Qin Shi Big Boss

Chapter 122 Extremely Difficult
"His Royal Highness, the agricultural code has been delivered, and we will bid farewell." Several peasant juniors had thorns on their backs and refused to stay in the Prince's Mansion for a while. The pressure placed on them by Ying Zheng was too great, making them miserable .

Several younger generations of farmers left.

On the outside of the Prince's Mansion, several young farmers finally relaxed, their faces full of fear, and they studied each other with trembling voices.

"Although His Royal Highness didn't say anything, I felt so nervous and my heart was beating wildly. It's really a hell. It's obviously only an eight-year-old boy, but I feel like King Qin in front of me."

"Before leaving, Situ Wanli specifically asked me not to be too nervous. I was thinking at that time, although Ying Zheng is sharp, he is only eight years old, what is there to be nervous about? Now it seems that I was wrong at the time Outrageous."

"The agricultural code is rich in content, which was written by the Zhu family with painstaking efforts. It must be created by a generation of great talents, but the Zhu family said that it must be read by Ying Zheng and let him give guiding opinions."

Ying Zheng flipped through it casually, browsed quickly, and found that the bamboo slips had detailed records and many explanations. He thought that the Zhu family was very careful. They were indeed talents in agriculture. They should be put to good use and should not be wasted.

After reading it, Ying Zheng put the bamboo slips back to their original place, and thought, Situ Wanli is good at knowing things, but he has good talent, even the Zhu family can't match it.But his psychology is not on agriculture.

after a long time,

Ying Zheng entrusted his servants to keep all the bamboo slips properly. These things were extremely important and of great benefit to the distant Qin State.

At this moment, a servant came in with a piece of white rice paper and a piece of sheep hair.

Ying Zheng was overjoyed, he was worried about the rice paper, but he didn't expect the craftsmen to research it so quickly, so that the next decision can be implemented.

"Your Highness, the rice paper has been made. The old craftsman followed the rules and the rules described by His Highness, and after several decays, he was able to make it." The servant spoke respectfully, and then gave the rice paper to Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng held the rice paper, feeling the roughness on it, and chuckled: "It's a bit unexpected that it can be made so quickly."

"The old craftsman said that this thing called rice paper has the best texture, is suitable for writing, is not bad in flexibility, and is suitable for wearing. And he has already figured out the decision to mass-produce it, and only waits for the crown prince's order." The servant explained truthfully. road.

"Okay, this rice paper can be mass-produced, which is great news for us Qin. With the improvement of productivity, the speed of cultural dissemination can also keep up. Only in this way can the rapid development be achieved as a whole." Ying Zheng muttered to himself. language.

The servant is just a servant, and he doesn't understand what Ying Zheng said, but he understands that the crown prince must be talking about something profound, so he respected it even more, and said, "Your Highness, this thing is called Yanghao, it was developed by Meng Tian, ​​and it's done very well. It’s simple. You can write on rice paper, which is much more convenient than a bamboo knife. But if you make a mistake, you may not be able to write on the bamboo slips.”

"It doesn't matter. Although the bamboo knife can be scraped off, it is very difficult to write, and it is even more difficult to scrape off. This is not the case with brushes. As long as there is ink, it will be fine." Ying Zheng didn't pay attention.

Immediately, Ying Zheng arrived at the study and said to Xue Nu, "Grind the ink for me."

"No!" Xue Nu said yes, inspecting the things in Ying Zheng's hands, like a baby hunting for novelties, she couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, what is this?"

"This thing is called rice paper, and it can be called paper for short. It is easier to use than bamboo slips, and it can be of great help to the Qin State. The other one, called Yanghao, is made by Meng Tian, ​​and can be used to write on rice paper." Ying Zheng started one by one. Rongdao.

Xue Nu was very surprised, she didn't expect Ying Zheng to develop such a sharp thing, so she started to sharpen the ink first.Because of the hot weather, she was only wearing a piece of silk, her graceful figure was indistinct, and she had a special charm when she rubbed the ink.

After Ying Zheng casually wrote a few words, the ink was moistened on the rice paper. It was very even and the fonts were clear and lingering. He thought to himself: "I still haven't forgotten the light. I know how to write Yang Hao."

