Chapter 244: Lack of Paper (Revised)
In the carriage going to Kuaiji, Li Yu was no longer dressed as the imperial envoy who delivered the imperial decree in the morning. He was wearing casual clothes. The eunuch in the carriage was none other than the one who received the two taels of silver reward from Sang Luo in Daxing Manor. Naturally, he was no longer dressed as a palace eunuch at this time.
The two of them rode in the same carriage. After the carriage had traveled for a while, Li Yu lifted the curtain and looked out. When he had passed one or two villages and saw people, he turned around and asked the man in the carriage, "Eunuch Cen, shall we go in and take a look?"
The Eunuch Cen originally left the palace on a mission, so why wouldn't he respond?
"Okay, we've come a long way, why don't we go into the village and ask for some water to drink?"
The carriage stopped far away, and without the escort, the two of them walked into the village. They walked around the small village with more than ten households, and rested at a fellow villager's house. It was already two quarters of an hour later when they returned to the carriage. As soon as the two of them got on the carriage, the eunuch Cen laughed: "Master Li, this Miss Sang is quite interesting."
He is actually the living Bodhisattva in the eyes of the villagers of Shezhou.
It turned out that after entering Daxing Manor, not only Li Yu, but even the eunuchs who accompanied them discovered that Daxing Manor was different from the outside world.
The Shen family lived in a relatively inner part of the village. All the way over, Daxing Village, regardless of gender, age or young, had a spirit of vigor and vitality that could not be seen in a world that had been in chaos for several years. Not only were the people spirited, but there were also many poultry and livestock in front of and behind the houses in the village.
Despite this strange scene, no one, from the Shezhou governor and the chief secretary who accompanied them to the villagers who came to watch the fun, showed any surprise on their faces, apparently they were used to it.
However, Li Yu and a group of eunuchs who traveled all the way from north to south did not think it was normal.
Not to mention Kyoto, which had been besieged for months, even in many places outside Kyoto, order was still slowly being restored and the people were suffering from hunger and hardship. In places that were severely affected by the disaster, it was not uncommon to see a complete lack of human habitation and no sound of chickens or dogs for an area of two or three hundred miles.
What Li Yu and Zeng Ziqian said was true. He came to the south this time for two reasons: one was to go to Kuaiji, and the other was that Your Majesty lived in the imperial city, and he and Cen Nei Shi came here to act as the eyes of the emperor and take a look at the situation in the south.
"It's interesting." Li Yu was a stranger. As soon as he entered the village, he found that this village was similar to Daxingzhuang. Although it was not as wealthy as Daxingzhuang, it also had poultry and livestock.
A counsellor and a close attendant of the emperor, who was observant and asked questions, went around the village and knew a lot of things. He learned that the pheasants, hares and sheep came from Daxing Village, and the chickens, ducks, geese, pigs and cows were the work of the governor's wife, Fan. He even heard about yam planting, konjac tofu and fairy tofu.
Knowing that the villagers used to hide in the mountains, Li Yu asked them how they knew about the peaceful things outside. He thought that the government was advising them to go into the mountains, but he never thought that there was also Daxing Village here. The villagers regarded the fact that Chen Lie and his men brought the mountain villagers out to settle down as a good story and told it to Li Yu and the other two outsiders.
Shezhou, Daxing Village.
Li Yu laughed.
There is the Fan family among the aristocratic families, the Sang family among the common people, and a group of young and strong people with good skills who are willing to work for the court.
"After we return from Kuaiji, we will visit Shezhou again."
Li Yu's intuition told him that he should go to Daxingzhuang again.
…
Sang Luo learned about the serious shortage of paper in both the government and the people in the afternoon. After Chu Qichang came to measure the land, Chen Ning and a group of more than a dozen children in the village, big and small, all ran to the city, for no other reason than to see the two imperial edicts posted on the notice wall.
When they came back, they brought another piece of news. The government was recruiting bamboo craftsmen who could make bamboo slips. Chen Ning and Xu Wenyin, who were running a small brush business, delivered a batch of goods to the pen and ink shop near the provincial school. The pen, ink, incense and candle shops outside the provincial school were also collecting bamboo slips. Ten bamboo slips with holes punched in them were charged three cents.
This was good news for most families in the village. It was even more attractive than the government's recruitment of bamboo craftsmen, because the government recruited bamboo craftsmen who had to work during the day, but each family had a lot of land. Unless there were a lot of people in the family, who would have the time to leave the land to work for the government? The pen and ink shop was different. This job could be done well by men, women, young and old after learning. They were busy with farm work during the day, and cut bamboo slips for an hour or two at home after dark, and could earn a lot of money in a day.
Shen Ning also brought back a few samples of bamboo slips. After Chen Youtian and the others confirmed that the job could really be done, a large group of people went to the mountains to cut bamboo. Even Shen Jin and Shen Yin followed. No matter how much, at least they could see some money, right?
Sang Luo frowned and asked, "The ink shop in the city has run out of paper to sell?"
