Chapter 8: Making Money (Requesting Recommendations! Requesting Collections!)

Tang Chang'an, known as Daxing City during the Sui Dynasty, was built during that era and renamed Chang'an by the Tang Dynasty. Serving as the capital for both the Sui and Tang dynasties, it was the most magnificent and spectacular capital city in Chinese history, and for a time, the largest city in the world.

It was the most magnificent ancient Chinese capital built by Emperor Wen of Sui and his ministers, reflecting the grand ambition of a unified empire. To embody the desire for a unified realm and lasting peace, the city’s planning incorporated the concepts of celestial timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony. It was designed to "model the heavens and mirror the earth," with the emperor held in supreme reverence, surrounded by his hundred officials.

To accommodate a growing population and the grand plan of relocating the nobility from the conquered states of the Jiangnan region to bolster the capital, the city was built with unprecedented scale. Covering 84 square kilometers, it was 2.4 times the size of Han Chang'an and 1.4 times the size of the Ming and Qing Beijing. It was seven times larger than the capital of the Byzantine Empire at the time and 6.2 times larger than Baghdad, which was built around 800 AD, making it the most massive city in the world during that period.

Chang'an consisted of three parts: the Outer City, the Imperial City, and the Palace City. The city bustled with all manner of trades, and at its peak, the population approached three million. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, various repairs and renovations were made to Chang'an, making the urban layout more rational. The construction of the Daming Palace on Longshou Plain provided the rulers of the Li Tang dynasty with an even more elevated and superior geographical position. Standing on Longshou Plain and overlooking the entire city, one could truly feel the grandeur and style of an empire that had unified the world.

However, the current Chang'an was still slightly lacking compared to the late Zhenguan era. At the end of the Wude era, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate’s Jiali Khan had struck at the borders, his troops reaching the very gates of Chang'an. To save the Tang state from its precarious situation, Emperor Taizong had exhausted the imperial treasury, only just managing to avert the crisis of national collapse. After several years of development, Chang'an had finally regained its vitality, and the gathering of merchants from all directions added a touch of prosperity to the city.

Since being expelled from the Duke of Lai’s mansion by the Cui family, Du Rui had spent his days in the old family residence quietly reading, making no other moves. Although the Cui family had given him some silver when he was sent away, it was a mere drop in the bucket. Now, with a household of over a dozen people, they were relying on that one thousand guan of severance pay; if he didn't find a way to make money, they would soon exhaust their savings.

Du Zhong saw this and worried, but seeing Du Rui’s calm and indifferent demeanor, as if he were sleeping soundly without a care, he didn't dare say much. Although Du Rui was still young, he was now the master of this old residence since he had established his own household. While Du Rui treated Du Zhong, his loyal old servant, with much respect, Du Zhong knew better than to overstep his bounds by acting like an elder. He could only manage the household as best he could, saving where possible; as for the future, it was not for a servant to decide.

One day, as Du Zhong was directing his children and grandchildren in tidying the courtyard, Du Rui, who should have been studying in the library, suddenly walked out. He waved his hand to stop Du Zhong and the others from bowing and asked, "Uncle Zhong! Is there a skilled carpenter in the nearby wards?"

Du Zhong was caught off guard. After a reminder from Du Gui, he replied, "Carpenter Hu, who lives near this old residence, is very skilled. We have always gone to him for repairs on all the household items."

Upon hearing this, Du Rui took several sheets of paper from behind his back and handed them to Du Zhong. "Uncle Zhong! Have Carpenter Hu make these according to the designs on these drawings. I have a great use for them! Remember, it doesn't matter if he is slow, but it must be precise, and it must be made of pine wood!"

Du Zhong took the papers and looked at them. They were covered in messy, crisscrossing lines depicting some kind of vessel. Although he had traveled far and wide with Du Ruhui, he couldn't tell what it was. He wanted to ask, but Du Rui had already returned to the library.

Du Gui, standing nearby, craned his neck to look, but after a long while, he frowned. "Father! What kind of strange thing has the young master drawn? It’s not quite a vat, and not quite a barrel—I can't make heads or tails of it! Father, you’ve seen the world with the late Duke; do you recognize this?"

Du Zhong shook his head and said, "Don't ask. Just go and make sure you remember the young master's instructions. Tell Carpenter Hu to put his heart into it. The young master is no ordinary person; I’m sure he has a brilliant use for this! As servants, it’s better not to ask about things we shouldn't."

Du Gui acknowledged the order, took the drawings and a string of cash, and went off to find Carpenter Hu.

In truth, Du Rui wasn't trying to make anything earth-shattering. It was just that during his evening strolls over the past few days, he had noticed an interesting phenomenon. He had walked halfway down the long street running through the West Market and seen three wine shops, which sparked an idea. He realized that distilled spirits probably hadn't appeared in the Tang Dynasty yet; otherwise, Wu Song in the Song Dynasty novel *Water Margin* couldn't have drunk eighteen bowls of wine and still killed a tiger. If it had been high-proof liquor, eighteen bowls would have left him unable to walk, let alone fight a tiger.

