You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"A flat glass plate can serve as the foundation for future scientific instruments, and can also be used to develop greenhouse cultivation in the private sector, thereby improving productivity and people's living standards."

These three technologies, corresponding to medicine and health, infrastructure, and materials industry respectively, are all key areas that can profoundly change the national economy and people's livelihoods.

Allicin is relatively easy to obtain and can be started immediately, serving as a breakthrough and a source of confidence.

Cement and glass present increasing levels of difficulty, requiring systematic investment and long-term research.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zuo spread out the stationery, picked up the imperial brush, and began to write.

Only after he had written down the three recipes did he call out loudly, "Someone come here."

"Go immediately to the Ministry of Works and summon Minister Shen Gai to see me. I have important matters to discuss."

.....

Half an hour later, Shen Gai, the Minister of Works, entered the Imperial Study, stopped a few steps in front of the Imperial Desk, straightened his official robes, and bowed in greeting.

"Your subject Shen Gai pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Shen Qing, please rise and take a seat."

Lu Zuo raised his hand in greeting, and without further ado, handed over the recipe:

"I have some novel ideas here regarding the manufacturing methods of items that are related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Please take a look."

Shen accepted the gift with both hands, thanked His Majesty, and then sat down on the embroidered stool next to him, gazing intently at it.

He watched very slowly, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing, his fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on his knees, as if simulating certain steps.

He lingered longest, especially when he saw the cement and glass sections, his eyes occasionally flashing with contemplation, realization, or even a hint of...surprise?

After a long silence, Shen Gaicai put down the paper, let out a long breath, and looked up at Lu Zuo: "Your Majesty is a man of extraordinary talent and profound learning. I... admire you to the fullest!"

"Oh? What makes you say that, Shen Qing?"

"Do you think what I have written is mere fantasy?"

"No, no!"

Shen Gai quickly waved his hand: "What His Majesty wrote is by no means a mere fantasy."

"In fact, the cement and glass that Your Majesty mentioned have been secretly explored and tested in various workshops under the Ministry of Works in recent years."

"What?" Lu Zuo was genuinely surprised this time.

"Exactly!"

Shen Gai nodded affirmatively, pointing to the few sheets of paper and saying, "Your Majesty, please take a look. This cement, which uses lime, clay, and other materials mixed together and calcined, was something that the master craftsmen of the Imperial Workshop had already surmised, and they had even built several small kilns to test it."

"However, the proportions of the raw materials and the calcination temperature are always difficult to control. The resulting product sometimes turns into powder and sometimes into clumps, and its binding strength varies greatly."

"It is far from reaching the state of 'as solid as a rock and unafraid of water' that Your Majesty described."

"The addition of iron ore powder or slag as Your Majesty instructed, and the subsequent grinding of this clinker with gypsum, were steps that your ministers and craftsmen never considered."

"This is truly the finishing touch; with improvements made using this method and repeated adjustments, success is within reach!"

He paused, then pointed to the glass section: "As for this 'soda-lime glass'..."

"To be honest, Your Majesty, there are indeed several glass workshops within the territory of our Great Song Dynasty, producing the lead-barium glass that Your Majesty mentioned. It is beautiful but fragile and not suitable for general use."

"In recent years, some artisans have also tried to fire new glass that is more transparent and solid using materials such as quartz sand and alkali, and have even thought of using feldspar."

"However, we have always struggled to master the properties of alkali, the purity of raw materials, and especially the smelting temperature and annealing method."

"Often the fired product is cloudy and full of bubbles, or it simply solidifies into a stubborn rock that cracks upon cooling."

"Your Majesty's description of the key points—the careful selection of raw materials, high-temperature homogenization, and slow cooling during annealing—as well as your clear pointing out the difference between the sodium-calcium system and the old lead-barium system, is truly enlightening and has pointed the way forward!"

"And these ideas about flat panels and greenhouses have truly enlightened me!"

Shen became increasingly excited as he spoke: "And this 'alcohol'..."

"Your Majesty, the technique of distilling to extract the 'essence of wine' has existed since the Han Dynasty."

"The alchemists and brewers of this dynasty are even more skilled in this art. The Ministry of Works has several kinds of fiery liquor and 'essence of spring wine' that are secretly stored in the Imperial Workshop. They are as fierce as fire and can be ignited at any moment. They should be the same thing as the high-concentration alcohol that Your Majesty mentioned!"

"It's mostly used for alchemy, medicine making, or as a kindling for fire; I never imagined it could be used to extract garlic essence and create a miraculous antibacterial drug!"

"This method is simple and easy to implement, and its application can be quickly verified!"

Listening to Shen Gai's detailed account, Lu Zuo's heart was filled with turmoil that lingered for a long time.

