Although there are rows of factories in the valley, it is as lively as a small town.
The craftsmen were walking around the valley shirtless, and everyone seemed very busy.
But Chen Kan keenly discovered that there was no smile on the faces of these craftsmen, and he had not seen a single young man from the time Chen Kan entered the valley until now.
Chen Kan guessed that the average age of the craftsmen in the valley was probably over forty years old.
When the craftsmen saw a group of strangers in the valley, they just glanced at them casually and continued busy with their own business.
Their expressions were numb, which made Chen Kan feel very confused.
This is less like a group of people and more like a group of tools.
Looking at the busy craftsmen in the field, Chen Kan was thoughtful.
"Sir, would you like to rest for now?"
Li Shi had a smile on his face.
You must know that the Baobao Collection Department is just a small yamen, and it is hidden in the mountains and forests. The only outsiders who can come into contact with it on weekdays are the eunuchs sent by the palace to transport the treasure banknotes.
Now suddenly a marquis came, who was also His Majesty's son-in-law. He was almost like a mascot.
Chen Kan nodded slightly: "That's fine. I'm new here. Let Master Li arrange everything."
In response, Chen Kan followed Li Shi to a row of relatively clean wooden houses.
"Master Hou, please!"
Li Shi's face was a little embarrassed. This row of wooden houses was already the best house here.
But the house is still too simple.
I wonder if this young Marquis can get used to it?
"Master Marquis, please come this way."
Li Shi pushed open the wooden door and introduced Chen Kan into the room to sit down. Then he looked at Zhang San and the other guards with some confusion.
"They can just stand outside."
Chen Kan saw Li Shi's embarrassment and spoke up to help him out at the right time.
"Master Marquis, the conditions in our Baochao Department are difficult and we have neglected Master Marquis. Please forgive me."
The only thing Li Shi could bring to entertain Chen Kan was a handful of tea leaves. This was given to him by His Majesty when he saw that he was quite dedicated in his work in the Baochao Department when he ascended the throne.
After making a cup of tea for Chen Kan, Li Shi fell silent.
The identity gap between the two made Li Shi not know how to speak.
“Good tea.”
After praising him as usual, Chen Kan stopped talking.
After resting for a while, Chen Kan asked: "Master Li, are you the only official in the Baochao Department?"
Li Shi was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "Mr. Liu from the Banknote Bureau and Mr Wang from the Banknote Printing Bureau are busy right now. The only idle official is the lower official. In addition, there are some pen clerks in the Baochao Department, but they are all busy now." .”
Chen Kan was stunned for a moment, and then a big question mark appeared in his heart.
"A government office as big as Baochao Division has only so many officials?"
"To be honest, sir, there are only a few officials in the Baochao Department, and there are fewer and fewer craftsmen these days. When things get busy, officials also need to help."
Li Shi had a wry smile on his face, but the meaning behind his words made Chen Kan even more confused.
Baochao Division, this is a state-owned enterprise, and it is the kind that is extremely rich.
As a result, he was reduced to a situation where no one was available?
What's happening here?
This will be left to future generations. A state-owned enterprise like this is a place where countless people are trying to get in and occupy a position.
Why did it become so weird when we arrived in Ming Dynasty?
Even officials have to go to the front line to work in person?
Isn't this nonsense?
Seeing the suspicion in Chen Kan's eyes, Li Shi smiled bitterly and said: "Master Hou, I'm a lower official, I'm a lower official... Oh!"
Li Shi sighed, but after all, he still didn't say anything shocking.
Chen Kan asked thoughtfully: "Is it convenient for me to take you to visit the Banknote Bureau and the Banknote Printing Bureau?"
"What's the inconvenience? Lord Marquis, please follow me."
The two of them got up and walked out of the room, and saw Zhang San and a group of personal guards jumping around in various buildings boredly, with a look of disgust on their faces, and making remarks from time to time.
Seeing that Chen Kan and Li Shi finally came out, Zhang San approached Chen Kan and complained: "Sir, these people are so rude."
"oh?"
"How to say?"
Chen Kan paused and heard Zhang San say dissatisfiedly: "When my subordinates talked to them, they didn't even agree."
Chen Kan frowned slightly, then shook his head and said, "Let's go."
From the moment he entered Baochao Division, Chen Kan felt that everything here was as he imagined, but now it seems that the whole Baochao Division is not weird at all.
At least when Chen Kan was in the capital, he had never heard of any yamen chief who needed to go to the front line to work in person.
Even the chief officials have gone to work, so who will do the planning in this yamen, who will think about the development, and how to increase the strength?
In an era when everyone is trying to climb up the ladder, a shoddy banknote office is so conspicuous.
This is obviously not right.
In addition, where are the young people and adults in this government office?
Everything gave Chen Kan a very bad feeling in his heart.
But now Chen Kan can only bury his doubts in his heart for the time being.
He decided to read it and talk about it later!
