Chapter 123 The Method of Calcination Those who understand me are Zijing.
The day after the sample soil was returned, the people from the Jiheng Prefecture reported it to Yu Nie.
She rushed to Huan Xun's place without stopping.
Unexpectedly, she had just stepped into the gate of Jiheng Mansion when she ran into Aunt Wu in the corridor.
Seeing how frequently she'd been coming to the manor these past two days, Aunt Wu joked, "Ever since our Zijing was injured, the princess has been coming to our manor every day, but..."
"See how much His Highness cares about our Zijing."
"Zijing is truly blessed to have such an honor."
After hearing this, Yu Nie lowered her eyes slightly, her ear tips turning slightly red.
"Aunt Wu is joking. Zijing stood up for me at the stargazing banquet, and he also helped me a lot with the funeral arrangements."
Aunt Wu glanced at her, a knowing look on her face: "How could I not understand what His Highness is saying?"
Having said that, she didn't want to delay her any longer: "I'm going to the temple to pray for blessings now, so I won't guide Your Highness. Please treat this Jiheng Mansion as your own home and don't feel constrained."
Aunt Wu looked at her with kind eyes and said, "Then I will take my leave first, Your Highness, please go ahead."
Yu Nie bowed slightly, watching Aunt Wu leave.
As soon as the other person left, she went straight to Huan Xun's bedroom without stopping.
Hearing hurried footsteps, Huan Xun, who was standing at the table, looked up towards the door.
A pale yellow figure gracefully arrived.
Yu Nie called his name, and as soon as she entered the room, her anxious gaze met his.
"How are you?" She came to his side and was shocked to see him standing up. "Your injury... how did you suddenly get out of bed?"
"It's stuffy lying down," he explained, waving away the maidservants who were serving him in the room. "Anyway, the wound is healing well, and there's no bleeding."
"But……"
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." He looked into her eyes, smiled, and his expression was casual yet alluring.
She sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do about him, and said helplessly, "I know you won't listen to me. I guess you'll only behave when your wound festers or becomes infected."
He was about to say something more when she looked away and asked, "Where's Yangtu?"
Huan Xun closed the memorial on the table, and when he looked up, he happened to catch a glimpse of the fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
He calmly handed her the silk handkerchief he always carried, and at the same time, he lightly tapped it in the same spot on his own body.
At first she didn’t understand what he meant, but after a moment of confusion she suddenly realized.
She touched her forehead, as if a little embarrassed: "I was so excited and so anxious when I heard that Yangtu was back."
She accepted the handkerchief, scented with sandalwood, from his hand without hesitation, wiped the light sweat from her brow, and said, "Thank you."
He replied, "That's to be expected, but next time, you don't need to be in such a hurry. I won't let these things get away no matter what."
Then, Huan Xun raised his hand to signal Xie Cheng to give her the sample soil that he had brought back from Jincheng County.
Xie Cheng understood and immediately took out a medium-sized pottery jar from the inner room. Its style was simple and unremarkable, without any patterns or decorations.
Xie Cheng carried two jars, each about half an arm's length high, and placed them securely on the round table.
Upon seeing the actual items, she stared intently at them for a moment, an expression of disbelief appearing in her eyes: "I never imagined that these soil samples could be retrieved so quickly."
He lingered on her profile, but when she turned her head, he looked away.
He reached out and untied the hemp rope from the lid of the earthenware jar: "As long as you have the fastest horse in the world, traveling ten thousand miles a day is no problem."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Nie suddenly remembered that Lang Xi had introduced her to his divine steed named "Dao Li" in front of Lingbao Temple.
She couldn't help but look up, and asked softly with a hint of uncertainty, "Is it... Dao Li?"
Upon hearing this, Huan Xun chuckled softly. His laughter contained no mockery, but rather revealed a rare air of dashing handsomeness.
He had always disdained explaining such trivial details to others, but this time he surprisingly replied, "No."
He lowered his gaze slightly: "It is a Heavenly Tiger Horse. This horse is priceless, with exceptional endurance, capable of galloping for several days without rest. Even the Imperial Horse Stables has very few of them in stock."
What he did not say was that the few Heavenly Tiger Horses kept in the Imperial Stables were actually kept in an astonishing number by him, all of them placed in a place unknown to anyone.
Upon returning to Jian'an, in order to avoid attracting attention, he only mobilized a few horses, just in case.
Like everyone else, Yu Nie was naturally unaware of the inside story.
However, her earlier prediction was correct; he had indeed sent men to drive swift horses, as fast as steeds, to complete the task so quickly.
In terms of efficiency, he is indeed a trustworthy ally.
She couldn't help but think that if her martial uncle and Aunt Liu had such a horse, they would probably have arrived in Jian'an long ago.
But it's good that they haven't arrived yet. They are currently going through a turbulent time, and it won't be too late for them to come after they have dealt with the Li Xing clan.
Yu Nie took a little soil from the jar and poured it into his palm.
Huan Xun's gaze fell on her, and he asked, "You said before that you planned to use the calcination method to prove to the emperor that Jincheng County had not suffered from the Yellow River's breach. The soil samples from the Yellow River and Jincheng County are now here."
He tilted his head slightly towards her and said, "Young lady, would you allow me to see what kind of calcination method this is?"
"What's so difficult about that?" she said with an air of confident mastery, and gave a charming smile.
Then, she turned to Xie Cheng, who was standing beside her, and asked him, "Please trouble Guard Xie to bring two white porcelain bowls and some water for burning."
