Ch 434: Honeycomb Briquettes
Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng, seated upon the Dragon Throne, watched the scene with an impassive expression.
Waiting until no one else presented a petition, he calmly said, “Are you finished?”
Seeing Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng’s expression, the Ministers immediately sensed something was amiss.
“The Imperial Guard Department is something I personally entrusted to the Crown Prince. In just a few short days, they have uncovered so many useless eaters of Imperial Grain, and even the Commoners are applauding. Yet you want Me to abolish the Imperial Guard.”
“It is utterly absurd. Other matters can still be discussed, but the matter of the Imperial Guard is not to be brought up again.”
Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng’s tone was flat, carrying an undeniable attitude.
Seeing this, the Civil and Military Officials’ hearts grew cold. They naturally knew that Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng was fully aware of the Imperial Guard matter.
But they did not expect his attitude to be so firm, remaining unmoved even in the face of pressure from all of them, determined to protect the Imperial Guard.
A Censor’s face darkened, and he stepped forward again to report, “Your Majesty, I still find it inappropriate. The existence of the Imperial Guard is more harmful than beneficial. I implore Your Majesty to abolish it; otherwise, I can only retire.”
As soon as these words were spoken, several other Censors spoke in succession.
“Then retire.”
Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng said without hesitation.
As soon as the words fell, the expressions on the faces of these Censors froze.
Using retreat as an advance was their usual tactic. They had thought that this move would also work on Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng, but it seems not to be the case.
Therefore, these Censors quickly knelt down intending to say some nice words.
However, the next second, the Chief Eunuch beside Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng came directly before them, making a gesture of invitation.
The faces of these Censors changed drastically, and they could not help but say, “Your Majesty, what I just said was nonsense! I beg Your Majesty to revoke your order!”
“I implore Your Majesty to give me another chance…”
No matter what the Censors said, Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng merely watched impassively as the Chief Eunuch slowly led them out of the Dragon Hall and announced the dismissal of the Censor’s position.
Then Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng looked at the remaining Ministers and said, “If you have matters to discuss, do so; otherwise, the court is dismissed.”
The Civil and Military Officials fell into silence, slowly leaving the Dragon Hall as the court adjourned.
Only then did they realize that whatever Crown Prince Xiao Tiansheng was determined to do, no matter how much they obstructed it, it would be futile.
If they were determined to oppose him, then they should simply go home.
The Censor just now was a prime example.
Even Wang Wenjing, the Minister of Justice who held one of the six ministries, felt that if he continued to obstruct, he too would likely lose his position and retire in disgrace.
The Civil and Military Officials were utterly disheartened. Even if they had the intention, they dared not act against the Imperial Guard again.
They could only strictly order their subordinate Officials not to make any more small movements; if they had any Dirty Deeds, they should quickly clean them up and absolutely not be caught by the Imperial Guard.
At a coal mine in the Divine Capital.
Li Hanzhou looked at the Craftsmen gathered before him and instructed them on the process of making Honeycomb Briquettes.
“Watch carefully. To make a Honeycomb Briquette, coal alone is not enough. You also need to add some auxiliary materials, such as this Yellow Clay, Slaked Lime, and Plant Ash…”
“Mix them together and shape them into a honeycomb-like form, ensuring they hold their shape… The final Honeycomb Briquette looks like this.”
After speaking, Li Hanzhou took out a Honeycomb Briquette he had made earlier and gave it to the Craftsmen to examine.
The Craftsmen were hearing for the first time that coal could be processed in this way.
While it was novel, they still found it unbelievable.
After all, it is common knowledge that coal is poisonous, so almost no one uses it. Yet, His Highness the Crown Prince is teaching them how to make Honeycomb Briquettes, even instructing them to produce them in large quantities. What is the reason for this?
Thinking of this, one Craftsman could no longer contain himself and spoke out everyone’s thoughts.
“Your Highness, what is the purpose of making these Honeycomb Briquettes?”
“Naturally, it is so that the Commoners of My Divine Palace can use them.”
Li Hanzhou replied calmly.
“For us Commoners to use?”
The Craftsmen were stunned, their brows involuntarily furrowing.
“But coal is poisonous!”
“The coal you have been making is poisonous, but the Honeycomb Briquettes you are holding now are not.”
Li Hanzhou knew that words alone were not enough, so he took the Honeycomb Briquette in his hand and then led the Craftsmen to a house.
The house was spacious, with a stove in the center. There was no charcoal fire in it, so the temperature in the room was very low.
“This Highness will accompany you in this experiment.”
Entering the house, Li Hanzhou closed the door and then placed the Honeycomb Briquette on the stove and lit it.
“Your Highness, no!”
The Craftsmen were immediately startled. They did not expect His Highness the Crown Prince to dare do this to confirm that the Honeycomb Briquettes were non-toxic. Were they not afraid of dying from poisoning?
“Practice makes perfect. Would This Highness joke about your lives and My own?”
Li Hanzhou saw the doubts of the Craftsmen and spoke to reassure them.
Upon hearing this, the Craftsmen said nothing more and could only stay in the house with Li Hanzhou.
They had made up their minds that if anything unexpected happened, they would quickly take His Highness the Crown Prince away from there.
As time passed second by second, the sparks quickly ignited the entire Honeycomb Briquette, turning it fiery red.
At the same time.
The temperature inside the room was also quietly rising. Soon, the room, which had been somewhat cold, became warm.
“This… the room is much warmer than before, and I don’t feel dizzy or nauseous!”
A Craftsman exclaimed, expressing his feelings.
Hearing this, others also noticed this phenomenon, their faces full of disbelief.
Everyone knows that after igniting coal, nausea and vomiting will occur after a short time. If one does not leave in time, they will die from poisoning.
But after so much time, the Honeycomb Briquettes only brought them warmth, without any discomfort. This is truly amazing!
“Do you see? There is a vent at the connection of the stove. The smoke produced by the burning Honeycomb Briquettes flows out through the vent, so you only feel warmth and no discomfort.”
Seeing this, Li Hanzhou explained in very simple terms.
After all, terms like oxygen and carbon dioxide would be unintelligible to them. As long as they knew the Honeycomb Briquettes were non-toxic and usable, that was enough.
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