Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 396 At that moment, someone seemed to see their late father.
In the back garden, the autumn sunlight filters through the gaps in the sycamore leaves, weaving dappled light and shadow on the blue brick ground.

Holding a wool brush, Wen He bent down and dipped some translucent liquid from the wooden bucket beside her, then raised her hand to evenly apply it to the white silk laid on the wooden frame.

The glue spread across the silk, leaving a thin, damp layer that gradually shimmered under the sunlight.

"Sir, can this water really prevent the silk from burning?"

Li You stood to the side, his round eyes fixed on the silk, his little hands unable to resist reaching out to touch it, but Wen He gently brushed him away.

"What water? Sir, you just said it was alum water."

Li Tai immediately frowned and retorted. He was unusually focused today and remembered that Wen He had mentioned the word "alum" when preparing the ingredients.

"It's alum glue."

Li Ke stood on the other side and glanced at the two of them with a disdainful look.

Wen He shook her head helplessly, but didn't stop applying the ointment.

After finishing applying the last piece of silk, he put the brush back in the wooden bucket, carefully took the silk off the wooden frame, hung it on the clothesline, and then took out a small tinderbox from his pocket, gently turning it between his fingertips.

Li You had been waiting on tiptoe, and when he saw Wen He take out the tinderbox, he immediately held his breath.

Li Tai moved even closer, forgetting even the unpleasantness of being corrected earlier.

Only Li Ke remained standing in place, his eyes closely following Wen He's movements.

Wen He blew on the tinderbox, and sparks ignited instantly, with orange-red flames dancing on her fingertips.

He held the tinderbox and slowly approached the hanging silk, the flame gently sweeping across its surface.

The silk, which should have been ignited, only got slightly warm, without even a scorch mark, let alone a fire.

"It really didn't catch fire!"

Li You couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. He reached out to touch the silk, but was afraid of getting burned, so he could only dangle his fingers in mid-air.

Wen He put away the tinderbox, extinguished the sparks, turned to look at the three little ones, and explained in a gentler tone.

"Actually, this alum glue itself doesn't have fire-retardant properties, but alum hydrolyzes in water to form a gel-like substance. When applied to silk and dried, it forms a thin film on the fiber surface. Do you remember what I mentioned earlier about the conditions that must be met for something to burn?"

“Oxygen!” Li Ke answered almost without hesitation.

Wen He previously mentioned the three elements of combustion.

Li Tai and Li You were both a beat slow. They exchanged a glance, then looked at Li Ke in unison and let out a soft hum.

"Yes."

Wen He looked at Li Ke approvingly and continued.

"This thin film can prevent the silk from contacting oxygen in the air. Without oxygen, even if there is a source of fire, the silk will not burn."

He reached out and touched the dried silk; it was still soft, but had become more crisp.

Li Ke nodded silently, tapping his chin lightly with his fingertip.

Li Tai blinked, looking like he understood but not quite.

Li You immediately realized what was going on, clapping his hands and laughing, "I get it! With this coating, the hot air balloon fabric won't be fire-resistant. We can use ordinary silk to make hot air balloons in the future, which will be cheaper!"

"clever."

Wen He gave Li You a thumbs up without hesitation, which made Li You scratch his head a little embarrassed.

"No, it's all thanks to the teacher's excellent teaching."

He was embarrassed.

Just then, Li Ke suddenly spoke, his tone tinged with worry.

"But sir, alum is not cheap. Just now, we used one mace of alum to prepare this small bucket of glue, which cost one string of cash. If we are making a hot air balloon, we will need a lot of alum. Wouldn't that increase the cost instead of putting the cart before the horse?"

His words stunned Li Tai and Li You.

I was so excited that I forgot to ask about the price of the raw materials. If alum is too expensive, no matter how good this fireproofing method is, it can't be used on a large scale.

Wen He smiled and patted Li Ke on the shoulder: "It's good that you thought of this problem."

Li Ke is indeed a good person.

