The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 88 Ways to Make Money

Lin Yue kicked open the gate of the mansion and hurried towards the shipyard.

Those old geezers in the Ming Dynasty were really wicked. The palace ladies were much gentler. Hurry up and get that microscope out of there.

They hadn't walked far when they saw Zhao Hu squatting by the roadside under an old locust tree.

Upon seeing Lin Yue appear, Zhao Hu quickly stepped forward.

"My lord, you've finally come out. Today's court session has been going on for a very long time."

"No, well... never mind, no need to say more. Now that you're here, let's go to the shipyard together."

Lin Yue waved his hand without saying anything.

Zhao Hu quickly followed, and the two walked one after the other through the streets and alleys. Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the street corner.

Lin Yue looked up and saw a man in a short brown robe carrying a celadon wine jar, running quickly. Not far behind him, a member of the Imperial Guard was also chasing after him at a fast pace.

He felt a chill run down his spine as the Imperial Guards, dressed in flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring knives at their waists, were in pursuit.

Looking at the man with hurried steps, Lin Yue immediately understood what was going on.

"Such panic in broad daylight!"

The kind-hearted Lin Yue approached silently and swiftly blocked his way with her leg.

The man was so focused on rushing forward that he didn't notice the sudden change in his footing and immediately lost his balance.

"Ouch!" the man cried out in surprise, falling heavily onto the bluestone slab. The celadon wine jar in his arms slipped from his grasp and rolled away, spilling the fragrant wine all over the ground, and the jar shattered.

Lin Yue turned around, still wanting to curry favor with the Imperial Guard, but found him sitting on the oxcart, looking at him with a shocked expression.

During the Ming Dynasty, ordinary people had similar modes of transportation to modern buses or taxis when traveling long distances. The official system included postal stations and relay stations, which were responsible for transporting official supplies and occasionally delivering envoys.

There were private car rental companies and car rental companies near the city. They used oxcarts to pick up passengers and travel between urban and rural areas, departing in the morning and arriving in the evening. They were basically the taxis that everyone is familiar with.

Lin Yue was taken aback when he saw this, and subconsciously looked at the man who had fallen to the ground.

The man clutched his ankle and got up, stamping his feet in distress at the spilled wine. He turned to Lin Yue and angrily said.

"I was delivering drinks for the restaurant, why did you trip me up for no reason?"

"You went to deliver wine? Why are the Imperial Guards chasing you?" Lin Yue frowned, realizing that things were not so simple.

He was so embarrassed inside that he was practically digging out a three-bedroom apartment, but he kept a straight face.

The Imperial Guard jumped off the oxcart, walked up to Lin Yue, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble officer is Li De, an Imperial Guard. I was not chasing this person. I was just in a hurry when I saw the oxcart leaving."

Lin Yue was speechless for a moment, glancing at the Imperial Guards and then at the waiter in the restaurant.

After all that fuss, it turned out I had made a complete blunder.

He quickly stepped forward, reached out to help the servant who had fallen to the ground, and said with a forced smile.

"Young man, I was reckless. I'm so sorry you tripped and fell, and spilled your wine!"

As he spoke, Lin Yue took out a gold bean from his sleeve and handed it over.

"Take this gold as compensation for the wine and your foot injury. Don't take offense."

The servant, who had been clutching his ankle and frowning, saw that the official had apologized so readily and even offered to pay compensation. His anger vanished instantly, and he accepted the gold with a bow.

"You flatter me, sir. I was running too fast and didn't pay attention to my surroundings. Since it was a misunderstanding, let it go."

Lin Yue cupped his hands in apology and took his leave, then quickly departed with Zhao Hu.

An act of bravery almost turned into intentional assault. Seriously, let's get out of this embarrassing scene as quickly as possible.

After a brisk journey, Lin Yue finally arrived at the shipyard.

As soon as you step into the shipyard, you hear the clanging and banging of machinery, a stark contrast to the usual scene of craftsmen at work.

Lin Yue looked in the direction of the sound and was immediately shocked.

Inside the shipyard, a huge wooden machine stood, its gears spinning rapidly. Piston bellows on both sides pushed and pulled, continuously sending a powerful airflow into the furnace beside it, burning the glass blanks until they were glowing red and translucent.