In reality, low-proof distilled spirits would appear in a few years. Historical records state that in 640 AD, the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, the Xinjiang region was already producing distilled spirits. Later, when Taizong defeated Gaochang, the technology was introduced to the Central Plains. The great Tang poet Bai Juyi wrote, "The lychee is newly ripe, the color of a cockscomb; the distilled wine is first opened, smelling of amber." Yong Tao also wrote the famous line, "Since arriving in Chengdu and tasting the distilled wine, I no longer think of returning to Chang'an." Li Zhao’s *Guoshi Bu* also records the "Jiannan Shaochun" (Jiannan Distilled Spring).

Looking at the name "distilled wine" and the distillation process, the *Bencao Shiyi* (Supplement to the Materia Medica) by Chen Cangqi from the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty mentions "Zhenqi water," describing it as "using steam to collect it."

Furthermore, among the Sui and Tang artifacts unearthed by later generations, small wine cups holding only 15–20 milliliters have been found. If there were no distilled spirits, such small cups would certainly not have been made.

All of this fully demonstrates that distilled spirits appeared in the Tang Dynasty, originating in the southwest or northwest. The reason it didn't become fully popularized was likely because people didn't understand the principles, and the distillation equipment wasn't airtight. During the distillation process, much of the alcohol vapor escaped with the water vapor, leading to great waste and poor results. Another reason was that high-proof alcohol wasted grain, and the issue of food and clothing had always been the top priority for feudal rulers. It wasn't until the late Ming Dynasty, with improved technology, that high-proof Chinese *baijiu* became widely popular.

With the Tang Dynasty’s capital in Guanzhong, and the northwest region of China historically known for its rugged people, Du Rui figured there would be a strong market for high-proof liquor. Thus, he had found his path to wealth.

Having found his way to riches, Du Rui excitedly shut himself in his study for several days, pondering. Based on memories from his past life and his own redesigns, he produced the schematic diagrams for the distillation apparatus on those papers.

As for Du Gui, he took the money and found Carpenter Hu, handing over the drawings. Carpenter Hu was troubled when he saw them, frowning and racking his brain, unable to figure out what such a strange-looking object was for.

But once Du Gui handed over the payment, he stopped caring about the purpose. The Du household had been a regular customer lately, and he had been to the mansion to help with repairs, so he was familiar with Du Gui. After calculating, he realized the items wouldn't take much effort and only charged half a string of cash.

Building the distiller would take a full day, but Du Rui had already said there was no rush. Du Gui remembered Du Rui’s requirements and repeatedly urged him to take his time, be careful, and ensure it was airtight. He also repeated the instruction to use pine wood before heading home.

The next morning, just as the sky was brightening, Du Rui, who hadn't slept a wink from excitement, dragged Du Gui back to Carpenter Hu’s house. The carpenter had worked through the night to finish the equipment. Du Rui picked up the distiller to examine it and found the result even better than he had imagined. He thought that in terms of craftsmanship, Carpenter Hu was truly skilled.

Although Carpenter Hu had built the device according to the drawings, he didn't understand its purpose. Being the type of person who had to get to the bottom of things, he kept pestering them with questions. Du Gui truly didn't know, and Du Rui naturally couldn't tell him, so he just smiled without answering, leaving Carpenter Hu feeling as if he were being scratched by a cat.

After leaving the carpenter’s house, Du Rui had Du Gui buy over a hundred catties of grain wine from a nearby shop. At this time, most wine was similar to the rice wine or yellow wine of Du Rui’s past life—low in alcohol, slightly sweet, and a bit like champagne or a soft drink. To get the best results, Du Rui specifically instructed Du Gui to buy the best grain wine available.

Once everything was prepared, Du Rui took Du Gui home. As soon as they arrived, he ignored Du Zhong’s questions and dragged Du Gui and Lady Liu into the kitchen. He poured the wine into their iron pot and placed the distillation equipment on top.

"Young Master! What are you doing?" Du Gui smelled the wine and his appetite was immediately whetted, but seeing Du Rui pour all that fine rice wine into the iron pot, he almost cried out in distress. At this moment, in his heart, Du Rui was already synonymous with a "prodigal son."

"You'll see in a moment!"

After Du Rui said this, he ordered Lady Liu to light a fire. Although she didn't understand why, since her young master had ordered it, she couldn't ask questions. She fetched firewood and started the fire.

Du Rui stood with his arms crossed, watching. As the temperature rose, mist began to rise, and the kitchen was soon filled with the aroma of wine. Du Rui’s heart was full of anticipation. This was his first pot of gold in this era, and his foundation for survival in the Tang Dynasty. Whether he succeeded or not depended on this gamble. If he succeeded, he could at least live as a wealthy man; if he failed—well, perhaps there was no such thing as failure. The protagonists in those transmigration stories brewed wine as easily as eating a meal; it made no sense for him, a polymath who knew both the past and the present, to hit a wall.

"Turn up the heat!"

Hearing Du Rui’s command, the whole family looked at each other in confusion, none of them knowing what he was planning.