Of course, these Imperial Army soldiers did not come empty-handed. Each of them carried a bag of rice and wheat.
Even the Imperial Army soldiers, who were usually extremely strong, were sweating. It was clear that the things in the bag were not light.
Wooden buckets, copper basins, and water were all understandable, but what was in this bag?
"Qin Feng, what is in this bag? Could it be that he wanted to use this thing to make ice?”
Li Er's curiosity was piqued.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to keep you in suspense. Please close the doors of the palace. The Imperial Army will each stand beside a wooden barrel. The copper basin will be filled with water, and the contents of the bag will be poured into the wooden barrel.”
The current Qin Feng had all the soldiers and eunuchs in the palace at his disposal.
As the palace doors slowly closed, the Imperial Army stood by the wooden barrels.
"Fall!"
With Qin Feng's order, the Imperial Army poured the powder in the bag into the wooden barrel.
Qin Feng also shouted at the right time,"Grand Supreme Elder, hurry up!"”
As if Qin Feng's spell had taken effect, the water in the wooden bucket and the powder in the bag began to sizzle when they came into contact.
The civil and military officials were already standing guard by the nearby wooden barrels. Even Li Er got off his dragon throne and stared at them without blinking.
White steam rose from the water in the copper basin and it froze at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Although Ming De Hall was very large, with a hundred large wooden barrels making ice at the same time, coupled with the closing of the hall door, the hot air outside could not enter, causing the temperature in the hall to suddenly drop by a lot.
"Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
The continuous sneezes pulled everyone back from their shock.
When they came back to their senses, they hugged their arms tightly and trembled as if they were in an ice cellar.
"Your, Your Majesty, this subject pleads to open the door.”
Some of the older ministers couldn't stand the change in temperature and immediately suggested.
At this moment, Ming De Hall could already yawn when talking, which showed how low the temperature was.
Before today, if someone told them that they could make ice in the summer, they would definitely scoff.
However, Qin Feng's performance had instantly turned the knowledge they had built up over thousands of years into dust.
The powder in the bag was poured into the water, and the water in the copper basin froze. In their eyes, this was a god-like method.
At this moment, no one doubted the authenticity of the Taoist priest that Qin Feng spoke of.
But at the same time, they were more curious about what the powder in the bag was. If they could get it, they wouldn't have to worry about the hot summer anymore.
"Qin Feng, what is inside this bag? Why did the water in the copper basin freeze when placed in a wooden bucket? Could it really be a divine technique?"
The ministers were curious, and Li Er was even more curious. He could not help but ask.
"This thing absorbs heat when dissolved in water, so it freezes.”
"As for what this thing is, I really can't tell you. After all, my family is poor and I rely on this ice to make a living.”
Qin Feng laughed. He was very tight-lipped. After all, in this era, it was easier to earn money with a single thing.
The ice-making material in the bag was naturally the powder ground from saltpeter.
The chemical name of saltpeter was calcium nitrate. When it was dissolved in water, it would absorb a large amount of heat, causing the temperature to drop, causing the water in the copper basin to freeze.
The people of the Tang Dynasty, who had no physical foundation, obviously did not understand this. The earliest use of saltpeter to make ice in history was at the end of the Tang Dynasty.
People mined saltpeter during the production of gunpowder, and found that saltpeter could dissolve in water and absorb a lot of heat, thus making ice in the hot summer.
A few years ago, after the cautious Qin Feng confirmed the existence of the library in his mind, he used this method to make ice and spend the summer.
Using the books in the library, he found a mountain near Chang 'an that produced saltpeter and bought it.
Because there was no way to farm with saltpeter, it did not cost much to buy the entire mountain.
However, he would never tell anyone about these secrets.
The ministers had witnessed Xia Tian's ice-making methods with their own eyes. When they looked at Qin Feng again, their eyes were filled with passion.
In their eyes, Qin Feng was like a god of wealth. The rich and powerful families would definitely be in short supply of ice.
In addition, Qin Feng said that he wanted to rely on this method to earn money to support his family. All the ministers began to think about it. If they could cooperate, they would definitely earn a lot of money.
The temperature in Ming De Hall dropped a lot. Even the strong Li Er felt a little cold. He asked in confusion,
"This wooden bucket and copper basin can freeze water. Why do you need a hundred?”
"Your Majesty, if you only use one barrel to test, wouldn't it be a crime of deceiving the emperor if you fail? If it wasn't for the fact that Ming De Hall couldn't hold ten thousand, this commoner would have asked for ten thousand wooden barrels.”
When Li Er heard Qin Feng's words, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch. Yesterday, he heard Cheng Yaojin say that he was cautious. Now that he saw it today, he really lived up to his reputation.
"Since you are so cautious, it is the same if you want to choose a partner. I am not a person who takes things by force. Since you have cooperated with Old Cheng in the liquor business, why don't you cooperate with me in the ice business?”
Li Er said with a smile.
Qin Feng couldn't wait to cling onto Li Er's thigh. Just now, when he heard the constant gulping sounds around him, these officials seemed to have treated him as a fat sheep.
With Li Er as a backer, no one dared to stop the ice-making business. The ministers also gave up resentfully. They really did not have the courage to compete with the emperor.
The reason why Li Er cooperated with Qin Feng was to make more money. After all, the humiliation of the Weishui Alliance was still fresh in his mind. Even in his dreams, Li Er wanted to lead his army to attack the Turkic royal court.
To achieve this, he would undoubtedly need to expand his military strength, but in any case, he would need a large amount of money to support it.
It was true that Qin Feng had solved the problem of horse hooves 'wear and tear, saving the Great Tang a fortune every year, but it was still far from what Li Er had expected.
Yesterday, Cheng Yaojin said that he had already cooperated with Qin Feng in the liquor business. Taking advantage of the fact that the ice-making method had just come out, Li Er decisively sought cooperation.
Li Er saw that Qin Feng did not speak and thought that he was still hesitating. He continued to add,
"We will split the profits 50 - 50. In the future, no one will dare to find trouble with you. However, if you have any strange business in the future, you have to think of me first.”
No wonder Li Er made such a big concession. It turned out that he was planning for the future.
Qin Feng was only the son of a landlord now. He had no power or influence. Even if he developed these businesses, he would not expand too much at once.
Although he had cooperated with Cheng Yaojin in the liquor business, he couldn't mass produce it in a short period of time.
Cheng Yaojin's protective umbrella was neither big nor small. There were many people who were not afraid of him. When those people forced him, he would inevitably suffer losses.
However, the partner was Li Er. In the entire Tang Dynasty, other than his father, Li Yuan, no one was more powerful than him. This was not a thigh, but a pillar.
"Hiss…"
The sound of gasps could be heard continuously within Ming De Hall. They had originally wanted to rely on their official authority to pressure the other party and force him to yield, but now it seemed that it was simply impossible.
Doing business with the royal family, and it was the emperor who took the initiative to propose a 50 - 50 split. This was absolutely unprecedented and would not happen again in the future. For a moment, everyone was envious.
"Your Majesty, my family is small and has limited financial resources. I really can't afford to open many ice shops in Chang 'an.”
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