Chapter 156: Township Lord

Chapter 156: Township Lord

Cun Lan and Yun Ying arrived in the capital, stepping on the first fallen leaves of autumn.

The power of the autumn tiger in early August had not yet ended, but the weather was no longer as stifling as in summer. The brilliant sunshine illuminated the vast land, sweeping away all gloom and dampness.

Cun Lan and Yun Ying came to the capital with the escort team of the Wanshi Escort Bureau. The siblings rode together in a carriage, accompanied by a servant named Ji Feng and a maid named Jiang Cao.

Qiu Huanian had received the letter beforehand and sent Quan Yu to pick them up at the city gate, welcoming the two children home.

Cun Lan was a year older than Jiu Jiu, now thirteen, and Yun Ying was six. Children grow fast, changing every day, and Qiu Huanian almost didn't recognize them at first sight.

Cun Lan and Yun Ying were a bit shy, tense for the first few days. They gradually relaxed as they remembered their past life together in the village.

With Bao Yi on the front lines, the two children were deeply worried about their parents every day. Qiu Huanian had no better solution than to have Cun Lan and Yun Ying study with Yuan Jia and practice martial arts with Lu Ao. Keeping them busy left little time for idle thoughts.

Cun Lan had learned some martial arts at the border and quickly caught on to Lu Ao's teachings. Yun Ying was also a promising talent, strong and steady, and Lu Ao praised him several times. Considering that Yun Ying could hold onto a tree trunk for hours alone in the middle of the night at the age of three, it seemed some talents were just natural.

Jiu Jiu told Qiu Huanian that Cun Lan had learned to ride horses at the border and she wanted to learn as well. Qiu Huanian took the children to a small estate outside the city to ride horses, also taking the chance to check on the latest progress of the iodine tincture.

At the estate, Qiu Huanian had the draft horses that pulled the carriages unharnessed for the children to ride. These horses were gentle and not too strong, making them suitable for beginners. He would never let the children near a prized horse like Xuanye, which Du Yunse had given him.

After making sure the children were safe, Qiu Huanian went to the east courtyard of the estate.

For secrecy, Xing Mi and others were kept outside on various excuses. As Qiu Huanian entered the east courtyard, Bing Qi and Bing Ba immediately came out to escort him, one on each side, careful not to let him bump into anything.

Qiu Huanian laughed, "What's the matter? I'm not made of glass."

Bing Ba carefully looked at his five-month pregnant belly, which was already quite noticeable, and smiled, "Better safe than sorry."

Bing Qi didn't say anything but also smiled at him.

Bing Qi and Bing Ba treated Qiu Huanian like a rare protected animal, but Qiu Huanian himself didn't notice. Feeling no discomfort, he walked around the large distillation apparatuses, working up a sweat.

"How much alcohol has been distilled?"

Bing Qi replied, "Three jars so far, and we get one jar every two days."

The term "alcohol" was first heard from Qiu Huanian by Bing Qi and others. It sounded strange at first but made sense upon reflection. Distilling the essence of wine, isn't that alcohol?

However, it smelled pungent and tasted worse, even though it was the essence of wine, it was not as enjoyable as ordinary wine.

Bing Ba added, "The kelp has been calcined into ash as instructed by the Township Lord, then boiled in water. After boiling, the clear liquid was filtered, mixed with calcined green vitriol, heated again, and filtered. Finally, the water was evaporated, leaving these powders."

Bing Ba carefully took a wide-mouthed bottle from the shelf to show Qiu Huanian. Inside were dark purple granular powders, somewhat mottled in texture. Qiu Huanian knew this was crude iodine.

The method of extracting iodine from kelp is found in modern middle school textbooks, with a very simple principle. First, the kelp is burned into ash and soaked in water to obtain a solution containing iodide ions. Then, a strong acid is used as an oxidant to reduce the iodide ions, forming iodine.

This reaction process, which can be explained in a single flowchart in textbooks, is very difficult to mass-produce in ancient times due to the lack of necessary pure chemical reagents. Qiu Huanian had to find substitutes as much as possible, such as using calcined green vitriol to prepare crude sulfuric acid, replacing the hydrochloric acid in textbooks as the strong oxidant to reduce iodide ions.

Even so, the iodine obtained was still crude, not pure. Moreover, kelp does not contain a high amount of iodine, and thousands of kilograms of kelp can only produce a small bottle of crude iodine.

It was only because kelp was abundant in the sea and almost cost nothing, and the Crown Prince had extensive connections, easily smuggling large quantities of raw materials, that they could afford to do this.

