Chapter 36: A False Alarm - Manager Song...
However, growing potatoes is not an easy task. In ancient times, without fertilizer, yields were meager.
Even if Qi Chengming starts collecting night-blooming jasmine for composting now, he won't be able to plant potatoes in time for this batch; that would take at least two months.
So he turned his attention to the [Bone Extraction Method for Ammonium Sulfate] in the mall, which is a formula for producing ammonium sulfate fertilizer using animal bones in a relatively primitive environment.
Ammonium sulfate fertilizer can provide nutrients and increase yield and quantity during potato growth, but how to use it specifically depends on the soil cover.
...We need to confirm this now.
Qi Chengming sat on the edge of a prime piece of farmland, seemingly catching his breath and looking around to rest, but in reality, he silently opened the infrastructure page and zoomed in on the Liuzhou map:
A complex three-dimensional image appeared, with many small red and green markings on it.
Qi Chengming had become quite proficient at using maps through his research. He turned off the displays of geological veins, mineral deposits, population distribution, and so on on the Liuzhou topographic map, leaving only the soil acidity and alkali distribution map. Then he zoomed in and located the mountain, finding this superior farmland.
Qi Chengming zoomed out the map, and the land on it began to appear as patches of dark brown and light yellow/white shadows. The dark brown areas represented acidic soil, while the lighter shades indicated alkaline soil. More detailed data included the approximate pH value of each plot.
That was a huge help.
Without an infrastructure map, he wouldn't know how much trouble he would have to go through, and farming would be a complete mystery to him.
Qi Chengming's scrutinizing gaze swept back and forth, like a king surveying his territory.
Thanks to the infrastructure system for providing the knowledge...
He knew that potatoes grow best in sandy loam soil. Sandy loam has good aeration and can retain fertilizer and water, preventing the roots from being hindered or losing nutrients when growing underground. Potatoes need a soil pH between 4.8 and 7.0. If it's too high or too low, leading to a lack of certain nutrients, fertilizer will have to be used to compensate later.
Most of the soil in Liuzhou is acidic, with only a small portion being alkaline. This prime field happens to be sandy loam, with a pH of 6.8, ample moisture, high mineral content, and a suitable surrounding temperature—perfect! I feel like it will grow a lot of potatoes.
...He can wait until the potatoes reach the tuber formation stage before deciding how much fertilizer to apply.
Moreover, there is currently only one type of fertilizer available. This potato crop is unbalanced, and who doesn't use a specialized compound fertilizer for their land? We still need to find a way to produce other fertilizers.
Qi Chengming let out a soft breath and mentally prioritized the tasks he needed to complete next.
The first step in farming is to get fertilizer!
Fertilizer recipe - obtainable with points - requires completing tasks - the best task to complete right now is the first stage of building the Prince's Palace, submit the design blueprint - buy materials to make fertilizer.
Other fertilizers – build laboratories to produce them – study glass – make vessels.
"Let's go, we'll come back next time!"
Qi Chengming straightened his thoughts, stood up decisively, and showed no signs of fatigue. "Uncle Huang, next time I come, I will bring crop seeds and tell you how to plant them. Whoever plants well next year will receive a generous reward."
"Understood," Uncle Huang replied, perking up. Although he didn't know what kind of crop it was, they naturally took great care of His Highness since he valued it so highly.
"Your Highness, are we going back now?" Xiao Chengzi asked curiously, completely baffled by today's events.
What does Your Highness intend to plant? You've personally inspected so many plots of land, yet you haven't even considered buying estates or shops; it seems you value this place more…
"Everything is difficult at the beginning. We still have a lot to do when we get back." Qi Chengming sighed in an old-fashioned manner. "Xiao Chengzi, you have no idea how important it is to grow this thing."
Even though potatoes can't be planted continuously and are difficult to store in a hot and humid place like Liuzhou, their importance is undeniable!
It was already late afternoon when we got back to the hotel.
When Master Huang returned, Qi Chengming asked him for the design drawings of the new palace without saying a word, and then scanned and uploaded them.
The first stage of the "Building the Prince's Mansion" task has been successfully submitted—Qi Chengming has earned 100 points for the first stage, bringing his total to 120 points. Without hesitation, he bought the fertilizer formula, and the next step is to prepare for fertilizer production.
Qi Chengming also had ideas on how to get the potato seeds.
As long as he patiently waits for news from the caravan... it won't be longer than September at the latest, and he can use that as an excuse to take out the "potato seeds" and start planting.
"Xiao Chengzi, go to the West Market and ask around in the restaurants to see where you can collect a lot of animal bones..." Qi Chengming pondered for a moment before handing this difficult task to Xiao Chengzi, who was always meticulous.
"Okay." Xiao Chengzi was still completely confused, but he agreed immediately.
Nowadays, restaurants like to sell roast goose and duck, and there are also vendors in the West Market selling "cheap meat," which also leave a lot of bones. However... bones can be used to make soup, so there probably won't be much left. Xiao Chengzi specifically went to these places to inquire and asked them to do a big deal—to keep all the bones for the next half month and sell them to Prince Rui's Mansion.
"How could I dare!" The butcher selling cheap meat glanced at the Imperial Guards following behind Xiao Chengzi several times. After confirming their identities, he could only smile cautiously. "The bones don't fetch much money. I... uh, I'll just take them over there. It won't cost much."
