Crowned the New Han Dynasty

Chapter 470 Hanzhang Yunzao and several families are worried?
"Is Chen Zhi's paper really that good? Do you still want to ask our Tang family for help in selling paper?"

In the main room of the Tang family, Tang Taigong sat high up, listening to Tang Zi's narration and marveling.

There were six people in the room, including Tang Dian, Tang Yun and Tang Zi. In addition to Tang Taigong, there were two serious-looking middle-aged men, both of whom were powerful figures in the Tang family. The brother of one of them was still there. Jiang Zuo is the prefect.

As soon as they heard that Tang Zi and others were back, they were summoned by Tang Taigong and listened to the narrative.

Tang Taigong then asked such a sentence.

Tang Zi responded simply: "That piece of paper is really the best in the world. My grandson doubts that it is the best in the world!"

His answer not only shocked Tang Taigong and others, but also Tang Dian and Tang Yun, who followed Tang Zitong, looked over with surprise.

The reason is also very simple. Judging from Tang Zi's previous performance, although he praised the paper, he always showed appreciation, as if the paper was just one of the good papers, but now he suddenly elevated it to a level of The best in the world!

In today's world, bamboo slips are in decline, but papermaking is beginning to show its prominence. Several major papermaking places are famous everywhere, and the paper produced has its own characteristics. Although they are all claimed to be the best, the world thinks that each has its own merits.

The person in the Tang family who knows this best is probably Tang Zi.

Tang Capital was born as a commoner, and he rose through the ranks as a merchant, a profession that was looked down upon by high-ranking families. In the process of his rise, he traveled extensively and dealt with countless products, which naturally included paper.

Therefore, among everyone present, the one who is most qualified to judge the quality of paper is Tang Zi.

"Is this paper so good?" Tang Taigong's expression changed slightly. He noticed the expressions of Tang Dian and Tang Yun and guessed a bit, "But you didn't make this judgment before, right? You were trying to fool me, right?" .”

"My grandson doesn't dare." Tang Zi shook his head, but showed no panic. He smiled calmly and said, "What my grandson thought before was to take this opportunity to get this piece of paper from the hands of the prefect. The benefits in this are too great. Yes, if you can get the prescription, the benefits will be endless, even more important than getting the favor of Governor Chen!"

Tang Dian couldn't help but ask: "That's why you risked the possibility of angering the prefect and insisted on making conditions?"

Tang Zi nodded and said: "Yes, under the circumstances at that time, I could only try to negotiate with the prefect. If he can agree, then my Tang family will get a treasure from now on, without any capital or profit!"

"Is it really so powerful? How about that paper?" Tang Taigong couldn't help but become curious.

Tang Zi pondered for a moment, and then said: "This is a thing, it is very beautiful and precious. It is honest and honest, and its body is clean and true. It contains chapters and algae, and it is really elegant. Take the shortcomings of the other and think that you are new. Take it and you will feel comfortable. , if you let it go, it will be rolled up. It can be bent or stretched, it can be hidden or revealed."

"This is the "Ode to Paper" written by Fu Xian, the then minister Zuocheng, but what it says is actually a compliment to paper, which is applicable to all countries." Tang Taigong did not seem to agree with this description.

Tang Zi smiled and said: "Grandpa, what Fu Shang said back then was to promote the trend of writing on paper. Therefore, there are inevitably exaggerations and inaccuracies in this poem. For example, there are many paper-making companies in the Central Plains and Jiangnan. It looks white, but if you get closer, you can see a lot of yellow spots. But Chen Taishou's paper is not like that. Although I'm not close, I can see clearly through the light. Among them Not only are there no yellow spots, there are not even many knots..."

Seeing everyone's doubts, he explained: "In current papermaking, this situation often occurs because there seem to be countless small ropes interspersed in the paper, just like weaving bamboo baskets. If it is processed No, there are knots. It looks like there is an extra knot on the paper. The better the paper, the less knots there are. But so far, I haven't seen it. What's wrong? Paper, nothing like that happens.”

