When three scribes who thought they were full of strategies arrived in the extremely prosperous capital, they were like country bumpkins who had never seen anything in the market. Everything they saw was novel. Even a pencil was regarded by them as a work of ingenuity.
In fact, graphite was used as a calligraphy ink from the Shang Dynasty until the Eastern Han Dynasty before it was replaced. By the Ming Dynasty, graphite was no longer worth much. In many places with graphite mines, people would use graphite as fuel.
This move is undoubtedly a waste of resources. A certain prince used a pencil to give graphite a higher value. Only in this way can the value of this non-renewable resource be maximized. Even if the graphite reserves in the Ming Dynasty are very rich, they cannot be wasted. .
The price of raw coal is only one tael per hundred catties, and the price of coke is only three taels per one hundred catties. Of course, graphite cannot compare with raw coal. If it can't even be used to make fire, then in the eyes of the people, these black stones are not as good as firewood.
But after some processing and turning into pencil lead, the value of graphite is completely different.
It's the same wood with graphite. Before processing, one hundred kilograms is not worth even one tael of silver.
After being transformed into a pencil, even if a pencil is sold for only two cents, and there are fifty pencils per pound, it is still worth as much as one penny.
One hundred kilograms of pencils are worth ten taels of silver, more than ten times more than their original value.
After processing raw materials and giving them new functions and values, this process is technology.
In the same way, when noodles and meat are processed and turned into steamed buns or dumplings, their value far exceeds that of the raw materials.
A former scholar and two sorcerers were good at writing calligraphy with calligraphy, but suddenly they couldn't do it with hard-pen calligraphy. When they first started, their writing was actually not as good as that of a young chamberlain, which embarrassed the three self-respecting people.
It is necessary to practice. Now that the prince has given him free pencils, it is absolutely feasible to copy the contents of newspapers in his spare time.
But it was also extraordinary, and it made the three of them seem to have discovered a whole new world. Once they got it, they couldn't bear to put it down and wanted to see it to their heart's content.
Nothing can attract the attention of three people more than newspapers, and the widest audience is customers such as scribes and scholars.
A newspaper costs ten cents, and many poor scholars cannot afford it in a small place. But here is the emperor, and the rich scholars have already started the subscription mode, sitting in the house every day waiting for the servant to deliver today's newspaper.
Scholars who have no money and those who have temporarily failed the exam do not need to worry about money. The new policy announced by the Crown Prince involves a large number of jobs for hiring scholars.
For example, in the new city project implemented by the Ministry of Industry, there were not enough regular officials so a large number of contract workers were hired, especially those who had to be literate, so age and experience did not matter.
If you can endure hardships and hardships, you can also apply for a civilian job in the East Palace Guards. They are the prince's personal soldiers, and the treatment is naturally much better than working outside.
Food and housing aside, he started out with three taels of silver per month, which was equivalent to an outside monthly salary of five taels. Moreover, he was given free military uniforms when he joined the East Palace Guards. If he wanted to marry his wife in the future, he would be looked down upon by the matchmaker.
Of course, the old men in the ranks would not be valued by the other side, but as the newly formed Imperial Army, the East Palace Guards had extraordinary treatment and status, and the Crown Prince had enough money, so the officers and soldiers did not need to worry about the issue of unpaid wages at all.
Therefore, most scribes and scholars in the capital don't mind the price of a newspaper, which costs ten cents a month. It only costs three hundred cents a month. It's really great to be able to learn about the latest decrees of the imperial court and major world events with this little money. Great value.
For Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, and Gu Junen, any content in the newspaper is enough for them to read it word for word from beginning to end. When they encounter important content, they have to read it one or two more times.
However, the three of them all have very good brains and strong memories. Even if they read very fast, they can still remember most of the content. This is almost impossible for ordinary people to achieve.
According to the prince's instructions, they had nothing else to do in the first seven days, except reading newspapers in the yard. If they were bored, they could go out for a walk under the protection of the Jin Yiwei.
Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, when you arrive in the capital, do as the locals do, it becomes reading newspapers and walking around the streets!
In order to prevent thieves from harming people at night, although the capital city has already canceled the curfew, it has not formed a bustling night market in the Jiangnan area.
However, there are morning markets in many streets and alleys, especially for the officials who go to work in the morning. There are a wide variety of snacks.
Wontons, noodles, fried cakes, sesame cakes, steamed buns and other items that can quickly fill the stomach can be found everywhere in the morning market, and they are very cheap, not much more expensive than other places.