He was actually more composed than Li Chengqian.

Wen He felt he was better suited to be a researcher than an emperor.

He chuckled to himself, shook his head, and continued.

"But don't worry, I have a solution. There are two huge alum mines hidden in Lujiang and Wenzhou. It's just that nowadays people only know how to mine natural crystals, which is inefficient and keeps the price of alum high."

The so-called alum is the same as alum, except that the former is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine and the latter is the name used in the industrial field.

"I have a refining method that can quickly extract large amounts of alum from ore, more than ten times faster than manual mining and crystallization, and the cost can also be reduced. At that time, not only can it be used to make hot air balloons, but people can also use it to fix the color of clothes and purify well water. This is... well, alum can also be used in medicine."

Upon hearing this, the three little ones' gazes towards Wen He shifted repeatedly.

In their minds, Wen He seemed to possess extraordinary abilities.

If they can build hot air balloons that fly into the sky and grow high-yield grains, then they can certainly do the same if they say they can extract alum at low cost.

"Sir, is there anything you can't do?" Li You looked at Wen He with admiration.

Wen He's lips curled up in a smile. He put his hands behind his back, coughed lightly, and said in a feignedly modest manner.

"Of course I am. I'm not a god, how could I know everything? At least I can't get pregnant and give birth."

He trailed off.

It looked like three black lines appeared on the foreheads of the three little ones.

The gentleman has come again.

Wen He glanced at the sky and saw that the sun was already setting. She clapped her hands and said, "Alright, that's all for today's lesson. Qing Que and Wu Lang, copy the periodic table twenty times and bring it to me for inspection tomorrow."

"Ah? Why!"

Li Tai's eyes widened instantly, and he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Why doesn't Sanlang have to copy?"

Li You nodded in agreement, his little face full of grievance: "Yes, sir, I don't agree!"

Wen He glanced at them coldly, her tone serious and unquestionable: "Sanlang was attentive throughout and answered questions accurately, so naturally he didn't need to copy. You were distracted in class, and I can't punish you?"

"What, you're not convinced? If you're not convinced, then copy it ten more times."

Li Tai was about to retort when he met Wen He's stern gaze, and he immediately wilted, pulling his head down and muttering under his breath.

"I give up... I give up, twenty times it is fine."

Li You didn't dare to say anything more, but secretly glared at Li Tai.

If Li Taixian hadn't objected, the teacher might have been punished less often.

Seeing the three little ones' pained expressions, Wen He couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, and put away the wooden bucket and brush in her hands.

"Alright, it's getting late. Stop dawdling here and go find Xiaorou for dinner. I made braised pork this morning."

Braised pork? Really?!

Upon hearing the words "braised pork," Li Tai's eyes lit up instantly. The grievances and dissatisfaction he felt while copying the book vanished in an instant, and his stomach even rumbled in agreement.

He subconsciously puffed out his belly, the round curve of which was particularly noticeable under his loose robe.

Wen He glanced down at his protruding belly, her eyes filled with disdain: "With a belly like yours, eat less fatty meat, or you'll get even fatter."

"That's my Jieli!"

Li Tai immediately puffed out his chest and retorted defiantly.

You can make me copy the periodic table twenty times, but you can't deny me braised pork!
Without saying a word, Wen He raised her hand and slapped him on the head: "I'll get you some beef... mutton later."

"That!"

Li Tai immediately stopped making a fuss, rubbed his head where he had been patted, and a smile instantly appeared on his face.

He was content as long as he had meat to eat.

Li Ke and Li You watched from the sidelines, both feeling a little embarrassed.

He's a prince, after all.

As for that?

As the group walked out of the back garden, they reached the entrance and saw A Dong and Qi San standing clearly on either side.

Adong was dressed in a light blue servant's uniform, with his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised.

Qi San was dressed in shorts with a cloth belt around his waist, and his eyes showed a hint of defiance.

The two of them were secretly glaring at each other out of the corner of their eyes. When they saw Wen He and the others come out, they both snorted softly and turned their faces away.

