Chapter 1314 - 1265: Reforging Trust_3
For example, Xun Zu.
This person, under the guise of "loyalty and righteousness," binds a group of people together. If she had any respect for him before, over two years, she has seen through much of the facade.
Compared to his brother, Xun Zu falls far short.
Yet, she cannot kill or dismiss such a person; she can only endure.
Zhao Hanzhang is in a bad mood, and so are all the civil and military officials of the court. They are afraid, yet secretly hopeful.
Whether it’s the courtiers from the Zhao faction or the old ministers, they are both afraid and hopeful.
They fear Xun Zu’s demise, yet secretly hope for it; they fear he won’t meet an untimely end, yet hope he won’t...
Various thoughts mixed together, making them feel incredibly conflicted.
Xiahou Ren quietly said to Tao Wu, "If Xun Zu returns safely, I am willing to give up everything and follow the Great General."
Tao Wu: ...
He was silent for a moment, then said, "I am willing too!"
Indeed, their demands are this simple, and secretly, many old ministers think the same.
It’s not that they have low expectations of Zhao Hanzhang, but because propriety and music have crumbled, moral standards dragged infinitely low by Sima Yi, expectations for rulers’ morality have repeatedly lowered.
Such hopes temporarily silenced Guo Pu, who wanted to lead a campaign of justice. Only Fu Tinghan couldn’t understand and planned to ask Zhao Hanzhang upon returning.
Guo Pu glanced at him and said, "Why bother asking him? Ask me, I’ll tell you. Then you need to tell me what’s going on with this tungsten filament, how come it broke after burning for only half the night. I want permanent brightness, not just half the night; it’s worse than lamp oil."
Fu Tinghan nodded, "You speak." Originally, he intended to explain it to him, but yesterday Guo Pu gave no chance for him to speak, so he had to hold it back.
Guo Pu was merely finding an excuse; actually, he himself had an urge to vent, plenty to say, but nobody dared to listen.
"The principles of this world, many understand, yet most dare not openly express them. Because once said, the people don’t believe it anyway. To make people believe, action is required." Guo Pu said, "Confucianism talks about the five constants of conduct: humanity, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith. Faith is extremely important."
"We later generations look back at the people of the pre-Qin era and think the kings of the Spring and Autumn period were foolish; they believed whatever enemy diplomats said to them. We see them as foolish, yet don’t understand their despair. Who would imagine an ambassador’s promise not holding weight? Later generations sculpt it as a strategy, but that’s merely glorifying it; plain and simple, it’s deception."
"Sima Yi is also a deceiver," Guo Pu said, "He is one of the ministers assisting governance, a pillar of the state, swearing by Luoshui. Who in the world, from all the civil and military officials, didn’t believe in him?"
"Remember, the previous person swearing by Luoshui was Emperor Guangwu, who promised to treat Zhu Wei well; indeed, the Zhu Family perished with the Han dynasty. Zhu Wei assassinated Emperor Guangwu’s brother, yet Emperor Guangwu kept his word," Guo Pu sneered here, shaking his head, "Sima Yi swore by Luoshui, and all officials believed him, persuading Cao Shuang in great numbers, making Cao Shuang step back because he trusted him."
"Who could predict that after Cao Shuang retreated, he would then be exterminated along with three clans from his family?" This is one of the reasons Guo Pu dislikes the Sima Royal Family. "Because of this, Jiang Ji, who vouched for Sima Yi, died from anger. As the Sima Family later became the Imperial Family, even if people despised them inwardly, they couldn’t openly say it."
"Betrayal and deception were glorified as tactics, morals thus deteriorated, and since this dynasty, rulers weren’t sovereign, ministers weren’t loyal," Guo Pu winked at him, whispering: "That’s also why she, being a woman holding power, faces no open opposition because power is everything. Even if she ousted the Little Emperor from his throne, placing herself instead, the world wouldn’t be surprised."
Guo Pu sighed deeply, "But in this way, the country’s morals will remain unchanged, hardly conducive to long-term peace and stability. Today, she raised this matter in court, not only slapping the Sima Royal Family’s face twice but also hers and the court officials’."
Fu Tinghan isn’t stupid, he just doesn’t know these histories, so he quickly catches on, "She wants to reverse this moral decay situation."
Guo Pu slightly shook his head, "This is difficult, tasks are heavy and the journey long. To be a wise ruler is hard; to be a wise, virtuous ruler is as difficult as climbing to the sky."
Guo Pu dispelled thoughts from his mind and grabbed Fu Tinghan, "Let’s not dwell on it, but rather focus on this electricity and tungsten filament. How did you make this tungsten filament; it’s so unable to withstand electricity, breaking after half a night."
Fu Tinghan returned to his senses and said, "I was merely conducting a test for you. To use it long-term takes encasing it in a glass bulb, filling it with halogen gas, but currently, the craftsmanship cost for making tungsten filament is too high, with no environment to apply the tungsten lamp, so I haven’t explored deeper."
He said, "This tungsten filament was incidentally made because while forging materials for a hand-cranked generator, the force and temperature reached the required level."
Simply put, he and Zhao Hanzhang focused their attention on finer generator materials, with the tungsten filament merely a casual byproduct.
The craftsmen of this era are truly remarkable, possessing many skills unheard of by him. Even he didn’t expect them to be capable of crafting so many fine things.
Some materials are just small pieces, yet they are of great significance, signaling that many machines can now be developed.
But it’s hard to quantify production, like tungsten filament; it’s tough to mass produce and stabilize usage without progression in craftsmanship. What Fu Tinghan brought out was merely simplistic, just to show Guo Pu the spectacle.
Zhao Hanzhang hadn’t planned to replace oil lamps with electric ones immediately, so there were no expectations nor disappointments.