readsfreenovel Chapter 415 Steam Engine?
Chapter 415 Steam Engine?
Kong Jia lowered his eyes, his expression respectful yet distant: "Your Highness, please understand that our humble family has declined and our old books have long been lost. We truly do not possess such a rare copy."
"Is that so?" Ying Wuyou walked slowly closer, then suddenly asked softly, "Then what are those wax-sealed bamboo slips that the Tian family of Chu possesses?"
Kong Jia's pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers trembled slightly in his sleeve, but he still forced himself to remain calm: "Your subject... does not know what the princess means."
Ying Wuyou did not force him; instead, she turned around and personally poured him a cup of tea.
"Sir, have you ever considered that if these rare books continue to be kept in private residences, will they still be around a hundred years from now?"
Kong Jia was taken aback.
Ying Wuyou continued, “A third of Chunyu Yue’s books were eaten by insects; Shusun Tong secretly made seventeen deletions and alterations to the classics he ‘collated’; and the bamboo slips you sent to Chu… did you know that the Tian family suffered a great fire last year?”
Kong Jia's expression changed drastically.
Ying Wuyou sighed softly: "The imperial court prints books not to monopolize them, but to ensure that these classics will not be completely destroyed even if the world is in chaos."
She took out a list from her sleeve and pushed it in front of Kong Jia: "This is the 'Book Protection Order' drafted by the court. Anyone who presents a book can be appointed as a 'Doctoral Supervisor of Books', with the power to proofread and collate, and their family members can be admitted to the Imperial Academy."
Kong Jia looked down closely, his fingertips trembling slightly. The list clearly stated: "Those who donate books will have their names permanently signed, and any future printings will be titled 'Collection of So-and-so.'"
This is tantamount to the imperial court officially recording the name of the book donor in history!
After a long silence, Kong Jia sighed and took out a bronze key from his bosom.
“In the old house in Qufu, there are three pottery urns in the cellar.” His voice was hoarse. “What’s hidden inside… are the manuscripts of our ancestors.”
Ying Wuyou did not show any joy, but bowed solemnly and said, "Sir, your righteousness will be remembered by all students."
Kong Jia shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It is not that I wish to follow, but that you, my lord, understand people's hearts too well."
Three days later, Kong Jia personally led his disciples to retrieve the bamboo slips from the cellar. Among them were not only previously unpublished commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals, but also several lost passages from the Book of Poetry, making them priceless treasures.
Ying Wuyou kept his promise, not only having Kong Jia lead the Imperial Library in proofreading books, but also erecting a monument in the main hall of the library, inscribing the names of all the book donors.
Kong Jia slowly closed his eyes, silently asking in his heart, "From now on, Confucian classics will belong to the world. Ancestor, is this your grand wish?" However, all around was silent, and no sound answered his question.
The news of Kong Jia donating his entire collection of books caused a great stir within the Confucian school. Many people began to follow his example, donating their own rare and unique copies. Of course, there were also some who treasured these rare books so much that they would rather die than part with them. Ying Wuyou did not force these people to do so. She knew that everyone valued knowledge to a different degree, and she firmly believed that as time went on, more and more people would voluntarily donate their rare books.
Time flies, and more than a month has passed in a flash. Ying Wuyou stood in front of the foundation of the library, which was beginning to take shape. The craftsmen of the Shaofu presented the construction drawings of the library, but Ying Wuyou only glanced at them before shaking his head and rejecting them.
“Use cement and stone for everything.” She pointed to the design. “The beams and columns will be carved from granite, the roof will be covered with terracotta tiles, and the mortise and tenon joints will be reinforced with copper and iron—not an inch of wood will be used.”
The craftsman was taken aback: "Sir, while stone construction is fireproof, it is extremely expensive and takes a long time to complete..."
“If the classics are burned, they cannot be redeemed even with a fortune.” Ying Wuyou interrupted him, “Just do as I say.”
She recalled how the Zhou royal archives were destroyed by fire, and how much wisdom of the ancients was reduced to ashes. Thinking of this, Ying Wuyou secretly made a resolution: "Such a tragedy must never be repeated."
After solving the stone problem, Ying Wuyou faced another challenge: "light".
While a sealed stone chamber is certainly safe, how can one concentrate on reading if it's dark all day long? Just then, a thought suddenly flashed through Ying Wuyou's mind—glass! It's a common material in modern society; spacious and bright floor-to-ceiling windows allow sunlight to flood the room, providing excellent lighting conditions.
Ying Wuyou couldn't help but feel annoyed by her own forgetfulness. Since transmigrating to this era, she seemed to be gradually drifting further and further away from modern life. She gave a helpless bitter smile, wondering how she could have so easily forgotten those things she had once taken for granted.
However, just as she was mocking herself, she suddenly remembered that Xu Fu and the others had been studying chemistry for over a month. She wondered how they were doing? Had they successfully made glass? This thought stirred a sense of anticipation in Ying Wuyou's heart, and she decided to go to the estate immediately to check.
So, Ying Wuyou boarded the carriage and sped towards the manor. Along the way, she noticed the people on both sides of the road busily harvesting wheat. The golden ears of wheat shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, as if telling of the joy of a bountiful harvest. Ying Wuyou couldn't help but sigh at how quickly time flew by; in the blink of an eye, it was harvest season again.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the estate. Ying Wuyou eagerly alighted and headed straight for Xu Fu and the others' courtyard. As she entered, she saw several people boiling water in the distance. Upon seeing this, Ying Wuyou's eyes lit up, and she wondered to herself, "Who is it? Is that genius researching the steam engine?"
Ying Wuyou strode towards the steaming courtyard, her heart pounding involuntarily. Images of Watt's improvements to the steam engine flashed through her mind—that great invention that propelled the entire Industrial Revolution. Could it be that in this timeline, the steam engine was about to appear so soon?
The courtyard gate was ajar. Ying Wuyou gently pushed it open, and a wave of humid, hot steam rushed out. In the center of the courtyard, several young people were busy around a copper device. The main body of the device was a sealed copper pot, with a copper pipe connected to the top. The other end of the pipe pushed a simple piston mechanism. As the water in the pot boiled, the piston moved up and down rhythmically, causing a connected wooden wheel to rotate slowly.
“The pressure isn’t enough,” a thin young man said, bending over to adjust the fire in the stove below. “We need a more airtight connection.”
Ying Wuyou recognized the speaker—Lu Sheng, an alchemist who had refined elixirs for the King of Qin, and was later given to Ying Wuyou by the King. At this moment, he was focused on the device, completely unaware that someone had entered. His hands were covered in coal dust, and his sleeves were half-dampened by steam, but his eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Lu Sheng,” Ying Wuyou called out, “what kind of novelty is this?”
Lu Sheng looked up abruptly and, seeing it was Ying Wuyou, quickly bowed: "Princess, please forgive me for not greeting you sooner." A hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. "This is a simple device I made using the principle of 'steam power' based on something from a chemistry textbook. After Fellow Daoist Xu taught us how to make alkali, I suddenly thought that perhaps I could..."