A Dong had long considered Qi San as a rival.

Before Qi San came to the Wen residence, the young master liked to ask him to come along for everything.

But ever since Qi San arrived, the young master not only put Qi San in charge of the household affairs, but also often assigned Qi San the task of delivering messages. It has been a long time since he has done anything for the young master on his own.

If he can't be used, he'll have a hard time in the manor in the future.

Qi San naturally noticed A Dong's hostility, but didn't take it to heart.

He's just a eunuch, who only arrived at the Wen residence a few days earlier than me. What's there to be proud of?
He was still not satisfied with the young master's trust, even though he had earned it through his own abilities.

If you're so capable, let's have a contest!

Wen He and his group walked up to the two men. A Dong and Qi San immediately composed themselves, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, young master."

Wen He nodded to the two of them, took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket, and handed it to Qi San.

"Qi San, thank you for making the trip to Wanhuzhai. Give this piece of paper to Master Wang and the others. It contains the preliminary steps and precautions for refining alum. If they ask about the details, just say that everything is written on the paper. If they have any questions, they can send someone to ask me tomorrow."

"Here!"

Qi San quickly took the paper with both hands, carefully tucked it into his pocket, and couldn't help but smile.

Being able to deliver a message to Wan Hu's residence on behalf of the young master shows that the young master trusts him, something that A Dong never had the chance to do!

He deliberately turned his head and gave A-Dong a provocative look before turning around and walking away quickly, his steps lighter than usual.

Standing to the side, watching Qi San's back, A Dong felt even more resentful, but dared not show it in front of Wen He.

Wen He saw this scene but didn't say anything.

Ah Dong is meticulous and suitable for managing the household affairs.

Qi San is quick and efficient, suitable for running errands and managing workshops; both of them have their own strengths.

Allowing them to have some healthy competition can actually motivate them to work harder. As long as they don't go too far, there's no need to deliberately interfere.

He turned to look at Adong and instructed, "Adong, go to the inner courtyard and have Xiaomei bring Xiaorou out to the front hall to prepare for dinner."

"Yes, slave, go now!"

Adong immediately perked up, a smile spreading across his face. He bowed to Wen He and then strode quickly toward the inner courtyard.

Hmph, Qi San is just on a business trip. As for things at home, young master still has to rely on himself!
What's so great about delivering a message? Taking good care of the young master and the people in the manor is the most important thing!
Watching A Dong's hurried departure, Li You couldn't help but lean closer to Wen He and whisper, "Sir, will A Dong and Qi San fight?"

His face showed a mixture of curiosity and anticipation, as if he were just enjoying the spectacle.

Li Tai nodded in agreement, grinning mischievously, "It would be great if they fought! But I don't think A-Dong can beat Qi San. Last time I competed with Qi San in strength, I couldn't beat him. A-Dong looks even thinner than me, he's definitely no match for him!"

"Isn't it normal that you can't beat Qi San?" Li Ke said with a light laugh, his tone somewhat teasing.

"Besides eating, what can you do that others can't match?"

"Li Sanlang! Don't go too far!" Li Tai was furious and rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue with Li Ke.

"I beat you in archery last time! What makes you think I only know how to eat?"

"That was because I was letting you win."

Li Ke glanced at him dismissively.

"Then don't go easy on me next time!" Li Tai said, his face full of dissatisfaction.

Li Ke glanced at him nonchalantly: "I'm afraid you'll cry."

Li Tai was instantly furious.

"You, you, you!" "Alright! Stop fooling around!"

Wen He reached out and pressed down on their heads, then gently pushed them apart.

"If you keep making noise, you'll all be punished by standing in the corner."

“That’s right, sir, I’m still the most obedient, aren’t I?” Li You seized the opportunity and quickly stepped forward to flatter him.

Wen He turned her head and chuckled at him.

Just as Li You's lips curled into a smile, Wen He's face immediately turned cold.

