That night, Yang Ming still stayed in Feng Yuzhi's dormitory. He went to Dugu Feng'er's place first, and then came here to sleep after he was done.
After all, it took a hundred days for Feng Yuzhi to twist his ankle. It would take a hundred days to normalize. Yang Ming did not plan to have sex with him within three months.
While changing clothes, Yang Ming suddenly saw a coat by Feng Yuzhi on the hanger. It was quite exquisite, so he walked over and touched it.
Is this a cotton coat? No wonder it looks soft and thick, but a bit rough.
"Are these the clothes you brought back from your hometown?" Yang Ming turned around and asked.
Feng Yuzhi was lying on the bed. Hearing this, he twisted his neck and nodded, saying, "The clothes are made of Jibei."
"What is Jibei?" Yang Ming asked curiously.
Feng Yuzhi explained: "It is cloth made of cotton wool from the fruit of the kapok tree. We in Lingnan call it Jibei."
Can you make cotton fabrics? Yang Ming looked surprised.
Of course, this cotton cloth is not made of cotton, but cotton from the kapok tree, so the texture of the cotton cloth is worrisome, but it is warm.
Why is there in Lingnan? Because the kapok tree is a subtropical plant, this tree is only found in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan in China. After the fruit of this tree is opened, there is a ball of cotton inside, but this is short-fiber cotton, which is mainly used as filler. Clothes have very high requirements on textile technology.
The long-fiber cotton that can really be used to make clothes has to be imported from the Americas. The one imported from India is also short-fiber cotton.
However, cotton in ancient China was really imported from India.
"I have been making this coat for several years. More than seventy embroiderers made it piece by piece," Feng Yuzhi said.
When Yang Ming heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief. Let me just say, does Lingnan have this kind of textile technology? Emotions are hard-woven over many years, so it won't become a circulating commodity. No wonder the style is so simple, just like a cloak.
But having said that, ancient Chinese kapok textile technology was really developed first in Lingnan, and its representative figure was Huang Daopo in the early Yuan Dynasty.
Huang Daopo was from Shanghai and moved to Hainan. Then he integrated the textile technology of the Li people in Hainan with that of Jiangnan and summed up a completely new set of technologies.
Huang Daopo spins kapok.
During the Tang Dynasty, Guangxi's cotton textile technology was very advanced. It was called Guiguan cloth. Bai Juyi wrote a poem: Gui Guan cloth is as white as snow, and Wu is as soft as clouds. The cloth is heavy and thick, and it has residual warmth like fur.
From this poem, we can see that cotton spinning is mainly in the south.
Yang Ming took off his clothes and lay on the couch, thinking about cotton in his mind. He was at a loss as to what Feng Yuzhi's probing hand did.
During the Sui Dynasty, there were frequent exchanges with the Western Regions. Cotton from Tianzhu must have been introduced. Historical records show that African cotton from Africa was introduced to Xinjiang in the third century AD and to the Central Plains in the fifth and sixth centuries.
Isn’t it the sixth century now? African cotton is long-fiber cotton and is the best for making cotton cloth.
At present, the East Palace belongs to the officials, and Yao Silian, the chief minister of Menxiafang, mentioned in the historical "Book of Liang: Biography of the Rongmen in the Northwest":
There are many plants and trees in Gaochang. The grass is like a cocoon, and the silk in the cocoon is like fine silk. It is called Baidiezi. Chinese people often use it to make cloth. The cloth is very soft and white, and is used in the market.
This white fold is African cotton wool.
Good guy, I must go to Neiku to have a look tomorrow. If this thing can be grown on a large scale, it will be of great benefit to the country and the people.
"Okay, stop touching, go to sleep," Yang Ming removed Feng Yuzhi's hand, then turned it to the side and fell asleep.
Among his harem, currently, Feng Yuzhi has the lowest appearance. It's not that she's not good-looking, it's that the others are too good-looking.
If it were Chen Shuyi who teased him like this tonight, he would definitely not be able to bear it, but Feng Yuzhi's charm was limited.
After the meeting the next day, Yang Ming went to the Zuozangku and Youzangku in the palace.
These two treasury are the inner treasury of Yang Guang and the Queen, and are nominally under the control of Taifu Temple, but the key lies with a minor official in Taifu Temple, whose surname is Yang.
"The prince is looking for the kapok imported from the Western Regions. Is it available here?" Yun Shou asked.
In the Sui Dynasty, it was called kapok, not cotton.
The treasurer surnamed Yang nodded and said: "Yes, some were planted in the palace garden the year before last, and they are also planted this year, but the types are quite mixed. I don't know what kind the prince is looking for?"
"Take me to see it," Yang Ming said.
The back garden of the palace, just in the area where you enter through the Xuanwu Gate, is quite large and has everything you need. There is a section of it specially used for seed cultivation.
That is, seeds bought from the Western Regions were planted here on a trial basis.
Yang Ming saw African cotton at a glance. It was white and flowery. It was the harvest season, but it was used as an ornamental plant at the moment.
To be honest, there is nothing to see. Peonies are not better than this?
Yang Ming walked over and picked off a small ball and rubbed it in his hands. Yes, it was long-fiber cotton and could be used for weaving.