In order not to block traffic, the prince stipulated that the morning market would be from 6 to 8 a.m. If vendors did not remove their stalls after the expiration date, they would be cleaned out by the street sweepers. In this era, no one dares to set up a stall to fight against Jin Yiwei, unless they are really impatient.
The three new staff members were still in high spirits, and their physical fatigue had long been replaced by mental excitement. They planned to visit the morning market before arranging their schedule.
Before Liu Le left, he did not forget to remind the three of them to try snacks they had never eaten before. After sunset, the three of them felt a little empty in their stomachs. It was inevitable that they would feel a little uncomfortable if they fell asleep like this, so they remembered this.
"potato chips???"
Niu Jinxing is a fat man and has a large appetite. Since it is food and it is a reward from the prince, there is no reason to turn him away, so he tore open a huge paper bag, which was as big as a round watermelon, and took it Come out and watch by candlelight.
"Like leaves!"
Gu Junen looked at it briefly and then remembered a reference object with a similar appearance, but it was not edible. He didn't know whether the thing in front of him was delicious or not.
"It's so thin?"
Song Xiance had never seen similar food, so he could only comment on its appearance, and then became sluggish, as if he felt a little unable to eat it.
"Have you two tasted it?"
Niu Jinxing didn't know how to eat this stuff, chew it dry or soak it in water. Manager Liu didn't specifically tell him before he left, he just mentioned it.
"No!"
"No!"
Gu Junen and Song Xiance both shook their heads. This is probably the delicacy that the prince imitated from the fairy world, but the specific way of eating it needs to be studied...
Since there was only the word "potato chips" on the bag and no other descriptions at all, the three of them stared at it for a long time before opening their mouths to taste it.
I wanted to call Jin Yiwei to come in and ask, but I was afraid of being laughed at for my lack of knowledge. In the end, I could only make up my mind and decided to have iced sour plum soup.
“Exquisitely crispy!”
“Excellent taste!”
"rare!"
This was Niu, Gu, and Song's first impression of potato chips. Thin means a little thin, crispy means a little crispy, and they don't seem to have much chewiness. However, the taste of these potato chips is very good. Just eat one slice. Can't stop.
The three of them ate all the big bags they got before they could "shut up". Eating potato chips and drinking ice-cold sour plum soup was indeed a pleasant thing on a sultry summer night.
Although after eating it all, they still couldn't figure out what kind of ingredients this thing was made of, but for the three of them, as long as it was delicious, it was enough, and the rest was not important. The prince was determined not to use such a delicious thing. To poison them.
After eating, apart from feeling a little bloated, there didn't seem to be any adverse reactions. I just overeaten a little, but I had already swallowed it in my stomach and couldn't spit it out. Now the feeling of emptiness was completely gone.
After the servants took a shower and changed their clothes, the three "capable men" went to bed and waited to get up early the next day to visit the morning market in the capital and see the living conditions of the people in the capital.
The next day was a sunny day, and it was as hot and muggy as yesterday. I was sweating all over when I woke up in the morning. It was only after taking a shower that I felt a little comfortable.
Under the recommendation of the Crown Prince, all the official court uniforms were replaced by short-sleeved clothes. Now it was much cooler, and the common people also followed suit. In addition, the weather continued to be hot and muggy, and for a while, the number of short-sleeved clothes in the streets far exceeded the long-sleeved ones.
Although Niu, Gu, and Song were still not used to this, and felt that it was very indecent to expose half of their arms, and they were a bit polite, they still put on new clothes. After all, these were the clothes that the prince imitated from the fairy world. It can be said that he is "famous for making clothes." ".
She also had her feet and even the longer nails on her hands cut off. This was considered the greatest sacrifice. Nails were just like hair and could not be moved. If she cut her beloved nails, she would be regarded by the three people as loyal to the greatness of the Crown Prince. feat. a debut
As a staff member of the Crown Prince, you don't need to walk on foot when you go out, whether it's to work or shopping. In the past, there were horse-drawn carriages, but now rickshaws are popular, and everyone is provided with a standard car to take care of them.
Except for the driver who pulled the heavier Niu Jinxing, who was rather miserable, the other two drivers felt good. At least they were surrounded by royal guards, and they felt a sense of pride. It seemed that their status had risen a lot. Although he is still a coachman.
The three staff members had never driven a rickshaw, so they were naturally happy to enjoy it. In addition, the street scenery on both sides was good, which inevitably produced a sense of relaxation and joy. If they were seen by their hometown friends, they would definitely be impressed.
Entering the morning market section, the flow of people was so heavy that the rickshaw could not move. The three of them could only go shopping on foot under the protection of the Jin Yiwei. The lively scene made the three of them forget about the rickshaw, and they were even a little overwhelmed.
