[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties":3,"chapter-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-44":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Really Am Not Neglecting My Duties",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2363313,4622,"Chapter 44: Knowledge Is the Beginning of Action; Action Is the Fulfillment of Knowledge","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-44",44,"\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun led the ministers to his seedling room, and at this moment, he stood in the light, making Great Ming great again, starting from this seedling room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun led the ministers to a container filled with water—a device of peculiar design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only half a foot in size, with a glass bulb the size of an egg at its base, submerged in water; above the bulb rose a glass tube as thick as a finger, capped by a wooden stopper, through which another thin glass tube, about the thickness of three or four needles, protruded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire device was filled with water, and the thin glass tube above the stopper was marked with graduations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a thermometer, designed specifically to measure temperature. I had my men record the water level in the thin tube when the bulb was immersed in ice-water mixture, and marked that as 0; when the bulb was immersed in boiling water, I recorded the water level and marked that as 100, then divided the interval into one hundred equal parts,” Zhu Yijun introduced his first small invention: the thermometer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The device was extremely crude, but it was the best thermometer Zhu Yijun could achieve in the first year of Wanli; he could not record subzero temperatures because water would freeze and crack the tube—this device was sufficient for now, and if high-concentration alcohol became available later, the water in the bulb could be replaced to attempt measuring subzero temperatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun had not overlooked mercury, which the imperial household had no shortage of, but he had no good way to solve the problem of mercury evaporation—mercury vapor not only poisoned people but could also harm seedlings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For thermometer development, Zhu Yijun would not stop, but would advance step by step, steadily and firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This imprecise thermometer meticulously recorded the temperatures at which potatoes and sweet potatoes turned green and sprouted, providing reference for their cultivation in the north, and later, when promoting potato and sweet potato planting, there would be empirical grounds to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire chamber was the seedling room; outside it stood another thermometer. As Qingming approached, potatoes began to sprout—the one outside served as the control group; comparing both, Great Ming determined the sprouting temperature for potatoes and sweet potatoes to be five to eight degrees, but sprouting alone was not enough—they would only grow vigorously once the air temperature rose further to around fifteen degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun spoke at length to the ministers, detailing the harvests from the glass fire chamber seedling room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ge Shouli’s jaw nearly dropped; he stared for a long while, then muttered blankly: “Your Majesty’s ingenious ideas are truly masterful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thermal expansion and contraction were not unheard of—in pre-Qin times, Li Bing and his son had used it to split rocks for water control, but applying it to such an extreme degree was pure ingenuity, and Great Ming’s craftsmen had realized the young emperor’s brilliant idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was, in fact, quantitative reasoning—more precisely, mathematical thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thermometer was merely one small design; inside the half-acre fire chamber lay thousands of tiny glass-covered boxes, each containing a single seedling, all lush and vibrant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minister Xu,” Zhu Yijun called, signaling Xu Zhen to explain the purpose of these small boxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zhen had never expected the emperor to bring the court ministers for a visit—he had no preparation at all; when the emperor called his name, he was still observing the seedlings, and turned around in confusion, hurrying to the group before remembering to bow to the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is seedling—pinching the tip—the tip…” After a flurry of panic, Xu Zhen froze—he had no preparation and had no idea how to summarize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun watched Xu Zhen’s earnest, simple face and felt a surge of frustration—he was usually articulate, yet when given a chance to perform, he proved useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun cut off Xu Zhen’s words, gesturing for him to step aside, and said with a smile: “These are seedling boxes. Crops like water chestnuts, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, which propagate via tubers, accumulate toxins generation after generation, causing yields to decline each time—how do we detoxify them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An old farmer growing water chestnuts told me that pinching off the tip and using it for seedling propagation greatly increases yield—these seedlings on the left are all from pinched tips, then placed into the fire chamber, grown for fifteen days, then removed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The soil in these seedling boxes has been sterilized by steam, to prevent the pinched tips from being poisoned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun did not enter the fire chamber—the temperature inside was around thirty-eight to forty degrees, a process of high-temperature inactivation, Xu Zhen’s idea—essentially the same as the “kill-green” step in green tea production, where tea leaves are steamed, boiled, roasted, or sun-dried to halt fermentation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zhen wondered: if everything was toxic, could kill-green reduce toxicity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But too high a temperature killed the seedlings, too low had no effect; after repeated experiments, the precise range was finally determined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zhen succeeded—the new seedlings from the boxes had fuller leaves and showed no yellowing, rotting, or other symptoms, filling him with great excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun picked up one box of seedlings, then another—this one Weijingshaqing , Weijinggaowendunhua —and placed them side by side on the table, smiling: “The difference is enormous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers gathered around the two seedling boxes, pointing and discussing—could the emperor really be personally involved in farming? This was no mere show—he truly intended to grow these crops, not just perform for appearances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers had assumed the emperor’s Baoqi Palace was merely a symbolic gesture of agricultural reverence—even if little was harvested, wouldn’t the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial simply buy potatoes and sweet potatoes, plant them in the ground, and then proclaim them as auspicious omens at harvest?