The golden wheat stretches as far as the eye can see, connected into one, emitting charming light under the sunshine, and the blue sky and white clouds are like a beautiful oil painting.
When the wind blows, the ears of wheat sway in the wind.
The emperor gently grasped a handful of wheat ears and said, "They are growing really well, and the grains are plump. When can we harvest them?"
Agriculture is the foundation of this empire, and any emperor with a little ambition will attach great importance to food.
"Just these two days." Mu Wanqing followed the old rules, planting half wheat and half cotton in the farm, self-sufficient, and when the time comes, there will be nothing left for the family. "Our wheat is always the best. When it's harvested, it's ground into flour and used to make cabbage and pork dumplings. It's delicious."
"I want to eat." The eldest princess was a little greedy after seeing her eat. Her cooking skills were really amazing, and the food she made was more delicious than others.
Mu Wanqing casually said, "You all can come and eat then."
"Your Majesty, this way."
Mu Wanqing led a group of people towards an inconspicuous house, which looked unremarkable from the outside.
The emperor looked at the plaque and asked, "110 Workshop? What does it mean?"
Mu Wanqing cleared her throat and said, "It's easier to remember this way."
Really? The emperor expressed his disbelief. She was more thoughtful than anyone else, so there must be a hidden meaning behind it.
As soon as you walk into the house, you will find the difference. There are dormitory buildings and cafeteria right inside.
The second door was locked and guarded by security guards. When they saw Mu Wan coming in, they all saluted and said, "Princess, you are here."
The security guard took out the key and opened the door. The second entrance was very large, with three main rooms, two side rooms, and two cross courtyards in the east and west.
Quiet, especially quiet.
The third courtyard had the same layout. Mu Wanqing led everyone into the east wing of the third courtyard with familiarity.
There was a machine in the yard, and a spiral rod was very conspicuous.
A man with a mustache came over carrying a box. He didn't care about anyone else but Mu Wanqing. "Princess, take a look. Is this what you want?"
He is a typical technician, who is extremely passionate about research and does not care about worldly affairs. The only person he would pay a second glance at is Mu Wanqing.
As long as Mu Wanqing summons him, it means there will be new products.
Mu Wanqing didn't look at it, but waved her hand, "Let's start."
The man took out the things in the box, put them on the strange-looking machine, pressed the spiral rod hard, and with a few swipes, several sheets of paper were printed without any effort at all.
He took out the paper, handed it to Mu Wanqing with both hands, and continued to operate.
Mu Qingwan handed it to the emperor and said, "Look."
The emperor took a closer look and found that it was actually a printed book. The official script was neat and tidy, the size was balanced, the spacing was exactly the same, and the layout was very pleasing to the eye, very smooth and pleasing to the eye.
This is not surprising, it can be printed now, but it is not so convenient.
"Is this the miracle you were talking about?"
Mu Wanqing was so smart. She knew he was disappointed as soon as she heard him say that. "Don't worry, the best part is yet to come."
Everyone gathered around the machine curiously, which looked a bit like a stamping lathe.
The mustached man paused for a moment and changed a batch of character models. Only then did the emperor notice the difference.
He picked up a movable type mold and looked at it over and over again.
Mu Wanqing introduced with a smile, "This is a metal movable type printing press. You see, each character can be arranged at will. You can print as many books as you want. A set of engravings can be used for more than ten years. It saves time, effort, and labor."
"Moreover, this machine is convenient and simple, and can be operated by one person."
The emperor was a man of vision, and he saw the benefits of this new thing at a glance. "No wonder it's called movable type. How many characters did you carve at one time?"
"This time, time is tight, so I only carved more than a thousand characters. There is no problem engraving the Three Character Classic. We will add more character libraries in the future, so more than ten thousand characters will be enough." Mu Wanqing is doing an experiment now, and will print on a large scale once it passes the test.
"If there is any damage, or if you encounter an unfamiliar character, you can always add it."
The eldest princess reacted, surprised and happy, "That means my newspaper doesn't need to be engraved in advance, it can be printed directly, right?"
If it works, the cost will be dozens of times lower than the original cost.
This is amazing.
The printing press that Mu Wanqing was making was the oldest type. She had seen it in an exhibition hall before and the principle behind it was not difficult.
"Yes, you can have as much as you want at a low cost."
"That's great. Now those vendors who sell copied newspapers won't be able to continue their business." The eldest princess was so excited, "Sister Qingping, why did you just come up with it? I feel like I've lost a lot of money."
Once the cost goes down, sales will naturally go up.
Mu Wanqing said with a smile, "Then you didn't ask me for help."
The eldest princess laughed loudly and hugged Mu Wanqing close to her face. "Blame me, blame me for being stupid. I should have asked you for help earlier."
The prince was jealous, "Sister Qingping, do you want to cooperate with my eldest sister?"
"right."
The man with a mustache came over with a tray full of freshly printed products. "Princess, the Three Character Classic is ready."
The eldest princess was very proactive as this was related to her future career, so she rushed to get the finished printed product, and the effect was quite good, with even force and good stability.
I counted them and found there were ten copies. Did they print ten books in such a short time? All they had to do was bind them.
"So fast? This is incredible."
The emperor stared at her intently, his heart beating faster, "Princess Qingping, do you know what this means?"
He tried his best to control his emotions, but his slightly dry voice betrayed his true feelings.