“Take it if I give it to you.” Xiao Chengzi handed him a coin without any room for argument. “We don’t do things that involve bullying others!” He now understood that the Prince Rui’s mansion was a behemoth in Liuzhou, and ordinary people were afraid of it.
It took Xiao Chengzi two whole hours to finally return, covered in dust. He first carried the bones he could buy that day and asked expectantly, "Your Highness... will we need these for now?"
"My lab work isn't finished yet, so you should send it to... um, the small kitchen first." Qi Chengming thought for a moment and then had Xiao Chengzi send someone to store it in the small kitchen's warehouse. Then, without stopping, he continued to boss Xiao Chengzi around, making him run errands.
"Tell a few more eunuchs and palace maids to go to the street and buy a top-quality alchemy furnace. Yes, also buy some of those expensive alchemical ingredients, mainly yellow and green sails, and Zeng Qing..."
Xiao Chengzi was almost in tears, forcing out a smile that looked even worse than a grimace as he asked, "Your Highness, do you...are you planning to use these to refine pills?"
Good heavens, Your Highness, what a blow this must have caused you! Why get so obsessed with alchemy?
Xiao Chengzi didn't understand the popular customs about elixirs granting longevity or cultivating one's body. In his simple mind, he only knew that emperors in history who were obsessed with alchemy did not have good endings, let alone his own prince, who was just a vassal king. Was his prince going to become one of those mystical Taoist priests?
Before Qi Chengming could answer, an even more excited figure rushed over.
Song Gu panicked, his face turning deathly pale. He dropped the small wooden box he was holding, scattering the land deed all over the ground. His legs went weak, and he stumbled and crawled over from the doorway, his voice trembling as he asked, "Your Highness... what happened? Why are you thinking about alchemy? This—this isn't a good thing!"
Even more than Xiao Chengzi, Song Gu was the one who didn't want His Highness to become obsessed with alchemy!
Heaven knows how thunderstruck he felt when he returned, weary from his journey, and heard His Highness's words as soon as he reached the door.
How could such a wise and powerful future emperor suddenly... suddenly become obsessed with alchemy?!
In that instant, a multitude of thoughts raced through Song Gu's mind: 'Did my rebirth change the future?' 'His Highness is so dejected and颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it conveys a sense of listlessness, apathy, and apathy) that he's started practicing alchemy to escape?!' 'He was fine yesterday, what on earth happened today?!'
But Chief Steward Song couldn't care less about using his piercing gaze to interrogate Xiao Chengzi beside him. He knelt down with a thud and tried his best to persuade His Highness to reconsider.
"Who said that just because I use the alchemy furnace, I'm necessarily here to refine pills?" Qi Chengming asked, amused and helpless, looking at the two people reacting so strongly.
"……well?"
"Don't kneel, get up quickly, I have another use for it." Qi Chengming comforted the frightened young eunuch. He had never seen Chief Eunuch Song so flustered before. "It's for growing things on the land. I would never put that kind of heavy metal in my mouth."
Who could blame them for not having laboratories in ancient times? It was only the alchemists' furnaces that were relatively capable of handling chemistry, barely enough to get through the initial harsh conditions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have set his sights on the alchemy furnaces!
The prescription clearly stated that dilute sulfuric acid was needed to work with the animal bones. Where could dilute sulfuric acid come from? Qi Chengming saw it clearly; the document mentioned "dry distillation of copper sulfate," and the example given was that the Tang Dynasty people used those materials to produce it in their alchemical furnaces.
Thank goodness.
In ancient times, it was incredibly difficult to develop chemistry. He also needed to develop glassware next! Otherwise, he would have to spend a lot of money to buy glassware.
"..." Song Gu's expression finally returned to normal, and he quickly got up from the ground again.
Oh, it's not for eating, and Your Highness isn't addicted to it.
Your Highness knows what you're doing.
His wildly pounding heart finally settled back into his stomach.
"Then I'll go first." Xiao Chengzi had also made a fool of himself, and he awkwardly scratched his head before running away.
Song Gu couldn't escape. He turned to pick up the small wooden box and land deed that had fallen by the door, but his face fell as soon as he turned away: "…………"
The cat is in a bad mood.
He maintained such a composed image for so long... and now he's embarrassed himself in front of His Highness!
Qi Chengming didn't feel that Steward Song had embarrassed himself or anything. He only felt everyone's concern for him, which warmed his heart and made him feel very comfortable.
"Oh, right..." Qi Chengming watched as Steward Song handed over the land deed, indicating that he had come to complete his task. He took the small wooden box and held it in his hand, but instead of opening it to check, he casually said, "Steward Song... I haven't asked you something yet."
"Um?"
"Did you receive the five taels of silver?"
Qi Chengming looked at him with a meaningful expression. What he really wanted to ask was... why did Steward Song secretly subsidize him back then, or rather, why was he so loyal to him from the very beginning?
He wanted to talk to Manager Song.
"..."
Song Gu accurately grasped the subtext of His Highness's words. He paused for a moment, and his words also stopped abruptly.
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Author's Note: Third update! 10,000 words today, I'm exhausted and need to lie down.
Next up is a special segment on Manager Song's reminiscences—
[The information on potatoes above is from Baidu; the basic method for producing ammonium sulfate is from "Simplified Production Method of Explosives"; and the information on the dry distillation of copper sulfate pentahydrate is from "The Yellow Emperor's Nine Cauldrons Divine Elixir Classic". This is noted here.]
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