"I see you, Your Majesty! Meet the Queen!"
In the Ganlu Hall, Li Zexuan saw Li Er and Queen Changsun walking out from the back of the hall together. He quickly averted his gaze and bowed to the two of them.
"Yeah! No gifts!"
Li Er waved his hand, and then couldn't wait to get to the point: "I heard that you came to present a treasure today, but why didn't you see the treasure?"
Although Li Zexuan is young, he is a complete treacherous person. It is usually difficult to take advantage of him, but now he has taken the initiative to "send it to his door". Li Er really wants to know what kind of surprise Li Zexuan has sent!
Li Zexuan said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the thing I sent today is a bit big. It is still outside the palace. Please allow me to have someone carry it up!"
"Oh~? Hurry! Zhao Song, hurry up and get the things brought by Marquis Yong'an!"
Li Er heard this and immediately spoke out.
A bit big? He now wants to know even more what Li Zexuan brought!
Zhao Song took the order and left. A moment later, he came in with four young eunuchs carrying a coal stove and a basket of briquettes.
When Li Er saw the eunuchs bringing up an iron lump and a basket of dark things, he couldn't help but frown, because these two things didn't look classy at all!
With a slight dissatisfaction in his heart, Li Er walked down from the top, looked at Li Zexuan with an evil look and asked: "Is this the treasure you want to dedicate to me~? Huh? What a special charcoal stove!"
But it was only when Li Er was talking that he realized that there was still a fire burning in the stove, and he couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise.
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, this is not a charcoal stove, this is a coal stove, and coal is burned in it!"
"Coal~? How can the coal fire be so strong~?"
Li Er was not the kind of emperor who was ignorant of world affairs. He immediately frowned in disbelief when he heard this.
At this time, Changsun also walked down from above. She carefully looked at the briquettes in the bamboo basket, and after a moment said: "Your Majesty, the briquettes brought by Marquis Yong'an are so special! Not to mention the size of each briquette, there are also There are many pores of the same size, and I guess it is because of this that the coal fire in the furnace is so strong!"
Li Er was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the bamboo basket. While looking at it, he asked: "Li Zexuan, is what the Queen said true?"
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the Empress has a sharp eye. Indeed, as the Empress said, the reason why these briquettes are so easy to ignite is because of their special structure! Since these briquettes are shaped like a honeycomb, I do not care about this kind of briquettes. Briquettes are called briquettes! The treasures I present to Your Majesty today are this coal stove and briquettes~!"
Li Er calmed down at this moment. He nodded and said: "It is indeed a treasure to be able to turn useless coal into this kind of flammable briquette! In this way, the imperial court may consider exploring several coal mines next year. Yeah~! But how did you make this briquette~?"
Seeing the briquettes, Li Er felt as if he was seeing a pile of gold mountains. Datang discovered many coal mines in the Hedong Road area, but because raw coal is difficult to burn, the mining value is not great. But it’s different now!
Li Zexuan said helplessly: "Your Majesty! This briquette is made by breaking the coal blocks, adding binding substances, and casting them in molds! I present these two things to Your Majesty today. First, I want to show Your Majesty the briquettes and coal stoves. The advantage of joining forces, and moreover, I want to discuss something with His Majesty!"
"Advantage~? What advantage? Is this briquette easier to burn than charcoal~?"
Li Er asked.
Li Zexuan told his mother and grandmother yesterday about the advantages of using honeycomb briquettes to boil water for cooking. Before Li Er could speak, the eldest grandson couldn't help but exclaimed:
"Can four pieces of briquettes be used to boil water and cook for a whole day under full fire? Marquis Yong'an, are you serious about this?"
Li Zexuan smiled and nodded: "It's absolutely true! And most people can't boil water and cook all day long, so the actual consumption of briquettes must be less than this!"
"Haha! Good stuff! This is really good stuff! Li Zexuan, let me ask you, how much does this briquette and coal stove cost~?"
After hearing this, Li Er couldn't help but feel that briquettes were more convenient than coal. He laughed and asked.
Li Zexuan replied: "The cost of a briquette is less than one penny! As for the coal stove, it is about one hundred and fifty penny! But a coal stove can be used for at least five years!"
Li Er nodded and said: "Not bad! Not bad! It's cheap and practical! People will definitely like it! This is really a treasure that benefits the country and the people! Haha! I like it too!"
Empress Changsun looked worried and said: "Your Majesty, although briquettes are cheap, the price of this coal stove is a bit expensive, but not everyone can afford it! If you want to fully promote coal stoves and briquettes, I'm afraid there are still A lot of difficulties!”
Li Er's face suddenly darkened again, and he obviously agreed with what Empress Changsun said.
Li Zexuan bowed and said: "What the Queen said is absolutely true! This is also the second reason why I came to see Your Majesty today!"
Li Er's eyes darkened and he said, "Say it!"
"Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty has only been stable for more than ten years. The price of charcoal in the east and west cities has remained high. Burning charcoal is a fantasy for the people! But the weather is cold in winter. In addition to boiling water and cooking, Most people still need to warm themselves up by the fire! Chang'an is the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and many poor people freeze to death every year. Not to mention other remote areas, there will definitely be more people freezing to death!
And now that there are cheaper and more resistant to burning briquettes, the price of charcoal will definitely continue to decrease! The number of people who can afford to burn coal will correspondingly increase! But for ordinary people, the price of coal stoves is indeed too high, but without a coal stove, the role of briquettes becomes extremely limited! And now in the middle of winter, many poor people are still suffering from the cold!
Therefore, honeycomb briquettes and coal stoves must be promoted to the people together! And in order to help the people survive the winter, I can sell briquettes and coal stoves directly to the poor people at cost prices without making a penny! But my own strength is limited after all. Therefore, I have a small request, and I hope your majesty will grant it! "
Li Zexuan said slowly and sincerely.
Hearing this, Li Er was silent for a moment, and then said: "Why do you still have such a heart? I really did not misjudge you! In fact, since the beginning of winter, I have been thinking about how to prevent some people from freezing to death, but there is only one city in Chang'an. There are tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of poor and frozen people, and the money from the national treasury cannot be used now. If you have a way, please tell me quickly! As long as the request is not too much, I will agree to it!"
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