"The level of technology in ancient times far exceeded what later generations could imagine..."

Lu Zuo thought to himself, "With such a profound foundation and such active exploration, if it could have continued to develop and been properly guided, what a brilliant light Chinese civilization could have shone!"

"Unfortunately... during the Qing Dynasty, this vibrant vitality and inheritance were abruptly severed, causing the pearl to be covered in dust and the flame to gradually die out."

"Later generations even mistakenly believed that our ancestors only knew poetry, books, rites, and music, but were ignorant of craftsmanship and the study of things..."

He composed himself and said in a deep voice, "Minister Shen, since that's the case, this matter will be entirely handled by the Ministry of Works."

"Immediately select the most experienced and ingenious craftsmen from the Imperial Workshop, establish a dedicated department based on the above strategy, concentrate resources, and tackle this challenge with all our might!"

"For cement and glass, we can first build a pilot workshop to repeatedly test and record the details and results of each batching, temperature, and operation. We can then summarize our experience, optimize the process, and make sure to produce a stable and usable finished product as soon as possible."

"Regarding allicin, we should produce a batch of samples as soon as possible to verify its effectiveness in treating external injuries and fever."

"You are granted priority access to all necessary materials and personnel."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Shen Gai stood up solemnly, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, but then a hint of difficulty appeared on his face, and he hesitated to speak.

"What difficulties does Shen Qing have? Please speak freely." Lu Zuo noticed his hesitation.

"Your Majesty is wise," Shen Gai said with a wry smile, "such research and development projects are extremely costly in terms of money and resources."

"Building new kilns, testing new materials, and firing repeatedly—before success, eight or nine out of ten materials consumed become waste."

"If artisans are focused on this, they cannot engage in routine official production, and they need to be given additional subsidies as incentives. Not to mention searching for high-quality quartz sand, natural alkali, or even trying to improve kilns and bellows..."

"Silver is needed everywhere."

"In recent years, the national treasury has been short of funds, and the Ministry of Works has always been strapped for cash, so many ideas can only remain on paper."

"Now that His Majesty has made up his mind to vigorously promote this matter, what about the funding...?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zuo replied without hesitation, "I will take care of the money."

"First, allocate 500,000 taels of silver from my imperial treasury to the Ministry of Works."

"As initial funding for these three research and development projects."

"Minister Shen, I require you to sign a pledge: this money must be used wisely, for experimentation, improvement, and to incentivize the artisans!"

"The accounts must be clear; I will send people to check them at any time."

"If anyone embezzles funds or shirks their responsibilities, I will not tolerate it!"

Five hundred thousand taels!

It's still direct disbursement from the internal treasury!

This huge sum of money was enough to support the Ministry of Works in carrying out large-scale experiments for several years!

"Your subject... Your subject Shen Gai, on behalf of the Ministry of Works, thanks Your Majesty for your trust!"

"With Your Majesty's strong support, if we, your subjects, cannot exert our utmost efforts to develop such a beneficial and miraculous product for Your Majesty and the court as soon as possible, how can we face the court?"

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will immediately make arrangements upon my return and personally oversee the matter. I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's high expectations!"

"Very well, I await your good news."

"Go and prepare."

"Your subject takes his leave!" Shen Gai tightly gripped the few pages of paper that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, bowed to Lu Zuo again, and then turned and left the imperial study.

……

Ministry of Works, workshops for artisans.

Sunlight streamed through the high windows, illuminating the fine dust particles floating in the air and also the several large wooden tables.

The table was covered with various drawings, counting rods, rulers, charcoal pencils, and some oddly shaped wooden or clay models marked with dimensions.

The walls are adorned with detailed drawings depicting intricate mechanical structures, hydraulic systems, and even architectural cross-sections.

The air was filled with the scent of aged paper and ink sticks, as well as a special atmosphere of focused contemplation.

There were about a dozen people in the hall, most of them wearing slightly worn but clean black short-sleeved shirts with some ink stains or charcoal ash on their cuffs, and they were of different ages.

At this moment, they are gathered around the largest wooden table, listening to an old craftsman with gray hair, a thin face, but bright and piercing eyes speak.

The old craftsman's surname was Mo, and his given name was Heng. He was a highly senior craftsman in the Ministry of Works, known for his meticulousness and skill in calculation and deduction. He was in charge of various ingenious designs and material proportion calculations.

He held nothing in his hands, only his fingers tracing the outline of a sketch depicting complex levers and pulleys.

"Therefore, the use of a three-ring pulley here is not for showing off skills, but because the force needs to be evenly distributed among the three cables. If only a double ring is used, the single cable will easily tire over time and may break."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the young, eager faces before him. These were promising talents, selected from various regions, who had already shown aptitude for basic skills and had been sent here to learn.

