The Prodigal Son of the Empire

Regardless of the East or the West, in ancient times, purple was a noble and expensive color. The reason is nothing more than the scarcity of purple dyes and the difficulty of purple coloring.

The purple dyeing agent in plant dyes is generally comfrey, which is used for dyeing its roots.Multiple shades of purple can be dyed, and the number of colors is rich.

But comfrey dyeing has serious disadvantages... A book flashed through Wang Kang's mind, and he finally determined the method.

In [-], a London coppersmith stumbled upon a method of making purple dye from several lichens in a dye house.

The method discovered by this coppersmith is an ancient Greek method of making lichen dye, which is made from Mediterranean lichen, added with urine (ammonia), and extracted.

What is lichen, it is actually a kind of moss plant, and the source of purple dye is called litmus lichen.

This kind of moss plant can be seen everywhere, and it is not worth much at all, but the purple color purified from it is the best.

According to the method in the book, Wang Kang found lichen and added ingredients such as urine to boil it, and soon came up with pure purple.

Next, alum is added to brighten, which is also a critical step. The color of silk fabrics in this era is rigid, even dull, and the main reason is that they have not gone through the step of brightening.

Then Wang Kang found a piece of pure white and colorless silk and began to dye it. With his method, the dyeing was naturally even.

The next step is very simple, just wait for it to dry in the sun. Fortunately, the sun is very strong today, and the purple silk appeared soon.

Wang Kang compared the purple silk he was wearing with the purple silk he was wearing, and it was obvious that the purple silk he was wearing was scum.

Under the reflection of the sun, the purple silk exudes a bright luminosity, which is precipitated and deep. This is the noble purple.

At this moment, Lin Yuyan, Xu Changlin, and Shopkeeper He were sitting opposite each other in a room specially designed for rest in the backyard of Fuyang Cloth Village.

"Deacon Xu, I didn't say that, this Young Master Kang is really a prodigal, so much material is useless if you say it..."!Shopkeeper He complained.

"It is very difficult for me to configure this once. There is still a batch of silk to be dyed soon, and the construction period is delayed. Isn't it the loss of our Fuyang cloth shop?"

"That's fine, he is still brazenly saying that he has a better dye formula? It's a big joke." Shopkeeper He said disdainfully.

"Old He, you are also an old man in the Earl's Mansion, so you can't pay attention to what you say. It's not our turn to talk about what the young master looks like!" Deacon Xu said with a little anger.

"Blame me for talking too much?" Shopkeeper He snorted coldly: "If he can really make a better dye formula, let me not call him Young Master, I can call him Grandpa!"

"Oh? Who wants to call me grandpa?" Wang Kang, who was walking through the door, asked when he heard this sentence.

"This..." The gossip behind his back was heard, and shopkeeper He didn't know what to say in embarrassment.

"The young master has come out. I've been waiting here for a while. The Earl's Mansion still has a lot of things to deal with, so let's go back first!" Xu Changlin said hurriedly.

As for the matter of the dye formula, he didn't even mention it, just because he was afraid of embarrassing Wang Kang.

"I don't know if Young Master Kang has prepared a better dye formula?" Just then shopkeeper He asked.

"Shopkeeper He...you?" Xu Changlin glared, he just didn't want to mention this matter so he led it elsewhere.

I have no eyesight, and I don't know what happened to shopkeeper He today, so he insisted on holding on to Young Master Kang.

Wang Kang was also a little angry at the moment. The shopkeeper He spoke in a strange way, and he was not the young master in his eyes at all. Combined with the previous incident, Wang Kang instinctively felt that there was something wrong with this guy.

Wang Kang looked deeply at shopkeeper He, and used the identity interpretation, and the information of this person appeared in front of his eyes in an instant.

He An, shopkeeper of Fuyang Buzhuang South Street branch, has been bought by Dong Qian... in an attempt to find a better dye formula for him, and help the Liu family open a dyeing workshop...

I really don't know if I don't see it, just look at it and jump!

Although Wang Kang's complexion did not change, his heart was already turbulent. This shopkeeper He had already been bought by Dong Gan.

If he remembers correctly, Dong Qian is the eldest son of the governor Dong Yiwu, and the reason for buying him is that the Liu family is also going to open a cloth shop...

The amount of information here is a bit large. As the shopkeeper of the branch, He An not only knows a lot about the management of Fuyang Cloth Shop, but also knows the formula of dyes...

If this leaks out, it will really deal a big blow to the Earl's Mansion.

And more importantly, I don't know if there are any bribed people like He An in the Earl's Mansion?

Wang Kang looked around and soon thought of a way to counterattack, so why not use a trick!

"Why doesn't Master Kang speak?" He An asked again.

"I'm thinking about something," Wang Kang looked at He An and said seriously.

"What's the problem?" He An asked subconsciously without knowing it.

"You said just now that if I really concocted a better purple dye, you would call me grandpa. Does that count?" Wang Kang asked.

"Master Kang, you..." He An's expression froze, and then he said again: "Of course it counts."

As a prodigal son of yours, can you make a better formula?I don't even believe in beating him to death, He An felt disdainful, he knew that he must have offended Wang Kang today.

But he was not afraid at all, as Wang Kang knew, he had already been bought by Dong Qian to go to the Liu family, and he would even become the big treasurer of the Liu family cloth village in the future.

"Okay!" Wang Kang nodded, "Deacon Xu, you heard it, you have to testify!"

"Master, this..." Deacon Xu's expression was difficult, I heard it, but the premise is that you have to take out something, but he couldn't say that.

"If you really made the formula, I can call you grandpa, but what if you don't?" He An glanced at Wang Kang and said.

"Although Young Master Kang is an Earl and Young Master, you can't be unreasonable!" He An said angrily: "If Young Master Kang can't come up with the formula, I don't ask for anything else, as long as you, Young Master Kang, apologize to me." !"

"Professor He!" Deacon Xu said with a cold voice: "What is the status of the young master, please pay attention to your attitude!"

He An ignored Wang Kang, but still stared at Wang Kang.

"Wang Kang, let's go..." Lin Yuyan also said at this time, this prodigal son is really not shameful enough, what can he do blindly.

If he really apologized to Shopkeeper He in the end, it would reduce his prestige, and in the end it would be Uncle Fuyang who lost face.

However, before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by Wang Kang. He looked at He An coldly and said, "Since you can't wait to call me grandpa, then I will satisfy you!"

As Wang Kang said, he directly took out the purple silk he had dyed and placed it where the sunlight penetrated.

The purple silk was noble, deep and flexible, exuding a dazzling brilliance. The few people were attracted to it just by seeing it, and couldn't move their eyes...

But Wang Kang ignored the sluggish reactions of several people, and said directly to He An: "How about shopkeeper He? Are you going to call grandpa?"

[Author's Digression]: Ask for bank notes, ask for collection

Chapter 49 Counting

"Impossible! This is impossible!" He An woke up instantly after hearing Wang Kang's words.

"You definitely didn't dye this!" He An exclaimed. He is a veteran cloth dyer himself, and he has gone through many experiments in order to find a better dyeing formula for purple.

But the piece of silk that Wang Kang took out was not comparable to the one he dyed in terms of the luster and brightness of the color.