Donglin faction, his relationship with Feng Quan was known to everyone in the court.

Could it be that the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions are unaware of the relationship between Han Kuang and Feng Quan?
This time his guess was a little off.

The Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions had already vaguely discerned the relationship between Han Kuang and Feng Quan, and they also realized that Zhou Yanru favored the Donglin faction.

However, this time, Minister of Works Wu Chunfu was impeached by the Donglin Party.

The Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party had already secretly agreed to deal with Wei Zhongxian together and cut off the young emperor's henchmen!
They used a two-pronged approach: the Donglin Party impeached one person, and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party impeached another. Together, they impeached Wei Zhongxian's close associates, and whoever succeeded in impeaching him was replaced.

The Qi-Chu-Zhe faction impeached Guo Yunhou, the Minister of Revenue.

As a result, the memorial was left unattended, and there was no follow-up.

The Donglin Party impeached Wu Chunfu, the Minister of Works.

As a result, Wu Chunfu was soon imprisoned in the imperial prison.

This time, the Donglin Party impeached him successfully, so naturally, it was the Donglin Party members who took over.

It was precisely because they reached this tacit understanding that there was not much debate during their court discussions, and the matter was resolved very quickly.

They were all misled by Zhu Jue at this point.

They thought Zhu Jue wanted to deal with Wei Zhongxian.

Otherwise, how could Zhu Jue have gone along with their wishes to deal with Wei Zhongxian's godson?
In fact, Zhu Jue wanted to make Wei Zhongxian's adopted sons vacate their positions so that the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party, who were in opposition, could all enter the game, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop!

The situation is now under control, so Zhu Jue is not in a hurry.

He had seen plenty of these kinds of treacherous tricks in his previous life. Those involved all thought they were very clever, but in reality, he, who controlled the whole situation, was far more clever than them. No matter how these people played their games, they could never escape the game and break free from his control. For him, it didn't matter who won or lost.

He immediately ordered Liu Ruoyu to approve the memorial promoting Li Changgeng, and then got up and walked into the woods south of Wanshou Palace.

The woods now resembled a giant anthill, teeming with artisans, and newly built factories were springing up like mushrooms after rain, several of which were almost finished.

At this moment, even a towering chimney was already billowing thick smoke.

That wasn't cooking; it was making glass.

The glass factory buildings were not yet completed, but Song Yingxing had already converted one of the enclosed houses into a clay kiln for firing glass.

The bottom of this earthen kiln is like an earthen stove, with a pot on top. However, the pot is not made of iron, but of clay, and it is placed upside down on the red-hot coals.

Next to the stove was a bellows used for blacksmithing, and above it was a towering chimney—it was that simple.

Right now, an old craftsman is vigorously pulling the bellows to blow air in. The coal on the stove is already burning red-hot, with flames leaping several feet high. The whole enclosed house is as hot as a steamer, and the air is scorching.

Song Yingxing, however, was standing inside the house directing several craftsmen as they worked. His face was flushed red, whether from the heat or excitement, it was hard to tell.

Zhu Jue was so hot by the scorching air outside the gate that he dared not go in. Seeing Song Yingxing still gesturing wildly inside, he quickly called out, "Chang Geng, what are you doing standing in there? Come out and talk to me."

Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing turned around, then quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

This guy is like a furnace, the heat is overwhelming.

Zhu Jue asked with concern, "Chang Geng, it's so hot inside, can you stand it?"

What is this.

Song Yingxing said nostalgically, "Your Majesty, there are many such earthen kilns in my hometown. I have loved watching people fire porcelain since I was a child, especially when it comes out of the kiln. When the lid is opened, the porcelain is all reddish-brown and looks so beautiful. I've gotten used to it."

Aren't you afraid of burning your hair and beard?
Zhu Jue looked up at the room and asked, "Aren't they hot too?"

of course.

Song Yingxing nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, they are all experienced kiln workers, some of them are even blacksmiths. They are not afraid of the red-hot iron sparks splashing on them."

Ah, these craftsmen are truly hardworking and resilient.

The artisans of the Ming Dynasty were actually a valuable asset, but the previous rulers failed to see their value. As a result, they were treated very poorly, even worse than farmers.

I will make sure these artisans receive the pay they deserve and the respect they deserve!

Zhu Jue sighed inwardly for a moment, then asked, "How is the firing of the Qing glaze inside going?"

We've been waiting for you to come.

Song Yingxing said with some excitement, "The glaze inside should have melted by firing. I have also ordered them to prepare the molds so that we can open them up at any time."

Inside, there was actually a pot that was tightly sealed together, with a spout sticking out from the side of the pot, facing the clay trough outside.

He had seen the structure before, and he knew that the glaze powder was put into the pot and then sealed tightly before firing. He just didn't know how the fired glass would turn out.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then waved his hand and said, "Then let them talk and release it."

Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing immediately rushed in, gesturing wildly with his hands and feet.

Without hesitation, the old craftsman pulled out an iron rod with clay wrapped around its tip, and soon, bright red liquid flowed out of the clay trough.

The juice flowed into the square clay mold below, and soon it filled the mold completely.

Song Yingxing hurriedly ordered the old craftsmen to take away the overflowing molds and bring over another mold to continue the process.

In this way, after collecting three, the bright red juice has almost completely drained out.

Upon seeing this, Song Yingxing immediately ordered his men to take out the three full molds and place them on the ground in the courtyard to cool. Then he stood there excitedly, staring at the molds on the ground.

The moment to witness the results was fast approaching, and Zhu Jue couldn't help but stare intently at the mold on the ground.

After an unknown amount of time, Song Yingxing suddenly raised his hand and said, "It's almost done. Pick out a piece and let's take a look."

Upon hearing this, an old craftsman standing next to him quickly picked up a pair of wooden tongs and carefully removed the glass from a mold.

The fact that the wooden clothespin wasn't smoking proves that it's indeed quite cold.

Zhu Jue leaned closer for a closer look, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

This is glass!
Seeing this, Song Yingxing asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, how is it?"

The glass you made using this rudimentary method is a bit rough.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then pointed to the glass and said, "This is glass, but the mold can't be made of clay. Look, the top is smooth as a mirror, but the bottom is grayish and uneven, and there are many small pores inside."

This kind of glass is barely usable for greenhouse windows, but it's definitely unsuitable for telescopes. Telescope glass must be completely transparent, without any impurities or pores.

Oh, so the mold is faulty and has air holes, right?
Song Yingxing nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. I will have them carve the bronze mold. As for the air holes, there should be a way to solve them. I have seen air holes on porcelain glaze before. The master craftsman just needs to add something and they will disappear."

That's good.

With glass, telescopes can be made, greenhouses can be built, and he can make a lot of money selling the glass.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Yes, then let's make improvements quickly."

(End of this chapter)