"Later, heat it over water on a fire, cover it with a large porcelain bowl, and after a while, take the bowl down and collect the purple-black iodine on the inner wall of the bowl. This should help purify it further." Qiu Huanian remembered that iodine has a tendency to sublime, so this method should help in purification.

Bing Qi and Bing Ba nodded in agreement, having no doubts about Qiu Huanian's instructions. If Qiu Huanian said this thing was called "iodine," then it was iodine.

"After purification, take some alcohol and add iodine in a ratio of two percent. This will make the iodine tincture I mentioned."

As he spoke the latter half of the sentence, Qiu Huanian's tone unconsciously lightened up.

After almost two months of effort, the iodine tincture was finally about to be truly completed!

Although the ancient version of iodine tincture, from alcohol to iodine, was somewhat inferior compared to the modern version, it was still a revolutionary improvement compared to the most common medical practices on the battlefield, such as binding wounds with cloth or cutting out flesh with a knife.

With it, the casualty rate of the Yu Dynasty's army would significantly decrease, and the chances of victory would once again increase!

"Once the iodine tincture is ready, please ask Sixteen to find a few trustworthy injured people to test its effectiveness. Only after confirming its efficacy should we proceed with large-scale production."

"By the way, let's also develop a durable and portable container for the iodine tincture. Such a good thing must be delivered to the soldiers on the front lines to maximize its effectiveness."

Qiu Huanian joked, "I’ve kept you busy for so long. Once this is done, you can take a break and use your rewards to do what you like."

Bing Qi and Bing Ba understood that Qiu Huanian was promoting them and were deeply moved, promising to handle it promptly.

Upon arriving at the estate, Qiu Huanian not only inspected the progress of the iodine tincture research but also checked on the cotton, sugar beets, and saplings.

By August, most of the cotton on the estate had been harvested, with only a few autumn peaches still hanging on the branches. It was estimated that the cotton yield per mu was around three hundred pounds. Large bales of clean, white cotton were stacked in the warehouse, a comforting and joyful sight.

At the same time, cotton harvests were bountiful across the imperial estates nationwide. The southern regions had already completed their harvest, while the northern regions, due to the late heat, still had some remaining.

The seedling method and biological pest control method proposed by Qiu Huanian greatly increased cotton yields. Using these methods in traditional cotton-growing areas also boosted production by thirty to forty percent.

This was the first time since the founding of the Yu Dynasty that the army wouldn’t have to worry about staying warm in winter during an external military campaign. The Yuanhua Emperor was in high spirits and repeatedly praised those involved. The officials of the imperial estates, who were once at the bottom of the bureaucratic hierarchy, now walked with pride, ready to practically worship Lady Qishu.

According to Du Yunse's speculation, Qiu Huanian's Township Lord title would likely be promoted soon.

The Township Lord has no rank, while the County Princess holds a fifth-rank position. Above that, the titles of Princess and Qing Lord are reserved for royal relatives, making the County Princess the highest title a non-royal woman or man could attain.

If Qiu Huanian truly became a County Princess, especially one with a title and significant achievements, even high-ranking noblewomen would have to bow to him.

Qiu Huanian wasn't particularly interested in having others bow to him. The biggest advantage of becoming a County Princess was the increased confidence and leverage it provided, giving him more leverage in the power-packed capital.

After inspecting the cotton, Qiu Huanian went to check on the sugar beets and fruit tree saplings.

After another year of cultivation and selection, the sugar levels in the beets had increased slightly. The top batch harvested this fall, though still not comparable to sugarcane, could now be used to extract sugar.

Tian Ji, the manager of the imperial estate in charge of sugar beets, not only oversaw the sugar beets on the imperial estate but also frequently visited Qiu Huanian's small estate for guidance. He also sent people to Zhang County regularly to exchange knowledge with Wei Mai.

When Tian Ji finally saw the sugar extracted from sugar beets, he felt that his decades of obscurity had finally come to an end and wept profusely. This time, when he encountered Qiu Huanian by the sugar beet field, he nearly dropped to his knees to kowtow.

Qiu Huanian was startled, but Xing Mi, quick and observant, swiftly stopped and helped Tian Ji up to avoid alarming the Township Lord.

Remembering that Qiu Huanian was pregnant, Tian Ji apologized and, after a few seconds, couldn't help but start speaking excitedly again.

"This year, both the capital and Zhang County have had good sugar beet harvests. Next year, if we mix the best seeds from both places, by the following year, we should have the stable seeds the Township Lord mentioned!"

