But Xu Yan had been staying idle in Gushan Academy for a few days when the fat boy Yang Pengju came over to complain.
It turned out that he recruited many porcelain makers from Jingdezhen, intending to make great achievements. But who would have thought that the porcelain fired in the new kiln would crack and completely lack the quality of the fine products of Jingdezhen Porcelain Capital.
Now Xu Yan felt helpless.
Although he is a time traveler, he is not an engineering student.
He really didn't have the skill points for firing kilns, making glass and cement, which are essential for time travelers.
"Ahem, is the kiln temperature not high enough?"
Xu Yan recalled the only knowledge he had about kiln firing.
"The kiln temperature is not high enough?"
Yang Pengju couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
To be honest, he hadn't really thought about this issue.
"Then I'll go back and try heating it up."
The little fat man swallowed and continued, "Brother, there's one more thing that's bothering me. These porcelain craftsmen I hired will definitely be returning to their hometown in Jiangxi for the New Year. They'll definitely need to bring silver with them, but carrying too much silver on the road is inconvenient and could easily attract thieves."
As Yang Pengju's business partner, Xu Yan naturally had to give him some advice.
"Can't the bank cash it out?"
Yang Pengju shook his head and said, "The money shop can only redeem money locally. If you go to another place, you can't redeem it. And each shop only redeems its own customers."
Yang Pengju is very talented in business, and Xu Yan certainly does not doubt his information.
Piaohao officially appeared in the Qing Dynasty. Its predecessor was the money shop, but there is indeed an essential difference between the two in terms of the way of redemption.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the banknote exchange industry had become very developed, and it was no exaggeration to say that it connected the whole world.
But now we are far from reaching this level, which makes traveling merchants miserable.
Xu Yan suddenly had a bold idea.
This seems to be an opportunity.
Commerce was already very developed in the Ming Dynasty, and there was a huge demand for cash.
However, the money shops in the Ming Dynasty could not meet this demand.
Where there is demand, there is a market. If you can invest in the banknote business, you will definitely make a lot of money.
"Brother Pengju, I have an idea. What do you think about opening a bank?"
"A bank? Why did Big Brother suddenly want to open one? Is Big Brother so rich that he needs to make a contribution?"
Yang Pengju was greatly surprised.
"Ahem, that's not what I meant."
Xu Yan swallowed his saliva and said, "The bank I want to open is different from what you understand. Or rather, it's different from the existing banks."
"What's the difference?"
The little fat boy was momentarily intrigued.
"Simply put, you deposit money in a bank and can exchange it at any branch without restrictions. This way, when you go out, you only need to carry one bill, which greatly reduces the risk."
Xu Yan spoke eloquently, "I'm sure this will cause a sensation."
Yang Pengju was quite talented in business. After pondering Xu Yan's words for a moment, he clapped his hands and praised, "Brother, you are truly a prodigy. When are you opening a shop? I want to invest."
Xu Yan didn't expect that after fooling Yang Pengju, he really got the hang of it.
Although he was very optimistic about the Piaohao, it was a new thing in the Ming Dynasty after all, so he was still a little unsure.
He was naturally very happy that the fat man was willing to invest and share his risks.
"Well, that's great. Once I've decided on a location, I'll discuss it with Brother Pengju."
"This Stone Story vase is the hottest seller. Big Brother, could you give me some more details so I can prepare early?"
As we were chatting, we ended up talking about The Story of the Stone.
The fat boy made a fortune by selling vases related to "The Story of the Stone". Having tasted the sweetness, he naturally wanted to make more.
"That's easy. I'll draw a sample and give it to you."
Xu Yan had no intention of giving the manuscript to the fat boy.
This is not because he does not trust Yang Pengju, but out of caution.
Besides, even brothers have to settle accounts clearly. Xu Yan has been very kind to Yang Pengju.
As we were chatting, Mr. Qian walked in.
Seeing that he looked unhappy, Xu Yan went up to him with a smile.
"Teacher, why are you here?"
"Hmph, these pretentious vulgar people are really a nuisance. I am so annoyed by them that I'd rather go inside and avoid them."
Xu Yan knew that Mr. Qian was talking about the bridge construction outside Gushan Mountain. He smiled bitterly and said, "This is the Governor's first major initiative since taking office. You can't just let him show his skills, right?"
"You can set fire to it, but I can't tolerate setting it on fire at my doorstep."
Qian Dehong said angrily: "So what if he's the governor? Can he do whatever he wants?"
Xu Yan knew very well that his mentor was notoriously stubborn and once he made up his mind, even ten oxen could not change his mind.
"Look at what you said, building a bridge is a good thing. There are many bridges near Gushan, and they don't seem to spoil the scenery."
"Humph, the ancients were the ancients, and the moderns are the moderns. How can they be confused? Besides, this bridge is so ugly, it's really an eyesore."
It was obvious that my mentor was very dissatisfied with the new governor, and he even looked down on the bridge he had overseen.
Xu Yan didn't have a good solution for this. He couldn't impeach him just because he built a bridge, right?
"Let's wait and see. Maybe you'll get used to it."
Xu Yan said with a laugh.
"Forget it. Out of sight, out of mind. Let me teach you how to write."
Xu Yan never thought that the fire would burn on him, and he couldn't help but gasp.
"That's not necessary. You should get more rest."
"How can this be? You've been showing signs of slacking off lately. My dear disciple, what did your master tell you? You can't go a day without reading or writing, otherwise it will be difficult to catch up."
Seeing that he couldn't change his mind, Xu Yan had no choice but to accept his mentor's arrangement and sighed, "Brother Pengju, we will talk again another day."
Yang Pengju gave him a sympathetic look, cleared his throat and said, "Goodbye, big brother."
After saying that, he ran away.
So only Qian Dehong and his apprentice Xu Yan were left in the room.
Xu Yan knew he couldn't escape, so he obediently made a pot of tea for his mentor and asked flatteringly, "Master, where do we start?"
“To know what you know and to know what you do not know is true knowledge.”
Xu Yan was stunned for a moment.
Why did my teacher suddenly ask such a question?
"This seems to be referring to academic research, but it also applies to the court."
Qian Dehong was well prepared and spoke eloquently, "Those treacherous ministers are illiterate, yet they boast themselves as capable ministers who can govern the country. As a result, the emperor still trusts them, preventing truly capable people from displaying their talents while positions are occupied by these idlers."
Xu Yan asked tentatively, "Master, do you think this kind of question might appear in the final exam?"
"In recent years, the exams have always been full of fragments, making the essays look like nothing. And yet, no one has set such simple and straightforward questions. As a teacher, I think the trend needs to change."
That's quite true. Imperial examination questions generally change after a certain style becomes popular. It seems Xu Yan needs to pay attention to these simple and easy-to-understand questions.
...
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com