"Water-based disinfectant?" Xie Cheng clearly didn't know what she was talking about, let alone where Huan Xun had put it.
Huan Xun promptly reminded him: "The brown bottle is under the second shelf on the right in the study."
Upon receiving the instruction, Xie Cheng immediately stepped out to prepare.
Before long, he brought out two plain white porcelain bowls from outside the door, as well as a small brown bottle that he had just taken out of the study.
Yu Nie did not personally place the two types of soil into the two bowls.
Instead, she handed the task over to him and turned away.
Huan Xun guessed her intention: "You want me to pose a question for you to answer."
“You understand me best, Zijing.” She winked at him, her expression lively. “Only in this way can we prove that my method is true.”
He raised an eyebrow, said nothing more, and instead complied with her wishes, starting to "give her a question".
"Alright." After changing the position of the soil sample, he reminded her to turn around.
Facing the table, Yu Nie looked at the two porcelain bowls on it and began to prove step by step that her method was feasible and credible.
She first uncapped the bottle of water-burning powder and sprinkled a thin layer into two bowls: "Water-burning powder ignites upon contact with water, and its fire is mild and even, making it most suitable for calcining soil samples."
Then, she picked up the teapot on the table and slowly poured the still-warm tea into the bowl.
The moment the tea touched the powder, a soft "hiss" was heard, and a ball of pale blue flame rose from the bowl, burning quietly.
Huan Xun and Xie Cheng stared intently, and saw that the soil sample was gradually changing color within the two flames.
In the bowl containing the Yellow River silt, the soil gradually turned a dark brown and mottled color, while the soil sample from Jincheng County turned into a uniform reddish-brown color in the fire, pure and without impurities.
Yu Nie pointed to the rim of the bowl with his finger: "The Yellow River silt has been washed over for many years and contains a variety of minerals, so the color is mottled after calcination. However, the soil in Jincheng County is pure and contains minerals that are completely different from those in the Yellow River silt. After calcination, the color is pure reddish-brown. This is the most direct proof."
As the flames died down, the two clay samples revealed distinctly different colors, which became even more striking against the backdrop of the plain white porcelain bowls.
She pointed out the correct answer while giving her explanation.
She clearly distinguished which soil came from the Yellow River and which came from Jincheng County.
Xie Cheng was amazed. Although he didn't understand what minerals were, he was still shocked by Yu Nie's technique.
Huan Xun, however, raised a question: "But can the Emperor understand what you mean by 'minerals'?"
Yu Nie had also considered this point, and she tried to explain it more clearly and understandably using things that people today could understand.
She straightened her expression and explained, "All things in the universe are composed of essence. The soil contains various different substances, which are like medicinal herbs, each with its own medicinal properties and distinct from one another."
She pointed to two porcelain bowls: "The Yellow River silt has flowed for thousands of miles, and it contains a variety of different substances, such as mud, sand, pebbles, and soil that is as fine as powder. When these substances are fired, they will show different shades of color."
She then gestured to another bowl: "The soil of Jincheng County is formed by a unique terrain. It does not contain mud, sand, or pebbles. The soil is slightly coarse and will show a uniform reddish-brown color after being fired."
She extinguished the fire with the tea lid: "This method is like using fire as a mirror. By observing the color that appears after burning, one can see the types of substances contained in the soil. If the substances are mixed, the color will be mixed; if the substances are pure, the color will be pure. From this, one can discern the origin and history of the soil."
“If we were to use the soil from Jian’an to calcine it now, it would be a different color.”
Huan Xun understood what she was saying.
“I see,” he said. “This is what you meant by observing the essential differences in the substances contained in the soil through the method of calcination.”
“That’s right. With such a comparison, Li Xing’s lies can no longer stand up to scrutiny.”
"But how are we going to demonstrate this to the Emperor?" Xie Cheng couldn't help but raise the crucial question.
How to convince Zhao Yunfu of her method, and who to speak to Zhao Yunfu on his behalf—this was another crucial question.
"Master Shen."
Upon hearing Huan Xun mention Lang Xi's name, Yu Nie looked at him: "But Junior Sister is the one who exposed this case. Will the Emperor accept what she says?"
"Besides being the plaintiff, she is also a nun."
Huan Xun explained his reasoning: "Everyone knows that Taoists are skilled in alchemy, have a deep understanding of the five elements, and are very familiar with the properties of metals, stones, earth, and wood. It would be most appropriate for her to demonstrate this method of calcining and identifying soil."
"More importantly, Taoism transcends the mortal world and is not involved in court disputes. It is more fair for someone like her, who is outside the secular world, to explain the ultimate principles of heaven and earth."
Xie Cheng suddenly realized: "By using the name of Taoism to carry out the verification, we can avoid the suspicion of profit and add to the mystery of this method."
Letting Taoists, who represent the great principles of heaven and earth, speak is more powerful than speaking for anyone else.
After listening, Yu Nie pondered for a long time and felt that what he said made sense.
After a long pause, she nodded: "In that case, I will write a letter to my junior sister in a little while and tell her about this method, and hear her opinion."
The group decided on this for the time being.
Having done all this, Yu Nie decided to return to Hongzheng Pavilion first, as it was inconvenient for him to stay any longer.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Huan Xun stopped her, intending to tell her another important matter.
But before he could speak, a sharp voice suddenly rang out from outside: "Imperial edict has arrived—"
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