Qin Liang and his wife had been living in the Wang family's residence. On the first day of October, Qin Liang was going to attend the court meeting, and happened to be traveling with Wang Guang's chariot. Wang Guang had recently been appointed as a guest of Cao Shangshu, a third-rank minister, and he was bound to go to the court.
The group of people went to the west gate of the palace city first. This is because the Changhe Gate in the south is generally not used for traffic, and the Sima Gate on the central axis of the palace city cannot be walked through; and the Taiji Hall, where the emperor went to court, is located close to the west wall of the palace city. Therefore, the officials went up
When going to court or having an audience, you basically go through the west gate, which is convenient and fast. Once you enter, you go directly to the square outside Tai Chi Hall.
There are two towers on both sides of the west gate, which are very majestic and gorgeous. This kind of building with a very contemporary style looks full of ancient style. The husband-in-law and son-in-law first went to an office and waited there for a body search. There were ten people in the office.
Several people seemed to know Wang Guang, and everyone was just going through the motions.
"In the Great Changqiu period, Zhang Huan was the visitor to the palace." Wang Guang skillfully introduced a eunuch.
Qin Liang immediately bowed his head and exchanged greetings. Zhang Huan also hurriedly returned the courtesy and said: "You are really humble and polite."
After saying a few words, Zhang Huan waved his hand, and several visiting eunuchs came up and patted their robes casually, as if they just wanted to make a show. He had no intention of searching at first, but Qin Liang had a bag in a cloth bag on him.
The wooden box inside can be discovered by touching it.
Qin Liang had no choice but to take out the things. The eunuch opened the cloth bag and took out the wooden box and a roll of bamboo slips. The eunuch first handed the bamboo slips to Zhang Huan, and then opened the wooden box himself.
The wooden box contained snow-white crystals. The eunuch looked up and asked, "Is this salt?"
Qin Liang nodded and said: "The things I present to Her Highness the Empress Dowager, as well as the refining formula."
Qin Liang had been tinkering with this thing for more than ten days before. He wanted to prepare some gifts for the Queen Mother, and he easily thought of refined salt. At first, he thought it was very simple, but it took a lot of effort and he almost gave up before he could figure it out.
.
In fact, the salt on the market is either inedible or just has a bitter taste. But that time when Lu Xun was treating guests, he specifically mentioned that Gaochang white salt was added to the dishes. Only then did Qin Liang realize that salt can also be a luxury product. But this is something that ordinary people cannot
Sell it, otherwise the consequences will be serious. Dawei is owned by the Salt and Iron State, so it is a good thing to use it for tribute.
Qin Liang started in the wrong direction, which is why he struggled for so long. He first thought that the bitter taste was mainly magnesium ions, and tried using plant ash, lime water, etc., but still could not remove the bitter taste; later he realized that there might be impurities such as sulfate salts.
Chemical raw materials are difficult to find, and it is difficult to use chemical reactions.
So he tried physical methods, taking advantage of the "saturated solubility" characteristics of different soluble substances, and kept pumping brine (saturated solution), and finally found the right way. After many experiments, he has discovered the "saturated solubility" of sodium chloride.
", should not have much to do with temperature; but the "saturated solubility" of other ionic substances will change with temperature changes.
In the end, Qin Liang summed up two purification processes. First, the brine was passed through crystallized salt plates several times at medium and low temperatures. Then the water in the brine was evaporated to dryness to make crystal salt, which was spread on layers of mats and burned with a
Permeate and rinse the crystal salt with brine at about 60 degrees (continuously test it out) several times. The crystal salt obtained is dried and ground, and the finished product is obtained.
Zhang Huan looked at the slip for a while and gave it back to Qin Liang. But he wanted to take away the box of salt. "I will take it back and try it first, and then I will offer it to you and present it to the Empress Dowager."
Wang Guang, who was on the side, took a look at the box of salt that looked good and said, "Just give it to Eunuch Zhang."
When Qin Liang heard this, he handed over the slip. Then Zhang and Xu left the office, passed through the magnificent west gate, and came to the outside of the Taiji Hall. Qin Liang saw the majestic hall on the high steps and paused.
Feeling visually stunning.
Although the color is relatively simple, it is mainly a green-brown palace body, gray-white jade steps and railings, and red and yellow decorations; the lines are not complicated, with a double-layered double-eaves roof with straight lines as the mainstay, and the eaves are upturned. But the main hall is very wide.
, very high. Supported by other surrounding houses, Taiji Hall looks even more simple, solemn and domineering.
The Taiji Hall is still very new. It seems that it was only completed during the Ming Dynasty. It shows the majestic and solemn momentum of imperial power. Unfortunately, in just a few years, the royal family seems to have only more noble buildings.
However, when everyone goes to court, they don't go to the main hall on the high jade steps, but to the East Hall of Tai Chi Hall next to it. This east hall is also very spacious, but the platform is very short, and it does not have the lofty and domineering appearance of the main hall; fortunately, everyone
There is no need to climb such high stone steps, which saves effort.
There is almost a whole row of doors in the front of the east hall. There are probably about ten doors. When they are all opened, the inside is very bright and bright. Just like the weather today.
Dozens of officials came one after another, and everyone was greeting and chatting in the hall. Some Qin Liang knew each other, and some did not.
What's weird is that some people who wear Yuanyou crown and Jinxian crown have a writing brush on their head, ready to write at any time. Everyone also holds a sign made of different materials and shapes in their hands. Qin Liang's head doesn't have a brush.
To insert the brush, he changed into a black official uniform today and wore a military crown, so there was no place to insert it. However, he also took a bamboo board. Given his status, the four corners of the board were very rounded.
Almost everyone was wearing black robes, and the east hall looked extremely dark. Maybe this was a scene as dark as a crow in the world.
