Chapter 104
Hall Chief Zhang’s kindness was evident as he agreed to accompany Cui Xie to buy spices. How could Cui Xie possibly refuse such an offer? After classes in the evening, Cui Xie informed the Teaching Assistant that he would not be staying for extra lessons and instead invited Hall Chief Zhang to join him for a stroll through the streets.
While Cui Xie had come on horseback, Hall Chief Zhang was not adept at riding and since calling for a carriage seemed too cumbersome, Cui Xie suggested hiring two palanquins. However, Hall Chief Zhang grasped his arm, saying, “Let us not bother with the palanquins. They are stuffy and uncomfortable to ride in. How about we just walk? There are plenty of shops around the Imperial College, merely a few steps away.”
Although Hall Chief Zhang was originally from Hejian, he had studied at the Imperial College for five years and his family eventually moved to the capital. He knew the alleys and lanes around the College far better than Cui Xie, a man from the modern era. As they walked, he pointed out various restaurants, antique shops and curiosity stores around the College, expertly commenting on which chefs were the best, which stores used authentic ingredients, where genuine antiques were sold and which places had attractive goods, but were actually fakes.
When it came to spices and medicinal herbs, Hall Chief Zhang’s knowledge was even more profound.
When Cui Xie mentioned the items he desired to purchase, Hall Chief Zhang commented, “These are all herbs used for skin whitening. No need to go to a fragrance shop, the Hall of Everlasting Years nearby has them. Their medicine is reliable. I once had a fever caused by a cold and sought treatment from their resident physician. The prescriptions were genuine and effective, and I recovered quickly after a few doses.”
With Hall Chief Zhang’s company, Cui Xie felt much more confident.
Upon reaching the medicinal store, Cui Xie asked for angelica root, white cloves, and typhonium, among others. He only needed small amounts of each, which were worth only a couple of cents, but enough to identify it based on the processed shape. The items were weighed in his presence and the names were written on the paper packages. Having gathered enough ingredients for making fragrant soap, and anticipating future needs for making jade cream, fermented mixtures and blemish-removing medicine, he decided to take advantage of Hall Chief Zhang’s presence to get everything weighed at once.
Hall Chief Zhang stood by his side, examining the herbs closely. He would occasionally pinch a piece of the chopped herb to observe its color and smell, sometimes tasting it, his actions mirroring the demeanor of a renowned physician. He even provided commentary on the quality of the herbs and instructed Cui Xie on how to differentiate several similar-looking medicinal materials.
Having selected nearly half a counter’s worth of herbs, and also obtained a mortar, pestle and brass grinder, Cui Xie finally felt satisfied. He paid with a few coins and asked the clerk to pack everything into a bamboo basket. The attendant, eager to please, said, “Both of you gentlemen look like students from Imperial College. Shall we deliver these medicines to your dormitory?”
Effortlessly lifting the basket with one hand and weighing it, Cui Xie smiled, “No need, we will just carry it with us. If the herbs are of good quality, we will certainly come back.”
Hall Chief Zhang, watching him easily pick up the basket full of herbs, laughed and remarked, “What strength! Surely the result of standing and practicing calligraphy every day. Have you got everything you need? I am not much help here anymore, so I will head back to my quarters.”
Cui Xie stopped him, “Hall Chief, I cannot let you just go back like this! Senior, please join me at a restaurant across the street and allow me to express my gratitude.”
Hall Chief Zhang initially wanted to decline, but seeing Cui Xie’s sincere expression, he was moved and agreed with a smile, “Then I will not be polite. But let us avoid the restaurant at the street corner. I’ll take you to a small eatery that serves authentic Suzhou cuisine.”
The little eatery was tucked deep within the alleys, a place not easily found by casual diners. As they made their way, threading through streets and alleys, they passed stalls selling counterfeit paintings. Surprisingly, some of the scroll paintings strikingly depicted the characters from Cui Xie’s Three Kingdoms series.
Cui Xie glanced discreetly at the imitations, feeling a sense of superiority as he shook his head. The imitations simply could not match his original work, lacking in both finesse and detail – even the eyelashes of the beauties were not properly depicted.
Taking a curious look, Hall Chief Zhang shook his head, “They are nowhere near as good as the two hanging at the back of the Peace of Mind Study. Aren’t they from your family’s shop? Do you know if they sell those large paintings? Even if it costs a bit more, acquiring an original would be worth the price.”
Cui Xie responded, “They are indeed available for purchase, but you’d have to wait until after the Double Seventh Festival.”
