Chapter 54: The Capitalist Seedling in the Harem…

The successful production of medical gauze did not mean it could be used directly.

Producing it was only the first step.

Zhu Yunwen was unable to produce pressure cookers, so high-pressure and high-temperature sterilization was not possible. Instead, they had to resort to boiling and high-temperature steaming for disinfection. Afterwards, the gauze was soaked in a jar containing vaseline emulsion to ensure thorough and even distribution. Then it was dried, cut, folded, sealed, and packaged, completing all the processes for medical gauze production.

Among these procedures, the most challenging one was the preparation of vaseline emulsion.

Vaseline can be divided into two types: natural and artificial, both of which are closely related to petroleum.

Natural vaseline is derived from the concentrated residue of petroleum, such as heavy oil of aliphatic hydrocarbons.

Artificial vaseline is made from pure ozokerite, paraffin wax, and mineral wax obtained through petroleum distillation.

There are many records of petroleum in ancient China, such as in the Book of Changes, where it states “Like the sun, there is fire in the marsh.” The “Geography” section of the Book of Han also mentions “Gaonu has ignitable water.” The “Brush Talk from Dream Book” describes it as “burning like hemp, but with dense smoke… because there is a lot of petroleum.”

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Zhuotong well, known as the “Father of World Oil Drilling,” emerged. Initially, this type of well was used for salt extraction. However, after being introduced to the West, it became the foundation for petroleum drilling technology.

The term “petroleum” was coined by Shen Kuo during the Song Dynasty. In that era, the percussive drilling technique for wells was also developed.

In external warfare, especially during sieges, petroleum was a valuable weapon.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Shen Gongliang listed petroleum as an essential military supply in his book “Complete Essentials for the Military Classics.”

During Wang Anshi’s reforms saw the establishment of specialized workshops for producing petroleum weapons, such as the “Menghuo Oil Cabinet.” This oil cabinet played a “decisive” role in the wars between the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia.

In the Yuan Dynasty, breakthroughs were made in petroleum extraction technology.

According to the records in the “Annals of the Yuan Dynasty” it is recorded that in Yan Gong County, there was a drilled oil well near the Nanying River. The oil from this well was used for lighting purposes and also as a treatment for skin diseases in livestock. It yielded an annual production of 110 catties. Furthermore, 80 miles to the northwest of Yan Chuan County, there was a well in Yongping Village. It produced 400 catties annually, which were stored in the Yanfeng Warehouse along the transportation route.

Although more than 500 catties a year may seem small, it was considered terrifying given the technology of the time.

The uses of petroleum in ancient times were mainly for lighting, lubrication, medicine, military supplies, and ink production.

Perhaps some people may find it strange, petroleum used for military purposes and ink production is understandable, but what about medicine?

But it is documented in Li Shizhen’s “Compendium of Materia Medica”. It states, “Petroleum has a similar odor to sulfur and is used to treat wounds. It is penetrating in nature, permeating through all the meridians and organs. It can treat convulsions, chest congestion, vomiting, and phlegm… It is used to resolve phlegm and can penetrate and open up the meridians and body cavities.”

Even before Li Shizhen, there were already mentions of the medicinal use of petroleum.

The conversation at that time might have been like this:

“This brother, your son has a fever. Don’t worry, let me get some petroleum from the pharmacy…”

The question is, did Zhu Yunwen in Nanjing have petroleum?

Surprisingly, he did!

According to the Ming Dynasty’s “Records of the Eastern Dynasty”, during the siege of Nanjing when Zhu Di broke into the city, Emperor Jianwen had gathered pearl garments, precious tents, treasury items, and various rare objects in the Lanxiang Hall of the Imperial Palace. They were soaked in highly flammable oil and mixed with asphalt.

Although the authenticity of the “Record of Eastern Dynasty” is subject to further investigation, there was indeed petroleum in the imperial palace in the capital at that time.

Zhu Yunwen personally checked and found that the quantity was not large, less than 600 catties, sealed in a pile of iron cans and stored in a separate warehouse.

By fractionating petroleum, they obtained paraffin, which eventually became vaseline emulsion.

This technology existed during the Song Dynasty, so there was no reason why it couldn’t be reproduced in the Ming Dynasty.

Combining medical gauze with vaseline allows the gauze to maintain a certain level of moisture when covering wounds, preventing the gauze from sticking to the wound’s blood or pus and aiding in wound healing.