I am so tired. Do you still want me to improve my textile technology?
I don't have the time.
Yang Ming held a ball of cotton in his hand and showed it to Yuan Shou: "This can weave cloth. Recruit some textile craftsmen from Lingnan and Jiangnan to study and study how to weave cloth. Of course, it needs to be planted in a large area. This is not your Taifu Temple’s business.”
Taifu Temple is in charge of handicrafts, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs is in charge of planting.
After saying that, Yang Ming looked at the warehouse manager surnamed Yang and said, "Is this kapok an annual?"
The treasurer nodded and said, "Your Highness, yes."
Annual plants germinate, grow, bloom and then die within one year. This requires purchasing a large amount of seeds, planting them in a large area first, and then saving the seeds.
Then, Yang Ming would have to find Sinong Temple, who was in charge of trade.
The minister of Sinong Temple was originally Yang Chudao, but after some punishment, he was demoted to the rank of Shaoqing. The minister is now Cui Shu.
As soon as Yang Ming entered the official gate of Si Nong Temple, Yang Chudao greeted him first:
"Your Highness, don't come to my place anytime soon. Please come in quickly."
He is a clan member and has worked in Sinong Temple for half his life. He is relatively pedantic and has poor abilities, but his surname is Yang.
"Where is Cui Shu?" Yang Ming asked.
Yang Chudao chuckled and said, "He went to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. I sent someone to call him."
Yang Ming smiled: "I heard that you don't get along well with others? Is this the case?"
"Differences in official matters are inevitable. There are no personal grudges," Yang Chudao said with an apologetic smile.
If colleagues in the same unit become enemies over official matters, it will definitely turn into a personal feud. This is absolutely true.
"You are older. Sometimes, don't be too preoccupied with things. They work for the court, so don't get in the way," Yang Ming said with a smile and a warning.
The clan also needs to be beaten. Relying on their status, they often look down on their superiors, and their bosses are difficult to manage because of their status.
Yang Chudao quickly smiled and nodded: "No, no, no, don't worry, Your Highness."
Entering Sinong Temple, another young minister Cui Hongzhou and Cui Laowu also greeted him.
When he saw Yang Ming, he felt a little uncomfortable. Although their family had Cui Churen working in the East Palace, there was also Cui Lingzi who was being detained in the East Palace.
They themselves were also confused as to whether their relationship with the prince was close or distant.
"Take out the list of trade with the Western Regions this year and let me take a look," Yang Ming sat down on the main seat and ordered.
After a while, several officials came up with stacks of files.
"There are too many. It depends on Gaochang," Yang Ming said.
So Gao Chang's share was taken out separately and presented to Yang Ming.
Gaochang is Turpan, where African cotton was planted earlier than in the Central Plains. Historically, the African cotton introduced to China was also purchased from Gaochang.
"A pound of kapok seeds costs three hundred and twenty gold?" Yang Ming asked, "You spend so much money to buy them and plant them in the back garden?"
In Gaochang, although the five-baht coin is now considered a currency in circulation, they mainly collect gold and silver because they buy things from other places and people want gold and silver.
Cui Shu, who had already rushed back from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said: "This kind of kapok can be used to weave cloth. It is planted in the garden to observe its growth conditions and processes in preparation for widespread planting in the future."
This is a man who does practical things. Yang Ming nodded and said: "If you say so, the money will not be spent unfairly. So where do you think it is suitable for planting?"
Cui Shu said: "Based on its characteristics, we should take the lead in trial planting in the Yellow River and Jianghuai basins."
Even if cotton is made, it will not be much more expensive because it is not beautiful enough and not of high quality. It will not become a high-end product like brocade and silk. However, for ordinary people, it is a treasure to keep out the cold.
As long as the planting area is large enough, it will not be much more expensive to make cloth in the future.
Of course, this is an idealization. If we really want to roll it out across the board, it won't be possible within a few decades.
"You go to negotiate with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and let them open up a cotton area in the Yellow River starting next year. Try planting some first and see how it goes. Then buy more seeds this year," Yang Ming said.
"If we buy extra, we won't be able to buy much," Cui Shu said: "There aren't many kapok seeds in Gaochang, so we won't be able to sell too many of them, and they're not suitable for storage. The ones we buy that can really be cultivated are less than three. One out of ten.”
Yang Ming said: "Then you can buy as much as you want. Do you still need me to teach you?"
Cui Shu smiled and said: "But your Highness has to approve the note. If we use gold to purchase goods, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will not recognize us. We need your intervention."
"It just so happens that I have to go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. All three of you, come with me." After that, Yang Ming left first.
It would definitely not be a problem for him to spend the winter by himself, but to spend the winter at ordinary people's homes would be like going through hell.
Especially the older ones, which is why older people never survive the winter.
In the Sui Dynasty, the elderly were mostly concentrated in the aristocratic class and in the south. It was not easy for the common people in the north to live a long life, and winter was a big obstacle.
This is why, in later generations, many people in Northeastern China went south to spend the winter. At that time, central heating was available, but it was unbearable.
Although in the eyes of the court, the loss of labor force by older people has little benefit to the country, it has a huge impact on social stability.
People who are under the supervision of their parents will not act recklessly. (End of chapter)