A spark of excitement flickered in Hall Chief Zhang’s eyes as he fixed his eyes on Cui Xie, “Is this after the ‘Three Kingdoms Beauty Contest’ organized by the Peace of Mind study? I had heard about the ‘Four Great Beauties’ contest held by the Zhirong Bookstore before. Unfortunately, I was in the capital and could not appreciate it. Later the bookstore was donated by the owner who apparently did not appreciate beauty and elegance ….”
Cui Xie coughed lightly twice, reminding Hall Chief Zhang that he was still present.
Hall Chief Zhang apologized, saying, “I got carried away and forgot that it was you who donated the bookshop. We readers in the capital always thought that we would never be able to witness such grandeur again. The imitations do not match that of the original. But now, the Peace of Mind Study was established by former employees of that very bookstore, has successfully replicating everything and even is organizing similarly grant events—”
He glanced at Cui Xie with a hint of suspicion and asked, “Hezhong, this beauty contest idea wasn’t yours was it?”
Cui Xie pressed his lips together, responding solemnly, “How could Zhang-xiong ask such a thing! When I learned that a woman had rented my property for the bookstore, I never once set foot in it. Zhang-xiong really should not question my character like this.”
Zhang Luan’s question was whether Cui Xie had come up with the idea for the current event, not the previous one. But seeing Cui Xie’s serious and almost indignantly defensive reaction, Hall Chief Zhang forgot what he was about to say and quickly reassured the youth, “I had no such intention, my foolish junior. I was merely intrigued by the idea of voting in the beauty contest at the Peace of Mind Study for the Double Seventh Festival and wondered if you knew anything about it….”
Cui Xie’s righteous indignation was feigned, so he smoothly transitioned, “This little brother was not truly angered, it is just that the property was once rented to a lady and as a respectable man, I must avoid any hint of scandal.”
….You, a child who was still called a child prodigy a mere couple of years ago, with hardly any beard to speak of, are quite a few years away from being a ‘respectable man’.
Unable to contain himself, Hall Chief Zhang burst into laughter. Fearing that Cui Xie might become embarrassed or angry, he quickly thought of an excuse to placate him, “I just recalled something funny. Were you not asking me to find a female teacher? There is a woman in my hometown who fits the requirements. She studied for a few years in her youth and after her husband passed away without leaving her any children, her brother-in-law tried to seize her property and force her to remarry. But, she refused and returned to her maternal family. She makes a living teaching young girls, my family has hired her before, and she is very dignified and upright.”
“A while ago, I wrote to her asking if she would like to visit the capital, but I have yet to receive a reply. With the Double Seventh Festival approaching and with so many festivities then, I am thinking of inviting some relatives and asking them to bring her along. Let her teach at your residence for a couple of days and if it does not work, she can return with my family. If you both find it agreeable, perhaps you could keep her on, how does that sound?”
Cui Xie had initially thought it would take several months to hear any news and had truly expected an update only by the end of the year. Learning that the tutor could arrive just after the Double Seventh Festival naturally filled him with immense joy. He bowed in gratitude and said, “If the teacher is recommended by Hall Chief Zhang, she must certainly be excellent. There is no question of incompatibility!”
The two chatted and laughed as they enjoyed a meal at the small eatery. Hall Chief Zhang then inquired about the number of female students in the Cui Residence, asking if he was only teaching his sister or if there were also cousins or other relatives staying with them.
Cui Xie replied with a smile, “I have only one sister. Although there are a few cousins on my mother’s side, they live with their parents in Shaanxi and cannot come to my residence for their studies.”
Hall Chief Zhang’s eyes twinkled with amusement, “You are quite progressive, willing to provide education for your half shu born sister.. Most people cling to the notion that a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent and even birth mothers would not even let their own daughters study.”
He seemed to have more to say on the matter, but chose not to continue, shaking his head instead, “I will ask Teacher Song to come to the capital around the time of the Double Seventh festival. Just wait a bit longer.”
After a modest round of drinks, the two parted ways in the early evening, each returning to their respective residences.
Upon arriving home, Cui Xie stored the basket of herbs in his study and went straight to the main courtyard to visit his grandparents. He had two purposes in doing so: first, to share the news about securing a female teacher for his sister, and second, to check on the lasting fragrance of the flower dew.
However, upon reaching the main house, he was met with sighs of disappointment from the Old furen and the two maids, “Something went wrong with the floral dew! You smelled so fragrant this morning, but when Songyan brought the floral dew for them to apply, it turned into a strange scent—not fragrant at all, but bitter and astringent!”
