Since Wen Yanran had come to Jingyuan, she was naturally accompanied by court officials. This time, the attendant with her was Du Daosi. After the Emperor appointed Ren Feihong as the Jingcheng, Du Daosi was summoned to draft the edict.
Seizing an opportunity, Du Daosi tugged at Ren Feihong’s sleeve and asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to assess the abilities of those alchemists to prevent the Emperor from being deceived?” After a moment’s thought, she lowered her voice. “Could it be that those alchemists are so formidable that you have no choice but to stay here for now and deal with them slowly?”
Ren Feihong sighed, patted Du Daosi’s hand, and said sincerely, “I don’t think those alchemists can fool the Emperor.” Then she added with a smile, “However, if the Emperor wants to fool the alchemists, I’m afraid she will succeed every time.”
According to the rules of the Great Zhou, the administrators of the various palaces and gardens were usually eunuchs, but occasionally scholars were appointed to these positions. Ren Feihong’s appointment as the Jingcheng demonstrated that she was highly trusted by the Emperor.
Wen Yanran had been calculating the timing, believing that the raw materials she needed had reacted sufficiently. She then returned to the Elixir Palace to begin the final step.
She meticulously mixed the two raw materials together, added concentrated sulfuric acid as a catalyst, and heated the mixture for twenty minutes – maintaining the temperature at around 70 degrees Celsius. Wen Yanran used a water bath heating method, but instead of water, she filled the water bath with high-proof alcohol, leveraging the fact that the azeotropic point of ethanol and water is 78.1°C to prevent the temperature from rising too high. Afterward, she poured the contents of the flask into an ice-water mixture to cool for a quarter of an hour, used a self-made reflux device to heat it with ethyl acetate, and finally dried it to obtain the finished product.
Ren Feihong carefully observed the Emperor’s actions. Wen Yanran’s steps in alchemy were particularly meticulous, and her expression carried a relaxed and confident demeanor, as if these miscellaneous subjects were more effortlessly within her grasp than state affairs.
This task could only be performed by the Emperor herself. As for the alchemists sent by Wen Hong, they could at most assist with minor tasks. Among them were many who were quite renowned and initially somewhat reluctant to take on such menial roles. However, after a few interactions with the Emperor, they all became convinced.
When it came to alchemy, the Emperor was the true expert.
To better assist the Emperor in concocting elixirs, Guan Jing and others had copied down some notes, which they usually treasured greatly. When Ren Feihong asked to see them, their faces clearly showed reluctance, as if parting with something precious.
Guan Jing clasped her hands and said, “These alchemical formulas are secret treasures of the palace. After studying them for some time, we feel they are vastly different from the methods circulating outside.”
Ren Feihong opened the notes and examined them carefully, finding only fragmented passages. Among them, one sentence read: “All things born of heaven transform when exposed to heat and solidify when encountering cold.”
At first glance, this statement seemed utterly nonsensical, but upon deeper reflection, it appeared profoundly mysterious.
Ren Feihong had initially believed that not everything in the world could be melted and solidified like flowing water. However, recalling what she had witnessed earlier in the Nie Palace, she was no longer certain.
Those glass objects were the result of mixing stones together and smelting them through intense heat. Since even hard stones could be smelted, other things naturally could be as well. Having heard discussions among the people in the Nie Palace, she understood that a key factor in producing glass was achieving extremely high temperatures.
The freshly blown glass bottles were soft and only became hard as the temperature gradually dropped.
So, upon careful reflection, the words on the paper did hold truth – everything in the world could be melted. The only reason things did not melt under ordinary circumstances was simply that the temperature was not high enough.
The more Ren Feihong pondered, the more she found the contents of the notes profoundly mysterious and deeply captivating.
Following the previous sentence, there was another line that seemed to serve as an annotation: “If something is difficult to melt, one may add other substances to it. The pure and solid remain firm, while the mixed and impure flow easily – all things in the world follow this principle.”
This meant that if a substance was difficult to melt, one could introduce other materials into it – much like how a person of steadfast and pure character is hard to sway, while those with wandering thoughts and distractions are more prone to go with the flow. In explaining this principle, the text seamlessly integrated the techniques of alchemy with moral and philosophical teachings.
Ren Feihong gazed at the texts for a while before asking, “Why are only fragments preserved here?”
The Director of the Imperial Household Department, Hou Suo, who was also present, noticed Ren Feihong’s confusion and promptly answered, “After the late emperor passed away, most of the alchemical texts secretly stored in the palace were destroyed. Previously, Her Majesty ordered us to sort through the remaining materials, and we discovered that some of the bamboo slips had already decayed. What you see here are merely the fragments that the alchemists in this place later recompiled while assisting Her Majesty in her alchemical pursuits.”
To ensure her subordinates could better assist her, Wen Yanran would casually offer them a few pointers. As the Emperor, she had no need to explain the origins of her knowledge, which left Hou Suo and others ample room for speculation.
If Ren Feihong had been present from the very beginning, her keen insight might have allowed her to deduce something. However, the information she now possessed had been filtered through the alchemists’ own interpretations, leading her to miss the truth entirely.
Ren Feihong mused that the Yun clan had indeed been in decline for too long – she had never even heard anyone speak of these hidden affairs of the palace.
State affairs demanded attention, so Wen Yanran could not linger in Jingyuan for long. After obtaining the crude aspirin, she was about to conduct pharmacological experiments on small animals when the ministers earnestly petitioned her to return to the capital. Departing in haste, she left all remaining matters in Ren Feihong’s hands.
The Elixir Palace and the Nie Palace were both unprecedented establishments. As the newly appointed Jingcheng, Ren Feihong had no precedent to follow from her predecessors. Yet, being deeply trusted by the Emperor, she wielded considerable authority in her own right.
