After the meal, the four princes and their wives left in disgrace, while Si Qi and the crown prince stayed behind to continue discussing the issue of increasing production with the emperor.
A group of ministers summoned by the emperor met Si Qi for the first time. After a brief conversation, they were stunned by the young man's rich knowledge that ordinary people could hardly imagine.
Then, under the emperor's gratified gaze, the ministers, whose hair had already turned gray, humbly asked Si Qi about all the details, completely forgetting that he was just a commoner without any official title, not even 20 years old, and had not even taken the ceremony of coming of age and a courtesy name.
The more they got along with Si Qi, the more they could detect Si Qi's confidence and ability in his conversation. Recalling the memorials submitted by the prince in recent days, such a talent must not be neglected, and must not be harmed by people like Zhao Er. Thinking
of this, the emperor issued an imperial decree to give Si Qi a three-story house, twenty maids and servants, and two hundred taels of gold. For a commoner from a poor family who has never passed the imperial examination, it can be said that it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a sudden turn of events.
The emperor gave the task of selecting servants to guard the house to the prince, which also deepened the relationship between the prince and Si Qi, and tacitly recognized Si Qi as a member of the prince's subordinates.
This means that the emperor will count all the contributions made by Si Qi before and after as his bonus points.
Prince Chu quietly boarded a fast train to the throne, and he probably didn't even know it.
"Are there any other rewards you want?" the emperor asked with a smile.
Si Qi answered bluntly, "Yes. When I am researching new things, I need a lot of ores and materials."
"Ore?"
The iron smelting rights have been given out, so it's no problem to give some more ores.
After a moment's silence, the emperor said, "I will send someone to inform the Ministry of Revenue and the Salt and Iron Department to let them cooperate with you."
The Ministry of Revenue again...
The Daughter of the World is so good at making money, so it's normal for her to have a good relationship with the Ministry of Revenue. No one would dislike the God of Wealth, right? The quartz sand, lime and other materials used in refining glass are most likely obtained by the Ministry of Revenue.
A while ago, Si Qi and the son of the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue had a feud, and both sides had offended each other thoroughly. This time, if he went to ask them for the ore, he might run into some trouble.
But he couldn't refuse it.
After discussing the matter with the ministers, Si Qi went to the Ministry of Revenue with the list of materials he had written.
As expected, after hearing Si Qi's name, the official's face became arrogant and he said directly: "No!"
Si Qi: "His Majesty has personally given you the order to cooperate with me. Do you want to disobey him?"
The official looked at the ignorant boy in front of him with a smile and said in a gloomy tone: "Why, just because His Majesty has given the order, can we make something that is not in the warehouse appear and send it to you? If you want it, you can go to the mine and mine it yourself!"
The officials who were watching the joke laughed and pointed at Si Qi and said: "However, even if you mine it, you are not allowed to embezzle state property without authorization. You must send it to our Salt and Iron Department for registration."
“As for when to register, that depends on how important the ore is. Our Ministry of Revenue is busy, and there are more important things waiting to be dealt with. Presumably, the things we can give you to use are not important things. Wait for a year or so, and maybe you can get a number from us.”
Seeing Si Qi being humiliated like this, the people who were watching the joke also said, “Of course, the right to use the ore after registration must have a priority order. If someone happens to need these ores, I’m afraid it won’t be the turn of an unknown person like you! Who knows, in the future, you may be able to get one or two of them as marbles to amuse your children, hahahaha!”
Several people laughed extremely wildly, and had no intention of saving Si Qi’s face. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue around them all looked like they were watching the excitement. They were enjoying Si Qi's embarrassing situation of being besieged, and they felt a sense of comfort as a bystander.
Si Qi remained calm, turned his neck, pinched his wrist, raised his arm and punched the official who was sneering at him.
The man let out a scream, blood flew from his nose, his teeth broke, and he flew back two or three meters with a bang, and fell to the ground groaning.
The people around him were silent for a moment, staring at the boy in astonishment, as if they couldn't believe their eyes.
