"Is this it?!"
"Go home, Master, this is exactly what you are looking for!"
In the ancestral house of the Yang family, Yang Tai took the paper he asked for from Zhang Xi and told Yang Ji, the head of the Yang family and his father, his thoughts.
"If we master the paper-making technology, one can copy various classics and collect them for family heirlooms, the other can use this to win over the hearts of poor families, and the third can also make profits. I think this is The master of the Yang family must not miss this opportunity for the rise of the Yang family."
After Yang Tai finished speaking, he bowed to the head of the family and the elders of the family to show respect.
At the clan meeting, Yang Tai had to call Yang Ji the head of the family according to the rules. At this time, Yang Ji was not only Yang Tai's father, but also the head of the family.
After listening to Yang Tai's story, Yang thought for a moment, then looked at his brothers and uncles and asked, "Fellow elders, what do you think?!"
After a slightly noisy discussion, Yang Tai's third uncle said, "This matter is just as Tai'er said. My third uncle thinks it is feasible."
Yang Tai's fifth uncle stood up again and said, "This is not possible. I am afraid that the Yang family is not capable of this, so please think twice."
Yang Tai's second uncle thought for a moment and said, "This matter is inevitable and has both pros and cons. However, I think that if you are cautious, you will not achieve great things. If you can give it a try, it may not be impossible."
Yang Tai's fifth uncle retorted, "Although our Yang family has been inherited for more than two hundred years, we are still not comparable to the Huang and Yan families. If we rashly intervene in this matter, we may suffer retaliation from both families."
Yang Tai's third uncle also joined the fighting group and said, "The words of the fifth brother are exaggerated. Don't you know that the head of the Yan family, Yan Yan, is critically ill. Now the third and third branches of the Yan family are fighting among themselves. There may be plans to separate the family. The Yan family has already Nothing to fear.”
"What about the Huang family?!" Uncle Yang Tai said, "Even if the Yan family is not something to be afraid of, the Huang family is still powerful, how can they sit back and watch us enjoy this matter?! The Yizhou family is not just the Huang family, what about the Li family? If the Zhang family knew about this, they would not let it go."
"It doesn't matter. Why not join forces with the Huang family to fight against the Li and Zhang families?!"
"How could the Huang family do such a thing that would destroy their foundation?!"
"How do you know that the Huang family has no intention of replacing him?!"
"."
Yang Tai watched a group of uncles and uncles arguing. Some could understand, but most of them couldn't.
What on earth are these uncles and uncles talking about? Isn't it just to acquire papermaking technology? Let's take this kind of thing by ourselves and let the Yang family make a fortune. It's like the Huang family, the Yan family, and even those developed in Chengdu. What is the relationship between the Zhang family and the Li family? !
Yang Tai was puzzled and couldn't help but look at his father, the head of the Yang family.
Yang Ji glanced at Yang Tai slightly and told him to shut up and listen quietly. After the quarrel here was over, he would explain to him later.
The quarrel in the Yang family's ancestral house had no result in the end.
Yang Ji came forward at this time and made a decision.
Being the head of a family is not easy. The people in charge of each house have to work hard to maintain the family's livelihood, grow the family, satisfy each house, and finally ensure the authority of their own lineage. Being the head of a family is not that easy.
Although his son is smart, he is not deeply involved in the world and has not had much exposure to some dirty things within the family. But for the sake of the future, there are some things that this child should be exposed to.
Yang Ji immediately stopped the quarrel in each room and said, "What Tai'er said makes sense. The risks involved are not small."
After saying that, Yang looked at his son and continued, "As Tai'er said, if we can master the matter of paper, it will indeed be an opportunity for the rise of our Yang family. But Tai'er, paper is only one thing, and the former Han It was already there, and the eunuch Cai Lun even improved the craftsmanship and was able to write and paint, but the paper failed to become popular in the world. There was an incident about Zuo Bo's paper, and in the end it was not really known. Do you know why?!"
