Chương 752: "The General Outline of the Second Industrial Revolution"

The procession returned to the East Palace amidst music and fanfare, with cheers and celebrations from the people along the way, who scattered candies and coins, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

After entering the palace gate, one had to alight from the sedan chair, step over a brazier, and step over a saddle – a whole process meant to ward off evil and bring good fortune – before finally entering the main hall.

The two stood side by side, bowed to heaven and earth, then to Liu Ce and Cai Yan, and finally bowed to each other as husband and wife.

The ceremony is complete.

After being led into the bridal chamber, the matchmaker served the nuptial wine, with the two wine cups connected by a red string, symbolizing eternal union.

Each of them held a cup, and they drank it down arm in arm.

When the red veil was lifted, Crown Prince Liu Chen saw Xu Jingxian's shy eyes and flushed cheeks, and his ears turned red once again.

He scratched his head and grinned foolishly, "From now on... I'll have to trouble you with the Eastern Palace. If there's anything you're not used to, just tell me."

Xu Jingxian lowered her head, spoke softly and gently: "Your Highness, I will certainly serve you wholeheartedly and manage the Eastern Palace well."

The red candles flickered, casting their shadows, creating a very warm and cozy atmosphere.

On the second day after the wedding, just as dawn broke, Xu Jingxian got up to dress up, changed into her Crown Princess dress, and followed the Crown Prince to the Ganlu Palace to pay respects to the Emperor and Empress.

Following the proper etiquette, she personally held a food box containing soup that she had learned to make in advance from the imperial chef, and respectfully offered it to Liu Ce and Cai Yan, serving them their meal.

This is an ancient custom, representing the bride's filial piety towards her parents-in-law.

Cai Yan took a sip of the soup; it tasted really good. Smiling, she took her hand and patted it.

"Good boy, your skills are excellent. From now on, we'll entrust the Crown Prince to you. We'll be at ease if you and your husband live a harmonious and happy life together."

Although there are many rules in the palace, don't be too reserved. Just treat it like your own home. If you have any grievances or difficulties, come to me.

Liu Ce nodded and smiled, "Yes, live a good life. Take good care of things at the Crown Prince's Palace. If Chen'er bullies you, just tell me, and I'll deal with him for you."

Xu Jingxian curtsied, her eyes gentle and submissive: "Your Majesty and the Empress's teachings will be remembered by this humble servant."

Three days later, on an auspicious day, the Crown Prince and his wife went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pay homage to their ancestors.

The two, dressed in sacrificial robes, followed the rules by offering incense, kneeling, and reading prayers, informing the royal ancestors of the Crown Prince's marriage.

With this step completed, Xu Jingxian's status as the Crown Princess was finally firmly established in the patriarchal system and she truly became the mistress of the Eastern Palace.

From the posting of the notice at the county government office to the completion of the ceremony at the temple, it took almost half a year in total. This grand ceremony for selecting a consort for the crown prince, which attracted nationwide attention, finally came to a lively close.

In the study of the Eastern Palace, Liu Ce patted Crown Prince Liu Chen on the shoulder and teased him with a smile:

"Young man, now that you've brought a wife home, you'll not only need to know how to lead troops and govern the country, but also how to care for people."

"Hurry up and give me a grandson, that's the important thing! I'm waiting to hold my grandson."

Crown Prince Liu Chen blushed, scratched his head, and chuckled, speechless.

In the distance, under the eaves, Xu Jingxian was talking to the Empress, her eyes gentle and serene.

The days in the Eastern Palace have only just begun.

..................

October of the 21st year of Shenwu.

The autumn weather in Luoyang is clear and crisp, making it a perfect time for work.

Liu Ce summoned the core civil and military officials to the Liangyi Hall.

Early in the morning, all the officials received a notice that His Majesty had important matters to discuss, which concerned the national policy for the next ten years or so.

Everyone was wondering what was going on, and there were all sorts of guesses.

"Are they planning to attack somewhere else? They've already reached Rome in the west, where else could they possibly attack?"

"Maybe the Fifth Five-Year Plan is about to start? The Fourth Five-Year Plan ended several months ago."

