Chapter 5: Ice-Making with Saltpeter

"Bitter saltpeter?"

The sun had already passed high noon.

Zhao Xu pondered that the people from the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery would likely arrive soon.

He therefore had Qin Zhangfang take out ten taels of Silver and gave instructions to Liu Fu.

Zhao Xu nodded.

In ancient times, bitter saltpeter was a medicinal ingredient used as a laxative, sold in every apothecary.

Yet in modern times, bitter saltpeter is called saltpeter.

The method he was using this time to extract Silver from the hands of the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery was to use saltpeter to create ice.

In ancient times, people in the North Territory used cellars to store ice during the winter, taking it out in the summer to cool off.

In the Capital City, there were even institutions specifically for managing ice cellars.

During the summer, ice was included in the rewards the Emperor bestowed upon his ministers.

Thus, ice had always been expensive in ancient times.

And for the Great Song, the preciousness of ice was even higher.

The reason was that the Capital City of the Great Song was Jinling, which is the modern-day Nanjing, known as one of the four furnaces.

That place was different from the North Territory; even in winter, it was not overly cold, and there was no thick layer of ice to harvest in winter.

In his memory, there had not been many snowfalls in Jinling City over the past two years.

Therefore, once the sweltering heat arrived, Jinling City—or rather, the entire south—would fall into an ice famine.

Wealthy families wanted to buy ice to cool off but could not obtain it.

And this led to the saying in the south that summer ice was worth its weight in gold.

It was currently the height of the sweltering summer.

If one could sell large quantities of ice in Jinling City, one would inevitably be able to earn a massive amount of wealth.

"Buy three catties, go and return quickly." Handing the ten taels of Silver to Liu Fu, Zhao Xu instructed.

Liu Fu nodded, and in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, he returned carrying a small bag of saltpeter.

The intense heat had left his clothes completely soaked.

Wiping away his sweat, he panted heavily and said, "Your Highness, the bitter saltpeter is here?"

Zhao Xu nodded and had Liu Fu find two porcelain basins of different sizes.

Before long, a servant came to report that people from the Rich Clans had arrived.

Zhao Xu had Liu Fu lead them to the front courtyard.

"What exactly does Your Highness want with us?" said a Rich Clan descendant wearing silk, with a potbelly.

Looking at the dilapidated Prince's Mansion, he could not help but feel some contempt in his eyes.

A dignified Prince's Mansion was so shabby it was not even as good as the courtyard where their own servants lived.

However, he thought it was normal; since the founding of the Great Song, no Imperial Prince had ever come to this place, Yan Commandery.

This Yan Wang was the first, and an Imperial Prince who could come here was basically no different from being exiled.

The Emperor would not provide very generous conditions.

"His Highness says he will perform a skill for you once everyone has arrived," Liu Fu repeated the words exactly.

"Hahaha..."

The crowd burst into laughter.

"Has this Yan Wang's madness really been cured?"

"It probably hasn't, otherwise why would there be such an absurd thing?"

"Sigh, let's disperse, let's disperse, this is simply nonsense." Someone wanted to leave.

Just then, Zhao Xu walked out from a room.

"Greetings, Your Highness Yan Wang."

Seeing Zhao Xu, the crowd began to pay their respects.

However, many only bowed slightly, just going through the motions.

Zhao Xu saw it all, but he did not get angry.

One day, he would make these people kneel and sing for him.

"Rise," Zhao Xu waved his hand.

He had already had Liu Fu record the names of all these people.

He knew clearly which servant came from which family, and which Head of the Family came from where.

Later, he would know which Rich Clans could be won over.

"Everyone, please stay calm. This Prince is not fooling you. Wait a moment, and you will learn of an opportunity to get rich," Zhao Xu said.

Seeing the Yan Wang come out in person, the crowd stopped their steps, deciding to watch a little longer; at worst, they would treat it as a joke.

Forty or fifty people stood together waiting.

At this time, Zhao Xu entered the room.

He placed the small Porcelain Bottle inside the large Porcelain Bottle and filled it with water.