"Here," Yang Tai was speechless and had to say, "Please give me some advice from the head of the family."
Yang Ji nodded, very satisfied with his son's attitude.
If you understand, you understand. If you don’t understand, just ask. There is no shame in it.
Yang Ji explained to Yang Tai, "My family makes a living by farming and reading. The so-called tillers are fields, so our ancestors are keen on hoarding land. And readers are classics. If there are no classics, how can we be called scholars." Paper is indeed a powerful tool for education, but if it is left among the people, poor families in Guizhou will use it to record classics and learn to read. The difference between our family and poor families in Guizhou is just the number of acres. Therefore, Caihou Paper Regardless of whether it is Zuo Bo paper, it can only be used by aristocratic families, but it cannot be left among the people."
To put it simply, once paper becomes popular and ordinary people from poor families can read, the status of our aristocratic family will be equalized with that of ordinary people.
So, Cai Lun has improved the papermaking technology, and wealthy families will use it, but they will never take the initiative to promote it.
A few years ago, Uncle Zuo made Zuo Bo Paper. In the past two years, the grass on Uncle Zuo's grave has grown three feet high. How many people have seen several pieces of Zuo Bo Paper? !
Rich families like paper, but they don't like it to spread.
"Furthermore, now that Liu Shijun is in charge of the government in Chengdu and re-establishing official schools, Lai Min and other fortunate people are eliminating classics and establishing classics. With the help of this thing, the heirlooms of our aristocratic families may become sidelines. If we If you interfere in this matter, you may be criticized by the public."
Yang Tai suddenly realized.
Now Liu Bei is re-establishing the official school in Chengdu, appointing Lai Min and others to select classics and eliminate unreliable theories. In essence, he is competing with the aristocratic families for the right to interpret the classics, and at the same time he is competing for the right to speak in public opinion.
Originally, the aristocratic families would be very unhappy if the Yang family intervened in the production of paper and helped Liu Bei promote paper to the whole Yizhou. Those aristocratic families could not do anything for Liu Bei, who had soldiers and food, and they could not do for your Yang family in Ba County. A second-rate family? !
But there was one thing that Yang Tai didn't quite understand, so he bowed and asked, "Master, the method of paper improvement was invented by Commander Zhang. I'm afraid Liu Shijun will be able to get it sooner or later."
Yang Ji nodded and said, "If this were not the case, how could your third uncle and fifth uncle agree with your suggestion?!"
Yang Tai didn't understand again.
Since there are huge risks in doing this kind of thing, why do you still do it? !
Let Zhang Xi dedicate the papermaking method to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei will promote it. Just let the Shu family vent their dissatisfaction on Liu Bei. We, the Yang family, can just stay out and watch the excitement.
Yang Ji smiled and explained, "Although the risk of this matter is high, if we take over this matter, we will be taking refuge in Liu Shijun. If Liu Shijun succeeds, we can ride on the wind and serve for a generation." We are heroes of this family, if Liu Jijun fails to succeed, we can still stick to the art of papermaking and use it as a talisman. Even if we cannot fly to the sky, we can still preserve the family business and prevent the family from being separated."
After Yang Tai listened, he thought about it carefully and found out that it was his father, and he was indeed very sophisticated.
In today's aristocratic families, there is no concept of monarch and ministers, let alone the concept of family, country and world. Everything is for the development of the family.
If it can be beneficial to the family to grow and develop, they will not care who the lord is, let alone what other aristocratic families think. As long as there is a chance, they will go out and give it a try. Being conservative will not be passed down. Too long.
Yang Tai used to think about things from the perspective of an ordinary scholar, but now Yang Ji, his father, personally told him how he should consider things as a qualified head of an aristocratic family.
The opinions and interests of others are not important at all. As long as you have the opportunity to maximize the interests of your family and at the same time arrange your escape, then go ahead and do it boldly.
