However, after Liu Rong and Jia Yi and Chao Cuo made many regulations for this imperial examination, Liu Rong waved his hand and handed over all the princely affairs to others.

As soon as he returned to the palace, Liu Rong ordered Wang Sheng to hold his own talismans, went to the Shaofu Bureau, asked for more than 20 craftsmen, and asked Shaofu to come to a workshop.

Shaofu ordered Zhang Gong, although he didn't know what Liu Rong was going to do, but since Liu Rong asked him what he wanted, how could he give him face and refuse it.

When even said to the king: "Tell Your Highness that Shaofu has several workshops in the suburbs of Chang'an that are temporarily unused at this time, and Your Highness can use them at will, and there are only more than 20 craftsmen, let alone it."

Hearing this, Wang Sheng immediately bowed and left.

When he returned to the palace, even if he reported this to Liu Rong, he took out the keys to the workshops that Zhang Gong had stuffed into his hands when he was leaving.

Seeing this, Liu Rong smiled indifferently and said secretly in his heart, "It's quite interesting."

Then after thinking about it, Zhang Gong felt that it was a little inappropriate to let Liu Rong go alone, so he ordered a small official to wait outside the palace gate early.

In the early morning of the next day, Liu Rong, under the guidance of a small official arranged by Zhang Gong, arrived at the closest and largest workshop to Chang'an.

After traveling for nearly an hour, after Liu Rong got off the carriage, the little official made up the preface and said: "Your Highness, this is the workshop of the Shaofu closest to Chang'an, and the craftsmen that Your Highness wants are already in this workshop, waiting for it."

Hearing this, Liu Rong nodded, and under the guidance of this little official, when he arrived at the door of this workshop, he said, "Your Highness, please!" ”。

Then Liu Rong walked into the workshop with him.

However, when he arrived in this workshop, he saw that there were nearly 50 craftsmen in this workshop, and this little official followed Liu Rong into this mansion.

As soon as he saw these craftsmen, he said sharply: "Don't you want to meet His Royal Highness the eldest son of the emperor?" ”。

Originally, these craftsmen didn't know what to do here, and they all said to each other: "What am I going to do here?" ”。

"Who knows, just obey orders is ......".

But when they heard what they said, the rest of them said no more.

In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, the mainstream thought of society was still the moon study of Huang Lao, and Confucianism had not yet evolved the fallacy that except for reading is the right way, the rest are all strange and ingenious.

However, the status of the craftsmen of the Han family is still not high, and most of the craftsmen in the Shaofu are craftsmen from generation to generation, and they are completely accessories of the imperial court.

However, the royal family also needed many projects, either to build a palace or to build an imperial tomb.

At this time, the Han family has several generations of the Son of Heaven is more frugal than a frugal, except in the time of Emperor Gao, the palace of the Han family was built, Weiyang Palace and Changle Palace were in the outside, and the rest of the palaces were not built.

Liu Rong's grandfather, Emperor Xiaowen, was reluctant to even repair a pavilion back then, under his education, although Liu Qi did not have such frugality, he never paid attention to his own food and clothing.

However, even so, although the status of these craftsmen is very low, their lives are better than that of most of the people of the Han family, so these craftsmen will be passed down from generation to generation.

While they were talking, the little official's reprimand startled the craftsmen, and they didn't dare to say anything more.

Immediately, everyone knelt on the ground and said, "Meet Your Highness!" ”。

Glancing at the people kneeling on the ground, Liu Rong said: "No courtesy, get up."

"Your Highness!".

When they all got up, Liu Rong found that the craftsmen present all looked like they were in their thirties and forties.

And this little official said: "Your Highness, these craftsmen are the most experienced people in the Shaofu at this time, and the Shaofu Order has a word, and they are all mobilized here."

Then Liu Rong began to carefully examine these so-called most experienced craftsmen, all of them looked tanned, but they all looked much stronger than the common people.

After that, as soon as Liu Rong made a look, Wang Sheng understood it, and took out a gold cake from his sleeve and put it in the hands of this little official.

Seeing this, even if this little official was smiling, he had more than half a year's income for half a year, and he didn't want to come here, but he still had this unexpected joy.

"How dare the minister be rewarded by His Royal Highness", he said that he didn't dare, but his hand was idle for a moment, and he immediately put it into his arms.

This little official also understood what this gift meant, and even if it was another line of salute, he said: "Your Highness forgives your sins, and the minister retires."

…………………………………………………………………………

When this person left, Liu Rong ordered Wang Sheng to order more than 100 soldiers to guard the door of this workshop.

And Liu Rong himself was not busy doing anything, but was close to these craftsmen.

He asked the craftsman who looked the oldest and looked like he had a beard and hair, and said, "I don't know where the old man Gui Geng, where does he live?" ”。

He is a craftsman, and on weekdays, where have he seen such a noble person.

After relieving for a while, the old man said: "Back to Your Highness, the old man is already one in forty, and his ancestral home is Shu County."

Liu Rong smiled and said, "I'm already an elder."

