If I let you stay in Lingnan, how could you become the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty?

Chapter 30: Li Zhi, who failed to draw a tiger but ended up drawing a dog
"Rui An, you said that the Sixth Prince's method of making glass can't be found among the common people?"

Li Zhi glared at his personal eunuch Ryan with an angry look on his face.

He asked Ryan to send people to find a way to make glass.

However, Rui'an searched all the neighborhoods in Chang'an, and even found many Hu merchants who came to Chang'an from the Western Regions to do business, and even found workshops in the two counties of Chang'an and Wannian.

There is no secret recipe for making glass.

There is no way, this kind of thing is unique to Lingnan.

Moreover, it is only in Li An’s hands!

Even among the craftsmen under Li An, few people knew about it.

Even if he knew, Li An would never let this secret recipe leave Lingnan.

These days, knowledge is power and patents are money!
"Your Highness, I am incompetent..."

Ryan knelt on the ground with a helpless look on his face, his head hung, begging His Royal Highness the Sixth Prince to calm down.

Li Zhi's face turned green with anger.

Chang'an, known as the most prosperous city in the world, is the place where all nations come to pay tribute...

It’s just a recipe for making glass, but I can’t even find it!
"What do I need you useless slaves for? I asked you to find a prescription, but you can't even find it. I..."

Before Li Zhi could finish speaking, Ryan suddenly had an idea.

"Your Highness, although we can't find the recipe for making glass, we still have other ways to make mirrors!"

"You just want to please His Majesty, that's easy!"

"Since we can't make glass, why don't we find a way to make a bronze mirror that's bigger than Qiankun Baojian?"

"Glass is light, and bronze mirrors are heavy. Let's just find a way to make the copper sheet thinner!"

"The Qiankun Baojian uses golden nanmu inlaid mirror frames. We can use the best agarwood to make mirror frames, and then inlay them with southern pearls, jade, gemstones and other treasures!"

"Your Majesty will be very happy when you see it!"

After hearing Ryan's words, Li Zhi's frown finally relaxed.

"You're right, Ryan!"

"Just do as you say. In five days at most, I will see this mirror!"

"Five days..."

When Ryan heard this, he immediately became sad.

Your Highness, you really don’t know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are until you run the household, and you don’t know how hard it is until you work!

It takes five days to create a mirror bigger than the Qiankun Baojian. Aren’t you using an old rooster to lay eggs?

Seeing Rui'an's sad face, Li Zhi suddenly became unhappy:
"Ryan, can't you do it in five days?"

Ryan looked sad:
"This...I'll do my best!"

……

Five days later, Li Shimin was sitting in the imperial study reviewing memorials.

Suddenly, I heard the eunuch report:
"Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince requests an audience!"

Li Shimin had not seen Li Zhi for a long time, and his anger had gradually subsided in the past few days. When he heard that Li Zhi wanted to see him, he said:

"Let him in!"

After a while, Li Zhi walked in with a happy face.

Seeing his happy face, Li Shimin asked:
"Zhi'er, why are you so happy?"

"Father, ever since I broke the Qiankun Treasure Mirror and was reprimanded by you, I have been thinking hard these days and have decided to follow my sixth brother's example and learn how to make a mirror!"

"After my efforts, I have created a mirror that is bigger than the Qiankun Baojian!"

"what?"

After hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised.

It turns out that Zhier has also learned how to make mirrors?

An'er spent many years in Lingnan before he figured out the method of making mirrors, and Zhi'er learned it in just a few days!
As expected, my Li family has a successor!
Guanyin's maid's son is very smart! "Okay, bring the mirror in so I can see it!"

Seeing that his father was indeed happy after hearing this, Li Zhi ran outside happily, bringing in a young eunuch, carrying a large object that was also covered with red silk.

However, this time, it was four little eunuchs who carried the objects.

Moreover, the four of them seemed to have a hard time lifting it. They grunted as they walked, as if they couldn't bear the burden!

Li Shimin couldn't help but frown again when he saw that it took four young eunuchs to carry it in.

But then I changed my mind and felt relieved.

This thing looked bigger than An'er's mirror. Plus, Li Zhi had just figured out how to make a mirror, so it was understandable that he made it sturdier and heavier.

After Li Zhi and the other young eunuchs carefully put the object down, they pulled the red silk on it with their right hands and said loudly:

"Father, please look..."

Li Shimin looked carefully and was stunned.

This is actually a huge bronze mirror!

It is indeed larger than the glass dressing mirror made by Li An.
The mirror surface has also been carefully polished and is very bright.

even……

The mirror frame is made of fine agarwood.
There are also many precious pearls, jade, gold and gems inlaid on the sides...

but……

This is just a bronze mirror!

A bronze mirror is a bronze mirror. Even if it is polished to be smooth and flat, there is still some difference in clarity between it and a glass mirror!
Moreover, the so-called high-quality golden nanmu wood I used to make the mirror frame was actually just a piece of leftover wood scraps from the imperial palace.

The gold beads and jadeite above may look luxurious, but they don’t cost much at all!
You are so good.

It is also the finest agarwood.

South China pearls, rubies, emeralds, and the finest jadeite...

How much does this cost?

Just polishing this bronze mirror would probably cost at least a thousand taels of materials!

Add to that gold beads, jade, and fine agarwood.
This mirror probably costs several thousand taels!
Thinking of this, Li Shimin's face darkened.

"Zhi'er, did you make this mirror?"

Li Zhi was still in high spirits and didn't notice that something was wrong with Li Shimin's expression.

"It was made by me. I spent a lot of time on this mirror. I got these jadeite pearls from the largest jewelry workshop in Chang'an..."

Li Shimin looked at Li Zhi, who was introducing him, with some annoyance.

The largest jewelry workshop in Chang'an...

If you don’t tell me, I won’t know you are stupid!

If you want to find pearl treasures in the palace, do you have to look for them in the workshop?
The cost of the mirror is already quite high, yet you let those unscrupulous businessmen rip you off first!

Li Shimin couldn't help but sigh:
"Zhi'er, how much silver did you spend to make this mirror?"

Li Zhi was slightly startled, then he noticed that his father's face looked unhappy.

"This... I spent about... four or five thousand taels of silver..."

Li Shimin sneered:
"The value of these pearls and jade alone is roughly more than 7,000 to 8,000 taels. Add to that the high-quality agarwood and the cost of polishing such a thin bronze mirror lens. This mirror of yours must have cost at least more than 10,000 taels!"

The cost of Li Zhi's mirror alone was indeed twelve thousand taels.

Hearing Li Shimin's words, he couldn't help but be stunned.

My father could actually tell the cost of this mirror at just one glance!

Li Shimin looked at Li Zhi, and it seemed that a pool of old blood in his chest was about to burst out of his mouth.

He held back for a long time before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

After sighing, Li Shimin shook his head:
"Zhi'er, you should go back to school. These things are not suitable for you!"

(End of this chapter)