Chapter 116
After watching Fulai leave, Li Yuechen shook his head, propped his chin with both hands and sighed.

Born in the royal family, without knowing it, he also learned to beat people.

This is all thanks to my father for allowing me to watch Emperor Fan, and personally taught me a lot of emperor skills, so now I have begun to pay attention to the issue of "controlling people".

Sigh... Born in this era, as a royal princess, it seems that I will never be able to regain the innocence I once had... Li Yuechen thought so in his heart.

Although she used to say that she didn't like scheming and other things, but in fact it seems that she has nothing to do with innocence.

After thinking about it carefully, the soap has already started to be distributed across the country, and these merchants pay first to get the goods from her, so now Li Yuechen has a lot of cash in his hands.

In addition, the production of transparent glassware has officially started, and there will be a steady stream of cash coming into the hands.

But there are no banks in this era. If you put such a large amount of cash in your hands, it may cause deflation. You still have to find a way to spend it as soon as possible.

But now there is no reliable project in hand, that is, the blast furnace experiment can be urged.

In addition... it seems that papermaking can also be considered. Taking advantage of the money in hand, maybe you can consider opening a paper mill.

Thinking of this, Li Yuechen immediately got up, and asked Xiao He to go with him to be a craftsman.

After the craftsmen came to salute, Li Yuechen got straight to the point: "Then the design is finished?"

"Returning to Your Highness, most of them have been completed, but there are some places that need to be tried during construction."

"Okay, let's start then." Li Yuechen nodded, "Are you ready for a place?"

The craftsman on the opposite side nodded: "Yes, there is an excellent place in Mang Mountain, not far away, and it is convenient for His Highness to check it at any time."

Li Yuechen clapped his hands: "Okay, roughly estimate how much it will cost, and make a list for me."

"Shanzi?" The craftsman on the opposite side was stunned. "Your Highness, the villain is stupid. I don't know what the so-called 'Shanzi' is? And we can't read..."

Hearing the other party's explanation, Li Yuechen helplessly raised his hand and patted his forehead, really forgot about it.

So he turned his head and waved his hands to Xiao He: "Go and ask Sister Xuancheng to come over!"

"Yes!" Xiao He nodded, "Your servant should go back and call, Your Highness, don't run around..."

Li Yuechen waved his hand: "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere, just stay here."

Only then did Xiao He leave, and after about 10 minutes, she trotted over with Princess Xuancheng.

Li Yuechen was already a little impatient waiting, thinking that the palace really needed some means of transportation.

Otherwise, in such a big place, it would take a lot of time to ask someone to talk about something.

The craftsmen saw another highness coming, and hurriedly saluted: "I have seen your highness the princess!"

"Exemption." Princess Xuancheng raised her hand, then turned around and said, "Chen'er, did you ask me to come over?"

Li Yuechen nodded helplessly: "Sister, can you come over and check the list with them tomorrow?"

I roughly explained what happened, but it's actually not difficult, just investigate the approximate cost of building the blast furnace, and figure it out, so Li Yuechen can approve the money.

The main reason is that it's time for her to go to class tomorrow, and she has no time to spend here.Anyway, it is not too easy to do this at the current level of Princess Xuancheng.

Princess Xuancheng nodded to indicate that there was no problem, and then looked at their design drawings, asked about the various data produced, and planned to go back and calculate how many materials were needed.

Then Li Yuechen explained: "When the list is out, you can give your fingerprints, and then I will approve the money for you. Don't worry, this is just to prevent corruption."

After listening to her explanation, the craftsmen nodded to express their understanding. They didn't think about embezzling the princess's money, and they all said that there was no problem.

……

Three days later, Princess Xuancheng gave the checked list to Li Yuechen. She took a look at it and asked Fulai to approve the money for them to build the blast furnace.

At the same time, he took out a sum of money for Fulai to expand the production of canned food, and at the same time found a few people from the paper factory for himself.

In the afternoon of the next day, Li Yuechen came to Jixianfang and sat on the main seat in Laicao's office. Fulai and Laicao stood on the left and right sides respectively.

On the opposite side, there were three cautious middle-aged people standing there with their heads lowered, their hands unconsciously grasping the hem of their clothes.

Li Yuechen smiled: "Don't be nervous, I just want to ask you about your profession today."

Saying that, he waved to Fulai: "Get them some yogurt, otherwise they will be so nervous all the time, and they won't be able to ask anything."

"Here!" Fulai agreed.

