Outside Wenhanxuan in Dongshi City, a poor man bought "The Doctrine of the Mean", "Mencius", "Idiom Stories", and a knife of paper. When he showed it to his friends, everyone looked incredulous.

The paper used to print "The Doctrine of the Mean", "Mencius" and "Idiom Stories" was actually not the bamboo paper books sold yesterday, but a kind of white, delicate and soft paper. The paper he bought was also as white as jade and as thin as

Like cicada wings.

This is actually a combination of bamboo paper and hard yellow paper technology. Bamboo paper is made of young bamboo. Due to poor technology, there are still tiny moso bamboo chips in the gaps of the paper, and the texture is light and brittle, making it difficult to write on.

There were problems such as paper bleeding, so the sales of this kind of paper were not very good. Although the imperial ink solved the problem of paper bleeding, the light and brittle texture was still a big problem.

The surface of hard yellow paper is shiny and moist, has good toughness and strong transparency, but the surface layer is obviously coated with wax. As soon as it is folded, the wax will fall off and wrinkle, and the paper surface will no longer be neat.

Yang Jian arranged for Yang Ji to get the papermakers together, and the papermakers who made the two types of paper learned from each other's strengths, and a chemical reaction occurred. The new paper almost has the toughness and moisturizing properties of rice paper, smooth but not slippery, white and dense, pure texture, and foldable

It is non-destructive and has strong ink wettability. Although it is a little worse than rice paper in every aspect, the cost is far less than that of rice paper by a thousand times.

In addition, the process of rice paper is complex and takes a year to make, while new paper can be made in half a month at most as long as the materials are available and the fermentation temperature is sufficient, so there is no comparability between the two sides.

If the new paper is used and sold in large quantities on the market, it will definitely become popular all over the world and can replace rice paper, hard yellow paper, and bamboo paper in a short time.

"This paper is actually whiter than rice paper..." Wei Zheng stepped forward and touched it, took out a piece, pulled it, and said in amazement: "Not only is it whiter, softer, but also tougher! How much does a knife cost?"

Han Shi, who bought books and paper, said excitedly: "One knife only costs five strings of money!"

The surrounding area suddenly became silent, and then exploded with a "boom"!

"What?"

"How much?"

"How much did you say?"

"A piece of paper only costs five taels of money? Doesn't it mean that one piece of paper only costs five taels of money?"

"Compared to rice paper, this quality paper is worth a premium. It's not an exaggeration to sell it for ten guan for one knife, but it only costs five guan?"

"..."

Wei Zheng tried folding it a few times, opened it and pulled it, but it was still tenacious. He looked at the paper, which was as white as jade, and was shocked.

Everyone knows that reading can not only gain knowledge, but also become an official... However, not everyone can afford to read books.

There are gradually very low-priced papyrus and bamboo paper books on the market, and they are often sold out as soon as they come on the market. Unfortunately, the quantity is still too small. The reason is that the price of paper remains high, which prevents the cost of printing books from being reduced.

.

If Wen Hanxuan keeps the price of this kind of paper so low and sells it in large quantities, then the cost of printing books will inevitably decrease step by step. Wouldn't everyone be able to afford reading?

Even if they are merchants, slaves and other lower-class people who cannot be officials, who would be dissatisfied with not reading enough?

However, the price of such good paper is only one dollar and five skewers, or five dollars per piece. If someone resells it, it can easily be sold for more than twenty dollars per piece, which is a huge profit.

Wen Hanxuan is stupid, or does he still not understand the value of this kind of paper?

Obviously not.

"Brother Han, do you know who the proprietor of Wenhanxuan is?" Wei Zheng couldn't help but grab a friend from the capital and asked loudly.

"The owner is Prince Wei's Mansion."

"That's it!" Wei Zheng was in awe. He knew that Yang Ji maintained the smooth flow of movable type printing, ink, and books. For this reason, he did not hesitate to argue with Guanlong nobles and Shandong nobles in the court. It was also because of him.

, the saint did not issue a ban on books.

Such a big man who wholeheartedly serves the people and seeks the welfare of poor people is really admirable.

Wang Tong was also sharing and watching with his friends. His eyes flickered, and it was obvious that he was not in a calm mood.

It's really not peaceful.

For the sake of their own interests, the Shandong gentry who once loyal to the Northern Qi Dynasty chose the Northern Zhou Dynasty when the Northern Qi Dynasty was about to be defeated. Later, they also chose to be loyal to the Sui Dynasty for their own interests. But the prerequisite for their loyalty was the imperial court.

He could not do anything detrimental to the interests of the Shandong nobles and must raise them to the level of the Guanlong nobles. However, although Yang Jian gradually weakened the power of the Guanlong nobles, he would not break with the Guanlong nobles who held military power for a group of literati.

Although today's approach has impacted the interests of the world's aristocratic families, the first ones to bear the brunt are undoubtedly the Shandong gentry and the southern gentry. In comparison, the Guanlong nobles who are based in the army will not suffer much. If this development continues, then

What will the world be like in the future, and where should the gentry go? Where is the way out?

Wang Tong couldn't answer.

He only knows that being mediocre will become an irreversible trend. If the nobles themselves do not make progress, they will definitely "die in peace and happiness". But the problem is that the nobles are now born in peace and happiness. Who wants to live in sorrow? So Wang Tong's father Wang Longhe

Cui Zhongfang, Zheng Shanyuan, Zhang Jin and others asked Yang Jian to issue a ban on books for the sake of their family's interests, regardless of the interests of all people in the world.

