Duke of Zhenguan

"Let's treat Uncle Qin's injuries first!"

Lin Chuan was not used to having an elderly man with gray hair and beard become his apprentice, so he refused outright.

Physician Liu had no choice but to abandon his idea of ​​becoming an apprentice. He figured it would be better to wait until he finished treating the Duke of Yi's injuries, so he could at least find out whether what Lin Chuan said was true or false.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Lin Chuan and asked:

"Master Lin, what should we do next?"

Seeing that Physician Liu was so cooperative, Lin Chuan no longer stood on ceremony and replied:

"Physician Liu, don't rush to remove the arrowhead. I need to prepare some things first."

"Please prepare some medicine to clear heat and detoxify, as we may need it later. Also, Uncle Qin is deficient in qi and blood, so please ask Physician Liu to prescribe a formula to replenish his qi and blood!"

"Yes!" Physician Liu replied, bowing.

"Uncle Qin, do you still have any wine at your residence? The stronger the better!" Lin Chuan turned to ask Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Lin Chuan, you want wine? There are more than ten jars in the storeroom, all bestowed by His Majesty. If that's not enough, I'll have someone go to Yuchi Jingde's and Li Ji's residences to get some more!"

"Uncle Qin, this wine isn't for drinking. I'll explain it to you in detail after it's made. In a little while, please send someone to deliver the wine to Uncle Cheng's residence. Uncle Cheng has a few jars left, which should be enough for now."

"It'll take some time to deal with this wine, and your injury will have to wait a couple more days!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"It's alright!" Qin Qiong waved his hand with a smile.

After instructing Physician Liu to return and prepare, Lin Chuan bid farewell to Qin Qiong and returned to the Cheng family with more than ten jars of wine. Cheng Yaojin had not yet left court, and the two brothers, Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chuliang, had both gone to work at the Imperial Guard. Lin Chuan could only go to the steward, Cheng Quan, and ask him to take him to see Cui Shi.

"Greetings, Auntie!"

Following Cheng Quan into the main hall of the courtyard, Lin Chuan respectfully bowed to Madam Cui.

Seeing Cheng Churou, dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), sitting next to Cui Shi, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Cheng Churou:

"Greetings, Madam!"

"Xiao Chuan is here, come and sit down!" Madam Cui waved with a smile.

After Lin Chuan sat down, the maid quickly brought him hot tea and pastries.

Looking at Lin Chuan, who was dressed in a light blue outer robe, Cui Shi smiled and asked softly:

"The clothes Lin Langjun is wearing were personally picked out by Chu Rou from her brother's wardrobe. Do they fit him well?"

"It fits perfectly, thank you for your trouble, madam!" Lin Chuan replied awkwardly.

Sitting next to Cui Shi, Cheng Churou blushed even more, lowering her head as if she wanted to bury it in her stomach.

After making a joke, Madam Cui got down to business and said in a deep voice:

"Xiao Chuan, the master instructed me this morning that you need to do some things, such as a few rooms and craftsmen!"

"If there's anything you need done, just let Cheng Quan arrange it!"

"Thank you so much, Auntie!"

Cui waved her hand and said with a smile:

"We're all family, no need to be so polite! I have something to do, the front yard of the east wing is empty, Chu Rou is familiar with that area, so let Chu Rou take you there!"

Chu Rou, you take Xiao Chuan there, but don't you dare throw a tantrum!

"Yes!" Cheng Churou replied in a low voice.

Lin Chuan and Cheng Churou came out of the main hall one after the other. Cheng Chun appeared out of nowhere and asked Cheng Churou in a low voice:

"Madam, where are you taking Young Master Lin?"

Cheng Churou secretly glanced at Lin Chuan and whispered:

"To the east wing!"

Upon reaching the front courtyard of the east wing, Lin Chuan looked around at the few empty rooms, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled as he said to Cheng Quan:

"Uncle Quan, could you have someone go and buy some lacquer, icing sugar, granulated stone, and sulfur later? Buy as much lacquer as possible, but not too much icing sugar, granulated stone, and sulfur!"

