However, this County Magistrate Lu did not report the matter; instead, he used the item in his own home. No, not just in his own home. He was actually waiting for the Crown Prince to see it.
Just as the two were reminiscing, Lu Xuan and the old man came over carrying several dishes.
"Your Highness, it's cold outside, please come inside." Lu Xuan still didn't explain the meaning behind everything, but simply invited the Crown Prince inside. Li Bi glanced at the dishes in Lu Xuan's hands, his expression becoming even more strange.
The reason was simple: all the dishes were fresh green vegetables.
Very fresh, completely different from the yellowed and shriveled vegetables stored in cellars in the palace. The green vegetables on the table were all truly fresh: cabbage, spinach, cucumbers, and shiitake mushrooms. Whether stir-fried or served cold, they looked especially tempting in the winter of the Tang Dynasty.
Later generations might find it hard to understand what's so delicious about a few plates of vegetables. But that's just the limitation of that era. In fact, greenhouses did exist in the Tang Dynasty. The idea of greenhouse cultivation existed even earlier, in the Western Han Dynasty. However, most of those greenhouses relied on natural hot springs and sealed environments, and were not widespread.
In this era, the artificial construction of greenhouses requires large quantities of combustible materials, namely coal. This, in turn, raises the question of how widely coal can be utilized. Ultimately, it comes back to the issues of coal and carbon toxicity.
The Crown Prince and Li Bi seemed to accept Lu Xuan's approach of not explaining. They didn't press further, but simply focused on eating. They knew Lu Xuan would explain at the appropriate time.
After the two finished eating, Lu Xuan stood up and gently beckoned them to follow him. The old man had already opened the backyard gate. Lu Xuan led the two into the backyard.
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Chapter 53 All of This
Lu Xuan's backyard had been sealed off several months ago. This was because Lu Xuan had gradually stuffed it with all sorts of random things.
The first thing that catches the eye is a plow. Lu Xuan was born in the countryside and personally experienced various forms of manual farming as a child. Although those tools were quickly phased out on a large scale, and the countryside entered a new era of mechanization, the arduous labor of those early years, so heavy it made life unbearable, remains etched into his soul. Only by experiencing that kind of life can you truly understand the meaning of facing the loess soil with your back to the sky.
The Tang Dynasty at this time still used the long, straight-shafted plow, which originated from the Han Dynasty. It wasn't until several decades later that the Jiangdong plow, also known as the curved-shafted plow, gradually appeared in the Jiangdong region.
Lu Xuan naturally wouldn't know the blueprints for the curved plow. However, he was still able to improve the plow of this era based on his experiences from his previous life. Or rather, although his official rank wasn't high, it was vastly different from his previous life.
He doesn't need to create it himself. He only needs to propose an idea or describe a general shape, and he can naturally mobilize enough people to realize those ideas. He only needs to spend a small amount of money to modify his designs without restraint, and then have his subordinates experiment again and again until they find the best option.
While the straight-shaft plow met basic needs, it was not flexible enough for turning and maneuvering, and it was too strenuous for digging. Most importantly, it required two oxen to pull it, essentially using a lever-like motion. This was a huge waste of both human and animal power.
After Lu Xuan's modifications, he added the plowshare and the plowshare tip. These allowed him to adjust the depth of the plowshare (the triangular iron cone at the bottom), enabling the plow to adapt to both deep and shallow plowing. Simultaneously, the upper part of the plow was made of wood, while the lower plowshare was made of iron. Weight was added to the plowshare and the bottom, lowering the center of gravity and increasing the plow's stability. As a result, what previously required two oxen to pull the plow now only required one ox. This was a significant improvement in saving animal power. Even on some soft soil, it could be pulled by human labor.
After introducing the improved agricultural plow, Lu Xuan, without waiting for the Crown Prince and Li Bi to ask any questions, led them directly to the next item. It was a sword, the standard-issue horizontal sword of the Tang Dynasty. The Crown Prince took it and tested it briefly. It was a fine steel sword, although not as good as the horizontal sword he had given Lu Xuan, forged from precious iron from the Western Regions (the prototype of Damascus steel). However, it was still far superior to the standard-issue equipment of the Tang army.
"Sir, you also know the art of forging?"
Lu Xuan didn't answer directly, but turned around and pulled back the tarpaulin on the shelf. Dozens of identical horizontal swords were neatly arranged underneath.
In ancient times, forging weapons was a complex process. For heirloom swords or famous blades, it could take months, even three to five years. For ordinary, standard weapons, the time was measured in days. There's a saying: "A skilled craftsman can forge three weapons a day." This means that even the best craftsmen could only forge about three ordinary weapons per day.
“I have a skill. By using this skill, I can obtain a hundred, or even a thousand, of these swords every day.” After saying this, Lu Xuan walked toward his next target.
It was a shed, and as soon as you approached, you could feel the intense heat. Opening the door, you saw that it was filled with a large variety of fruits and vegetables. In the center of the shed was a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove). On the kang was a basin of hot water, and the entire shed was filled with a humid, warm atmosphere.