Before the Lantern Festival, the first batch of gauze was successfully completed and packaged in wooden boxes that had been disinfected with alcohol. Each wooden box contained fifty small packs of medical gauze, a pair of small scissors, and a small glass bottle of alcohol.

Zhu Yunwen summoned Zhu Zhi and Zhu Geng into the palace, tapped on the wooden boxes, and smiled, saying, “There’s no problem with the medical gauze. The current issue is how you will sell it to the Ministry of War.”

Zhu Zhi assuredly replied, patting his chest, “Your Majesty, this matter is easy. Leave it to us. However, when the Ministry of War makes the purchase, how should we set the price?”

Ma Enhui also approached, her eyes shining with anticipation.

This was a matter concerning the treasury of the harem, and as the head of the harem, how could Ma Enhui not be concerned?

Zhu Yunwen took out an account book and handed it to Zhu Zhi, saying, “Cotton and alcohol are the largest costs. Currently, the cost of one box is forty wen. However, considering the need for external procurement of petroleum in the future, as well as the investment of manpower in the harem and monthly expenses, the cost of one box should be at least one hundred wen, equivalent to one mace. Besides covering these expenses, we also need to make a profit. The minimum price should be three maces.”

“Of course, three maces is the bottom line. I suggest a price of five maces per box. If you can sell it for six maces, or even eight maces, that would be your ability, and you can have a larger share of the profit. But remember, business is a long-term endeavor, and mutual benefit is necessary for long-term success. If the Ministry of War makes a large purchase, you can give them a discount.”

Zhu Zhi and Zhu Geng were overjoyed and had thirty wooden boxes moved away, preparing to embark on their sales venture.

Ma Enhui held the abacus in her hand, made some calculations, and looked at Zhu Yunwen, saying, “The monthly expenses in the palace are usually taken from the internal treasury, right? Why are they also included in the cost of one box? Besides, Your Majesty only mentioned the current costs but didn’t consider how many boxes can be produced daily.”

“At present, we only have twelve sets of weaving machines and a limited number of workers, but we can produce twenty boxes per day. Given time, we can expand the scale and produce a hundred boxes per day without any problem. If one box is sold for five maces and we produce a hundred boxes per day, that would be fifty taels of silver, resulting in a monthly income of one thousand five hundred taels! And in a year, it would be eighteen thousand taels… My goodness, Your Majesty, I feel a bit dizzy.”

Zhu Yunwen supported Ma Enhui and smiled, saying, “Empress, that’s not how the accounts work. Besides the costs, we also need to allocate a portion to Zhu Zhi and Zhu Geng…”

“Why not hand over this excellent opportunity entirely to the harem?! The two kings are benefiting for nothing!” Ma Enhui petulantly remarked, snorted, and then said, “Since there’s a profit to be made, I hereby command Luo Yan’er to prepare for expanding production.”

Zhu Yunwen looked at the money-oriented Ma Enhui and reminded her, “Empress, there aren’t many weaving machines in the palace that can be spared for Chengqian Palace…”

Ma Enhui widened her eyes and asked Zhu Yunwen, “Are you suggesting that I haven’t received a single coin yet and still need to buy weaving machines?”

Zhu Yunwen nodded slightly and said, “We agreed not to request it in the name of the harem, heh heh. If the Empress wants to expand the scale, she will have to invest some money.”

Ma Enhui’s eyes flickered, and she smiled, saying, “I have a solution.”

The Empress wanted to personally spin cotton as an example for the people, urging officials and scholars throughout the country not to forget the hardships of agriculture and to cherish the labor of the people. However, she lamented day and night over the old and insufficient number of weaving machines in the palace.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Ci, the Minister of Works, made a decisive move and directly allocated twenty weaving machines to the palace.

The Empress praised the Ministry of Works but expressed her desire to start from the de-seeding process, stating that it is essential to “experience the entire process and understand the hardships faced by the people.”

Touched by the Empress’s determination, the officials and workers of the Ministry of Works were moved to tears. They not only provided the necessary equipment such as cotton gins, spinning wheels, and weaving looms for the processes of de-seeding, carding, spinning, and weaving in the imperial palace but also kindly offered to provide technical training if needed.

The request was mercilessly rejected by the empress…

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