My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 78 Public and Private
"Minister Lei?"

The one who called Su Ze was the Minister of Works Lei Li.

Lei Li is short in stature. If he were not wearing a scarlet official robe, he would be just an ordinary old man.

However, as the head of the Ministry of Works, no one would take Lei Li lightly, so Su Ze saluted respectfully.

Lei Li said with a thick Jiangxi accent:

"I ordered the Ministry of Works to conduct the experiment Zilin published in the Yuefu New Newspaper. The wooden and iron balls indeed landed at the same time. I pondered this for a long time, but couldn't find the answer. What's the reason?"

Including Zhao Zhenji, several slow-paced cabinet ministers also pricked up their ears, wanting to hear Su Ze's explanation.

Su Ze did not expect that the experiment he published in "Yuefu Xinbao" would be verified so quickly by someone, and it was Lei Li, the Minister of Works.

The work of our Ming Dynasty Ministry of Works is not saturated!
But this is exactly the purpose of Su Ze publishing these scientific experiments in "Yuefu Xinbao" continuously.

He said:
"To answer Minister Lei's question, the Mohist Classic says, 'Force is the reason why action is vigorous.' A wooden ball or an iron ball falls because of force."

Lei Li nodded repeatedly. He was the Minister of Works who had built three major halls. He was also proficient in the art of construction and knew too much about force!

Su Ze pointed to the ground and said:

"Man is able to keep his feet firmly on the ground because the earth has a strong pull on him. All things are pulled by gravity, just as a child throws itself into its mother's arms; a wooden ball or an iron ball falls because of this force."

Hearing this, Zhao Zhenji also nodded. It was obvious that Su Ze's theory of gravity was somewhat similar to the Taizhou Wangxue speculation that he believed in.

Su Ze continued:

“Everything has gravity, but if something is heavy, the force will sink.”

Lei Li also nodded. This principle was easy to understand.

Su Ze said again:
"The force of an iron ball is heavy, but the iron ball is heavy. The force of a wooden ball is light, but the wooden ball is light. If the force is equal, the speed will be the same."

Lei Li's hand that was twirling his beard suddenly stopped. He remembered that when the Ministry of Works was building materials, the speeds of the carts and horses that transported them often varied depending on the load.

In Su Ze's example, the iron ball is heavy but has great gravity, while the wooden ball is light but has little gravity, so their acceleration is similar and they land at the same time.

His cloudy eyes suddenly brightened. "Zilin, are you saying that no matter how light or heavy the iron or wood is, the force it bears is proportional to its material, so the speed of its fall is consistent?"

As expected, he was an engineering expert with rich practical experience in engineering. Su Ze understood everything immediately.

At this time, Zhao Zhenji asked again:

"The other day, I was practicing calligraphy at home, and my paper and pen fell over at the same time. According to your explanation, they should have fallen to the ground at the same time, so why did the pen hit the ground first?"

Su Ze looked at Zhao Zhenji. It turns out that Lord Zhao also secretly conducted experiments at home!

Su Ze immediately said:

“Because of wind resistance.”

"Wind resistance?"

"Heaven and earth are born from Qi, and all things are placed in Qi, just like in water, which has its own power to support it."

"The iron and wooden balls are heavy, so the wind resistance is minimal and not a problem. But for paper, the wind resistance is like a boat in water, so it falls to the ground more slowly than a pen."

When Su Ze raised his sleeves, he saw the sleeves of his official robe moving with the air resistance. Zhao Zhenji immediately understood what Su Ze meant.

The leaders present nodded in satisfaction. Although Su Ze had only explained it conceptually, the underlying principles were still quite interesting. Lei Li was also very interested in the theory of gravity. Force analysis was the most important aspect of civil engineering in later generations, and he had clearly drawn inspiration from Su Ze.

But to Su Ze's disappointment, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng seemed not to be interested in Su Ze's knowledge. They left in a hurry after the cabinet meeting.

Su Ze felt a little regretful that he missed another opportunity to show his presence in front of the elder.

