Chastity Layman

With the status of the crown prince, it is too easy to earn some pocket money. Even if you want to earn a lot of money, there are many ways. But it is not so easy to make a lot of money without being criticized.

After all, these days, there are actually only a few profitable businesses, and almost all of them have already been operated by someone. Behind any profitable business, there are actually wealthy families standing behind them.

Even if the emperor wanted to intervene rashly, these people would immediately shout to compete with the people for profit.

Chengqian has a capital of more than 200,000 guan, so it is definitely not a small business to earn some pocket money. The capital of more than 200,000 guan is already a lot, and there are not many suitable businesses.

Previously, Qin Lang wanted to bring Kaiyuan Bank over for Chengqian, and it would be better if he brought over the money minting supervisor. Based on his knowledge, if he runs banking and financial business, or develops coin minting business, it will definitely be very profitable, and it is still a unique business. Woolen cloth.

But Li Shimin is also very smart. He knew that this business would make money, so even the prince refused to give it to him.

When Qin Lang was in the transshipment department before, he made selfless dedication, improved coinage technology, and changed the ratio of various components of copper coins to make the minted money turn around. Plus minus the transportation costs, etc., now it costs 500 yuan to cast 1000 coins. Around 100, 100% profit.

It's a pity, Li Shimin is a traitor.

"Your Highness, what we want to do in the East Palace is also to make clean and kind money that can benefit the world."

"Is there such money?"

"Of course!" Qin Lang said.

"In fact, I have two good ideas here. One is to print books, and the other is to run newspapers."

"Printing books and publishing newspapers?" Cheng Qian was puzzled.

The number of scholars in the Tang Dynasty was small, and the key reason was that the cost of reading was too high. At this time, there were no books bound by wires, either albums like memorials or scrolls like pictures, and none of them The exceptions are manuscripts.

There was no printing in this era, neither engraving nor movable type.

In addition, paper, ink, and pens are extremely expensive. A volume of books is about ten thousand words, and the cost of hiring someone to copy the books is a thousand dollars per volume. So buying books in this era is often a set of several or dozens of books.

The price of books is too expensive. The key reason is that the raw materials such as paper, pen and ink are expensive, and the second is that the cost of copying books is expensive.

Paper-making and ink-making are the two most important things. Although paper-making workshops and ink-making workshops are everywhere nowadays, they are all controlled by aristocratic families. No, low yield.

In the era when scholars were precious, how many people copied books? The price of the book is naturally high.

Qin Lang had also discovered this situation earlier, and had also participated in this industry, and even carried out technological reforms and introduced engraving and printing.

However, after a little investigation, it was discovered that those who controlled the paper-making and ink-making industry were all the elites of the gentry, and no one could get their hands on any of them. If he really wanted to get involved, they would probably attack in groups.

"Your Highness, if we improve paper-making and ink-making technology, and develop engraving printing technology, the price of paper and ink will drop sharply, and more scholars will be able to use good paper and ink, and even many common people will be able to read and use books at an affordable price." Not to mention pen and ink, once engraving and printing are developed, the price of books will drop sharply, and more people will be able to read books, and the books of sages and sages can educate more people.”

"Then what is the meaning of publishing a newspaper?"

"Your Highness, have you seen the handwritten tabloid horse newspaper of the Chang'an Polo League?"

"I've seen it. It's very rough. It has the results of the polo match. Each issue will also introduce the situation of the two teams in the match, and even some polo-related knowledge."

"The mansion report, His Highness should also know about it."

"I know, the imperial court regularly transcribes through the post station, and distributes some important news and edicts of the court to the government officials of the prefectures and counties!"

Qin Lang nodded.

"After the engraving and printing technology comes out, we can run a newspaper, which gathers the important news of current affairs disclosed by the court, and some anecdotes, even poems and songs, interpretations of sage classics, etc., and it will be published every five or ten days. .”

"Sell money?"

"certainly."

"Will anyone buy it?"

"We can make it cheaper."

"That won't be a loss?"

"We can still attract business and sell advertisements."

From Qin Lang's point of view, if the periodicals are published every five or ten days, or every half a month, then this newspaper can be widely distributed. Chang'an, Taiyuan, Yangzhou, Luoyang, Youzhou, Jingzhou, Shuzhong and other places are not even a problem. As long as the manuscript is assembled in Chang'an, then the manuscript can be delivered to the major cities by Kuaima, and then the major cities will be engraved and printed.

Or directly assemble manuscripts in Chang'an, engrave blocks, and then quickly send them to various places, or directly ship newspapers to various places. After all, it usually takes three or four days, or four or five days, to reach those big cities from Chang'an.

"Will it be troublesome?" Cheng Qian said.

Trouble will of course be troublesome, but what Qin Lang likes is not that this newspaper can make money, but that this newspaper will inevitably have a huge influence once it is published. As long as it is done well, it can control public opinion, at least it has a strong influence oriented.

If the prince holds a newspaper with a wide influence, then the prince will naturally have a strong voice, which is also extremely important to Chengqian's status.

However, the premise of running a newspaper is the research and development of engraving and printing, and the improvement of paper-making and ink-making technology, especially the mastery of related industries. Otherwise, at the current price of paper and ink, the cost of this newspaper will be extremely high, and the newspaper will be sold at a loss. That means that few people can afford it, and influence is out of the question.

Among them, ink making is particularly important, because writing ink is not the same as printing ink. Printing ink is useless now and needs to be studied.

Today, the best ink-making technology in Datang is in the hands of Taiyuan Wang.

The best paper in Datang is now Yizhou hemp paper.

