Chapter 135 New Year Production

After his plan to obtain experimental equipment from the missionaries failed, Yin'e was listless and dispirited for several days.

It wasn't until Xiao Linzi brought the good news that all the raw wool, spindles, and looms had been collected that Yin E finally smiled and recovered from his emo.

Upon learning that raw wool and other materials had been delivered to the Third Institute of Ganxi, Yin'e immediately began preparing to conduct experiments.

Although the experimental equipment was insufficient, the only part of the whole experiment involving washing wool and making grease that required some skill was the extraction of pure alkali, which at most required the level of junior high school chemistry. There was really no need to be too demanding about the experimental environment.

Yin'e's preparation of a full set of experimental equipment was merely a precautionary measure. Compared to the experimental equipment, which was not yet essential, protective clothing and gloves were the key, more important, and more necessary items.

In particular, a pair of good gloves that are oil-resistant, wear-resistant, high-temperature resistant, and acid and alkali-resistant are indispensable in the chemical industry.

However, Yin'e had to recognize one fact: with the current production level of the Qing Dynasty, it was impossible to produce high-performance protective gloves such as latex gloves and BB gloves; the world's largest natural rubber plant, the rubber tree, could not be found in the Qing Dynasty at all, and rubber and plastics were just a dream.

In the end, Yin'e could only explain the requirements of wear resistance, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance (acid), and burn resistance (alkali) to the craftsmen, allowing them to use the existing materials freely. He would cover all expenses, and the craftsmen only needed to do their best.

If any craftsman can make suitable protective gloves, the bonus will be doubled, plus additional rewards.

There are several ways to extract pure alkali. First of all, there are many sources of alkali, including direct use of natural alkali, biological production of alkali, and artificial chemical synthesis.

Yin'e only needs a very small dose for testing and does not need to mass-produce it for the time being. Therefore, his first consideration is the simplest and least labor-intensive biological method of producing alkali, which is to extract pure alkali from alkali-containing plants.

While waiting for the protective gloves to be completed, Yin'e buried himself in thought about which alkaline plant to use as the raw material for extracting pure alkaline.

After searching through the warehouse and comparing various options, Yin'e finally chose tea as the raw material.

The reason he chose tea was not only because tea is a highly alkaline food, but also because Yin'e didn't like drinking tea.

The new tea that the Imperial Household Department sent to the Three Palaces of Ganxi, as per usual practice, had only two fates: either it would be given by Yin'e to one of his brothers who liked tea, or it would remain in the Three Palaces to gather dust and become stale tea, eventually being made into tea pillows.

In the warehouses of the three institutes, you can easily find several cans of tea that have been stored for a long time and are about to expire and spoil. Taking them out for experiments is actually a way to make use of waste.

Because the experiment required a very small dose, Yin'e chose tea leaves, which were high in alkali and easy for him to obtain, for convenience. However, when large-scale production was needed later, he would certainly not consider using tea leaves as raw materials—the cost would be too high, and it would be not worth the effort.

Leaving aside the option of mining natural alkali minerals, if one must rely on biological alkali production for large-scale alkali production, cost must be taken into account. Choosing low-cost and easy-to-grow plants is the wise choice.

If their influence could extend to the seaside and they could open a base on the coast, they could harvest seaweed from the sea as raw material for extracting alkali. This would be the most cost-effective approach, as seaweed doesn't require cultivation; they can simply send people to harvest it, making it a completely risk-free business.

Carrying two cans of Longjing tea that were on the verge of aging, Yin'e entered the newly arranged laboratory, casually tossing the tea leaves onto the long table in the middle of the room. Without turning his head, he instructed Xiao Linzi, who had followed him in, to close the door.

Under Xiao Linzi's silent gaze, which seemed to say, "I don't know what you're up to, but you're in charge and I'll cooperate unconditionally," Yin E rummaged through several cabinets in the corner of the room and pulled out a crucible made from a copper filigree hand warmer and a tinderbox, preparing to begin the first step of extracting pure alkali from tea leaves.

To extract alkali, you first need to make alkali water. This process is very simple. Just dry the alkali-containing plants (you can skip this step if you find it troublesome, as long as they can be burned to ashes), then burn them to ashes, soak them in water, and filter out the impurities with gauze to obtain alkali water.

After a period of sedimentation, the crude alkaline water is discarded, and the upper layer of alkaline water is distilled to obtain plant alkaline crystals.

This is the simplest distillation method for extracting alkali, also known as organic solution extraction. Compared to the acid-alkali extraction method or the alkali extraction method, this method is the most primitive and has the lowest barrier to entry. To add alkali or acid, you first need to produce the acid and alkali. In order to produce alkali, you need to produce alkali... This forms a closed loop.

He waved his hand in front of his nose to dispel the smell of burning tea leaves. Yin'e glanced at the remaining blackish-gray embers in the "crucible" and asked Xiao Linzi to fetch a bucket of water. He then ran to the cabinet at the far end and dragged out a half-meter-tall white porcelain basin from the bottom shelf.

This milky-white ceramic basin decorated with lotus patterns looks nice, but it wasn't a rare find that Yin'e had taken from the storeroom; it was just an ordinary ceramic ware sent by the Imperial Household Department. Originally intended for raising fish and water lilies indoors, it was used by Yin'e as a water container.

Yin'e, holding a crucible made from a copper filigree hand warmer, poured all the tea ash into a white porcelain basin. Xiao Linzi then carried a bucket and poured water into the basin, stirring it with a wooden stick to mix the water and ash into a murky, coarse solution.