Beside the bellows, there was a strangely shaped device with a wooden main shaft fixed to the base, connected to a water-powered gear, and iron cutting tools fixed to the side. As the main shaft rotated, the cutting tools were slowly grinding the blank.

Lin Yue strode forward, looking at the set of machines with disbelief in his eyes.

Isn't this a lathe?! And a hydraulic one at that!

Upon seeing Lin Yue arrive, Wu Fu and Huangfu Gui, who were supervising the work, quickly stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Greetings, Scholar Lin!"

"Wu Fu, Huangfu Gui, what is this?" Lin Yue asked hurriedly, pointing to what looked like a lathe.

Wu Fu rubbed his hands together and explained with a smile, "Didn't the scholar instruct us to make a telescope for looking at the moon?"

The glass lenses required for that large telescope were large and thick, and it was very difficult to succeed by hand-polishing them; they could be ruined if one was not careful.

We discussed it and decided that we could use water power to drive the main shaft, and then use a mold to hold the cutting tools. This way, the glass blanks produced by rotating and grinding would be round and regular, and subsequent grinding would be much easier.

Huangfu Gui added, "The bellows are also made as part of the process. The furnace needs to be heated to a sufficient temperature to melt large pieces of glass. The power of manual blowing is insufficient, and even with the addition of straw ash, it is difficult to make transparent glass."

Using a water-powered bellows is much better; it allows for continuous airflow, maintains a very stable furnace temperature, and significantly improves the quality of the transparent glass produced.

In fact, there were things similar to lathes in ancient China. For example, there are records of the "turning" technique in the pre-Qin period, which was basically the prototype of the early lathe.

The silver axle unearthed from the Qin Dynasty has continuous, equidistant cutting marks on its inner wall spiral pattern. Among similar artifacts unearthed from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, the dimensions of many components remain remarkably consistent, which is clearly the result of standardized production. The standard deviation of the inner diameter of the shaft hole of 30 unearthed artifacts does not exceed 0.3 mm.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the technology matured further. Tang dynasty foot-operated lathes could achieve continuous rotation, as seen in the Song dynasty work *Dream Pool Essays*.

The use of cutting tools on wood lathes has expanded to include the processing of furniture parts and fine artifacts.

According to records from the Fan family in the suburbs during the Ming Dynasty, craftsmen had already created a wood turning machine based on the principle of a hand drill, which was used to make wood-turned toys. After adding iron bearings to the transmission parts, the processing accuracy and efficiency were greatly improved.

Shipyard craftsmen use water power to drive rotary cutting machines, combining fixed tools and cutting. In fact, it was only a step away, and demand can easily be generated.

Lin Yue nodded repeatedly and praised loudly.

"Truly skilled craftsmen! You have combined water power with rotary cutting techniques, using machines to replace manual labor, making the glass blanks uniform in shape. Such ingenuity demonstrates your unique craftsmanship!"

He leaned down and glanced at the operating machinery, then continued, "With this powerful tool, glass polishing will be twice as efficient, and astronomical telescopes are within reach."

Someone believed that this method should be vigorously promoted to revitalize all trades.

Replacing manual labor with machinery is the right way to improve craftsmanship. Look at this rotary cutting machine; by changing different cutting tools, it can be used for turning ironware after forging and for fine processing of bronzeware.

Even agricultural implement shafts and firearm barrels could be quickly manufactured using this method. Such standardized production on a massive scale benefited iron smelting, toolmaking, and shipbuilding.

After praising the lathe's ingenuity, Lin Yue solemnly said, "You've done a fantastic job."

"You possess extraordinary skills and have made invaluable contributions to the nation. I will certainly petition His Majesty to recognize your merits and explain the wonder of your skills, requesting a generous reward to honor your abilities!"

Lin Yue patted Wu Fu on the shoulder, his tone earnest.

"I hope you will further refine your skills and promote them widely, so that all craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty may benefit from them."

His Majesty's resolve to reform is firm, and his appreciation for talent is profound. He will certainly not let you down; so please focus on your studies and continue to strive!"

After praising the craftsmen, Lin Yue didn't even ask about the progress of the telescope's production, but instead sent them on a new mission.

