Rong Xi

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Rong Xi (容奚)
Alias(es)	Rong Dalang; Eldest Young Master Rong
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Rong Clan; Rong Residence in Linxi Town; business partnerships with the Hu and Jiang families
Occupation/Role	Former twenty-third-century researcher; independent inventor, entrepreneur, and head of Rong Residence
Status	Alive; active in Mengshan County as of 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Rong Xi was originally a frail but exceptionally intelligent technology researcher from the twenty-third century. His work covered a broad range of fields, and he practiced calligraphy to temper the impatience that could hinder his research. After working himself to death at home, he awoke in the body of a drowning young man in Great Wei 1 2 4.

The original owner, who shared Rong Xi’s name, willingly relinquished his body after deciding that life had lost its meaning. Rong Xi inherited his memories and learned that he had transmigrated into a minor cannon-fodder character from a novel he had read 2.

In Great Wei, Rong Xi is Minister Rong’s legitimate eldest son. He was sent without money to the neglected Rong ancestral residence in Linxi after allegedly attempting to force himself on Liang Siwen. The accusation later proves to have been a scheme in which Rong Fourth Brother used violence and their birth mother’s belongings to coerce him 1 13 43.

Appearance

Rong Xi initially has a weak, heavily overweight body despite an elegant, jade-like bearing. His obesity is linked to excessive tonics administered during childhood, when his constitution was too frail to tolerate them 9 15.

• Initially described as plump, with excess flesh obscuring otherwise handsome features 1 15.
• Possesses sharp brows, a full forehead, pale skin, and neat white teeth 1 15.
• Carries himself with calm refinement even in loose robes and impoverished surroundings 9 19.
• Becomes noticeably slimmer and stronger through Chen Chuangu’s prescription and daily exercise 18 45.
• As his health improves, his handsome contours become increasingly visible 45 48.

Personality

Rong Xi is courteous toward people of every social standing, especially skilled artisans. He treats Jiang Weiping as a respected collaborator rather than a servant or inferior, and he consistently repays kindness through practical help, food, inventions, or opportunities 1 16 21.

He is highly pragmatic. Even when sheltering suspicious, injured strangers, he remains cautious and asks what rent they will pay; when negotiations fail, he withdraws rather than wasting resources on resentment 3 11. His concern for ordinary people is equally practical: he shares useful inventions rather than monopolizing them and creates work for families facing poverty 20 23.

Rong Xi avoids fame, official office, and the political dangers of Shengjing. He prefers research and a quiet rural life, although he will share inventions with the court when they can protect soldiers or benefit the realm 19 47 49. He is also capable of strategic deception, initially pretending to be incapable before Gao Bai and using his notorious reputation to mislead hostile visitors 14 19.

Abilities & Skills

Applied Research & Engineering

Rong Xi translates knowledge from his previous life into workable designs suited to Great Wei’s available materials and craftsmen.

• Developed twelve-hole honeycomb coal briquettes and matching coal stoves, improving Blackstone’s combustion and affordability 4 7 13.
• Designed Thin Cauldrons/iron woks and contributed improved iron-smelting methods that made thinner, more useful ironware possible 10 16 35.
• Developed horseshoes with commercial and military value, reducing injuries and losses among merchant horses 38 39.
• Experimented with coke-fired kilns until usable transparent glass could be made for windows and doors 39 40.
• Created a glass mirror using tin foil and mercury 50.
• Built a crude but functional telescope and offered its manufacturing method to Qin Ke for military use 43 47.
• Relies on craftspeople such as Jiang Weiping, Feng Shan, and kiln workers to turn his principles and drawings into finished products 1 39.

Culinary Innovation

Rong Xi applies modern cooking methods to transform Great Wei’s limited local diet.

• Introduced seasoned steamed fish, bean sprouts, stir-frying, and dishes prepared with Thin Cauldrons 2 4 16.
• Created tofu through grinding, filtering, and boiling soybeans; Hu Yulin helped establish a workshop so ordinary people could access it 20.
• Refined cane sugar into white sugar using yellow earth to remove impurities 22 35.
• Trains others in cooking, including Miss Jiang, rather than treating his recipes as private secrets 21.
• His food regularly builds trust with allies, including the Chen household, Hu Yulin, Jiang Weiping, Gao Bai, and Qin Ke 7 17 32 34.

Scholarship, Memory & Teaching

Rong Xi possesses exceptional memory, calligraphy, composition, and instructional ability.

• Rapidly studied Great Wei’s history and geography after transmigrating, using his photographic memory to identify coal resources and business opportunities 2.
• Writes elegant calligraphy and demonstrates advanced composition skills when he finally reveals his ability to Gao Bai 4 19.
• Teaches Liu Zishi literacy, writing, and calligraphy despite the boy’s limited aptitude 9 38.
• Uses written diagrams and precise annotations to communicate unfamiliar technical principles to artisans 1 4.