He then wrapped it in cotton cloth.

The principle of saltpeter ice-making is that saltpeter absorbs a large amount of heat when it dissolves in water; theoretically, it can drop to minus two degrees, eventually turning the water into ice.

The purpose of the large basin and the small basin was to use the saltpeter in the large basin to lower the temperature and turn the water in the small basin into ice.

In this way, the ice in the small basin would be edible.

After all, saltpeter is still poisonous.

The cotton cloth is to insulate against the heat from the outside.

After the ice-making is finished, as long as the water in the large basin is dried out in the sun, the saltpeter will precipitate out again; excluding the portion lost to wear and tear, the remainder can be used repeatedly.

Once all this is done, the next step is to wait.

"It's about time."

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xu lifted the cotton cloth.

The moment the cotton cloth was lifted, a burst of white mist rose from within, and the chill was biting.

Thick ice had already formed in the small basin.

With a surge of joy in his heart, he carried the small basin of ice into the courtyard.

"Everyone, please look; this is the performance I spoke of." Zhao Xu walked around in front of the crowd holding the ice.

"It's ice," someone exclaimed.

"It's the height of summer; where would ice come from?"

"Incredible."

"..."

A burst of whispering arose.

Liu Fu also widened his eyes, finding it hard to believe.

Aside from buying the bitter saltpeter, Zhao Xu had not let him participate in any part of the process.

He also had no idea how Zhao Xu had conjured it up.

"Not only has Yan Wang's madness been cured, but how has he become so formidable?" he exclaimed in his heart.

"Your Highness, could this be ice from an ice cellar?" someone asked.

This was also what the others were thinking.

If it wasn't, then could this Yan Wang possess immortal magic?

"Not at all; this was made by me. It is the art of turning water into ice." Zhao Xu straightened his chest.

Once these words were spoken, the Rich Clans immediately erupted.

"Does Your Highness possess immortal magic?" one person asked in shock.

"No, it is merely an ordinary technique; if I teach it to you, you will be able to do it too." Zhao Xu's gaze swept over everyone's faces to observe their reactions.

Now, many people had completely lost their contempt for him.

Some were lost in thought,

while others had eyes gleaming, clearly having thought of a way to make a fortune.

"I, Dong An, the eldest son of the Dong Family of Yan Commandery, pay my respects to Your Highness. I hope Your Highness can impart this technique." A young man stepped forward.

This person had a fair complexion and appeared very scholarly.

"I am from the Yang Family of Yan Commandery; I also hope for Your Highness's guidance." Another person stepped out.

Among the crowd, many had already caught on to the implication.

Some shrewd servants had already started running toward their homes.

Those who were dull-witted wore expressions of confusion.

Zhao Xu nodded inwardly; there were many smart people among the Rich Clans of Yan Commandery.

After all, they controlled many resources and had been reading books and doing business since childhood.

It was easy for them to see through Zhao Xu's intentions.

At this point, he no longer hid anything.

"As everyone knows, ice is expensive during the sweltering summers in Jiangnan of the Great Song. It is now the sixth month, and the sweltering summer has just begun. If one understands this Ice-making Technique, one could certainly earn a massive amount of Silver in the Capital City, or even in Jiangnan."

He paused and said, "I brought you all here to impart this technique to you. After all, I have no imperial decree and cannot leave my fief, so naturally, I cannot return to the Capital City to earn this Silver. However, such a secret technique naturally cannot be given away for free."

Zhao Xu spoke so bluntly that everyone realized what was happening.

Someone asked, "Ice is expensive in Jiangnan, but what is the cost of making this ice?"

"One could say it is a ten-thousand-fold profit," Zhao Xu said.

At this point, the crowd could no longer remain calm; they were all smart people.

The Jiangnan of the Great Song was the wealthiest region under heaven; if they truly mastered this Ice-making Technique, they could absolutely become immensely wealthy.

At that time, their strength would increase greatly.

Consequently, someone immediately shouted excitedly, "Your Highness, may I ask how much Silver is needed to learn this secret technique?"