"Petrifying oil, icing sugar, ore and sulfur? I'll have someone buy them right away! Is there anything else you need, sir?" Cheng Quan nodded and asked respectfully.

"Do you have a carpenter and a blacksmith at home? Could you arrange for a few of them to come over? I'll have them make something! That's all!" Lin Chuan said.

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"

Cheng Quan nodded, turned around, and left the courtyard.

After Cheng Quan left, only Cheng Churou, Cheng Chun (the master and servant), and Lin Chuan remained in the courtyard.

Aside from Cheng Chun, who had been with her since childhood, there was no one else. Cheng Churou grew bolder and walked to Lin Chuan's side, asking softly:

"Brother, why did you send Uncle Quan to buy lacquer and icing sugar?"

"Let's make incendiary bombs!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"Incendiary bomb? Frosting is used to make things that burn?" Cheng Churou asked with a skeptical look.

"Madam, once the product is made, you can try it first!" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

Cheng Churou blushed and nodded, then looked up at Lin Chuan and asked softly:

"Why does my brother still address me as 'Madam'?"

"Ah, what should I call you, Madam?" Lin Chuan asked, puzzled.

"Brother, you can just call me by my name!" Cheng Churou said softly.

"Okay!" Lin Chuan nodded.

A short while later, Cheng Quan returned to the east wing with about ten craftsmen dressed in hemp clothing and respectfully addressed Lin Chuan:

"Young Master Lin, I've already had the goods purchased. These craftsmen are the best in the household. Just tell them what you need!"

Lin Chuan nodded, summoned the craftsmen, drew a simple diagram on the ground of a steamer with a funnel cooling pipe, and explained to them what he was going to make.

These craftsmen are all servants of the Cheng family, so their loyalty is not a concern, and their skills are excellent.

The Cheng family had no shortage of iron blocks and wood in their storeroom, and a large steamer was made in less than an hour.

Once everything was ready, Lin Chuan began teaching them how to distill.

As evening approached, Cheng Yaojin, having finished his shift, returned home and was greeted by a rich aroma of wine.

Without even having time to change out of his armor, Cheng Yaojin threw the reins to his guards and strode toward the east wing.

Upon arriving at the distillery, Cheng Yaojin looked at the enormous steamer on the stove and asked in surprise:

"Ogawa, is this the recipe for distilling sake you mentioned?"

Lin Chuan nodded, took a spoon, scooped half a spoonful of wine from the jar, and handed it to Cheng Yaojin:

"Uncle Cheng, would you like to try some?"

Cheng Yaojin took the spoon, tilted his head back and poured half a spoonful of wine into his mouth. His throat immediately felt like it was on fire, and the burning sensation went straight to his chest and abdomen.

It took Cheng Yaojin a long while to recover. He took a deep breath and exclaimed in praise:

"What strong liquor!"

Then he scooped up another half spoonful and drank it all in one gulp!

"A true man should drink this wine!" Cheng Yaojin patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder and said with a loud laugh.

"Uncle Cheng, this wine isn't strong enough. It needs to be distilled twice more!" Lin Chuan shook his head.

"Xiao Chuan, if this wine were any stronger, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to drink it!" Cheng Yaojin said with a wry smile.

"Uncle Cheng, if you distill it a few more times, it won't be wine anymore, it will be alcohol. It's not for drinking, it's for Uncle Qin to treat his injuries!" Lin Chuan said.

"Wine can be used to treat injuries?" Cheng Yaojin asked with a skeptical look.

"Uncle Cheng, wine certainly can't heal wounds, but to remove the arrow from Uncle Qin's body, we have to cut open his skin first!"

"Disinfecting with alcohol before surgery can reduce the risk of infection!" Lin Chuan explained.

Cheng Yaojin didn't doubt Lin Chuan's words and said with a smile:

"Then steam more. If we don't have enough wine, I'll ask His Majesty for some, or I can always ask Duke Xue; he has plenty!"