Night.

In the wax moon season, the cold is in full swing.

The Hongmen Inn on Changle Street was full of guests as usual, and business travelers and Confucian scribes gathered to invite each other, and the cups and lamps were staggered, and there was a lot of noise.

Good things don't go out, but bad things spread thousands of miles.

A sensational news in the Pingwang Mansion spread among the servants and private school gentlemen of the many princely mansions in Jinling City, as if they had grown wings.

It is said that Xiao Duhou invented a very high-quality "Duhou paper", but it was not used to copy books, but was used to fill in the thatched house.

This is simply intolerable extravagance!

Dozens of Confucian scribes in the hall of the inn gathered together, drinking wine and warming their bodies, excited and angry.

Jia Sheng rushed to the Hongmen Inn early, and in front of all the Confucian students, he fiercely criticized Xiao Duhou.

The advent of new paper was a major event for Confucian scholars all over the world.

In particular, this new paper, which swept away the disadvantages of old hemp paper, has been used to copy books.

The books that the Confucian scholars read were all borrowed and copied by them from various wealthy houses. A thin paper book is worth a hundred books copied in bamboo slips

Doesn't it mean that a book can be equal to a bamboo slip for an ox cart, how convenient is this?

Even the home of the powerful and powerful with a very rich collection of books no longer needs to hire dozens of cows to carry a room full of bamboo slips, and only needs to bring dozens of paper books to move.

It is also much easier for them, Confucian scholars, who are from ordinary small wealthy backgrounds, to go to the homes of wealthy lords to borrow books.

"I heard that Xiao Duhou spent thousands of taels of silver to build a large papermaking workshop for this paper, which greatly improved the process."

"What a pity! What the little dusk marquis did is incredible. made such a good paper, not for the sake of scholars in the world, but only for his own enjoyment, he is simply the first scum of Dachu! ”

When the Confucian Sect heard this, they all gritted their teeth and scolded bitterly.

Then again, though.

The name of the little dusk marquis is the best in Jinling City, no one can compare, and it has not been a year or two for a long time.

The Confucian scholars have long been accustomed to the profligacy of the little dusk marquis, and they are scolded.

What they were most curious about now was whether the paper was as good as it had been rumored.

"Jia Sheng... Is this paper any good? There's new paper, so I'll see it. ”

"Of course it's easy to use, Jia specially 'borrowed' two from the thatched house of the palace, just to give everyone a sneak peek!"

Jia Sheng's face was full of spring breeze, and two pieces of dim paper were shown from the treasure in his arms.

One was blank and reluctant to use it. The other has been reverently written in small characters in the Analects, and the handwriting is extremely clear and unambiguous.

Among the Confucian scribes in Jinling City, he, the private school of Pingwangfu, was the first to try it.

Although other wealthy families in Jinling City have heard of it, even the children of the nobility have not yet tried the "wonderful use" of faint paper.

"Good paper, it's really good paper! The paper is flawless in color and flexible and fine. This appearance alone is more than ten times better than hemp paper. ”

"Ink writing, not penetrating, better than bamboo slips. In contrast, the original hemp paper was too rough, and the ink continued to penetrate and spread, and soon the handwriting was blurry and unusable! ”

The Confucian scholars were suddenly surprised and circulated one after another.

No matter how many rumors there are, it is better to watch it in your own hands.

Seeing it with their own eyes, the faint paper, is even better than the rumors and even better than they imagined.

"Jia Sheng... Have you used it? ”

"It's so easy to use, Shutan...!"

Jia Sheng was proud, and suddenly woke up and almost said that he had leaked his mouth, and hurriedly said: "Write comfort!" ”

"It's a curse that such a good paper has been so spoiled by Xiao Duhou!"

"Ming'er, let's visit King Ping's Mansion... Go to the small bamboo forest to 'borrow' the faint paper! ”

"We are all Sven's readers, and we made an appointment to visit in batches. Remember not to rush up, go to the palace thatched house in a noisy manner, and sweep the floor! ”

"Okay, let's go!"

All the Confucian students were excited, made an appointment, and prepared to visit the Pingwang Mansion.

...

Shen Mansion.

Since Shen Dafu went back to the Duhou Mansion to collect debts, he was foaming at the mouth of the little Dumhou, so he lay at home to recuperate, chattering all day long, thinking about how to "take revenge".

He had already sent his subordinates to keep an eye on Xiao Duanhou's actions.

I was surprised to find that Xiao Duhou had been busy building a workshop to make paper these days.

What made his jaw drop was that Xiao Duhou actually succeeded in making new paper, which was outrageous.

Confucian scholars in the market are rumored that faint paper is many times better than hemp paper, and can already be used to make books.

Shen Dafu couldn't help but ponder.

