Chapter 709 Is the Young Master a God? [4k2 Second Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month]
Early in the morning, Ouyang Rong arrived at the main hall of Jiangzhou.
Go directly to Yan Liulang and ask him directly:
"What happened to the batch of Burning Heaven Dragon Oil that Wang Caozhi left behind before he left?"
Yan Liulang immediately replied:
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the goods are stored in the Prefect's residence. A few days ago, Magistrate Diao came and took a batch back, but there were too many, so another batch was not taken. We plan to transport it back slowly."
Before the Buddha statue was secretly completed at Shuangfengjian under the pretext of flood control, Wang Caozhi, who went to Donglin Temple to ask a high monk to pretend to be corrupt, brought back a batch of Burning Dragon Oil from Longcheng County for use. Later, the Buddha statue was successfully placed on the ground without any unexpected conflicts, so the Burning Dragon Oil was not used. It is now being prepared to be transported back to Longcheng County for storage.
Ouyang Rong pressed further, "How many buckets are left?"
"Nine barrels," Yan Liulang accurately reported the number.
Yan Liulang saw his master calculate with his fingers and mutter, "That should be enough. If not, we can make some more..."
"What's enough?" he asked curiously.
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "It's alright, don't move it yet. Leave it at the governor's mansion and wait for my further instructions."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Ouyang Rong turned his head and glanced into the distance.
Yan Liulang followed his gaze and saw that it was towards the Xunyang Prince's residence...
After giving instructions to Yan Liulang, Ouyang Rong took a carriage to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
The remaining Heavenly Dragon Oil in Dragon City was originally intended by Jade Cup Fairy and her companions to blow up Di Gong Gate during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
After being seized, the items were stored in the Longcheng County Government Office. There were so many that they haven't all been used up yet.
But it's okay once it's used up.
Ouyang Rong knew the method of making the Heavenly Dragon Oil, which was passed down from the Jade Cup Fairy. In addition, the Jade Cup Fairy and the Liu family had secretly borrowed the Ancient Yue Sword Shop to make it, and some craftsmen remembered the recipe.
Out of curiosity, he had previously studied the ingredients for making the Burning Sky Dragon Oil and discovered a very familiar ingredient – saltpeter.
This is the material for gunpowder. In a sense, the explosive and ignitable Burning Dragon Oil is similar to gunpowder in that it achieves the same goal... In addition, saltpeter can also be used to make ice. The method is simple, easy, and inexpensive, but it is only a side effect.
It seems that the alchemists of this era had already invented this substance during the alchemy process, but they mostly regarded it as something of gods and ghosts, and even combined it with materials for Qi refining techniques to create strange items such as the Burning Heaven Dragon Oil.
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly.
The carriage arrived at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. After entering, he went directly to his junior sister's boudoir to discuss the birthday gift arrangements for a few days later.
Upon arriving at the location, he found the courtyard deserted. Ouyang Rong asked a maid for directions and, after receiving the answer, turned and headed towards the back garden. A quarter of an hour later, he saw Li Xian's family in a lakeside pavilion, with his junior sister among them.
The group was enjoying the scenery in the waterside pavilion and tasting fresh fruits. There were also several wine jugs emitting white steam on the plate.
Upon discovering Ouyang Rong's arrival, everyone warmly welcomed him.
"Since everyone's here, there's something I need to tell you..."
Ouyang Rong was halfway through his sentence when Li Dalang grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the waterside pavilion.
The latter warmly invited him: "Lianghan, try this pot of ice wine. It's truly refreshing and invigorating."
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but take another look.
I discovered that the fruits and drinks were all frozen, which explained the "mist" – they must have been taken out recently.
With the weather warming up and early summer approaching, eating icy treats is indeed refreshing.
However, realizing what was happening, he asked with a puzzled expression:
Where did this ice come from?
Li Guo'er said as if nothing was wrong: "It's an ice cellar, otherwise where would the ice come from at the end of spring?"
Xie Lingjiang explained, "The ice in the ice cellar was all harvested and stored during the winter for use in the summer."
Ouyang Rong stared at the ice block, lost in thought.
It seems that the Great Zhou Dynasty did indeed have a special institution for storing ice, called the Ice Well Office. In addition to storing ice, they also provided chilled wines, vegetables, and fruits for the enjoyment of the royal family and high-ranking officials.
However, at present, ice can only be stored by harvesting ice by hand in winter, which is inefficient. The production and preservation process is very complicated and costly. Therefore, in the common people, only the wealthy and noble can afford it. Ice is a luxury item that is more expensive than gold.
However, Xie Lingjiang and Li Guo'er were used to this.
In Xunyang City right now, there are no more than three families that can afford ice. The mansions in Huaiye Lane certainly don't have any, but the Xunyang Prince's Mansion is one of them. This is ice that the imperial court regularly bestows upon the mansion.
Seeing his reaction, everyone assumed he liked ice.
Xie Lingjiang said, "If my senior brother likes it, I'll have someone send some over tomorrow."
Li Xian also spoke up: "Why don't we have the craftsmen go to Tan Lang's residence and open an ice cellar? It would be convenient to store ice there, and in the future, half of the ice in the Prince's mansion can be distributed there."
