It was in charge of compiling historical records of the nation, including important regulations, realistic records, calendars, and other matters; it wasn't a major authoritative department, but its nature was very special.

Today, what Old Su was conducting was the first telescope observation in the human history of this time and space, requiring the presence of such a recommendation officer.

However, compared to this person's identity, his name might be even more prominent:

His name was Zhang Huaimin.

That's right.

The very Zhang Huaimin.

He was exiled to Huang Prefecture four years later than Su Shi, but he was reinstated earlier, having returned to Bianjing last July.

The position of recommendation officer at the Scripture Compilation Institute was the last known position he held, after which there is no detailed record.

Standing next to Zhang Huaimin were two men dressed in blue clothing.

One of them was about forty years old, with sharp facial features as if carved by a knife, a piercing gaze, and a tall stature, truly a heroic figure.

The other was a sturdy old man with a thick white beard and hair, slightly more restrained in temperament, but with a scar on his left cheek that added a fierce edge to him.

From their posture and expressions, it's likely they both came from the military and held high ranks.

And indeed, that was the case.

The older of the two was Wang Hou, mentioned previously.

A few days ago.

With the efforts of the Wang brothers and the allure of alcohol and distilled spirits, Xu Yun finally connected with this military big shot and, through Old Su's invitation note, got him to the scene.

As for the other middle-aged man...

He was Zhang Shuye.

The very figure from whom Lin Chong in "Water Margin" was inspired, one of the few conscientious officials of the late Northern Song, and historically known for suppressing Song Jiang's rebellion.

Unfortunately.

According to the normal historical trajectory, Zhang Shuye met a similar tragic fate to Wang Bing.

In the year of Jingkang, Zhang Shuye was also the General Director of the Southern Route, with the Jin soldiers approaching Bianjing, the imperial family in crisis.

Upon learning of this, Zhang Shuye, with thirty thousand soldiers, fought loyally to save the king, being the only large-scale establishment to aid Bianjing in the Jingkang Incident.

When the Jin soldiers further besieged the capital city, Zhang Shuye fought them continuously for four days, but ultimately couldn't change the tide.

Later, when Emperor Qinzhong drove out of the city, preparing to surrender to the Jin camp, Zhang Shuye knelt before him to advise against it, but was captured by the Jin soldiers and prepared to be taken north to the Jin Kingdom.

The day after crossing the boundary river.

Zhang Shuye looked up to the heavens, weeping sadly, and hanged himself, dying at the age of sixty-three.

Currently, Zhang Shuye was the prefect of Hai Prefecture, having returned to Bianjing to report just a few days ago.

Since his grandfather Zhang Qi and Old Su's father Su Shen were close friends across generations, he made a special visit to the residence, where Xu Yun conveniently brought him up to the mountain.

After arriving beside Old Su, Xu Yun cupped his hands and said:

"Master, the telescope has been calibrated; we can begin observing the starry sky now."

Upon hearing this, Old Su's pupils shrank slightly, and his body began to tremble faintly.

For some reason.

This eighty-year-old who had gazed upon the starry sky countless times felt an unusual trace of trepidation.

It should be noted.

Even when he was waiting for the results beside that old hooligan selling spicy soup, his emotions were never this stirred.

Yet, being someone who had served as Prime Minister, he possessed an ocean of wisdom within.

In less than half a minute.

Old Su took a deep breath and forced himself to regain calmness.

He then politely declined Elder Xie's support, adjusted his sleeves, and walked slowly to the telescope on his own.

First, he looked up at the starry sky, silent for a moment, then pointed at the crescent moon and asked Xu Yun with anticipation:

"Xiaowang, could you let this old man see the moon first?"

Xu Yun nodded solemnly, cupping his hands:

"No problem."

He then walked to the operating table, adjusting the focal axis of the main telescope's star-finding mirror, locking it onto the area where the moon was.

The telescope's base could rotate via a dial, assisted by rollers and tung oil, making it quite easy to maneuver.

The mercury parabolic mirror ensured self-rotation through another system, preventing interference between the two.

Then, Xu Yun rotated three screws on the star-finding mirror, meticulously aligning the image in the center of the main lens with the crosshair of the star-finding mirror.

This process seemed simple, but in reality, it required extreme patience.

The crosshair had to be precisely aligned, and all three screws had to reach the barrel; even the slightest deviation was unacceptable.

A certain anonymous fishing enthusiast once made a mistake over this, nearly getting strung up and beaten....

Once the optical axes of both barrels aligned.

Xu Yun rotated the tripod, reaching the final focusing phase.

Ping—

Clang—

Chime—

With a gentle touch and slow adjustment.

Xu Yun, like an experienced veteran, carefully calibrated the newly manufactured telescope.

A quarter of an hour later.

Xu Yun wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood aside, saying to Old Su:

"Master, I have not failed you."

Old Su nodded at him, moved to the eyepiece, and pressed his eye against it.

In less than a moment.

Old Su raised his head from the eyepiece, his face filled with astonishment, his finger trembling as he pointed at the view:

"Xiaowang, is that... is that the moon???"

Beside him, Xiaoli rushed over eagerly:

"Uncle Su, what did you see?"

Old Su paused for a moment, pointing to the eyepiece:

"See for yourself; Xiaowang has already set the focus, just look directly."

Xiaoli glanced at Old Li who followed by his side, bouncing eagerly to the eyepiece.

And like Old Su, within a few moments of looking, Xiaoli gasped:

"So many craters...."

Then Xiaozhao, Old Li, Old Jia, Wang Hou... even Zhang Huaimin stepped up to take a look.

Although including Wang Hou and Zhang Shuye, everyone present had already looked through another microscope before coming, so they had some understanding of certain phenomena.

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