Chapter 1 Since Qi Zhentao is so Polite

Since Qi Zhentao was so polite, Ye Tao didn't refuse. After whispering a few words in Dai Qiuyan's ear and affectionately patting the little girl's head, he let Qi Zhu lead her away. "Old Master, you should still have a set of my tools here, right? Would you trouble someone to fetch them?"

With the tools in hand, Ye Tao completely entered the zone. He disassembled the back panel of the grandfather clock, revealing its entire structure. To Ye Tao's surprise, this clock, which was elegant and not extravagant, exuding noble qualities everywhere, had an internal structure that was somewhat laughable. The winding mechanism had two springs, one to make the pendulum swing and the other to drive the clock face for timekeeping. No wonder Qi Zhentao didn't mention any issues with timekeeping in his description of the clock's problems; it turned out that this clock wasn't driven by the isochronous principle of the pendulum at all. The beautiful pendulum below was purely for show. Moreover, although the spring-driven clock was ingeniously designed, the movement didn't seem designed to drive such a large clock face and hands. The oversized hands placed a great burden on the already delicate movement. It was likely that this clock was deliberately made by some tasteful sculptors who knew a little about mechanical principles to fool people. The problem now wasn't serious; only the winding mechanism was faulty, probably due to the shaking during the long sea voyage or improper handling during transportation. He quickly fixed the spring mechanism, wound the spring, and the massive clock began ticking again. The entire process was much shorter than Ye Tao had expected, taking less than fifteen minutes.

Qi Zhentao excitedly walked around the clock a few times, patted Ye Tao's shoulder forcefully, and said, "Boy, you really are capable. Since you can fix it, can you build it?"

Ye Tao curled his lips and asked, "Let's not rush to talk about that. Old Master, who bought the clock, and what did the seller tell you?"

Qi Zhentao was taken aback and asked, "I don't know about that. It was Old Kuang's fleet that went to the West. I don't know where they are now. What's wrong? Isn't this pendulum clock the most accurate clock available now? Did the seller say anything wrong?"

They were indeed taking advantage of an amateur. Ye Tao shook his head and said, "Pendulum clocks are the most accurate clocks, that's true, but the problem is, this clock isn't a pendulum clock." He briefly explained the connection between the gears and springs, explaining how the driving force of the spring was distributed within the clock. Qi Zhentao was furious: "Son of a b*tch, they're even trying to deceive me. I'll have Old Kuang find that guy and settle the score. This thing cost me 20,000 taels of gold."

Ye Tao thought for a moment and said, "Old Master, actually, 20,000 taels of gold might not be too much for this clock. In fact, the seller of the pendulum clock might have had his reasons. Pendulum clocks are indeed the most accurate clocks right now, that's right, but grandfather clocks aren't something that can be moved around. From south to north, perhaps a few hundred li difference, the clock will have errors. Maybe you won't notice anything in a day or two, but over time, the error will be quite significant. Could the clock seller explain this to you? I'm afraid it would take three days and nights to explain clearly. On the other hand, this spring-wound clock, no matter where it goes, will remain as accurate as it was originally, with little difference. If it's for use on your ships, pendulum clocks can only be used as decorations, but this spring-wound clock can be used. That's why I asked, Old Master, which kind do you want to build?"

Qi Zhentao thought for a moment, but first had a question: "You haven't left Yicheng, how do you know the principles of pendulum clocks?"

Ye Tao said confidently, "Your clock is the first one in Yicheng, right? How could I have seen one? You know I'm close with that Muhammad, and I ask him to bring me some Western books every time he comes, you know about that, right? That book mentions this." Ye Tao had used Muhammad as a shield several times. Anyway, that guy might not come to Yicheng once a year, and by the time he comes, Qi Zhentao might have forgotten about it. Moreover, even if Qi Zhentao goes to Muhammad to verify it, he won't be able to get any results. That guy, besides accounting and navigation, is almost illiterate. He would never remember what books he brought to Ye Tao.

Qi Zhentao apparently accepted Ye Tao's explanation, nodded, and said, "Can both kinds of clocks be built? Since you know the principles of pendulum clocks, you should be able to build them, right? I originally thought that my subordinates have so many fleets, and the affairs are getting more and more busy. It's really too frustrating to roughly say morning, noon, and afternoon to arrange docks and loading and unloading, as well as arranging sailing schedules. The last time, four fleets were squeezed at the dock, almost blocking it for a whole day, making Peng Detian laugh at me for a while. Ships really need an accurate timekeeping device more and more. Since pendulum clocks can't be used, then that spring clock will do. Even if there is an error, it can be calibrated once at Yicheng Port and once at Quanzhou Port, which is barely acceptable. But this pendulum clock is still a good business. It's impressive to have at home, and having an accurate time for doing things, whether it's household or official affairs, will bring order to everything. No matter how you look at it, it's a good business. Moreover, since pendulum clocks are accurate, it would be good to have one at the port or something to use for time calibration."

Qi Zhentao's simple business sense was incredibly keen. The concept of accurate time will only become popular when economic development and management levels have developed to a certain extent. Yicheng Port now has a sundial every half a li, which is the reason. However, with the current busyness of Yicheng Port, using sundials to determine time periods for phased entry into the port, loading and unloading, and other work is also becoming strained. People like Qi Zhentao, who have dozens or hundreds of large ships under their command and operate mainly from Yicheng, have encountered the chaotic situation of several fleets crowding together like headless flies more than once or twice. However, Ye Tao really wasn't sure that he could produce both pendulum clocks and spring clocks in a certain amount of time. The requirements for materials and processing precision were beyond the capabilities of even the current Ye's Workshop. If he were to make one or two to show off, that wouldn't be a problem, but to mass-produce them, he estimated that the "fusee" in the spring clock alone could torture him to death.

"Old Master..." He wanted to complain, but Qi Zhentao stopped him.

"I'm only asking you, can you build it, or can't you? As for what difficulties there are in building it, that's another matter," Qi Zhentao said.

"I can build it, but is building one and building a hundred the same thing?" Ye Tao said with a wry smile, "Now, Ye's Workshop's lathes can achieve a precision of one-fifth of a millimeter for wooden components. But to make a clock that is accurate enough, you have to find ways to make all the parts accurate to within one-tenth of a millimeter, or even one-twentieth of a millimeter. I can't do that now. Moreover, processing metal parts is another matter."

Qi Zhentao wasn't surprised. Instead, he nodded and said, "That's not strange. Old Kuang boasted that even those Frankish workshops that can build pendulum clocks are about the same. They might not be able to produce one in a month. If you said you could build them everywhere immediately, I really wouldn't believe it."

As soon as Ye Tao heard this, he quickly said, "Old Master, why don't we put this matter aside for now and talk about it later? Maybe in a few years, it will come naturally."

Qi Zhentao looked at Ye Tao with interest and said, "A few years? No way. I know your abilities, and if you focus on it, it won't take that long. Aren't you just thinking about going to the capital to develop that Yi Zhan Lou? You're willing to give such a good business to a little girl who has known you for less than a month, and you're pushing back and forth on my matter. Isn't that too unkind? I'm not asking you to be able to build them like crazy in the workshop tomorrow. When it comes to building anything, the principle remains the same: technology, tools, and materials are indispensable. Since you have the technology, tools and materials are just a matter of time and money. Letting you spend your good time on those things in Yi Zhan Lou that your apprentices can easily handle is not good. You provide the time, and I provide the money. This partnership is settled."