"You should behave yourself and eat!"

For Wen He, there are only two major events in life.

Eating and sleeping.

Isn't everything a person does in this life just to satisfy their cravings and get a good night's sleep?

Everything else is just fluff.

The aroma of food filled the front hall.

Wen He had just snatched a piece of braised pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat from Wen Rou's chopsticks when the little girl immediately pouted, slammed down her chopsticks, and puffed out her cheeks like little balls, protesting by "going on a hunger strike."

Wen He ignored her, contentedly stuffing the meat into her mouth, chewing with relish, before looking up at Zhou Fu, who was bowing as he walked in: "Uncle Zhou, what happened?"

"Young master, Minister Yan of the Ministry of Works has arrived and is waiting outside the mansion gate."

Zhou Fu replied respectfully, his eyes filled with a hint of doubt.

It was lunchtime, and Yan Lide, being from a prominent family, always valued etiquette and should not have come to visit at this time.

Wen He was taken aback by what she heard, blinked, and began to have doubts.

His sudden visit at this moment, could it be that something terrible has happened?
Could it be that the Turks suddenly attacked the Wei River?

If there were really a war, there should have been beacon fires to warn us long ago. Moreover, if the Turks were to invade, we should contact the Ministry of War, not the Ministry of Works.

He put down his chopsticks, pondered for a moment, and then got up.

Xiao Mei, who was standing nearby, quickly handed over a clean silk cloth. Wen He thanked her, took the cloth, wiped her mouth, and hurried towards the gate of the mansion.

After taking only two steps, Zhou Fu caught up and added.

“Young master, this old servant saw at the door just now that Minister Yan seemed to be injured. His robes were stained black, and even his beard looked like it had been burned, with most of it scorched.”

"Huh? Someone robbed the Ministry of Works?" Wen He was even more astonished.

Within Chang'an City, who dares to touch the Minister of Works?

That's incredibly audacious.

Yan Lide came to our door seeking help from the Hundred Riders.

When he arrived at the gate of the mansion and saw Yan Lide's appearance, he was even more surprised and his eyes widened.

Yan Lide's face was covered in soot, his originally fair cheeks were blackened by the soot, only his teeth and eyes were shiny. If he were any darker, he could be compared to Bao Gong in the opera.

The blue round-necked robe he was wearing had burn marks on the chest and cuffs, and the hem was covered in dirt. Half of his goatee was also burnt and drooping down, making him look extremely disheveled.

"Brother Lide, what's wrong? Is your house on fire? Or is there a fire in the Ministry of Works' workshops?"

Wen He rushed forward, reaching out to help him, but afraid of touching his wound, she could only stop in mid-air and asked with a puzzled look.

Upon seeing Wen He, Yan Lide's eyes instantly reddened, and his voice choked with emotion, as if he were about to cry: "Jiaying, your foolish brother... your foolish brother is truly ashamed!"

"Brother Lide, don't be in a hurry. Tell me slowly. By the way, have you had lunch yet? If not, come with me to the mansion and have something to eat before we talk."

Wen He comforted him while scrutinizing him.

Besides the black ash, Yan Lide also had a faint smell of gunpowder on him. Could it be that the Ministry of Works' gunpowder warehouse had been blown up?

But I didn't hear a single explosion in the mansion just now. Given the amount of gunpowder stored by the Ministry of Works, if it had really exploded, most of Chang'an should have heard the commotion.

"Alas, how can I possibly eat anything now?"

Yan Lide sighed and waved his hand, but his stomach rumbled loudly, making him lower his head in embarrassment.

Wen He couldn't help but laugh: "Nothing is more important than eating. As the saying goes, 'Man is made of iron, and food is made of steel.' You'll be starving if you don't eat. No matter how big the problem is, you have to eat your fill before you have the strength to solve it. Come on, come with me into the mansion. The kitchen just made some braised pork. You can try some too."

Without saying a word, Wen He pulled Yan Lide into the mansion and led him straight to the front hall.