"Wei Mai has a knack for handling sugar beets. I plan to invite him to the imperial estate in the capital to manage the sugar beets with me. The matter has already been reported, and it's estimated that the Personnel Ministry will approve it by the end of the year!"

The bright future for sugar beets was incredibly exciting. Otherwise, Tian Ji, despite his modest rank, was still an official and would never have called a commoner like Wei Mai "brother."

Hearing that Wei Mai had a bright future, Qiu Huanian was naturally pleased and jotted it down, planning to bring it up in his next letter to Du Village so that Wei Liuhua could inform Wei Mai to prepare early.

After inspecting the sugar beets, the final stop was the nursery where the saplings were growing.

Most of the fruit tree saplings on the estate were only cultivated this year and had not yet borne fruit. Now, their leaves were starting to fall, and the tiny saplings looked fragile.

However, by next year, these saplings could be replanted individually and would flower and produce fruit.

"In a few days when the autumn cools, bundle the fruit tree branches tightly with dry straw. This is a meticulous task, don’t skimp on effort or be lazy, understand?"

The winters in the capital are very cold, and the young saplings are likely to freeze, so some extra insulation is needed.

The seasoned orchard workers in charge of the saplings on the estate naturally know this and have all assured the Township Lord that there will be no problems, so he doesn’t need to worry.

"Township Lord, the first batch of grapes from our estate has been picked, totaling six baskets, and there are also five or six baskets each of apples and pomegranates. What should we do with them?"

There are only a few large fruit trees transplanted to the estate as mother plants for saplings, so the fruit yield is not high; five or six baskets are the limit.

"Pick out the best ones and send a basket of each to the Min residence, a basket of each to the Azure Phoenix Lord’s residence, and leave a basket of each for the people on the estate to eat. Send the rest to our residence."

Qiu Huanian distributed the fruits, letting his friends try them.

He had actually made plans with the Azure Phoenix Lord to start a wine business, but unfortunately, this year’s grapes were too few to make wine, so they could only eat them fresh.

After the Azure Phoenix Lord publicly claimed the Tanhua Lang as his consort, he’s stayed in the capital for the past few months instead of visiting immortals or traveling the mountains and waters.

He occasionally goes out for a stroll, drops by Qiu Huanian’s place to chat for a while, but never brings his consort or mentions him outside.

Since Jie Tanguang entered the Qing Lord’s residence, he’s practically vanished; the figure of the once young talent is no longer seen in the capital, leaving many to quietly mourn his absence.

When Qiu Huanian’s fruits were delivered to the Qing Lord’s residence, the Azure Phoenix Lord personally came the next day to return the favor, bringing him a cartload of treasures and trinkets from the Western Regions.

"The grapes you grow are big and sweet, truly delicious. Jie Tanguang ate several of them," the Azure Phoenix Lord tossed a plump grape into his mouth. "What’s that look for?"

Qiu Huanian chuckled thoughtfully, "I just didn’t expect to hear Consort Jie’s name from the Qing Lord’s mouth."

The Azure Phoenix Lord rolled his eyes unceremoniously, "What, you also think I killed him like the rumors say? Tsk, I treat the beauties who serve me personally quite well, taking good care of them! If he doesn’t want to go out, can he blame me?"

Qiu Huanian picked up on something odd, "So those rumors outside..."

"Many of them are spread by the Jie family behind the scenes. Seeing that Jie Tanguang is already ruined, they might as well use this to tarnish my reputation," the Azure Phoenix Lord said with a smile. "Quite interesting, isn’t it?"

"It took over twenty years to cultivate such a prodigy, and to abandon him so quickly, as long as there’s profit to be had, they can immediately turn against me."

When he said the word "abandon," the Azure Phoenix Lord emphasized it, with a hint of bitterness.

Although the rumors spread by the Jie family indeed damaged the Azure Phoenix Lord’s reputation, they were also very unfriendly to Jie Tanguang himself.

Qiu Huanian couldn’t quite gauge the Azure Phoenix Lord’s attitude towards Jie Tanguang; it didn’t seem like he hated him, but it also didn’t seem like he cared.

The Azure Phoenix Lord was too lazy to talk about it anymore and changed the subject, "I came to tell you that His Majesty has drafted the decree to confer you as a County Lord. It’s almost your birthday, and this birthday is right after the conferral. To show gratitude for the royal favor, it must be a grand celebration. There will likely be a lot of shady characters coming, so you need to be well-prepared."

Author's Note:

Note 1: This is purely theoretical speculation and has not been experimentally verified. Do not attempt.