After saying these words, Yang stood up and said to everyone, "Although this matter is risky for us, it is also a good opportunity. We must not let it pass. I have decided to make a decision. Tai'er will introduce me to the prefect in three days." , discuss papermaking."
In this way, Yang Ji decided to ask Yang Tai to help bridge the gap and discuss with Zhang Xi about the Yang family's agency for papermaking.
Zhang Xi is also very cautious about this matter.
It's not anything else, it's mainly because Zhang Xi has a long memory now.
The attitude of the Yang family is really too abnormal. They are so enthusiastic and willing to help promote paper, and they are even willing to persuade the Yan and Huang families to cooperate with the land clearing. This is a bit wrong.
What did you guys do half a year ago? !
Such a huge contrast between before and after caused Zhang Xi to start to reflect - is this piece of paper really that important? !
Then Zhang Xi began to recall, when did this paper really become popular? !
The rice paper thing seems to have been born during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, but it seems that it was really popularized among the people in the Song Dynasty. Why the Song Dynasty? !
Zhang Xi pondered along the timeline for a long time and finally caught a clue.
After the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, after the Song Dynasty was established, there were no decent aristocratic families at that time, only wealthy families with no status. Coupled with the prevalence of the imperial examination system, paper naturally spread among the people.
Let's go back and think about it. Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty improved the papermaking technology, but was shelved; at the end of the Han Dynasty, Zuo Bo improved the technique and created Zuo Bo paper, but Zuo Bo's people disappeared; in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the barbarians invaded, and the clothes and clothes were transferred south, but the paper was not It gradually became commonly used among aristocratic families. After the unification of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, paper gradually shifted from aristocratic families to poor families. By the time of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, high-quality and low-priced rice paper even appeared.
Afterwards, through the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Song Dynasty, paper gradually entered people's homes.
This seems to be a history of the promotion of paper, but in fact it is a history of the decline of the family, right? !
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the aristocratic families were very powerful, so paper could only be circulated between the court and a small number of aristocratic families.
By the end of the Han Dynasty, the power of the aristocratic family was still strong, so Zuo Bo's paper was just a flash in the pan and had not spread at all. It was most likely hidden by the aristocratic family in Donglai. As long as I don't create it, no one can use.
After the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the power of aristocratic families weakened due to wars, and only some big aristocratic families were able to cope with this era, so the paper gradually spread from within these big aristocratic families.
It was not until the unification of the Sui and Tang Dynasties that the power of the aristocratic family was greatly weakened, and the Guanlong Military Group suppressed the aristocratic family. Only then did the paper flow from the aristocratic family to the poorer families.
Coupled with the fact that Yang Jian and his son, Li Shimin and his son, and Wu Zetian, spared no effort to suppress the aristocratic family, it was possible for rice paper to appear during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
As for after the wars in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, all the aristocratic families were gone. Those who could survive could only be regarded as local tyrants. They could not control the circulation of paper at all, so paper gradually spread to the hands of the people. Later, the development of the imperial examination system laid the foundation.
If the problem is considered from this perspective, Zhang Xi was surprised to find that it is still logically consistent.
But there is still a problem that Zhang Xi can't figure out - if Zhang Xi is right, then Yang Ji, Yang Tai's father, is also the head of the Yang family in Bajun, why would he get involved in promoting paper.
It doesn't make sense, right? He is also from a noble family.
Zhang Xi is not Zuo Bo. He is the core figure of Liu Bei's group. He holds the military power of a county and may even mobilize an army to suppress the rebellion at any time. It is impossible for the Yang family to control the circulation of paper by controlling Zhang Xi.
To put it bluntly, as long as Zhang Xi handed over his papermaking skills to Liu Bei, it would not be the family that had the final say whether it would spread or not, that would be Liu Bei's decision.
So, what exactly does the Yang family want to do? !
Do you simply want to make money from papermaking technology, or do you have other plans?
Zhang Xi still couldn't figure out this question. It wasn't until Zhuge Liang came to Yufu in person that Zhang Xi got the answer.
(End of chapter)