Si Qi said coldly: "You are a bully relying on the power of others. Who do you think you are? The only son of the Minister of Revenue tried to frame me, and was finally thrown into jail. He hasn't been released yet! Do you still want to torture me?"
The officials around looked at Si Qi with resentment, as if they wanted to refute the young man who was talking nonsense in front of them. Si Qi sneered: "Why, don't you think it's not enough to offend me? Do you want the Minister to live in jail for the rest of his life? Either give me what I want now, or I'll turn around and leave. If the Minister can't save his son, he will hold you accountable. Don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"
Everyone looked at each other in silence.
The official who fell to the ground and had one of his front teeth broken by Si Qi's punch covered his mouth with grief and anger. Losing a front tooth in this era is equivalent to being disfigured. He was afraid that he would never be promoted again, and he might even lose his job . He
roared in grief: "You want to take things from us? You're dreaming!"
"Oh?" Si Qi did not refute, but looked around, took a wooden chair from the side, and walked straight towards the official.
The people around were so scared by his posture that they dared not to move, fearing that this madman would really do something crazy and hurt them.
The official who was missing a front tooth was even more frightened, and hurriedly stood up from the ground, rolling and crawling, and ran inside.
Someone asked sternly, "That's enough! You are a nobody who has done nothing and is not even qualified to enter the Ministry of Revenue. Get out!"
Si Qi put a chair in the middle of the hall with a bang, sat on it with his arms around his shoulders, raised his chin, and said disdainfully, "The Ministry of Revenue is under the control of His Majesty. When did it become a place for you bunch of dog officials to show off your power? I am here on His Majesty's orders. I have issued an imperial decree to ask for the ore, why do I need your approval! Not to mention that there are ore in the warehouse, even if there are not, you have to bring them all to me today! If you can't bring them out, it is deceiving the emperor and disobeying the emperor's order! I will ask His Majesty for permission to kill you all!"
A group of people looked at the young man in front of them who was talking and sneering, and finally began to feel uneasy.
One person gritted his teeth, took a step forward, and was about to say something.
Si Qi looked at him and said directly: "What, you have something to say? All right! Then come with me to His Majesty and see what you can say!"
The man stood still, two or three drops of cold sweat appeared on his pale forehead. After a moment, he stepped back slowly under Si Qi's gaze with stiff movements.
Everyone around was silent, and no one dared to underestimate the young man in front of them.
No wonder even if the Minister personally took action against Si Qi, he could not do anything to him. This young man is really so stubborn. Fighting with him is like hitting a rock with an egg, which will not be worth the loss.
Si Qi looked at the people sweating and sneered.
He will need to come to this place often to get things in the future. If he doesn't scare these people in one go, he will inevitably waste time in the future.
Just as he was about to continue to say something, he suddenly felt the faces of the officials around him changed drastically, and their eyes were all looking behind him.
Si Qi turned around subconsciously and looked over, and then he saw the prince in a four-clawed dragon robe striding over.
The prince had wanted to come over to support the young man, but when he got here, he found that the people in the Ministry of Revenue were cornered by Si Qi alone. After being stunned, he suddenly realized.
That's right... The young man is always so arrogant and confident in front of outsiders. No one can do anything to him, not even the wise Fourth Princess.
Recently, he has seen the young man being docile and well-behaved in front of him and His Majesty, and he almost forgot how unruly the young man is by nature.
He smiled at Si Qi, then raised his head, his expression changed back to the cold and dignified one that everyone was more familiar with, and said lightly: "Si Ju people have been here for so long, and the Ministry of Revenue has not made any movement. Those who are unwilling to work should resign. The court does not need useless people who can't do anything."
After all, the prince is the prince. Even if he has been a little down and out recently, it is not something that the ministers can resist.
Even the fourth prince, who has been so powerful recently, has to stop and greet the prince when he sees him, otherwise it would be a violation of the rules and he would be accused of not knowing the difference between high and low. The officials around did not expect that Si Qi could even invite the Crown Prince, so they quickly apologized and ran to the warehouse with the list Si Qi put on the table. After counting the nearly 100 kinds of ores on the list carefully several times, they came to Si Qi and Chu Feng with a smile and said humbly, "Your Highness, Si Ju Ren, the things are ready. Where do you think they should be sent?"
