Chapter 23 Can I take a ride with His Royal Highness?
Li Mu's cowhide has been blown out, and now he doesn't even have the main raw materials. Isn't this nonsense?
As for whether he could find a substitute, Li Mu didn't know. So Li Mu had no other choice.
I am boasting in front of the emperor's father, but if I can't do it, it will end badly.
Li Mu sat in the warehouse, thought for a moment, and immediately walked out. The three of them were still standing at the door.
Li Mu said: "He Biao, don't worry, think carefully. Are there any experts in your manufacturing supervision department, including the Ministry of Industry, or even private workshops who know about zinc?"
He Biao kept nodding his head and said: "Your Highness, don't be anxious. You are too anxious. We are all guilty of death. Please rest for a while. I am sure there are no officials. I will ask the craftsmen again. There is no guarantee that they will."
Do you know anyone who is an expert among the people?"
Li Mu said: "That's what I mean. Go and ask quickly. Don't scare them. I will reward anyone who provides clues."
"Okay, okay, with His Highness's words, it will be easier to handle," He Biao wiped his sweat and ran away quickly.
Xu Renjie asked: "Your Highness, do you mean to say that the zinc you mentioned must be used to make lightning rods?"
Li Mu said: "You are all experts in astronomy. Lightning is a strong current that can destroy everything. It is very dangerous to channel lightning. Special materials must be used. Galvanized pipes are irreplaceable."
Xu Renjie said: "But they don't even know what zinc is. Isn't it more difficult to deal with galvanized pipes?"
Zhou Qiang said: "That's not necessarily the case. Since His Highness knows the beauty of this thing, maybe someone can really refine it."
Li Mu sighed: "In Western technology, this kind of galvanized pipe is very common, but our country, the Tang Dynasty, is so lagging behind."
Something worth tens of dollars, in this so-called prosperous Kaiyuan era, would stump a heroic man like Li Mu. Li Mu expressed dissatisfaction.
Not long after, He Biao came over with a craftsman in his fifties.
He Biao introduced Li Mu: "Your Highness, this is Master Wei. He knows a strange person."
Li Mu hurriedly took Master Wei's hand and asked: "Master Wei, where is the strange man you know? What does he do?"
Master Wei timidly retracted his hand and said: "His Royal Highness, he is not a strange person, he is just an old man, more than ten years older than me. He has been a blacksmith for several generations, but he likes to tinker with things and often tinkers with copper plating.
A tin-plated thing, you might as well call it a weirdo."
Li Mu's interest increased greatly: "Master Wei, this information is very important. Can you take me there now?" Li Mu said, taking out a piece of broken silver from his sleeve, estimated to be more than one or two, and stuffed it directly to Master Wei
in hand.
Master Wei was so frightened that he kept backing away and did not dare to ask for it. He Biao said: "Your Highness is giving you a reward. Take it with confidence. Why don't you lead the way for Your Highness?"
Master Wei said in embarrassment: "The old man and my neighboring village are still more than ten miles away from the city."
Li Mu said: "Well, Zhou Qiang and Xu Renjie, you go back first and compile the materials on lightning. Don't tell anyone that we are looking for raw materials. He Biao and I will go out of the city."
The two nodded, said goodbye and left.
He Biao immediately prepared two carriages. He and Master Wei took one, and Li Mu took one. Li Mu did not delay and ordered to leave the city immediately.
As soon as Li Mu's carriage came out of Limin Lane, he saw a carriage parked on the side of the road, with Fu Xianyue standing beside it.
Fu Xianyue is dressed in a neat scholar's attire, and has a somewhat elegant and noble temperament. It is another style.
Li Mu asked the coachman to stop the car and jump out. Fu Xianyue came over and saluted Li Mu.
Li Mu asked: "Mr. Fu, where are you going? Why are you not wearing official uniform today?"
Fu Xianyue immediately blushed and said, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just waiting for His Highness the Prince. Didn't I promise to cooperate with you in your work? Your Highness doesn't like me dressed like this?"
Fu Xianyue had already prepared his words.
Li Mu laughed and said: "No, no, beauties look good in anything they wear, but I have to go out of town now, how about Mr. Fu please help yourself?"
Fu Xianyue was stunned for a moment and said: "His Highness is looking for someone. I heard from Zhou Qiang. How about His Highness and I come together? We can take care of each other?"
Fu Xianyue didn't want to give up easily. She said she wanted to be a rough maid for one night, but later she became a personal maid. She didn't sleep a wink all night, taking care of a certain little man.
Although Li Mu slept in a daze and didn't do anything reckless, Fu Xianyue still felt very warm and fond of him.
Li Mu wanted to refuse, but couldn't bear it. Sister Fu's clothes and accessories were carefully prepared.
Does she want to pick me up? Eat baby chicken? Haha, are you brave enough and have a good appetite? It’s so obvious!
Li Mu said: "The road out of the city is long and bumpy. If Mr. Fu can bear it, of course I welcome it."