"Wu Fu, Huangfu Gui, I have another important task for you today. You must expedite the production of a microscope."

Lin Yue took out paper and pen and sketched out the lens combination pattern with a few strokes.

"A telescope focuses light to see into the distance, while a microscope does the opposite, using two lenses stacked together to magnify tiny objects."

The principle is the same as that of a telescope, only the lens arrangement and focal length are different.

Wu Fu and Huangfu Gui stared at the drawing for a moment and felt that it was not difficult to understand.

Lin Yue thought for a moment about the magnanimous beauty, his expression hardened, and he said solemnly.

"This item is extremely urgent; it must be made as soon as possible."

"Understood, please rest assured, Scholar Lin, we will do our best to expedite the production."

The two men had no objection upon hearing this, assuming that His Majesty valued the microscope more, and immediately bowed to accept the order.

The shipyard was immediately bustling with activity as craftsmen polished lenses and assembled mirror bodies according to Lin Yue's instructions, creating a scene of great activity.

During his inspection tour, Zheng He saw a group of people busy with a pile of glass shards and machinery, repeatedly adjusting the glass shards in the sunlight.

Zheng He had limited scientific literacy and was completely baffled. He simply stood by with his arms crossed, occasionally nodding and praising the "exquisite" design, but said nothing more.

Lin Yue thought the microscope would be made soon, but problems arose one after another.

Wu Fu held up two polished lenses and said, "Scholar Lin, there is always a color halo at the joint of the lenses, which makes it difficult to work on."

""

Lin Yue took the lens and examined it closely under the light, and sure enough, he saw a faint halo of color at the edge.

He hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the water-powered rotary cutting bed.

"This matter is not difficult; it is probably due to the different curvatures."

Since we already had lathes, we replaced the rotary cutting tools with spherical ones and used them to grind glass lenses uniformly.

Just make more blanks; even if only one in a hundred is successful, you can still grind a pair of lenses with matching curvatures!

The craftsmen followed the instructions, working day and night to refine the lenses. The discarded parts piled up like mountains, but they finally selected several pairs of lenses with perfectly matched curvature.

However, a new problem arose: despite the tight fit of the glass curvature, there was still a noticeable color halo around the image, resulting in blurred vision.

Lin Yue, who controls the House of Lords, stared at the edge of the room for a long time, his mind racing.

He had to quickly back down from the boast he made. He's going to North Korea to do something big soon, and I don't know if we'll ever see each other again. Consider this a gift before he leaves.

Lin Yue's nine years of compulsory education plus his undergraduate science and engineering knowledge came in handy, and he quickly determined that the problem was with the glass material.

The color difference is caused by the different light transmission and refraction properties of glass made from different raw material ratios.

He immediately waved his hand and said, "Bring wood ash, lead blocks, and quartz sand, and conduct experiments on each group's proportions! Record the dosage of each group in detail, and use them in combination to find the optimal solution."

Because of the numerous difficulties, Lin Yue simply stayed at the shipyard and worked with the craftsmen overnight to adjust the formula.

From "alkaline glass" made primarily of plant ash (pure alkali) to "high-lead glass" with increased lead content, more than thirty different formulations were tried before two suitable transparent glass types were finally produced.

Lin Yue personally assembled the lens group by combining alkaline glass and high-lead glass.

After the two lenses of different materials were attached, he observed a drop of river water on the table. The drop was clearly visible, without any color halo, and every minute detail was clearly visible.

After repeated adjustments to the focus, a 400x microscope was finally completed.

When it comes to picking up girls, Lin Yue not only focuses on physical attraction but also on emotional connection. He said that if he were to create a microscope that could see bacteria, he would definitely make it.

"Scholar Lin, is the microscope working? Is it possible to see those bacteria?" Zheng He asked curiously.

Seeing Zheng He's question, Lin Yue stepped aside to make room for him and said with a smile, "Eunuch Zheng will know once he takes a look."

Zheng He leaned closer to the telescope tube, and Lin Yue adjusted the angle of the reflector, focusing the halo of light from the burning petrolatum onto the water droplet on the glass slide.

This clear oil is distilled from high-fire oil, and when burned, it produces little smoke and a very bright flame.

