The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 1052

"Grand Preceptor, you have always been understanding and reasonable..."

Pan Yun: "I'm being very reasonable now. I think it's because you're lazy. Paper is very common now, but it's far from enough. How many educated people are there in the world? Why can't we improve the technology?"

Hu Cheng: "If the cost of a knife is less than ten coins, what about the private shops? This is competing with the people for profit."

Pan Yun: "Just sell the prescription to private shops. Of course, I wouldn't mind if the Ministry of Works gave it to me for free."

Hu Cheng: ...

Pan Jun said earnestly, "Old Hu, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you need to broaden your horizons. The imperial court is undertaking a major education plan. How many new community schools have been opened this year alone? The court's goal is to eradicate illiteracy and to universalize five years of compulsory education in community schools within fifteen years. So the costs have come down, and we can win by sheer volume."

"If even government offices are short of paper, what will the common people do? How can education be popularized?"

Hu Cheng seemed to be deep in thought when a craftsman who had been brought in couldn't help but step forward: "Grand Preceptor, if we can make cheaper paper, will everyone really be able to read? Will everyone be able to attend school for five years?"

Pan Yun emphasized: "It is mandatory for everyone, regardless of gender. Those who do not send their children to school will have to pay a fine."

The craftsman's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "I'll take this job; I'll revise the recipe."

"Sigh," Hu Cheng hesitated, then finally sighed and said, "Fine, fine, go ahead, but who will take over the electromagnetic materials you have?"

After a moment's thought, the craftsman said, "Li Zhou is perfectly capable of taking over. He also has an idea to use silicon steel for the core, and he's been refining it these past few days. It's just that the hot rolling mill can't meet his requirements, and I'm trying to find a solution for him..."

He paused for a moment and then said, "Although I am going to make paper, I will help him. Please don't worry, sir."

Pan Yun looked at him in surprise and asked, "What's your name? I've been in the Ministry of Works for a long time and have never seen you before."

The craftsman respectfully replied, "This humble official is Chang'an."

Hu Cheng explained, “He was a craftsman promoted from Hanzhong Prefecture four months ago. In last year’s artifact competition, he submitted a gun barrel that he made himself. Unfortunately, the local government was ungrateful and did not give him a prize. Fortunately, when I was re-examining the artifacts submitted by the local government, I discovered that the gun barrel he made was unmatched and extremely accurate. So I transferred him to the Ministry of Works.”

This is a master fitter.

Pan Jun's eyes lit up. She also felt that it was a waste for such a talented person to go into papermaking. If he succeeded, great; if he failed, wouldn't that be a waste of talent?
Pan Yun asked, "You know how to make paper?"

Chang An said, "When I was in Hanzhong Prefecture, I served in the official book bureau. I learned papermaking, woodblock printing, movable type carving, printing, and so on from my master."

He's a multi-talented person.

Chang An said, “If the court needs me to study papermaking, then I will go and study papermaking; if the court needs me to study guns and cannons, then I will study guns and cannons; or if the court needs me to build generators, then I will go back and continue my electromagnetic research.”

Pan Yun was full of admiration. He snatched the stack of prescriptions from Hu Cheng's hand and stuffed them into Chang An's hand, saying, "You are the true master craftsman of the nation. I'm entrusting them to you!"

Hu Cheng also said, "Give me a list of what manpower and materials you need."

Chang An acknowledged and bowed before leaving.

After Pan Yun waited until he was out of sight, he said to Hu Cheng, "Minister Hu, the future development of the Ming Dynasty lies not only in culture, but also in science and technology. Therefore, we should devise a system as soon as possible to benefit craftsmen. At the very least, the salaries of the best craftsmen should not be lower than those of the prime minister."

Hu Cheng's eyes widened: "How is this possible?"

“How is that impossible?” Pan Yun said, “Do you know how valuable these craftsmen’s skills are? Once the craftsman registration is abolished and the craftsmen are allowed to roam freely among the people, if the treatment of officials is not improved, will these craftsmen still stay in the government?”

Hu Cheng: "Therefore, in order to avoid this disaster, the court will not release the artisan register."

Pan Jun looked at him speechlessly, and after a long while said, "That's precisely why we need to reshape the system so that even after the artisan registration is lifted, the artisans' first choice will still be the official one."

Hu Cheng was puzzled: "Why does the Grand Preceptor insist on opening up the artisan register? In my opinion, it would be a great act of kindness if you could improve the treatment of artisans and reduce their service time."

“It is only great good, not perfect good,” Pan Yun said. “In the Song Dynasty, papermaking technology was already very advanced, and movable type printing had begun to be used by the people. However, for more than two hundred years, apart from the widespread use of movable type printing, our Great Ming Dynasty has not made any good breakthroughs in papermaking. Why is that?”