The Crown Prince glanced at Si Qi, and Si Qi "Does the ironworks have a warehouse?"
Because it was Si Qi who took the initiative to ask for it, the prince did not hand it over to others to handle. He knew it very well and answered directly: "Yes."
Si Qi: "Then send it there."
After saying that, he glanced at the man in front of him with a flattering smile, patted his head with his hand, and said to him: "Be smart next time, and send me what I want immediately. Do you understand?"
"I understand, I understand." The official smiled very attentively, and there was not even a hint of reluctance, which was completely different from his attitude just now.
Presumably because Chu Feng was here, Si Qi knew it in his heart, thinking that it would be easier to have a backer behind him.
If Chu Feng became the emperor in the future, what kind of ore and materials would he not be able to get?
For a while, he was more active in wanting to help Chu Feng ascend the throne.
The prince picked up the list of materials written by Si Qi and found that it was full of strange things. He asked curiously: "Sand? What do you want this for?"
Si Qi said: "To make glass."
The prince looked surprised. He didn't understand how the cheap and inconspicuous sand could be made into crystal clear glass.
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue standing by were stunned, but then they showed a look of sudden enlightenment.
No wonder the fourth princess always asked them for a lot of sand in recent years. Who would have thought that the sand was actually the raw material of the valuable glass! !
It was really unexpected...
The prince was getting more and more excited about Si Qi's seemingly endless talent, and couldn't help but say: "Do you want to make glass objects for sale like the Fourth Princess? Do you need me to find professional craftsmen to help you make them?"
"Glass is different from porcelain. It is not made by hand." Si Qi shook his head: "But I do need professional craftsmen to help make related utensils. But those utensils are not used to sell money."
The prince asked curiously: "What is it for?"
What else can glass (gemstone) be used for besides looking good?
Si Qi smiled slightly: "There are so many uses."
The first is the test tube beaker used in chemical experiments.
That is a great existence that can change the world more than a few glass teacups.
Unfortunately, it fell into the hands of the daughter of the world, and it can only be exchanged for a little gold and silver treasures.
The prince was very interested in how the Fourth Princess made glass, and wanted to see on the spot how Si Qi turned the sand that could be seen everywhere into the transparent and flawless colored glass.
Si Qi recalled the weapons of this era that he had seen before, shook his head, and said, "Some preparations need to be made."
From the level of ironwork production, we can roughly see to what extent the furnace temperature of the ironworks of this era can be raised. Being able to smelt iron ore means that 1300c is no problem, but there is no higher.
The main raw material for making glass is quartz sand, and the melting point of quartz sand is 1750c. This is also the fundamental reason why ancient glassmaking always becomes mixed with various impurities and more like colored stones than glass.
The temperature is not enough.
There are two solutions here. One is to directly increase the furnace temperature in a simple and clear way. The other is to reduce the melting temperature of quartz sand by adding solvents.
The most commonly used solvents are pure alkali, wood ash or lead ore, which are not rare. Add a little limestone as a stabilizer during the firing process. When the three are added together, simple glass can be made. I believe that the Daughter of the World also made glass in this way.
However, since Si Qi wants to make a steam engine, simply avoiding the furnace temperature and adding solvents cannot solve the fundamental problem. Therefore, before refining glass, the furnace in the iron smelting workshop must first be converted into a high-temperature furnace that can produce molten iron.
It is not difficult to make that kind of blast furnace. Si Qi already has the design in his mind, but what is lacking is the materials.
In addition to stone bricks, refractory clay is also needed to continuously build the furnace higher. When it is built to a height of about five or six meters, molten iron can be produced.
Si Qi has an entire country as his backing. Whatever he wants, someone will send it to him. Things from all over the country can be allocated to him at the fastest speed. So he just draws the design and supervises, step by step, and what he needs can be made in the end.
Si Qi said to Prince Chu: "Your Highness, I need some craftsmen to help."