"What a beautiful word." Xue Nu was eager to move.

"If you like it, I'll give it to you." Ying Zheng said lightly.

"Okay, thank you, Prince." Xue Nu was overjoyed and kissed Ying Zheng on the face.

After Ying Zheng wrote a few more words, he called the servant and told him: "Go and call Lu Buwei to see me, I have something important to discuss with him."

The servant did not dare to neglect and set off in a hurry, but he was frightened. Lu Buwei was now the prime minister of Qin. He was in the ascendant and won the trust of the King of Qin.

In the huge Qin State, Ying Zheng is probably the only one who can boss Lu Buwei around like this.

But with Ying Zheng's ability, he can indeed call and shout at will. In fact, he is the most prestigious person in the Qin State. Even the King of Qin is far from being able to compare with him.

Although the snow girl is beautiful, she is not only beautiful in appearance, but also good at playing and playing chess. She is a talented woman.

As for the snow girl next to Ying Zheng, the servant was even more taken aback, but after he took a look, he didn't dare to look casually. He knew that only the crown prince, who was so impressive, could get along with such a good person.

After Lu Buwei knew that Ying Zheng called him, he immediately let go of the work at hand, refused to meet with several important ministers, and arrived outside the gate of the prince's mansion.

"Every time the prince calls me, something amazing always happens. I don't know why he called me here this time." Lu Buwei muttered, and then led by the servants to the study.

After seeing the snow girl, I was immediately shocked that there could be such a beautiful woman in the world.

With a handsome face and fair skin, although it is extremely cold, it has a sense of war in the world, which adds a bit of beauty.

He quickly came back to his senses, stabilized his mood, looked at Ying Zheng who was writing, suddenly woke up, and said: "Prince, you asked me here just because of that thing on the desk."

"The prime minister's eyes are as bright as a torch. I called you today because I wanted to show you something like this." Ying Zheng took out a row of blank paper from behind and handed it to Lu Buwei.

Lu Buwei touched it, and said slowly: "The texture is well-proportioned, neither too thin nor too thick. If it is preserved, it is much better than sheep silk. The ink is stained on it, it will not be too scattered, and it is very convenient to write. "

"The prime minister said something wonderful about the efficacy of rice paper." Ying Zheng said with a chuckle.

"The handwriting is light and elegant, extremely flexible, like a dragon, flying across the sky, or a kun in the sea, sinking in the depths, staying clean, and taking off at any time." Lu Buwei praised Yingzheng's words, "It's just a pity that it is so good. Stuff, at great prices, is extraordinary."

"Why does the prime minister think the price of rice paper is high?" Ying Zheng asked with great interest.

"As the saying goes, the best value for money, and the one that is closer to rice paper, is sheepskin made from sheepskin. However, sheepskin is extremely difficult to obtain, and it is not convenient to prepare. It requires many processes to process, and it cannot be completed without an experienced craftsman. The efficacy of rice paper is many times better than that of sheep silk, so the cost is higher than that of sheep silk." Lu Buwei reasoned.

"The prime minister guesses, how much is this piece of rice paper worth?" Ying Zheng asked.

"About five thousand coins." Lu Buwei guessed.

Seeing Ying Zheng shaking his head, Lu Buwei changed his words again: "Six thousand."

"Ten thousand."

"Fifty thousand, this piece of paper is inevitably too expensive!"

Ying Zheng smiled cheerfully, lowered his voice and said to Lu Buwei, "Not even a penny."

Lu Buwei gasped, panicked and said, "What a rough idea! Such a fine piece of paper doesn't even cost you a penny. The crown prince should not play tricks on the old man."

"One penny can make about a hundred sheets of this paper." Ying Zheng said truthfully.

Lu Buwei felt that he was about to faint. To him, one penny could produce so much paper. To him, this was indeed a fantasy, and it was simply impossible.

If someone else had said this to him, he would have simply tried to leave, but this was said by Ying Zheng, and it was obviously not a show.

"Such fine paper doesn't cost a penny, Prince, are you saying it's true?" Lu Buwei's voice trembled.

Xue Nu couldn't help laughing, and said softly: "Prime Minister, the crown prince didn't lie to you. I was shocked when I knew it. But the material of a penny is enough to make so much paper."