"Master Hou, this is where the Banknote Bureau is located. The paper used to make treasure banknotes is different from ordinary paper. The process of how the Banknote Bureau makes paper for treasure banknotes is kept secret from the outside."
Li Shi took Chen Kan into a factory. As soon as he entered, Chen Kan was stimulated by the sour smell and stench coming from the factory and coughed several times.
"Ahem, why do you feel so uncomfortable?"
There was an indescribable mist filling the room, which was so irritating that Chen Kan couldn't even open his eyes.
It took me a while to get used to this feeling.
But Li Shi on the side was not affected at all.
As if he didn't see Chen Kan's dilemma, he walked straight to the edge of a large pool and began to introduce Chen Kan.
"Sir, this is a lime pond, a place where various raw materials are soaked."
Chen Kan looked in the direction of his finger, and sure enough he saw various barks and bamboo strips soaked in the pool. The smell that permeated the entire factory and the burning sensation in his eyes clearly came from this pool.
Chen Kan also saw that many craftsmen were throwing fresh raw materials into the pool from one side, and on the other side of the pool, many craftsmen were picking up the soaked bark and putting it into another pool for starch washing.
"Sir, this is the Broken Pool..."
"This is the drain basin..."
"Here is..."
"..."
Li Shigong introduced the entire papermaking process to Chen Kan in the simplest words.
Chen Kan watched the process of making paper and was anxious in his heart.
Primitive, so primitive.
The unqualified black workshops that Chen Kan visited in later generations were all more professional than the Ming Dynasty's Baochao Department.
Chen Kan had never thought that Baochao was actually created in such an environment.
They haven't even created a simple water purification system.
After visiting the entire papermaking process, Chen Kan also understood how their so-called special paper was created.
It is nothing more than peeling off various fibers and only using the thinnest parts.
Chen Kan pointed to the remaining pile of rough fibers and asked: "How are these raw materials processed in the end?"
Li Shi looked in the direction pointed by Chen Kan and said proudly: "Of course it is sent to Shibafang for paper making. Mr. Hou, don't think these are just unnecessary materials used by the Banknote and Paper Bureau, but send the paper made by Shibafang. It’s still far superior to paper produced by ordinary small private workshops.”
Chen Kan nodded, believing that Li Shi was telling the truth.
These raw materials themselves are excellent papermaking materials.
The two of them walked along the puree pool, but what was surprising was that during the whole process, no craftsman came forward to say a word to Chen Kan and Li Shi.
Even though Li Shi was wearing official uniform.
The craftsmen simply transformed Chen Kan and Li Shi into the air.
Li Shi did not explain the reason, but Chen Kan also knew why. They were so busy that they had no time to talk at all.
Figures coming and going with various sour smells shuttled in front of Chen Kan and Li Shi. Chen Kan suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment in his heart.
Perhaps, this scene was exactly what Li Shi wanted Chen Kan to see.
When he came to the raw pulp pool, Chen Kan fished it out and found a layer of white to yellow pulp on his hand.
This raw pulp only needs to be thinned and dried to become the paper for making treasure banknotes.
This kind of paper was already at the highest level of craftsmanship in Ming Dynasty, but in Chen Kan's eyes, it was still too rough.
No wonder treasure banknotes are so easy to copy.
Shaking his head, Chen Kan didn't say much, but left the banknote paper bureau with Li Shi and walked towards the banknote printing bureau.
The environment of the printing bureau is much better than that of the banknote bureau, at least there is no sour smell after the fermentation of raw materials.
The first thing that entered Chen Kan's nose was the fragrant smell of ink.
Li Shi led Chen Kan to an ink pool where ink was stored, and introduced: "Master Hou, this ink is the key to preventing counterfeiting of treasure banknotes. This is a specially made ink by our banknote department. Even if the ink fragrance contained in it is The past three to five years will still not go away..."
Chen Kan got closer and smelled it. The source of the fragrance he smelled when he first entered was indeed this ink pool.
But Chen Kan did not make any comments.
It's nothing more than some special spices blended into the ink.
In terms of craftsmanship, the perfume made by Chen Kan's purification and distillation is higher than the craftsmanship used to make this ink.
As for printing treasure banknotes, there is even less technical content.
Block printing is used, and the pattern and face value are carved in advance. The face value is divided into one, five hundred, three hundred, two hundred, and one hundred.
Apply ink, cover it with a large piece of paper, and cut it with a guillotine after printing.
After visiting the production of banknote paper and the printing of banknotes, Chen Kan can describe the entire process of making banknotes in four words: rough and shoddy!
The level of craftsmanship is not even as good as the small cards that can often be picked up at the door of small hotels in later generations.
No wonder treasure banknotes depreciate so quickly.
It is no exaggeration to say that after watching the process of making treasure banknotes, Chen Kan could easily copy them.
And it is definitely more exquisite than the treasure banknotes produced by the imperial court.