Hu Cheng replied matter-of-factly, "Because it's already enough."

Pan Jun sneered: "Enough my ass! Can't you see how desperately the local government is short of paper?"

She said, "Because the craftsmen don't put their hearts into it, they have no way to get promoted."

"Your humble servant and Kuai Xiang..."

"Can you be compared to Kuai Xiang?" Pan Yun said, "You study guns and cannons, while Kuai Xiang is an architect. In the more than seventy years since the founding of our Great Ming Dynasty, only you and Kuai Xiang, two craftsmen, have been able to hold high positions. How many craftsmen are there in the world? And how many kinds of craftsmen are there?"

Hu Cheng seemed to be deep in thought.

Pan Yun said, "If we want to motivate craftsmen, and even more intelligent people, to research science and technology, we must have another incentive system."

"Can't they be given official positions?" Hu Cheng couldn't help but laugh out loud at the thought that all his subordinates would become officials because of their merits, and that the court would be full of artisans.

Pan Yun glanced at him and could tell what he was thinking at a glance; it was written all over his face. She said speechlessly, "Everyone has their own expertise. Are you suggesting they govern the country?"

“They may not govern the country, but giving them honorary official positions is no problem. They can then report the projects they want to research, just like they would in the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Works will allocate funds to them; or the Ministry of Works will assign them tasks,” Hu Cheng said, finding the idea increasingly good. “Having an honorary official position can both improve the status of craftsmen and protect their rights, killing two birds with one stone.”

Pan Yun waved his hand and said, "You can think of it yourself. You can also go and talk to Yu Qian, and then write a memorial to bother the emperor."

Hu Cheng quickly followed behind her and asked, "What if His Majesty disagrees, and the court officials are also unwilling?"

"You just submit a report every now and then. Isn't that how things are? From the initial proposal to the final decision and implementation, it takes at least three to five years."

Pan Yun said, "The pilot program for the reform of the imperial clan has been running for three years, and it has only been expanded to Nanjing and Taiyuan. If we want to implement it on a full scale, it will take at least ten years."

Hu Cheng understood immediately and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, haste makes waste, we should bring it up first."

In that brief moment of distraction, Pan Yun vanished without a trace.

Looking at the empty courtyard, Hu Cheng scratched his head: "The Imperial Advisor is getting faster and faster. She tells me to slow down, but she's in a hurry."

Pan Yun has returned to Baoding Prefecture.

Miaozhen was left alone in Baoding Prefecture, just like a fish in a pond, thriving in her new environment.

Baoding Prefecture was a vital passageway where the north and south met, the last stop on the way from the south to the capital, and the first stop after leaving the capital.

Moreover, this place is not only a crossroads of north and south, but also a route for merchants from the east and west heading to Beijing.

Therefore, this is a large cargo distribution center before entering Beijing.

Everything here is available and cheap. Miaozhen took the money and bought things along the list until her space was full. She wasn't satisfied yet, so she rented a warehouse and stored a lot of goods there. When her junior uncle arrived, she asked him to put them all away.

As Pan Jun packed up the items, she ignored Miao Zhen's murmurs in her ear and casually replied, "I'll make you a few more spatial artifacts when I have suitable materials. Why did you buy so much stuff? How many people are in that small town of Tielianguti? Can they even handle it all?"

“Aren’t we going to two other places? They’re both on the grasslands, and it’s winter, so supplies are scarce. We’re sure we can sell them.” Miaozhen said, “And there’s Hamiwei too. Goods from the Central Plains and Jiangnan are very expensive there.”

Pan Jun pondered: "In the past two years, Wang Cong has been engaged in maritime trade and has forgotten that land trade is also very profitable. Moreover, in the Ming Dynasty, large areas of the inland region are both production areas and markets."

Miaozhen understood and said, "I have specially prepared more grain and tea this time. The grasslands have suffered a major disaster this year. Perhaps we can use the grain to appease some tribes and undermine Esen's power from within."

Pan Jun gave her an approving look: "Because Esen is not from the Golden Family, there are many opponents among the various tribes on the grasslands, which is indeed a good opportunity to sow discord."

"Let's go pick up Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning."

Pan Yun and Miao Zhen thought it would be quite a hassle to pick up the two, since they had only been back for three days and probably wanted to spend more time with their families. But as soon as they appeared at the entrance of the village, Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning immediately packed their luggage and came out surrounded by the crowd.

Pan Jun was taken aback, then forced a smile and said goodbye to each of the villagers.

The villagers, young and old alike, were reluctant to part and kept urging them to stay a few more days.

"It's getting dark. If we set off now, we probably won't get more than a few miles. It would be better to wait until tomorrow."

Zhao Shizhu made an excuse to refuse. They knew that the Imperial Advisor deliberately chose to travel at night to avoid the attention of the world, and if he was fast, he could arrive in one night.