"The whole country is so big, there are so many different things." Lu Buwei couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"The thing about sweet potatoes is enough to shock everyone, and it seems that it is not very new to be able to produce rice paper." Xue Nu said.

"The cost of this rice paper is so cheap, it can definitely be mass-produced, and if it is distributed, it will definitely cause a huge sensation." Lu Buwei couldn't help but say, and he was even more shocked.

"This rice paper is easy to preserve, is durable, not brittle, and will not fade. As long as it is placed in a dark place, the writing on it can still be preserved intact even after thousands of years have passed." Ying Zheng introduced.

"Sure enough, it's such a long time of a thousand years." Lu Buwei's breathing became even more hurried, and he couldn't calm down for a long time. "This rice paper is really a treasure. Can the prince give me a few pieces first?"

"Of course." Ying Zheng said very modernly.

Lu Buwei quickly screened a few, very generous, although he is a businessman, he is also a literati.For literati, this thing is indeed too important, even more important than human life.

He was on the top of Luanxiang Fengzhu, and after writing it, he felt a new emotion, and said proudly: "The writing on it is very clear and smooth, and it is much easier than engraving on bamboo slips. And this ink can be preserved for a long time. , In this respect, it is far superior to bamboo slips. Every time the bamboo slips are used, there will be a certain degree of wear and tear, and after a long time, they need to be re-engraved, otherwise, the handwriting will not be read clearly at all."

"The bigger benefit should be that this rice paper can be mass-produced." Ying Zheng said.

"That's right! Once it is mass-produced, it will soon be distributed throughout the country, and the educational level of the common people of Qin will be significantly improved, which will then facilitate the development of other aspects, and finally the overall national strength will be ramped up again." Lu Buwei stroked his beard. Mao, looking at the words I wrote, was very happy.

"This is a great merit. Many poor children are eager to read and write, but they suffer from the high threshold. With this rice paper and such a cheap cost, they no longer have to worry about it, and they can have new development." Xue Nu said softly.

"Yes, after the spread of Xuan paper, the base of literati will increase, and finally there will be a qualitative change. As a result, my country's advisers will be more and stronger than those of other countries, and they will naturally be crushed." Ying Zheng said.

"The prince's talent has revolutionized my understanding time and time again. He thinks of things that no one has thought of before, and does things that no one has done before. However, he is able to achieve excellent results. This talent is not something that ordinary people can achieve. I have it." Lu Buwei sighed.

"Just counting rice paper, it is enough to last forever, not to mention other things." The more Xue Nu thought about it, the more surprised she became.

"This brush is also good, very special. Even on bamboo slips, it can be freely written. The material should be made of bamboo tubes and fine hairs, which can absorb a lot of ink. In the past, they used calligraphy and lettering. Don't go too fast, otherwise it will easily cause problems." Lu Buwei played with the two items in his hand, knowing that these two items must be famous all over the world.

Although the construction method is simple, it needs to go from nothing to having this step, which is the most difficult to cross.From one to two, from two to three, it's just a simple copy, but it's really too difficult to make trouble.

This is true for sweet potatoes, so are potatoes, and so are rice paper and brushes.

These few things all have a time-defining meaning, and they are also unknowingly. Now these four things are all discovered by Ying Zheng. Even if they are innate, the description seems a bit shallow.

"Since the Prime Minister likes it, I still have a batch of rice paper and sheep hair on hand. The Prime Minister can take it home and distribute it to his diners, so that they can feel the wonder of it and help promote it." Ying Zheng said calmly.

Lu Buwei couldn't get excited, and said slowly: "If this rice paper is distributed and copied by other countries, what should we do?"

"I happen to be at odds with the Prime Minister. I'm worried that they won't imitate it. Once they imitate it, they will come to Qin." Ying Zheng didn't pay attention.

"The craftsmanship is extraordinary, but the land of the six Eastern countries is vast, and there are countless skilled craftsmen, especially the descendants of the Mohists and the Gongshu family. This is even more striking. Xuan paper may be imitated by them." Lu Buwei analyzed. .

"The prime minister is overthinking." Ying Zheng smiled softly, "The rice paper and brushes seem simple, but in fact they are not easy to make. They don't know the raw materials, and they have no way to do it if they have the technology."