Seeing this, Xiaomei quickly added another set of chopsticks and a bowl of rice, and placed it in front of Yan Lide.

Yan Lide looked at the glistening braised pork on the table, hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist his hunger, picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Once you start eating, you can't stop.

Yan Lide ate most of a bowl of braised pork and then half a bowl of rice before reluctantly putting down his chopsticks, a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

Li Tai, watching from the side, felt a pang of heartache as Yan Lide ate most of the braised pork. He kept his eyes fixed on the remaining few pieces of meat, afraid that Yan Lide would take them away again.

Wen He glared at Li Tai, then said to the three little ones and Wen Rou, "You take Xiao Rou to play in the back. I have important business to discuss with Minister Yan."

Li Ke and Li You obediently stood up, bowed to Wen He, and then carried the resentful Li Tai away, one on each side.

Li Tai didn't forget to turn around and glare at Yan Lide.

Wenrou also stood up, snorted, turned and ran out, slamming the door shut as she did so to express her dissatisfaction.

Yan Lide watched the children's retreating figures, then quickly stood up and cupped his hands in the direction they had gone to fulfill his courtesy.

Once only the two of them remained in the front hall, Wen He spoke up and asked.

"Brother Lide, can you tell me now? What happened that made you look so disheveled?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Lide sighed deeply again, picked up his chopsticks, and stuffed the last piece of braised pork into his mouth.

Looking at him like this, Wen He couldn't help but facepalm.

Could it be that Old Yan is just here to freeload a meal?

"Speaking of this matter, I am truly ashamed, alas..."

Yan Lide put down his chopsticks, let out another long sigh, and looked full of regret.

"Uh, no need for that. Brother Lide, if there's anything you need, just say it. Why are we beating around the bush like this?"

Wen He rubbed her temples helplessly, her patience almost worn thin by his continuous sighs.

If this drags on any longer, he'll start thinking of kicking them out.

"Jiaying, sigh..."

Yan Lide sighed again, glancing at Wen He several times before finally managing to utter a single sentence when he saw Wen He's face darken as if she was about to explode.

"Not long ago, the Ministry of Works...the Ministry of Works manufactured cannons."

"Wardfa?"

Wen He suddenly stood up, her eyes wide with shock.

He had only mentioned the principle of artillery to Yan Lide before, so how come the Ministry of Works actually built it in such a short time?

"What do you mean by 'to send'?"

Yan Lide stared at Wen He, completely bewildered, not understanding what he meant.

Wen He had no time to explain this internet slang, and quickly pressed for an answer.

"Brother Lide, did he force you to hurry up and build cannons?"

As he spoke, he made a cupped-hand gesture upwards, alluding to Li Shimin.

Yan Lide shook his head with a wry smile, his face full of self-reproach: "It was not the sage's intention, but something I, your foolish brother, did in private."

"You mentioned cannons to me before. I thought cannons were as simple as bows and crossbows. I wanted to make one to surprise you and give the Tang Dynasty a powerful weapon. So I secretly found the best craftsmen in the Ministry of Works and told them about your idea."

"Unexpectedly, the craftsmen all said they could give it a try, and that they could use the casting method to make the cannon barrel. They worked quickly and cast a bronze cannon barrel in just two days, along with a cannon carriage."

"Another old craftsman said that gunpowder explosions produce strong winds. Based on what you said about cannons, he guessed that the bottom of the copper tube should be sealed and then a large amount of gunpowder should be put inside. This way, the strong winds generated during the explosion can be trapped in the narrow cannon tube, which can push the iron ball further and more powerfully. I think what he said makes sense, so I let them build it according to this idea."

As Yan Lide spoke, Wen He's lips twitched involuntarily a few times.

You know what, the old craftsman really hit the nail on the head.

The principle of artillery is essentially to use the high-pressure gas generated by the explosion of gunpowder to propel the projectile out, although they describe it as a "strong wind," which is quite apt.

