Glass was a fine invention, and glass windows an even finer application.
On cold winter days, when the sun hung high overhead, sunlight streamed through the glass and warmed the room, making those inside feel wonderfully comfortable.
To bask in the sun in such warmth, play with a cat or dog, and drink some hot tea—it was simply one of life's great pleasures.
But young people generally lacked the patience for such pleasures. They always had to be moving. Their lives were still too short, their blood still too vigorous, driving them to act.
Only after reaching a certain age did people wish to slow down, to enjoy the sunlight, the peace, and everything else.
Jiajing had slowed down.
Inside Jade Brilliance Palace, Jiajing reclined in a rocking chair beneath the sunlight, his eyes half-closed. Whenever the chair's swaying weakened, Lu Fang, attending at his side, added a little force to make it swing more widely again.
Wang Yan stood respectfully some distance behind Jiajing and explained his arrangements for Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang.
Jiajing asked the same question as before. "You want to go to war with the Tatars?"
"Your Majesty, Great Ming's current national strength is insufficient to support the costs of advancing northward. Your servant intends to..."
After hearing Wang Yan's method of economic sanctions, Jiajing immediately thought of the great landowning families of Hebei, Shandong, and Shanxi. His eyes flew open.
"You truly won't let Me have a moment's peace, will you? Must I remain shut away forever?"
Wang Yan heard the irritation in his words, as well as a trace of expectation.
He immediately grasped the meaning and said, "Your Majesty, this cannot be accomplished overnight. We can first establish a border market. It would make trade between both sides more convenient, while also