"Why is this? No matter how complicated the craftsmanship is, it is finally time to copy it. The public losers and the Mohists are not ordinary in this respect, and they can even make birds and beasts." Lu Buwei clearly did not believe it.

"Take this hair as an example, has the Prime Minister seen the material in it?" Ying Zheng said with a chuckle.

"This, the one on top, should be made of bamboo or wood. As for the long hair underneath, it should be some kind of animal hair." Lu Buwei guessed.

"Your idea is correct, but during production, the hair needs to be processed through an additional process, then coagulated with glue made from seaweed, and inserted into about half of the tube." Yingzheng explained.

"How to explain this?" Lu Buwei couldn't understand.

"When a brush is born, the hair on its head can't tell what kind of animal it is. There are thousands of animals in the world, and it takes a lot of time to check them one by one. Not to mention, When dealing with hair, an extra process is required, which is difficult for them to do." Yingzheng explained.

"What process?" Lu Buwei asked in surprise.

"It is to use a bone comb to help with the selection. When selecting, it is extremely critical. If there is a slight mistake, the hair of the brush will not be useful. They don't know that it is animal hair, and this time it is even more difficult. It's more difficult." Ying Zheng said.

"It turns out that it is so difficult to imitate." Lu Buwei only realized now that if there were only hairs, there was no way to determine what kind of animal hair it was, let alone how to make it.

"Rice paper is more difficult than wool. Prime Minister, can you tell what the rice paper in your hand is made of?" Ying Zheng asked deliberately.

Lu Buwei stared wide-eyed, looked at the rice paper in his hand for a long time, but couldn't see anything.

"It's green sandalwood bark and Shatian straw." Ying Zheng reminded.

Lu Buwei was taken aback, and asked in surprise, "Wood?"

In his memory, no matter how wood is treated, it is impossible to change into this look.

"Green sandalwood bark or sandalwood straw, but this is still the main material. There are other factors in it, which together can guarantee the quality of this rice paper." Ying Zheng explained.

Lu Buwei knew that the rice paper was extraordinary, but he didn't expect that there were so many Taoist priests in it.

"The production process of rice paper includes soaking, dust covering, cooking, bleaching, beating and other processes. There are eighteen steps in each. It takes about a year to complete this step." Ying Zheng said loudly.

"Just like a brush, it is difficult for them to find raw materials by following the vines. It will take several years to test once." Lu Buwei speculated.

"Yes, the raw materials are difficult to find, and the processes involved are even more complicated. Although there are only eighteen processes, if you break it down, there are hundreds of processes. Many of them are hidden. Only one of them is missing. , this rice paper can’t be made.” Ying Zheng was full of confidence.

Lu Buwei's mind was a little confused, but he came to his senses and muttered to himself: "If you want to successfully manufacture a brush or a piece of rice paper, it is like finding a needle in a haystack. A lot of time, manpower and material resources."

"That's right, if they want to work hard, it won't be as simple as hard work. Even if they spend decades of exploration, they still can't create it." Ying Zheng said with a smile, but in his heart, he thought that after decades of exploration, it would be impossible to create it. Years later, the Six Nations would have long been gone, so there was no need to worry about counterfeiting at that time.

"After they got the rice paper and brushes, they were at a loss. They couldn't find out the raw materials from these things. They had to test them one by one by themselves. But with so many things, there was no way to find the right ones. The raw materials processing, Meticulous driving steps are more difficult, and it is difficult to rely on manpower to achieve it." Xuenv said.

"After some testing, it was extremely difficult to dig out, especially without knowing the detailed steps, it was impossible to realize. In the end, I had to come to Qin to ask for rice paper and brushes." Lu Buwei suddenly realized.

"Let's just send out the rice paper, there's no need to worry about anything else," Ying Zheng said lightly.

"A blind leaf, really a blind leaf, only sees some things, but ignores other things. The merchant also has some special products, which belong to the family, and can be sold at a high price in the environment, but others can't know. The same is true for rice paper. If the key steps are covered, they will not be able to know." Lu Buwei recalled.

"What's more, they don't even know what the raw material is, even if they want to, they are powerless." Xuenv said.