Fu Xianyue immediately smiled and said, "It's okay. We are used to observing the sky, measuring data, climbing mountains and wading in rivers."
Li Mu said: "Then please, your carriage, go in the middle, I will stop behind."
Fu Xianyue nodded and quickly got into his carriage, but after a few dozen steps, the carriage stopped. Fu Xianyue got out of the car with a worried look on his face.
Li Mu asked: "What happened again?"
Fu Xianyue said: "Your Highness, I'm sorry to disturb you, but the roller of my carriage is broken, and the coachman said I can't leave."
Li Mu asked: "What do you mean?"
Fu Xianyue said: "Can I take a ride with His Highness the Prince?"
Is the car really broken down? Or?
You can talk nonsense, but can you get on the bus randomly? Don’t you know that it is easier to get on the bus than to get off?
Li Mu was speechless and had no choice but to stretch out his hand. Fu Xianyue didn't show any pretense, took Li Mu's hand and got into the carriage.
The two sat facing each other. Fu Xianyue was very generous and looked directly at Li Mu, which made Li Mu feel uncomfortable. The distance between their knees was only a few centimeters. If the car shook, their knees would touch.
Fu Xianyue asked: "Your Highness, how did you sleep last night?"
Li Mu did not answer directly, but also asked a question: "Mr. Fu, is your carriage really broken down?"
The two of them bowed their heads in silence, each with their own thoughts.
After the car left the south gate, Li Mu bought a large piece of meat and two jars of good wine at the market. Asking for help and going empty-handed seemed too pretentious and insincere.
After more than an hour, the two carriages arrived at the foot of the mountain in the south of the city, a mountain village called Kangjiacun.
I met the eccentric blacksmith Master Kang very smoothly. The old man was over seventy years old, his hair and beard were all white and messy, and the vicissitudes of life were written on his face.
The room was even more disorganized, with all kinds of minerals piled up in most of the room, iron slag, and copper pieces scattered everywhere.
There was also a little boy of eleven or twelve years old, sitting among a pile of scrap metal, tapping away in a daze.
The only thing that was neat and clean was a blacksmithing stove at the door. The charcoal fire inside was burning, and several iron blocks were being burned on it.
Master Wei said: "This is Master Kang. He has been a blacksmith for generations. In the surrounding villages, all the iron spoons, shovels, sickles and fire tongs are made by Master Kang."
Master Kang looked very cold and said cautiously: "Several officials and old men rely on their craftsmanship to make a living. Occasionally they make small copper-plated and tin-plated gadgets just to give them a different style, but have they never made any illegal utensils?"
He Biao said: "Master Kang, don't be nervous. This is His Royal Highness, asking for your help."
Li Mu personally brought down the pork and two jars of wine and gave them to Master Kang. Master Kang's expression looked better.
Master Kang looked at Li Mu, a young prince, and asked him for help. Although Master Kang saluted Li Mu, he shook his head and still didn't believe it at all.
Li Mu asked: "Master Kang, I am definitely asking for your help. During the process of blacksmithing or metal plating, did you find a metal called zinc?"
Master Kang waved his hand and said: "What about heart and lungs? This old man has never seen or heard of it."
Li Mu said: "Master Kang, don't worry, think about it again, maybe you have made a kind of metal before, but you don't recognize it? If so, as long as you find it, I will pay you a lot of money to buy it."
Master Kang said "Oh" and became interested. He immediately went into the house, rummaged in the corner for a while, and came out with a stone the size of a watermelon.
Master Kang said: "Your Highness, this stone is called calamine. I tried it in the past and calcined it. When the temperature in the furnace is high enough, a kind of gray water droplets will appear. I don't know if it is the zinc you mentioned."
Li Mu suddenly realized.
He hugged Master Kang directly in excitement.
Li Mu said: "It's amazing, Master Kang. Zinc is extracted from calamine. It is unstable at high temperatures. You need to use clay with good viscosity to wrap the gray-white liquid. It will solidify when it cools."
Li Mu was reminded by Master Kang that calamine was often mentioned by friends in the past, and Li Mu remembered the trivial knowledge that his friends had talked about.
Master Kang was surprised and asked: "Your Highness, is this stone really what you are looking for?"
Li Mu said: "Yes, it is simply God's will. Master Kang, have you calcined it before? How long ago did you discover this stone?"
Master Kang thought for a moment and said: "I have calcined and refined it many times for more than ten years, but I still don't know what it is. It seems to have no use, so I don't care."
Li Mu said: "It's very useful. Let's not talk nonsense. Let's try it first."
He Biao became excited when he saw Li Mu's surprise. Li Mu went directly to the stream and got a handful of clay to make a mold.
He Biao and Master Kong worked together for more than half an hour on hammering, calcining, extracting, and plasticizing, and finally the magical walnut-sized zinc nugget appeared.
Li Mu's face was dirty, but he was in a good mood.
Master Kang held this thing and his expression suddenly changed.
"I don't care what you call this thing or what it is used for. If you want to take it away, you must agree to one condition."