Chen Ning nodded: "Yes, but there are very few. I heard from the shopkeeper that there is no stock. The remaining papers are very precious. The price is very high. Ordinary people can't afford it."
It's because they couldn't afford it. The purchase price of ten bamboo slips was three cents, and how much would it cost to sell a roll? Few people could afford bamboo slips, let alone the price of paper during the period of scarcity.
If there was no paper, whether it was the government or the scholars, if they wanted to write something serious, they would either have to go up the mountain to cut bamboo and carve bamboo slips, which was a lot of trouble, or they would have to pay money to buy paper.
Paper is expensive, so does that mean bamboo slips are cheap?
If you don't put in a lot of effort to chop, slice, shave, boil and bake the bamboo slips yourself, it's not cheap to buy them. A roll of bamboo slips depends on its size. If there are 50 pieces, the merchant will buy it for 15 cents, and it will cost at least 25 to 30 cents to the students.
How many characters can be written on a bamboo scroll? Twenty characters are the norm on a bamboo scroll, and the most a beautifully written one can write is forty characters. A bamboo scroll can contain one or two thousand characters, not counting the ink and brush, and the bamboo scroll alone would cost twenty-five to thirty coins.
This is more expensive than using paper before.
On the one hand, Sang Luo understood why it was so difficult to produce scholars in ancient times, and on the other hand, she finally understood why ancient classical Chinese was so concise. Without quoting other aspects, she only talked about the difficulties of using paper or bamboo slips, and the necessity of being concise.
Having paper was originally an improvement, but at present, the Great Qi was going backwards in terms of paper spending.
Xu Wenyin, who came with Chen Ning, also frowned: "Sister Luo, do you think those papermakers disappeared in the war? Otherwise, it doesn't make sense that they haven't made paper for so long. Who wouldn't make money?"
Sang Luo was a little absent-minded: "Maybe."
But she herself didn't quite believe it. Could it be that there was only one family in the whole Da Qi who knew how to make paper?
In the evening, the bark that had been dried in the morning, collected in the evening and often watered, and had become quite similar to hemp, was collected back. Sang Luo stared at it in a trance.
Chen Lie and Shen An also saw the government notice today. When they returned to the village after school, they saw bamboo slips outside every house. They also knew that the pen and ink shop was collecting bamboo slips.
Chen Lie saw Sang Luo staring at the barks in a trance and asked in a low voice, "You want to make paper?"
Sang Luo did not answer. After a while, she shook her head and said, "Paper and plow are two different things."
What would it matter if she made it now? If Da Qi was not short of paper, she could make the same paper as the ones sold outside and use it for her family, and it would be fine to sell some secretly. But now Da Qi was short of paper, obviously very short of paper, even the government offices had started to go back to using bamboo slips, so if she really made paper, she would be a sitting duck.
There was no one around, so Chen Lie held Sang Luo's hand and whispered, "Don't worry yet. We still don't know who has the Da Qi papermaking recipe and why there is a shortage of paper. It's better not to act rashly. I'll ask someone for information later when I have a chance."
"I know."
Don't be fooled by their family's prosperity today, with imperial edicts and memorial archways. If they are not careful and touch the interests of someone they can't afford to offend, it will only take a matter of minutes for that person to crush them to death.
Sang Luo knew that this was not a good feeling. In such an era, if you have no power or influence, you are like a rootless duckweed. It is not easy to do anything. Sang Luo now thinks about the last time when he presented the plow. Chen Lie refused to send it in the evening, but went out for a walk, and finally encouraged all the people in the village to present the plow with great fanfare the next day. He might have been prepared for something.
There were many military commanders who killed innocent people to gain merit. Although they were given books by the governor Zeng at that time, they had not had much contact with each other, so how could they understand each other? Even if it was something like offering a plow, which was good for all parties, Chen Lie was probably wary. What about paper?
"Okay, don't think about it for now. Before you know the truth, just pretend that you know nothing." Chen Lie smiled and drew a few ripples on Sang Luo's forehead: "You should worry less now, otherwise I'm afraid that the child will be born like this."
Sang Luo pulled Chen Lie's hand down and laughed: "Is there anyone who jokes like you?"
However, after he made such a fuss, the bad mood I had before did dissipate.
After putting the barks into the basket, they really put down their hands and the couple got together to discuss how to build the house. This was the most urgent thing to do at the moment. Moreover, because there was more land available for the garden and house, and they had more money, they had to change the previous plans.
After they had almost finished the discussion, they lit a lamp, one of them read a book, and the other drew a rough sketch on a sand table which was easy to modify. They were both engrossed in it and did not fall asleep until midnight.
The next morning, when Sang Luo woke up, the bed beside her was empty. She got up and washed up when she saw Chen Lie carrying two bamboos back. He put the bamboos away from the door and came to wash his hands. He said to Sang Luo, "Starting today, Xiao An and I will also cut some bamboo slips for school at night. I'll keep the remaining paper at home for you. It will be convenient for drawing."
Sang Luo often draws things. Now she is building a house, so there are probably a lot of drawings to be drawn. Bamboo slips are not as convenient as paper.
