Chapter 90: The King’s Signboard

"Since you can promise me this, I will believe it. After all, I have already given you five hundred taels of silver. If I don't let you show off your skills, I will feel like I am losing out."

Zhu Zaigui stretched his fingers and crossed his legs again.

Zhu Zaigui then said to Teng Xiang, "Go and help Zhang Erhe make the arrangements. I want to see the samples within three days, as well as the detailed production process records and detailed material and cost calculations. As long as you can get these done within three days and get my approval, you will not only be paid 500 taels of silver every year from now on, but I will also allow you to get a share of the production of one point of this transparent colored glaze for eighteen consecutive years."

Zhang Erhe bowed to Zhu Zaigui excitedly, "I will never let you down!"

Although Zhang Erhe was excited, he still didn't understand what Zhu Zaigui meant by getting one point of production share for eighteen consecutive years.

But now Zhu Zaigui does not intend to give out spoilers in advance. Zhu Zaigui plans to use Zhang Erhe's success to stimulate the smart people in the industrial park to give full play to their intelligence and talents and create more value for the industrial park.

Zhu Zaigui chuckled, "I know you won't let me down, and I also have the ability to make you not dare to let me down. So, you should just do your job well, that's your way out in the future."

Then Zhu Zaigui said to Meng Chong and others, "Please record this as well. From now on, anyone in my industrial park who can invent new products for the industrial park like Zhang Erhe can follow this example and receive a share of production for eighteen consecutive years. Even if the person dies, as long as there are still relatives alive, this share will not stop."

"Of course, this new invention must be thoroughly tested. There must not be anyone stealing other people's technology and passing it off as their own invention. If there is anyone stealing other people's technology and passing it off as a new invention, I will never resort to any means and will definitely make him regret being born into this world."

Meng Chong and others replied: "We understand."

Zhang Erhe shrank his head, "Your Highness, what if our invention really coincides with that of an outsider? For example, the transparent colored glaze I'm making now looks very similar to the water jade that came from outside the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Zaigui changed his gesture and said indifferently: "If there is technology outside of the Ming Dynasty, unless there is technical cooperation with our industrial park, otherwise it will not be protected. Whoever copies it first will own it. I will still give dividends for 18 consecutive years."

The meaning of Zhu Zaigui's words is very clear. He was to encourage Zhang Erhe and others to use their brains to borrow advanced technology from outside when they failed to innovate their own technology.

Although this practice is not very upright, isn't this how the exchange and integration of technology has been accomplished since ancient times?

There is no future in working in isolation.

This is just like the civilizations on Earth. Before the 16th century, due to wars and integrations between civilizations, weak civilizations were either assimilated or forced to upgrade, so all advanced civilizations were concentrated in Eurasia.

In the Americas, a vast land with a relatively sparse population and relatively fertile land, their development was extremely slow because there was no pressure of survival competition among civilizations.

As a result, Europeans used only a few broken ships and a few broken guns to invade and control the American continent.

Compared with China, which was closed to the outside world for six or seven hundred years, although it fell behind after the 16th century, it still had opportunities to communicate with outside civilizations before that.

So even though they suffered hardships later, they did not suffer the same fate as the Americans, where their nation was destroyed and their race was exterminated.

Therefore, the saying “Born in adversity, die in comfort” will never be wrong.

Competition and integration will always be the inexhaustible driving force for the advancement of civilization.

If global unification occurs one day, it may be because this civilization is lucky enough to encounter aliens, giving it a new motivation to compete.

Otherwise, this civilization will stagnate forever in a certain era like the indigenous people of America, lose the motivation to move forward, and wither away alone in some era in the future.

So in Zhu Zaigui's heart, he really likes to encourage competition.

Zhu Zaigui believed that as long as there was competition there would be development.

If even the competition between life and death has disappeared, and one thinks that the world is peaceful and one can enjoy comfortably, then there is no need to talk about development, because at this point one is not far from death. After finishing his trip to Shunyi Industrial Park, Zhu Zaigui returned to Prince Yu's Mansion.

Not long after Zhu Zaigui returned home, an imperial edict came from the palace, and the person who delivered the edict was Huang Jin.

Originally, Zhu Zaigui thought that Emperor Jiajing suddenly remembered his son and wanted to summon him to get closer to him.

After listening to it, I found that it seemed to be just a routine New Year reward decree.

Although Zhu Zaigui now looked down upon this so-called reward, in the end he still kowtowed honestly to express his gratitude, thanking his "father" for the reward and concern.

After announcing the decree, Huang Jin did not leave immediately. Instead, she approached Zhu Zaigui and bowed with a smile, saying, "Your servant Huang Jin wishes His Majesty a happy new year."

Zhu Zaigui looked at the smiling Huang Jin and smiled as well, "Eunuch Huang is too polite. I also wish Eunuch Huang a happy new year."

When Huang Jin heard Zhu Zaigui wish him a happy new year, he quickly replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Then Huang Jin smiled and asked, "What are your plans for next year, Your Majesty?"

Zhu Zaigui said: "Next year, next year I will definitely continue to study hard in the palace, enjoy my life, and pray for His Majesty."

Huang Jin was also stunned after hearing what Zhu Zaigui said. This seemed to be different from the hidden chess reward he received.

Anzi said that after the New Year, Prince Yu plans to recruit agents to sell the products of Shunyi Industrial Park nationwide.

After receiving the news, Huang Jin immediately reported it to Emperor Jiajing. When Emperor Jiajing heard the news, he was more excited than if he had taken an elixir.

So I have always wanted to know when Zhu Zaigui is going to start recruiting agents and distributing products nationwide.

After all, in the eyes of Emperor Jiajing, Zhu Zaigui has now become his fortune-making boy, and he can't wait to know how much silver he can save for Zhu Zaigui in the future.

Huang Jin laughed dryly and asked, "I heard that the prince is going to recruit agents after the New Year to sell Yiran Hall's treasures all over the country. So, I am just concerned about what kind of help the prince needs."

When Zhu Zaigui heard this, he immediately understood that the powerful backer was jealous.

Zhu Zaiqi sighed and said, "To be honest with Eunuch Huang, I have been really worried about this matter recently. I want to take advantage of the opportunity of the imperial examination to recruit some national agents, but unfortunately my identity is sensitive and it is not suitable for me to show my face in public. Moreover, if these agents do not sell Yirantang products as agreed after leaving the capital, but instead increase the price without authorization or sell inferior products as good ones, then my reputation will be ruined, right?"

"So I am very anxious. I am anxious about whether I should expand out."

Huang Jin felt that this was indeed a problem. After all, outside the capital, there was really a management vacuum, and it was out of reach. If there really was such behavior of raising prices arbitrarily, or those who used the Yirantang signboard to cheat and sell inferior goods as good ones, it would be difficult to deal with.

Huang Jin said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will help you think of a solution."

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I wish all my readers a happy Dragon Boat Festival!

I've been home for the holidays these days, so the update time is not very stable. Please bear with me. . .

(End of this chapter)

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