Looking down at the grayish, alkaline water in the porcelain basin, Yin'e stretched, patted the dust off his clothes, and took off the outermost protective suit made of cotton and linen: "Just let it soak like this for a while."

The implication is that this is all for today, and we'll discuss the next steps later.

Xiao Linzi glanced at Yin E silently. He couldn't understand what Yin E was doing. He was greatly shocked, but he was only secretly surprised. He would never casually reveal his doubts. He just nodded obediently to show that he was following Yin E's arrangements.

Although Xiao Linzi didn't say a word, Yin E inexplicably understood his gaze. He immediately forced a miserable smile and sighed bitterly, "I would like to continue, but I still have homework to finish, so I can only put it aside for now and talk about it tomorrow when I have time."

With the New Year approaching, the workload at Keshang Study Room has increased, and the homework at Nei'an Daliu is also becoming more and more demanding.

Although he was concerned about the wool experiment, Yin'e had to do his homework after school, so he could only spare a little time each day to do the experiment, and the progress of the experiment was predictably slow.

Having learned his lesson last time, Yin'e dared not stay up all night again. He had already worried the Consort once, and he couldn't be so inconsiderate as to cause her further concern; besides, he wasn't the night owl he used to be, and suddenly staying up all night after establishing a regular sleep schedule was really too much for him.

As for having others do your homework so you can free up time to do experiments, that won't work either.

Yin'e once had Haha Zhuzi do his homework for him, and was caught red-handed by the inner angel and reported to the Qianqing Palace.

This matter has already been recorded with Emperor Kangxi. If he does it again and hires someone else to do his homework, Yin'e himself may not be afraid of being punished by Emperor Kangxi, but the person who does his homework will definitely not get away with it. Why implicate others?

While burdened with heavy schoolwork, he also had to work on alkali production. Every day after school, Yin'e would rush out of the Imperial Study and head back to the West Third Palace. He no longer dawdled on the way or ran wild in the palace. He focused solely on getting back to the West Third Palace to work on experiments, which made him much more peaceful.

Yin'e ceased his activities, and the Ninth Prince, who was inseparable from him, also settled down.

The fact that the two of them stopped causing trouble surprised everyone in the palace.

In his spare time from official duties, Emperor Kangxi would occasionally think of his two sons who didn't study properly and only knew how to play and have fun, causing him a lot of headaches. He would sigh that his ninth and tenth sons had suddenly become well-behaved, and wonder if they were planning something big.

After all, there's a saying: "When a child is quiet, he's definitely up to no good."

However, this time Yin'e was truly honest and had no intention of causing trouble. He was simply preparing for a major event and working diligently with the Ninth Prince to prepare for their future endeavors.

On the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, just three days before New Year's Eve, Yin'e, who could only conduct experiments intermittently during his spare time, finally extracted the first batch of pure alkali that had a slight burning sensation when touched.

However, there were only a few days left until the Lunar New Year, and the eve of the Lunar New Year when the Imperial Study would definitely be closed. The palace was decorated with lanterns and brightly lit, and the atmosphere of celebrating the New Year was already very joyful. Yin'e could only put aside the experiment of washing wool with pure alkali once again, and continue to the next step after the New Year.

However, the festive atmosphere in the Forbidden City this year was not as lively and joyous as in previous years, and there was a sense of undercurrents.

Although the Longevity Lanterns and Longevity Couplets were displayed, still dazzling and radiant, the festive atmosphere of the New Year seemed to conceal a monster, revealing a hint of coldness no matter how it was concealed.

Yin'e was unable to attend the series of banquets held by Emperor Kangxi in the Qianqing Palace from the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month to entertain officials, relatives, nobles, Mongolian royals, and foreign envoys. However, he did participate in the grand banquet held in the Baohe Hall at noon on New Year's Day and the family reunion banquet after the New Year's Day court audience.

The atmosphere at this year's state banquet was noticeably more solemn and somber than in previous years. Although the song and dance performances at the banquet tried their best to create a festive and lively atmosphere for the New Year, some of them went too far and contrasted sharply with the somewhat subdued guests, making the occasion seem particularly odd.

Clearly, the unusual activities of the Dzungar Khanate in Outer Mongolia and its collusion with Tsarist Russia were causing concern, making it difficult to fully celebrate the New Year and enjoy its festive atmosphere.

It wasn't that people were afraid of war, but rather that the Revolt of the Three Feudatories had only been quelled six years prior. The Qing Dynasty had only enjoyed peace for a few years, and now they were going to war again, to march troops to the border regions. People were really unwilling and some couldn't muster the energy.

The grand banquet ended in a slightly awkward atmosphere. Yin'e followed his elder brothers out of the Baohe Hall in single file. He did not leave immediately, but stopped and looked up at the sky for a while before slowly exhaling a puff of white mist. He then walked hand in hand with the Ninth Prince towards the Ningshou Palace.

This year's family reunion banquet will not be held at Cining Palace, but will instead be moved to Ningshou Palace following the Empress Dowager's relocation of the palace.

This is the first time since Emperor Kangxi ascended the throne that a family reunion banquet has not been held at the Cining Palace.

After entering Ning Shou Palace with the Ninth Prince, Yin'e coldly surveyed the group of people in the main hall and found that everyone, including the Empress Dowager, seemed somewhat at a loss. A large group of people were gathered in the main hall of Ning Shou Palace, and no one knew how to disperse them. They were simply not familiar with the place and the palace, which had been in use for less than a month.