In this dynasty, saltpeter had not yet been discovered to be used to develop gunpowder, so the court's control over it was not very strict.
As long as you don't buy in large quantities, no one will question what you use it for.
However, something unexpected happened along the way.
Xueqing brought the items back, and Chi Yan, full of interest, came over to take a closer look, only to discover something was amiss.
He picked up a little bit and tasted it. It was salty and bitter, with a cool sensation. His brows gradually furrowed.
Seeing this, Shen Tangning couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong? Is something amiss?"
Chi Yan shook his head: "This is not the saltpeter I want, but Glauber's salt. The two look similar, but their uses are very different."
Seeing that Shen Tangning and Xue Qing were staring at him, he had to explain further, "The saltpeter I'm looking for is mostly found in damp places such as cave walls, or in the walls of outhouses and the nearby soil. It's also called 'ground frost'."
Shen Tangning blinked blankly, her tone incredulous: "...The outhouse?"
Chi Yan touched his nose: "Is there a problem?"
"No." She composed herself and quickly dismissed the idea of eating ice cream.
Xueqing was also stunned for a moment, then belatedly nodded: "Then this servant will go and look again."
"No need, I'll send Ba Liang. Anyway, the kid's just idling around." In this heat, Chi Yan didn't dare to order around Shen Tang Ning's people, but he had no problem ordering around his own servant.
Eight ounces: "..."
After Ba Liang bought the saltpeter, Chi Yan looked at it from left to right and began to complain that the saltpeter was not pure enough.
At that time, the refining technology was not yet mature, and the refined saltpeter still contained impurities, so making ice was not so easy.
Eight Ounces said cautiously, "Shall I go look again?"
“No need for that.” Chi Yan didn’t intend to make things difficult for him any further. After all, no matter how many stores he went to buy things, they would all be the same. He planned to purify them himself.
Others, including Shen Tangning, also curiously gathered around to watch.
Chi Yan then ground the saltpeter crystals into powder and added them to a basin that had already been filled with hot water, stirring constantly with a wooden stick.
Shen Tangning asked with a look of curiosity, "Is this what they call purification?"
Chi Yan appeared completely at ease: "This is called the dissolution crystallization method. There are more than one way to purify it, but this one is more time-saving and labor-saving. You can also use charcoal, but it's relatively more troublesome."
Activated carbon has strong adsorption properties, resulting in better purification.
Hearing the unfamiliar words from Chi Yan, Shen Tangning's gaze involuntarily fell on his face.
His eyes were lowered, his expression focused, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth. When he did these things, he seemed to radiate a different kind of brilliance, which was far from the playboy that people talked about.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
Shen Tangning considered herself to have read many books, but she had never heard of any of the things Chi Yan mentioned.
She said casually, "How does my husband know everything?"
Chi Yan paused for a moment, then said vaguely, "I usually like to read all sorts of books. The more I read, the more I naturally understand!"
Shen Tangning smiled slightly and said, "My husband is really amazing."
Everyone has their own secrets, and she herself also harbors secrets, with no intention of exploring the mysteries surrounding Chi Yan.
Once the saltpeter solution had completely dissolved in the water, Chi Yan gestured for Ba Liang to spread a piece of cloth open with both hands, and then, holding the wooden basin, pour the solution through the cloth into another basin.
"What are they doing now?"
Chi Yan answered every question: "This step is to filter out the impurities inside."
This is not hard to understand, Shen Tangning nodded to indicate that she understood.
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