Cui Xie was surprised, “Not fragrant?”
Wasn’t it said that both the floral dew and the essential oil extract were supposed to be fragrant? He remembered them from last night … .right, it had not been too fragrant last night either. The real fragrance was from the fresh cape jasmines in his yard and the steam released during the distillation process!
A maid brought the floral dew to him and upon smelling it, Cui Xie found not a pleasant scent, only a somewhat astringent grassy odor, hardly resembling what one would expect from such aromatic jasmine flowers.
Could it be that his distillation method had been incorrect in piling the flowers on the sieve too densely, which prevented the essential oils from being properly extracted? He distinctly remembered seeing a thin sheen of oil on the water’s surface. Perhaps the scent was too concentrated and needed to be diluted to be appreciated?
Should he dilute it with water or alcohol? Which would be better?
Cui Xie designed several experiments in his mind and reassured by the not entirely unpleasant scent, Cui Xie consoled his family, “This is not anyone’s fault, it is probably a flaw in my method of distillation. Let us not wrong anyone. It is alright if it did not turn out well this time. We will try again and eventually get it right.
This subtle and mild fragrance could be used as a men’s perfume in the future. He kept the vial of fragrance, sharing the news of finding a female teacher for his sister with his grandparents and spent a few moments conversing with him before returning to reattempt experimenting with Cui Liang.
Cui Liang had known since morning about the perfume’s failure and after being reprimanded by his father, he was waiting anxiously in the courtyard for Cui Xie, fearing reproach. To his relief, Cui Xie did not blame him at all, suggesting, “Maybe we should not have distilled the flowers over water yesterday. Let us try immersing them in water this time.”
Relieved, Cui Liang patted his chest and promised, “This subordinate will tend the fire with great care today, ensuring it doesn’t spoil again!”
As a pure humanities student, Cui Xie’s venture into essential oil extraction was mostly guesswork, hardly more advanced than Cui Liang. Considering the other’s diligent attention to the fire and ice the day before, and knowing he understood the process, Cui Xie patted his shoulder and said, “Today you oversee the entire process. I have other tasks to attend to and will eventually have to step back. We will try a few more times and if it still does not work, we will try another flower. There is always a way. Take it easy. Nothing in this world is too difficult for those who are determined.”
Eager to progress, Cui Xie forcefully fed Cui Liang a bowl of chicken soup for sustenance and redesigned their extraction process. He instructed Cui Liang to soak the flowers in cold water and then boil them, creating a new batch.
The result, however….still did not quite capture the essence of jasmine fragrance.
With a previous failure in mind, Cui Xie was hesitant to trust their sense of smell. Without waiting for the night to pass, he rushed to the guest courtyard and woke up Cui Qi to get a second opinion.
Cui Qi had just returned from Tongzhou after visiting his father and hearing that Da-ge had been busy making perfume, he had not wanted to disturb him and spent the evening drawing in his own chambers. Surprised by Cui Xie’s sudden, fragrant entrance, he initially thought Cui Xie had doused himself in the newly created floral dew. Inhaling deeply, he exclaimed, “This floral dew smells wonderful! Da-ge, you really can succeed at anything you set your mind to! Da-ge has even managed to distill that foreign scent on your first attempt? It seems like congratulations are in order!”
Cui Xie waved his hand dismissively, “It is not a success yet. Those foreign concoctions are actually quite difficult to replicate…”. He regretted that he had been a humanities student through and through and had forgotten all his chemistry knowledge as soon as the college entrance exams ended, he lamented how much easier it would have been if he still remembered those lessons!
He handed the floral dew to Cui Qi, explaining, “Cui Liang and I are covered in all sorts of scents, so we cannot tell what the floral dew smells like. Take a sniff and tell me if it’s fragrant or not.”
Retreating to his room, Cui Qi took the floral dew outside. He stood in a breezy spot to clear his body of any lingering scents and then uncorked the bottle to sniff it carefully.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t fragrant.
He sniffed repeatedly, even rinsing his nose with water to ensure accuracy, but ultimately had to admit even his extraordinarily talented Da-ge, who seemed capable of anything under the sky, had his limits.
After spending a long time contemplating outside, Cui Qi reluctantly returned to break the disappointing news to Cui Xie. To his surprise, Cui Xie did not seem overly concerned, while adding a few strokes to a drawing for Cui Qi, he simply shook his head, “Success rarely comes easily. If it does not work, I can just use it myself, the scent is not so bad.”
