Chapter 800: This Heir Apparent Will Make a Killing
Ji Menghan sprang to his feet.
If an electric lamp couldn't have oxygen, then it absolutely needed a sealed casing.
Traditional lampshades definitely wouldn't work; they were notorious for leaking air.
So, what would be the best material?
Of course, glass!
Gao Family Village already had a glass factory, producing massive glass windows for everyone, and even making glass cups, glass bottles, and so on...
Ji Menghan rushed into the glass shop and bought a round-bodied, narrow-necked glass bottle.
The next problem was ensuring the bottle contained no air.
Gazing at the bottle, Ji Menghan fell into deep thought.
This was no simple matter.
Ji Menghan racked his brain over this problem but found no solution. Days bled into weeks, and his research stalled...
One day, Ji Menghan was walking by the edge of a field when he suddenly heard a rumbling sound. He turned to see it was Gao Family Village's steam-powered water pump, drawing water from the fields and draining it away.
A sudden realization struck Ji Menghan: "Wait, what if I first fill this glass bottle with water, and then pump the water out? A small force certainly wouldn't be enough to extract the water, but with a powerful machine like a water pump, it might just work. The air in the bottle would already be displaced by the water, so if I then pump out the water, there naturally wouldn't be any air left."
The idea was simple, but its execution would be difficult.
The water pump's suction hose wasn't very airtight; as the water was drawn out, air would inevitably seep back into the bottle. He also needed a way to immediately seal the bottle as the water was removed, preventing any air from leaking back in...
In short, there was a mountain of problems to solve.
But Ji Menghan, undeterred, charged ahead.
How could the son of a lantern maker fail to craft a magnificent lamp? —
The first segment of the West Yan Railway, the tracks from Xi'an to Sanyuan County, were finally completed.
This section of track stretched over sixty li and incurred immense costs.
And today, the time had finally come for its inaugural test run.
Zhu Cunji, the Prince of Qin's heir, accompanied by his primary consort, secondary consorts, and concubines, along with a large retinue of guards, stood on the platform of Xi'an North Station.
Joining him were Wu Shen, Shi Kefa, the Xi'an Prefect, and many others—a host of imperial officials.
Naturally, there were also stewards sent by the imperial relatives and nobility who had invested alongside Zhu Cunji in the railway project; these shareholders had long awaited this railway's completion.
The sooner it opened, the sooner they would profit.
Zhu Cunji stood before the "train," his face radiating pride: "Do you all see it? This train is mine, hahahaha! I commissioned it for fifty thousand taels of silver, and named it the Cunji! Hahahahaha."
Wu Shen couldn't help but mutter, "What a tasteless name."
"Hey, I heard that!" Zhu Cunji snapped, pointing at Wu Shen's face. "You rotten civil official, don't push your luck! I graciously invited you to witness this inauguration; don't stand there grumbling and complaining."
Wu Shen closed his mouth.
"Anyway, today we're all taking this magnificent vehicle to Sanyuan County!" Zhu Cunji declared, his face radiating arrogance: "Who agrees, and who dares to oppose?"
Shi Kefa sprang forward: "This humble official objects! According to ancestral laws of this dynasty, a prince may not leave his fiefdom. Your Royal Highness, you cannot go to Sanyuan County; doing so would be a capital offense."
Zhu Cunji countered, "Sanyuan County is so close! I'll go and return immediately."
Shi Kefa shook his head: "Absolutely not."
Zhu Cunji fell silent.
He scanned his surroundings. The cluster of civil officials all stared intently at him.
His purpose in inviting these officials to the ceremony was precisely to persuade them to allow him to travel from Xi'an to Sanyuan County. If he went without their consent, such a monumental event as a train's journey could not be concealed, and he would certainly be reported afterward.
Persuasion was his only recourse!
Zhu Cunji spread his hands: "I know that princes are forbidden from leaving their fiefdoms, as this is to prevent princes from rebelling. I, your humble prince, declare before the Heavenly Lord: if I harbor any rebellious intent, may the Heavenly Lord cast down a great bridge and strike me dead. How about that?"
The officials were dumbfounded.
That was a rather... charmingly odd oath.
Seeing the officials remained unmoved, Zhu Cunji let out a theatrical cry and began to plead shamelessly: "Heavenly Lord, save me! Please manifest your power and tell these officials to let me go! Let me go! I want to try out my own train personally!"
The Heavenly Lord paid him no mind!
He certainly wasn't going to indulge such childish antics.
Just then, Wang Tang emerged from the crowd and spoke up: "Your Royal Highness, the great bridge bestowed by the Heavenly Lord has not yet been tested to see if it can support a train. Are you certain you wish to ride on it?"
At these words, Zhu Cunji's face instantly went pale.
"This... a divine artifact bestowed by the Heavenly Lord, how could it... how could it fail to support... a mere mortal contraption?"
Wang Tang chuckled: "The Heavenly Lord plays among mortals, and not all the divine artifacts he bestows are foolproof. Our Gao Family Village's solar-powered public vehicles, all divine conveyances from the Heavenly Lord, occasionally end up flipped in a ditch, you know."
At that, Zhu Cunji's face turned even whiter: "Ah? Well... um... hmm... *cough cough cough*... Upon careful reflection, this prince realizes that ancestral laws must not be transgressed, absolutely not! The rule that princes may not leave their fiefdoms, I ought to uphold it diligently and not violate it, *cough*... I won't be going."
"Hmph! Coward," Wu Shen scoffed, a smile playing on his lips, and boarded the train.
Shi Kefa followed suit, and a large group of officials filed in after him.
The stewards sent by the shareholders also all boarded the vehicle.
Finally, only Zhu Cunji, his primary and secondary consorts, and his guards remained, standing like fools at Xi'an North Station.
Then, the Cunji emitted a resonant whistle and chugged northward, *chuff-chuff-chuffing* away.
Zhu Cunji shouted, "Quick, ride swiftly! Go to the Wei River and see if it can cross the bridge!"
The princely guards immediately spurred their horses into a gallop, chasing after the train.
High-quality warhorses were certainly no slower than the trains of this era, and a distance of twenty li was hardly enough to exhaust them. Soon, the princely guards, galloping at full speed, overtook the train and arrived at the Wei River first.
There, they saw the great train chugging along, arriving before the magnificent Wei River Bridge. The dignitaries on board were, to some extent, still a little nervous. Heads poked out from every window, watching the immortal bridge with bated breath.
However, their anxieties proved unfounded.
The massive train steadily surged onto the bridge deck, effortlessly crossing from the south end to the north end, then sped off triumphantly towards Sanyuan County...
The first segment of the West Yan Railway was officially open for traffic!
Upon receiving the news, Zhu Cunji was overcome with wild joy: "Hahahaha, it's time to sell tickets, sell tickets! Start advertising immediately!
Inform everyone in Xi'an Prefecture that tickets for the railway from Xi'an to Sanyuan County will go on sale tomorrow. Third-class carriages: one hundred copper coins per ticket. Second-class carriages: five hundred copper coins. First-class carriages: one tael of silver. The most luxurious, top-tier carriages: five taels of silver! I'm going to make a fortune, a massive fortune! Hahahahahaha!"
Free reading.
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