The three people on the opposite side were actually suffering in their hearts and couldn't tell.

They are all employees of a paper mill. Strictly speaking, they are working for relatives.

In this day and age, although it is legal to buy and sell slaves, it is really not affordable for ordinary people.

Those who can afford slaves must be at least at the landlord level.

Most of the waiters in restaurants and teahouses are collateral relatives of the boss, and these people are more at ease in using them.

Although there were many slaves in the paper mill where the three of them lived, the slaves had no access to the core secrets and did the dirtiest and most tiring work.

Secondly, slaves do not have their own free time, and it is impossible for them to think about going out to drink in their spare time and then being brought over by Fulai.

After a while, Fulai brought some yogurt and poured them each a glass.

Seeing that the hands of the three were trembling, Li Yuechen suddenly turned his head: "How did you bring them here?"

Fulai looked a little embarrassed: "This..."

……

half an hour ago.

The three of them came out of the paper-making workshop, teasing and laughing at each other while discussing where to go for a drink or two.

However, as soon as he walked out of the gate, several plainclothes guards had already walked out from the surrounding crowd.

While putting his arms on their shoulders, he put the gleaming dagger in his hand on his neck, and said coldly in a low voice: "If you don't want to die, be obedient and come with us!"

Where have the three of them seen such a posture?Feeling the coolness from the neck, he nodded immediately to express his obedience.

Several plainclothes prison guards carried the three of them into the carriage and went straight to Jixianfang. People passing by didn't notice anything unusual at all.

When they arrived at Jixianfang, they saw a group of heavily armed soldiers standing inside when they got out of the car. They didn't dare to say anything more, and obediently followed into the office.

After a while, a middle-aged man with a clean face, no beard, and a little fat came in, dressed in official clothes.

The other party was not polite, and said directly to them: "Listen up, your highness will come over in a while, and you need to answer truthfully! Otherwise, be careful not to lose your head!"

Although they didn't know why Her Royal Highness wanted to see them, at this moment, they had no other choice but to nod in agreement.

……

"This... this servant just invited them to come over for a chat, and didn't do anything else." Fulai replied with a bit of embarrassment, and smiled after finishing speaking.

For this explanation, Li Yuechen did not doubt anything, after all, the common people in this era are still a little afraid of being an official.

Especially the people in the palace, they themselves have a mysterious attribute.

Li Yuechen waved his hand: "Don't be nervous, I just want to ask about the process of making paper. Don't be afraid when you go back, no one will know that you said it."

The three looked around. In this situation, the one sitting in front of them was the royal princess, and they seemed to have no other choice.

The man in the middle raised his head somewhat cautiously: "Your Highness, feel free to ask, as long as we know."

Li Yuechen nodded, and asked Fulai to take a pen and paper to record: "Let's explain the whole process. If there is any problem, I will bring it up."

The three people on the opposite side nodded, and slowly talked about the craft of papermaking.

Li Yuechen is not ignorant of this, but many things have been forgotten, so he needs to listen to their process to see if it is different from what he remembers.

Fulai took a pen to quickly take notes at the side, and Li Yuechen also asked some questions from time to time, and they would obediently answer them.

After chatting for about half an hour, Li Yuechen had a general understanding of the papermaking craft of this era.

In fact, the paper here in the capital is not very good. It is usually made of mulberry or Chupi, or hemp paper made of hemp.

As far as Li Yuechen knows, the tribute paper used by the royal family is generally the rattan paper made in Bashu and the wind paper in Huizhou (Note).

The paper of this era is actually quite good, and there are many types.

Li Yuechen himself knew that many ancient documents from the Tang Dynasty were unearthed in later generations, and they could be preserved for more than a thousand years, so the quality should not be too bad.

It may even surpass the industrialized paper of later generations in some respects.

But it is precisely because of this that the cost of papermaking in this era remains high. This is the current situation and problem facing Li Yuechen.

After asking these questions clearly, Li Yuechen thought for a while and asked again: "Who is this paper-making workshop under? Or, who is behind the scenes of this paper-making workshop?"

Hearing her question, the three of them hesitated to answer for a while, and looked at each other.

"I advise you to tell the truth," Li Yuechen said, "Only if I know whose property this is, can I save your life!"

Hearing what she said, the person on the opposite side saluted and said, "Return to Your Highness, it's Lu Guogong!"

Hearing the other party's answer, Li Yuechen was slightly taken aback.

