Chapter 1116 Book

Chapter 1116 Book

Chapter 1116 Book

King Shao Zhang of Qi was soon led to Hualin Garden, followed by several eunuchs carrying several large boxes of books.

Shao Xun walked over, picked up a book, flipped through it casually, and said with satisfaction: "Compared to last year, it seems that you have improved a lot?"

"Yes." Shao Zhang replied: "I asked the craftsman and he used new ink."

"Where's the new ink?"

"Some craftsmen realize it in their dreams, or it is taught by gods and men."

Shao Xun smiled and shook his head, saying, "Where did this genius come from? I'm afraid this person must have studied the technique for a long time, thinking about it day and night, and just needed that little bit of window paper, and a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind, so he came up with a new method."

"Grandpa is right." Shao Zhang said, "Using new ink to print books, the handwriting is much clearer."

Shao Xun continued to look at the Kaiping 5th edition of "Fengtu Diseases" in his hand, and found that most of the northern states had recorded more than ten or even dozens of diseases, and even pictures, so he smiled and said, "It's not easy to carve the plates, right? There are words and pictures, and they have to be lifelike, which requires skilled craftsmen."

Shao Zhang nodded repeatedly, but he disagreed in his heart.

For the Shaofu, the last thing they lack is skilled craftsmen. The North has been peaceful for so many years, and the Shaofu craftsmen team has become quite large, and their skills have become more and more sophisticated. Carving some pictures is no big deal.

"Let's print this version." Shao Xun said, "The five major bookstores will print it together, and each county will have one copy first."

At this point, he sighed: "More than 20 years ago, I was still writing on the mud to teach martial arts students. It has been almost 30 years. Today, fewer and fewer people use bamboo slips and wooden tablets, and more and more people use paper, which is perfect for printing books. What kind of paper do you plan to use?"

"Rattan paper."

Shao Xun pondered for a moment and asked, "But is it Jiangnan rattan paper?"

"Yes." Shao Zhang replied, "Jiangling sent back more than a thousand bundles of kudzu vines. The craftsmen of the Shaofu peeled the skin, soaked it, steamed it, crushed it, spread it flat, dried it, and compacted it. It's not difficult to make, but kudzu vines are mostly produced in the south of the Yangtze River, so they are rare."

"Kudzu can be used to make good paper and summer clothes. It is really a rare thing." Shao Xun said, "Jiangxia, Nanjun, and Jingling all have kudzu. We should manage them well in the future."

"The Shaofu has already gone to Huarong to open a paper mill." Shao Zhang said, "The supply of rattan paper will increase greatly in the future."

In fact, not only did they open a paper mill, they also enclosed land to build a garden and specialized in producing kudzu vines. After all, how can you produce paper without raw materials?
Paper is a commodity that has begun to replace bamboo slips at an accelerated rate but has not yet fully exploded. To be honest, it is a good way to make money, and it is a long-lasting and enduring one.

There were also papermakers in the manors of the northern nobles, but they mostly made hemp paper, which was of average quality. However, as papermaking technology continued to develop, craftsmen were also trying various raw materials. Rattan paper was one of the results, but it was not yet popular. As for honey-scented paper, it was a luxury item and would never be popularized.

The Shaofu's large-scale involvement in the papermaking industry was ordered by Shao Xun, and the direct reason was the demand for popularizing knowledge brought about by woodblock printing - bamboo slips were too inconvenient and could not be printed, so they could only be copied, which was extremely inefficient and costly, and were destined to be replaced by new things.

Shao Xun picked up two new books and flipped through them casually.

The first one is "Thousand Character Classic", which he used to teach martial arts students twenty or thirty years ago. It has basically become one of the introductory textbooks for martial arts, and many private schools of the gentry also copied it for use.

The second book was named by him himself, "Ode to Luo Sheng".

When he saw this book, he said: "This book was compiled by the Taichang and Honglu government departments. It is the official rhyme of the country. It was published in the second batch after Fengtubing."

"Yes."

Shao Xun took two steps with his hands behind his back and said, "I heard that Jianye has 'Luo Sheng Yong' and 'Wu Yue Diao', which are not related to each other and are really incompatible. From now on, Daliang will take 'Luo Sheng Yong' as the official rhyme and it will be circulated throughout the country."

Of course, the people who spoke Luoyang dialect in Jianye were scholars who had migrated south. Even if they were not from Luoyang, or even from distant Youzhou, they had more or less read rhyme books, written poems and parallel prose, and had some understanding of the Luoyang dialect - if they did not understand rhyme, they would not be able to write these things well.

As for the Jiangdong nobles, they spoke Wu dialect, which is what Shao Xun called "Wu Yue dialect".

Do they really not understand Luoyang dialect? Obviously not. They just don't speak it normally.

There may also be some regional factors and even pride and self-esteem mixed in. Just like Wang Dao is from the north and has the habit of eating cheese, Lu Wan was not used to it after eating it and fell ill. In his reply, he said that he almost became a northern ghost. Different customs, different languages, and the confrontational emotions caused by long-term division, it is normal for the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River to deliberately not speak Luoyang dialect.

The rhyme book launched by Shao Xun was not his own creation. Instead, he sent people to collect scattered and unsystematic rhyme books from private individuals, sorted them out, and then published them into a book.

Once this book was published, it became the standard, and was the official pronunciation of the Daliang Dynasty thereafter. To be honest, there were still slight differences among private rhyme books among the people. Different rhyme textbooks resulted in deviations in pronunciation, but now they are considered to be unified.

"After the printing of Luo Sheng Yong is completed, it will be sent to the Imperial College, the Imperial College, and all prefectures and counties." Shao Xun added, "It will be sent to Bing, You, Yong, Qin, and Liang first, followed by Xu, Jing, and Liang."

