The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 1043 Returning a Favor
Yu Qian was a stubborn man; apart from him, none of the other ministers persisted despite the emperor and the imperial advisor's firm stance.

So persuading him was equivalent to persuading the entire cabinet.

The Northern Garrison Command officially separated its intelligence department and formed it into a large department. At Pan Yun's suggestion, the National Security Investigation Bureau was established, and Bi You, the deputy commander of the Northern Garrison Command, was appointed to be in charge of this matter. An Chen was promoted to deputy commander and served as his deputy.

Pan Yun met with Bi You and then took the radiant An Chen team away.

She went to the Ministry of Works to collect the telegraph machines and materials that had been prepared and delivered from various places.

Seeing the boxes piled on the ground disappear with a wave of her hand, the officials and craftsmen of the Ministry of Works had seen it before, yet they still showed admiration.

Hu Cheng, on the other hand, acted as if he couldn't see anything and kept pleading poverty with Pan Yun.

Pan Jun thought for a moment, then took out a large box, opened it, and inside were stacks of gold bars.

"This is the final payment for this batch of telegraph machines. Any extra will be considered as a deposit. I will pay the remaining balance when I come back to pick them up next time."

Hu Cheng was delighted to see the gold. He took the box and casually handed it to his deputy.

Pan Yun was waiting for him.

Hu Cheng then gestured for her to leave.

The two were locked in a stalemate for a moment.

Pan Yun: "Minister Hu, receipt."

"Oh, oh," Hu Cheng realized what was happening and quickly instructed his deputy to weigh the gold and issue a receipt. He explained, "I haven't been in charge of this kind of thing for a long time and forgot. Please forgive me, Grand Preceptor."

“No wonder,” Pan Yun looked around and asked, “What are all of you doing here?”

"Let's have a meeting," Hu Cheng said with a radiant face. "By chance, the steelworks in Guangningwei have produced excellent steel. The steel pipes are seamless, hard, and have sufficient heat resistance. I have tested them, and if we use them as cannon barrels, the range of our Ming Dynasty's cannons can be increased by another fifty meters."

"So I called people over to carefully study how this batch of steel pipes was made. The furnace needs to be improved, and the technology also needs to be improved. We not only want to achieve industrialized production, but also to further enhance the technology."

Pan Yun: "It's fine."

Hu Cheng rubbed his hands and asked, "Grand Preceptor, do you have any related ancient books? There's no need to fake their age; in our eyes, they are already old."

Pan Yun: "..."

Thinking that technological advancements would ultimately benefit them, Pan Yun generously asked, "What aspect do you want? I'll dream about it tonight and have it copied for you from heaven."

Hu Cheng paused, cautiously stealing glances at Pan Yun.

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow at him, and Hu Cheng immediately perked up, grinning, "Is the Imperial Advisor serious?"

Pan Yun: "This humble Taoist priest does not lie."

Hu Cheng rolled up his sleeves and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony. Let me give you a list."

Pan Yun nodded slightly: "I will leave the palace this evening."

Hu Cheng immediately replied, "I will definitely deliver the form to the Imperial Observatory before evening."

Because Pan Yun's travels were so convenient, the emperor didn't feel much sorrow at parting, unlike others who left as if it were a matter of life and death.

But he still ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare a lot of delicious food for her to take away.

It was so strange that Miaozhen and Miaohe went to the imperial kitchen to beg for food that the news reached the Emperor and Empress. The Emperor and Empress felt that the Imperial Preceptor worked hard for the country, received a meager salary, yet gave so much to the country. How could they not even be allowed to eat their fill?
The Emperor and Empress Wang, one after the other, instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare many delicious dishes for Pan Yun.

Miaohe and Miaozhen, like mice that have fallen into a rice jar, happily stuffed everything into their own space.

Pan Yun was happy because of his fellow disciples, and he became even more generous to the emperor, finally squeezing out his precious time to restart the research on Lingxintong.

Pan Yun spread out all the magic arrays she had drawn in front of Zhang Zijin, and after three "clangs," excitedly introduced, "The so-called Spirit Communication uses the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as a medium to transmit information. The four energies of spirit, essence, demon, and monster can all be used as a medium to replace signal base stations for transmitting information..."

Zhang Zijin interrupted her explanation: "What is a signal base station?"

Pan Jun paused for a moment, then explained to him in simple and easy-to-understand language what information science is.

Fortunately, in order to prepare telegraph machines and signal receiving stations, as well as to train telegraph operators, she had previously focused on learning about these areas and even copied booklets for the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Academy to study and research.

That's why she was able to speak at that moment.

After listening to her finish speaking, Zhang Zijin said, "According to what you said, in the future, even ordinary objects will have artifacts that can communicate over long distances. However, spiritual communication requires Yuan energy to use. There are only a few cultivators in this world, so why bother to research it?"

Pan Jun: "It's because you all think this way that my cultivation world hasn't progressed over the years. Cultivation is about cultivating the origin of things, which is science. Technology and thought also need to progress."

Zhang Zijin: "After reaching the third rank, even communicating with someone a thousand miles away is only a matter of a thought. That is the second rank. Although it is a bit troublesome, communicating is still simple. Oh, I forgot, you haven't reached the second rank yet."

Pan Yun: ...

Zhang Zijin asked arrogantly, "So why do we need to study this?"

Pan Yun: "How many cultivators in this world are above the second rank? Why don't you open your eyes and take a look? The teachers in the academy are basically all first rank cultivators, not to mention the students."

“Therefore you should not study this thing. These are all external things that will only distract you. When it’s time to cultivate, you should cultivate properly,” Zhang Zijin said. “Those who cultivate the Tao must cut off worldly desires and restrain their desires. But you are as if you are afraid that their temptations are not enough. Do you know how tempting a spiritual communication device that can be used to contact and exchange information at any time is?”

"Once the other person loses control of their desires and becomes addicted to them, their life will be ruined."

Pan Yun: "...Senior, you truly have great foresight."

The accuracy of her prediction was so great that she couldn't refute it. Who in later generations can live without a mobile phone?
In her world, after the spiritual energy revived, the world underwent tremendous changes, many signal base stations were destroyed, and human communication was limited to a certain area.

Therefore, the research institute developed the Lingxintong, but the first few versions could only be used by people who had already cultivated it.

This version of the Spirit Communication Array is public; although it takes effort, she can replicate it with some work.

Later, after nearly twenty years of development, a research institute created the Lingxintong, which could be used without the need for Yuanli (essence energy).

Most of the technology is shared, but the key magic arrays are the secrets of various research institutes and companies.

Pan Yun was not a researcher in this field in her previous life, so she did not master this technology. However, she was proficient in magic arrays, and she was confident that as long as she was willing to put in the effort, she would definitely be able to research it.

But she's busy right now, and she's hoping to find someone to help her.

After looking around, the only one who was proficient in formations, didn't need to be a beast of burden in cultivation, and had plenty of free time was Zhang Zijin.

So she came to him and said, "I want to make a spiritual communicator that ordinary people can also use."

Zhang Zijin: "Didn't you say that ordinary people can use information science to make corresponding ordinary objects to replace them?"

(End of this chapter)