Indeed, after Pan Yun broke through to the third level of Marquis, her speed of travel also greatly increased. If she were to go to Japan now, she would no longer need to stop in between; she could fly there in one go and even go to more distant places.

If it weren't for the Ming Dynasty's war with the Oirat Mongols, she would have really wanted to travel overseas after leaving the pass; just thinking about it made her very happy.

Pan Yun suppressed his desire to have fun and led the three of them to a secluded spot before entering the Three Treasures Cauldron.

After the Three Treasures Cauldron flew into the air and streaked across the sky like a shooting star, she finally had time to ask the two of them, "I thought you would be reluctant to part with it, but you seem even more eager than we are."

Zhao Shizhu calmly said, "Both my parents have passed away, and many of my childhood playmates have also scattered. I don't know many people left in the village. I'm content after seeing my brothers and paying respects to my parents."

Hu Ning said, “We have been away from home for too long, and there is no place for us here anymore. Why not return to Tielianguti? Not only will we have familiar people there, but we can also continue to serve the country.”

Pan Yun had nothing to say.

They returned to Tielianguti in the early morning, and the Three Treasures Cauldron landed directly on their own roof.

It was the coldest and quietest time of day. The sun had not yet appeared, but because of the snow, the world was shrouded in a hazy white under the moonlight.

Zhao Shizhu emerged from the Three Treasures Cauldron, unable to resist shivering and exhaling a breath.

Wisps of white smoke rose, blurring the view, yet the familiar atmosphere remained.

The four of them quietly opened the small door on the roof and went down.

To save lamp oil, no lights were lit in the building. Pan Yun snapped his fingers, and four flames appeared out of thin air, illuminating the area around the four people's feet.

Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning were able to remain calm and composed as they followed the flames back to their rooms.

The flames were quite intelligent; they drifted into the fireplace on their own, ignited the firewood inside, and eventually merged with it.

The people in the building didn't know the four had returned until dawn.

Zhao Shizhu and Hu Ning's three adopted sons were very surprised and repeatedly asked, "Why didn't we hear anything? Who opened the door for you?"

Zhao Shizhu said, "We climbed over the wall to get in."

Adopted sons: ...

Before they woke up, Miaozhen had already put a batch of goods into the warehouse on the first floor, and then her three adopted sons carried the goods to the shop.

Miao Zhen is not like Pan Yun; she wants money for all these things: "I provide the goods, you sell them, and we split the profits 70/30, with me getting 70% and you getting 30%."

Da Yizi immediately realized what was happening and asked, "How often do you deliver goods?"

Miaozhen glanced at Pan Yun secretly and said, "It happens every six months. Our family business is called Wang's Business."

Miaozhen decided to help her senior brother expand his trade empire.

Miao He and Tao Yanbai also gained a lot in these three days.

“Smallpox has occurred here many times,” Miaohe said. “Some people once took scabs from cured cows to induce smallpox and gain immunity. Only three out of five survived. The success rate was not high, about the same as the smallpox inoculation we performed in the Central Plains.”

There was a tradition of variolation among the people of the Ming Dynasty, but it was only prevalent in a few areas, and in most places people were terrified of variolation.

However, among ordinary people, especially merchants, because they often traveled to trade and might go to the Northeast, they would inoculate their children with smallpox when they were young.

In cases where smallpox is prevalent in a particular area, many families will choose to undergo variolation in those years.

In any case, they are all regional and sporadic.

When Tao Yanbai was traveling around practicing medicine, he thought that if there were a way to make people immune to smallpox and also guarantee the survival rate, then the people of the Ming Dynasty would no longer be afraid of the land beyond the Great Wall.

Tao Yanbai said, "Miaohe and I were just thinking about the various treatments after inoculating people with smallpox, but we forgot that it turns out that not only can human smallpox be used, but also cowpox. Since cowpox can be used, what about monkeypox or swinepox?"

Pan Yun: "...I am not very knowledgeable. Can monkeys and pigs get smallpox?"

Tao Yanbai shook his head and said, "We are also ignorant and have never seen anything like this before, so we plan to give it a try."

Pan Yun: "You, you guys wouldn't be thinking of..."

“That’s right. We plan to stay here to conduct research. Smallpox is common here and in the neighboring Qarhan Khanate, so it’s easier to find cases here than in the Central Plains.”

What could Pan Jun do? Naturally, he encouraged her.

Upon hearing this, Miaozhen turned around and went to find her adopted son again, saying, "I can give you a 10% discount, and I will deliver goods to you at least once every three months in the near future. You have to guarantee the safety of my senior brothers and sisters here."

The adopted sons are of course fine.

Compared to the eccentric Miaozhen, Miaohe and Tao Yanbai are much more popular here because they can cure diseases.

(End of this chapter)