Mu Wanqing said without hesitation, "In the future, poor children will also be able to afford books. Knowledge is no longer exclusive to the rich and powerful."
She said it casually, not caring at all, but the father and son of the Tian family at the scene changed their expressions.
The prince frowned slightly, "The emergence of the metal movable type printing press has greatly damaged the interests of those powerful families. They are so selfish and petty, they will definitely bear a grudge against Sister Qingping."
"Why do you hate me? I'm just an ordinary person who loves money." Mu Wanqing was not nervous at all, her eyes rolling, "Your Majesty, I will hand over this technology to you, and you can run a government-run printing workshop, but I have one condition."
She has always been generous and knows how to make choices.
The emperor was quite generous to his people. "Shall we share the profits? Sure."
Mu Wanqing waved her hand and said, "No, our publishing house only wants the exclusive publishing and printing rights for the three books: Three Character Classic, Hundred Family Names, and Thousand Character Classic."
The emperor was a little surprised, "Exclusive?"
It was impossible for Mu Wanqing to hold such an important thing in her own hands. "Yes, only we can provide it, no one else can."
The emperor paused for a moment and said, "Many private printing workshops do not break the law, so it is impossible to ban them."
He was a benevolent monarch and did not seek hegemony.
Mu Wanqing was not unreasonable. "I understand. Once movable type printing comes out, who can compete? Elimination is inevitable. The fittest will survive. As for those who want to use movable type printing, they must follow the rules."
This is equivalent to reshuffling the plate, giving the greatest benefits to the royal family, and also transferring the greatest risks to the royal family. If the powerful and wealthy are dissatisfied, they can go after the royal family.
She is weak, innocent and simple.
The emperor's mind was racing, already considering who would be suitable to take over this area.
"Are you sure you only want these three?"
Mu Wanqing thought for a moment and said, "I will also print other books, but I won't sell them. They will only be used for collection and gifting."
The emperor smiled and said, "Okay, send a few copies of whatever you print to the palace."
"Okay."
The eldest princess couldn't help but ask, "Where's the newspaper?"
Mu Wanqing winked at her and said, "There are no restrictions. It's not a book. You can print it however you want."
The eldest princess looked at the emperor eagerly, "Father, is that so?"
The Emperor has also read the newspaper published by the Grand Duchess, and it must be said that it is both interesting and practical.
"Yes, but you have to keep a close watch on it, don't let any messy stuff appear, and promote more positive and good things."
The eldest princess was so happy that she went crazy. "I know."
The emperor could not stay outside for long, so he left with the printing press and movable type model, and also took the reluctant prince with him.
The eldest princess stayed to discuss things, "We should give our publishing house a name that sounds nice and easy to remember."
Suddenly, she had an idea, "Ah, how about Sunny Day Publishing House?"
"Okay." Mu Wanqing was bad at naming. "As for the shares, we'll each have half, and you won't be involved in the management."
The eldest princess hesitated for a moment and said, "I want to give 20% of my shares to my second and third sisters, so that they can have more money."
She is like an elder sister and takes good care of her two younger sisters.
Mu Wanqing saw this and felt happy. Who wouldn't like a loyal and righteous person? "Okay."
Both of them were straightforward people. They discussed and finalized the details, and signed the contract directly after they reached an agreement.
After finishing her business, the eldest princess finally had the mood to chat, "Sister Qingping, why did you only ask for the exclusive rights to three books? There are so many books such as the Four Books and the Five Classics, poems, songs, and various schools of thought."
Mu Wanqing had a calm attitude, "We should leave enough room for everything. When we eat meat, we should also give others the broth. If we eat alone and get hated by others, we won't last long."
She pointed out, "Don't underestimate the number of schools that offer compulsory education. Think about how many schools there are in the country."
They can make a lot of money just by making elementary school textbooks, and it's inconspicuous, so they make a fortune quietly.
The eldest princess was not stupid. She understood it immediately and suddenly realized it.
"Sister Qingping, you are still the best and smartest. Father also thinks you are the most sensible."
The benefits were obtained and the king's favorability was increased. It was a textbook operation.
The eldest princess said that she had given up on studying.
Mu Wanqing raised her eyebrows. The most sensible? The emperor wouldn't think so.
On the other side, on the way back to the palace, the prince praised her with his mouth, "Father, Sister Qingping is such a good person, smart and capable, not greedy for money, and upright. She is also loyal."
The emperor smiled faintly, "You think too little of her. Those three books are must-reads for enlightenment. Everyone who goes to school must learn them. They can make her count money until her hands twitch."
He broke down everything and explained it in detail to the prince.
"Do you understand now?"
The prince understood, but he was a little jealous, "Why didn't she choose me to work with? How am I inferior to my elder sister? They are so close to each other."
They have already given up the lion’s share, what else do you want?
emperor:……
He rubbed his eyebrows and thought, forget it, Mu Wanqing might just fall for it. She was harsh with adults but very tolerant with children.
"When you have time, pester her. There will be follow-up to this matter."
The prince looked confused, "What's next?"
"Yes, she has always maximized her own interests." The emperor knew Mu Wanqing very well, "It feels like it's not over yet."
But he just couldn't figure out how else she could do it.
The prince's eyes lit up, "Okay, I'll let Sister Qingping know that I'm more obedient and cuter than Big Sister. Take me flying with you next time."
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