Tang Dynasty: Slacking off in the Imperial Kitchen, exposed by Si Zi

Chapter 126 Fire Virtue True Lord

There are no complicated mechanisms or expensive materials.

By utilizing the principle that hot air rises, they managed to turn that deadly toxic smoke into a life-saving heat source!

"Wonderful—wonderful!"

Duan Lun suddenly looked up, his gaze towards Su Mu as if he were looking at a deity. "This—this gentleman, is this really your idea?"

"Found it."

Su Mu was too lazy to explain.

"Duan Lun".

Li Shimin spoke in a deep voice, "I ask you, are there any open-pit coal mines in the Western Hills outside Chang'an?"

Yes! Yes!

Duan Lun was so excited that his beard trembled. "Not only in Xishan, but also in Hutougou in the south of the city, and in the rocky beach in the north, there are these black stones!"

Previously, people disliked it because it was toxic and took up land, and they wished they could fill it in. If this method works—then it would be inexhaustible!

"I will give you three days."

Li Shimin held up three fingers, his eyes burning with intensity.

"Assemble all the artisans in the Ministry of Works and have them forge the furnace for me overnight, just like this. Make plenty of molds; even a three-year-old could learn how to make coal briquettes just by looking at them once."

"I order you to ensure that within three days, every poor family in Chang'an receives this stove and coal briquettes!"

"this----"

Duan Lun hesitated, "Three days is probably not enough time to build an iron furnace, and we don't have enough iron either."

"fool!"

Su Mu chimed in from the side, "If you don't have iron, you can use clay to make a living. If that doesn't work, you can use mud bricks."

As long as the exhaust pipe doesn't leak air, it's fine.

As for the pipe, just use a bamboo tube to clear it, and then coat the outside with a layer of mud to prevent it from burning. How could a living person die from holding their urine?

Duan Lun slapped his forehead: "That's right! I'm so stupid! I'll get on it right away!"

The high-ranking official scrambled off the kang (a heated brick bed), not even bothering to put his boots on properly. He grabbed the only boot he had left and rushed outside, muttering, "Yellow earth—bamboo tube—my God—"

The snow in Chang'an City has been falling for three whole days and shows no sign of stopping.

The snow on Zhuque Street was ankle-deep, and in the narrow alleys, it was piled up like small mountains.

At this time of year, the slums in the south of the city would have been filled with weeping. The elderly and children who had frozen to death would be wrapped in straw mats and thrown into mass graves to be fed to wild dogs.

But today, a strange sense of liveliness has emerged in that low-lying shantytown.

Dozens of large flatbed carts loaded with black cylinders creaked and groaned as they rolled over the snow and came to a stop at the entrance of Yong'anfang alley.

"Everyone out! Time to get the torch!"

The clerks from the Ministry of Works banged on the gong until their voices were hoarse.

Several timid old men peeked out from behind the tattered straw curtain, staring suspiciously at the dark object on the cart.

"What's that? It looks like—like those poisonous stones from our Western Hills?"

"Could it be that the officials think we poor wretches are taking up too much space, and they're going to send poisoned stones to wipe us all out?"

A commotion arose in the crowd, and no one dared to step forward.

At this moment, an old woman wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat, her nose running from the cold, walked out shakily.

She was holding an even smaller baby in her arms. The child's face was purple from the cold, and its cries sounded like a cat's meow. It was clear that the baby was about to die.

"Sir—this thing, can it really burn?"

The old woman asked in despair.

"It can be burned! His Majesty said it's to save everyone's lives!" Without further ado, the official waved his hand, and several craftsmen behind him immediately stepped forward.

They quickly built a makeshift stove under a sheltered wall using a few adobe bricks, and placed a crudely fired pottery cylinder on top, which served as the rudimentary stove core.

Immediately afterwards, a long pipe with several sections of bamboo tubes was connected and extended to the outside of the wall.

Stuff the ignition source in, and the flames leap up.

The official used tongs to pick up a honeycomb briquette, placed it steadily into the furnace, and then closed the clay lid.

call--!

In just a few breaths, a whooshing sound came from the vent at the bottom of the furnace as air was sucked in.

Immediately afterwards, a blue flame shot out through the hole in the stove lid, reaching a height of half a foot!