Due to the conditions, of course Tang Zi couldn't say anything about fibers, but with his metaphor, others understood, and at the same time they couldn't help but secretly sigh, after all, they worked hard from below, and they even understand these things.

Tang Taigong asked again: "Is the piece of paper Chen Zhi's piece of paper not knotted?"

Tang Zi shook his head and said: "It's not enough, but with the light shining through the paper, you can see how many knots are knotted. If there are many, you can see black spots densely packed like rain, and if there are few, they are scattered everywhere. The paper of the prefect Chen, because The writing on it is not very clear, but there are very few black spots, and my grandson doesn’t think that anyone in this world can really make perfect paper.”

Tang Taigong nodded, praised Tang Zi for his prudence, and then changed the topic: "So, our Tang family has to find a way to get this paper?"

Tang Dian said: "If you can get the best, but now it has been agreed to cooperate with the prefect, then the future will be long, so don't be in a hurry. I believe that the prefect will not be able to open the situation in a short time. Some people rely on our chances. We can do it all at once." Ask him little by little."

Tang Taigong nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, this is a mature and prudent statement. In this way, we can try to get closer to the new governor in the future. With this common thing of selling paper, we will definitely be much closer. , It’s just that I haven’t seen that piece of paper with my own eyes, so I feel really itchy in my heart, because the old man from the Zhu family understood it, and came up with the idea of ​​asking for calligraphy treasures, and I don’t know what the old man is thinking now.”

Zhu Taigong, who was missed by the old grandpa, was holding the calligraphy, smiling and praising Zhu Xian, Zhu Wan and others.

"Yes, well done. Governor Chen's calligraphy is indeed well-deserved. Look at this calligraphy, it is really wonderful! The best among the best!"

The old man couldn't put it down, and Zhu Xian, Zhu Wan, and the current resident of the Zhu family, Zhu Liu, looked at each other. In the end, Zhu Liu winked.

Zhu Xian suddenly understood, and stepped forward and asked: "Father, what do you think we should do now? The prefect seemed to have warned him this time, but he didn't seem to say anything. Did he give in to General Wang, or did he say , deliberately ambiguous, let us figure it out ourselves?"

"Why, you went there yourself and saw the prefect with your own eyes. Didn't you notice anything when you listened to his words? What do you think the prefect meant?" Zhu Taigong put away his smile, but held the scroll tightly in his hand. , seeing Zhu Xian's expression of shame, he slowly shook his head and turned to look at Zhu Liu, "Mingzhang, what do you think?"

Zhu Liu pondered for a moment and then said: "In my opinion, the prefect may want to show that he has no intention of competing."

"Oh?" Zhu Taigong's eyes lit up, "Tell me in detail." Zhu Liu nodded and said: "As we all know, Chen Taishou's background is not small. Not to mention Taifugong, the Huayin Yang family is not trivial. He is very important. When I arrived at Dai County, I heard that it was related to the Zhang family. Families like the Yang family and the Zhang family are beyond the reach of local small families like us, but Taishou Chen is related to them and has a bright future, so he came here. How long will I stay? I definitely want to gain some political achievements safely and then be promoted."

"Yes, yes, that's the truth."

Everyone agreed and felt that this was very reasonable.

This is also in line with the logic of normal people.

"So, in the face of General Wang Quan's provocation, Governor Chen may have wanted to ease the conflict, not seeking merit but seeking no faults, so he focused on running the paper mill. As you have seen, this paper The quality is so amazing, no wonder the prefect is interested."

"Yes, yes," Zhu Taigong couldn't help but nodded and looked at the scroll in his hand, "I feel very comfortable as I hold this piece of paper. Such a good thing, if I have the opportunity in the future, I will have to ask for one or two more. As for this prefect We don’t need to delve into the meaning of this, we can simply wait and see what happens. The prefect should make good friends, and General Wang should not break up. We should not offend each other, and we also seek stability."

Zhu Xian understood the idea and said: "I'm afraid that the prefect will not give it away easily. If this piece of paper is matched with this word, it will be spread all over the world and be sought after by others. What can I, the Zhu family, ask for?" The implication is: It was said that both sides looked down upon the power of the Zhu family.

