Li Tai’s Subtle Schemes, Li Zhi’s Grand Discovery

Li Tai’s displeased expression immediately reminded the scholars around him, who hurriedly echoed his opinions. The Lu clan youth, realizing his slip of the tongue, quickly corrected himself, saying, “Indeed, I spoke out of turn; even without this innovation, we would still be able to enjoy these chilled drinks.”

Someone nearby chimed in, “In my view, this invention actually lowers the prestige of iced treats, allowing even the common folk to enjoy the same pleasures as ourselves.”

With this remark, the others began to feel their ice pops were suddenly less appetizing. They had always considered themselves superior, and now, to be eating the same food as the masses was deeply unsettling.

A member of the Wang clan from Taiyuan spoke up, “It seems the Prince of Jin is deliberately making things difficult for us, the noble families.”

Someone asked, “What do you mean by that, Brother Wang?”

The Wang clan youth replied, “Not only did the Prince of Jin invent the method of making ice with saltpeter, but he has greatly increased the production of salt and sugar, privileges once reserved for us now increasingly accessible to ordinary people.”

Another added, “And that’s not all—he has a workshop dedicated to producing inexpensive, innovative furniture, leading many carpenters to imitate him. Nowadays, these new styles are found throughout the empire.”

Li Tai’s face twitched as he heard this. That very workshop had once belonged to him, nearly bankrupting him, yet now it was steadily earning Li Zhi a fortune, a fact that pained him deeply.

Irritated, he said, “Li Zhi, as a prince, spends his days meddling in petty affairs, utterly disgracing the royal family.”

The other noble youths hastened to agree, their impression of Li Zhi truly poor, for everything he did seemed to undermine their interests.

One scholar, recalling the Prince of Jin’s policy of establishing a literary institute, couldn’t help but complain, “It seems His Highness bears a certain prejudice against us literati.”

Someone asked, “What do you mean by that, Brother Qi?”

The scholar surnamed Qi replied, “Gentlemen, do not forget that the Prince of Jin’s literary institute explicitly refuses to accept men of letters.”

The other scholars immediately realized the slight.

Someone remarked, “Who knows what literary accomplishments the Prince of Jin possesses, to so look down upon us?”

Qi, still resentful, said, “I suspect he knows his literary talent is far inferior to the Prince of Yue, and so simply gave up.”

The Lu clan youth’s eyes sparkled, and he said, “If you wish to see the Prince of Jin’s abilities, isn’t it simple enough?”

Wang asked, “What clever plan do you have, Brother Lu?”

Lu replied, “Why not ask the Prince of Yue to organize a poetry gathering and invite the Prince of Jin to participate? Then his level will be revealed for all to see.”

Li Tai’s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing this. Li Zhi had long claimed he would surpass him in literature; now Li Tai could take this opportunity to invite him. Whether Li Zhi accepted or refused, Li Tai was confident he would remain undefeated.

Pleased with the idea, he said, “I too wish to see what my brother has achieved. I shall agree to this.”

Hearing Li Tai’s consent, everyone showered him with flattery, convinced this was a perfect chance to humiliate Li Zhi.

Soon, they began to discuss the timing, location, and which renowned scholar would preside over the event, enthusiastically planning together, while Li Zhi remained entirely unaware.

At that moment, Li Zhi was speaking with a merchant from India, hoping he could help find rubber. To date, no one had discovered it, or rather, no one besides Li Zhi knew of its uses.

He carefully described the characteristics of the rubber tree and the color of its sap to the merchant, repeatedly stressing the importance of sealing the liquid in wine jars to prevent spoilage.

He understood how far India was from the empire, so he promised the merchant that if he could procure rubber and bring back a large quantity of rubber tree seeds, Li Zhi would trade a hundred palm-sized glass mirrors.

The offer was irresistible, for glass mirrors were now sold at exorbitant prices. A single palm-sized mirror could fetch a whole string of coins, and larger ones often sold for hundreds of strings, yet supply remained scarce.

Pei Mingli had perfected the art of scarcity marketing, releasing fewer than ten mirrors to the market each month, each varying in size. As a result, the larger the mirror, the more outrageous the price—mirrors over a foot long could sell for four or five hundred strings of coins.

The Indian merchant, thrilled, agreed to Li Zhi’s terms and hurriedly departed the capital.

Watching him leave, Li Zhi allowed himself a sly smile, delighted with his scheme.

The cost of a single mirror was less than a penny, yet if he could use them to obtain rubber and rubber tree seeds, the empire’s industry would soon achieve remarkable progress.

After sending off the Indian merchant, Li Zhi instructed Liu An to find someone to purchase “flammable water”—the common term for petroleum.

Fortunately, petroleum was produced not far from the capital, in Yan Prefecture, which corresponds to modern-day Yan’an. Even now, people used it as lubricant and fuel.

Li Zhi’s first thought upon learning this was to persuade his father to nationalize the country’s petroleum supply. This substance was the lifeblood of industry, and to let it be wasted by the masses was a terrible loss.

Once he obtained the petroleum, he eagerly began separation experiments with Li Yin.

Petroleum contained many substances, making the process complex. The two worked together, collecting gases and liquids distilled at various temperatures.

As they experimented, Li Yin’s disciples watched with curiosity, finding the experience extraordinary.

They witnessed a cupful of black petroleum broken down into various gases, liquids, and residues.

Li Zhi carefully labeled each separated substance, then decided to let Li Yin and his students complete the remaining work, hoping to nurture their curiosity.

With curiosity, they would naturally develop an interest in science, for the purpose of science was to explore the unknown.

The method for transforming the unknown into the known was through repeated experimentation.

Thus, though Li Zhi already understood the components of petroleum, he forced himself to feign ignorance, just as Li Yin and the others did.