A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 225
The Chongwen Museum has a collection of tens of thousands of volumes of books. To transcribe several copies of these tens of thousands of volumes, each volume of silk is a big project.

In the city of Chang’an, not only the Bureau of Economics and Economics of the Secretary’s Provincial Hongwen Museum has special script scribes to copy scriptures, but there are also many large temples in Chang’an that have scripture scribes for a long time.

These people copied in regular script, and also formed a special style of copying scriptures.

The most famous copyist in Chang'an City could copy two hundred volumes a year and earn two to three hundred bolts of silk.However, for ordinary scripture copyists, one volume may be written every three days, and each volume costs dozens of dollars and hundreds of dollars.

This time, the big project of the Chongwen Museum involved outsourced copying. Not only the scripture copyists in Chang’an City received the orders, but even the Guozijian, as well as the various government officials and miscellaneous officials in Beijing, and even some candidates in Beijing. , Hou Kao's petty officials and scholars also participated.

Copying scriptures does not cost money, and it is a good part-time job.

Wu Huaiyu took good care of the subordinates of the Economic and Economic Bureau, letting them subcontract and earn a fortune from it.Before Manchang'an asked nobles, princes and officials to donate books, many princes, nobles and powerful people also donated money.

Later, the emperor also raised a special sum of money to support the cultural and educational undertakings of the East Palace. This sum of money and food was a large sum, and Wu Huaiyu had the final say.

With money on hand, it is convenient to do things, and you don't need to report every little bit to your superiors.

Purchasing paper, ink, pens, and subcontracting to copy and write, Wu Huaiyu had money on hand and staff, so he quickly restored the paper workshop, ink workshop, brush workshop, and decoration workshop, and began to purchase raw materials for his own production.

Now the Bureau of Economics and Economics is strong and strong, and the food at noon is better.

Two dishes and one soup, one meat and one vegetarian.

Directly adopt the dish-making system, and the officials also add fried eggs.

The staple food is steamed cakes or soup cakes or rice, one liter per person.

I don't know how envious the people in the five bureaus next door are to this kind of treatment. In a few days, Zuo Chunfang's prince Zhongyun, prince Zuo Yude, doctor Zuo Zanshan, Si Yilang, chief officer, recorder, messenger, and master of ceremony , Likers, etc. all came to the canteen of the Economic and Economic Bureau to eat.

Even the chiefs of the other five bureaus, Dianchenglang, Yaozanglang, Uchizhiro, Gongmenlang, Dianshelang, etc. also came.

Fortunately, Youchunfang didn't work together, otherwise the officials from Youchunfang would probably have to come here too.

Zhang Chengde, who is in charge of the public kitchen of the Economic and Economic Bureau, is very dissatisfied with this, but Huaiyu told him not to worry. Now that the Economic and Economic Bureau is booming, especially with a large amount of funds in hand, it is normal for other yamen to be jealous .

When these officials came to have a meal, Wu Huaiyu also let them entertain, anyway, how much can they eat just for a working meal.

Taking advantage of short hands and short mouths, after eating the food of the Economic and Economic Bureau, they will not be able to say anything about it in the future.

Wu Huaiyu even subcontracted some copying projects to the brothers Yamen, letting them earn some extra money by the way, eating meat by themselves, but others have to eat soup, right?

The yamen of the Eastern Palace are not complete now, and all of them are very poor. The real Qingshui yamen, now the Bureau of Economics and Economics has managed to set up a Chongwen Museum and a project of transcribing tens of thousands of volumes of scriptures. Although in Wu Huaiyu's eyes, This is actually nothing luscious, but in the eyes of those poor officials, it is very attractive.

The other brothers' units, Tian Tian, ​​did not have any money, but their Bureau of Economics and Economics had everything.

"Master, the [-] students who will accompany the prince to study in the Chongwen Museum have all been selected by the above,"

"Here's the list."

Wu Huaiyu picked it up and looked at it. It was similar to the selection criteria of the Hongwen Museum under the door. The royal family, the empress dowager, the queen's children, and the prime minister's children were all relatives with great achievements, that is, the children of the same grandfather's clan.
Those selected are not the relatives of the emperor, but the children of the princes and prime ministers, the most expensive group of people.

The ages selected were fourteen to nineteen.

There are only 38 students in the Hongwen Museum, and when they opened the Chongwen Museum, there were only [-] students.

Each one is the son of a prince or prime minister, very honorable.

For example, Yuan Qingyuanshuang, the son of the warrior Xun, is not eligible, because the warrior Xun is only a real duke of the state, but he is not a first-rank, let alone a prime minister.

Huailiang, Wu Huaiyu's brother, and Ma Zai, Ma Zhou's son, were even less qualified.

Qin Qiong, the general of the town army, is only at the second rank, and neither is his son.

"Eleventh Lang, take Zhang Wenxue and Liu Zhengzi, visit each house in person, and deliver the notice."

The Li family of the royal family, the eldest grandson's family of the empress, the Dou family of the empress dowager, and then the current prime ministers, Pei Jifang, Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Xiao Yu, Feng Deyi and other children,

None of the noble concubine's family is eligible for the selection.

"Is Erlang not going?"

"I'm not going,"

Huaiyu is also very cautious now. This time he collected books, but he got out of the Chongwen Library ahead of time, and became the owner of the library. He is already a bit too popular, so there is no need to spend too much time with these royal relatives, prime ministers, princes, and princes. touch.

"You can just go, talk to them well, praise their children, by the way, tell them, thank them for donating books and money before, and when the books in the Chongwen Museum are copied, I will give them some treasures."

Lai Ji smiled, "Erlang wants them to donate more money and food?"

"We don't ask for it, but if they want to donate, they don't have to refuse." He smiled.

