The drinking feast continued until the moon reached its zenith. Only then did the Third Prince, Shen Yang, and the others, along with the accompanying guards, board ships to leave Yandang Headland and return to Yongchun Palace estate on the opposite shore. Only then did the Yandang Headland side finally quiet down.
Han Qian stood at the riverbank, watching the sailing ship depart into the distance.
“While you were drinking with His Highness, that Zheng Hui, Lord Zheng, found an excuse to wander around the distillation room again. He clearly disregarded his status as Advisory Military Affairs of the Prince’sMansion and tried to steal our family’s distillation method,” Zhao Ting’er grumbled dissatisfied. “Looking at Zheng Hui’s appearance, you’d think he was some kind of upright gentleman.”
Han Qian laughed heartily.
As a core figure of the Zheng clan, Zheng Hui had once commanded Huangzhou’s provincial garrison at Xichuan as Military Registrar of Huangzhou. Talented in all aspects and having the merit and loyalty of helping the Third Prince defend Xichuan city, he was personally appointed by Emperor Tianyou to serve as Advisory Military Affairs of the Prince’sMansion—truly no ordinary person.
However, no matter what kind of person, everyone had their weaknesses. First, Zheng Hui himself was fond of drinking. Second, the Zheng family was Huangzhou’s largest wine merchant. With him creating a new distillation method in the estate compound, how could it not pique Zheng Hui’s interest?
“Are you deliberately letting him learn our distillation method?” Seeing Han Qian completely unconcerned, Zhao Ting’er asked hesitantly.
“Within Jinling city, only sixteen or seventeen main wine shops are permitted the right to sell brewed wine to large and small shops and private households within their designated areas. Behind these dozen-plus main wine shops are either dukes or marquises—it’s extremely difficult for others to enter this business. Previously we could exploit the money shop loophole, using burning blade liquor to offset interest payments. But now, even if we have the distillation method and brew wine, who would we sell it to? Sell to these dozen shops with official permits? But the wine they brew themselves already has sufficiently rich profits—why would they purchase our wine? Moreover, even now, there aren’t many people in Jinling city who want connections with the Prince’sMansion!” Han Qian said.
“If the Zheng family steals our distillation method, that would benefit our wine sales?” Zhao Ting’er asked.
“It depends on how His Majesty intends to further strengthen His Highness’s power,” Han Qian said.
“Are you saying His Majesty will vigorously promote Zheng clan descendants entering the capital?” Xi Ren interjected.
Han Qian said: “That’s inevitable. This was already clearly established when His Majesty personally appointed Zheng Hui to serve as Advisory Military Affairs of the Prince’sMansion. Previously, Marquis Xinchang and I carried too much weight beside His Highness. This time, despite having merit, we received no great rewards—actually making space for other forces to enter His Highness’s circle. And at this stage, it doesn’t even need His Majesty to personally promote it—things will proceed on their own. Zheng Hui is a smart man.”
“I understand now,” Zhao Ting’er said with sudden realization. “You believe that after Zheng clan descendants enter the capital, the Zheng clan will certainly obtain an official wine permit in Jinling. By then, when the Zheng clan sells the new distilled wine in Jinling and other wine shops cannot make the new distilled wine, the new distilled wine from our estate compound can be sold!”
“The Zheng family will probably obtain the official wine permit before their descendants enter the capital en masse, or perhaps they’re already preparing for it,” Han Qian said, raising his head to watch the sail shadow gradually disappearing into the moonlight. “Without real, tangible benefits, relying solely on the single position of Advisory Military Affairs of the Prince’sMansion and vague, uncertain future prospects, how could one make the Zheng clan firmly resolve to send their descendants to the capital en masse? Of course, this campaign severely devastated the local powers of Jingxiang—that’s also an important factor in why Zheng clan descendants will enter the capital en masse.”
Xi Ren couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose. While others still thought Han Qian was brooding over Emperor Tianyou’s ingratitude, who could imagine this fellow was already calculating Emperor Tianyou’s next possible moves?
