In Zhou Junwu's later memories, the spring of the tenth year of the Wu dynasty had not been very smooth. His raging ambition for the study of things had just risen, but it had been smashed in the head. There had been no progress in the research of gunpowder and it had even exploded. His father, who had never cared about him, had grounded him in the prince's mansion and not allowed him to go out. A group of teachers had been nagging all day about how his master's study of things was a lowly craftsman's skill and a lowly skill of obscenity. His grandfather, the emperor's son-in-law, had not stood on his side this time. As for his sister, who was always bothered by her family and had many unrealistic fantasies in her heart, it was even more impossible for her to become his ally.
The young prince, who was only thirteen years old, had found a direction to strive for for the first time in his life. Just like that, the world around him had mercilessly poured a basin of cold water on him, which was quite a big blow to him.
It was really tiring, and he felt that he would never love again …
Of course, the young Jun Wu's troubles didn't last long. The impact of this spring on him was too great for the rest of his life. At the end of spring, his master returned from Hangzhou. Because he was grounded, he couldn't go out to visit him. But not long after, around the middle of March, his master came to the prince's mansion. Although he didn't meet with his father in detail, he was allowed to go out for the time being because of his grandfather, the emperor's son-in-law. Thus, his grounding was lifted.
At this time, scholars were quite particular about how to address one's teacher. In the prince's mansion, most of the scholars who taught Zhou Junwu were great scholars in the Jiangning area, but on Zhou Junwu's side, he still called them teachers. As for Ning Yi, after he fell in love with the study of things, he called him master. There was a big difference between the two. Because Ning Yi hadn't been in Jiangning for a long time, he didn't always use this kind of address, but all kinds of differences could be seen in the details.
The guest officials in the Prince's Mansion were all people of status. There was nothing to say about them being below Kang Xian. Kang Xian was the Prince's son-in-law, and he was also very knowledgeable. It was just that he didn't have any scholarly honors. However, Ning Yi was only a young man in his early twenties. Even if his mind was agile and he was talented enough to win the title of the number one scholar in Jiangning, it was only in the field of poetry. When it came to actual knowledge, no one would think that they were inferior to Ning Yi.
Because of this matter, at the beginning of last year, Zhang Rui and Li Tong, the two Foreign Officials of the Prince's Mansion, had visited Ning Yi. At that time, they happened to encounter assassins trying to assassinate Qin Siyuan. Ning Yi's ruthlessness scared the two of them, so they gave up. However, after Ning Yi left Jiangning, the young prince grew increasingly fond of the craftsmanship. The various resentment among the Foreign Officials of the Prince's Mansion swelled again. Every time they gave lectures, they would advise the young prince to rein in at the brink of a precipice and study the way of the sages. But how could Zhou Junwu be willing to listen?
Of course, the young prince's temper was still good. In front of the teacher, he nodded his head and accepted the teachings, then turned his head and went about his own business. He only respected the teacher's identity, but not the other person himself. A group of teachers had also advised the King of Kang, but Zhou Yong had been a wealthy and idle prince all his life. He also knew that even if his son learned to be like Kang Xian, it would be meaningless. If his knowledge was really high, he would want to do something great but there was no way to serve the country. On the contrary, he would be depressed, so he didn't care. If it weren't for the gunpowder incident, he would be happy to see his son have some vulgar and boring bad taste. It was better than being like his daughter, who had great ambitions.
This time, when Ning Yi returned, because of some unusual movements on the side of Zhou Pei and Jun Wu, the Foreign Officials of the Prince's Mansion also got wind of it. They discussed that when Ning Yi came to visit, they would compete with him in the study of scriptures. This would make it clear to the Prince and the young prince that this young man was unreliable. Of course, now that things had come to this, they couldn't really underestimate Ning Yi. But even if Ning Yi was skilled in martial arts, he had killed an assassin on the street, and now he had narrowly escaped death in Hangzhou. In the eyes of these scholars, individual martial arts was still a small matter. A group of middle-aged and old scholars were confident that it wouldn't be a problem for them to beat Ning Yi in poetry and scriptures.
They had already made preparations in this regard. When Zhou Junwu heard about it, he was also quite expectant. But after Ning Yi accepted Zhou Pei's request, he only called Jun Wu out through Kang Xian, so the Foreign Officials didn't have the opportunity to issue a challenge. In the next few days, the master and disciple wandered around Jiangning a few times. Zhou Pei also took the opportunity to go out and wander around. She had originally expected Ning Yi to persuade Jun Wu to stop doing those dangerous things, but Ning Yi only took Jun Wu to places like docks and workshops. He talked about the development of waterwheels, the development of looms, and the ingenious ideas of all kinds of machinery and so on … Ning Yi had already talked about these things to Jun Wu in the past, but this time, he was even more detailed.
