Chapter 142 Low-Price Paper
"No, as long as we can reduce labor costs, the price can be even lower. But now we need to go to the prefect first, lest the recipe be leaked."
Song Yushu took out the yellowed paper and looked at it. She found that although the paper was darker in color and not as smooth as the more expensive paper, it did not affect her writing. Satisfied, she put the paper away and took Bai Jingyu to the county government office.
After Prefect Liu presided over Song Yushu's case, the Xu family's desire to win him over intensified, and every few days someone would come to invite him to a banquet.
Because of what happened with Xu Mingchuan, he felt uneasy and forbade his wife and daughters from attending banquets at the Xu family's residence, leaving them indifferent and unresponsive.
"What business do you have with me?" When Prefect Liu heard that Song Yushu was requesting an audience, he felt a rare pang of guilt, thinking that he hadn't been able to bring Xu Mingchuan, the mastermind behind the previous case, to justice. So he had them invited in.
"Sir, may I take a look at the papers we brought?"
Song Yushu presented the paper that Bai Jingyu had made.
"This paper... the surface is yellowish and slightly rough, but it's still usable for writing on. It can't compare to the good paper on the market, but it's still usable," Prefect Liu gave a fair assessment.
"Sir, this paper is indeed not as good as the best paper, but it only costs two hundred coins a ream!"
"Is this really true?" Prefect Liu then picked up the paper from the table and examined it carefully.
“This paper is made of ordinary materials and has a very low cost. Although it cannot compare to the expensive Xuan paper, it is sufficient for ordinary people to learn, write, and keep accounts,” said Song Yushu. Prefect Liu could naturally think of what Song Yushu was saying, but it was still different when he heard it.
"If that's really the case, the number of scholars in our dynasty would probably increase by nearly half! How could we worry about the nation's strength not flourishing?"
Even though Prefect Liu was a steady person, he couldn't calm down. He used the paper that Song Yushu had brought, disregarding the presence of others, to write a memorial and planned to have it sent to the palace by fast horse.
Song Yushu and Bai Jingyu exchanged a glance; it seemed things were going even more smoothly than they had anticipated.
“Sir, there is actually one more thing. We can reduce labor costs by using a foot-operated tool to pound the pulp. However, this tool is still under production. Once it is finished, we can demonstrate it to you,” Song Yushu added.
"Good! I will personally go and observe it. If it can really save manpower, I will personally submit a memorial to commend you!" Prefect Liu was so excited that his face turned red, and he touched the paper with the ink already dried, reluctant to put it down.
This matter went too smoothly. Song Yushu and Bai Jingyu originally only wanted to find the prefect to rely on, but the matter was actually presented to the emperor. If the emperor took it seriously, not to mention the Xu family, even their backers in the capital would not be able to easily take action against the two of them.
A month later, Bai Jingyu fully accepted the papermaking business. With government funding and assistance, the first batch of low-priced paper appeared on the market. Old Master Xu did not sleep a wink that night.
"Could we find out who the prefect has appointed to oversee papermaking? If possible, we must take on this task!"
“Father, that paper is indeed cheap, but in my opinion, its quality is nowhere near that of the Xuan paper we make. Why are you in such a hurry?” Xu Mingchuan said dismissively.
“Second brother doesn’t know the pros and cons. Even if the quality is poor, as long as it can be used for writing, it is the best substitute for scholars from poor families,” Xu Qingyan said unhurriedly.
"Master! The Bai family is in charge of papermaking."
"You good-for-nothing! I should never have let you take over any of the family's businesses in the first place! Just be a good-for-nothing and you'll save me from causing trouble everywhere!" When Old Master Xu heard that he was from the Bai family, he couldn't help but slap Xu Mingchuan.
"The Bai family? Is it the family in the west of the city that makes a living by relying on Zhao's paper mill and bookstore? Have they become enemies with this person?" Xu Qingyan felt that things were not good when he saw the old master's attitude.
"Back then, the Bai family wasn't as powerful as us, but they weren't to be underestimated. Business is inherently about gains and losses, and even if their business wasn't as good as ours, it shouldn't have led to such an enmity. If it weren't for your good second brother getting into a conflict with the eldest young master of the Bai family, who was frail and died that very night, thus incurring the Bai family's wrath, then..."
Xu Qingyan naturally knew that this matter was definitely not as simple as Old Master Xu had said, but he was a member of the Xu family, and as long as the Xu family could benefit from it, there was no need to worry too much.
“The Bai family and the Xu family have a grudge. By producing cheap paper this time, they will become a formidable enemy of our Xu family sooner or later. Why not go all the way... Once they are gone, with such a large quantity, our Xu family's paper mill is the largest in the prefectural city. It will only be a matter of time before the government seeks our cooperation.”
After being slapped by the old man, Xu Mingchuan concealed the gloom in his eyes and tried to make amends.
“If you hadn’t caused that incident, you could have done as you said. But now that the Xu family has caught the attention of Prefect Liu, he might not let them off so easily if they make any further moves. Besides, this low-priced paper has been approved by the Emperor himself. If something goes wrong and the investigation reaches the Xu family, do you think the higher-ups can protect us?”
After Old Master Xu finished speaking, he waved for them to leave. They couldn't touch the people in the room, and now they could only try to minimize the losses.
"Has Lin'er been good today?" Xu Qingyan asked as he entered the courtyard, seeing Zhao Yuzhi holding and comforting the child.
"Young Master, don't you know your own son? When does he not cause trouble?" Zhao Yuzhi felt more confident speaking to Xu Qingyan because she had a son. However, she also knew Xu Qingyan's preferences and that he liked women who were gentle yet had their own personality, which was why she dared to speak like that.
Sure enough, Xu Qingyan was indeed swayed by this. Hearing this, he chuckled and put his arm around her shoulder, saying, "You must have had a hard time these past few days."
Originally, the child was raised in Madam Xu's courtyard, but Zhao Yuzhi missed her son dearly, and Xu Qingyan also wanted to see his son more often, so they discussed it with Madam Xu and arranged for the child to be sent over for a while every day so that the father and son could develop a relationship. This allowed Zhao Yuzhi to see her child every day.
A month later, no one brought up the topic of sending the child to the Ning family again, and the Ning family did not take the initiative to pick up the child, so the matter was delayed.
"Young Master, does Madam dislike our Lin'er? Although I'm reluctant to part with the child, I know what's best for him. He'll have a brighter future growing up under Madam's care than under me, a country woman. Even if it breaks my heart, I'll have to let him go. But a month has passed, and there's still no word from Madam. Could it really be..."
“Never mind her. Since you can’t bear to part with the child, spend more time with him. If she doesn’t like Lin’er, I will tell Mother that we don’t need to take the child to her courtyard. The child is delicate. If something happens to him in her courtyard, we will regret it.” Xu Qingyan’s face turned cold when he mentioned Ning Shi.
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