When the sail shadow completely merged into the night, Han Qian stood at the riverbank and instructed Old Zhao:
“The game bestowed by His Highness—distribute it all tonight. Just remember to save a portion for the Tian, Gao, and Lin households.”
This afternoon, accompanying the Third Prince in the hunt, Han Qian had bagged eight elk and two wild boars. Besides what was consumed at the night feast, there were still over two thousand catties of meat remaining, which the Third Prince bestowed upon them entirely.
Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng currently lived with their families in Lanting Lane and hadn’t moved to Yandang Headland estate with Han Qian, mainly fearing too much time would be wasted traveling in and out of Jinling city each day. Han Qian could spend one or two double-hours daily riding in and out of Jinling city, but Tian Cheng, Gao Shao, and Lin Haizheng mainly remained at the Prince’sMansion handling Jinyun Pavilion’s specific affairs for Han Qian—otherwise Han Qian wouldn’t have such leisure.
Zheng Tong remained at Qiuhu Mountain Villa, specifically ensuring the workshops could continue operating.
Han Qian had Old Zhao distribute the game bestowed by His Highness—besides the estate’s household troops and servants, an additional portion was to be sent to the Tian, Gao, and Lin households.
Old Zhao responded: “I understand in my heart. In such hot weather, the meat won’t keep long. First pickle it in salt, then tomorrow we’ll have people deliver it into the city.”
In his mind he calculated the Han family’s personnel in Jinling—counting retainers, dependents, and servants, plus the Xi clan youths, Shipping Association guards, and sailors who remained in Jinling with Zhao Wuji, Lin Zongjing, Guo Nu’er and others—there were altogether one hundred seventy to eighty mouths to feed, big and small.
Just as Han Qian was about to return to the estate compound with Old Zhao and his daughter Zhao Ting’er, a dark shadow approached from the path to the south.
Two Xi clan youths slipped over from the roadside. After a moment, they saw it was the Du Yijun and Du Yiming brothers riding together on a single donkey, returning in the dark.
Seeing Han Qian still standing by the pond so late, Du Yijun called out quite excitedly:
“My lord! We found the construction method for brine extraction tubes! In Jinyun Pavilion, I discovered the Zhilan Collection written by Chen Zhou, Former Dynasty Inspector of Yuzhou. Inside there’s even a construction diagram for brine extraction tubes—we copied it down!”
Han Qian signaled for attendants to bring torches over for light.
A few days ago, Han Qian had discussed water-drawing methods with his craftsmen. Du Yijun, having been well-versed in classical texts since childhood, had heard from his father in his youth about places like Sichuan and Chongqing drilling salt wells, where a type of bamboo tube could reach hundreds of meters underground to extract brine water. However, at that time he couldn’t recall the specific construction method for this bamboo tube.
The book collection Han Qian had moved to Yandang Headland was limited after all.
Although he currently had no way to enter Hongwen Hall to search for materials, Jinyun Pavilion held tens of thousands of volumes from the book collection Emperor Tianyou had bestowed upon the Prince’sMansion.
Han Qian had brought the Du Yijun and Du Yiming brothers to Jinyun Pavilion, having them search through the collection for any records about this type of brine extraction tube, while also having them transcribe all books they saw related to engineering and manufacturing.
Unexpectedly, the Du brothers found the brine extraction tube construction method today. However, they became too absorbed in the matter and missed the time for leaving the city. They had to go back and find Gao Shao to help them exit the city. By the time they rode the donkey back to the estate, it was already deep in the night.
Han Qian took the stack of paper transcriptions the Du brothers had copied today. The construction diagram for the brine extraction tube was right on the first page.
Scanning it by the flickering torchlight, Han Qian couldn’t help slapping his own forehead and exclaiming: “I’m truly a fool! The bellows must also use this method to draw and blow air—I actually didn’t figure this out!”
Seeing Han Qian so startled and making such a fuss, Xi Ren and Zhao Ting’er also crowded beside Han Qian to look at the schematic diagram the Du brothers had copied.