Li Guo'er's lips curled up slightly: "Ouyang Lianghan, your study is called Yinbingzhai. How can it function without ice? Isn't this perfect?"
Ouyang Rong remained silent, reached out and touched the cold surface of the wine pot, then suddenly said:
"How big is the ice cellar in the Prince's mansion? Where is it located?"
Everyone was stunned.
Ouyang Rong tossed aside the fruit without tasting it, turned and left.
"Take me there to have a look."
Having received a signal from his father, Li Dalang followed and led the way.
Li Xian asked curiously, "What was Tan Lang trying to say?"
We'll talk about it later.
Ouyang Rong waved his hand as he walked away.
...
Ouyang Rong visited the ice cellar of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion in the morning.
After leaving, go directly to find Pei Shisan Niang.
Inside the woman's house, in the main hall.
"What are your orders, young master?"
Pei Shisan Niang entered the room with some joy and served Ouyang Rong tea and water.
Ouyang Rong rarely visited her residence.
Moreover, after the meeting at the governor's mansion a few days ago, after Wang Caozhi and others left, Ouyang Rong told them to rest quietly for a few days and wait for his aunt's birthday celebration and the grand celebration of the Buddha statue.
So she shouldn't have been seen these past few days... but today, she came looking for her.
Pei Shisan Niang was having some wild thoughts.
But Ouyang Rong's words brought him back to reality:
Do you know where there is ice?
"Ice? Isn't that only available in winter?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head: "Besides harvesting ice in winter, where do the ice blocks in the imperial ice cellars come from? Do they have any other sources, or what methods are used to make ice?"
Pei Shisan Niang asked in confusion, "The method of making ice?"
He stared at the well-traveled and beautiful woman and asked, "Hmm, is there?"
Pei Shisan Niang suddenly nodded: "Yes."
Ouyang Rong turned his head: "What?"
"I have heard that some mountain immortals can turn water into ice, so they should also be able to make ice."
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly, and he waved his hand:
"That doesn't count, there aren't any other universal methods, right?"
“Yes.” Pei Shisan Niang asked doubtfully, “Young Master, what other way is there?”
Ouyang Rong paced back and forth in the hall, muttering to himself, "Haven't they discovered the method for making ice with saltpeter yet... I never thought I'd be doing something so pointless..."
Under Pei Shisan Niang's questioning gaze, he turned around and asked calmly, "Is ice expensive?"
Pei Shisan Niang said seriously, "Expensive, very expensive, but if you like it, I can get it for you, though the amount may not be much..."
"I'll get it out for you."
Pei Shisan Niang blushed slightly, like a young girl: "What, young master, are you going to do this here?"
She looked around at the terrain.
Ouyang Rong asked in confusion, "What are you talking about? I meant making ice."
He understood immediately and said with a serious expression, "I will teach you a method, and you will have as many as you need in the future."
Pei Shisan Niang suppressed her smile, her expression becoming more serious, and asked, "Where did you get it, young master? It's so hot right now."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand and said, "Find something for me first."
What is it?
Ouyang Rong took out a grayish-white crystalline object, which he had found after searching all day in local pharmacies and other places.
"Have you ever seen this before? It's called saltpeter. Go look it up and see where you can find it and where it can be mined."
Completely bewildered, Pei Shisan Niang led the saltpeter out. When she returned in the evening, Ouyang Rong was drinking tea, writing something on a piece of paper with a pen in his hand.
Pei Shisan Niang glanced at it; it seemed to be a strange recipe for processing saltpeter.
Ouyang Rong took a sip of tea, continued writing, and asked without looking up, "How is it?"
Pei Shisan Niang gracefully bowed and said:
"I've got it! The place where this stuff is abundant is Mount Lu. There are many natural caves there, and some people have seen it inside..."
Ouyang Rong tucked the papers into his robes, then stood up with a smile.
"Let's go over there."
"Yes, young master."
Pei Shisan Niang's expression grew increasingly curious.
...
late at night.
Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
At the entrance of the study, Li Xian and his family arrived, their faces bewildered.
Xie Lingjiang and Li Guo'er were also still sleepy-eyed when they came from their boudoir. They were both wearing slightly thin nightgowns and each had a shawl covering their shoulders. Li Guo'er also had a fox fur scarf, which accentuated her delicate and rosy face.
Everyone was asleep when they were called over, and they started whispering among themselves.
Li Guo'er asked, "What happened? Was there any talk of a meeting tonight?"
Li Dalang said, "I don't know. I heard that Tanlang came and called us over."
Upon entering the study, one could see Ouyang Rong and Yan Liulang.
Ouyang Rong wore a gray scholar's robe, looking travel-worn, as if he had just returned from a long journey.
Xie Lingjiang immediately went over, poured a cup of hot tea, brought it back, and put it in his hand. She touched the slightly cool back of her senior brother's hand and frowned, asking, "Why is Senior Brother running around outside in the middle of the night instead of resting?"
Ouyang Rong said directly, "I came here because there are two things that need to be said immediately."
