The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

Closer to home.

After everyone unanimously attributed the credit to Xu Miaoyun.

The girl was startled by the scene and didn't want to accept it, but when she saw her teacher's gaze, she accepted it anyway.

Ma Wenyuan suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Fang Xiaoru.

"Xiaoru, has the record been written?"

Fang Xiaoru pulled out a stack of papers from his sleeve and presented them neatly.

It was written on the paper.

"On the 29th day of the eighth month of the fourth year of Hongwu, Ming glass was successfully improved. Quartz sand was ground and sieved, melted at high temperature, and then left to stand and clarify for a day before being blown. The resulting glass was as clear as water."

"On the same day, a new glass telescope was made, which could see the finest details of people three hundred paces away. Your disciple Fang Xiaoru remembers this."

After reading it, Ma Wenyuan nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at, teacher?" Xu Miaoyun asked, tilting her head.

Ma Wenyuan pointed his binoculars at the sky.

The newly risen moon had just risen above the eastern city wall, its clear light, like water, spilling across the courtyard.

"When we make this thing bigger and more powerful, we'll look at the moon. Then you'll find that there's no Chang'e or Jade Rabbit on the moon, only craters."

The four students stared wide-eyed at the same time.

"A trap?" Xu Miaoyun blinked.

"Yes, traps. Lots and lots of traps." Ma Wenyuan crossed his arms, his smile enigmatic. "That's what makes it truly interesting."

……

The next morning.

Ma Wenyuan changed into a brand-new blue robe, his hair was neatly combed, and he held a brocade box in his hand. After getting into the carriage, he headed straight for the palace.

Xu Miaoyun ran out at this moment, leaning against the door frame and sticking half her head out, shouting,

"Teacher, can I come along?"

"cannot."

Ma Wenyuan didn't even lift the curtain.

"You're just a nine-year-old girl. There are strict rules for you in the palace. You'll be kowtowing until your knees are swollen. Stay home quietly and wait for me to bring you some snacks from the imperial kitchen when I return."

"I said the same thing last time, and I ended up bringing back a bag of jujube paste pastries that were so hard they could be used to crack walnuts."

"It got damaged on the road..."

Fang Xiaoru also arrived; he had been staying at Ma Wenyuan's residence for the past few days.

He may have forgotten that it was his family who forced him to come in the first place.

Fang Xiaoru stood aside, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Teacher, last night I wrote an article titled 'An Outline of the Ming Glass Telescope,' which explains the principles and construction process of a telescope. Perhaps it could be presented to Your Majesty for review?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of neatly written manuscripts from his sleeve, the handwriting so precise it looked as if they had been printed.

Ma Wenyuan took it and flipped through it, unable to help but marvel at it.

When it comes to academic research, Xiao Fang is the best.

Not only did it clearly explain the principles of convex and concave lenses.

He also quoted extensively from classical texts, starting with the optical description of "the scene at noon has an end" in the Mo Jing, and then going all the way to Shen Kuo's Dream Pool Essays.

It seamlessly connects the traditional study of things with contemporary inventions.

"It's very well written," Ma Wenyuan praised sincerely, "but His Majesty might not understand it."

Fang Xiaoru: "..."

It was just a joke. Although Old Zhu came from humble beginnings, he also loved to learn.

It's not like they can't understand the writing of a fourteen-year-old boy.

……

The sedan chair creaked as it was carried into the palace. Ma Wenyuan waited outside the Wenhua Hall for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the eunuchs summoned him inside.

Inside the hall, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly, and Zhu Yuanzhang sat behind his desk, peeling an orange in his hand.

Sitting beside her was Empress Ma, dressed in a crimson everyday dress, with only a jade hairpin in her hair. She was so plain that she didn't look like an empress at all, but rather like a wealthy lady.

Ma Wenyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With his older sister around, Old Zhu could be kept in check to some extent.

"minister……"

"Get up, get up."