The schematic was too simplified. Xi Ren couldn’t understand the principle for a moment and asked:
“How does this method extract brine water from underground?”
Having spent a long time by Han Qian’s side and receiving his most earnest instruction, Zhao Ting’er saw Xi Ren couldn’t understand even after looking for a while. Quite pleased with herself, she pointed at the construction diagram and explained:
“Look—the cowhide attached to the inner side of the bamboo tube’s opening is the key. A weight is suspended from the tube bottom. When the empty tube is immersed in underground brine water, the brine water surges in through the opening, pushing the cowhide inward, and fills into the bamboo tube. Then when filled with brine water, as the bamboo tube is lifted up, the brine water presses the cowhide tight against the opening from inside, thereby sealing the opening—the brine water won’t leak out. Simply put, this cowhide attached to the inner side is a one-way valve.”
Zhao Ting’er wore a thin gauze half-sleeved jacket and skirt, her body giving off a faint, pleasant bodily fragrance. Intentionally showing off to Xi Ren, her arm unconsciously pressed against Han Qian’s arm, feeling quite cool.
If not for her father Old Zhao being present, Han Qian would have liked to take Zhao Ting’er’s arm in his hands to carefully feel this coolness. For now he only praised her, saying: “Truly clever. Let’s go to the smelting room and dismantle a bellows to look. I guarantee there must be a similar valve inside the bellows’ air intake pipe—do you believe me?”
As Han Qian spoke, he pulled Zhao Ting’er and Xi Ren along as they walked back, practically unable to wait to dismantle a bellows on the spot to verify his conjecture.
“If it is, then it is—why get so excited that you need to immediately dismantle a bellows to verify it? How much effort does it take to make one bellows? Tomorrow, just find a master craftsman who can make bellows and ask him, wouldn’t that do?” Even Xi Ren felt Han Qian was making too much fuss today. Not knowing what about a small bellows could excite him so much, she shot him a sideways glance.
But Xi Ren didn’t know that the valve structure of the brine extraction tube and bellows had pierced through the window paper in Han Qian’s mind regarding piston-style bellows and fierce fire oil cabinets!
Bellows were quite easily damaged. With the casting and smelting room being built here, although Han Qian had nominally settled accounts clearly with the Left Office, even if he took several more bellows back for spares, no one would dare say anything.
Running to the smelting room, he dismantled a spare bellows—this blowing device that had been used for smelting and other purposes since the Han dynasty—and saw that inside the air intake pipe there was indeed a valve mechanism similar to the brine extraction tube.
At this time Chen Jitang also came over to report on the progress of the compound wall construction. Han Qian called him over along with the Du brothers and the Han family craftsmen responsible for the smelting room, saying: “Look at the structure of the bellows and brine extraction tube. According to this principle, we should be able to use wood to construct a type of piston-style bellows and water pump. I wonder if any of you can figure it out in the next couple of days?”
Chen Jitang, Du Yijun, Du Yiming, and the many Han family craftsmen all stood there somewhat dumbfounded, not knowing how to think it through to create the bellows and water pump Han Qian envisioned.
Having been demoted from an official’s son to official slave for nearly ten years, Chen Jitang had long since learned to combine his profound inherited learning with practical problem-solving. But the issue was that Han Qian was giving them far too little time.
Compared to Chen Jitang, Zhao Qi had loved martial arts and weapons since childhood.
The twelve official slave households belonging to Yandang Headland estate were actually clansmen of Chen Jitang and Zhao Qi who had been demoted to slave status after their defeat in Yuezhou.
The Du brothers were even more dumbfounded. Although they had already accepted the cruel reality of being slaves, three or four months ago they were still official’s sons whose daily pleasure was composing poetry. Though following Han Qian for nearly two months had given them some insight and changed some thinking habits, in terms of practical governance learning, they were far from comparable to Chen Jitang. How could they have the confidence to figure out new-style bellows and water pumps in two days?
Having thrown the difficult problem to Chen Jitang, Du Yijun, and Du Yiming, Han Qian took Zhao Ting’er and Xi Ren back to the inner courtyard to rest.