When they left the Political Announcement Hall, the officials were still gathered in groups of three to five. They were discussing the voices that they had just heard with great interest. Those who did not get the chance to speak were listening with interest at the side. From time to time, they would interrupt to ask a few questions to understand what was going on.
"How clear was the voice? Was it like a normal conversation?"
"Could you really tell who it was?"
"Very clear. It was just like a normal conversation. I could hear anyone's voice clearly."
"What a pity. It was so close to my turn just now."
"It's not a pity. Assistant Minister Li said just now that we will all have a phone like this in a few years' time. In the future, we can sit at home and play with it however we want. Haha! Aren't you excited? "
"Oh, I can't believe there's such a good thing. This is great news! It'll be so convenient to communicate with each other in the future. "
"If it can really be transmitted thousands of miles away, we won't need to write letters to contact our relatives in our hometown. We can contact them every day!"
"Yes! Yes! Our parents are old and far away in their hometown. With this, we can pay our respects every day. If anything happens at home, we won't have to delay any further. "
"This is really something that will benefit the country and the people! There's nothing more practical than this. "
The group of officials chatted as they walked.
In the direction of the Illustrious Virtue Gate, not a single person left. Instead, more and more people gathered. Everyone felt that if they left, it would be their loss.
However, only those with the highest status and position could ascend the city gate tower of the Illustrious Virtue Gate. The commoners were stopped by the soldiers. After all, there were too many people up there. Even the nobles could not fit in, let alone the commoners. If everyone rushed up, the city gate tower would collapse.
"It's my turn. Let me listen."
"Why is there no sound? Is the court dismissed?"
"It should be dismissed at this hour. Is there really no sound at all?"
"There's some sound, but it's not talking. It's the sound of walking. There are only a few people."
"Give it to me. Let me listen."
The rich young masters began to fight over it, and were having a lot of fun.
Li Yu was tired from playing. He stood on the city wall to enjoy the breeze. Many people who had answered the phone call came out. There were too many people inside and the air quality was not very good. Moreover, with so many people here, if one person kept hogging the phone, the rest of the people would not be able to play. That would be boring and people would complain. Even the imperial grandson did not want to suppress others in this kind of situation.
"Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon, this thing is really good. I wonder when we can get one back?"
"This must be very expensive! Did Assistant Minister Li say how much it's worth? "
"I met Assistant Minister Li with you yesterday. He knows as much as you do. However, this machine doesn't look big, so it shouldn't be too troublesome to make. I think that in a few months, all the families of the officials in the capital will be able to afford it. Then, it'll be much easier to contact them."
"Oh, that's great. When the time comes, I'll definitely buy a few more. I'll install one in every yard at home. I'll install one in the fields in the countryside and in my hometown. I'll install it everywhere I can."
"How greedy. What a beautiful dream."
"Of course! How would we know if we don't think about it? "
A few people said.
Even though there was no more sound from the other side, the people gathered at the Illustrious Virtue Gate had no intention of leaving. Even though they could only hear the footsteps, they enjoyed it. It was as if they were born to be despicable and addicted to the sound of footsteps.
In the Political Announcement Hall, a few eunuchs entered. Soon, the Emperor came in with his imperial concubine.
"Hahaha! Your Majesty, this is the machine that can hear sounds from afar. It looks so strange! I wonder if my elder sisters are still in the Illustrious Virtue Gate. "
The imperial concubine walked in with a smile.
Even though the Political Announcement Hall was not a place for women, there were not many people here. They were not discussing important matters of the country, so there was nothing wrong with taking a look. After all, it was just a house.
"Why don't you ask them yourself, my dear?"
The Emperor said.
Gao Lishi quickly said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, let me ask them first. I don't want anyone to offend you."
He was very considerate. When the Emperor picked up the phone, he was offended by Li Yu. Fortunately, they were grandfather and grandson, so it was not a serious matter. Therefore, it was not a big problem. However, if someone were to tease the imperial concubine, it would not be fun at all.
