The moment the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom took out the lighters made in their country to show off, Zhu Yunwen felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.
Finally, the word "lighter" came to mind, even though the lighter brought by the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom was very simple and primitive.
However, it must be admitted that this thing did indeed have the prototype of a lighter, and it can be considered the first generation of lighters.
After all, its ignition principle and manufacturing process are almost identical to those of the lighters used by Zhu Yunwen and others in later generations.
When Zhu Yunwen uttered the word "lighter," everyone turned their puzzled gazes toward him.
Is Zhu Yunwen truly skilled at naming things, or does he actually know something about this kind of thing?
Especially the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom, seeing that no one believed the name was actually the name of the item, and knowing there was no need to pretend, humbly said to Zhu Yunwen:
"How did the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty know about this item and come up with such a descriptive name?"
Zhu Yunwen touched his nose, wondering how he could explain this to him.
"I'm just good at naming things, but your product is indeed quite advanced. If it can be mass-produced and the cost can be controlled, my Great Ming Dynasty could import more of it from your Kingdom of Zhu Zi."
The prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom immediately smiled, thinking to himself, "Won't this be another business deal?"
This thing is bound to be a hit. After all, people from all countries need it. If it were sold like it was in the Ming Dynasty, the revenue would be astronomical.
Thinking this way, the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom immediately nodded and said:
That's wonderful.
So Zhu Yunwen asked again:
"Then tell me, how much do you sell this thing for? And how much would it cost if exported to my Great Ming?"
Without even thinking, the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom spoke:
"This item is priced at one hundred coins each."
Zhu Yunwen frowned; the price was too high.
One hundred coins is equivalent to two or three hundred dollars in later times. If a lighter sells for two or three hundred dollars, that would be far too expensive.
It's at least a hundred times more expensive!
Of course, the way people behaved in ancient times cannot be compared with that of later generations, after all, the historical context and conditions for making things were different.
However, in Zhu Yunwen's opinion, it still shouldn't be so ridiculously expensive. He thought this thing should be priced between ten and twenty copper coins.
Zhu Yunwen believed that if the Ming Dynasty produced it, the cost could be controlled within this range.
So Zhu Yunwen told the truth:
"I'm not afraid of offending you, but this thing is too expensive. I don't know how you control costs or how you make it."
But I can tell you with absolute certainty that if this item were made by our Great Ming Dynasty, the cost should be controlled to around ten copper coins. The selling price would not exceed twenty copper coins.
Upon hearing this, the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom's expression changed immediately. He thought that this lighter would have a certain impact on various countries and would also be of great interest to everyone, so he thought that everyone should be able to accept this price.
In reality, people can accept it, but if there is a cheaper option, they will naturally accept the cheaper one.
After all, nobody's a fool to spend more money to buy the same thing.
Zhu Yunwen's decision to speak up displeased the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom.
Thinking to himself, “The things that my Zhu Zi Kingdom painstakingly created can be made by your Great Ming Kingdom just by looking at them. Isn’t this just rubbing our Zhu Zi Kingdom’s wisdom into the ground?”
Besides, how could the cost possibly be controlled to ten coins?
And how could it possibly be sold so cheaply?
The prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom was originally just a follower of the prince of Che Chi Kingdom, blindly following his lead.
At this moment, seeing Zhu Yunwen say such things, he could no longer tolerate it and had no choice but to speak up:
"Grandson of the Ming Dynasty, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? I know the Ming Dynasty is very powerful, and I know you, Grandson of the Ming Dynasty, are very powerful, but I don't think it's necessary to make such boasts."
Zhu Yunwen smiled and said:
"It's fine if you think I'm bragging. As long as you don't think that my Great Ming Dynasty copied or stole your methods when it's produced, that's fine."
The prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom frowned. He thought to himself that if Zhu Yunwen, or rather the Ming Dynasty, really wanted to obtain it, the method of making this lighter would not be too difficult.
If we let them make it, wouldn't we be at a real disadvantage?
So the prince of Zhu Zi Kingdom said:
"If a large country tries to steal the wisdom and products of a small country, wouldn't that be ridiculous?"
If the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty truly believes this thing is simple to make and thinks that the Ming Dynasty can also make it, why not just make it on the spot? Then I will be completely convinced and have no further objections.
Of course, at the same time, we also hope that you, the Grandson of the Ming Dynasty, can control the cost to around ten coins as you have said.
Otherwise, even if you manage to make it, I admire your skill, but it still won't compare to our lighter.
Zhu Yunwen smiled. Things had developed to this point, and if he couldn't develop the ignition mechanism and control the costs a little, it would really be a bit unreasonable.
So he nodded and said:
"Alright, in that case, I'll make a lighter for you all right here."
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