"No need to worry, no need to worry," Old Madam Zhu laughed, "Because the one we really should worry about is not our Zhu family."

"Oh?" The rest of them all looked puzzled when they heard this.

However, Zhu Wan's eyes lit up and he asked tentatively: "Could it be the Wang family that my grandfather said? The Wang family also has a paper mill in the city. If such good paper as the prefect spreads, the Wang family will be the first to bear the brunt. Maybe the paper mill's Is business going to plummet?”

Zhu Taigong smiled and said nothing, while the others were thoughtful.

Zhu Liu then said: "If that's the case, can we talk to the prefect and see if we can get the piece of paper in hand?"

Zhu Xian's eyes also lit up, he couldn't help but nodded, and then frowned: "It's just that the eunuch left a few people from the Tang family behind. I don't know what the purpose is. Could it be related to this paper mill? Or is it to win over the Tang family and suppress others?"

At this moment, in the Wang family's mansion, the respected old Mrs. Wang was sitting at the head, and beside him were two nephews.

But his nephew, in terms of seniority, is similar to the grandfathers of other families, so he is already over sixty years old and looks very old.

Beside the two old men, many children of the Wang family were sitting one after another. Wang Huo, the current head of the Wang family, was sitting on the upper left side, listening to Wang Dian's words.

"...The paper is white and transparent. You can tell it is top grade just by looking at it. It is far from comparable to my Wang family paper shop. If it spreads, I don't know how much trouble it will cause. It's hard to say in other places, but in Dai County, I'm afraid. They want to squeeze out all the papers from my Wang family."

There was a hint of worry in Wang Dian's words, but he immediately changed the topic: "However, my Wang family has a profound background and has many industries and fields. If the paper mill is unfavorable, it will only hurt a little, and it will not hurt the muscles and bones. On the contrary, It's the prefect's attitude today that makes me a little confused. He doesn't seem to care about the various families contacting Wang Quan, but he doesn't say it clearly, which makes people uneasy. In addition, the Tang family remains and Murong Xianbei's people are involved, so the situation is really unpredictable. .”

What he mainly talked about was what happened at the dinner, and Chen Zhi's attitude. This attitude puzzled him, and he turned to the white paper.

"According to your words, this dinner is really interesting." Before Wang Huo could say anything, the old lady of the Wang family laughed, "This prefect, I am calling you here today. I am afraid that he has a reputation as a military strategist. It makes everyone suspicious and makes it difficult to make a decision."

As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone else in the Wang family, including Wang Huo and Wang Dian, stopped talking and pretended to listen respectfully.

Grandpa Wang was not surprised at all, and said to himself: "Let's not talk about the governor's attitude. This matter has no final conclusion. Since he doesn't make it clear, there will be no result. I'm afraid he is throwing stones to ask for directions, but let's What I am interested in, old man, are the other things you mentioned, such as the delicious food. If it is as you said, then I am a little greedy. It is a pity that my teeth have long been unable to swallow it. In this world I’m afraid there’s nothing that can keep people of my age from eating happily.”

As he spoke, he showed a look of regret, but others looked at each other in confusion.

They were all talking about business, but why did the old lady talk about food as soon as she opened her mouth? Could it be that she was really old and confused?

They only dared to think about this in their hearts and did not dare to say it out loud.

But Mrs. Wang saw the clues and said with a smile: "I am not confused. Wang Dian, tell me, how good is that paper? It is indeed much better than my Wang family paper?"

Wang Dian hurried forward, but did not mention the paper. He just said: "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe that such good paper could exist! Not to mention compared to my Wang family paper, even compared to Jiangnan paper, I'm afraid I won't give in!"

As soon as these words were said, everyone was in an uproar.

However, Old Man Wang smiled and said: "Don't be impatient. I have an explanation for today's matter. Perhaps I can sell a favor to Taishou Chen and get some benefits, such as that piece of paper. If I can get it, it will be a good thing." "

　Thanks to "Biyou Menren" for the reward!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)