Optimus One Pillar of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 62 Burning Glass

Of course, Wang Daoqiu made up such a big lie, and in the end he only played the role of a "tool man". This is also a reference to the fate of Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Back then, Yang Xiuqing used the acupuncture point of "possessed by the Heavenly Father" to get around like a fool in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. When he was "possessed by the Heavenly Father", the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan had to kneel down and was scolded by him like a grandson. .

But what happened to Yang Xiuqing in the end?Therefore, when considering this matter, Wang Daoqiu positioned himself as Emperor Jiajing, the "tool man" who communicated with God, and placed Emperor Jiajing in the lofty position of "Son of Heaven".Make yourself a necessity for Emperor Jiajing, but not cause trouble to Emperor Jiajing, and don't let Emperor Jiajing feel that you will threaten his supreme imperial power.

While thinking about how he would now have the status of "Messenger of the Gods" and the absolute "gold medal for immunity from death", he followed Emperor Jiajing's footsteps and walked out.

As soon as he walked out of the Sanqing and Siyu Palaces, Emperor Jiajing called Lu Fang and asked him to prepare paper and pen.Then Emperor Jiajing asked everyone to stay twenty steps away from him. He was there alone and recorded the "secrets" he just saw on Wang Daoqiu's arm one by one, stuffed them into his chest, and hid them close to his body. good.

After doing all this, Emperor Jiajing greeted everyone enthusiastically, and continued to worship with him in Baiyun Temple, hall by hall, and statue by statue.

After paying homage to all the gods, Emperor Jiajing's face glowed brightly. He smiled and said to the old Taoist beside him, "How are you, Immortal Tao? Are you ready for Governor Lu's birthday banquet at noon?"

"Go back to your majesty. They are ready. They are some side dishes from my sect. I hope they will suit the tastes of your majesty and Governor Lu."

"Okay, okay, okay, Tao Shenxian will lead the way. Lu Bing and Wang Aiqing, come with me to taste the immortal dishes of this sect."

"Subordinate to the order"

"Subordinate to the order"

After speaking, the old Taoist led the way from the side. Emperor Jiajing walked in the middle, followed closely by Wang Daoqiu, Lu Bing and Lu Fang.

Look at the one who leads the way, with white hair and childlike face, with a fairy demeanor, who can give full respect to the emperor, but never flatters, an old man with the demeanor of an elder.Wang Daoqiu thought, just now Emperor Jiajing called this old Taoist "Tao Immortal", so this old Taoist should be the famous Tao Zhongwen in history who led three orphans at the same time, and only Zhongwen was the only one in the Ming Dynasty.

Ming history records: Tao Zhongwen's original name was Dianzhen. He was a native of Huanggang, Hubei Province. He was a county governor when he was young and liked the magical arts.During the Jiajing period, he was transferred from Huangmei County official to Liaodong Treasury Ambassador. When he reached the capital, he lived in Shao Yuanjie's home. Later, Shao Yuanjie recommended him to Emperor Jiajing.For the next 20 years, Tao Zhongwen accompanied Emperor Jiajing to engage in feudal superstition.

The final verdict on Tao Zhongwen in the history of the Ming Dynasty is pretty good.It is said that Zhongwen has been favored for 20 years and has been a very popular minister. However, he is cautious and does not dare to act recklessly.In the 36th year of Jiajing's reign, when he begged to return to the mountain due to illness, he also returned the mang jade, gold treasures, dharma crowns and ten thousand taels of platinum that had been awarded to him by Emperor Jiajing over the years.

If you are favored by a saint, you can be cautious, not reckless, and not greedy for money. You are a master of the Tao!This is probably the main reason why many Taoist priests were favored during the Jiajing Dynasty, but only Tao Zhongwen and Shao Yuanjie could die a good death!

Thinking about this old sage who had a bottom line in his life, Wang Daoqiu immediately felt: This person can handle it.

Then we came to a warm pavilion. Wang Daoqiu didn't see any charcoal fire in the room, but he felt that the room was very warm. When he touched the wall, he found that it was indeed a "wall of fire."

When Emperor Jiajing and Tao Zhongwen led Wang Daoqiu, Lu Bing, and Lu Fang into the place, several Taoist boys had just served the dishes and left.

