Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 166, Section 165: It would be impolite to refuse.
As long as he doesn't have to study, Prince Qian is enthusiastic about everything he does.

After getting up early in the morning, he spent another two hours in the training ground, as was his custom.

He was drenched in sweat, yet felt exceptionally refreshed, only feeling a pang of sorrow while bathing: "Why didn't Father take me with him when he went to Shanglin Garden yesterday?"

The servants who were washing him remained silent.

Prince Qian asked wistfully, "It's already August, the prey in Shanglin Garden should be getting fat by now, right? What did Father hunt yesterday?"

The servant continued watering.

Prince Qian had already sprawled on the bathtub: "In the past, when Father hunted prey, he would distribute it among the palace and us. Why didn't we hear any news of a reward yesterday?"

The servant helped him up and silently wiped his body.

Prince Qian impatiently grabbed the silk cloth and wiped himself thoroughly, then angrily waited for everyone to help him change his clothes:
"It's clear that now that Father has a Queen, I, as his son, am of no importance!"

The attendant fastened his undergarment: "Will the prince still be going to the Southern Palace today? If not, I will prepare his clothes..."

"Go away, go away!" Prince Qian quickly said, "I don't want this. Qin Jun said yesterday that he wanted to break coal briquettes! How can he work in such loose robes and sleeves?"

"Quickly, bring me a pair of boots!"

The servant agreed without changing his expression, clearly already used to his temperament.

……

Today, Wu Zi and Yi Ming are serving her.

When news of the Queen's arrival spread, Yi Ming felt inexplicably anxious. As he prepared the medicinal soup, he said, "The day after tomorrow is the day His Majesty will officially appoint the Queen. King Qin should be enjoying this leisure time, soaking in the fragrant bath. This servant will now pamper your skin..."

Now, there is a pile of pure black coal dust and a pile of yellow mud in the courtyard, as well as three or five molds for making honeycomb briquettes.

What's so great about making coal briquettes?

Didn't the craftsmen already make a batch yesterday?

If King Qin were to do these things with Prince Qian again today, he would be humiliated and disgraced, especially if the King were to come to see him...

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, but she couldn't refute Qin Shi's decision, so after thinking for a while, she turned around and went into the medicine storehouse.

"Lord Qin, have Wu Zi serve you more today. I'll prepare more medicinal soup for you to use for several days, to nourish your glory!"

She made a confident statement, but in fact, Qin Shi was very satisfied with her current state—her skin was plump and fair, she had no cervical or lumbar spondylosis, and although her period had not yet started, her whole body felt very light.

In later generations, unless she stopped studying and working, how could she possibly maintain such a healthy body?

Most importantly, he is not nearsighted.

However, she could see Yiming's anxiety, so she smiled and nodded: "Go ahead! Prepare more."

Give them more, to put their minds at ease.

……

Prince Qian arrived very quickly.

When he entered the Southern Palace, Qin Shi was examining a strange-looking wooden tool.

This is a mold for honeycomb briquettes. During the Qin Dynasty, iron molds were used because they were the lightest and most convenient.

But now that it is to be promoted among the people, all the materials that would be wasted cannot be used, so the craftsmen were asked to make it from wood and clay.

Modern clay pottery is quite sturdy, but if handled improperly and struck forcefully, it can still suffer some damage.

Therefore, after much deliberation, this type of wooden mold, which can be made from any type of wood, is the most suitable.

For example, when she commissioned someone to make it before, they simply used oak, mulberry wood, and bamboo.

After news of the Queen's affair spread yesterday, this morning the Minister of the Imperial Household presented another piece made of sandalwood—

There's really no need for that.

However, Qin Shi accepted it, but said that there was no need for more and did not give any reward.

She turned around and saw Prince Qian standing there with his hands clasped awkwardly, not knowing whether he was going to bow or speak.

She was somewhat surprised: Can someone who's clueless also be coy?

But then Prince Qian grumbled, "You...King Qin...you're not queen yet, so I shouldn't call you 'Mother Queen' for now, right?" Qin Shi: ...

To be honest, she couldn't really handle it either.

Therefore, she quickly said, "Even if I become queen, you can still just call me queen."

Prince Qian was instantly satisfied: "Since you, Lord Qin, value and try to win me over so much, then I will..."

He thought of a phrase: "It would be impolite to refuse!"

Qin Shi almost burst out laughing: Why not use the idiom first?

But now, to verify whether these honeycomb briquettes are suitable for widespread use, they need a strong but clueless simpleton like this. Therefore, Qin Shi changed the subject:

"The purity of this coal powder is slightly different from what I used before. Yesterday, I tried making it with 20% and 30% loess. But the craftsmen were extremely meticulous and efficient."

"Therefore, I would like to invite the prince to try some of these things today. If they are indeed simple and convenient, it will be a great thing for my Qin state."

Prince Qian was indeed full of pride: "Among all the princes and princesses in the palace, only I am capable of taking on this great responsibility—what should I do? Your Majesty, please give your orders!"

He really doesn't shirk his responsibilities when it comes to work.

Qin Shi also became happy: "First, mix this coal powder with two parts yellow soil, add water and stir—then make another batch with three parts yellow soil."

Wang Ziqian wasn't entirely brainless. Hearing that there were molds to be used, he knew that the amount of water added couldn't be too much.

He added water to the black coal dust himself, and with great effort stirred and shoveled it evenly. When Qin Shi came to see, the humidity was just right.

It's okay if it's not quite right; if there's too much water, add coal powder; if there's too much coal powder, add water.

The two small piles were not large, and for Wang Ziqian, it was truly a matter of course.

Now that the mixture was ready, he became quite pleased with himself.

"Would it be possible to use it then?"

That's incredibly impressive.

Qin Shi gave him a mold and told him to press it down into the coal pile a few more times until it was compacted. Then, he gently slammed it onto the ground and lifted it up.

The honeycomb briquettes then fall smoothly out of the mold.

It is a short, stout cylinder with several holes on top.

It looks strange and is completely different from the charcoal commonly used in the palace.

Prince Qian asked curiously:

Is this really better than charcoal?

Qin Shi thought for a moment and said, "If we are talking about lightness, smokelessness, and less odor, then the best charcoal in the palace is naturally better."

"But charcoal requires a charcoal craftsman to open a kiln and fire it. Whether it is building the kiln, cutting firewood and felling trees, or firing it, it is extremely difficult. Moreover, charcoal emits less heat when it burns."

And this coal dust...

Nowadays, mining is effortless; the most costly part is sorting out the impurities, keeping costs extremely low.

Furthermore, the Qin state's territory is not very large, only two to three million square kilometers, and it includes both prosperous areas and sparsely populated areas.

Busy areas are often connected by roads, and most are not far from several large open-pit coal mines, so the cost is not much higher.

If specialized trading agencies are set up in townships and counties and promoted along with wheelbarrows, even poor people who save up three or five taels of Qin coin might be able to push back half a stone or half a cartload.

Pair it with readily available yellow clay—if you have plenty, use less yellow clay; if you're really cramped, use more and it'll still be usable.

Then there are potters who simply make a small clay stove, or they don't even make a stove and just use a charcoal brazier, or they just start burning it like that...

Even in the cold winter, one can always see the hope of life.

　I'm here! See you next door, Song Tan!
　　【Refusing is disrespectful: The Mencius quote, “Refusing is disrespectful, why?” means that repeatedly refusing someone's kindness is considered impolite. It is often used to express a response to someone's overwhelming hospitality.】

　　I'll write about the precautions for burning coal later.

　　(End of this chapter)