The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 070 Wang Zifeng's Gift Part 1
Yao San said, "The general method is understood by the craftsmen, but the production of this transparent colored glass is unstable. First, because it's originally difficult to make, much harder than soap. Second, due to time constraints, it coincides with the New Year, and all the workers have gone home to celebrate, so we haven't had enough attempts."
Tang Shen thought for a moment: "Take me to see it."
Most officials take leave until the seventeenth of the first lunar month, after the Lantern Festival. Tang Shen returned to Shengjing a few days early, dressed in thick winter clothing, and followed Yao San to the glass workshop in the eastern part of the city.
Indeed, before Tang Shen left Shengjing, he had spent half a month finally tinkering out glass.
When Tang Shen showed the finished product to Yao San, Accountant Lin, and others, everyone exclaimed, "Ceramic glaze!"
Shopkeeper Lu, who often dealt with the Prince Jing Manor, had seen many fine things. He said, "Ceramic glaze is expensive and usually a tribute to the imperial family. It can be found among commoners, but the craftsmanship is usually coarse, and the color is cloudy. This fine ceramic glaze must be made with top-quality ceramic glaze stone. Little boss, where did you get this?"
Everyone mistook the glass for ceramic glaze, and Tang Shen did not correct them. He said, "Ceramic glaze is usually colored. Have you ever seen a colorless one like this?"
Shopkeeper Lu examined it closely: "No, I haven't seen a colorless one."
Tang Shen said, "This is a special kind of ceramic glaze, not made from ceramic glaze stone. I call it glass. If you want to call it ceramic glaze, that’s fine too. But the key point is, it's not made from ceramic glaze stone." Tang Shen emphasized again.
Accountant Lin and Shopkeeper Lu inhaled sharply, exchanging glances.
Accountant Lin said, "Little boss, you mean... the material for this is cheaper than ceramic glaze stone?"
Shopkeeper Lu: "How much cheaper?"
Tang Shen held out his hand, showing a number.
Everyone gasped.
Thus, the current scene unfolded.
Tang Shen and Yao San arrived at the glass workshop, where the craftsmen were carefully grinding lingzi stone into powder. In another room, the craftsmen were preparing sodium hydroxide. Since they had experience making soap, the sodium hydroxide preparation went smoothly. However, when mixing lingzi stone, feldspar, and sandstone powder with sodium hydroxide, some waste was still inevitable.
Tang Shen observed for a long time, then personally tried it. After several days of discussion with a few craftsmen skilled in making soap, they were only able to reduce the material waste rate to 60%.
Tang Shen sighed inwardly: "Although this is the ancient Western method of making glass, if modern machinery were used, the waste rate could be reduced to at least 30%."
After creating the bright, molten glass like magma, the next step was blowing the glass into utensils.
Blowing glass is a method used in the West for thousands of years, and even in modern times, some craftsmen still use it. A craftsman took a thin iron pipe, wrapped some molten glass around it. The molten glass was very sticky, clinging to one side of the iron pipe like glue. The craftsman then blew forcefully from the other side, and the molten glass ballooned up.
The next step was to shape the blown glass into the desired form.
The craftsmen were not yet able to blow very fine pieces, so they could only make simple shapes.
Tang Shen watched the craftsmen blowing glass on the side. He selected a few of them and pulled them aside. Tang Shen said, "You few don’t need to participate in the molten glass production anymore." (Molten glass is the liquid glass.) "Focus solely on blowing glass, and work on creating more intricate shapes and patterns."
The craftsmen nodded in agreement.
In private, Tang Shen said to Yao San, "Brother Yao, for this glass workshop matter, we're not collaborating with anyone this time; it's our own business. Did you ensure secrecy?"
When making soap and essential oils, everything was supervised by the Tang family. All Tang Shen had to do was provide the formula. But this time, he wasn't partnering with anyone for the glass business; it was solely his own, and he had to personally oversee everything.
Yao San hurriedly replied, "Of course. I assigned different craftsmen to handle different materials and kept a close watch on them. Besides, little boss, you're a fourth-rank official. The craftsmen wouldn’t dare to misbehave. They all know the consequences if they did."
Tang Shen nodded.
In ancient times, officials were not allowed to engage in commerce, not only because of the lower social status of merchants but also to prevent officials from abusing their power for personal gain. Although this world didn’t have the same prohibition on officials engaging in commerce, and the status of merchants was much higher than in Tang Shen’s previous world, there was still a vast difference between a fourth-rank official doing business and a commoner doing business.
After overseeing the matters of the glass workshop, the twenty-plus days of the officials' holiday came to an end.
The twenty-ninth year of Kaiping, the seventeenth day of the first month, at the third quarter of chou shi (approximately 3 a.m.).
Tang Shen quickly got up, and Feng Bi brought him a basin of hot water to wash his face and hands. Then Feng Bi helped Tang Shen put on layer after layer of complex official robes. Tang Shen hadn’t woken up this early in a long time. He glanced outside and saw the clear moon high in the sky, with darkness all around.
It was not yet 3 a.m.
With a sigh, Tang Shen donned his official hat, picked up his jade tablet, and headed out toward the palace.
