Chapter 245 Choice
If Concubine Fan were a man, she would definitely be a capable official. As soon as the two of them sat down, she started talking about the main topic with a smile.
Sang Luo came so quickly, and was obviously interested in the shop. She only said, "My concubine, you know that I have no family wealth. I only have a little over 200 taels of silver in my hand. In addition, I need to build a new house. I wonder how much a shop in Shezhou City would cost?"
Concubine Fan glanced at the nanny who was beside her. The nanny turned around and held up seven or eight bamboo scrolls. She said with a smile, "Madam Sang, the details of the shops to be sold this time are all here. The location, size and price are all listed above. Please take a look first."
When Sang Luo saw the large tray of bamboo slips, her expression became complicated for a moment. Some things, if you take them to heart, will pop up in front of you at all times and in all places.
She lowered her eyes. She had heard from Chen Lie that the papermaking process was controlled by an aristocratic family, and she didn't want to get involved in the muddy water. But in the end, she couldn't help but picked up the bamboo slips and frowned in confusion: "I heard that paper is not available in the market now, and the government is also short of paper?"
Concubine Fan knew that there were two scholars in the Shen family, so she did not doubt it and said, "Yes, I'm afraid we will have to use bamboo slips for a while. Do you have no paper now?"
Sang Luo nodded, "More or less. I kept a few sheets for drawing. They studied in the provincial school and relied on cutting bamboo slips at home every night. Many people in our village took orders from the pen and ink shop, and they were paid three cents for making ten bamboo slips. I heard that the government also recruited bamboo craftsmen who could make bamboo slips. I was a little curious. Did the papermakers who made paper in the past few years have problems or did the recipe get lost? It can't be such a coincidence that all the papermakers in Da Qi have problems?"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Fan looked at Sang Luo. She hesitated for a moment, thinking that the Shen family also had scholars, so it would be okay for them to know some things. So she raised her chin to the nanny she trusted. The nanny bowed and retreated. She went out and waved to the maids under the eaves of the corridor. At that moment, everyone retreated, leaving only the nanny guarding outside the flower hall door.
After everyone cleared the area, Concubine Fan shook her head and said, "It's not that we're short of craftsmen or prescriptions, but we're still struggling over interests."
"Now is the critical moment for the new nobles in the court to share profits with some old-school noble families. Needless to say, the new nobles followed Your Majesty to conquer the world, so they were bound to be given official positions and titles. Of course, many of these so-called new nobles were originally from noble families. As for some old-school noble families, they stood by and watched when Your Majesty was fighting for the world, but now that it has been decided, high positions and titles will have nothing to do with them. However, not everyone agrees. There are always some people who are trying to squeeze in."
"You mean the recipe for making paper is in the hands of the noble family that has been watching from the sidelines? Is it possible that only one noble family in Da Qi has the recipe for making paper?"
"That's not the case. The Luo family of Kuaiji, the Dou family of Meishan, and the Zhang family of Xiangcheng all mastered the art of papermaking. It's just that the Zhang family of Xiangcheng was killed in an epidemic caused by bandits who massacred the city two years ago. No one in the family was spared. After that, no one knew what happened. The place where the family lived was burned down. Of course, no recipes or skills were passed down. As for the Luo family of Kuaiji and the Dou family of Meishan, I think you also know that the relationship between the aristocratic families is complicated, especially the two aristocratic families that mastered the papermaking technique. They have been married for generations. Now the two families should have reached a tacit understanding in private to advance and retreat together."
Sang Luo understood.
The emperor is being strangled by the aristocratic families.
"Aren't they afraid of being held accountable in the future for doing this?" Sang Luo pointed to the sky.
This was exactly the same as what Concubine Fan said a few days ago, "Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?" Concubine Fan chuckled and then shook her head, "No, at least not right now. The power of the noble families is much greater than you think. Your Majesty still relies on the noble families. Many things are under-the-table confrontations. They won't tear each other apart unless it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, why do you think your Majesty runs schools and recruits scholars? The power of the noble families is too great, which is also a kind of suppression... itself."
The word "imperial power" was hidden in Concubine Fan's mouth.