Since the Song Dynasty, the Central Plains naval warfare has always used the "fierce fire oil," which is actually petroleum.

Zheng He initially felt that everything in front of him was blurry. After Lin Yue pointed out the problem and he adjusted his focus, he suddenly saw countless tiny objects rushing back and forth in the water. Some were shaped like straw sandals, swaying their heads and tails, while others were as thin as hair, curling and wriggling. It was a microscopic world that had never been seen with the naked eye before.

"How amazing! How wonderful!" Zheng He exclaimed repeatedly. "Scholar Lin is truly a genius. He has created such a divine artifact and has glimpsed the most subtle realms!"

Such ingenious ideas demonstrate profound knowledge, far surpassing that of ordinary people!

Before he finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside the factory area. Zhu Di, dressed in casual clothes, entered the shipyard surrounded by Hou Xian and others.

Seeing the joy on the faces of the craftsmen around him, Emperor Yongle asked, "Lin Yue, you have been absent from court today. So you have been working on something new here?"

The crowd cheered with joy, "What kind of treasure have you created? Why don't you let me see it?"

Lin Yue casually cupped his hands in apology: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was so busy making this that I forgot the time."

This is a microscope, which can magnify tiny objects hundreds or thousands of times, and can even see bacteria hidden in the water.

"Yes... those tiny creatures, barely visible to the naked eye, are also the root cause of wound infections and the spread of disease."

Zhu Di immediately became interested: "Oh? Such a wonderful use! Let me see it!"

Zhu Di walked up to the microscope, leaned over and looked in, and was immediately startled by what he saw in the mirror.

"It's truly amazing that so many creatures can live in a single drop of water!"

After examining it, Zhu Di straightened up and asked, "Besides observing these bacteria, what practical use does this instrument have?"

Like Zheng He, Zhu Di was not very scientific; he was more concerned with whether microscopes had any practical use.

"Your Majesty, this instrument is of great benefit to medicine!" Lin Yue said solemnly.

"In the past, when surgical wounds ulcerated, it was thought to be due to heat toxins," but in fact it was caused by bacterial invasion. With a microscope, the root cause of the lesion can be seen.

If medicine can be developed based on this, soldiers wounded in battle can also use it to prevent infection, which would be of great benefit.

Zhu Di nodded repeatedly and instructed Hou Xian, "This item is excellent. Move it back to the palace and have the Imperial Medical Academy study it thoroughly!"

"This... Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Lin Yue hurriedly interjected to stop him.

Zhu Di's face darkened, slightly displeased: "What? As the Son of Heaven, I can't even take a single object?"

"You brat, what kind of high-sounding principles are you going to spout now?"

Lin Yue glanced at the surrounding craftsmen and accompanying officials, took a half step forward, and lowered his voice.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I intend to donate this microscope to the Imperial Pharmacy."

Kuai Siyao is well-versed in medical principles. With the aid of this instrument, he will surely improve his medical skills and benefit the palace and the people. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request.

Zhu Di was taken aback upon hearing this. He stared at Lin Yue for a long time before finally shaking his head helplessly and waving his hand.

"Enough! You little rascal, you certainly know how to think of the beauty. I won't argue with you anymore. This item will belong to Kuai Siyao."

Hou Xian looked surprised, inwardly both amused and exasperated.

Upon seeing this, Zheng He couldn't help but shake his head.

This Scholar Lin is truly talented and audacious; he dared to defy even the Emperor's wishes in order to send a gift to a female official.

Lin Yue also felt that his approach was a bit abstract, so he decided to skip the topic.

"Your Majesty, I now have a good plan for raising funds for the Transparent Glass Factory stock market, as you previously instructed me to do, but I need Your Majesty's cooperation."

"Oh?" Zhu Di's interest was piqued upon hearing it was about making money. He took a half-step forward. "What brilliant plan do you have? Tell me quickly! How can I cooperate?"

Zheng He and Hou Xian, who were standing nearby, also turned their heads curiously, wanting to hear what was so mysterious about this fundraising method that it required the emperor's personal intervention.

Lin Yue lowered his voice and whispered a few words in Zhu Di's ear. Zhu Di's brows relaxed and furrowed at times, but interest gradually ignited in his eyes.