"Yes, sir." Shao Zhang replied.

As he spoke, he secretly groaned in his heart. He would be bound in this position for a long time, and there was no way for him to leave in a short time.

Since the second half of last year, he has been running around to prepare for the establishment of bookstores in Luoyang, Bianliang, Chang'an, Taiyuan and Yecheng. He has been away from home most of the time and has not been home for several days. He is extremely exhausted.

Now he can stay in Luoyang for a while longer, but he is still unable to get rid of these trivial affairs, which makes him quite disappointed.

But what can I do? My father seems to take this matter very seriously, so I have no choice but to go ahead with it.

Shao Xun glanced at his son and suddenly asked, "Have you been to Taiyuan, Chang'an and other places?" "I've been to all of them. I stayed in each place for at least a month and at most two months. I only left after I had completed all the arrangements." Shao Zhang said.

"Living in the bookstore?" Shao Xun asked.

“I live in the county.”

"Have you ever walked around to investigate the people's sentiments?"

Shao Zhang was slightly stunned. He was a little unsure of what his father meant by asking this question. But he could not hesitate at this time, so he could only reply: "I went out of the city when I was in Chang'an, Taiyuan, and Yecheng."

"How are the people in the three places?" Shao Xun asked.

"Live and work in peace and contentment."

"How much is a dou of rice in Chang'an?"

Shao Zhang's heart tightened. He really didn't know, but based on his past impressions, he almost didn't pause and quickly replied, "Thirty coins."

This is an estimate, or a guess. But it is not a blind guess. You have to have a general impression and a preliminary concept. Otherwise, why not answer three cents?
"It has increased." Shao Xun said, "There have been wars, rebellions, and the Hu soldiers have brought back a lot of rewards. Now the price of a dou of rice has increased to more than 40 coins. It seems that you have indeed investigated the people's sentiments and have not deceived your father."

Shao Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His father was really hard to fool, and he almost got caught.

However, this is also due to his usual accumulation. If someone else were to come, he might make a joke about a dou of rice costing three or three hundred coins.

"Have you been to Taiyuan Market?" Shao Xun asked again.

Shao Zhang's heart sank. Damn it. I've never been there.

Shao Xun didn't wait for him to speak, but just asked, "How much is a mulberry wood horse whip?"

"Five cents."

"Wrong, ten cents." Shao Xun looked at his eldest son sternly and said, "Forget it, since you are busy, let's forget it this time. If an official does not understand the people's feelings, how can he govern? Not knowing the price of a whip is a small matter, but there are more important things in the world than a whip. How much is a rice steamer for cooking? How much is a wooden farm tool? How much is an iron farm tool? How much is a bull? How much can the linen and silk woven by peasant women be sold for? They rely on this to supplement their family income. There are so many things like this. Sitting in the office all day, you can only watch the corrupt officials fooling you with official letters, and you will never know the suffering of the people."

Beads of sweat appeared on Shao Zhang's back, and he lowered his head to answer.

"Go back." Shao Xun waved his hand and said, "Print these three books as soon as possible and send them to the counties. If there is enough, the bookstore can print more and sell them. I believe someone will buy them. There are so many nobles, local tyrants, and wealthy businessmen in the world. It is not a problem for each family to buy a few copies. The more useful books like this, the better. As for the paper mill——"

Shao Xun paced a few steps and said, "I will urge Jingzhou. If my son has acquaintances, he can persuade them to go south to Mianshui and Yunmeng to open up wasteland and cultivate it. In the future, it can be passed down to descendants and become a family business forever. Merchant farming is always a way to get rich."

"I understand, son." Shao Zhang bowed and replied.

After a while, seeing that his father had nothing more to say, Shao Zhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and, under the guidance of Hou San, left the palace.

Halfway through the journey, he suddenly had the urge to make friends with the eunuch Hou San, but he opened his mouth and ultimately did not dare to do so.

The father was too shrewd and his prestige was too high. Not only did he suppress the gentry and the barbarians, but his sons were also oppressed to the point of suffocation.

Shao Zhang always felt that his father would find out. He would definitely find out! He didn't dare to face his father's cold eyes, and didn't dare to imagine the possible consequences.

After returning to Prince Qi's mansion with a worried look, he looked at Liu who came to greet him and became furious. He took Liu's hand and went to the bedroom, then picked up his wife and pressed her down on the couch.

After a long time, Shao Zhang stopped panting and lay weakly on Liu's soft and delicate body, but his mood was much better.

Liu was as obedient as a kitten at this moment, and asked softly, "Why is my husband..."

Shao Zhang got up, took a deep breath, and sighed, "My uncle may have to return to the court, but I can't be sent out yet. I originally planned to seek a job in Jingzhou so that my father could see my talent. But - let's not talk about it."

Liu was startled, and whispered to comfort him, "Just finish the task at hand first. What does His Majesty want you to do?"

"Or print books, or even..." Shao Zhang said self-deprecatingly: "Sell books. After selling the books, I may have to visit various places to see if the officials actually use these books."

"Don't worry." Liu said softly, "There will be a chance. If Jingzhou doesn't work, then go to Liangzhou or Xuzhou and wait a little longer."

Shao Zhang nodded, then looked at his wife strangely, somewhat surprised.

As if she understood what her husband was thinking, Liu gave him a reproachful look and said with a red face, "My husband, you are so fierce today, as if you want to eat me. In fact, as long as you care about me, I can help you and listen to you in everything."

Shao Zhang was very pleased to hear this.

Liu suddenly said, "The King of Chu has returned to the capital."

"Huh? You're back so soon?" Shao Zhang was a little surprised.

(End of this chapter)