Chapter 18: Opening a Paper Mill
Five days later, facing the early summer sun, Qu Ji mounted his horse and looked at the Yongcheng city wall behind him with reluctance in his eyes. But after turning around, his eyes became firm. He waved the whip and never looked back.
Less than ten miles out of Yongcheng, there were several people standing in a long pavilion beside the Yong River.
Qu Ji saw them from a distance and dismounted.
Zhang Han waved at him, handed him the package, and said with a smile, "The Queen Mother granted us a day off, so we came to see you off. Here! This is the pancake your sister-in-law prepared for you. You said this was your favorite, so she made it for you early this morning, and it's still warm."
"Brother Zhang." Quji took the bag, and the slight trembling of his shoulders revealed his current mood.
Zhang Han patted his shoulder and said, "When you join the Black Armor Army, you must not bring shame to the Queen Mother. It's a little difficult for you to be granted a title of nobility and a position of honor, but I taught you after all. Set a simple goal for now, and become a 500-man lord within a year."
The Qin army was organized into groups of five people, with the group leader as the most basic position. Above him were the platoon leader, who was in charge of ten people, the garrison commander, who was in charge of fifty people, the centurion, who was in charge of one hundred people, and the five hundred commander, who was in charge of five hundred people. Above the five hundred commander were the two hundred and five hundred commanders, the colonel, the captain, the general, and the supreme general.
If one can become one of the five hundred masters, he is already at the peak of ordinary people.
The goal set by Zhang Han was high enough, but it was also achievable.
Qu Ji nodded, "I won't let you down!"
Du and Shan also came, but they had taken off their Qin guards' clothes and changed into the short brown robes they usually wore.
Du took off the short knife from his waist and said, "I don't have a wife, so I can only give you this knife."
Qu Ji said hurriedly, "Brother Du, didn't you say that this was left to you by your father? This is your most beloved thing, I can't take it!"
Du smiled bitterly. "A sword can only be used as a weapon on the battlefield. With me, it can only be treated as a piece of scrap metal. My father gave it to me so that I could fight in the battlefield, but now—"
He even had difficulty standing up, let alone going into battle to kill the enemy.
"So, this knife is given to you so that it can play its greatest value."
"Brother Du..."
Du stuffed the knife into Qu Ji's arms and said, "Alright, stop fussing. Take it with you and win more battles for Da Qin. Next year, the brothers will be here to celebrate for you."
"Okay!" Qu Ji had tears in his eyes.
Finally, Shan pulled out a thin book from his bosom. "This is a military manual, half a family heirloom, and it also contains some of my own humble thoughts. The Empress Dowager gave us some paper a few days ago, and I copied it out. I hope it will be of some use to you."
Qu Ji didn't know what paper was.
He turned the page and saw the black words on the white paper. He couldn't help but widen his eyes, "This——"
Du Heshan laughed out loud, "I knew you would have this expression!"
Qu Ji asked anxiously, "Is this what the Queen Mother asked you to make?"
The two nodded, and Shan explained, "When we saw this thing, we couldn't believe it either. The Queen Mother said it was called paper and could be used for writing. It's more convenient than bamboo slips."
This is more than just convenient!
Qu Ji vaguely felt that the empress dowager had created something extraordinary, and the book in his hand seemed to be worth a thousand gold.
"I will protect it well." Qu Ji carefully put it in his arms, making Du and Shan laugh again.
Shan said, "Paper isn't a particularly precious commodity. The Queen Mother has already planned to sell it throughout the Qin State. You might see it in Xianyang or elsewhere."
Even so, Quji still put the book away properly and bowed to the three men, "I will never forget the care you have given me, my brothers."
The three of them returned the greetings and said goodbye to each other.
The three of them didn't look away until the young man on horseback completely disappeared from their sight.
Shan was the most sentimental one, and he sighed, "After we say goodbye today, I don't know when we will meet again."
In recent years, the Qin State has been constantly waging wars abroad, and many people have gone there and never returned.
Although they didn't say they were worried, they had already imagined both the good and the bad in their minds.
Du, who knew Qu Ji best, looked determined, "He will be back!"
Qu Ji was the most hardworking, diligent, and intelligent among them, but he used to think too much and had too many questions in his mind, so even if he tried his best, he seemed unable to find the direction. Now he has found his own way.
"Hey, tell me what's going on with that paper! How did the Queen Mother make such a good thing?" Zhang Han interrupted the melancholy atmosphere between the two and asked the questions in his heart.
He put one hand on one person's shoulder, and the three of them walked back hugging each other.
Du Heshan began to tell him about his experiences in the past few days.
In an old house somewhere in the south of Yongcheng, Zhao Yuanxi walked through the wooden walls where paper was dried with a bright smile on his face. This was all money!
Gao Sheng ordered bundles of paper to be brought into the warehouse. After counting, he said, "Madam, we have produced a total of 361 bundles of paper so far, each containing 1,000 sheets. If we sell them at ten coins per sheet, we can get 361 gold. After deducting the cost, we will have at least 300 gold."
Before meeting the Queen Mother, Gao Sheng had never done such a profitable business. This was just the output of their small courtyard, less than half a month.
If he could expand this business to the whole country and the other six countries, he couldn't even imagine how much money he could make.
Zhao Yuanxi is not as optimistic as him.
This papermaking business could only earn some money from the nobles at the beginning. Once it was really promoted, paper would no longer be a rare commodity, and the profit would naturally come down.
However, she had not originally intended to make money by selling paper. Now she just wanted to take advantage of the fact that the nobles had not yet reacted and make as much money as possible from them.
"Use these papers to draw some birds, flowers, and plants, write a few words on the sides, and send them to the princes and ministers in Xianyang first."
The paintings of the Qin Dynasty were mainly silk paintings and lacquer paintings. No one had ever painted on paper before.
Gao Sheng could imagine the sensation this batch of paper paintings would cause when they appeared in Xianyang.
But Zhao Yuanxi obviously also gave him a difficult problem.
"But I'm not good at painting." Gao Sheng said in embarrassment. He was just a eunuch. He could only recognize words thanks to his father and his experience in the Xianyang Palace. How could he know how to paint?
Zhao Yuanxi looked at him and said meaningfully, "You can't draw, do you want me to draw for you?"
Gao Sheng was so frightened that cold sweats broke out. He hurriedly said, "I will go and invite some skilled painters to come over. I will definitely satisfy Madam."
A qualified worker should solve problems for the boss, not raise problems to the boss.
Zhao Yuanxi nodded in satisfaction. Although her subordinate was a bit flattering, his work ability was still quite good.
There were many things that he had already done without her having to explain them clearly.
If it were in modern times, he could at least be a CEO.
"Madam, I have finished the pen you asked me to make." Lu's rough big hand was holding a small pen at this moment.
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