"And the Luo and Dou families have no choice but to fight. If they don't fight, they may lose their power now, but over time they may find it difficult to protect their wealth. Especially the Luo family, whose children have held high positions in the previous dynasty, and their reputation, haha."
The most fundamental reason why they dared to fight was because the emperor was poor.
That’s right, it’s poverty.
The Xiao family was also a noble family. Who would have thought that after they took control of the country, they would almost empty the family's wealth? Now they still had 600,000 soldiers to support. After three years of rent exemption, many of these 600,000 soldiers rebelled and surrendered. Any one of them that was not appeased could be a source of instability.
Concubine Fan couldn't help but sigh.
Sang Luo asked her: "Why are you sighing?"
Concubine Fan said, "It's not easy for your Majesty. You have distributed farmland to the people and exempted them from rent and taxes for three years. The Great Qi has an army of 600,000 to support, and money and food are needed everywhere. This time, the shops taken back by the county government offices will be sold, and the silver will actually be sent back to the national treasury."
In a word, the emperor was poor, extremely poor.
If he wasn't poor, would he have done something like rewarding Sang Luo with 200 taels of silver? To ordinary people, this was overwhelming wealth, but in the eyes of the noble families and even officials, this was really too little.
The curved plow, if it has done some good deed, the emperor will hear of it and commend it.
I think His Majesty himself is aware of this, so he gave a reward of 200 acres of land. The only thing the court can easily give out right now is land.
Of course, this cannot be said.
Sang Luo understood. She looked at Concubine Fan and said, "Excuse me, you and Mr. Zeng are also from aristocratic families..."
The rest of the words were not stated clearly, and Concubine Fan could answer or not.
"It's just me and my Sanlang." Concubine Fan looked at Sang Luo with a smile: "Your Majesty and you have the same vision as Ah Luo. We want to see a prosperous Chang'an, not a prosperous family with peace and prosperity while the people suffer."
…
Finally, accompanied by Concubine Fan and her servants, Sang Luo asked the official in charge of managing the shops for sale to take her to visit several shops on site. She chose a medium-sized shop of more than 30 square meters on the main street, which was priced at 120 taels. They agreed to bring the money to the government office early the next morning to handle the transfer.
Sang Luo, who had always been a good sleeper since she became pregnant, tossed and turned and had insomnia for the first time that night.
Chen Lie already knew what Concubine Fan had said to her during the day. Seeing that she was tossing and turning and unable to sleep, he asked her in a low voice, "Are you still thinking about the paper?"
Sang Luo hummed in the dark night: "Maybe they suffered in the previous dynasty. Now they have a good emperor who is resourceful and willing to care more about the people. They always want Da Qi to be better and better. I heard that the children of the Luo family all occupied high positions in the previous dynasty, and they must have exploited the people."
Such a person, holding the recipe for papermaking, wanted to return to the court, and the emperor was reluctant to give in. I guess he didn't want a low-level official position.
Sang Luo, why is she so unwilling?
She lifted the quilt and stood up. Chen Lie seemed to have expected this. He handed her the coat with a smile and said, "Put on your clothes first, don't catch a cold. I'll go light the lamp."
Late at night, neither the couple slept. They closed the door of the kitchen and started to boil tree bark.
Chen Lie was unwilling to let Sang Luo stay up late, so he said, "I'll watch over you tonight. You sit for a while. When you feel calm, go to sleep. I'll make the pulp tomorrow night. When it's done, we can talk about the rest later."
…
Chen Ning only discovered the noise at home the next night. People far away couldn't hear the sound of bark being smashed, but Chen Ning in the next room could hear it. She got up, put on her clothes, came out with an oil lamp, and knocked on the door of her kitchen: "Brother? Sister-in-law?"
Shen Lie was working, Sang Luo went to open the door for her, and then locked the door again when Shen Ning came in.
When Shen Ning saw her elder brother making paper pulp, she slightly widened her eyes and said, "Sister-in-law, you want to..."
Sang Luo was helpless: "I haven't thought about it yet. These things are exposed to the rain, storage and sun every day. I have been taking care of them for so long. I have to try to see if I can make something better."
Shen Ning burst out laughing and went over to help.
