Under three trees, you can take whatever you want.
It is impossible for these craftsmen to have the firm willpower to keep the secret of the treasure banknotes. This is why Han Du did not let any craftsmen know all the secrets of making treasure banknotes. For this reason, the original craftsman group was divided into two and they were prohibited from inquiring about each other's information.
Although these craftsmen have not grasped the key to making treasure banknotes at all, even if they are tortured to extract confessions, it is impossible for others to create treasure banknotes through them.
But Han Du was unwilling to lose even the craftsmen, so he asked Lao Zhu to help protect the craftsmen.
After hearing this, Lao Zhu frowned and said: "It's easy to protect the banknote paper and the banknote printing bureau. I just send some soldiers to guard it. But those craftsmen are scattered everywhere, how to protect them? I can't. Arrange soldiers to guard each of their houses, right?"
This is indeed a problem.
Han Du also understood after hearing this. If there are only one or two people, it can be solved this way. But now there are hundreds of craftsmen involved, and it is simply unrealistic to send soldiers to guard them. If there are too few, it won’t work. If there are too many, are those craftsmen being praised too much?
You know, they are just craftsmen. Even the court officials, except for a few important ministers, are not treated like soldiers and guards.
If soldiers were really sent to guard the craftsman, if the news spread, it would definitely cause a sensation in the court. Those officials will definitely be dissatisfied.
Lao Zhu knew this deeply, so he used craftsmen scattered everywhere and guards to stop Han Du's mouth.
But is Han Du's mouth so easy to gag?
"Your Majesty, what do you think of this? Since they are scattered in all directions, it is inconvenient to guard them. Then the imperial court may simply build some more houses for them to live in the Banknote and Banknote Printing Bureau and gather them all together. In this way, even The soldiers guarding them are all saved, and they only need to send people to guard the banknotes and print banknotes. Another advantage is that this can further limit their contact with outsiders and further reduce the risk of leakage of treasure banknotes. "
When Lao Zhu heard this, he had to nod his head and thought that what Han Du said was indeed a good idea. Since even the guarding soldiers were omitted, Lao Zhu had nothing to say other than agreeing. But I still have a question in my mind: "The method is a good one, but your banknote paper and banknote printing bureaus are so big, how can they fit into the houses of so many craftsmen?"
"I am free to take my own approach." Han Du was confident.
What a house! What kind of house do you want?
Han Du once knew the craftsmen under Han Du. Although they all claim to be from the capital, none of them can live in the capital. Almost all of them live in the counties below Yingtian Mansion.
Why? To put it bluntly, none of them can afford a house in the capital.
Real estate is not something that modern people can play with. Real estate has been a profitable business since ancient times.
How expensive were housing prices in the capital of the Song Dynasty? It was so expensive that even the emperor who wanted to expand the palace could not afford the demolition fee. The price of housing in ancient times can be seen from this.
Although the Hongwu Dynasty has not experienced a situation where housing prices have increased several times a year, the housing prices in the capital itself are not low. Otherwise, Han Du's father would not have been a second-rank official of the imperial court for so many years, and in the end he could only live in his family's ancestral home in the outer city. Even if you want to settle down in the inner city, you can't do it.
This is true for second-grade officials. These craftsmen can only dream if they want to buy a house in the capital.
Although the banknote paper and banknote printing bureaus are outside the city, they are on the edge of the city after all. If they could live in such a place, let alone a house, even if these craftsmen were allowed to live in a tube building, they would be willing to do so.
That's right, Han Du had never thought about building houses for the craftsmen, he would only build tube buildings for them.
Han Du believed that the craftsmen would be very satisfied if they could live in Tongzilou and would not ask for more. What's more, Han Du gave it to them for free. People will rush for anything that costs nothing.
"As long as you can find a way." Lao Zhu nodded.
Lao Zhu didn't care that Han Du didn't say anything. As long as there are no problems in the big picture, Lao Zhu won't care about the details.
After reading the treasure notes, Lao Zhu turned his attention to Xiong Shi who was standing aside.
Looking at the things in the tray, Lao Zhu asked: "What is this?"
Han Du did not speak, but stood behind Lao Zhu and motioned to Xiong Shi to introduce him.
Seeing Han Du's eyes, Xiong Shi said boldly: "Back to the emperor, this is the printing plate for printing treasure banknotes. On this day only, I followed Master Han's instructions and brought them all."
Lao Zhu looked back at Han Du and saw Han Du's flattering smile, but said nothing. Turning around, he continued to ask Xiong Shi: "What's your name?"
Xiong Shi's face froze slightly after hearing this. Sure enough, Mr. Han was right. When he entered the palace to pay homage and announced his family status, the emperor didn't pay attention to his words at all. Only then did he even ignore his own name.
However, Xiong Shi did not dare to be disrespectful in the slightest. He lowered his head and said, "Xiong Shi, a humble minister."
"Xiong Shi?" Lao Zhu nodded after hearing this. This time he really remembered the name. I reached out and picked up a printing plate. It felt quite heavy. I was surprised when I took a look.
Surprised, he turned to Han Du and asked, "What is this printing plate made of? Is it so heavy?"
It would be hard for Xiong Shi to answer this.
Han Du brought Xiong Shi here just to show him his face in front of Lao Zhu. Firstly, the success of the production of the treasure banknotes is also due to Xiong Shi's conscientious work. Let him show his face in front of Lao Zhu, which will help his future career. The second reason is that Han Du wants to pave the way for Xiong Shi. If possible, it is best for him to take over his position quickly.
Han Du never thought that he would be an official for the rest of his life and work for Lao Zhu for the rest of his life. What Han Du wants most is to retire early after achieving financial freedom so that he can enjoy life.
During the Hongwu years, it was too easy for Han Du to achieve financial freedom. The only problem is that he has done meritorious service before, so it would be nice if he could avoid being beheaded by Lao Zhu, but there is no need to think about achieving any freedom.
But now, since Lao Zhu has eloquently stated that he has pardoned Han Du from all his crimes, Han Du naturally still wants to pursue financial freedom.
After all, I have days where I "sleep until I wake up naturally, and count money until my hands cramp." However, only those with a sick mind would think about the days when they were officials.
