Because the dredging involved the geography of the tea plantations, the princess summoned several veteran tea farmers well in advance.
They were most familiar with the terrain around the tea plantation and remained in the county government office to serve.
The old tea farmer entered with a stoop, cupped his hands in greeting to the esteemed officials, and said, "This humble old man greets you, esteemed officials."
"No need for formalities." Qin Zhaoqiong immediately inquired whether there were any unpolluted springs on the undisturbed mountains.
The tea farmer did not answer immediately, but frowned and pondered for a moment.
"It used to exist, but the mountain's terrain was altered by the mud dragon, so we don't know if it's still there or if it's been polluted. Besides, it's now impossible to climb..."
The princess waved her hand, "My army has its own skilled fighters. As long as it's not a desperate situation, going up the mountain won't be a problem."
Please lead the way, sir. If we can find a spring, it will alleviate the urgent crisis in Mingyan County.
“Yes, yes, yes…” the tea farmers naturally agreed.
He didn't know how to get up the mountain, but when he heard that the soldiers had a way, he had no choice but to agree.
Qin Zhaoyue offered two suggestions, both of which seemed to offer hope of solving the water problem, and the atmosphere in the hall gradually became strange.
Is this still the same arrogant, extravagant, and ignorant sixth princess?
Before long, the materials needed to purify the water were delivered, and the sorcerer Chen Qingxuan finally made his appearance.
He appeared calm and collected on the surface, but in reality, he was extremely uneasy.
The method for purifying the water was clearly taught to him by the Sixth Princess, but he was forbidden to reveal it.
He had memorized the steps over the past two days, but since he hadn't actually tried them out, he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
"Let's begin."
With over twenty pairs of eyes fixed on him, Chen Qingxuan had no choice but to grit his teeth and go on stage.
First, a small hole was made in the bottom of the earthenware pot, and then the charcoal, gravel, and fine sand to be used for filtration were placed into it in turn.
"Sir, what are the proportions of each?"
When the princess's guards asked a question, the sorcerer subconsciously turned to look at Qin Zhaoyue.
Qin Zhaoyue almost rolled her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that? Just say it yourself!"
Chen Qingxuan was startled and immediately said that the same amount would be fine.
The filtration device was ready, and the well water drawn from the county government office was also contaminated.
Everyone was watching closely, and they could see that the water dripping from the bottom of the earthenware pot had become noticeably clearer.
The second step, and the most important one, is alum.
"Sir, how much would be appropriate to add?"
Under pressure, Chen Qingxuan looked back once more.
Qin Zhaoyue had already decided to kill him. What was that unlucky thing doing staring at her like that!
Haven't I explained it so many times? How come you still can't remember?
"Even though so many people are watching, don't be nervous. It would be great if you succeed, but it's not your fault if you don't."
"Didn't you tell me to add it in small amounts, in multiple batches, until it stops flocculating and settling, and then test the proportions?"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes!"
Seeing the sorcerer's sudden realization, the atmosphere became even more eerie.
Who came up with this method? It seems like the Sixth Princess knows it better than anyone else.
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Yes, it must be that the sorcerer was too nervous and afraid of taking responsibility, which is why he acted that way.
However, two people had strong doubts.
One of them was the eldest princess; she had a guess but wasn't sure.
After all, the skills of alchemists are not something that can be learned in ordinary times; they must have a teacher.
However, she lacked understanding of her sixth sister and didn't know if the work was truly hers.
The other one is Sui Mo, who is responsible for personal protection. However, in the past two days, the Sixth Princess has been whispering with the sorcerer and magician.
Although she didn't hear the whole thing, she was 70-80% certain that the water purification method came from the Sixth Princess!
How many secrets is she still hiding? Has she mastered a water purification method that even the Heavenly Crafts Bureau doesn't know about?
Other discerning people present also had doubts, but not to the extent that these two did.
Chen Qingxuan felt more confident. Since it was going to be done in small quantities and multiple times, he used the medicine scale provided by the Tiangongsi to weigh the alum little by little.
When the first small alum grain was added, flocculent material indeed appeared shortly afterward.
This happened in front of everyone, and everyone witnessed it, which immediately caused a commotion.
Seeing this, Chen Qingxuan breathed a sigh of relief, and then heard the old man from the Heavenly Craftsmanship Department say, "The presence of condensed sediment does not mean that it can be detoxified."
He was right, but no one paid any attention; everyone held onto hope.
The old man said that, but he immediately wrote down the weight of alum added with pen and paper.
With the addition of alum in small batches, more and more flocs were precipitated, and everyone kept a close eye on it to see if the flocs would stop increasing.
When the eighth addition was made, everyone agreed that no more precipitation would occur.
In other words, the amount added between the seventh and eighth times was appropriate, and the old man from Tiangongsi remembered it very clearly, down to the last detail.
If it really works, we need to keep trying until we find the most suitable ratio.
Moreover, water from different sources, even water drawn from the same well, can have slight differences, requiring multiple comparisons.
Moving on to the next step, we used another earthenware pot for three-layer filtration, and the final distillation was not difficult.
It involves boiling water, allowing the steam to enter the bamboo tube through holes, where it is covered with a damp burlap cloth to condense the steam, and finally collecting the water droplets.
Everyone witnessed the whole process and saw that the final condensate was clean and clear, which gave them even greater hope.
"So...it's done?"
It sounds complicated, but it's not too bad to do. If it works, it can be widely adopted.
"This water looks clear, but who can guarantee that the toxins haven't actually been removed?"
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