The morning market is not a formal market, but it is also a gathering place for various vendors. Most of the daily necessities such as firewood, rice, oil, salt, cloth, tea, etc. are covered, and the most popular ones are stalls selling breakfast.
"Big stuffed buns~!"
"Donkey meat is on fire!"
“Green onion pancakes!”
“Three fresh wontons!”
"Chinese savior crepe!"
Niu Jinxing's biggest dream in the past was to eat donkey meat on fire for every meal, and he would have to eat five of them in one meal. Now that his income can fulfill this wish, he immediately felt that it would satisfy his taste buds.
"Here are five fires!"
"okay!"
Niu Jinxing took the donkey meat from the vendor and burned it, gave one to each of Gu Junen and Song Xiance, and then ate the three of them herself.
The accompanying Jin Yiwei had already eaten before going on business. During the business trip, in order to ensure the safety of the protected personnel at all times, they would not eat outside meals easily.
Once these three gentlemen get sick after eating, they can just arrest them directly. Because they know the vendors who buy the huoshao, Niu Jinxing can buy breakfast with confidence.
"Uh~! Sorry! Uh~! Sorry!"
After eating three hiccups in a row, Niu Jinxing finally remembered that he had no water and could not stop the hiccups. This time he was embarrassed in public.
I had made countless calculations, but I missed this one. I felt extremely embarrassed. Passers-by were more or less looking at the fat man who kept hiccupping.
Even with the personal protection of Jin Yiwei, Niu Jinxing was too embarrassed to bother others and asked the people around him not to look at him, so he had no choice but to endure it and try to buy as much time as possible before burping again.
"Come on! Drink this!"
Song Xiance hurriedly took two steps and bought a bowl of noodle soup from a nearby stall, which temporarily suppressed Niu's "aura".
This accident taught Niu Jinxing that even if he does not eat alone, he cannot be greedy and must do what he can. However, Niu Jinxing felt that as long as he was properly prepared, he could handle this kind of thing. Next time, he would find a place with tea and soup to dine.
Gu Junen and Song Xiance didn't have as big an appetite as Mr. Niu. Since it was sweltering in the morning in midsummer, they both had a little loss of appetite. They even barely ate half of the donkey meat that ordinary people regarded as delicacies.
Going out in this kind of weather is a disaster, especially after midnight, when the outside is like a steamer. Even if you don't do anything, just sitting outside or in a cool place will make you sweat.
In view of this, the three of them walked around in a circle and returned to their residence in about an hour. The original idea of going shopping was completely forgotten by the sun.
Even if you have money in your pocket and can do whatever you want, you still have to see if God will let you do whatever you want, otherwise you are destined to suffer from heatstroke due to the sun.
The Central Plains, which is no more than a thousand miles away from Akano, here in the capital, can be regarded as a brief shower every three to five days, but it can't solve much of the problem. At most, it can prevent the seedlings in the fields from being roasted to death, and that's it.
There is a severe drought all over the north, and the situation this year is not much better than last year. The degree of damage in the southern part of Beizhili is comparable to that of Henan, and the situation in Jifu is slightly better than that in the Central Plains.
The three people also saw the situation along the way and knew that the lives of the people this year will still be extremely difficult. Many people will be devastated and displaced. They can only hope that the Crown Prince's decree will play its due role in various places.
Now that they have become the prince's staff, the three of them will change their attitudes, think about issues from the prince's point of view, and make suggestions for the East Palace and the court.
Regarding the disaster relief strategy, the three dog-headed military strategists all felt that the content formulated by the prince was already in place, and there was basically no need to add any more. The details would depend on the implementation of the local officials.
The government orders issued by the Crown Prince are all good, but for some people, it means taking food from their mouths. In some places where there is a lack of supervision, it is very likely that there will be disobedience to the orders.
They are not patrolling censors, so they cannot catch these bad officials. They can only do their jobs. The current job is to read more newspapers, learn more knowledge, and practice pencil calligraphy diligently.
The latter is the most difficult thing for the three people to adapt to. Because the postures of holding the pen are different and the methods of force are also different, it is much more difficult to adapt to than the huge changes of living in a mansion and eating delicious food.
Even though they have written tens of thousands of calligraphy, when they hold the pencil, the three "ink masters" can only write slowly, stroke by stroke. Once the writing speed increases, there is a possibility of breaking the pen tip.
Haste makes waste, and after many failures, in the eyes of Niu Jinxing, Gu Junen, and Song Xiance, practicing calligraphy and copying newspapers suddenly turned into a work of fighting spirit...
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