After the Gezhi Institute laid its foundation, Du Heng did not rush to launch massive construction, but leisurely brewed a pot of fresh tea and called to Old Zhou, “Come on, don’t rush to start hauling bricks yet; we need to set the rules first.”
“With 50 mu of land and 100 craftsmen, if there are no rules, it will surely turn into a mess.” He took a sip of tea and said with a smiling squint.
The two of them stayed behind closed doors for three days, finished three pots of tea, and finally drafted twelve clauses in the Gezhi Institute regulations. Every clause was practical, and every word was worth its weight in gold:
1. The four institutes were set up separately, and each director was responsible.
2. Projects required applications, and budgets came first.
3. Results were shared, and patents were registered.
4. Craftsmen used profit-sharing, and rewards were distributed by performance.
5. Accounts were made public, and there was a monthly audit.
…and so on.
As soon as the regulations were set, a problem appeared… where would the money come from?
Xiaoyao Tower brought in 10 guan a month, and the glass workshop sold 5,000 items in its first batch for over 400 guan in revenue; it looked glamorous, but building the institute, buying materials, and feeding people all meant holes everywhere. Du Heng rubbed his chin and smiled at Zheng Liwan, who had just moved into the accounting office, and said, “We’ll have to turn stone into gold.”
Zheng Liwan was flicking her abacus beads, and when she heard that, she let out a snort of laughter. “You have the technology, and I have the capital, so why don’t we set up a ‘gewu fund’? I’ll invest 10,000 guan for a 30% stake, and you can buy in with technology for 70%.”
“No.” Du Heng shook his head, his gaze serious. “The Gezhi Institute is a tool that benefits the nation, so it must not be privately owned.”
He proposed a new idea: “civilian use feeding back into scientific research.”
– The glass workshop, Xiaoyao Tower, and the soap workshop (newly established) would be “profit units.”
– The Institute of Agriculture and Industry, Institute of Medicine, and Institute of Machinery would be “R&D units.”
– Of the profit-unit earnings, 70% would be injected into R&D, and 30% would go to profit-sharing.
“Technology can be commercialized, but core R&D must be independent.” He said it lightly, yet every word carried immense weight.
A flicker of admiration passed through Zheng Liwan’s eyes. “You understand the long game better than I do.”
Once they decided, they got to work, and the first product was Xiaoyao soap.
Du Heng used plant ash, lard, and rose dew to make soap, which cleaned the skin and left a lingering fragrance. Zheng Liwan had a sudden idea. “Add some patterns, split it into different scents, and pair it with a paper box so it looks more refined!”
The first batch of 1,000 bars of soap was priced at 20 wen each and test-sold at Xiaoyao Tower.
“It’s ten times better than bathing beans!” After trying it, an old woman cried out in surprise. “After washing, my hands aren’t rough, and there’s a floral scent; it’s like using immortal dew!”
In three days, everything sold out.
Du Heng immediately expanded production and set up an assembly line.
– Step 1 melted the fat.
– Step 2 added the alkali.
– Step 3 blended the fragrance.
– Step 4 pressed the molds.
– Step 5 dried it.
Efficiency increased fivefold, and costs were pushed down to 12 wen. In the soap workshop, steam curled in the air and fragrance overflowed, and even the craftsmen from the neighboring glass workshop could not help coming over to ask for a bar to try.
Speaking of the glass workshop, that was even more of a profiteering powerhouse.
Civilian cups and dishes produced 5,000 a month, with 200 guan in profit. Military telescopes supplied 500 a month, with 500 guan in profit. Court luxury sets produced 100 sets a month, with 300 guan in profit.
Total monthly profit exceeded 1,000 guan. The accounting office was brightly lit, and Old Zhou and Zheng Liwan sat facing each other to calculate; their abacuses clattered, and the numbers danced across the paper like stars.