"You must not only know what the labor-saving structure is, but also why it is so."

"Why use a lever here? Why use an inclined plane there? Why is the pulley system configured this way?"

"Just because something was stipulated by our predecessors does not mean that we must blindly follow it."

The old craftsman gently placed the charcoal pencil on the table, his tone becoming more profound: "We craftsmen must have skillful hands, keen eyes, and above all, the ambition to 'investigate things'."

"What is 'investigating things'?" the old craftsman asked himself, answering, "It's not just empty talk about abstract principles."

"Ge means to investigate and explore; wu refers to the form, nature, and principle of all things under heaven."

"Observe the fall of a single stone, and ponder why it fell so quickly?"

"Observe the floating of a single piece of wood, and wonder why it does not sink?"

"Seeing that fire can melt gold, one might wonder what kind of vessel can be made from what kind of fire?"

"What kind of metal, when combined, will result in what kind of strength and flexibility?"

He picked up an irregularly shaped but smooth magnet from the side of the table, and then picked up a few iron nails.

"For example, why does a lodestone attract iron objects but not copper or wood?"

"The records of our predecessors may have served as a guide."

"This is the nature that heaven and earth have bestowed upon this thing. What we craftsmen need to do is to understand this nature, to know why it is so, so that we can transform and use it."

"Knowing that it draws iron, one can make a compass and determine direction. If one investigates further the strength of its force and the distance it can transmit, it may have even greater uses."

"For example, when our ancestors were firing pottery, they might accidentally mix in different types of clay or change the kiln temperature, resulting in vastly different pieces."

Is it due to the different properties of the clay? Or is it due to the firing temperature?

"The reason for this is that we tried again and again, failed again and again, and each time we recorded what kind of clay, what kind of fire, and what kind of vessel to produce."

"This is the essence of investigating things from the smallest details."

"Without this mindset, one can only imitate others blindly, doing exactly what the predecessors did, never making any progress, or even regressing in skill."

He looked at the apprentices with expectation in his eyes: "In the future, whether you are building palaces, supervising the manufacture of military weapons, or researching and developing new and interesting things assigned by His Majesty and his superiors, you will be able to achieve great things."

"Never act without considering the consequences."

When faced with difficulties, ask "why" more often. When making something, if you succeed, think about how you succeeded; if you fail, think about why you failed.

"Record everything you see, try, and think, even the slightest differences, and compare them with each other."

"This is not merely a waste of ink; it is the accumulation of knowledge."

"Only with a broad knowledge can one's skills become profound, enabling one to create things that predecessors never had and solve problems that predecessors could not solve."

"This is the spirit of 'investigating things' of craftsmen, and it is also the foundation for us to make a living and serve the court."

The boys listened intently, their eyes sparkling with thoughtful reflection.

Seeing this, the old craftsman nodded slightly, intending for them to ponder the pulley diagrams they had discussed that day, or to work out a few simple proportion problems.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar figure in a scarlet official robe approaching hurriedly from afar outside the moon gate of the craftsman's workshop.

His face was rosy, and his brows were filled with barely suppressed excitement, even losing some of the composure that a high-ranking official usually possessed.

Is it Minister Shen?

Mo Heng was slightly taken aback.

The Ministry of Works was a complex and demanding department. Although the Minister often paid attention to the craftsmen's work, he rarely visited the Mingtang Hall in person.

besides.....

What was the reason for the undisguised joy on the adult's face?

Could it be...

Have the detailed drawings submitted earlier regarding the improvement of waterwheels and labor-saving cranes been approved?

Or is it that the imperial court has some large-scale construction project to plan in advance?

He subconsciously straightened his already neat clothes and whispered to the apprentices, "The Minister has arrived in person; all of you stand at attention."

Before Mo Heng could finish speaking, Shen Gai's figure had already passed through the moon gate and stepped into the main hall.

Before he even got close, his hearty, excited laughter already rang out:

"Hahaha!"

"Elder Mo, everyone!"

"Great news! Fantastic news!"

The sound shook the roof beams, causing everyone in the hall, including the craftsmen who had been working with their heads down, to look up in astonishment.

Mo Heng's initial suspicions were instantly dispelled by this unusual joy. He quickly led the group to greet Shen Gai, stopping a few steps away and bowing respectfully in unison.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

"No need for formalities, get up, all of you!"

"My lord." Mo Heng straightened up, suppressing his curiosity, and cautiously asked, "What good news is it that has troubled you to come in person? Is it the drawings presented a few days ago...?"

"The design is just a design, but today's affairs are a hundred times more important!"

Shen interrupted him, took out several sheets of paper from his pocket, and handed them to Mo Heng: "Old Mo, you're an expert, take a look at this first!"