"I guess it's about the Zhaoji Cabinet. They probably made the rules and are asking us to discuss the list of cabinet members."

"Stop guessing, you'll find out once you're inside."

The crowd filed in, lined up in their respective classes, and were all quite curious.

Liu Ce sat on the dragon throne, his face calm and revealing no emotion.

Once everyone had arrived, he had a thick stack of plans handed out to each person in turn.

The booklet cover bore the bold words: "The General Outline of the Second Industrial Revolution".

Everyone took the booklet and flipped through it, becoming more and more confused and surprised as they read.

What is the Second Industrial Revolution? What is electricity? What is the internal combustion engine?

I've never even heard of it!

After Liu Ce and the others rummaged through the papers for a while, he cleared his throat and spoke, his voice not loud, but each word clear:

"My dear ministers, our Fourth and Fifth Plans have been in place for a month or so. Steam trains are running, flintlock muskets have been deployed, and the Nanyang Province has been established. We have done a good job, and I am well aware of the progress."

But I have called you here today to tell you that what we are about to do is greater than the sum of the past twenty years.

To put it bluntly, we need to take another big step forward and completely leave the rest of the world behind.

He rose and descended the steps, pacing back and forth a couple of steps in front of the civil and military officials, his eyes sweeping sharply across the ranks: Simply put, we need to launch a second industrial revolution.

In the past, we used to "burn coal and use boilers, and steam to power everything." It was a bit clumsy, but it was enough and a hundred times better than human or animal power.

In the next round, we aim to achieve "electricity throughout the country and internal combustion engines running all over the world," directly stepping into the electrical age.

Today, I have explained the entire process to you: the rules, the procedures, who will do it, and to what extent. Let's get started immediately after the court session ends.

The hall was quiet, and everyone was listening intently.

Although they couldn't understand many of the words, it didn't stop them from feeling that this was another unprecedented event.

Liu Ce stopped in front of Song Yingxing, the Minister of Works, and patted his arm.

Song Yingxing quickly straightened his back, his face beaming with excitement. He loved hearing about these new technologies.

"Song Aiqing, your steam locomotive is powerful, isn't it? It can pull a lot and run fast." Liu Ce said with a smile, "But it has to burn coal and has to carry a big boiler. It's very clumsy and can't move an inch without the rails."

The steam engine in the factory took up half a building. Its transmission relied entirely on belts and gears, making it so noisy that people couldn't hear each other. It was also dangerous; one could easily get caught in it.

This is the problem with the steam age: the power source was too cumbersome, it could only be used in a stationary position, and it couldn't be carried around.

Song Yingxing nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty is right! I also think that the steam engine is too cumbersome. It would be better if there were a lighter power source."

"But I am too dull-witted to think of a solution."

"There are solutions, namely electricity and internal combustion engines."

Liu Ce walked back to his desk, picked up a memorial, and began to explain it to everyone in plain language:

"The core of the Second Industrial Revolution was three things: electricity as the mainstay, mass production of the internal combustion engine, and the complete supply of chemicals."

Let's talk about electricity first. It's a magical thing. Just pull the wire, press the switch, and the power comes out.

The factory uses it to drive machines; it is cleaner, easier, and more precise than belt drives, and its efficiency can be several times higher.

When used to light lights at home, it is ten times brighter than candles and cleaner than kerosene lamps, so you no longer have to worry about getting your nose blackened from smoke when reading or working at night.

In the future, we'll also have telegrams and telephones, making it feel like we're face-to-face when we're thousands of miles apart—a hundred times faster than the urgent delivery service.

The audience below stared in disbelief.

What? You can light a lamp with electricity? And your voice can travel thousands of miles?

Isn't this like a myth?

The military officers were fine; they used whatever they could find useful. The civil officials, however, were bewildered and found it unbelievable.

Only Song Yingxing's eyes shone like light bulbs, his breathing became heavy, and he gripped the booklet tightly in his hand.

Liu Ce continued:

"Let's talk about the internal combustion engine. This thing is even more amazing. It doesn't need a big boiler; just fill it with oil and it will turn. It's small in size but powerful."

When mounted on a vehicle, it becomes a car; it doesn't need horses and can run on its own, making it suitable for carrying people and goods.