The prince liked the feeling of being relied on by Si Qi, and readily agreed: "Okay, I'll find you a craftsman with any skills you need."
Si Qi thought about it, and after a moment, he smiled mischievously and said, "First... you need someone who can blow sugar figures."
The prince: "......?"
Half a month later, His Royal Highness the Prince finally understood what blowing sugar figures meant.
However, although the color of this "sugar" looks very similar to maltose, orange-yellow, and also has a soft and semi-fluid appearance, the temperature is so high that it is not edible at all.
A trained craftsman who applied for the job held a thin and long iron pipe in his hand and kept rotating it in his palm. He blew air steadily into one end of the iron pipe with his mouth, and the other end was attached to the semi-molten glass.
In the era without industrial machine manufacturing, people blew glass into bubbles by blowing, and then used gravity and external processing to make the bubbles into various required shapes.
Finally, after a little cooling, the final glass product can be obtained.
Since this craftsman learned that what he was making in front of him was the glass worth thousands of dollars, his work enthusiasm was extremely strong, and even every time he blew the glass, he was very careful and cautious.
Fearing that his mistake would waste his employer's countless money, the craftsman privately trained himself for a long time using other methods, and demanded that every detail and every technique be the best.
Therefore, even Si Qi could not find any major faults with the final product.
It cannot be said that it is similar to the design, but it can only be said to be exactly the same.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince looked at the various strange test instruments placed on the laboratory table, lifted up a thin and long test tube and put it in front of his eyes to admire, and really couldn't figure out where the beauty of such things was and what their use was.
Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was enduring the high temperature of the furnace and standing in this crude smelting plant and refusing to leave, Si Qi thought that he liked these glass products.
To return the favor and also to give a gift to his beloved friend, Si Qi asked with a smile: "Your Highness, may I give you a gift?"
The prince's eyes flickered slightly, and he tried his best to suppress the corners of his mouth that kept rising, and said reservedly: "Oh? What gift?"
Si Qi asked the craftsman to stop after finishing the cups at hand, and he stood in front of the fire, picked up the iron pipe and took out some semi-molten glass, and asked: "Your Highness, do you like cups or decorations?"
- Is Si Qi going to make a gift for him by hand?
Prince Chu couldn't help but smile, and said restrainedly: "Cup."
This way he can put it on his lips and enjoy it every day.
He saw with his own eyes how glass is made, which is made by blowing air from the mouth.
Si Qi's personally blown glass cups... Hey.
Si Qi imagined in his mind the cups and cups that Chu Feng would like, nodded, picked up the iron pipe, and took a breath.
"Wait!" Prince Chu saw this and hurriedly stopped him loudly.
Si Qi:?
Prince Chu tried his best to make his tone and movements not too anxious or obvious. He took out a silk handkerchief, handed it to Si Qi, and said, "Wipe it."
Si Qi: "..."
Si Qi suddenly realized: "Thank you, Your Highness."
It seems that this Prince Chu has some cleanliness obsession.
How could he be asked to make cups and cups if he has a cleanliness obsession? Doesn't he mind that he is the one who blows out the glass in this life?
Si Qi wiped the mouth of the iron pipe with a handkerchief, and then skillfully held the blowpipe and rotated it in his palm. He blew a little air into it and observed the shape of the glass attentively.
Soon, a cup with simple and beautiful shape and exquisite details was made.
He took the cup with a reddish color and put it in a ventilated place to cool.
After coming back, Si Qi saw the prince holding the iron pipe in his hand, standing motionless in front of the blazing fire.
Aren't you too hot? Si Qi said, "Are you interested in this?"
The sudden sound startled the prince. He subconsciously took back the iron pipe in his hand and looked back at Si Qi in a panic: "Yes, yes."
Si Qi smiled and said, "If you don't mind, you can try it."
The prince's face seemed to be a little red under the firelight, and he nodded: "Okay."
Following Si Qi's actions, the prince ordered some glass and came over. He turned his head and looked at Si Qi and said, "I'll make a cup for you too."
Si Qi heard this and smiled faintly: "Thank you, Your Highness."