"Who's on the other side? Is Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon around? "
Gao Lishi got the nod of approval and immediately asked the other side.
"There's a voice. Where's Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon? I'm looking for Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon. "
"Is he outside? Who's on the other side? He sounds quite old. "
"How dare you! Which old man in the palace can you afford to offend? Are you tired of living?"
The ones who answered the phone at the Illustrious Virtue Sect were a few young men. They were very unruly. Even Gao Lishi, who was on the other end of the line, could not help but frown. Luckily, it was him who called. If it was the imperial concubine's voice, who knew what these young men would say? One look and one could tell that they were used to being arrogant. It was obvious which rich and powerful family they were from.
After a while, Li Yu ran over to answer the phone.
"Who's looking for me?"
Li Yu said casually.
"Gwangbyeong Of Gojoseon. It's me!"
Gao Lishi said.
"Oh, it's Gao Weng! Has the court session in the Xuande Hall ended? I can't hear anything. "
"Yes, the court session has ended. Are the madams still around? The imperial concubine wants to speak to them. "
Gao Lishi asked.
"Yes, but they're on the city walls. You'll have to wait for a while. Chen Zhuang, go and invite the madams over."
Li Yu said and took the opportunity to chat with Gao Lishi.
After a while, the madams arrived.
"Everyone, it's about time for today. You can all go back! It's time for lunch. You can come back after you've eaten. Go back! "
Li Yu got up and asked everyone to leave. It had been a few hours and it was time to go back.
Although the crowd was unwilling, they could only leave after hearing Li Yu's words.
"Greetings to the imperial concubine."
"You sound like Eighth Sister. How's the Illustrious Virtue Gate?"
"Not good. There are heads everywhere and the air stinks. It stinks."
"Is there no one around? How dare you say that. Do you know how many nobles you'll offend if word gets out?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm speaking the truth. I've never been afraid of anyone. "
"Alright, I'm scared of you. Is Eldest Sister around?"
"Yes …"
The four ladies started chatting.
"Come with me, my dear minister."
The Emperor asked Ang Lee to follow him. Ang Lee followed him.
"Your Majesty, if you have any questions, please ask."
Ang Lee said.
The Emperor nodded and said, "I have many questions. Come, let's sit in the pavilion and talk. Xiao Gao, prepare some tea."
"Your Majesty, please ask whatever you want. I'll tell you everything I know."
Ang Lee said.
"Alright. First, how much does this phone cost? How much does it cost to make one?"
The Emperor asked.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it's really not expensive. In fact, it's very cheap. It's much cheaper than many of the previous machines. A handful of gold can make many of them. If it's mass-produced in the future, the cost will be even lower."
"Oh, it's actually so cheap. I thought it would be expensive to have such a powerful machine here."
Li Longji said as if relieved of a heavy burden.
Although he was very optimistic about this machine, because it was very useful for the imperial court's rule, he was very worried that the phone would be too expensive. If it was too expensive, it would be difficult for the imperial court to popularize it on a large scale in a short period of time. No matter how rich the treasury was, it would not be able to afford a large consumption.
"Your Majesty, although the phone is not expensive at all, if you want to make a call, you need a copper wire, like the one above your head. It's okay if it's ten miles away, but if it's thousands of miles away, such a long copper wire will cost a lot of money. This is the most expensive part. The machines at both ends are not the most expensive."
Ang Lee said.
The Emperor nodded and said, "I understand. How many of such machines can be made in a month?"
"Your Majesty, it depends on how many craftsmen and how much money you invest. If you invest enough, it's not difficult to make thousands or tens of thousands a month."
Ang Lee said.
"Wow! It can make tens of thousands a month. That's amazing! "
The Emperor exclaimed.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. It's quite troublesome to study such a machine, but the materials used are not rare. The cost is naturally not high, and the production is fast enough. I can provide as much as Your Majesty needs."