Cheng Chumo?Damn, I'm not familiar with him!
To be honest, not only was he not familiar with him, Li Yuechen was not familiar with almost all civil servants and generals except Liu Rengui.

In fact, she was very interested in Cheng Yaojin or Xue Rengui, famous generals who have many legends in later generations, and she especially wanted to know them.

But as a member of the royal family, it is really inappropriate to get too close to these lords, mainly because they are afraid of arousing the emperor's suspicion.

So from birth to now, Li Yuechen has never taken the initiative to contact any powerful ministers or lords except Master Liu Rengui.

Especially Cheng Yaojin, who died exactly in the year he was born.

After his eldest son Cheng Chumo inherited the title of Duke Lu, he did not hold an official position in the court.

Occasionally, I heard a few gossips, as if he was just messing around with women at home.

Unexpectedly, this papermaking workshop is actually his property.

Li Yuechen waved his hand: "Okay, you wait to go back. Fulai, it's not easy to come here, treat them to a bar."

"Here!"

Fulai agreed, sent the three of them outside the door, gave them some rewards, and let them go back.

After thinking about it, Li Yuechen boarded the carriage and returned to the palace.

On the way back to the palace, Li Yuechen suddenly thought about it: "Does Duke Lu have any sons or relatives working in the palace?"

After thinking for a while, Fulai replied respectfully: "Cheng Chubi, younger brother of Lord Lu, is now General You Jinwu!"

Li Yuechen nodded: "I'll be back in a while, help me ask him to come and meet him, it'll be in the pavilion in front of the craftsman's supervisor."

"Here!"

……

After returning to the palace, Li Yuechen jumped out of the carriage and sat down in the pavilion outside the craftsman's supervisor. Fulai took out yogurt from the carriage and poured her a cup, then immediately went to find Cheng Chubi.

About twenty minutes later, Fulai walked over with a middle-aged man who looked about 40 years old.

Cheng Chubi is about 1.8 meters tall, with big arms and round waist, looking at Kong Wu with strength.

Wearing a polished bright armor, the beard on his face seems to have been carefully groomed, not messy.

When he came close, Cheng Chubi took off his pocket and saluted: "Your Majesty, I have seen Her Royal Highness!"

"General Cheng, excuse me!" Li Yuechen waved his hand lightly.

Cheng Chubi stood up: "Dare to ask Your Highness, what is it that calls me here?"

Li Yuechen appreciates this straight-forward approach: "Actually, I have an idea to open a paper mill. Today, I planned to ask a few craftsmen about the specific process. Who knew that it was Lu Guogong's property after asking... So I want General Cheng to recommend it. , so come and say hello."

Speaking of this, Fulai hurriedly saluted Li Yuechen: "It's all because the slaves don't have eyes, and they went to Lu Guogong's family..."

"Eunuch is serious!" Cheng Chubi hurriedly interrupted, "It's not a big deal, I'll go back today and talk to my elder brother, how dare you bother the princess..."

Li Yuechen smiled and shook his head: "Don't worry, General Cheng, I just came to say hello, I don't have any other intentions."

Hearing what she said, Cheng Chubi no longer insisted, after all, the princess is a girl, and she is still different from the prince.

Even now that she has entered the court as an official, she is still different from the prince.

If it is the prince, they must not be allowed to meet in private, and must meet under the emperor's nose.

After all, there were lessons learned from the past, and the Cheng family didn't want to follow in Hou Junji's footsteps.

In fact, Li Yuechen didn't say that he had to pay a visit, it would be fine if he could meet in the imperial city.But the problem is that Cheng Chumo has no official position, so it will be very embarrassing to enter the palace.

Since you have a title, no matter what you need to do when you enter the palace, you should salute and chat with the emperor.But the problem is that the two of them are not familiar with each other, and it seems that there is nothing to talk about.

So Li Yuechen asked him to go back and let him know.

The next afternoon, Li Yuechen took some canned food and a few pieces of soap to Duke Lu's mansion.

Fulai also took off the sealing wax and cork in advance with a wink, and replaced the porcelain bottle in a hurry, so as to prevent the canning formula from being guessed.

 Fengzhi is Shengxuan. These paragraphs about paper are checked by the author based on old and new Tang books. If there is anything wrong, please correct me.

  Thank you [Lord of the lord] for the reward of 1500 starting coins!
  Thanks to [Alalala] for the reward of 700 starting coins!
  Thank you [relatively] for the 100 starting coins rewarded!
  
 
(End of this chapter)

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like