The more famous paper in Guanzhong is leather paper, which uses mulberry bark and other bark as the main raw material. In the south of the Yangtze River, rattan paper is more famous, and the most famous one is Shanxi rattan paper.

But no matter what kind of paper, the process is complicated, the output is low cost, and the price is expensive.

Qin Lang wants to make paper and use bamboo to make paper. Bamboo is also available in the north, and the quantity is not too much, but in the south, it is everywhere, full of mountains and valleys. Compared with hemp, rattan, mulberry and other paper raw materials, it is both plentiful and cheaper. It is extremely renewable and sustainable. If bamboo is used to make paper, it can also drive the current backward economy in the south.

Especially bamboo paper is the most suitable for printing.

Another advantage of choosing bamboo paper is that no one has yet used bamboo to make paper, or it has not been widely used. , also monopolized raw materials, but also monopolized related industrial workers.

It's hard to get in.

Since it is difficult, then simply enter the study of bamboo paper, avoid these so-called monopoly giants, and create a brand new paper.

Qin Lang was going to pull Shandong's military upstarts to do this business together. Led by Donggong, everyone joined together to enter the paper and ink industry and break the monopoly of those gentry.

These people were brought in because the name of the Eastern Palace alone might not be able to shake these noble families. These monopolized interests have been monopolized by them for generations, and they are absolutely unwilling to be meddled.

In the scorching sun of June, wheat was harvested, millet was harvested, and rice was harvested.

The people did not care about the joy of the harvest, and began to be busy with autumn sowing again.

The Qin family's land was not short of fertilizer, and many of them were not short of water, so Qin Lang began to plant soybeans, and some fields were planted with wheat and millet in rotation, and also arranged many fields to grow rapeseed and radishes.

Basically, it is to plant a season of wheat, millet and rice, and a season of soybean rape radish, which can better restore soil fertility.

For the Qin family, with so many farms, they also desperately need soybeans, rapeseed and radishes as feed, and next year, they can also press oil.

In the fields, there are busy people everywhere.

The Chongxian Hall has already resumed school, and Chengqian has also ended the days of herding sheep.

Recently, Qin Lang frequently visited the homes of the students in the Chongxian Hall. In fact, he mainly chatted with the uncles of the Shandong Group about making paper, making ink, engraving blocks, printing books, and publishing newspapers.

He had already made a very grand plan, and he wanted to get the upstarts from Shandong into the car together.

Everyone claims the shares, contributes money and effort together, and then develops the technology. After the technology is developed, everyone shares it.

"How much? Just tell me."

Cheng Yaojin waved his hands readily after hearing Qin Lang's plan.

"Actually, money is not the key." Qin Lang said with a smile, "East Palace is not short of money, and now it has hundreds of thousands in the account. The crown prince just likes crowds and excitement."

How could Cheng Yaojin fail to understand the meaning behind these words.

"Sanlang, you are a bachelor of the Prince's Shaoshi Chongxian Hall, and I am the General Youwuwei and the Prince Zuowei, so we are also officials of the East Palace. The affairs of the East Palace are naturally our affairs, and I have nothing to do with it." They want to make money, but they just like to be lively." Old Cheng laughed.

"Okay, according to the rules, it will be counted as a share of the Cheng family. When the technology comes out in the future, the Cheng family can use our technology to invest in building bamboo paper manufacturing workshops in Jiangnan, or build ink kiln workshops in other places. Paper Ink East Palace bought it."

Lao Cheng patted Mao Zhixiu's chest and said, "I've long seen those so-called famous and famous families, all of whom are poor and poor. They look at people with their nostrils all day long. Uncle Cheng is very happy to stab them twice. Ask for money. Important people, just speak up, I fully support."

"Could it be that Uncle Cheng got angry with the Cui family?"

Old Cheng gets angry when he mentions this. He and Widow Cui are now an open matter in Chang'an. They originally agreed to welcome Mrs. Cui to the door after Mrs. Sun's death, but the problem is that Mrs. Sun is always hanging on now, and Mrs. Cui Shi was getting impatient.

The Cui family now proposes that old Cheng follow Zhang Liang's example, divorce his wife, and marry Cui's family.

Although Lao Cheng said that he wanted to curry favor with the Cui family of Qinghe, and was willing to marry the widow Cui to pass through the family, so as to raise the lintel of his family background, but his first wife's illness forced her to divorce her, so he couldn't do it.

The Cui family of Qinghe said arrogantly that they could wait another three months at most. After three months, Lao Cheng hadn't divorced Mrs. Sun, or Mrs. Sun hadn't died yet, and their Cui family would betroth Widow Cui to someone else.

"Uncle Cheng, in fact, I think this marriage, Qinghe Cui is not so awesome on the surface, they actually want to marry, you are now a new rich man, and it will be beneficial for both parties. So you don't have to worry, Uncle Cheng, they also want to get married. Just yelling loudly, why don't I ask Chu Mo to go to Cui's house to make a fuss and call it dirty? Maybe the Cui family will be honest!"

Old Cheng smiled and said, "It's not appropriate to ask Chu Mo to make trouble. In the future, Cui's family will be married, so it's not easy to get along with. Why don't you go and take the old man's place?"

Qin Lang could only smile when he saw how he looked like a chicken thief.

"Well, who told us that the relationship between our two families is iron-like, then I will go for Chumo."

"Don't make too much noise." Old Cheng hurriedly said again.

Seeing his appearance, Qin Lang said helplessly, "Uncle Cheng, what are you afraid of? Even if Widow Cui is really gone, wouldn't there be another suitable one among the five surnames and seven sects?"

"I really like Widow Cui!" Lao Cheng said with embarrassment, his face flushed a little.

"Okay, let me take it easy!"