Although the Director of the Imperial Household held a higher official rank than Ren Feihong, he dared not show the slightest disregard for this newly influential court official. Instead, he cooperated with her with particular care. “Are you suggesting that we sell the discarded glass from the Nie Palace?”
Ren Feihong nodded and smiled. “Since Her Majesty has entrusted the affairs of Jingyuan to me, how dare I not devote my full efforts to the task?” She then added, “In mid-September, the Qiuche submitted a diplomatic letter expressing its willingness to reopen trade routes. I believe this is an opportunity to test the market by selling some glass.”
Hou Suo naturally agreed. In fact, after careful consideration, he suspected that this was precisely the Emperor’s own intention.
Why else would Her Majesty have appointed Ren Feihong – who had rendered great service in suppressing the rebellion in the east – to oversee Jingyuan? If not for some strategic purpose, could it be that the Emperor simply thought she had an interest in miscellaneous subjects like alchemy?
Ren Feihong continued, “We should not only sell to the Western Regions but also engage in such commerce within the country.”
Hou Suo responded, “Given the quality of the glass produced in the Nie Palace, it will undoubtedly be in high demand.”
Ren Feihong chuckled. She originally hailed from a prominent family in Jianzhou but had been forced to live in exile due to familial upheaval. She knew well that most local magnates possessed substantial wealth and had long considered whether she could extract some financial benefit from them. However, she was also acutely aware that if these households spent large sums on such goods, they would inevitably find ways to recoup their losses by plundering the common folk. She needed to devise a way to mitigate this.
“Glass is as clear as water, embodying the grace of a noble gentleman. These local magnates, with their tarnished reputations, how could they be worthy of purchasing it so easily?” Ren Feihong remarked. “That said, I have heard that some households maintain good conduct – they never fall behind on their taxes and frequently aid their local communities. Such families are indeed worthy of acquiring Her Majesty’s glass.”
In this way, if these powerful households wished to purchase glass, they would first have to settle their taxes or contribute to their communities. When all was accounted for, their expenses would not diminish, while the government could reduce the likelihood of undesirable incidents.
Hou Suo was momentarily startled, then sighed in admiration. “Indeed, you understand Her Majesty’s intentions.”
He interpreted Ren Feihong’s actions as part of the Emperor’s design, leading him to a conclusion that Wen Yanran had never anticipated – that the Emperor’s true purpose was not merely to generate revenue through glass but to use it as a means of stabilizing the regions.
Since Hou Suo was responsible for managing the imperial household’s finances, the sale of products from the Nie Palace naturally fell under their purview. After discussing the matter, Ren Feihong and Hou Suo reached an agreement. Ren Feihong then wrote a letter to He Tingyun, proposing that glass be sold alongside tea and silk, while also gradually “gifting” it to the prominent households of Jianzhou.
During this time, Ren Feihong diligently studied the notes compiled by the alchemists of Jingyuan, uncovering many alchemical secrets that had never been disclosed to the outside world.
For instance, the essence of stone gall – sulfuric acid – which the Emperor had previously used, could, after refinement and concentration, effortlessly dissolve even the finest tempered steel. Truly, it was an extraordinary and wondrous substance, worthy of the highest admiration.
Ren Feihong had never been particularly loyal to anyone, and she had never concealed this attitude. In the past, those who observed this naturally refrained from placing too much trust in her. Some, like Fuhe Fang, even went so far as to feign a respectful and humble demeanor in an attempt to win her over, only to provoke her disdain.
Yet the current emperor was unlike anyone else. She treated her with sincerity without demanding anything in return. She even allowed her unrestricted access to the secrets of Jingyuan, leaving Ren Feihong deeply impressed.
By the time she realized it, the distance between them had already grown so close.
Ren Feihong had always loved to roam and explore, constantly seeking new experiences. This was why she had never been willing to accept a high-ranking official position. Now, however, she found herself wanting to put down roots in the Elixir Palace – not only because of the Emperor’s trust but also because the alchemical secrets contained within were enough to keep her learning indefinitely.
Today, as usual, she planned to visit the Elixir Palace. A clever young alchemist brought over a piece of soap for her to wash her hands.
Maintaining personal hygiene was one of the Emperor’s work requirements for the personnel of the Elixir Palace.
Actually, soap was not Wen Yanran’s creation, but it was closely related to her.
Since Wen Yanran could not remain in Jingyuan at all times, the alchemists found themselves with a severe lack of work to do and often had to explore alchemical formulas on their own.
They noticed that the Emperor liked to soak plant ash in water to extract alkali. Since people of this era already used plant ash as a cleaning agent, they decided to test whether the soaked plant ash solution still retained its cleansing properties. Among their experiments, one control group involved mixing plant ash with large chunks of lard.
Clearly, the alchemists of ancient times were a group with a strong spirit of adventure.
The staff of Jingyuan later submitted a report on this matter to the Emperor. Unfortunately, Her Majesty was overwhelmed with state affairs. By the time she finally had a moment to review this memorial – which had been set aside due to its low urgency – the alchemists had already advanced their experiments to the stage of adding fragrances to make the soap more aromatic…
In addition to the Elixir Palace and the Nie Palace, several foundry supervisors remained in Jingyuan, awaiting further orders.
These foundry supervisors were officials responsible for metal casting. Originally, they had been assigned to work on the production of stirrups. Now that the stirrup supply was sufficient for the needs of the Iron Cavalry Battalion, they had gradually become idle. According to protocol, they should have been recalled to the capital, yet no new appointments had arrived.
The Emperor was wise and enlightened, so it was naturally impossible that she had deliberately ignored them or simply forgotten about them. After Ren Feihong took up her post as Jingcheng, the foundry supervisors remaining here gradually came to realize that the Emperor had long-term plans for Jingyuan.
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