It's a good attitude not to take the initiative or refuse.

The royal relatives, the princes and the prime ministers, whoever's family and their fingers leaked points, can also make the Sijing Bureau fatter.

As an officer, only by working for the welfare of his subordinates can he have cohesiveness and people's hearts, and then he can do things, otherwise he will have no majesty.

Engaging in projects is naturally the best way to benefit.

If there is a project, there will be money and food, and if there is money and food, there will be oil and water after hand, and there is no need for corruption or anything.

Wu Huaiyu is now busy digging around every day, digging regular script hands, familiar paper craftsmen, decorators, pen craftsmen, and even poaching people from the Imperial College to become direct bachelors.

A lot of school scribes, Zhengzi, scribes, shulingshi, and Dianshu were also dug up.

Because the Bureau of Economics and Economics is relatively high-profile, the food in their cafeteria is so good that they have been impeached by the censor, and some people have impeached the Bureau of Economics and Economics for paying salaries in advance, and even giving food, money, and benefits to officials and craftsmen.

It's just that these impeachments didn't cause any splashes, but they gave free advertisements to the Bureau of Economics and Economics. We all know that the Bureau of Economics and Economics is valued by the emperor now, and the treatment is good and the benefits are high. Officials accepted the transfer one after another, and some even took the initiative to ask the Bureau of Economics and Economics.

For a while, the Bureau of Economics and Economics, which was usually little-known, became the most popular yamen in Chang'an City.

Even Cai Yungong, the crown prince who never saw one side at ordinary times, often runs here now. The bachelor of Hongwenguan, now comes to the Economic and Economic Bureau for lunch every day, and even rubs his pen, ink and paper, but Wu Huaiyu doesn't mind at all.

All kinds of benefits are not less than his.

The Department of Economics and Economics was on fire, and the Chongwen Museum was even more soaring.

Even the industries under the name of the Bureau of Economics and Economics are booming now. Chongwen Bookstore, Chongwen Paper Shop, Chongwen Pen Shop, Chongwen Ink Shop, etc. have been opened in the two cities of Chang'an.

Wu Huaiyu also produced some so-called rare editions of books, and even a co-branded version of Chongwenguan's academics, etc., which were not only sold in bookstores, but also given to those royal relatives, princes and prime ministers who donated large sums of money to Hongwenguan.

The ones given to the princes and prime ministers are free gifts, but others who want to buy these rare edition books of the same style will be expensive.

These incomes from selling books, paper and pens, etc. all went into the small treasury of the Bureau of Economics and Economics. The money is distributed to everyone as subsidies of various names.

When it was cold, I bought charcoal and firewood for everyone, and also made leather jackets and sweaters for everyone, added silk quilts, distributed meat and rice, and distributed paper and pens.

Even leather boots and hats are posted twice a month.

An internal interest-free loan has also been established. If the bureaucrats and craftsmen have difficulties for a while, they can apply for a loan without interest.

There are even rental subsidies, transportation subsidies for horse riding, fodder money, etc.

The income level of the officials of the Bureau of Economic and Economic Affairs has risen sharply, and the standard of salary has not changed, but they have more money and food in their hands. Wealth and subsidies of various names, rice noodles are distributed today, oil and salt tomorrow, and silk cloth the day after tomorrow.

Laiji, who is in charge of managing the small treasury in the department, even has a headache.

"Erlang, more and more money is being spent in this account, can't we spend it all?"

The Bureau of Economics and Economics is now the only yamen in the East Palace that is fully staffed or even overstaffed, but it can still pay the salary in full when it is full, and there are various continuous benefits.

"It's the end of the year, spend more, or else there will be too much money in the account, and it will be difficult to account for it." Huaiyu instructed that he must make a surprise spending before the end of the year.

"What's the name? There are a lot of people staring at us now, and I'm afraid it won't work if we have too much money." Laiji is still a little too young, and he doesn't know how to spend money even if he has money.

"Isn't it easy?"

Huaiyu felt that it was easy to spend money, "In this way, buying more paper, ink, pens and inkstones, wouldn't this be a huge expense? The paper and ink bought, etc., will be given away by the Imperial College, Hongwenguan, and Secretary Province, and then three provinces and six departments will be given away. The five temples and nine prisons also gave some,

Finally, we will allocate a batch to our officials in the department. "

Paper, ink, brushes and inkstones are very valuable, and they can be sold for money after distribution.

The purchase of these paper, ink, pens and inkstones from the workshops affiliated to the Bureau of Economics and Economics also increased their income. Most of the money can be kept to bill the purchase of raw materials, or to give more food and oil benefits to the craftsmen.

The money in the account of the Bureau of Economics and Economics allowed him to flow and spread out, so it was naturally inconspicuous, and even shared some benefits with other yamen and officials.

Those subordinate workshops took the money, kept most of it, purchased raw materials, and even made a report to expand workshops, stores, etc., it was all expenses and costs.

This continuous flow is like a large piece of fat turning around in the hands of the officials in the department, and it will naturally fill the hands with oil.

However, Wu Huaiyu looked through the account books carefully and found that the Bureau of Economics and Economics has formed a good cycle in a short period of time. The initial capital came from donations, rewards, and funds, but now it sells books, paper, and paper. These pens and inks are actually very profitable.

It's not ordinary money making, it's very money making.

He really didn't expect that stationery and books are so expensive these days.

It's a bit outrageously expensive, but Chang'an City, as the imperial capital, has the largest group of literati, and the demand for stationery is also the largest.

This time collecting and transcribing books was still very successful, and even revitalized the cold office of the Economic and Economic Bureau, but Wu Huaiyu was not very satisfied when looking at the books.

"Eleven Lang, I have an idea. I plan to compile a newspaper."

"newspaper?"

(End of this chapter)