Sang Luo's method of making paper this time was obviously improved. Not only did she strive for perfection in every step, she also tried out various ideas she had previously written down on the bamboo slips one by one, such as pulping and swinging the curtain. She prepared more tools, and the papermaking technique was also very different from the first time. The pulp was visibly smoother, so she added methods such as leveling and pressing the paper. The finished product that came out early in the morning of the third day was much smoother and whiter than the few paper samples kept from the first time.
Although there are some differences compared to the high-quality paper sent by the Wang family, it is no different from the relatively cheap paper that could be bought on the market before.
Sang Luo put away the paper pattern and stayed in the room to write recipes and draw papermaking flow charts. Chen Lie was on a weekday off, so he stayed by her side and helped to keep an eye out for outsiders coming in.
Sang Luo was doing what she wanted to do in her heart. She was finally less confused these days. But when she finished drawing, she was absent-minded again when looking at the flowchart drawn with the recipe written on the paper she made.
Wanna bet?
Seeing her lost in thought again, Chen Lie whispered, "There are two ways. First, show up as an auspicious sign, but you have to let people see it. If we do it, it's easy for someone to find out. Second, from what we've seen and the follow-up to the plow donation, Governor Zeng and his wife should be trustworthy. If you just want to relieve the court's worries and not seek personal gain, you can communicate with Governor Zeng and his wife and give them this benefit. It shouldn't be unsafe."
Sang Luo looked at Chen Lie: "Do you support me?"
Chen Lie smiled and said, "Hasn't it been stated since I helped you light the lamp and boil the bark? Some things may have some risks, but if it is something you really want to do in your heart, it is not bad to follow your heart after trying to avoid the risks. You also believe in the governor Zeng and his wife, right? Since returning from the governor's mansion that day, you have subconsciously made a choice."
Sang Luo laughed and nodded, "Yes, because I believe that someone who is willing to spend a huge amount of money to buy poultry, livestock and grain and send them all the way here just for the people to live in peace is honest and kind. Moreover, the concubine said that she and the governor Zeng have the same vision as me, a prosperous Chang'an. I think, even for this, it is worth a try."
Chen Lie smiled and said, "Let's go. It's just right. I'll go ask Lord Chu where I can buy blue bricks and tiles. It's just right for us to go to the government office together. It won't be a nuisance."
Sang Luo put the two pieces of paper into her sleeves, and the couple left Daxing Village.
Chen Lie sent Sang Luo to the back court of the provincial office, and he went to the front court to find Chu Qichang. The people in the provincial office just thought that Sang Luo came here with Chen Lie. They had heard that she and the governor's wife were from the same hometown, so no one thought much about it. Even Concubine Fan thought so. She smiled and told Sang Luo that there was a recipe at home for plastering walls that was extremely smooth, and she would copy it for Sang Luo later.
It was not until Sang Luo signaled her to send her attendants away that Concubine Fan realized that Sang Luo had come to see her for important matters, and that Chen Lie was the one who was there to accompany her in name only.
The noble ladies of aristocratic families have learned these tricks since childhood, and they have extremely strict control over the harem. Especially when they came to Shezhou, they were surrounded by their trusted people. With just a look from Concubine Fan, space was cleared for the two to talk in just a few dozen breaths.
"What's so serious?"
Sang Luo took out two pieces of paper from her sleeve and handed them to Concubine Fan: "Take a look first."
After Concubine Fan unfolded the paper and took a quick look at it, her pupils shrank. She looked up at Sang Luo, dumbfounded, and unable to speak for a moment.
She swallowed and said, "How did you get this? Is this really... can it really be made?"
Even though not even a fly could get close to her, Fan Fei Niang still swallowed the three words "papermaking" subconsciously in her throat.
Did the Luo family of Kuaiji really have some extraordinary talents that made the family rise to prominence? No, they were just a small family that grew strong thanks to the art of papermaking.
She couldn't believe it. Sang Luo, isn't the Dongjun Sang family a commoner family? How come they have a recipe for making paper?
Sang Luo nodded without hesitation and said, "Yes, the two pieces in your hand were made by me according to this recipe two days ago."
"Fei Niang, can I trust you?"
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