"So you just built the cannon and even tried firing it?"

Wen He held her forehead, a bad feeling creeping over her.

Yan Lide's face, which he had just wiped clean with warm water, immediately flushed red, and he said with shame.

"This morning, we test-fired it in the backyard of the Ministry of Works. We thought it would be successful, but we never expected that the cannon... that cannon actually..."

"It exploded, didn't it?" Wen He chimed in, her tone tinged with helplessness.

He knew that if a cannon were built based on a few verbal descriptions without calculations or testing, it would most likely explode.

Upon hearing this, Yan Lide looked up at Wen He, his eyes full of agreement, and then sighed heavily.

"Yes, it exploded. The gunpowder had just been ignited when the cannon barrel exploded with a loud 'boom,' and fragments flew everywhere. At that moment, I felt as if I saw my late father."

After saying this, he suddenly covered his face with his wide sleeves and burst into tears.

But Wen He felt that he was crying tears of joy, at least he had saved his life.

For a moment, he didn't know whether to admire Yan Lide's courage or praise the execution of the Tang Dynasty craftsmen.

Based on just a few vague descriptions, he actually managed to build the cannon. Although it failed, his ability was still quite astonishing.

"Brother Lide, it's not that bad, it's not that bad," Wen He quickly reassured him.

After a long while, Yan Lide finally stopped.

Seeing this, Wen He composed herself and quickly asked, "Is anyone injured? How badly are they injured?"

"Three craftsmen were injured. One of them was hit in the leg by a shard and his leg bone was broken. The other two also suffered some minor injuries. Alas, even I was knocked to the ground by the blast wave. My robe was burned with several holes by sparks and my beard was singed, but fortunately, I was not injured."

As Yan Lide spoke, he pointed to the scorch marks on his body, his face full of self-reproach.

"It's all my fault, I was too eager to succeed and started building cannons without consulting you, which led to this mess."

He did regret it.

However, he wasn't trying to steal credit.

Instead, she felt that Wen He had too many things to do lately, so she wanted to help share the burden.

I never imagined that I would almost meet my parents.

Wen He couldn't help but frown.

Old Yan is just too impatient. He shook his head and asked again, "Brother Lide, has the Ministry of Works issued compensation to those injured craftsmen? How much was paid?"

“Of course it has been paid. This matter was my fault. The Ministry of Works gave each person a string of cash as compensation according to regulations. I also paid out of my own pocket to give each person an additional five hundred cash. I also had a doctor come to treat them. The medical expenses were all borne by the Ministry of Works.”

Yan Lide quickly said, afraid that Wen He would feel that he had mistreated the craftsmen.

In the Tang Dynasty at that time, a pension of one string of cash was considered quite generous for a craftsman, whose monthly wages were only three or four hundred cash.

But Wenhe was still not satisfied.

The craftsman who broke his leg will probably never be able to do heavy work again, and this compensation is simply not enough for his future livelihood.

He exhaled, looked at Yan Lide, whose face was full of guilt, and slowly said, "Brother Lide, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on you. After all, artillery is a new thing, and no one knows how to build it. Failure is inevitable."

"However, we still need to think of a way to provide compensation, especially for the craftsman who lost his leg. He won't be able to work anymore, and this amount of money won't be enough for him to live on."

"Furthermore, I think that if the Ministry of Works develops anything new in the future, it must plan carefully and not act recklessly like this again. We were lucky today. If something had gone wrong, I'm afraid it wouldn't just be your life, Brother Lide, but the entire Ministry of Works would have suffered."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lide's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly.

“Jiaying, you’re right! I was too hasty and didn’t think things through, which is why I’ve come to visit you.”

"Ugh."

Wen He sighed, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Alright, I'll go to the Forbidden Garden with you, but before that, let's go find someone."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lide was initially delighted, but then became puzzled.

Isn't Wen He enough on her own?
Could it be that Wen He knows some hidden master craftsman in Chang'an?
(End of this chapter)