Li Xian immediately perked up and spread his hands, indicating, "What is it, my lord?"
Ouyang Rong said calmly, "First, I have temporarily requisitioned the ice cellar in the Prince's mansion to store some things."
What items need to be refrigerated?
"Add a batch of ice and nine oil drums; store them here for now."
After saying that, Ouyang Rong pointed his index finger at Yan Liulang:
"I've had Thirteen Niang open a new shop specializing in ice, something like Ice Container. From today onwards, the Prince's Mansion will purchase ice from this shop daily under the guise of buying ice, and then transport it back to the ice cellar. Sixth Prince will arrange the specific distribution of the goods. The ice and oil drums that are transported must be kept away from Li Congshan and his men. Hmm, I'll leave the matter of covering things up to Your Highness. You'll have to handle that."
"Alright." Wei Mei nodded: "Don't worry, with me watching over them, they won't dare to look around."
“Good. Also, the ice cellar in the Prince’s mansion needs to be expanded. I went to take a look last time, and it would be best to add another space, but we’ll talk about that later… As for the second matter, it concerns our escape route in case of danger.”
Everyone listened intently, and saw Ouyang Rong raise one finger:
"Besides the route of taking a boat from Xunyang Ferry to Longcheng County, we need to add another route, just in case. This is a lesson learned from the last incident with river pirates. What if we encounter pirates by water?"
Then everyone remembered that on the day when Shuangfengjian was closed under the pretext of flood control and the Buddha statue was secretly completed, the group of water bandits from Hukou County had traveled north along the waterway to approach Xunyang. Although they escaped unscathed in the end, neither destroying the Xunyang Grottoes nor attacking Xunyang City, Ouyang Rong had been reviewing and reflecting on the incident ever since.
Li Guo'er looked at Ouyang Rong, whose face was full of worry, and asked:
"Which route should we take? The most convenient way to get to Xunyang City is by water."
Ouyang Rong pointed out the window, and everyone turned to look. There was a dark mountain.
“We’ll go through Mount Lu, by land. Xiushuifang is backed by Mount Lu. In case, by any chance, the waterway from Xunyang Ferry to Longcheng is no longer viable, we’ll just head straight into Mount Lu. This time when I went up the mountain to look for something, I saw many caves, like a maze, mysterious and deep, suitable for hiding people, which can serve as temporary hiding places…” Ouyang Rong analyzed rationally, muttering to himself, “In that case, we need to prepare a carriage in advance to wait in the shadows.”
Li Guo'er asked, "This direction is southwest. After crossing Mount Lu, there is only one official road leading southwest. If we want to go north, we need to take a long detour. Wouldn't that waste the best opportunity to escape?"
Ouyang Rong calmly waved his hand: "Don't worry about it. If all else fails, we can go to the southwestern front to find General Qin. This is a viable option. As long as we have a legitimate reason, Your Highness can leave Xunyang City."
Li Xian asked, "What legitimate reason?"
Ouyang Rong said calmly, "Is the attack on the Prince's Mansion by the rebels of Tiannan Jianghu enough?"
Li Dalang asked instinctively, "Does Tanlang really think they're coming?"
He noticed that his friend was smiling without saying a word, and then the young woman beside him, Li Guo'er, turned to him and said:
"Whether the rebels come, when they come, how many come, and even how they come—all of this depends on us, not on them, understand?"
Li Dalang and Li Xian exchanged a glance, both suddenly realizing: "That's a good excuse."
Li Guo'er turned to Ouyang Rong and asked, "Is there something strange about Li Congshan's side, or is it about that thin-faced man that makes you uneasy? Didn't you send people there? Lu Ya went too. We'll know the outcome when he comes back in a couple of days. Why are you suddenly making arrangements for an escape route?"
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and said softly, "I suppose so, but there's something else that reminded me of what Lady Rong said... In any case, it's always good to be prepared. Oh, and there's something else."
He turned to Li Xian and said:
"Your Highness and the Crown Prince need not attend this victory celebration."
Li Dalang hesitated, "But we've already agreed to be there on that day."
Ouyang Rong said calmly, "We'll find an excuse then, like... say we're not feeling well, or that we accidentally ate something bad at my aunt's birthday party the day before... Anyway, we'll have plenty of reasons."
"That's fine," Li Xian hesitated. "Does Tanlang have any bad feelings about this?"
Ouyang Rong pondered: "It's not quite right, but I still think it's a bit inappropriate for Lady Rong to hold this celebration. She actually wants to lure people from the Tiannan Jianghu here. Since she knows this and knows that there might be conflicts, there's no need for her to go. It's better to nip some potential problems in the bud."
“Well, Tanlang is the best choice.”
Xie Lingjiang frowned and asked, "Since it's a plan for retreat, what does Senior Brother need this ice cellar for?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at his junior sister and suddenly remembered the question Pei Shisan Niang had asked him, dumbfounded, when he had used a large amount of saltpeter to make ice not long ago: "Is the young master a god?"
He chuckled softly:
"It's getting hot, so we need to store some ice. We can also take some with us on the road."
...
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(End of this chapter)
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