Then Liu Rong talked with him, and learned from his mouth that this old man was a man of generations of craftsmen, and his two sons were both in Yangling County at this time, building the emperor's mausoleum of the Son of Heaven.

In the end, I still listened to his words, and he still participated in the construction of Emperor Wen's tomb.

Hearing this, Liu Rongdang even arched his hand and said, "Please accept my worship!" ”。

Seeing His Highness saluting him, the old man immediately knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing: "How can we be lowly people who are lowly to receive the courtesy of His Highness."

Liu Rong is right color said: "Why can't I accept it, in my heart I am most grateful for my grandfather's benevolence, my grandfather's tomb is the elder to participate in the construction, so I deserve my gift."

Hearing this, not only the old man, but all the craftsmen present were moved to tears.

When will the craftsman be able to receive the gift of the prince......

In an instant, he fell to his knees, but when he saw Liu Rong kneeling, it was out of instinct, or out of a natural reaction to the fear of the superior.

And this kneeling, I was completely moved by Liu Rong's words.

Seeing this, Liu Rong said in his heart: It seems that my acting skills have improved greatly.

For these craftsmen, Liu Rong is not only to envelop them, but also to feel that there are good craftsmen in his heart, and at best, they may be able to change history.

Moreover, Liu Rong is essentially a modern person, so he has no prejudice against these craftsmen, and Liu Rong has always paid attention to whether there are people about the Mo family or the Mo family after talking with the old man in the place of internal history.

"Get up quickly, you don't have to be like this", Liu Rong stepped forward to help the old man in person.

This old man, among these craftsmen, is the eldest person, these craftsmen naturally listen to his words, and when everyone gets up, this old man should even salute and say: "I don't know why His Highness summoned me to wait here today?"

Please also ask Your Highness to command, and we will do our best to do it."

Hearing this, the rest of the craftsmen also said: "Please also ask Your Highness to command, and we will do our best to do it."

Hearing this, Liu Rong smiled and said: "I saw something in an ancient book, and I wanted to gather some craftsmen to make it."

"I wonder what His Highness said?"

"Paper!".

As soon as he heard Liu Rong say that it was paper, the old man frowned and said, "Is Your Highness talking about the hemp paper?" ”。

At this time, Liu Rong suddenly remembered that paper seemed to have existed as early as the Western Han Dynasty, but in the Western Han Dynasty, the hemp paper paper was not good, it was easy to break, and it had no toughness at all, and it was almost completely useless.

However, before Liu Rong arrived in the Western Han Dynasty, he also visited a company made of rice paper with his friends.

I even went to see the paper museum not far from it, which explained in detail how the ancients made durable and preserved paper.

However, more than ten years have passed since he talked about it at this time, although Liu Rong still remembers some of it, but he just feels that he has not thought it very well.

As early as when he was considering the implementation of the imperial examination, Liu Rong pondered whether he could try papermaking.

"It seems that you throw hemp heads, tree bark, rags, and so on into the water to soak them, and when they are soaked, they are boiled in water, and they become a layer of pulp.

I really can't remember what to do after that, forget it, I'll know after a few tests, there are great people who say well, practice is the only criterion for testing truth!

You'll know it by experimenting", Liu Rong said to himself.

After thinking about it carefully, Liu Rong first asked the old man how to make hemp paper, and learned that this hemp paper was completely made of hemp, so he talked to these craftsmen about how to transform this papermaking technique.

……………………………………………………………………

Although there is no bottom in their hearts, since it is what His Royal Highness said, these craftsmen began to try to make paper according to Liu Rong's words.

After three sleepless days and nights, these craftsmen made the first batch of paper, and these craftsmen were very happy, but Liu Rong was very helpless when he saw this paper.

Although it looks more resilient than hemp paper, it is unusually thick, and the color is even more yellow and black, making it difficult to use.

Seeing that Liu Rong was not satisfied, these craftsmen began to be busy without sleep..................

The paper made several times was a little better than the previous one, but its fundamental problems still existed, which made Liu Rong very helpless.

Of course, Liu Rong can't come to this workshop every day, and he usually has to discuss and deal with the rest of the things.

Seeing that there was only half a month left before the day of the imperial examination, Liu Rong had to sigh with emotion: It seems that I will make paper, thinking too simply............

However, Liu Rong was in the dormitory, and when he was worried, Chen Ajiao was carrying something and jumped into Liu Rong's dormitory.

"Cousin, come and taste the peaches picked in the Ganquan Mountains this year."

After speaking, Chen Ajiao put a beautifully woven bamboo lacquerware on the bookcase in front of Liu Rong.

Where was Liu Rong in the mood to eat peaches at this time, but when he looked up, he saw this bamboo.

Suddenly, Liu Rong laughed, yes! Bamboo, you can use bamboo.

This is when I remembered that in the paper-making process of the ancients I had seen, a large amount of fresh and tender bamboo was used.

The use of bamboo can greatly increase the willfulness of the paper, and it can make the paper whiter.