Commerce & Reform

Rong Xi understands both the market value and political risks of innovation.

• Sold the coal-briquette plan to Hu Yulin for a fixed ten strings of cash rather than demanding future profit shares 5.
• Recognizes that salt and iron are state monopolies and advises Jiang Weiping to seek official recognition only when it is safe to do so 16.
• Purchases farmland, employs the former owner’s family as tenant farmers, and hires local labor during the agricultural off-season 23 18.
• Proposes licensed private iron production under government taxation, arguing that state workshops alone cannot meet public demand 48.
• Refuses an offered post in the Ministry of Works, choosing independence and continued research over official rank 49.

Equipment / Items

• Snow Mud — a rare white horse gifted by Qin Ke; Rong Xi gradually learns horsemanship while riding it 45 48.
• Jade pendant — given by First Young Master Chen; Rong Xi uses it to secure Feng Shan’s martial instruction for Liu Zishi 17 18.
• Technical drawings and research records — used to commission devices, explain mechanisms to craftsmen, and document glassmaking experiments 1 39.

Relationships

• Liu He — Elderly caretaker of Rong Residence. He nurses Rong Xi after the drowning incident and becomes fiercely loyal after witnessing his kindness and capability 2 8.
• Liu Zishi — Liu He’s grandson, servant, student, and devoted protector. Rong Xi teaches him literacy, supports his martial training, and provides for his future 9 19 29.
• Hu Yulin — Merchant heir, business partner, and close friend. Hu initially judges Rong Xi by rumor, then becomes one of his strongest supporters in the coal, food, glass, and agricultural ventures 3 7 39.
• Jiang Weiping — Blacksmith and technical collaborator. Jiang forges Rong Xi’s designs and becomes deeply loyal after Rong Xi protects his interests from state exploitation 1 16.
• Qin Ke — Prince Qin, formerly disguised as Chen Dalang. Qin becomes Rong Xi’s friend, publicly recognizes his inventions, gifts him Snow Mud, and promises to keep him safe 34 45 47.
• Chen Chuangu — Physician and friend. He diagnoses Rong Xi’s condition, provides a prescription, and remains emotionally attached to Rong Residence 15 17.
• Rong Lian — Rong Xi’s younger brother. Their relationship gradually shifts from distance and misunderstanding to admiration, apology, and mutual support 36 40 43.
• Gao Bai — Rong Xi’s teacher and protective elder. Gao Bai is astonished by Rong Xi’s concealed scholarly talent and respects his refusal to pursue officialdom 19 32.
• Feng Shan — Carpenter and Liu Zishi’s martial-arts master. Feng Shan fulfills Rong Xi’s furniture commissions and later assists with glass-window installation 18 21 39.
• Liang Siwen — The supposed victim of Rong Xi’s alleged misconduct. His later letter reveals that Rong Xi was coerced into the incident and wrongly condemned by the Rong family 13 43.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Exile and survival — Sent to Linxi without financial support, Rong Xi begins rebuilding the ancestral residence through technical designs, improved food, and coal-briquette production 1 2 7.
• The Chen household refuge — He shelters the secretly injured Qin Ke and his companions, later damaging his own reputation to conceal Qin Ke from pursuing constables 11 14 15.
• Local transformation — Rong Xi’s coal stoves, Thin Cauldrons, stir-frying, tofu, white sugar, carpentry designs, and farming plans begin changing life in Mengshan County 16 20 21 35.
• Family reconciliation — Rong Lian’s arrival forces both brothers to confront the gap between Rong Xi’s reputation and his true character; Rong Lian eventually learns the truth behind the old scandal and apologizes 36 40 43.
• Glass and imperial attention — His glassmaking project leads to bright, windproof windows, court interest in Mengshan craftsmanship, and imperial recognition of his talent 39 40 50.
• Military contribution — Rong Xi designs horseshoes and a telescope for Great Wei’s defense, entrusting the latter to Qin Ke rather than seeking personal reward 39 43 47.
• Reform without office — Though the Ministry of Works seeks to recruit him, Rong Xi refuses official life and instead advances proposals for practical industrial reform through Qin Ke 48 49.

Notable Quotes

“One may also benefit the common people amid peaceful mountains and waters.”
— Rong Xi 19

“Nothing. I only seek peace, joy, and a smooth life.”
— Rong Xi 47

Trivia

• Rong Xi and the original owner of his body share the same name 2.
• He privately honors the original owner as his “lifesaver,” installing an unnamed memorial tablet in the ancestral hall and offering incense for his peace 21.
• He learned sewing from Madam Jiang and eventually made boxer-style undergarments with drawstrings because Great Wei lacks elastic materials 27.