My brother Ying Zheng, who dares to kill me?

Ying Chengqiao smiled and said, "I call this hemp paper."

"I and other craftsmen have studied more than 7,000 production methods."

"As of today, a total of more than two thousand methods have been verified, and what your colleagues hold in your hands is the best product that has been verified by more than two thousand methods."

"But I still have more than 5,000 production methods that are being verified. At the same time, I am constantly making adjustments based on the verification results."

"I believe that this will not be the final appearance of the hemp paper."

"Within this year, I will definitely be able to make better and easier-to-write hemp paper!"

In Ying Chengyu's opinion, the hemp paper he took out now was just usable.

But not to mention the analogy with the paper commonly used in later generations, it is somewhat different from the paper money burned during the Qingming Festival.

However, Ying Chengyu was not discouraged.

The paper currently obtained by Ying Chengyu has only undergone a short period of retting, and most of it comes from the whims of Cao Mao and Qi Ai. It is a phased product used to boost the confidence of the craftsmen and help them grow.

When the pulp retting in the pools managed by Ying Chengxuan is completed, that's when the paper will truly shock the world!

Ying Xi said with emotion: "In just a few months, Chang'an Lord has developed a new writing object."

"What a talent!"

"I wonder if Mr. Chang'an can tell me a little bit about how much you want to ask for this thing if you want to sell it?"

Ying Chengqiao looked helpless: "Everyone should know that this thing does not exist in the world. It was my inspiration that appeared by chance and made the craftsmen try everything to make it."

"In order to study this matter, I excavated more than 5,700 square meters of retting ponds, built 392 workshops, and employed more than 28,500 civilians."

"As for the various materials used, they are as huge as mountains and seas!"

"So far, I have spent nearly tens of millions of dollars on this thing."

"Because I couldn't raise so much money at once, I even borrowed nearly five million from my clan members!"

Hearing this number, Yang Hu and others couldn't help but secretly smacked their lips.

Nearly ten million dollars!

Looking at the Qin Dynasty, only a handful of powerful people at the top can get it.

At the same time, the way everyone looked at Ying Chengyu also changed slightly.

Can spend nearly 10 million dollars to study a conjecture.

I'm afraid only Ying Chengyu has such financial resources and courage in the world!

Ying Chengyu's voice became solemn: "So if you want to sell it, I will need at least this amount for a piece of cloth the size of a market!"

While speaking, Ying Chengyu stretched out a slap and said seriously: "It must not be lower than this number!"

"Otherwise, I may suffer losses!"

Ying Xi nodded in agreement: "Five hundred dollars per horse is quite fair."

"I think the powerful people in various countries will be willing to buy some. Chang'an Lord will not lose money after investing so much money and manpower!"

Today, the price of a piece of silk paper is about 800 yuan.

Although the paper made by Ying Chengyu has a better ability to hold ink than silk.

However, hemp paper is rough to the touch, has poor toughness, cannot go near water, and cannot be worn on the body, so it cannot be a substitute for silk.

But if the price of hemp paper can be as low as 500 yuan, there will definitely be people who are willing to spend money to buy hemp paper because of its lightness.

The vast price space above bamboo slips and silk is the survival range of hemp paper.

Hearing this, Ying Chengyu couldn't hold back his pretense of seriousness, and laughed and said, "Why do you need to sell it for five hundred yuan?"

"I want to sell it at five cents per horse!"

But Ying Xi said matter-of-factly: "Mr. Chang'an made a mistake."

Ying Chengyu said seriously: "I was right, the price of a piece of hemp paper is five yuan!"

"And what I am talking about is not the half-finished paper I took out today."

"It's the hemp paper that I finally decided to sell after completing all my attempts!"

The ministers looked at the hemp paper in Ying Xi's hand, then looked up at Ying Chengyu's determined gaze, and their eyes slowly widened.

What did we hear?

We are afraid we are not dreaming!