Xiao Duhou still seems to be a little capable, no wonder he is ranked in the top two places compared to his son Shen Wanbao!

This pondering.

This made Shen Dafu, a businessman who fell into the eyes of money, smell a glimmer of unusual business opportunities.

Paper can make books, and the paper industry is going to be prosperous?

Once paper can replace bamboo slips, all bamboo slips will be replaced.

The imperial court had to replace the countless ancient books in the treasury with a large amount of paper.

The county government and private schools of more than 100 counties across the country, and countless scholars from the entire Great Chu Dynasty all came to buy paper... That's a lot of sales!

"This business can be done, and a lot of money can be made!"

Shen Dafu was a little excited.

But he didn't see any progress on his son Shen Wanbao's side for a long time, so he couldn't help but be a little anxious, "Son, my father gave you 50,000 taels of silver." Why didn't I see any movement from you, hurry up? ”

"Dad, don't you know, I'm not watching and finding the timing of my hand? ... I didn't find any flaws in the little dusk. ”

Shen Wanbao smiled awkwardly.

He is busy these days with his concubine Xie Anran to visit the Qinhuai River painting boat, how can he have time to think about such a nerve-wracking thing as fighting the little faint Hou Chu Tianxiu.

Once he starts a war with Chu Tianxiu, the first man in Jinling City, the entire Jinling City will not be able to live in peace, chickens fly and dogs jump, and ghosts cry wolves.

I can't do it when I'm tired and tired!

Besides, it's three months before he promised his father!

By then, Dad had long forgotten about it.

Shen Dacai's eyes erupted with fire, and he took a deep breath, "Waste, there is a great opportunity in front of you, you didn't find it?!" ”

"What chance?"

"Faint paper, have you heard of it?"

"I've heard that Xiao Duhou has been dying in the faint Hou paper recently, and he also took it to fill in the thatched house, which was scolded by the scholars in Jinling City! ... However, it's useless to scold him, Xiao Duhou is thick-skinned and doesn't care. ”

Shen Wanbao was puzzled.

What did Daddy say he was doing here?!

Shen Dafu said excitedly, "You don't care about the sour Confucianism or not, right now, this faint paper has now had the momentum of causing a sensation in Jinling City, and it is very likely to replace bamboo slips and become popular in the world."

Our Shen family seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and hurried to build a workshop to make paper. As long as you defeat the papermaking workshop of Xiaoduhou and dominate the paper industry, you can make a lot of money! ”

"Dad, you're confused. Our family is the first silk merchant in the south of the Yangtze River, and there is a copper mountain, if you lack money, you just have to make money, why bother to earn the hard money of papermaking? ! ”

Shen Wanbao couldn't help but glare.

"Bastard thing, Jinshan Yinshan also has a day of shorting! Our copper mountain has been digging for decades, and how many years can we still dig copper for casting? Who doesn't know that our family's No. 1 silk merchant in Jiangnan is supported by Empress Dowager Shen. Otherwise, where will it be our turn to be the first silk merchant in the south of the Yangtze River! ”

The rich man Shen was furious, "We have to show some ability to prove our strength."

As long as the 'Shen's paper' is made for the use of people all over the world, it will definitely be famous all over the world in one fell swoop.

The reputation of our Shen family has since started in the eyes of scholars all over the world. They in the province always say that our Shen family is a nouveau riche, and they all rely on the shadow of the Queen Mother, and they don't have any ability of their own. ”

"Huh... That's too! ”

Shen Wanbao's eyes lit up, and he was finally moved by his father's words.

Money or something, it's all dung in his eyes! If he doesn't squander it, he will always be itchy and uncomfortable in his heart.

But he cares about fame!

He Shen Wanbao, the third gentleman in Jinling, is a lot shorter than Xiao Duhou. You can't be crushed by Xiao Duhou all your life, you must turn over and press over.

Once Shen's paper passes through the world, his Shen Wanbao's fame soars, and who in the world still knows Xiao Duhou!

"Good! I immediately gathered the craftsmen in Jinling City, smashed 10,000 taels of silver, and went to build a huge paper-making workshop to study a new paper formula. He can make it out of his little dusk, and so can our Shen family.

If the paper sells for ten wen, our Shen's paper will sell for nine wen and eight wen. No matter what price he makes, he insists on lowering him by a penny.

Anyway, our Shen family has strong financial resources. He can be forced to death at any cost of blood and money, so that he can't sell a single piece of paper! Die to him, lose to him! ”

Shen Wanbao is happy.

For the sake of this fame, he wants to fight hard with Xiao Duhou!

"Yes, that's the way it should be! With silver, smash the workshop of the little dusk marquis! My Shen family's Shen Mansion paper wants to dominate Da Chu! ”

Shen Dafu laughed.