eurekapd Chapter 140 Death-Free Gold Medal
Chapter 140 Death-Free Gold Medal
After careful consideration, Wen Yuxia drew the preheating furnace, the manual honeycomb briquette machine, and the honeycomb briquettes on rice paper. The actual object and the drawing appeared simultaneously in front of Xia Yichen.
Xia Yichen instantly transformed into a curious child, circling the preheating stove and using the tongs Wen Yuxia had brought out to scoop honeycomb briquettes in and out of the stove, having a great time.
His gaze shifted to the bottom of the preheater, and Xia Yichen became very interested in the wastewater switch of the preheater. He pointed at the faucet curiously and asked, "What is this?"
“The tap,” Wen Yuxia said, pointing to the water pipe above the preheater, “water flows in here and out here. When you need to clean the sediment in the preheater, you need to turn on this tap below…”
"Oh," Xia Yichen looked at the preheating furnace with a half-understanding, pondered for a moment, and then said, "An Yi, fetch me a basin of water."
An Yi's execution ability is top-notch. A large basin of water appeared in front of Xia Yichen in an instant. Xia Yichen said with a smile, "Sister Yuxia, quickly tell me how to put the water in."
Wen Yuxia smiled faintly, picked up the blueprints, and said, "Without pressure, I wouldn't be able to fill the water pipes. Based on our situation here, I modified the water inlet method for the preheater..."
The preheating furnace drawn by Wen Yuxia has a circular convex opening on the top, about the size of a baby's palm. This is the water inlet she designed; water is poured into the preheating furnace from here, and then the lid is tightened.
The water outlet pipe, like the drain pipe, is located below the preheater, about two inches higher than the drain pipe. To use hot water, simply open the gate valve, and the hot water will flow out automatically.
If the temperature is too high, the water in the preheating furnace will boil. To avoid any danger during use, Wen Yuxia separated the preheating furnace from the water-filled iron bucket into two parts.
If the water temperature is too high, the stove can be removed so that the water in the iron bucket will not boil and explode.
Xia Yichen listened and nodded. Although Wen Yuxia's design wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as the preheating furnace in front of them, it was very practical.
Knowing Xia Yichen's idea, Wen Yuxia smiled and said, "The iron bucket is embedded in the blue bricks, and the tabletop on top of the iron bucket should also be made of blue bricks."
"That would be even more perfect," Xia Yichen nodded with a smile, considering the aesthetics.
Wen Yuxia then introduced Xia Yichen to a manual honeycomb briquette machine. She instructed him to load coal slag into the base, then press down the cover plate, and finally hammer the cover plate with a hammer…
In Wen Yuxia's account, Xia Yichen vaguely saw workers shirtless swinging hammers, with rows of honeycomb briquettes neatly arranged around the honeycomb briquette machine.
Honeycomb briquettes, made from a mixture of mud, water, and coal ash, burn longer than regular coal and are also cheaper to produce than coal burned directly.
Xia Yichen believed that as long as the price was kept within an acceptable range for the people, honeycomb briquettes would definitely become the most popular fuel among the citizens of Great Xia.
With honeycomb briquettes and a preheating stove, there's no longer a fear of wasting firewood when taking a bath in winter. The preheating stove is made of sheet metal, and for it to become commonplace in every household, its price still needs to be controlled by the imperial court.
Honeycomb briquettes, honeycomb briquette machines, stoves for burning honeycomb briquettes, and iron buckets—these all contribute to people's livelihoods. Xia Yichen understands the Emperor and knows that the Emperor will definitely keep a firm grip on these businesses.
Not daring to make any promises to Wen Yuxia for the time being, Xia Yichen said seriously, "Sister Yuxia, the preheater, the honeycomb briquette machine, and the honeycomb briquettes were all your ideas. I will go to the palace to discuss them with the Emperor and then tell you the results."
With memories of her past life, Wen Yuxia's mind was filled with countless ideas, and she never considered getting rich through preheating stoves and honeycomb briquettes. She smiled and shook her head:
"Iron is a controlled product, and the imperial court is the only one who can mass-produce preheating furnaces. Honeycomb briquettes are inexpensive and easy to use, and if used properly, they can win the hearts of the people... I have no intention of getting involved. If you have any questions during the production process, feel free to come to me."
Xia Yichen was very pleased with Wen Yuxia's pragmatism. He said with a smile, "I can stay out of the business, but I must accept the reward."
"Honeycomb briquettes are fragile, so it would be best to build a honeycomb briquette factory in every county or even every small town. This would make it convenient for people to buy coal nearby, and at the same time, it would provide employment opportunities for them."
Wen Yuxia's voice was light and melodious. At her suggestion, Xia Yichen had the idea of opening honeycomb briquette factories all over the Xia Dynasty.
Back in the capital, Xia Yichen washed away the dust, changed into his court robes, and hurriedly went to the palace to see the emperor. After the morning court session, the emperor came to the imperial study and saw Xia Yichen sitting upright at his desk, diligently reviewing memorials.
The Emperor joked, "Every day I review memorials, and I can see them flying everywhere when I go to sleep. Did the sun rise in the west today? Chen'er has finally deigned to come to the Imperial Study to help me."
Xia Yichen looked up, pointed to several drawings on the table, and said seriously, "Grandpa, these drawings were drawn by Mu Hua. Please take a look before we talk."
After saying this, he continued to bury himself in reviewing memorials. To be honest, he felt sorry for the emperor. He had many children and grandchildren, but not a single capable person among them. Every day after the morning court session, the emperor still had to personally review memorials.
The emperor glared and sneered, "I don't trust anyone but you. What, you're not happy about it? If you're not happy, then keep it to yourself."
Of all his children and grandchildren, he only favored Xia Yichen, his eldest son and grandson. Xia Yichen's dedication to the people was exactly the same as his own when he was young.
"Huh, what is that girl Mu Hua drawing?" The Emperor looked at the several pictures over and over again. He recognized every single character—preheater, honeycomb briquette machine—but he couldn't understand the words they formed.
Xia Yichen's lips curled into a slight smile as he explained to the Emperor, "The preheating furnace burns honeycomb briquettes, and the iron bucket contains water... The honeycomb briquette machine is used to process honeycomb briquettes..."
With Xia Yichen's explanation, the Emperor also understood the principle of small profits but quick turnover, and roughly estimated how much profit the preheating furnace and the mass production of honeycomb briquettes could bring to the court.
The Emperor originally intended to entrust these matters to Xia Yichen, but Xia Yichen simply had too many things on his plate. He mentally reviewed the plans of his children and grandchildren.
He asked, "Chen'er, I don't trust anyone else with this matter. How about I let your father manage it, with you assisting him?"
Xia Yichen nodded casually. It's good that his father is involved; there's no need for outsiders to benefit. He earnestly asked for a reward for Wen Yuxia: "The idea came from Mu Hua, and she doesn't interfere in the business. Why don't you reward her with something nice?"
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "What should I reward her with? Gold, silver, jewels, estates, land... How about I reward her with a pardon from death?"
"This time, Lu Mubai and the others were trapped at Eagle's Beak Cliff. Without Mu Hua's help, Chen'er couldn't have led them out of Zhan Beiwang's encirclement without spending a single grain of food. Mu Hua is worthy of the pardon."
The Emperor was greatly surprised upon hearing this. "The Duke of Zhenguo has been trapped by Zhan Beiwang. How come I did not receive any news about it?"