Ying Xi asked in disbelief: "Chang'an Lord, how could you say that you were right?"

"Even though this hemp paper is far different from silk, it shouldn't be sold for only five yuan!"

A piece of market cloth that is eight feet long, two feet five inches wide, and of standard quality costs eleven cents!

Now, a piece of hemp paper of the same size only costs five yuan?

Ying Xi only had one idea.

Chang'anjun is crazy!

If Chang'an Jun was not crazy, how could he sell paper cheaper than cloth!

Ying Chengxuan asked, "How much does Weiyang Lord think this thing should be sold for?"

Ying Xi said firmly: "It should be sold for five hundred yuan, or at least three hundred yuan!"

“This is worth it!”

Ying Chengyu shook his head repeatedly: "Absolutely not!"

"If a piece of hemp paper costs three hundred yuan, how many people in our Daqin can afford hemp paper!"

During the Southern Song Dynasty, a large piece of printing paper (16 sheets of A4 paper), which was better than the hemp paper made by Ying Chengyu, sold for 0.18 Wen, while the large green and white paper commonly used by officials only cost 7.3 Wen.

If you irresponsibly use corn prices to convert, a piece of blue and white paper the size of market cloth only costs 0.82 yuan, and a piece of burlap paper only costs 0.2 yuan!

Even so, many grassroots officials are still complaining about the high price of paper.

In the end, Ying Xi raised the price to three to five hundred yuan with one stroke? !

Ying Xi said matter-of-factly: "Anyone with a high rank should be able to afford it."

Ying Chengxuan asked: "How many nobles are there?"

"How many people are there who are not high nobles?"

"How much hemp paper can a noble person use?"

"How much hemp paper can a person who is not a noble person use?"

Ying Chengyu is not a philanthropist.

But the crude and rough hemp paper was destined to be practical.

There are only a very small number of people today who can use three to five hundred dollars a piece of hemp paper as daily consumables.

A price of three to five hundred yuan can indeed increase profits, but it will make sales very small, causing total profits to plummet.

If you want to really make big money, you have to lower the price!

At least to the extent that the courts of various countries can afford it!

Compared with letters from powerful people, official documents and documents from various countries are the real paper consumers, and they are the target customers selected by Ying Chengxuan!

In fact, even the price of five cents per horse was just a high price that Ying Chengyu left for Ying Zheng to bargain with.

Ying Chengyu said firmly: "I can indeed set the price of hemp paper at three hundred yuan, or even five hundred yuan."

"But if you set the price of hemp paper at five cents, I will make more profit!"

"Consumable things like hemp paper used for writing should have small profits but quick turnover."

Ying Xi asked incomprehensibly: "Small profits but quick turnover?"

"If the price is only five cents per horse, will Chang'an Jun still make a profit?"

Ying Chengyu smiled: "I have indeed invested a lot in this hemp paper."

"Of course, my biggest investment is in researching this thing, not in subsequent production."

"The price is five yuan per horse, and I still make a profit!"

Ying Xi was even more surprised: "May I ask Lord Chang'an, how low is the cost of this thing?!"

Ying Chengyu shook his head and said solemnly: "This is the secret of Chang'an Lord's Mansion. It is not allowed to be leaked to others!"

After finishing his words, Ying Chengyu glanced at Ying Zheng from the corner of his eye.

Ying Zheng immediately reprimanded in a deep voice: "All the ministers present are the pillars of the Qin Dynasty. They will not practice the ways of merchants, let alone steal your skills."

"Your Majesty's inquiry is just because this thing may be very important to our country, Great Qin."

"You are such a fool that you don't reveal the specific craftsmanship, so why don't you tell me how much it cost!"

Hearing this, Xiong Qi, who quietly moved towards the pond, stopped helplessly.

Ying Chengyu also looked helpless and bowed his hands: "Since Brother Wang has asked, I should tell you everything I know."

"After deducting the expenses required for research, each piece of hemp paper costs about half a cent."

