After thinking for a while, Lu Changgeng also smiled.
Besides, even though there is some risk, it’s really not that big!
There is an essential difference between the brush and ink industry of the Lu family in Fanyang and the papermaking workshop of the Cui family in Qinghe.
Papermaking can be done as long as there are craftsmen and wood.
But the pen and ink are different!
To make a pen, you must have fur, and it must be high-quality fur. The same goes for ink. Good ink stone is more expensive than gold. That is really no joke.
Fanyang has the best inkstone mine in the world today. Although there are also mines in other places, the mining cost and quality are far inferior to Fanyang's ink.
therefore.
Lu Changgeng thought about it and found that he did not need to be afraid of Li Er's methods.
He can improve paper making through clever tricks and magic, but what about pen and ink?
He doesn't have any mines, so how can he create it out of thin air?
When he thought of this, Lu Changgeng showed a smile and signaled Cui Baihe to feel relieved.
"Brother Cui is out of town. Interrupting this foolish king Li Er is the common destiny of my five surnames and Qi Wang. If there is something to do today, how dare Fan Yang and Lu refuse to refuse?"
"Now that my foolish brother is back, the price will start to rise. It is necessary to make Li Er's imperial examination edict useless and become a laughing stock in the world, in order to comfort your grandson and your son's spirit in heaven!"
…
A few days pass in the blink of an eye.
The grand meeting not long ago seemed as if it had never happened. Chang'an was a busy place, and the people, officials, generals, scholars, peasants, and merchants all quickly returned to their work and lives.
…
A few days later.
In a deserted suburb to the west of the city, there is an abandoned temple.
But at this moment, the temple is not empty, there is a figure inside.
At this time, the sun was setting in the west, and a figure was sitting cross-legged and resting, and looking outside the temple door from time to time, as if waiting for something.
After a while, a figure came running from a distance.
"Zi Yang, what's wrong?"
Seeing the visitor, the figure in the ruined temple suddenly became excited and approached to inquire.
The two seemed to have made an appointment.
One of them was old and the other was young. They were both dressed in coarse linen and linen. They obviously did not come from a good family background.
The old man's name is Xie Zhongyuan, and the young man's name is Gao Ziyang. Both of them are from Taiyuan and came to Chang'an to take the exam.
Unexpectedly, the exam questions were quite difficult, so I naturally failed in this first battle.
Since the two are from the same hometown, they naturally work together to make a living in order to fight again in the coming year.
Recently, because Xie Zhongyuan was old and had weak legs, he decided to let Gao Ziyang run errands, buy some simple food in Chang'an City, and see if there was any livelihood nearby.
Unfortunately, the results are not ideal, and so far it has only relied on Xie Zhongyuan's little savings.
And recently, the two of them heard something not quite right.
The price of pen and ink in Chang'an City is rising rapidly.
Xie Zhongyuan is proficient in martial arts, but Gao Ziyang is good at history and military science. Both are a bit partial and need to add more knowledge.
However, as the price of this ink rises, the price of books naturally rises as well.
In this case, something is not quite right.
Originally, Gao Ziyang ran errands and Xie Zhongyuan used his savings. The plan of the two fellow villagers was to study for another year and then compete in the examination room.
However, Xie Zhongyuan just opened a small wine shop and barely made a living.
Even if it is plated out, how many pieces of silver can be found?
Otherwise, the two of them would not be so poor that they would have to live in a ruined temple.
But... even so, with careful budgeting, it can barely last for a year. Even if you can't afford to buy a few, you can borrow a few books to copy for study purposes.
But what about now?
If you want to continue this pattern, you will definitely have to buy a lot of pens, ink and paper.
But once the price of pens and ink increased, if the two of them forced themselves to study, they would probably starve to death several months in advance before next year's imperial examination came.
If you just give up...
Xie Zhongyuan is a widower and is already in his fifties or sixties.
Gao Ziyang's family was poor, and he only had an old mother. Because she was a young lady from a wealthy family, she trained Gao Ziyang to study.
If we give up now, it would be better for the two of them to starve to death.
So in the past few days, Gao Ziyang didn't read a book, and went searching in the streets and alleys of Chang'an every day.
The target of the search is naturally cheap pen and ink!
However……
Several days passed and nothing was found!
Seeing Gao Ziyang shaking his head, Xie Zhongyuan looked stunned.
Desperate.
"So... so what should we do? What should we do?"
Xie Zhongyuan threw his head back and screamed in grief.
Gao Ziyang even lowered his head and swallowed harder.
"What can we do? Your Majesty is willing to bear the pressure and reopen the imperial examinations of the former Sui Dynasty. It is a great kindness to me and other children from poor families."
"Who's to blame now? It's just bad luck!"
Xie Zhongyuan lowered his head and couldn't help sighing. He sighed several times before gritting his teeth and saying with difficulty, "They are all from these aristocratic families. I heard a few days ago that when His Majesty issued the imperial edict, they still surrounded Him in front of the Zhuque Gate and asked Him to take it back.
Become your destiny."
"Later, the price of paper suddenly increased, and these aristocratic families also participated."
"Now... now the price of pen and ink has begun to rise, isn't it them?"
"These aristocratic families really don't give me and other poor children a way to survive!"
Xie Zhongyuan was absolutely furious.
He used to think that as long as your majesty, as Ziweixing, was willing to level all these Longxiang, Huo and Dexings, the politics of the imperial court would be clear and the world would be safe and peaceful.
But now His Majesty has taken action,
Who would have thought that these aristocratic families are far more unscrupulous than I thought!
Gao Ziyang also drank his tears silently, and after being silent for a long time, he said bitterly.
"Brother Xie, I have been helped by you these days, and Yang, a man of great kindness, has remembered it. But now things can't be done... It's really not possible. If brother Xie has nowhere to go, just follow me to the countryside."
"Although my family has no land, if I find a job with a big family, I can still make ends meet!"
Xie Zhongyuan fell silent for a moment.
For him, if he could not take part in the imperial examination that he had been looking forward to for so long, then everything was over.
Gao Ziyang was silent for a long time, and then he sighed heavily.
"How poisonous these noble families are!"
"Is there really no one in the world who can stop them?!"
…
At the same time, in the Manna Palace.
Li Shimin put down a memorial and looked gloomy.
"Hmph... I guess these aristocratic families still don't know how powerful they are."
"His Majesty?"
Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji stood at the foot of the hall, looking up at Li Er, and found that Li Er's face suddenly darkened for some reason.
"This memorial... well, you can see for yourselves."
Regarding the contents of the memorial, Li Er simply didn't want to mention it and just threw it to the two of them.
Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji took the memorial and opened it to take a look.
I quickly understood what was going on.
Recently, with the birth of paper mills, the price of paper has dropped to extremely cheap levels all over the world.
Overnight, something that was once a luxury - reading and writing - became very possible for children from poor families!
However, the contents of the memorial are very disturbing.