Although Su Ze has the authority to enter and leave Gao Gong's house, he does not want to go there every day like a bootlicker.

On the one hand, Su Ze was unwilling to do such a thing in his previous life, and he instinctively resisted using connections.

On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty was actually very taboo about this kind of secret clique-forming behavior.

Ordinary officials can rely on the elders without any bottom line, but Su Ze is a Hanlin official and is regarded as the future prime minister. If he relies on Gao Gong without any bottom line, he will be despised by the ministers, and even Gao Gong will look down on him.

Those who cater to Gao Gong in official affairs can be said to be "public party" because their political views are consistent with Gao Gong's.

But if they come to show their favor for no reason, then they are part of a private party, and once Gao Gong falls, they will be the targets of liquidation.

Since he couldn't gain their favor this time, Su Ze didn't need to be anxious. Anyway, as long as he did his job well, these two would always appreciate him.
-
After the cabinet meeting ended, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War quickly drew up a list of recommended officials.

Tan Lun was transferred to the post of Governor-General of Ji and Liao, and was promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. A minister of this level was recommended by the Ministry of Personnel and then recommended by the Cabinet and sent to Emperor Longqing.

With a stroke of his red pen, Emperor Longqing marked that Tan Lun, an old subordinate of Hu Zongxian who was almost purged, was once again valued by the court.

Although the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi is also a governor-general, the title of governor-general in the Ming Dynasty has always been based on the nine frontiers.

Moreover, being given the title of Vice Minister of War was a very obvious signal of promotion. If Tan Lun did a good job as Governor-General of Ji and Liao, he would have the opportunity to compete for the position of Minister of War.

The appointment of Qi Jiguang as the Xuanda General was much simpler. He was recommended by the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War, and after being approved by the Cabinet, it was sent to the emperor's desk. The appointment was completed after the Imperial Household Department stamped it, and Qi Jiguang, the Fujian General, was officially dispatched to the north.
-
"Sister! Brother-in-law!"

At the canal transport dock outside the capital, a young man was waving at Shen Shixing.

Shen Shixing was wearing casual clothes and standing on the dock with his wife Wu and a group of servants.

The old boatman on the canal boat threw the rope onto the shore, and the boatmen on the shore pulled the rope to pull the canal boat to the shore, and a young scholar in a brocade robe jumped onto the shore.

This young man was none other than Shen Shixing’s brother-in-law, Wu Youning, the son of the Wu family of Taicang.

Shen Shixing's wife, Wu, had always doted on her younger brother. Seeing how he had weathered the storm, she felt sorry for him and said,

"It's all your brother-in-law's fault. He insisted on making you take the imperial examination in the capital. It must have been hard on the way, right?"

Shen Shixing smiled bitterly. As the top scorer in the imperial examination, he naturally knew how difficult the Suzhou provincial examination was.

What level is my brother-in-law at? It would be difficult for him to pass the Suzhou Prefecture's provincial examination, which is of hellish difficulty.

If he hadn't used his connections, Wu Youning wouldn't have had the opportunity to enter the Imperial College and take part in the Shuntian Prefecture's provincial examination.

However, Wu Youning was sensible and said to his sister:
"This time, my brother-in-law helped me a lot, so my younger brother could go to Beijing to prepare for the exam. Thank you so much, brother-in-law!"

Wu Youning bowed respectfully. Before he left, his father had given him many instructions. He said that his brother-in-law had a bright future and the future of the Wu family probably depended on him. Naturally, he did not dare to neglect him in the slightest.

Shen Shixing was very satisfied with his brother-in-law. Although the Wu family of Wu County was not wealthy, they were also well-known gentry in Suzhou Prefecture. The fact that he was born in such a family without being infected with bad habits and was able to prepare for the imperial examinations diligently showed that the Wu family's family tradition was still positive.

At this time, a servant with bright eyes and white teeth also jumped off the boat. When Shen Shixing and Wu saw this servant, their faces immediately turned ugly.

(End of this chapter)