What Ying Chengyu did not say is that this was because the craftsmen were not skilled in the craftsmanship and did not have all kinds of tools in the early stages of manufacturing, so the cost was high.

According to Ying Chengxuan's estimate, without the need for large-scale production, just by forming an assembly line operation like Daqin Guanfang, the cost of each piece of hemp paper can be reduced by at least half!

However, even if Ying Chengyu did not disclose the possibility that the cost would continue to decrease, Han Cang and other court officials were all stunned:

"A piece of hemp paper costs only half a cent?! So, a piece of hemp paper can indeed be sold for only five cents!"

"With the dignity of Lord Chang'an, you will not deceive us. I think this hemp paper is indeed as cheap as Lord Chang'an said."

"But this is a thing used for writing! How can it be so cheap!"

"So, even if Lord Chang'an sells the hemp paper for 5 cents per piece, it will still make ten times the profit?! How can there be such huge profits in the world! Everyone in the world says that Wen Xinhou is good at business, but looking at it today, Wen Xinhou is good at business. The Marquis of Xin is far different from the Lord of Chang'an!"

In the midst of the noise, a trembling voice suddenly sounded: "How can your colleagues only value the way of a merchant!"

"This thing is of great benefit to the world!"

Looking at the "Qin Code" held in Ying Xi's hand, Yao Jia said excitedly: "The "Qin Code" has nearly a million words in its entirety."

"If it is written in bamboo abbreviations and carried by chariots and horses, one chariot can only carry one set of Qin Code."

"But what about now? The entire "Qin Code" is written in this frivolous volume!"

"There is no need to use carriages and horses for transportation. Even weak people can travel around the world with three or five copies of "Qin Code"."

"How easy it will be for me, Da Qin, to spread the law!"

"How easy it will be to circulate books around the world!"

Yao Jia walked slowly towards Ying Xi and took the hemp paper book from Ying Xi's hand.

When he really touched the hemp paper, Yao Jia's hands holding the book were trembling, and tears were flowing out.

“More importantly, it’s cheap!”

"While it can carry a lot of text like silk and is easy to transport, the money spent to write a volume of classics is cheaper than bamboo slips!"

"Do your colleagues know what this means?"

"This means that children of ordinary people can also have books to read!"

Looking at the courtiers of the Qin Dynasty, almost no one could empathize with Yao Jia.

Yao Jia, whose father was just a city gatekeeper, paid an unknown price and endured unimaginable suffering in order to study!

Among them, the most expensive items were bamboo slips and books.

Although the hemp paper developed by Ying Chengyu seems to have only reduced the cost of writing materials.

But nowadays, various schools of thought are arguing, and each school has no knowledge of its own school. Although the added value of books exists, it is much lower than it was hundreds of years ago.

Therefore, a reduction in the price of writing materials will inevitably lead to a reduction in the price of books.

This is a huge benefit to students all over the world.

Yao Jia only regretted that Ying Chengyu was not born twenty years earlier.

If there had been such cheap hemp paper in the world twenty years ago, Yao Jia might not have had to work part-time as a thief, nor would he need to be known as a thief of Liang or a minister of Zhao all his life to complete his studies. , walking proudly among the world!

Yao Jia felt sorry for himself for his past.

I am also happy for the countless ordinary people students who come from ordinary backgrounds like him in the future.

Holding the book in his hand, Yao Jia Lao bowed deeply to Ying Chengyu with tears streaming down his face:

"Everyone in the world who is seeking education should pay homage to Lord Chang'an!"

The paper prices used in this chapter are taken from the Southern Song Dynasty, when paper technology was relatively mature. The source of the data is "Xu Shi Shuo" written by Kuben Kong Pingzhong, Minister of Yuanzhou in the 28th year of Shaoxing (1158).

Common people refer to civilians without official titles but with land and houses. Therefore, if common people can afford paper, it does not mean that everyone in the world can afford paper.