Chu Xun's lips curled up with a smile. He just liked Si Qi's way of dealing with things without being surprised by insults and being generous.
It made him feel... like he was a close friend of the other party, without any identity barriers.
It was indescribably comfortable to get along with him.
Si Qi picked up the handkerchief and tried to pass it over, but Chu Feng turned his head and blew at the iron pipe, as if he didn't see it.
Si Qi: "..."
The prince was so excited to try the new thing that he forgot about it for a while, right?
It's better not to remind him, lest he dislike it later.
Putting the handkerchief away silently, Si Qi observed the shape and direction of the glass.
But I don't know if it was because he was too cautious or what, Chu Feng's lips were pressed against the edge of the iron pipe, but he didn't breathe out much, and there was no change until the liquid fell to the ground.
The prince looked at Si Qi with a little embarrassment.
"Just practice more." Si Qi encouraged when he saw that there were still a lot of raw materials.
The prince didn't say anything, and silently ordered some glass over again.
Perhaps because he felt a little embarrassed by the failure just now, the prince rotated the iron tube very quickly and his movements were very irregular, which would deform the shape of the blown glass and prevent it from having a round, symmetrical appearance.
Seeing this, Si Qi took two steps closer and touched the back of the prince's hand with his palm. He indirectly controlled the speed of the iron tube and whispered to Chu Xun, "Your Highness, don't be too nervous, relax a little..."
With a "puff", the prince's breathing became heavy in an instant, and this time he blew the cup directly into a twisted hollow test tube.
Si Qi looked at the prince's forehead, which was sweaty and his face was red from the fire. His breathing seemed a little rapid, so he said, "If you feel uncomfortable, can you take a rest?"
The prince's eyes dodged, and he turned around to try to avoid Si Qi's gaze. "No, I don't feel uncomfortable..." He
was still quite stubborn. Si Qi nodded and slowed down his tone and instructed: "Try to slow down your breathing and keep it even. When rotating the iron tube, the speed should not be too fast or too slow. Too fast or too slow will cause the produced glass to deform and twist."
The prince lowered his head and looked at Si Qi who was lowering his eyes and instructing the production method. His heart beat faster and faster unconsciously.
It must be too hot here, so he was sweating all over, which made him feel flushed and dry-mouthed.
The prince was trying to find an excuse to deceive himself. His voice was hoarse and he pleaded, "Can you show me again?"
"No problem." Si Qi took out his handkerchief and wiped the mouthpiece of the iron pipe in the prince's eyes, which seemed a little hurt. He demonstrated it to the prince as slowly as possible.
This time he made a single-handled teacup for the prince, which was not common in this era. He
explained, "It's more convenient to drink water this way."
The prince looked deeply at the teacup, which looked a little strange because of the handle, and said, "Then I'll make you one too."
Presumably, they are the only two people in the world who would use such a unique cup.
There are only two of them in the world, and they were made by each other for the other person.
Thinking of this, the prince's ears were burned red by the fire.
Si Qi saw it inadvertently, and thought to himself that he had never thought Chu Feng was so afraid of heat, so he would make him a refrigerator and put some ice cream in it as a gift for him.
I wonder if he will return the favor?
For example, make him some pudding...
But can His Royal Highness the Crown Prince make pudding?
We can't unilaterally assume that they have the same personality just because they look alike.
After working for half an hour, Chu Feng finally made the teacup. Seeing Si Qi put it next to the teacup that Si Qi had made for Chu Feng before, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince smiled particularly happily thinking that two almost identical glasses would be given to another person next.
Seeing this, Si Qi thought to himself that this is the charm of labor! He sighed with a completely wrong train of thought.
After touring the glass workshop, Si Qi took the Crown Prince to the nearby iron smelting workshop.
Looking at the two-story high furnace, the Crown Prince said curiously: "This is what you said, it can melt iron ore into molten iron, and even smelt out..."
Seeing that the other party forgot what the term was for a moment, Si Qi said: "Steel."
"Yes, steel." Chu Feng asked: "Is the steel really as magical as you said?" "
Yes, both the hardness and density are far superior to iron."