First-rank officials could ride a carriage drawn by two horses to the palace; second-rank officials could ride a single-horse carriage. Lower-ranking third-rank officials had to ride a donkey cart, while fourth-rank officials had to walk. However, if a fourth-rank official had leg problems, they could submit a request to the Ministry of Rites, and upon approval, they could ride a donkey cart to court every day.
But once inside the Xuanwu Gate of the palace, everyone had to dismount and walk into the palace.
Before the appointed time, first- and second-rank officials waited in the main room of Chongzheng Hall, third-rank officials in the left side room, and the most numerous fourth-rank officials crowded into the right side room.
Having not attended court in a while, the officials exchanged New Year’s greetings.
Fortunately, only fourth-rank officials and above were required to attend court daily. Additionally, any regional officials with fourth-rank titles visiting the capital needed to report to the Ministry of Rites the day before and would attend court the following day.
Tang Shen glanced around the right side hall and indeed saw many unfamiliar faces.
At the start of the New Year, regional officials had come to the capital to offer their New Year’s greetings to the emperor, which explained the increase in numbers.
When the time arrived, the eunuchs in charge announced the officials’ entrance into the hall. First, the first- and second-rank officials in the main room went in, followed by the third-rank officials from the left side room. Finally, it was the turn of the fourth-rank officials.
The etiquette of the Song Dynasty was strict, and even the emperor could not overstep.
Tang Shen, as an attendant secretary in the Palace Secretariat, was an official of the Qinzheng Hall. He stood in the ranks of the lower-ranked officials, keeping his head bowed as the Minister of Rites, Meng Lang, recited the New Year’s blessing. Among the fourth-rank officials, Tang Shen stood in the second row. As the saying in Shengjing went: "Regional officials can’t compare to Shengjing's officials, and those in Shengjing can’t compare to the officials of Qinzheng Hall."
Officials of Qinzheng Hall had higher status than other fourth-rank officials.
Since it was the first court session of the New Year, officials reported to Emperor Zhao Fu about the events of the previous year. Apart from heavy rains in the north, which flooded many towns and washed away an unfinished bridge, there were no other disasters. No one wanted to sour the emperor’s mood at this time, so the newly appointed governor of Cizhou quickly glossed over the collapsed bridge and boasted about the near-completion of the official road, which was expected to be finished by mid-year.
The governor of Cizhou said, "Your Majesty's blessings are vast, and the people of Cizhou eagerly await the completion of the road!"
Zhao Fu raised his hand with a gentle smile and said, "Then go and finish it."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Two hours later, court was dismissed, and the officials left the palace.
Tang Shen lifted his head and instinctively glanced at the area where the first- and second-rank officials stood. He saw Wang Zhen talking with Xu Linghou, the Vice Left Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Xu Linghou occasionally looked at Wang Zhen with surprise, nodding repeatedly. Shortly after, Chief Eunuch Ji Fu emerged from the hall, said a few words to Wang Zhen, and Wang Zhen paused slightly before following Ji Fu back inside.
At the end of the first lunar month, Shopkeeper Lu and Accountant Lin set off for the north, where they would stay for half a month.
As an attendant secretary in the Palace Secretariat, Tang Shen spent his days reviewing the memorials submitted by officials from various regions and occasionally participating in drafting imperial decrees.
Of course, the emperor didn’t personally write imperial edicts. Aside from the self-criticism edict and the annual sacrificial prayer to heaven, at all other times, the emperor would issue an order, command a eunuch to go to Qinzheng Hall to relay it, then have an attendant secretary from the Secretariat draft a decree. This would be sent to Chuigong Hall for the emperor to review before stamping it with the imperial jade seal.
In the beginning of the twenty-ninth year of Kaiping, the world was at peace, and the nine provinces enjoyed favorable weather.
By mid-February, Accountant Lin returned to Shengjing.
Accountant Lin said, “The matters in Ningzhou went so much more smoothly thanks to the letter from the little boss and the assistance of Wang Xiao, Wang daren. Ningzhou has always been the region with the most trade between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty. The Liao people favor novel items, like silk, tea, and the transparent glass we brought this time. As for the Liao merchants, little boss, rest assured.”
Tang Shen nodded and was about to speak when the young girl dressed in men's clothing next to him interjected, “Taking the official road through Ningzhou can get you to Shengjing in one day, but if you're transporting a large batch of goods, the speed will slow down, and it’ll likely take two days.”
Tang Shen, hearing this, smiled. “I haven't even said anything about you yet—how did you end up going to Ningzhou again, and dressed like that?”
Tang Huang widened her eyes. “What’s wrong with me dressing like this? Brother, haven’t you read the books? It says there that women from the previous dynasty loved to wear men's clothing—they often dressed in men’s attire to go horseback riding in the countryside! Though there are fewer women who wear men's clothes now, I still see one or two in Xixia Tower every day. Besides…” Her voice trailed off, “No one even noticed anything off about me dressed as a man on the way to Ningzhou.”
Tang Shen couldn't help but laugh.
So, not being found out as a girl in men's clothing was actually a good thing?