Lu Buwei thought of potatoes and sweet potatoes. These two strange things were also created by Yingzheng.

"The prince is really scary. He can take out such a sharp thing at will. Now think about it, I was a little disrespectful in the past. I hope the prince will not know, so as not to blame me." Thinking of this, Lu Buwei couldn't help feeling cold, But soon he stopped worrying, "At that time, I just thought about it in my heart, and it should be fine."

Xue Nu looked at Ying Zheng with even more awe, thinking in her heart: "In the past, I just thought that he was a little innate, but now it seems that it is more than that. My original choice was right. If this person had not become The lord of the world, who else in the world can become the lord of the world. Compared with him, Gao Jianli is not at the same level at all."

Ying Zheng didn't know how many years had passed between these two people, so he continued: "The prime minister distributed both the rice paper and the cashmere pens, which is very beneficial to Daqin, remember it, remember it."

Lu Buwei was not clear again, wondering: "Why is this?"

"When the reputation of cheap rice paper and wool brushes is widely spread, a large number of scholars will flood into Qin State, which will benefit the development of our Qin State." Ying Zheng said lightly.

"Those celebrities are already famous, and they hold official positions and salaries. It is impossible for them to come to Qin from different parts of the world. If they don't have rice paper and brushes, they can use bamboo slips and bamboo knives instead. There is no need to drag their families to Qin. country." Lu Buwei shook his head, clearly feeling that Ying Zheng was deceiving him.

"What I want is not those celebrities, but those who have not yet become celebrities, especially those from poor families, who are my real targets." Ying Zheng said softly.

"It's just giving them rice paper and brushes, not giving them fame and wealth. They have lived well in other countries in Shandong. Why did they come to Qin State? Not to mention the long journey, there is really no need for those who are unfamiliar with the place." Lu Buwei's brain It became more and more chaotic, and I wiped away the sweat vigorously before finally feeling a little calmer.

"Xuan paper and brushes are for giving them fame and fortune, which is enough to drive them here." Ying Zheng said slowly.

"Why is this?" Lu Buwei asked doubtfully.

"The reason is very simple. With Xuan paper and brush brushes in Daqin, we can store a large amount of cultural documents, and provide cheap paper and pens for them to study and copy. Those who suffer from lack of learning materials in the poor family will travel thousands of miles. Come to Daqin to study, in order to achieve a great miracle after you finish your studies." Ying Zheng explained patiently, and then sat down with Lu Buwei.

"First, bamboo slips and bamboo knives are good, but they are too precious and inconvenient to use. Most of the poor students will not be able to buy them. But my Daqin can give them such an opportunity, but those poor scholars have big chests. Scholars with great ambitions will come here to seek knowledge." Ying Zheng took a sip of tea and moistened his throat.

"It is true that this kind of descendants from poor families are naturally talented, quick and studious, and have strong willpower. However, they suffer from the lack of books to read, so they are one after another overwhelmed by the nobles. After these people know this kind of merit, they will soon become Come to Qin." Lu Buwei nodded and said.

"Secondly, Daqin can collect a large number of classics, and can attract some scholars who have a strong desire to learn. They are very diligent, and they definitely want to see how Daqin's collection is? Now that they are here, they will more or less naturally If they have some relationship with Qin, if they are really talented, we can promise high officials and rich salary, treat them favorably, and they will naturally stay in Qin." Ying Zheng continued to analyze.

"Well, some of these people are poor scholars and some are celebrities. After knowing that there are so many literary works, even if they don't come to Qin to develop, they will come to Qin to take a look and learn about the ancient books." Lu Buwei also took a sip. Tea, Xuenv then helped to pour the tea.

"Thirdly, when so many people arrive in Qin, it will create a strong academic atmosphere, attracting more scholars to come. If this continues, the collective level of Qin will increase by several levels, and those celebrities will definitely follow suit. I can't bear it anymore, come to our country of Qin, I want to see something." Ying Zheng said unhurriedly.

"This should have been developing for a period of time and has become a peak, which will be of great benefit to the future Qin State." Lu Buwei said happily, not looking at the hot or cold tea in the cup, and he drank with big eyes and small eyes.

(End of this chapter)