Tao Zhongwen pointed to the banquet where most of the dishes were served on platters with Tai Chi patterns, and introduced to Emperor Jiajing: "I received your Majesty's order the day before yesterday to host a birthday banquet for Governor Lu in the small temple. The old Taoist thought about it and made it himself. I propose that I present a Tai Chi banquet of our Taoist sect to Governor Lu. ..."

Then Tao Zhongwen introduced the dishes on the table to Emperor Jiajing, as well as the raw materials and methods used in the dishes.For example, "Yin Yang Fish", "Qiankun Egg", "Taixu Meatballs", "Shangqing Tofu", "Orange Peel Chicken", "Square Pork", etc. There are nine dishes in total!
After Tao Zhongwen introduced the dishes, Emperor Jiajing invited Wang Daoqiu and Lu Bing to the table, while Lu Fang waited on them.

After a private meal, Emperor Jiajing put aside his status as an emperor and ate at the same table with Wang Daoqiu, Lu Bing, and Tao Zhongwen as friends. He also gave up the throne to today's birthday boy, Lu Bing.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Emperor Jiajing's words turned to the topic of alchemy and immortality.In this regard, Emperor Jiajing and Tao Zhongwen are both crazy fans. They have a common language and their words are becoming more and more speculative.

Speaking of his happiness, Tao Zhongwen said to Wang Daoqiu with an elderly look on his face: "My little friend has a deep connection with immortality. He is a disciple of Tianzun, and his thoughts can be connected with Tianzun. My little friend, if you get some advice from Tianzun in the future, can you give some advice to the poor?" Tao?"

"Yes, yes, yes, Wang Aiqing, you are destined to receive the guidance of the Heavenly Lord. Regarding the matter of cultivating Taoism and refining elixirs, if Wang Aiqing receives any guidance from the Heavenly Lord, you must not keep it secret!"

Tao Zhongwen wanted Wang Daoqiu to share his fate with him. As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Jiajing joined in the fun and asked for help.

Faced with these two "mortals" who were extremely eager to become immortals, Wang Daoqiu despised their wishful thinking in his heart, but on his face he still smiled and said: "Your Majesty, this immortal, to be honest, this kid is practicing Taoism. I really don’t know anything about it. However, I still have great ideas on how to use the stove and burn some novel things. For example, Your Majesty knows that I am good at making iron and steel. In fact, I am not only good at smelting. Iron makes steel, and the boy can also make sulfur glass."

"What, Wang Aiqing, do you still know how to burn sulfur glass? Wang Aiqing, tell me quickly, how to burn this sulfur glass?"

Having seen Wang Daoqiu's ability in making steel and iron, Emperor Jiajing did not doubt Wang Daoqiu's claim that he could burn sulfur glass, and quickly asked Wang Daoqiu to tell him how to burn the sulfur glass.Faced with the greed that burst out from Emperor Jiajing's eyes, Wang Daoqiu did not explain too much to Emperor Jiajing. He just said lightly: "Your Majesty, please be patient. If your Majesty still has time after dinner, then I will In the afternoon, you can go to the White Cloud Temple and let your Majesty witness with your own eyes how this sulfur glass is fired!"

"What, you can bake sulfur glass in Baiyun Temple this afternoon? Wang Aiqing, are there any materials for burning sulfur glass in Baiyun Temple?"

"Hahahaha, Your Majesty, don't you know that the sulfur glass is actually made from the sand in the river?"

"What, that crystal-clear jade-like sulfur glass is made of river sand? Wang Aiqing, this, this is incredible!"

Daming doesn't know how to make sulfur glass yet, so he imports all of them at high prices from Frangji.As for Liuli's crystal-like, jade-like crystal, Wang Daoqiu now says that it was made of river sand, which made Emperor Jiajing unable to accept love no matter what.

Looking at Emperor Jiajing's doubtful look on life, Wang Daoqiu continued to smile and said: "Your Majesty, there is nothing incredible about this! Just like our exquisite porcelain, aren't they just made of a pile of clay? ?”

"What Wang Aiqing said makes sense. Okay, I'll stay in the Baiyun Temple in the afternoon and witness with my own eyes how Aiqing burns a pile of river sand into sulfur glass. What will Aiqing use? For the materials, just ask Tao Shenxian."