The realization that several taels of silver spent on flowers had resulted in nothing more than a bitter concoction—unsellable and even unsuitable as a gift—was indeed regrettable. But, Cui Xie understood that science required investment, without it, there would be no return to speak of.
Then they would have to steal the formula from elsewhere…but he needed money to support this endeavor!
With his mind made up, he carried the floral dew back to his room. Cui Liang was still busy in the small kitchen, boiling distilled water and cleaning the distillation equipment. Meanwhile, Cui Xie retreated to his study. He took out the medicinal herbs he had purchased at noon, along with ink, brushes and paints. He meticulously drew detailed, realistic illustrations of the prepared herb slices, labeling each with its name and taste, effectively compiling an illustrated handbook of medicinal ingredients.
At this point, the scent was the least of his concerns.
As he completed each illustration, a mental pdf of the work formed in his mind. This way, even without physical herbs at hand, he could rely on these mental documents for future identification, reducing the risk of letting the cat out of the bag.
It turned out that making fragrant soap was much simpler than distilling floral dew. With the named herbs in front of him, Cui Xie identified the ones Cui Ting had provided. He marked each package with its respective name and measured out the required quantities.
In the kitchen, Cui Liang was immersed in the fragrant task of distilling floral dew. He experimented with everything from jasmine to roses, from fresh to dried flowers, and from water to alcohol distillation…
Meanwhile, Cui Xie tasked Cui Liangdong with finding a few strong young men to grind the medicinal herbs into powder. Behind closed doors, Cui Xie, shrouded in mystery, busied himself over a small stove boiling sugar water, meticulously concocting a renowned soap formula from the Chongzhen era1.
Once the medicinal mixture was ready, Cui Xie blended it with one and a half jin of soapberry powder, using the thickly boiled brown sugar water to knead the mixture into large, honeyed spheres. Being trained in martial arts, his strong hands shaped the soap dough into firm, perfectly rounded balls, shinier and more lustrous than those sold commercially. He then thread the spheres onto twine and hung them under the eaves to dry.
When the fragrant soap was thoroughly dried and felt similar texture-wise to the commercially sold products, Cui Xie tried washing his hands with it. The soap’s fragrance was indeed superior ro what was available in the market and did not leave a murky, white residue in the basin. Perhaps, due to the inclusion of whitening herbs, he felt that his hands seemed a shade lighter–a detail he knew had to be included when promoting the product!
Considering that the market was flooded with round soaps, Cui Xie realized that this common shape did not adequately represent the high-end nature of their Imperial court inspired fragrant soap. After several trials confirming its pleasant use and durability, he was ready to put the product on the market. He distributed the finished product to his family members and summoned Cui Qi, instructing him to find skilled engravers to create a variety of molds.
The artisans designed molds in various shapes such as rectangles, squares and mooncakes, all about the size of a mooncake with intricate patterns around the edges, resembling delicate pastry molds. Cui Xie provided them with sketches of beautiful women drawn with bold lines, requesting that these images be engraved in intaglio on the inner surfaces.
The artisans, accustomed to relief engraving, found intaglio relatively simple. Cui Qi assured him with a smile, “Such work can be done in a day or two. Don’t worry da-ge, I will watch over them and ensure they work both quickly and well.”
Cui Xie replied, “Remember, these aren’t pastry molds, they are for fragrant soaps, with each unique mold for a different type of soap. I will draw a few more beauty sketches for them to print on colorful paper to wrap the soaps in. Add in a matching tin soap box and we have a genuinely high quality product, won’t we?”
Footnotes:
- Chongzhen era: Era name of the Chongzhen Emperor, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty of China ↩︎
TN: Hope you are all doing well, thought I would post an extra chapter in honor of leap day! I don’t know why but Cui Xie’s business shenanigans are always surprisingly fun to read and translate XD
Huge Announcement: We have set up a kofi and patreon account! If you would like to support us or get early access to advance chapters for Blood-Sucking Empress OR TMD, those options are available for you (in support us page)! I have just added a patreon tier for Transmigrating to the Ming Dynasty’s Imperial Examinations in which patreons can have access to a google document with ALL of my advanced translated chapters for the novel. Since I am a college student, there should usually be at least 10 advance chapters in the document at a time, but depending on my schedules, there may be fewer or more. I’m currently extremely busy, but I have translated out some new chapters for you all! But, I will still post each week with the same schedule. Thanks!
Twin Dragons Translations 
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ŐωŐ人)
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