"You old man, why don't you get out of my way." The high-quality and cheap books and papers caused a commotion in the crowd, and some eager people began to act unruly. A scholar asked a scholar who was over fifty and exuded.

The old man smelled of sweat and roared.

"Impossible, I've been waiting here for two days, why should I give up my seat to you every day? It's not like I don't pay." The old man's face turned red, but he refused to give up his seat.

"You..." the scholar looked the old man up and down and said disdainfully: "You are just a dying old man from a good family. Do you want to learn the sage's teachings and be arty? If the book of the sage falls into your hands, it will be like a pearl covered in dust.

, are you embarrassed to fight with us?"

When the family members around him heard this, they couldn't help laughing.

"I don't steal or rob, I..." The old man has lived his whole life honestly and rarely fights with others. When he met these noble family members, his momentum was already a bit weaker. Now he was surrounded by so many noble families.

Zi laughed and laughed, and his words became stumbling.

"What the father-in-law said is absolutely true!" Wei Zheng saw the old man's embarrassed look and said loudly and righteously: "People may have high or low backgrounds, but how can the desire to learn come from the difference between high and low, and age? We are all the same.

Sui people, why are you only allowed to buy books? Why do you want me to let you?"

Wei Zheng's words immediately resonated with everyone.

"That's right, Wen Hanxuan opened the business, and it's not just for you. Why should others let you buy it first? Aren't you the heirs of poems and books who respect the old and love the young? Could it be possible that they were all eaten by dogs?

?”

"Everyone maintains their own identity. Does that mean that without this identity, you are nothing?"

"These boys in green clothes know that people from aristocratic families don't want us to buy books or study, so they ordered these dogs to come here to rob them. Hey, I used to think these people were gentle and elegant, but now it seems that they are simply shameless."

"I've been waiting for two days, and I still want to give up my seat to you. Is it possible that the teachings of sages teach you to use your power to overwhelm others?"

"Sages and sages cannot teach these things. It is these people who have misinterpreted the meaning of sages and sages."

"I don't think they have any education. Otherwise, why would they use their status to oppress others? If you ask me, these talents really insult the teachings of the sages."

"..."

This is the herd effect of human beings. In the past, Hanshi was intimidated by his status as a noble family member, and he had developed the habit of swallowing his anger in order to study. Hanshi would not easily offend the noble family members. He was angry at their flagrant behavior of jumping in line, but dared not say anything.

, but under the scorching sun, someone set a precedent and ignited everyone's long-simmering anger.

At this time, the chatter box was opened, and all kinds of ugly words came out. There were not only poor people here, but also traders and foot soldiers, peasant soldiers, craftsmen and merchants. The knowledge may not be as good as that of the noble family members and poor people, but when it comes to swearing, it is not as good as the upper class people.

What is even more uncomfortable is that they are not talking to the family members, but talking to each other loudly.

For a moment, the faces of the aristocratic family headed by Wang Tong turned red. They were used to being separated from these people and had an advantage everywhere. In their view, it was natural for them to let these low-class people take care of them. But now when they talked about it on the table, they realized

There is no tenable reason at all.

When Wei Zheng saw that the family member had calmed down, he supported the old man who was trembling due to emotion and walked directly to the front.

"What do you want to do?" The scholar who was about to buy a book looked at Wei Zheng angrily. Today's events are basically related to this guy.

The family members were very unhappy with him.

"This old man has been waiting here for two days. May I ask when did you come?" Wei Zheng said coldly: "Does your family have any virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young?"

"This..." The noble family member was speechless. Although they all had a natural sense of superiority, Wei Zheng had already dismissed the truth and had no way to refute it. He could only give in very unhappily. However,

After giving in, what happened next made Wang Tong and others look even more ugly.

"What are you doing? If you want to buy books, go to the queue at the back. A certain family came first!" A tall and thick-set man waved a boy in Tsing Yi aside. Although the children of the aristocratic family gave in, ordinary people still did not dare to provoke them, but

Faced with these young men in Tsing Yi who are not even "people" because they are relying on human power, they are not polite.

When Wei Zheng saw this, he left with his companions amidst the old man's gratitude.

Looking at the backs of Wei Zheng and several humble scholars, Wang Tong frowned and said nothing. The circles of aristocratic families and humble scholars were big or small. If Wei Zheng was a famous celebrity, he would definitely have an impression, but this person

I have never heard of the name.

"Nobody!" A nobleman next to Wang Tong said disdainfully as he looked in the direction Wei Zheng was leaving.

"Nobody?" Wang Tong shook his head and said calmly: "This person has sharp words and an arrogant demeanor. So what if he is a nobody? Before this, weren't Liu Zhuo and Liu Xuan nobody? But what about now?

?”

Aristocratic families are accustomed to using reputation to judge a person's ability, but Wang Tong doesn't think so. Reputation may be important, but it is by no means the key to measuring a person's talent. Before Liu Zhuo and Liu Xuan became famous all over the world, who knew they were

Talented masters of Confucian classics? Who knew they had the most extraordinary talents in the world?

Even if the "Great Confucians" who came from aristocratic families tried every means to suppress the "Second Lius" and disgraced them, as soon as their annotations of "The Doctrine of the Mean" and "Mencius" and their "Idiom Stories" were published today, wouldn't the children of aristocratic families flock to them? Isn't that still a fight?

Are you rushing to buy?

What does this mean?

It shows that although the nobles of the aristocratic family refuse to admit it, in their hearts they actually recognize the talent and learning of "Er Liu" and their annotations on the sages' classics, which are just.

When everyone heard this, they were speechless.
To be continued...