"Good, that's great. Does such a machine have to be connected in pairs to make a call? If so, if every family in the capital can make a phone call, the sky of the Tang dynasty will be full of lines and the sky will be like a spider's web."
The Emperor asked.
"Your Majesty, you worry too much. In fact, there is no need for so many wires. It doesn't need to be connected in pairs. As long as the machine is connected to the line, it can make a call to all the connected phones on this line."
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"Haha! In that case, isn't it the same as an electric light? But the electric light only needs to be on, and this machine needs to make a call. How can it know who the call is made to? Or if a person is talking, all the machines connected to this line can hear the voice. "
Li Longji asked with a frown.
Ang Lee replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, there is something you don't know. Each of such machines has a fixed number, just like a person's name. Only when the number is dialed correctly, the machine with the corresponding number will ring. Then, the call can be made directly. So, the situation Your Majesty is worried about won't happen. This is a one-to-one call, and people on the same line won't hear it."
"Hahaha! I worry too much. By the way, what if several machines dial a number to one machine at the same time? Will several machines talk to one machine at the same time? "
Li Longji thought of another problem.
Ang Lee said with a smile again, "Your Majesty is very thoughtful. You don't have to worry about such a situation. In such a situation, only the first phone can be connected, and the other phones can't be connected. They need to wait for the previous phones to be finished and put away before they can be connected again. So, the busy government offices must install many phones in the future. One is far from enough. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time to keep the lights on one by one."
"Hahaha! There is such a thing? It's amazing. I really can't imagine how Assistant Minister Li invented these strange machines. Where did Assistant Minister Li learn these things? "
Li Longji was surprised and couldn't help but become curious about Ang Lee. He always felt that Ang Lee was like an immortal. He was too awesome.
"Your Majesty, if I tell you that I learned these things a thousand years later, will Your Majesty believe it?"
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"What? A thousand years later? How is that possible? Assistant Minister Li, are you kidding?"
Li Longji exclaimed.
"Hahaha! I just said it casually. Your Majesty, you don't have to think too much. But I am more loyal to the Tang Dynasty. This will never change. The more I study, the more beneficial it will be to the Tang Dynasty. "
Ang Lee said with a smile.
If he told the Emperor the truth, it would probably scare the old man. Moreover, he might not be able to gain the Emperor's trust. Who would believe such a ridiculous thing? But Ang Lee really didn't know how to explain it. He just said that he learned it from a supermundane master. But where was the supermundane master? Why did he pass on these skills to Ang Lee and not to him, the Emperor?
Seeing that the Emperor still had doubts, Ang Lee continued, "Your Majesty, just think that I was sent by Heaven to assist Your Majesty, for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."
"Sent by Heaven?"
Li Longji furrowed his brows.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you don't have to take it seriously. What I mean is that I am too smart and can always understand something that others can't understand. I must be a natural-born literary star. Otherwise, I can't explain why I am so smart. Hahaha!"
"Well, that's right. You must be a natural-born literary star. I think so too. It seems that Heaven still cares about the Tang Dynasty. It is really a blessing for the Tang Dynasty to let such a talented person like you assist the Emperor!"
Li Longji said with a smile.
Later, the Emperor asked about the principle of the telephone. Ang Lee naturally answered seriously. As long as the Emperor didn't understand it, Ang Lee could explain it well. He didn't care whether the Emperor could understand it or not, but he must explain it well so that the Emperor could roughly understand it.
The Imperial Concubine and her three sisters were really good at chatting. They chatted for at least half an hour in the Xuande Palace. Ang Lee and the Emperor also chatted for a long time in the small pavilion outside. They drank five or six cups of the palace's good tea.
"My dear concubine, you finally finished chatting. How do you feel? What's the difference between chatting in person and chatting in person? "
Seeing the Imperial Concubine come out, the Emperor asked.
"I can hear the voice very clearly. However, it is still different from chatting in person. There are some changes in the voice, but it is already very good."
The Imperial Concubine replied very pertinently.
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