They strolled around like this for three days. In the evening, when they sent the siblings back, Zhou Pei sneaked out after entering the Prince's Mansion. She pulled Ning Yi into an alley next to the Prince's Mansion and began to complain, "Sir, you promised me that you would keep Jun Wu away from those dangerous things and make him work hard. Why are you talking to him about these things now …"
Ning Yi laughed, "Of course I have my reasons."
"But, Sir, this will only make Jun Wu more interested in those things. Maybe in a few days, he will start to make gunpowder again. Sir, how can you do this? If Jun Wu …"
The young girl chattered anxiously. Her face was tense and her eyebrows were furrowed as she said a lot of things. Although her temperament could be considered elegant and graceful, at this moment, if one only looked at the image of a young girl, her head was a little big, her chin was sharp, and her body was a little thin. She looked like a little hen that was desperately talking to itself. Ning Yi tilted his head and looked at her for a long time. Then, he flicked his finger on her forehead. The girl was stunned, blinked, and didn't say anything.
"I have a way. Your Highness, just watch. Don't doubt the professionals."
Ning Yi waved his hand and turned to walk out of the alley. In fact, unlike Jun Wu, who was obedient, Zhou Pei didn't have absolute trust in Ning Yi. Of course, this was only on the surface. The princess was a very opinionated person. Even if she had already recognized Ning Yi's ability, she would still speak up as soon as possible. Ning Yi actually appreciated this attitude of hers. As a superior, one couldn't be too conceited. The princess was better than Jun Wu in this respect.
Of course, in the past, if Zhou Pei couldn't put down her pride and started to pester him endlessly, Ning Yi would rudely pat her head with something. But at that time, Zhou Pei was still a little girl. After a year, she was more like a young girl, so this action was a little ambiguous. Zhou Pei blushed for a while in the alley, but finally, she stomped her feet and went back. In the past year, she had stopped studying. At home, she faced more pressure from her marriage. Although she had been putting it off, all kinds of premarital education had become her daily homework. At this time, when she was hit on the head, she couldn't help but go back to her room and hold her chin for a while.
It drizzled the next day. Ning Yi, Jun Wu, and Zhou Pei sat in the Yilan Residence for the whole morning. They chose a seat by the window, took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and asked Jun Wu to tell them some of his ideas and ideas while listening to the rain. The maids and attendants sat down around them. Zhou Pei wore a veil in a ladylike manner. She nibbled on a pastry under the veil as she looked around to see what was going on in other places. The furnishings of the Yilan Residence were already similar to the teahouses and restaurants of the future. Every corner was separated by screens and flowers. The field of view from every corner was not wide, but there was a sense of pleasure in peeping at others. When the sound of stringed bamboo music was heard, it gave off the feeling of a large group of people touring the garden. It was a perfect combination of elegance and vulgarity.
"… Actually, if you want to fly in the sky, there are several kinds of ideas. We can start from the things we have now and divide them into three: a kite, a flying kick, and a Kongming lantern. We can draw all of them …"
What Ning Yi and his younger brother were writing and drawing next to her was naturally what she was most concerned about. They were talking about how to fly in the sky — Zhou Pei was a little helpless about this matter. She knew that Jun Wu was looking forward to flying in the sky one day after he learned how to study things. However, it was enough for her younger brother to fantasize about it. Today, Ning Yi, as his teacher, was discussing it with his younger brother, which made her feel a little out of place.
But the development of the situation was quite strange. It was raining outside, and there was a faint singing in the restaurant. Mr. Ning actually drew a lot of things there. One after another, from the structure and principle of the structure, the possibility of flying in the sky … Flying in the sky? How could it be possible? He wasn't an immortal. However, after listening to Ning Yi's detailed and simple explanation, Zhou Pei vaguely felt that it was really possible to fly in the sky.
The most likely one was a large Kongming lantern with a hanging basket. The other was something with two pairs of wings, which was more complicated. However, it was evolved from a kite. Zhou Pei could understand some of the basic principles. If kites of all sizes could fly in the sky, this … was it also possible?
This thought only flashed through her mind. What made her most depressed was that after listening to this, her younger brother would probably be even more fascinated by the study of things and become a craftsman. This Ning Liheng … Mr. Ning … is not trustworthy!
Then, she heard Ning Yi begin to talk to Jun Wu about something else.
