Chapter Sixteen: The Talent of a Royal Advisor

There was a brazier for warmth, and Madam He knew exactly how much coal it consumed in a day.

It was several times more than coal briquettes.

This alone held immense appeal for ordinary people.

In this icy, snowy world, enduring the cold without proper heating could truly be fatal. Affordable heating was an absolute necessity.

He Zhong’an added, “These coal briquettes aren’t pure coal—they contain clay. This makes the briquettes cheaper than coal.”

He Zhong’an concluded, “The only issue with coal briquette stoves is that they must be well-ventilated. Otherwise, carbon monoxide poisoning is a risk.”

“What’s the big deal about that?” Madam He said. “If you don’t use briquette stoves and just burn coal or charcoal, doesn’t carbon monoxide poisoning still happen?”

Madam He was certain this business could succeed.

Putting herself in others’ shoes, whether as the lady of a marquis’s household or a common housewife, she realized no one could refuse such a product.

The marquis’s household cared about safety; every winter, fires caused by heating were not uncommon.

The common folk cared about saving money. The poor split every penny in two; every bit saved mattered.

She couldn’t imagine why this business wouldn’t work.

Madam He glanced at He Zhong’an, who stood tall and elegant, no longer the disheveled figure he once was. She couldn’t help but wonder:

“What kind of man is my inexpensive son, really?”

If He Zhong’an merely knew how to fix clocks and make pocket watches, he would just be a craftsman.

At best, Madam He now regarded him as someone useful for the moment—but that too might change.

However, the way He Zhong’an handled Qin Shouzhong at court showed Madam He that he was shrewd, adept at reading people’s hearts and minds.

That was impressive.

After all, every conflict ultimately boiled down to understanding human nature.

He Zhong’an’s talents promised an unlimited future.

So Madam He resolved to invest effort in winning him over.

Yet, at this moment, she was unsure how to truly evaluate him.

Since ancient times, many have been worldly-wise, but most got lost in petty affairs and became mere traders with small wits rather than great wisdom.

But He Zhong’an’s insight into the coal briquette stove and coal briquette business revealed his technical acumen—he was familiar with the everyday lives of commoners, which allowed him to design such a timely product.

He Zhong’an understood both the hearts of men and the conditions of the people.

He was like a dragon hidden in the depths, ready to soar at the right moment, with a boundless future.

To Madam He, he was a talent destined to assist a ruler—a potential prime minister.

True statesmen possess precisely such qualities: the ability to see through human nature, control officials at every level, understand the sufferings of the common people, and grasp the trends of the world to steer the state in the right direction.

In a flash, Madam He’s feelings grew complicated.

She thought both her sons could be brave generals, but neither compared to this young man before her.

For a moment, she even envied the woman from Guangdong who had passed away, secretly thinking, “An’er, why aren’t you my son?”

Such an extraordinarily talented illegitimate son stirred a strong sense of insecurity in her.

Madam He prided herself on being strong and upright all her life, yet in that instant, she felt a twinge of jealousy toward talent.

She began to worry that this illegitimate son might threaten her own son’s inheritance of the marquisate.

Fortunately, Madam He was a daughter of a general’s family, and given the precarious state of the He household, she suppressed the thought, telling herself, “It’s too early to think like this. If he can’t succeed, it’s all just empty talk.”

He Zhong’an had no idea that his actions had shaken Madam He so deeply.

But choosing this line of work was indeed a carefully considered decision.

The pocket watch business had taught He Zhong’an that for luxury goods to rapidly capture the market, if there was no technical premium, there must be an emotional premium.

He Zhong’an had many ideas, but lacked craftsmen who could bring them to fruition. The palace’s inner artisans might help, but once outside the palace, they wouldn’t work for him.

Yet emotional premium required time to build.

He couldn’t achieve that either.

After much thought, he concluded that he must focus on essentials of daily life.

And in winter, the most important necessity was firewood.

Having nearly frozen to death in an abandoned temple, He Zhong’an understood why among the seven daily necessities—firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—firewood came first, even before rice.

In winter, one could survive a few days without rice, but without firewood, death was almost certain.

With the evolution of the times, Beijing already used coal for seventy percent of heating, and firewood for thirty.

The coal mining industry had a foundation. He Zhong’an didn’t need to mine coal himself; he could purchase it directly from the market.

And ordinary people all used coal for heating—mostly lump coal for its long burn time, and some used coal briquettes.

These briquettes were made by mixing loose coal with water, then rolling it into balls. Their use was the same as lump coal, but easier to transport.

Many things required just the right balance.

Technology promotion was no different—many advanced technologies failed due to incompatibility with local conditions.

To He Zhong’an, coal briquettes and their stoves were perfectly suited to the times.

The round briquettes with twelve holes, which would be perfected in later generations, seemed simple but greatly enhanced burning efficiency.

First, the briquettes weren’t all coal—they contained clay, reducing coal consumption.

Second, the holes inside were carefully designed to increase oxygen flow, allowing the briquette’s interior and exterior to burn evenly, greatly improving coal utilization.

Moreover, the entire process was not difficult—indeed, quite simple.

Even more revolutionary was the design of the coal briquette stove.

Compared to the braziers most people used, the briquette stove was not only more economical but also convenient and safe.

Every winter, fires caused by heating were common, but coal briquette stoves—unless misused—almost never caused fires.

Such a product, so carefully tailored to customers’ pain points, would hardly fail to sell.

He Zhong’an even felt the only real challenge lay in external pressures.

Coal was a huge business, and there must be powerful interests behind it.

But the He family was, after all, a marquis’s household, so they had the standing to claim a share—negotiations were the only hurdle.

Madam He composed herself and faced reality, saying, “This is indeed a good business. You know we have no capital at home.”

He Zhong’an replied, “I understand, Mother. If you allow me to act on behalf of the marquis’s household, I don’t need capital—only some manpower and space. I can get this business underway.”

“Good,” Madam He said. “Have Xiong Dali follow you. We have some land outside the city you can use for now. I’ll send word to the village to bring over some peasants for the winter to work with you.”

“Please rest assured, Mother. I will handle this matter properly.”

“I look forward to your good news,” Madam He said.

With Madam He’s support, He Zhong’an immediately set his plans into motion.