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Renzong of Song’s Baoqi Palace—the “qi” meant “two,” referring to a single wheat stalk bearing two ears, considered an omen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During Emperor Renzong’s reign, eunuchs, eager to please, collected double-headed wheat stalks from the countryside and secretly planted them before the Baoqi Palace at night; at harvest, every field yielded two ears per stalk, and all submitted congratulatory memorials praising Heaven’s blessing on Great Song.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers of Great Ming had all climbed step by step to their positions—they were all seasoned foxes, and this trick was transparent to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, to most court officials, the emperor’s personal involvement in farming was merely a replay of Emperor Renzong’s “double-wheat omen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ministers deceived the emperor—did eunuchs not deceive him too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the ministers’ surprise, the emperor of Great Ming refused such tricks—he was practicing what he preached! The two boxes of seedlings side by side in the sunlight, their obvious difference, were the result of genuine action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng and Xu Zhen stood nearby, speaking—mostly Xu Zhen talking, Zhang Juzheng listening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zhen mainly spoke of the young emperor’s actions: nine out of ten of the heavy, laborious tasks had been arranged by Xu Zhen before the emperor arrived at Baoqi Palace; only a few small tasks were deliberately left for the emperor after he began his martial training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not dangerous, not dirty, not tiring, yet deeply engaging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does His Majesty come here every day?” Zhang Juzheng asked a strange question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zhen did not understand why the Grand Secretary asked this, but replied firmly: “Even the day before yesterday, when it rained, His Majesty came—he comes every day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng clasped his hands, fists clenched, watching the young emperor’s back—the emperor was not fooling around, nor did he intend to give up; perseverance with a heart for the realm—that was a true sovereign, a virtuous ruler, a true hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Zhang Juzheng felt with absolute certainty that Great Ming’s revival was no mirage—it was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve done well. Here is the badge of the Quan Chu Association—keep it safe, do not lose it, do not lend it to others; should you need me in the future, come to the Quan Chu Association,” Zhang Juzheng quietly removed a badge from his belt and handed it to Xu Zhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Grand Secretary, for your recognition!” Xu Zhen was stunned—entering Zhang Juzheng’s circle was not a matter of silver; one needed talent, and talent alone was not enough—one needed connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, Xu Zhen did not know why Zhang Juzheng had recommended him to serve as the emperor’s reading scholar, and now, he had become Zhang Juzheng’s disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng spoke gently: “Don’t bother with ice gifts or charcoal gifts—you have no way to obtain them. Just serve the emperor well, grow the land well. Absolutely no one—eunuchs, Embroidered Uniform Guard, meritorious guards, sword-bearers, or even old farmers—must be allowed to sabotage His Majesty’s agricultural endeavors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng knew some people did not want the emperor to achieve great success in farming; if he played the “double-wheat omen” trick, no one would interfere—but if the emperor truly labored and produced real results, others would grow displeased and sabotage him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because real results would solidify the foundation of imperial authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zhen was not skilled in scheming or corruption; two annual gifts of two thousand taels of silver—how could an imperial scholar who carried a bamboo basket of books possibly find two thousand taels each year?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng waived his gifts, asking only that he do what he did best: farm, and guard these ten acres.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If potatoes and sweet potatoes could truly yield over a thousand catties per mu, Great Ming’s weakened state would gain renewed vigor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun glanced at Zhang Juzheng and Xu Zhen, saying nothing, offering no interruption—Xu Zhen wanted to act, he needed to join someone’s faction; Zhang Juzheng’s acceptance was Xu Zhen’s opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this world, strength matters, but so does influence—for at least the next decade, Zhang Juzheng was Great Ming’s greatest patron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun pointed to the root systems in the seedling boxes: “There are many details in seedling cultivation. After the tubers sprout, cut each potato or sweet potato into two or three pieces, dust them with wood ash, let them air-dry for fifteen minutes, then place them in the seedling box—this step cannot be skipped; without wood ash, the seedlings will easily fall ill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The first time we cut the tubers, we had no experience—we cut over a hundred, produced over two hundred seedlings, and lost over a hundred.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fortunately, we found the right method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Secretary Zhang taught me: action has no fixed form; if you do only half of everything and retreat at the first difficulty, you lose the courage to face hardship and become timid—that is lack of perseverance. Once a man becomes timid, he achieves nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Bo had remained silent until the emperor, slightly proud, displayed his partial achievements, then said sincerely: “Knowledge is the beginning of action; action is the completion of knowledge. Where knowledge is sincere and firm, that is action; where action is clear and discerning, that is knowledge. Your Majesty embodies the unity of knowledge and action—I congratulate Great Ming, I congratulate Your Majesty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yijun paused, then asked seriously: “What does that mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All eyes turned to Zhang Juzheng—lecture duties were his exclusive domain; now the emperor asked, addressing Yang Bo, the leader of the Jin Party, yet Zhang Juzheng’s demeanor suggested he would not intervene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Juzheng’s expression was perfectly calm.\u003C\u002Fp>",1891,"2026-06-21T07:55:54.218Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","d865e29025586e24d5817c3a94b191d210c805e58fa55841b46785d46b2910aa","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-45","i-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-chapter-43",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-really-am-not-neglecting-my-duties-cover.jpg"]