Chapter 99: Holding Thighs
Zhao Yuanxi stood up and walked out, "Okay! I'll take you there."
Mi Qi was stunned. He obviously hadn't expected Queen Mother Zhao to follow him. "Could this porcelain kiln be inside the Liyang Palace?"
Zhao Yuanxi glanced at him inexplicably, looking at him as if he were a fool. "Is there a place in my Liyang Palace where I can build a cave? Of course it's outside the palace!"
Can the Queen Mother leave the palace at any time?
When Queen Dowager Zhao was regent, she could leave the palace if she wanted to offer sacrifices or inspect. But now that the Queen Dowager has lost her power as regent, the King of Qin still allows her to leave the palace at any time, which is obviously something Mi Qi did not expect.
Mi Qi saw that the guards at the door not only did not stop him, but also took the initiative to ask the Queen Mother if she needed someone to follow and protect her. He felt like he had come to the wrong place.
Wasn't it said that Queen Dowager Zhao was sent to Yongcheng and placed under house arrest? Why does it seem like she's more at ease in Yongcheng than in the Xianyang Palace?
Zhao Yuanxi looked at his expression and found it a little funny. "You don't think I'm directing others to work from a distance, do you?"
Not only did she leave Liyang Palace, she almost left Yongcheng! If it weren't for Ying Zheng's strict supervision, how could she have visited other counties in Qin?
Mi Qi lowered his head and said quickly that he didn't dare.
Zhao Yuanxi sighed in his heart. It turned out that his adopted son was more interesting. In front of Queen Mother Zhao, Lord Changping was not a nephew or aunt, but just a monarch and a minister.
The paper mill could no longer build more new kilns. In order to increase production, Zhao Yuanxi bought this street and the mountain behind the paper mill.
The shops along the street sell pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as various novel gadgets. It is quite lively with people coming and going.
The porcelain kiln is located at the foot of the mountain and built against the mountain. It is long and narrow in shape. From a distance, you can see several large chimneys emitting smoke. In front of it is a huge courtyard. On both sides of the courtyard are placed different kinds of porcelain blanks, neatly stacked in rows. It is really shocking to look at.
Zhao Yuanxi said, "How is it? It looks pretty good, doesn't it?"
This porcelain kiln has drained the last bit of money in her pocket. If this celadon cannot make her money back, then she will have no choice but to starve.
Zhao Yuanxi didn't plan to build it so big at the beginning, but since he has done it, it would be a waste if he doesn't do it well!
She believed in the aesthetic taste of the Chinese people since ancient times, and this celadon was destined to become a luxury product popular all over the world, and then the Yong kiln would be known to the world.
"Very impressive." Mi Qi praised sincerely.
Apart from the Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Mount Li, he had never seen any other cave dwelling that was so shocking. He could only say that like mother, like son, and the mother and son had quite similar vision.
Zhao Yuanxi raised his chin slightly, a little proud, "You have good taste! See those large vats in front? They are filled with various glazes, which can be used to make porcelain of different colors. However, celadon is the most stable at the moment."
The color of porcelain is affected by many factors. In addition to the influence of the porcelain body, the glaze is also extremely critical. Different glazes will result in very different final products.
Unfortunately, the composition of these glazes is too complex, and except for celadon, porcelain of other colors is not stable enough.
This is also the reason why Zhao Yuanxi chose celadon as the main product.
Zhao Yuanxi continued to show him around, explaining, "There are five caves here in total. Each cave can produce thousands of pieces of porcelain at a time. If we use saggers, the efficiency can be further improved."
"This is the batch that has been fired."
Zhao Yuanxi pushed open the door on his left, and saw a whole room filled with shelves, on which were piled various objects with a light green luster.
Mi Qi took a deep breath to calm himself down. He swallowed and asked tentatively, "How many items are stored here?"
Zhao Yuanxi really had no idea. She hadn't been here for two or three days and hadn't really counted the porcelain pieces. "There are 112 shelves in total, each with five layers. Each layer can hold about five to seven pieces, so there are probably around three thousand pieces! There are a few rooms next to it, and they all look similar!"
This means that there are at least tens of thousands of pieces of porcelain stored here.
Although Mi Qi thought this was a good business, he never expected that the business would become so big from the beginning!
"What price does the Queen Mother intend to sell these things for?"
"I'm not good at doing business. Don't you want to discuss it with my subordinates?" Zhao Yuanxi felt a little embarrassed for once.
If Zhao Yuanxi were to do these technical tasks, she would still have the mind to think about them, but if she were to do the accounting, she would make a mess of it.
It’s not that she is not good at math, but doing business is not just a math problem.
Gao Sheng finally met Lord Changping in person this time. "Your servant Gao Sheng greets Lord Changping. All the businesses under the Queen Mother are now managed by me. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
Mi Qi remembered that his master had mentioned the name Gao Sheng many times and praised him highly. At that time, Mi Qi did not pay much attention to this person.
I didn't expect to see you here today.
Seeing that the two were having a pleasant conversation, Zhao Yuanxi made room for them to chat while he went to check the new batch of porcelain that was about to come out of the kiln.
The blanks used in this batch of new porcelain were mixed with copper, and the color was exceptionally translucent, like the azure blue under the blue sky. Zhao Yuanxi loved it very much.
"Thank you for your hard work. Once these porcelains are sold, everyone will be rewarded handsomely."
Everyone was very happy.
The manager of the craftsmen was also very happy, but he couldn't help but ask a few more questions out of concern, "Madam, these kilns consume a lot of firewood. Although the wood in the back mountain is enough for now, I'm afraid there will be a shortage over time. Madam, you must make plans early."
If we can't find a place with a stable supply of firewood, these kilns will just be decorations.
Zhao Yuanxi was happy for a short while before another problem arose. He couldn't help but sigh. It was really hard to make money!
However, since Ying Zheng planned to use this porcelain kiln as an official kiln, it seemed that she didn't need to worry about the lack of wood.
The mountains, seas, lakes and marshes of Qin all belong to the King of Qin and are managed by the Shaofu. If we can contact the Shaofu of Qin, this matter will probably be resolved.
Mi Qi came over with Gao Sheng.
Zhao Yuanxi directly threw the question to him. Mi Qi didn't show any distress when he heard it. He said calmly, "It's okay. I will have someone send a batch of timber every five days. However, the money will need to be deducted from the profit."
Zhao Yuanxi once again felt the benefits of holding on to someone powerful. Look! They had been worried for a long time, but that person solved the problem with just one sentence!
"Does Changping Jun have a lot of mountains in his family?" Zhao Yuanxi couldn't help asking.
Mi Qi was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "I am not only the Lord of Changping now, but also the Minister of the Imperial Household of Qin. These matters are naturally under my jurisdiction."
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