Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

the next day.

After returning to Gaoyang, Zhang Jingwei's doubts not only remained unresolved, but only grew heavier. His first act was to find the old housekeeper, Zhang Liu, and inquire carefully about everything about the old house's secret cellar.

However, Uncle Zhang Liu had a bewildered look on his face. After trying hard to recall, he still shook his head: "Young Master, I have served in the Zhang Mansion for more than ten years, and it is true... I have never heard of any secret cellar. The master's study, bedroom, and storehouse are all known to me, but this secret cellar... I really don't know." He looked sincere, with confusion in his eyes, and he didn't seem to be lying at all.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingwei knew that he could not get any more out of his sixth uncle, so he had to temporarily put aside his doubts and turn his attention to the "treasures" dug out from the secret cellar.

Zhang Liu was quite knowledgeable about the crystal-clear glassware (they called it crystal). He picked up a beaker and sighed, "These are the most valuable natural crystals. Master spent a fortune, specially sending people to buy them from the Wolf Mountain (Altai Mountains) in the Western Regions. Master loves crystal objects the most. The largest chandelier in our house is made of this material. It's crystal clear and translucent. It looks amazing at night with candles lit! Master cherishes it very much and never lets anyone touch it."

Zhang Jingwei decided to stop daydreaming and instead try to assemble the scattered parts, perhaps he could find more clues from them.

Among the bizarre array of copper tubes, brackets, and crystal containers, one device stood out. It was an ingenious construction, consisting of several key components: a large, spherical copper kettle, serving as the heating source, with a long, spiraling copper tube sealed to its top. The middle of the tube was enclosed by an ingeniously designed copper water bladder, with an inlet at the top and an outlet at the bottom, evidently used for cooling with cold water. At the end of the long copper tube was a finely graduated, transparent crystal graduated cylinder, topped with a delicate valve.

"This is... a condensation distillation apparatus?!" Zhang Jingwei, drawing on his remaining modern knowledge, recognized its purpose. Excited, he immediately ordered Qian Ming, Liang Dahai, and the others to help him light a small stove and place the copper kettle on top. He filled the kettle with fresh water and then filled the cold water bag with cold water.

Soon, the water in the copper kettle heated up, bubbling and boiling. Vast quantities of steam emerged, surging upward along the long copper tube. As the scorching steam passed through the cold water surrounding it, it quickly condensed and transformed back into liquid water. Clear droplets formed on the inner wall of the transparent crystal tube, gathering into a stream that dripped into the crystal measuring cylinder at the end. The small amount of gas that hadn't completely condensed escaped with a hissing sound from the exhaust valve at the top.

"It's done!" Zhang Jingwei exclaimed excitedly.

Zhang Liu, watching from the side, was stunned and muttered, "As expected... only you, young master, know how to manipulate these strange and bizarre treasures of the master and make them truly display their magical powers!"

Zhang Jingwei took the opportunity to ask again, "Sixth Uncle, has my father never used these things in front of you before?"

Zhang Liu shook his head. "No. The master is always alone in the courtyard, meticulously polishing, drilling, and filing these crystal objects with his tools. Once he's finished, he brings them back to his small courtyard room like treasures, and I don't know what he's tinkering with. When I bring you food, I only deliver it to the study door. As for that cellar... if it really exists, it's probably locked. I've never been down there."

At this time, Qian Ming pointed at the colorless liquid that was accumulating more and more in the measuring cylinder and exclaimed, "Master! Look! Water is coming out!"

A clear stream flows steadily out of the tube and gathers in the measuring cylinder, it is extremely pure.

"Distilled water... theoretically, it's the purest water," Zhang Jingwei explained. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he slapped his thigh. "Oh! That's right! I can use it to make strong liquor!"

He immediately recalled the various plots in novels he had read before. After traveling through time, the protagonists often relied on distillation technology to brew strong liquor, becoming rich overnight and making a fortune.

"Never mind, let's try it first!" He did it right away. He immediately asked Qian Ming to bring two large jars of ordinary local sake, pour them into the copper pot instead of water, and repeat the previous steps.

After a while, liquid began to flow out of the catheter again. This time, an unusually strong and mellow aroma of wine began to fill the air, which was far more intoxicating than the previous sake.

Qian Ming sniffed, looking greedy: "Master, this smells so good! Let me try it for you first?" As he said that, he was about to take it.

Zhang Jingwei stopped him with a sneer, "You want to use me to test the poison? You wish! You try it first!"

Qian Ming chuckled and didn't refuse. He dipped his finger in a few drops of the freshly poured liquid and sipped it. "Hmm... warm... slurp... it seems... not much has changed," he said, a little disappointed. "But the flavor of the wine has been thoroughly cooked through. Smells great! Really good!"

Zhang Jingwei also tasted a little out of curiosity. The taste was indeed a little strong, but it seemed... wrong. He suddenly remembered a key physics knowledge: "Oh! That's right! Alcohol and water have different boiling points! We can't heat the mixture directly like this. We have to use a water bath method to better separate the alcohol!"

The experiment continued. The whole afternoon, the courtyard was filled with the rich and intoxicating aroma of wine, almost making people drunk.

Zhang Liu twitched his nose, lost in thought: "This smell... so familiar... it seems... it seems like when the master used to do it behind closed doors, I could occasionally smell a similar aroma, but it wasn't as strong..."

Zhang Jingwei smiled slightly when he heard this: "So my father also secretly tried making wine this way. Come, Uncle Six, have a taste of this 'strong liquor'."

Zhang Liu took a small cup of freshly distilled liquor and took a careful sip. He immediately gasped, his face wrinkled, and he kept fanning himself with his hands. "Hiss! So spicy! This liquor... this liquor cuts like a knife when it enters your mouth, and burns like fire when it goes down your stomach! It's too strong!"

Zhang Jingwei himself took a sip, and the intense, pungent smell instantly rushed to his nose, nearly bringing tears to his eyes and causing him to cough violently. He couldn't help but question his life as he coughed, "Oh my God! This stuff is too strong! If he drank eighteen bowls like Wu Song did, he wouldn't be able to kill the tiger. The tiger would probably come and lick him, and he'd be drunk for two days! Something's wrong... This smell is too strong... It's completely wrong!" This was far from the mellow baijiu he'd imagined.

Qian Ming interjected, "Master, I heard there's an extremely potent liquor in Liao called 'Shao Daozi.' It's said to be incredibly strong, and ordinary people wouldn't be able to handle more than a few sips. But in the bitter cold of the far north, just one sip would set your whole body ablaze, allowing you to survive a night in the ice and snow."

Zhang Jingwei put down his cup and concluded seriously, "Well, that's a good point. To sum it up in three words: it's not tasty."

Zhang Liu agreed deeply and nodded repeatedly, "Young Master is right. For us Central Plains people, drinking this kind of sake on the market is already considered the strongest. I'm afraid few people can handle such a strong drink."

Zhang Jingwei looked at the device still slowly dripping out liquor and waved his hand in frustration. "Forget it, forget it. Maybe brewing isn't the talent tree I should choose. Move this equipment to the backyard utility room. Maybe it'll be useful someday. Find an empty room to store all these bottles and jars, and keep them neatly arranged. Send someone to clean them regularly. Be careful not to damage them. These are... my father's hard work."

"Yes, young master, I've made note of it." Zhang Liu responded respectfully, looking at those strange devices, his eyes filled with nostalgia for the late master and awe for the young master in front of him.