After receiving the support of Emperor Jiajing, Wang Daoqiu thanked Emperor Jiajing and said to Tao Zhongwen: "Troublesome Immortal asked the Taoist boy to take a hundred kilograms of river sand, wash it repeatedly, and then grind it into powder. The finer the better. In addition, the immortal ordered to go down and prepare fifty kilograms of feldspar and fifty kilograms of limestone. Finally, the Taoist priest gave me some more, your Taoist green vitriol oil and the fine salt from the kitchen. Taoist priest, these things are in your Baiyun Temple. All of them!"

"Lime, river sand, green vitriol oil, and table salt are all available in Baiyun Temple. But for the feldspar, you have to go to the ceramics workshop to find it. That stuff is used for making pottery and porcelain. We don't have it in Baiyun Temple. "

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Lu will send someone to get the feldspar right away."

After listening to the materials Wang Daoqiu asked for, Tao Zhongwen said that except for feldspar, they had the other four things in Baiyun Temple.When Lu Bing heard that there was no feldspar in Baiyun Temple, but there was one in the ceramics workshop, he immediately said that he could send his men to the ceramics workshop to get some feldspar back.

In this way, Lu Bing and Tao Zhongwen ordered their men to prepare the materials for burning glass according to Wang Daoqiu's instructions.

With the blessing of the country's supreme power, these ordinary things are naturally not a problem.So when Wang Daoqiu and the others finished their meal, they came to the alchemy room of Baiyun Temple together.Those things have arrived, but the little Taoist priests are still grinding, sifting, and processing the river sand and feldspar. .

As soon as Wang Daoqiu arrived here, he took off his roomy student uniform without any hesitation, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.He first reacted salt and sulfuric acid to produce sodium sulfate, then used carbon to reduce sodium sulfate to produce sodium sulfide, and finally reacted sodium sulfide with limestone to produce sodium carbonate crystals, which were dried to produce finished soda ash.

After obtaining the soda ash, Wang Daoqiu mixed the soda ash, river sand, limestone, and feldspar powder according to the ratio of various raw materials for burning glass, mixed them evenly, and then asked the alchemy Taoist priest to burn them in the alchemy furnace.

After doing all this, Wang Daoqiu washed his hands and face and came to Emperor Jiajing and his companions.When Wang Daoqiu was doing that work just now, Emperor Jiajing and the others were sitting far away, drinking tea while watching Wang Daoqiu busy there. They didn't understand the meaning of Wang Daoqiu's actions, and they were all very curious.

So as soon as Wang Daoqiu came over, Lu Bing, the youngest among Emperor Jiajing and the others, asked: "Xie Yuanlang, you just mixed the two things together and heated them, then cooled them. Then add another thing, Heating again, cooling again. Then... Xie Yuanlang, what are you doing?"

"Well, it's like this, Governor Lu. You may think that the river sand is very small and weak, but in fact, if you want to burn it, it's harder than burning iron into molten iron. So you need to add something to it. , to make the sand easier to burn. I just heated everything in the same ratio, just to make alkali, and the river sand with the added alkali will be much easier to burn. "

"Oh, that's it! Come on, come on, Mr. Jie Yuan, sit down and have a sip of tea and rest. You've worked hard, you've worked hard."

As he spoke, Lu Bing stood up, personally pulled a chair for Wang Daoqiu, and asked Wang Daoqiu to sit down.At this time, the little Taoist boy who was waiting on him also gave Wang Daoqiu a cup of fragrant tea.

After sitting down and having a sip of tea, Wang Daoqiu said to Lu Bing, "Please trouble Master Lu."

"Hey, it's no trouble. If you need anything, just ask Jie Yuanlang."

"Oh, it's like this. When I was busy just now, Wang forgot how to shape the sulfur glass water after it was boiled. So now I have to trouble Mr. Lu and send someone to the bronze mirror-making workshop to find someone who knows how to pour the mirror surface. , the old masters who polished the mirrors, asked them to bring a complete set of tools for making bronze mirrors. In addition, get a few kilograms of white tin."

"Artisans and tools for making bronze mirrors. Could it be that Jie Yuanlang, you want to use that sulfur glass to make mirrors?"

"Of course."

"Okay, okay, a master who knows how to make bronze mirrors will add a complete set of tools and a few kilograms of tin. Lu understands. Lu will send someone to get it for Xie Yuanlang."

After speaking, Lu Bing waved to one of his personal guards, repeated Wang Daoqiu's request, and asked the personal guard to handle it.

(End of this chapter)