At this time, Cao Shuang walked in surrounded by several ministers, and many people came forward to bow. Qin Liang waited for Cao Shuang to pass by, then he saluted and said: "General, I have obtained the secret recipe of refined salt, and I would like to present it to Your Highness.
, has been handed over to the palace visitor."
Cao Shuang nodded and said, "Yes, okay."
Then Sima Yi, Sima Shi, Jiang Ji and others also walked into the east hall, and many people also took the initiative to pay their respects.
Qin Liang's rank here is considered low. If the Empress Dowager Guo hadn't passed the order, he would not have come to court. It's not that there are no fifth-rank officials here, it's just because the school affairs order is newly established, and the emperor doesn't care about the school affairs office now.
That's why no one asked him to come to court; but it's not surprising that he came.
Master Sima turned his head and glanced at Qin Liang, and specifically offered his hand to him. Although Master Sima did not stop and the etiquette was more casual, he still valued Qin Liang. Qin Liang immediately returned the salute, and neither of them spoke.
After a while, the empress dowager and the emperor came in from the back door, surrounded by eunuchs and maidens. Everyone bent down and covered their faces with ivory boards and bamboo boards in their hands, so that they could not look up.
At least on the surface, everyone is still very respectful to the royal family. Qin Liang also followed suit, but he was standing very far back, bending over, and there were people in front of him, so even if he wanted to see, he couldn't see anything.
The emperor, who was less than ten years old, knelt and sat at the banquet on the steps. There was a gauze curtain next to him, and Queen Mother Guo knelt and sat behind the curtain. But she was probably a little awkward in listening to politics behind the curtain.
After the emperor sat down, everyone knelt down on the ground, bowed to the emperor, and shouted "Longevity".
The emperor only said one sentence: "My dear friends, please rise." The empress dowager remained silent.
Sima Yi and Cao Shuang stood at the front and lined up on both sides. They soon started discussing and arguing about serious matters, with people from each side constantly supporting them.
When Qin Liang came back to the court for the first time, he felt that he might not have adapted yet. He always found the scene very strange.
Both Sima Yi and Cao Shuang were reporting to their superiors, but the Queen Mother and the Emperor did not express their opinions. Cao Shuang and others were actually talking to each other... but the words used were not dialogue, but "Your Highness" and "Your Majesty",
The content is what Sima Yi and Cao Shuang said to the other party, as if they were criticizing Sang and Huai.
First they were talking about what happened in the photo.
Qin Liang knew this. After he fought in the Battle of Shaopi in Huainan, Jingzhou was soon attacked by the Wu army. The places under attack were Xiangzhong and Fancheng. Then Sima Yi led his army south to Jingzhou for reinforcements. Xiangzhong
It is the Jingzhou War Zone, a small city located on the edge of the Han River.
The two sides had serious differences. Sima Yi wanted to move the people on the other side of the Han River across the river to prevent them from being robbed; Cao Shuang disagreed because the Wu army had already retreated.
Then we talked about personnel issues, which were also the follow-up to this year’s war in Jingzhou, regarding the Battle of Fancheng.
Sima Yi wanted to get rid of Xia Houru and the military power of the governor Jing Yu. He gave many reasons, probably because he was afraid of death and refused to advance.
Of course Cao Shuang would not agree. People like Xia Houru who belong to the Zhucao and Xiahou clan are obviously from Cao Shuang's side. After Cao Shuang came to power, he was very friendly to distant relatives of the royal family. Qin Liang was able to become an official because his elder brother Qin Lang was Cao Cao's.
Adopted son.
Sima Yi meant to replace Wang Chang as the commander-in-chief of Jing Yu. Wang Chang was a member of the Bingzhou gentry, and he was probably Sima Yi's man, otherwise Sima Yi would not have worked so hard to help him gain military power. Wang Chang seemed to have no military merit at all, yet he was able to directly command Jing Yu.
The two states have become great vassals on one side of the border. This is how the world does not respect martial ethics.
So Qin Liang's previous judgment was correct. If his background and connections were in place, what official position could he not get?
The two sides argued for a long time, and neither could convince the other, but a decision had to be made. It was impossible for the emperor to rely on the Queen Mother Guo to make a decision. Cao Shuang even bowed to the superior and said, "I respect your highness, the Holy See."
Empress Dowager Guo said knowingly: "The general and the tutor will discuss it again."
Qin Liang estimated that they would continue to discuss business in private, make some compromises and transactions, and finally reach a conclusion in this way; or if they really could not reach a consensus, one party would forcefully implement it regardless of the other party's dissatisfaction.
Cao Shuang currently has an advantage on the latter path, because Cao Shuang controls more central executive agencies. Qin Liang counted and found that there are at least three ministers, Da Sinong and Sili Xiaowei.
The court meeting lasted for a long time. Empress Dowager Guo and Qin Liang were just looking at the officials, one sitting on top and the other standing far behind. In this situation, Qin Liang could not express his opinions, he could only listen.
Fortunately, he also pays close attention to the trends in the court, so he doesn't feel bored. It's good to listen more.
The court meeting was finally over. Qin Liang followed the crowd out of the east hall. He stood in the square and waited for a while, wanting to go with his father-in-law. At this time, Zhang Huan, the visitor from the middle palace, walked out in a hurry, looked around and saw Qin Liang.
Liang's face lit up, as if he was relieved.
Zhang Huan came over and bowed to you: "Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother has received the tribute from you. Your Highness is very happy and wants to reward you. Please come back to the East Hall to see you later."
Qin Liang felt happy and said hurriedly: "I obey the order."
He thought for a while and felt that it was not easy to raise his request for the time being. He would contact the relationship now and first listen to the Queen Mother's attitude.