Those five people experimented on and off one after another, and actually came up with a theory. It was a simple glass formula.
These are all points that need attention during the firing process, such as the firing temperature, when to use high and when to use low, what kind of material is best for firing without impurities, and why bubbles appear, all of which are explained in detail.
This shows how much effort the individuals put in.
As the glassmaking process became more and more sophisticated, raw materials collected from all over the country gradually arrived in the capital. Youqing selected a location and built a large factory specifically for glassmaking.
Youqing used the first batch of finished products herself, and she replaced all the windows in the house with glass windows.
The room suddenly became bright.
When Emperor Kangxi came over and saw it, he immediately noticed it.
"This is glass?"
Youqing nodded: "The finished products that were just made have already been used. I still have some left. I'll send some over to you later."
The people she employed were from the Imperial Household Department, people given to her by Emperor Kangxi. As a way of giving back to her partners, Youqing was quite generous.
Emperor Kangxi looked at the glass and began to study it carefully.
"This glass is even more translucent than crystal; it's truly comparable to a divine object."
In the era when the Qing dynasty was young, glass was an everyday item and nothing special. But to Emperor Kangxi, it was different! This glass was much clearer than ordinary glass.
Emperor Kangxi praised the glass at length, to the point that Youqing wondered if she had misunderstood it and whether the glass was really that magical.
Glass was installed in Emperor Kangxi's residence in Muqing Garden, and glass was also installed in the Empress Dowager's residence. Since it was not in the inner palace, the people coming and going to the Empress Dowager's residence were either servants from the palace or grandchildren who came to pay their respects. When they saw the glass, they found it unusual and sent someone to the Imperial Household Department to inquire. Only then did they learn that the glass was not installed by the Imperial Household Department.
Kangxi's residence was frequented by court officials every day. The glass windows were spotted as soon as they were installed, attracting many inquiries.
"Eunuch Cheng, when did your Imperial Household Department produce such transparent glass?"
Eunuch Cheng felt extremely wronged. Several groups of people had come to inquire about "glass" before, so he had to explain again: "The window on His Majesty's window is not made of glass, but of glass. Glass is more difficult to make than glass, and it was not made by the Imperial Household Department. As for where His Majesty obtained the glass, I, a servant, have no way of knowing."
This statement effectively shut down the questioner's next line of questioning.
"Not made by the Imperial Household Department?"
"If it was made by the Imperial Household Department, why would I need to hide it?"
"I see. I'll trouble you to keep an eye out, Your Excellency. If the Imperial Household Department acquires this craft in the future, please don't forget to let us know."
This glass is a good thing. You can open the windows to let in fresh air in spring, summer and autumn, but it's not suitable to open the windows in winter. If this glass is made into windows, it can save a lot of candlelight!
"Alright, Lord Liu, rest assured, if there is any news about this glass, we will definitely not keep it from you."
Youqing prepared a large factory with all kinds of equipment. Youqing directly divided the factory into five parts, with each of the original five workers responsible for one part, making the whole process streamlined.
This increases speed and also minimizes the risk of the recipe being leaked.
In May, a glass shop opened in Liulichang, Beijing. As soon as the shop opened, customers flocked to it. Most of these customers were the most elite people in Beijing who could frequently visit the Emperor.
These people were mostly stewards of officials. When they came in, there was always a large amount of glass. After all, the mansions of high-ranking officials and nobles were quite large, so there were many windows and therefore many windows.
Such a grand occasion was unprecedented, even when Yan Yuege first opened. After all, Yan Yuege's popularity took time to develop, but this glass shop was incredibly popular from the very first day it opened.
On the first day, without any advertising, the entire storefront was packed with orders.
We had prepared a fair amount of glass, but there were too many orders and our glass inventory was insufficient.
"Dear customers, all the glass has been sold. We apologize, but please come back another day."
"Shopkeeper, give me an answer. When is this 'another day'? My master has ordered this. As his servant, I need to have something to say when I get back."
"I'm so sorry." The shopkeeper apologized again, and then continued, "It is indeed our fault that we are short of stock. We had prepared quite a lot for the opening of the new shop, but we really didn't expect the enthusiasm of you all. If you would like, please leave your names. If we have the goods, I will definitely send someone to inform you. How about that?"
Everyone could only nod in agreement. What else could they do? The master of the house had ordered something, but the other party didn't have it. They couldn't just not buy it; they could only wait.
"Shopkeeper, when you have stock, don't forget to reserve some for us first."
"Definitely, definitely."
...
They were busy until evening before finally seeing the shopkeepers off.
That evening, Chengying told Youqing about the situation in the shop. Youqing was really shocked. These people were far too enthusiastic about glass. She had prepared quite a lot, but the stock was gone in less than half a day.
"Here's what we'll do! The factory will probably need more time, and we'll definitely be out of stock for the next few days. Let's keep a few samples in the shop, and if anyone else comes to buy glass, we'll ask if they'd be willing to take a pre-order."
"Reserve?"
"Pre-ordering means paying a deposit in advance, and then paying the full amount upon delivery. The goods will be delivered according to the pre-ordered time sequence."
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