Sang Luo nodded, not worrying about delaying the brothers' studies. Even if Chen Lie and Shen An were studying, she and Shen Ning were never allowed to do the dirty or heavy work at home. The two brothers were the kind of people who could test each other while chopping wood.
After both of them left home to go to school, Sang Luo's mind was completely focused on the new home she would live in in the future. She spent most of the day drawing floor plans at home. In the evening, Chen Lie came back with the news he had heard.
"I asked the Sixth Master of the Wang Family. Papermaking has always been controlled by the aristocratic families. However, he didn't quite understand why there is such a shortage of paper right now."
The Sixth Master of the Wang Family is Wang Yunzheng’s sixth uncle, and the only member of the Wang Family who is studying in the provincial school with whom Wang Yunzheng has close contact.
When Sang Luo heard that it was indeed a noble family, she shook her head and didn't care about it anymore. She worked at her desk for another two days and finally drew a complete outline of the house.
Shen Ning knew what her sister-in-law had been busy with these days, so when she saw the final draft, she leaned over to take a look. After just one glance, she was stunned: "Sister-in-law, do we have four courtyards?"
I suspect I must have seen it wrong.
But the picture is really clear, there are exactly four of them!
Sang Luo nodded and pointed to her: "The southeast corner is the main gate. Entering from here is the first courtyard. Opposite the gate is the screen wall, next to it is the kitchen, and to the left is the second gate. Entering inside is the main courtyard. There is another courtyard behind the east and west wing rooms. In this courtyard behind the west wing room, the room to the south will be used for imperial edicts. The door next to this door leads to the backyard, which is also the largest courtyard in our family."
Shen Ning knew it as soon as he heard it: “Do you make things here?”
Sang Luo smiled and nodded: "If there is anything secret that needs to be done, do it in this yard."
Knowing where the yard was, Chen Ning flipped over the floor plan next to it and counted the grids representing the houses one by one. He was amazed: "Sister-in-law, there are 22 rooms here, right? Can we live in them?"
Then he responded and said with a smile: "Yes, there will be nephews and nieces in the future."
As she said this, she looked at her sister-in-law's belly and laughed herself to herself.
Sang Luo laughed, "It's not that we built so many rooms for the children. People actually live in the east and west wings and the main house. There are a reception room, a living room and a study. There are three studies alone. Everyone has their own space. As for the houses in the other courtyards, they are either storage rooms or for imperial edicts. The row of rooms in the north backyard is a workshop and a place to store goods. They will be there for brewing wine or doing other things in the future. They are all useful."
In fact, the areas that really take up a large area are the backyard and the row of workshops and storage rooms. The yard, in particular, is used for drying things. No matter whether it is making paper or food, drying is essential. It can only be done within the high walls, otherwise the recipe will be difficult to keep.
While the aunt and the sister-in-law were talking, someone came from the governor's mansion. It was the maidservant of Concubine Fan. She had come to the Shen family with Concubine Fan yesterday. She came over familiarly and called Madam Sang outside the house.
When Sang Luo left, the maid bowed and said with a smile, "My wife asked me to tell you that there are a number of ownerless shops in the state capital that will be put up for sale. I want to ask if you are interested."
"shop?"
This must be there!
Not to mention that she had prepared a cooperation with the Chen family, all of her wine, jujube cakes, and honey had to be sold in the shop. Supplying goods to others was naturally not as convenient as having her own shop, and would not make as much money.
Sang Luo's eyes lit up. "Which shop is it from? Is it expensive?"
"There are slaves from all over the place. They lost their owners during the chaos of war and are now being taken back by the court. The court has asked each prefecture to release a batch of them. As for the price, it varies from place to place and size to size. I don't know the exact number of slaves. My wife said that if you are interested, you can go to the governor's mansion. You can pick one before they are released."
How could Sang Luo not go for such a good thing? Even Chen Ning's eyes lit up when she heard it. Sang Luo asked Chen Ning to stay at home, and she packed up a little and went to the governor's mansion with the maid.
In the governor's mansion, Concubine Fan had been waiting for her. When she arrived at the side door of the government office, someone rushed to report. Just as Sang Luo entered the hanging flower gate, Concubine Fan had already hurried out to greet her. When she saw Sang Luo, she smiled and held her back, saying, "We have a distinguished guest. We are sorry for not welcoming you from afar. Let's talk inside."
Concubine Fan was a straightforward person. Even when she pulled Sang Luo's sleeve, she only showed affection but did not make her feel uncomfortable. Sang Luo smiled and said, "Thank you for coming to meet me in person. I have always wanted to visit you, but my family was busy preparing to build a house and I never had the time. Thank you for thinking of me when you have good news."
"Sure, sure."
They were attracted to each other and the atmosphere became lively with each other's words, just like old friends who had known each other for many years. Concubine Fan led everyone to the flower hall while chatting and laughing. The maids and servants they met on the way greeted Sang Luo with a smile. They sat down in the flower hall, where tea and snacks had already been served.
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