White smoke began to puff out of the bamboo tube leading outside.

And around this stove—

The old woman, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly felt a warmth in front of her knees. She mustered her courage and reached out to touch it.

bake!

A wave of heat hit me, even more intense than the expensive silver frost charcoal!

"Hot—it's so hot!"

The old woman's cloudy eyes widened instantly, and two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. "My goodness! It's so hot!"

No smell of smoke! Not even a trace of tobacco!

She hurriedly unwrapped the baby and moved the frozen child closer to the stove.

In just a short while, the child's purplish face slowly regained its color, and he burst into a loud cry.

That cry was like the starting gun.

The crowd, which had been keeping their distance, surged forward like madmen.

"Give me one! I want one of those black coal balls with eyes too!"

"Don't grab it! My wife's freezing to death! Give it to me first!"

In less than half an hour, strangely shaped chimneys rose up in the sky above Yong'anfang. Some were made of bamboo, some of ceramic, and some were even pieced together from broken tiles and covered with mud.

Those wisps of poisonous smoke that originally represented death were expelled into the sky through these pipes, leaving only a warm spring-like atmosphere throughout the room.

Taiji Palace, the backyard of the Imperial Kitchen.

Outside, it was a cacophony of noise, but inside, it was so quiet that only the sizzling sound of grilled meat could be heard.

Su Mu was still nestled on the newly built heated kang bed, but today he wasn't lying down; instead, he was sitting cross-legged.

A fine wire mesh was placed on top of that specially made tin stove.

A row of oranges was displayed online, along with a few chestnuts that had been cut open, and in the very center, there were even a few pieces of roasted rice cake.

The rice cake expands when heated, forming plump, white bubbles with a slightly browned surface and a fragrant aroma of rice.

"Are you done yet? That chubby cake is about to explode!"

Little Sizi knelt on the opposite side of the kang table, her two little hands supporting her chin, her big eyes fixed on the largest piece of rice cake in the middle, a trace of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.

She wasn't wearing her heavy tiger-head coat today; it was too hot in the room, so she was only wearing a thin padded jacket, and her forehead was slightly sweaty.

"What's the rush? You can't rush things."

Su Mu took his chopsticks and poked the most bulging part of the rice cake.

puff--!

A burst of hot air shot out, causing the rice cake to deflate slightly, and the aroma of caramelization intensified.

He picked up a piece, dipped it in brown sugar syrup, blew on it repeatedly, and then held it to the little girl's lips.

"Awoo!"

Little Sizi took a bite, the soft and chewy rice cake coated with brown sugar was so hot that she gasped for breath, but her face was full of satisfaction.

"Sweet and chewy! You're the best!"

At that moment, the door to the woodshed was pushed open.

Upon entering, Li Shimin first took off his snow-covered cloak, casually hanging it on a nail behind the door, and then, as if familiar with the place, took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang (heated brick bed).

"Give me one too."

Li Shimin sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), and casually snatched the chopsticks from Su Mu's hand, picking up a piece of roasted orange.

The orange peel was roasted until it was blackened. After peeling it open, the flesh inside was hot and steaming with a sweet and sour aroma.

One sip, and the warm juice flows down your throat, relieving coughs, moisturizing the lungs, and bringing comfort.

"How's it going outside?"

Su Mu asked casually, still peeling chestnuts in his hand.

He's alive.

Li Shimin spat out an orange seed, his eyes shining with an unprecedented light. "I just returned from Mingde Gate. The entire outer city was filled with chimneys."

At this time of year in previous years, the streets would be full of begging vagrants, but today—they're all at home, sleeping huddled around their stoves.

At this point, he turned to look at Su Mu, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Su Mu, do you know what's going on about you outside?"

"Summon me?"

Su Mu raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even show my face."

"You didn't show your face, but those blueprints leaked out of the palace. Those big mouths in the Ministry of Works have already betrayed you."

Li Shimin smiled and reached out to pat the head of the little ox that was licking the plate. "Now everyone is saying that a Fire Virtue True Lord has descended to earth from the palace to collect the poisonous stones from underground and turn them into divine fire to save the people."

"The True Lord of Fire Virtue?"

Su Mu's lips twitched. "That sounds awful. You might as well call me the Kitchen God."

"You have to bear this title whether you want to or not."