“Monthly profit is 1,200 guan, and 70%… 840 guan… goes into R&D,” Zheng Liwan said with a bright smile. “That’s enough to build the Institute of Medicine and test Penicillin.”
Du Heng nodded. “Build the distillation tower first, purify allicin, and save Her Majesty the Empress.”
As they were speaking, Princess Changle arrived in person. When she saw Zheng Liwan and Du Heng calculating side by side with no attempt to avoid suspicion, something stirred in her heart, yet she only said softly, “Mother Empress’s qi ailment has flared up again, and the imperial physicians are at a loss.”
Du Heng stood up and cupped his hands. “Within three days, I will present garlic oil.”
The construction of the Gezhi Institute advanced in tandem, bustling and blazing hot.
Qin Huaiyu supervised the work, Cheng Chumo guarded the site, and 100 craftsmen worked day and night, yet there was not the slightest chaos… because the system came first, and everyone had responsibility.
– Institute of Agriculture and Industry: the experimental plot had already been sown with Champa rice and soybeans, and it was lush and green.
– glass institute: ten kilns fired at once, smoke columns like dragons, and night as bright as day.
– Institute of Machinery: the water-powered workshop took shape, and the rice-pounder machine hummed, saving labor by ten times.
– Institute of Medicine: the sterile room was disinfected with steam, and the medicinal herb garden was planted full of mint, mugwort, and garlic, with a clean fragrance hitting the nose.
The common people clicked their tongues in amazement.
“Du young master turns stone into gold; glass, soap, and stir-fried dishes… every single one makes money!”
“As long as the Gezhi Institute doesn’t fall for a day, Chang’an won’t be poor for a day!”
Of course, some people were jealous.
Zhangsun Wuji secretly caused trouble and ordered people to spread rumors: “The Gezhi Institute uses boys and girls to refine pills!” He even bribed craftsmen, trying to steal the glass formula.
But Du Heng had long been prepared and established a technology confidentiality law.
– The formula was held in segments, and no one knew the full picture.
– Craftsmen signed a confidentiality contract, and violators were heavily punished.
– Patrol inspections were set up within the institute, taking shifts by the Cheng family’s household guards.
As a result, the rumors collapsed on their own, and the thief was instead captured on the spot and escorted to the government office, becoming Chang’an teahouses’ newest joke.
When Li Shimin heard of it, he summoned Du Heng into the palace.
“We have observed you: you manage finances with method, and you run the institute with order.” The emperor stroked his beard and smiled. “If a civilian glass workshop were set up to sell to the common people at low prices, would that be feasible?”
Du Heng kowtowed. “That is exactly my intention! If glass is supplied only to princes and nobles, then it loses the very essence of gewu.”
Three days later, the civilian glass workshop opened for business.
Cups were 50 wen, plates 80 wen, and lampshades 120 wen… so the common people rushed to buy them.
An old farmer sold grain and bought back a glass cup, then went home and filled it with clear water for his grandchild. “A scholar should use a crystal-clear cup!”
Hu merchants bought in bulk, shipped them to Persia, and praised them to everyone they met. “Tang glass is better than the Arabian Nights!”
Late at night, Du Heng stood alone on the high platform of the Gezhi Institute.
The glazed kiln’s fire painted half the sky red, the soap workshop’s steam curled like immortal mist, and in the experimental plot, the rice waves had just begun to rise and sway gently in the wind.
At sixteen, he held account books in his hands, and he held the whole world in his heart.
He knew that true turning-stone-into-gold was not making insanely profitable goods, but making technology benefit all people… so an old farmer could use a crystal-clear cup, so an old woman could still smell roses after washing her hands, and so Her Majesty the Empress’s coughing would no longer keep her sleepless night after night.
The lights of the Gezhi Institute would eventually illuminate every corner of Great Tang…
From a bar of soap and a piece of glass to a nation’s dream.
And at this moment, with a light breeze and calm clouds and a dazzling river of stars, Du Heng’s lips lifted slightly as he said softly, “This is only the beginning.”