Zhu Yuanzhang popped a segment of orange into his mouth and mumbled something indistinctly.

"You brought that telescope with you? Didn't you say you were still messing around with glass the other day? How come you've got it done so quickly?"

Ma Wenyuan presented the brocade box to the two men with both hands.

"Thanks to my brother-in-law's good fortune, the glass formula was improved after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the trial production was successful yesterday."

"Your Majesty, I dare not delay. I will present it to you today."

Normally, when a subject presents a treasure, it needs to pass through the hands of a eunuch.

Ma Wenyuan is not normal.

Old Zhu naturally took the brocade box, opened the lid, and carefully took out the brass telescope, placing it on the imperial desk.

Zhu Yuanzhang wiped his hands on his clothes twice before picking it up to look at it.

The copper tubes are gleaming, the lenses are crystal clear, and the craftsmanship is exquisite beyond belief.

He brought the smaller end close to his eyes, looked at the shadow of the sun outside the palace gate, and suddenly hummed in agreement.

"How do you read this thing?"

Clearly, Lao Zhu hadn't found the correct way to use it.

Ma Wenyuan suppressed a laugh.

"Brother-in-law, that end faces outwards."

Zhu Yuanzhang flipped it over and tried it; this time it worked.

He stood up from his chair, took his binoculars, and strolled to the entrance of the hall, looking towards the Meridian Gate.

A moment later, the emperor, who possessed the entire world, let out a shout.

There was no gasp of surprise.

"This...this is my Meridian Gate?"

Old Zhu's voice held a hint of shock.

"I can even see clearly what the guard standing over there is dressed like!"

Empress Ma walked over curiously, "Let me see."

This is a notification, not an inquiry.

Ma Xiuying grabbed the binoculars and started looking at them herself.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood awkwardly to the side.

His expression changed from shock to thoughtfulness.

Empress Ma looked through the telescope for a while, then exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!" and turned to look at Ma Wenyuan.

"Brother, did you really make this?"

"It was done by me and four students."

Ma Wenyuan said what he had prepared beforehand.

"I led the improvement of the glass, but the core of this telescope, the lens grinding and optical path calibration, were all done by a nine-year-old girl."

"Nine years old?" Empress Ma's eyes widened.

"Nine years old." Ma Wenyuan's smile remained unchanged.

"Xu Miaoyun, daughter of Xu Da, Duke of Wei."

"I'm sure you haven't seen her before. This girl is incredibly skillful and has a very high talent. I only explained some basic principles to her, and she figured out how to grind lenses on her own."

"The first telescope we made was not clear enough because the glass was not transparent enough. After I made the transparent glass, she ground a new pair of lenses and installed them, and it worked."

Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang exchanged a glance.

Zhu Yuanzhang picked up the telescope again, looked into the distance once more, then suddenly turned around and his gaze fell on Ma Wenyuan.

"You're saying this was made by Xu Da's daughter?"

"Exactly."

How big?

Nine years old.

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter echoed in the Wenhua Hall, startling the eunuchs serving nearby.

"Well done! Well done, Xu Da! He's a rough man himself, yet he has such a beautiful and intelligent daughter."

Zhu Yuanzhang slammed the telescope onto the imperial desk.

"Reward her! Reward her with ten taels of gold, ten bolts of silk, and a pair of jade ruyi scepters. Consider this my way of thanking her for her far-sightedness on behalf of the Ming Dynasty."

Empress Ma added from the side,

"Add another set of fine Huzhou brushes and Duan inkstones. A nine-year-old girl loves to read; she deserves a reward."

Ma Wenyuan quickly kowtowed.

"On behalf of Miaoyun, I thank Your Majesty and Her Majesty for your kindness."

"Alright, stop thanking them on behalf of others." Zhu Yuanzhang sat down again, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and changed the subject.

"And you?"

(P.S.: Wow, Shen He is really something, he even managed to blow the title of the last chapter away.)