The prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom was completely speechless. What else could he do? Zhu Yunwen's creation had already slapped him in the face.

Zhu Yunwen also had a calculation that made him clearly realize that this thing really had a very low cost.

However, the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom did not know why their production cost was so high.

Which part of the process went wrong?

This puzzled him greatly, so after thinking for a while, the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom took the initiative to speak to Zhu Yunwen:

"I apologize to the Grandson of the Ming Dynasty for my previous words, actions, and doubts. At the same time, I have a question I would like to ask the Grandson of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yunwen sat down in the chair again, and then slowly began to speak:

"You can ask, go ahead and ask!"

The prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom took a deep breath before asking:

"They are both lighters, and the principles seem to be similar, and the things required are also similar, so why is our cost so much higher?"

Although our selling price is one hundred coins, our actual cost is already as high as fifty coins, or even more, while your cost is controlled at five coins. That's a difference of more than ten times. Where exactly does the problem lie?

Zhu Yunwen reached out and gestured for the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom to take the lighter from his hand.

The prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom respectfully handed the lighter to Zhu Yunwen. Zhu Yunwen looked at it first, then disassembled it. When he saw some of the parts inside, he smiled.

It was immediately apparent that the lighter wasn't filled with cotton; instead, it was stuffed with a large amount of animal oil. The wick was also somewhat special, using a high-quality wick.

This is understandable, because if animal oil is used, the wick must be flammable, otherwise it would be difficult to ignite with a flint.

Doesn't that increase the cost of those two items? The high-quality lamp wick is more expensive than the ordinary lamp wick used by Zhu Yunwen.

Animal fats are definitely more expensive than vegetable oils!

Zhu Yunwen looked at it again and noticed that the lighter's casing was also much thicker.

Crucially, it seems that some steel has been incorporated into it as well.

So Zhu Yunwen spoke up:

"First, you need to use vegetable oil. Animal oil is expensive and not so easy to ignite. This increases the cost and makes it less effective."

This forces you to use better bulbs, which seems to increase the cost of bulbs.

These two items should cost at least two or three times more. Furthermore, why is your outer casing so thick and heavy?

It's just a lighter; there's absolutely no need to make such a thick sheet of metal, let alone incorporate steel. It's a complete waste of resources.

The prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom said, "Although... we also know this principle, it's just that if it's too thin, it's easy for it to explode if it backfires."

Zhu Yunwen said with a smile:

"That's because your seal wasn't done well. If the seal had been done better, backfire wouldn't have happened."

This is your technical problem. Your technology isn't up to par, so you have to spend more money to make a thicker shell in order to avoid the explosion caused by your so-called tempering.

"As long as the seal is done well, even if your sheet metal is thinner, it will be absolutely safe."

Zhu Yunwen thought to himself that they might not know that fire will not burn in a sealed environment.

Therefore, as long as the small box containing the oil is made airtight, it is absolutely impossible for backfire or explosion to occur.

After Zhu Yunwen's explanation, the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom suddenly understood and respectfully bowed to Zhu Yunwen, saying:

"Hearing the words of the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty is like a sudden enlightenment. I am extremely grateful. Before, I was like a frog in a well, with a narrow perspective."

I always thought this lighter was the best thing Zhu Ziguo had made in recent years, but I never expected it to have so many problems.

Moreover, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty actually knew about this thing long ago.

Zhu Yunwen also waved his hand magnanimously and said:

"There's no need to say such things. It's already quite an achievement that your Zhu Zi Kingdom was able to produce this. As for these minor issues, they can be resolved over time."

However, there's one issue I still want to remind you of. Although I just pointed out a few problems, even if these problems exist, your costs shouldn't be this high.

Using animal oil, a high-quality wick, and a thicker iron sheet would at most double the cost, but it should still only be around twenty coins.

If, as you said, the cost is around fifty coins, then we should consider other issues. For example, labor costs, and whether the person making it is being dishonest, deliberately inflating the cost.

Of course, I'm just reminding you that this is an internal matter for your country; you should resolve it yourselves.

After being prompted by Zhu Yunwen, the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom realized once again that there seemed to be an even more serious problem.

If these problems exist, then the cost of this lighter is largely inflated and misrepresented.

This involves both official corruption and corruption by the lighter manufacturers.

Or rather, they were deceiving the royal family of Zhu Zi Kingdom in order to gain personal benefits.

If that's the case, then it's really embarrassing.

The lighter controversy is now over.

Immediately, many princes and princesses from various countries came up to Zhu Yunwen to inquire whether the Ming Dynasty could produce lighters as soon as possible.

After all, lighters with such low production costs will certainly not be expensive to sell.

This inexpensive, practical, and convenient item is still of great interest to various countries.

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