Steel can be smelted by decarbonizing molten iron, and this step is also called annealing. Of course, the hardness cannot reach the modern level of the last world all at once. It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that it is steel, but it can definitely crush the ironware of this era.
The main reason for the low production today is that the efficiency of manually beating iron ore into iron powder is too low.
When the steam engine comes out, the problem of power will no longer be a problem. It is a power monster with unlimited power and will never get tired.
It was also during the days of waiting for the molten iron to be made into corresponding iron sheets by the craftsmen that several carts of sugarcane pulled from the south finally arrived in the capital.
Because the matter was too important, even the emperor personally arrived at the scene to observe Si Qi's sugar-making process.
I thought it would be a complicated and arduous project, but it only took half a day to make brown sugar from sugarcane. The process is to squeeze juice → boil → steam dry → separate brown sugar → put it in a bowl.
The well-informed emperor was stunned. While eating the brown sugar, he kept saying "How can it be so sweet, how can it be so sweet", and his eyes seemed to be shining as he looked at the bowls of brown sugar.
With so many good things, the emperor, who was always kind and loved his family, immediately called the concubines and underage children in the harem and gave each of them a fist-sized brown sugar.
Everyone smiled, and the palace maids and eunuchs next to them were envious and drooling.
The princes and princesses surrounded the emperor, saying sweetly that their father really loved his children and was so amiable that he gave them all such precious things. The emperor's face was full of a fatherly smile when he heard this.
Only the careful Si Qi noticed that he had made four bowls of brown sugar for the emperor, but only two were taken out.
Well...
it's better not to say anything.
Later, when Si Qi made the MSG and presented it to the emperor for him to taste.
The emperor, who had experienced many storms in recent days, had learned to look at everything related to Si Qi with a calm eye.
It was just that he ate a few more bowls of rice calmly and accidentally ate too much.
It was all a small matter.
After dinner, the emperor, who had been watching Si Qi and the crown prince teach the Ministry of Revenue without showing favoritism, called the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue over and gave him a severe scolding.
The reason was not only that the brown sugar, MSG and glass produced by Si Qi could bring huge benefits to the State of Chu, but also because Si Qi's wisdom and talent, which seemed to have no end, were definitely not comparable to that of a mere vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
From then on, no matter what Si Qi wanted to take from the Ministry of Revenue, no one dared to interfere and make Si Qi unhappy.
Other ministers who were loyal to the four princes, even if they were at odds with Si Qi because of party struggles, would more or less be considerate when doing things and would not dare to go too far. After all, Si Qi is a favorite of His Majesty.
It has only been a month since he traveled through time, and Si Qi has successfully become an important figure in the State of Chu.
On this day, Si Qi asked a craftsman to make a wind chime with an elegant shape and a clear and pleasant sound, and brought it back for Si Peihuan, who always stayed at home and rarely went out.
Because of the emergence of MSG, his sister now likes to cook more and more. Even though she has a cook, she still chooses to cook for her brother herself, and always likes to act as a chef in front of Si Qi with an excited look.
It's no wonder that she is so excited. Once the ancients have tasted the power of MSG, they probably can't bear to live without it for the rest of their lives.
"Now my sister's cooking skills are probably even better than the chef of Piaoxianglou."
Si Peihuan, who has always been shy, couldn't help but brag to Si Qi in such a tactful way.
Piaoxianglou is the restaurant opened by the Daughter of the World. This talented woman is not only "good at writing poems", but also "good at inventing". The "self-created" dishes such as pickled radish, pickled cucumber, lemon chicken feet, hibiscus chicken slices, etc. have attracted the love of many wealthy businessmen and royal families. The business is booming, and everyone who has eaten it says it is good.
Si Qi has been busy making steam engines and conducting chemical experiments these days, and almost forgot about Zhao Er's existence. This won't do. Si Qi took two bites of the food and thought that he had to find something for the Daughter of the World to do, right? It can also be regarded as a reward for the bad things she has done in the past few years. Not to mention
cutting off all the other party's financial resources at once, it is still possible to reduce her income by 80% to 90%.
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