I, the Ming Dynasty, can still save me

Chapter 25 Matteo Ricci’s Gift
Zhu Youxiao returned to Qianqing Palace after attending the morning court. After having a meal in a comfortable mood, he wanted to walk around the palace garden to eliminate food.

The high pressure and tight environment that he has been in since the time travel may have made him wind up tightly every day.The daily entertainment method is to go for a walk, take a walk or something.

Several times, the little eunuch who followed him would quietly mention whether he wanted to play with the carpenter stuff he used to make, but he was no longer the original Zhu Youxiao, so naturally he was not interested.

But today was different. In the court today, he mentioned the clocks, sound boxes and other objects that Western missionaries had given to Emperor Wanli.

He had heard these things mentioned by the eunuchs, but he had never seen them before.

Since he mentioned it today, as a person who traveled through time, he is also curious about how far the current technology can reach.So after the morning court, he gave Wang An instructions to take all the things that the missionaries had donated to Shenzong to Qianqing Palace so that he could take a good look at them.

When he came back from a walk in the palace garden, he saw a large table in the main hall of the Qianqing Palace. It was filled with Western objects. Next to the table were a scroll over one meter long and nearly two meters long and a rectangular box. .

Wang An was watching the little eunuchs setting up and cleaning. When he saw Zhu Youxiao coming, he quickly walked up to him and said respectfully:
"Your Majesty, I have put all the things donated by these Western monks here. Please take a look at them."

Zhu Youxiao walked over with interest.I saw a lot of things on the table. There was a book and a cross. I picked up the book and looked at it, but I didn’t understand what it meant. There were also three or four portraits. When I opened it, I saw that they were images of God and the Virgin Mary.He wasn't interested in these either, so he threw them away.

Then he picked up a glass triangular prism on the table. He picked it up and looked at it, thinking that it was a prism.

Wang An watched Wan Li playing with it with great interest, bowed and said, "This is something called a prism presented by the Western monk Matteo Ricci. When he presented it, he said that it can divide sunlight into three colors."

Of course Zhu Youxiao knew that this was not something he learned in junior high school.

He also left the Qianqing Palace with great interest, intending to try it himself and hold it under the sun. Sure enough, the sun cast through the Mitsubishi Mirror, forming three colors of yellow and green light.

After playing with it briefly, I became a little bored, so I threw it to Wang An and turned around and entered the Qianqing Palace.

There were two large objects on the table, which made Zhu Youxiao very interested.

There are two self-ringing bells. One is a large self-ringing bell made of gold-plated iron with a hanging weight. The surface of the bell case is engraved with a golden dragon pattern. It chimes once an hour. Zhu Youxiao had seen this before when he lived in his grandma's house, but This one is even more gorgeous.

There is also a small self-ringing clock made of gilded bronze, driven by spring, and as high as one hand.The shape is very exquisite, with the dial below and the eaves above.Zhu Youxiao picked it up and played with it.

Wang An took the opportunity to say: "These two self-ringing bells were also given by the Western monk Matteo Ricci. This small one keeps time very accurately. Every time the time is struck, a little bird pops up from above and makes a chirping sound.

Emperor Shenzong liked it very much and specially ordered it to be placed in his palace.If you like it, I will order it to be placed in the Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace. What do you think? "

After Zhu Youxiao heard this, he looked at Wang An with a smile: "You have a good idea. Let's put this little ornament in Qianqing Palace."

Then he asked with great interest, "What will the emperor do with that big clock?"

Wang An smiled and said: "This big self-ringing bell is too big and not suitable to be placed in Qianqing Palace, so Shenzong built a wooden attic in the palace back garden just to put this thing. However, this thing needs someone to keep winding it, and there is no one." It was used, and it was left there in the end. If Your Majesty hadn't thought of it, you wouldn't have put it in the Year of the Monkey and the Horse."

Zhu Youxiao thought so, but this thing is indeed useless now. Just have this small one.

In addition to prisms, chiming clocks and other items on the table, there are also objects such as music boxes, Spanish silver dollars, and Western cloth.But Zhu Youxiao just put away the Spanish silver dollar, which may be useful in the future.Although these small objects are a bit exquisite so far, they have not made Zhu Youxiao's eyes shine.

So he turned around to see what the two large objects next to the table were.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at the rectangular box. The eunuchs immediately opened the box after understanding. Zhu Youxiao took a closer look and realized that this was just a piano.

However, this piano is not that big. Unlike modern pianos, the strings are also exposed. It is a small fortepiano in which the strings are plucked with a plectrum instead of playing on the keyboard.

Zhu Youxiao was surprised that the piano was introduced to China so early.

After Wang An saw it, he signaled to a eunuch behind him. The eunuch stepped forward, gently picked up the piano and started to play the strings.The music is very simple, but when listening to the piano in the Ming Dynasty, this contrast made Zhu Youxiao very surprised and happy.

"Not bad, not bad, I played it well." Zhu Youxiao clapped his hands and smiled.

Wang An saw Zhu Youxiao so happy and said with a smile: "When Matteo Ricci presented this dulcimer, he also asked a Western monk to play it. Emperor Shenzong was also very interested in it, so he sent four young eunuchs Learn from this monk.

They each played a piece of music.The slave girl knew that Long Live Lord might be interested, so she asked a eunuch at that time to come over and play. "

Zhu Youxiao said with satisfaction: "My dear friend, I still have a good heart. I feel relieved to have you by my side."

When Wang An heard this, he looked happy and said, "It is a blessing for slaves and maids to run errands for Lord Long Live. As long as Lord Long Live is happy, slaves and maids will feel relieved."

"Okay, okay, don't brag. Quickly open the last thing. It's so big. Is it a painting?" Zhu Youxiao waved his hands. After seeing the piano, he was very concerned about the one-meter-long, fast thing. The two-meter scroll aroused even more interest.

Wang An signaled the young eunuchs to move the table, then placed the scroll on the ground and slowly opened it.A world map appeared in front of Zhu Youxiao's eyes, with "The Complete Map of Kunyu and All Nations" written on the top of the map.

Zhu Youxiao was shocked by a world map, especially because the picture on the world map was not very different from the world map Zhu Youxiao knew. There were Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America.Only Australia and Antarctica have not been marked, maybe they have not been discovered yet.

Even so, Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but be surprised. This was completely different from his previous understanding.

He lay excitedly on the map, looking at it and trying to find places he was familiar with. These were Taiwan, the Philippines, now called Luzon, India, Egypt, the British Isles, Europe, and North and South America.

Although some of the paintings were not so specific, Zhu Youxiao could still find the approximate location.

As I watched, I couldn't help but think that the Ming Dynasty was not completely behind the West. It was completely late to catch up. We must seize the opportunity and not miss the vast trend of the world.

Then he stood up and said, "Wang An, please have someone copy this painting into a small painting and hang it in the Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace. I will observe it from time to time and make more copies. I will also give it to others."

　The protagonist wants to step into the world tomorrow, but he can't do it with just a slap on the forehead or a sentence. He can only do it step by step and slowly.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)