Lu Xuan didn't understand professional greenhouses. Modern equipment wasn't available in this era either. He built the most primitive type, a greenhouse heated by a fire, like those used in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Heating with fire was simple and direct. However, Lu Xuan also tried adding water to the greenhouse to allow the heat to evaporate continuously, increasing the humidity inside. This was to create a more suitable growing environment for the vegetables.
Note that modern greenhouses are all light-permeable, and the growing environment for vegetables is no different from that of the normal season. Therefore, the vegetables produced are in perfect condition. However, in ancient times, such perfection could not be achieved, so they had to make do with less. Moreover, Lu Xuan designed the greenhouse roof to be openable. Every day at noon, it was opened for a period of time to supplement some sunlight, allowing the vegetables to grow healthier.
Li Bi and the Crown Prince felt numb. Every item in this County Magistrate Lu's household was either worth a fortune, brought prosperity to the people, or both. But when all these things were gathered in one place, in the hands of one person, they felt nothing but numbness and a slight fear. No one else could know so much, things that shouldn't even exist.
Of course, if Lu Xuan knew what they were thinking, he would scoff. In fact, many of these things were already created by exceptionally talented individuals in the distant past. However, due to limitations in politics, economics, productivity, and even culture, these things could not be widely disseminated and ultimately remained, like secret techniques, preserved in a few rare documents.
It's like the old saying that ancient swords and knives were sharper and stronger. According to modern theory, this is impossible, because technology should constantly advance, and later inventions should always be better than earlier ones. However, in the feudal dynasties, this was a fact. After the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains began to use coal extensively for iron and steel smelting. Because coal doesn't burn as well as charcoal and contains impurities like sulfur, the quality of steel actually decreased. This led to the aforementioned saying.
It wasn't until the Ming Dynasty, with the advent of the hot-frying method, that China's forging technology returned to its peak. Then, the Qing Dynasty wiped it all out...
A long silence fell over the backyard. Li Bi, the Crown Prince, and Lu Xuan all fell into a state of quiet contemplation. After a long while, Li Bi finally spoke.
"Sir, your talent is truly a pillar that can bridge the sea. I hope you will come out of seclusion to assist the Crown Prince and together create a prosperous era. Li Bi bows in gratitude." After Li Bi finished speaking, he bowed deeply, as if he would not straighten up until Lu Xuan agreed.
Hearing Li Bi's words, Li Heng also came to his senses. Now he dared not regard Lu Xuan as a mere county magistrate. This was clearly a great talent, the kind capable of great responsibility. Just this small courtyard alone contained so many 'novelties'; who knew how many even more novel things were in this man's mind.
"Please help me, sir." Li Heng also bowed, which was a great courtesy for someone of his status.
Lu Xuan watched the two bow quietly, then spoke.
"I can give all of this to Your Highness, including everything here and everything outside. But I have one condition: I need Your Highness to answer one question."
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Chapter Fifty-Four New Year's Eve
As dusk settled, the crackling sound of firecrackers began to ring out. Yes, today is Lunar New Year's Eve.
At this moment, Lu Xuan was in the courtyard, watching with a pained expression as the old man and Xiao Si excitedly set off 'firecrackers'—real firecrackers. They were throwing a pile of old bamboo brooms into the fire. The fire was crackling and popping. These were the firecrackers mentioned earlier, real firecrackers, without a trace of adulteration...
Lu Xuan hadn't expected the firecrackers of this era to be so truly deserving of their name. He looked utterly utterly dejected. He'd previously heard his family was going to set off firecrackers and assumed the Tang Dynasty had already mastered gunpowder-making. It'd given him a whole host of anxieties, making him think his gunpowder development project had been aborted before it even began. And this was it?
It was almost Chinese New Year, but Lu Xuan actually sent many of his servants home. This was still his modern mindset at play. He couldn't very well not give them a holiday for the New Year. Lu Xuan allowed them to return after the third day of the New Year. Even so, a few servants without homes chose to spend the New Year at their master's house.
As the sound of firecrackers filled the air, the old man and his servants began setting up the New Year's Eve dinner. This meal was to be prepared by Xiao Si, the head chef. He was now the manager of Lu Xuan's restaurant. He rarely came home, but whenever he did, he was always the head chef.
After working hard for more than half a year, this was the first time Lu Xuan had any expectations for the food in the Tang Dynasty. He sat leisurely in a recliner, dozing off, waiting for the meal to be served.
Since the Crown Prince and Li Heng left home, Lu Xuan's last days of the year became more relaxed once again. He spent his days practicing his swordsmanship, taking naps, or teasing the neighbor across the street, and before he knew it, New Year's Eve had arrived.
The heavens were very kind to us; tonight the stars were shining brightly, and the whole city was filled with laughter and joy.
While Xiao Si was preparing the meal, Lu Xuan climbed onto the roof and stood on high ground, looking at Chang'an from afar.
It's hard to imagine that in this era, one could see a city of a million people. On this New Year's Eve, Lu Xuan could even find a trace of the future in the city's lights.
The sound of phoenix flutes stirs, the jade pot shines, and a night of fish and dragon dance unfolds...
As he pondered this, night deepened. He heard Xiao Si calling him for dinner from below. Lu Xuan took one last look at the city lights, then turned and went back into the courtyard.
"Little Si, how do you feel about being the tavern manager?"