"… These few days, I'll bring you to see the looms, the cranes on the dock, the waterwheel, and the printing press. These things have been developing. The loom now has more than 1,600 parts, and its efficiency has increased by more than five times compared to two hundred years ago. Compared to the most primitive loom from a thousand years ago, it has developed more than ten times. The waterwheel has also developed by two to three times, and it has become more durable. In the book printing workshop, the engraving is getting better and better, and the masters are getting more and more proficient. There are still many problems with the movable type, but of course, there is room for development. We just need to find more durable movable type materials. When will we find them? If this continues, it should only be a matter of time …"
Zhou Pei pouted behind the veil while Jun Wu nodded desperately. Ning Yi smiled. "But … do you know how many people have been doing this for more than two hundred years?"
He paused for a moment. "There are at least hundreds of thousands of people in the Jiangnan area who rely on the weaving industry for a living. How many generations have passed in the past two hundred years? Everyone relies on weaving for a living. The more they weave, the more money they can make. After the rise of the workshop, wealthy families like the Su family will at least hire a few craftsmen to help improve the loom. After so many years, with so many people, the efficiency has increased by five times. Some people can only improve a small part of the loom in their entire lives … "
Jun Wu frowned in confusion. Ning Yi sighed and said, "Actually, the people who really researched and improved the looms were all stupid people. The really smart people would all go to school as long as they had some connections. After all, everything else is inferior to studying. Who would want to be a craftsman if they have the opportunity to study? But let's say there are a thousand people in this field, even if they are stupid … Jun Wu, do you think you are more capable than a thousand people? "
Jun Wu hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
"You were still young before, but now you're thirteen. Even if you can't start a family, you can still start making up your mind. I can tell you about these things." Ning Yi placed a piece of paper with a drawing of a hot air balloon in front of Zhou Junwu. "This is the simplest method we can come up with. There are a few problems that you have to solve. What kind of rope to use, what kind of fuel to use, and how to control the size of the fire in the most stable way. The fire must be big enough, but it can't be too heavy. The fabric used for the top part of the hot air balloon must be airtight and able to withstand the heat of the fire. It can't be broken. If it's broken, even if it's just a small hole, everyone on the balloon will die. Each of these things requires the help of other professions. Just to make this kind of good fabric, you might have to work in the weaving industry for the rest of your life. As for the rope used on the top, you know how to weave the hemp rope used by the crane on the dock. It's related to the efficiency of the crane, so it's very particular … You can't even control the direction of the hot air balloon. Can you do it alone in your lifetime? "
"Then … then what should I do …" Jun Wu's face was already scrunched up. Zhou Pei, on the other hand, was stunned for a long time. She looked at Ning Yi and blinked. She had already vaguely guessed what Ning Yi was going to say.
Ning Yi tilted his head and looked at the child in front of him with a bewitching smile. "You're still young. At first, you liked this kind of thing because you thought it was interesting. But there's nothing in this world that can be easily done if you're happy all the time. What I'm going to tell you next, you can think about it in a few years, because I might be going to the capital soon and I won't have time to teach you these things …
"Your sister has always hoped that you'll become a great person in the future, that you'll be able to make peace for the world, but it's impossible. Although you're young, you know this. His Highness Prince Kang also understands this, so he never cares about you. But it just so happens that in the future, you can become a craftsman. There's no problem at all. In the future, you'll have money and power. You can win over a large number of smart people. You can make them do all kinds of things with a purpose. As long as you can control the overall situation and grasp the direction, the time needed to make these things can be shortened by ten times. So first, you have to learn to be a smart prince and learn how to make more people do the same things as you. You're very smart. If you're really interested, there are many people in the palace who can teach you this … "
When Ning Yi said that he was going to the capital, there was a kind of solemn feeling in his voice. Almost at that time, Jun Wu made a decision with great excitement. And in the next few months and even years, something similar to a sense of mission gradually piled up in his heart. There were some things that his master might not be able to do, but he could do them.
This was a story for another time. And at that time, the young princess Zhou Pei was even more in admiration of the other party's eloquence. That day, the matter of Zhou Junwu was temporarily resolved. In the afternoon, when he returned to the Su family, he heard from Xing 'er that a few Confucian scholars had come to visit him in the morning. They were all famous scholars in Jiangning, and one of them was a guest of the palace. They invited Ning Yi to attend a literary meeting in two days. This literary meeting was different from the poetry meetings where young people tried to show their talent. The people attending the meeting were all Confucian scholars with a deep foundation. They talked about poetry, essays, and current affairs. The few people waited for Ning Yi for half the morning. Seeing that he wasn't there, they left the invitation.
"I'm not going."
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