The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 192 Why did the willing take the bait?

Looking at Qu Chongyu, who was walking towards the courtyard door with a smile on his face and a graceful demeanor, Liuli suddenly wanted to rub his eyes. He is wearing a very bright green cross-collared robe today. The collar and sleeves are decorated with exquisite gold threads woven with curly grass patterns. There is a jasper square belt around his waist and a silver thread all over the floor. When the embroidered sachet was reflected in the sunlight, Liuli suddenly seemed to see a peacock slowly opening its tail.

Pei Xingjian took a step forward, smiled and hugged his hands, "Your Majesty, long time no see."

Qu Chongyu leaned forward gracefully and bowed his head, "I have a long history to deal with, so I don't want to disturb Chongyu."

Pei Xingjian smiled modestly, "I just deal with some trivial chores, how can I dare to compare with the prince?"

Qu Chongyu raised his eyes slightly, "These trivial matters are indeed annoying. It seems that Chongyu can steal a lot of leisure now, so he should thank Chang Shi." After speaking, he bowed to Liuli again, "I heard that Madam has another strange idea. Wonderful, I took the liberty to come here to disturb you.”

Liuli returned the favor with a smile, "It's what I asked for." She sighed secretly in her heart. She still had a newly made pink shirt to wear. But yesterday, when Pei Xingjian heard Master Li reported that Qu Chongyu was coming, he said that he probably already knew what he had done. Those things, no matter how pink she is, it will be difficult to see that face that turned blue from the unbearable stress. What a pity!

Qu Chongyu also wanted to rub his eyes. When he entered the door, he saw a plain beige figure next to Pei Xingjian. Only then did he see clearly that this Kudi was not only wearing a plain Hufu, but also no makeup, pink hairpins, and a refreshing look. , the words are concise, is she...too lazy to pretend? Did the couple already feel they had a chance to win? He narrowed his eyes and suddenly became impatient to be polite anymore. He looked at Pei Xingjian and smiled slightly, "Pei Changshi, I wonder where the rolling cart that Master Li mentioned is?" Pei Xingjian is a smart man. Even if he didn't want him to see it at first, now he It should be known that without his approval, the great craftsman Li would not help them make the rolling cart.

As expected, Pei Xingjian did not hesitate. He reached out to the west room in the front yard and said, "Your Majesty, please come this way!"

The doors and windows of the west room are all wide open, the curtains are rolled up high, and the room is empty with only desks, wood and other items placed, making it look particularly open. Carpenter Li was squatting in front of a wooden frame and adjusting the rotating shaft. The two workers next to him bent over and looked at each other. It was not until Qu Chongyu walked in that the three of them came to their senses. Carpenter Li hurriedly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please come over and take a look." , the two wooden shafts always seem to be slightly less powerful when they roll against each other.”

When Qu Chongyu saw the wooden frame, his eyes suddenly became sharp. He strode over, rolled up his sleeves, gently stroked the frame with his slender fingers, tapped the axis a few times, and said attentively, "You guys turn first." Show it to me!"

This rolling car was originally the simplest device: two logs of the same size were placed next to each other in a wooden square frame, and a rotating shaft was installed at each end of the log to feed untreated cotton into the log. In the gap, the rotating shafts on both sides rotate in opposite directions at the same time, and the cotton seeds will be crushed down during the rotation, while the cotton will be brought to the front by the rotating wood and fall. It's just that this rolling mill is somehow always less powerful. If the logs are too close, they won't be able to turn, and if the logs are slightly far away, they won't be able to grind the cotton seeds cleanly.

 At this time, the two workers shook the rotating shaft, and the craftsman Li sent the raw white stack placed aside to the middle of the logs. Seeing the white pile with half of the cotton seeds falling into the small basket placed in front of the rolling mill, Qu Chongyu couldn't help but nodded slightly, and then looked at Liuli after a while, "Mrs. Kudi, how did you come up with this method? "

Liuli looked at the rolling cart intently, and replied smoothly without raising her head, "I thought of it by accident."

Qu Chongyu was at a loss for words. He had to look down at the rolling cart. After thinking for a long time, he gradually came up with an idea. Then he raised his head and said, "Pei Changshi, Mrs. Kudi, this rolling cart is going to crush all the seeds." It’s not too difficult, but I don’t know how you two are going to deal with it after it’s done.”

Liuli was startled for a moment, but before she could speak, Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "If it's easy to use, I'll naturally ask the official to make more and send them to every township and village in Xizhou."

 Qu Chongyu couldn’t help but be stunned: Pei Xingjian was thinking...

Liuli frowned and said, "No hurry!"

Qu Chongyu glanced at her and felt relieved for some reason. What is the future of Baidian? After some inquiries yesterday, he already knew clearly: Not to mention the thick Baidian worth 500 or 600 yuan a piece, the weaving workshop of Gaochang Palace once made special products for the royal family. The fine white folding used for the door could be sold for two or three pieces each in the market, but it never appeared again after Gaochang destroyed the country. But this white stack itself is extremely cheap, and is resistant to drought and barrenness. Most people just plant it casually in the fields, and it will bear fruit in more than four months. However, because it is too troublesome to remove the seeds, few people use it for spinning and weaving. In the future, if you can use a rolling wheel to remove the seeds, and then find a way to make the fine white stack again, in the future, the white stack will still be a white stack, it is clearly a copper stack and a silver stack!

Could it be possible that they, as a couple, were really the kind of people who regarded stacks of silver like dirt?

Liuli took two steps, bent down and took the rolled white stack in his hand and looked at it carefully for a few times before speaking, "Even if this rolling car can be done well, it can only save people some trouble. The cotton with seeds is still too hard and has too many impurities. If we really want the white stacks to be put to use, I'm afraid we have to make a special bullet cart to make these white stacks soft and even, so that they can be used for wadding clothes. The quilt may be spun and weaved. At that time, even the thick white quilt woven by Ding women would certainly be much finer and softer than linen."

Pei Xingjian nodded thoughtfully and looked at Qu Chongyu, "Your Majesty, if this is really the case, will the villages in Xizhou use white folds to replace silk in the future? In this way, the villagers of Xizhou can not only weave cloth Wearing clothes and quilts to keep out the cold can also avoid the burden of exchanging silk every year. Secondly, the Xizhou Protectorate no longer has to spend a large sum of money and food every year to exchange for the silk and silk shipped thousands of miles away. In five years, Xizhou will be prosperous!"

Qu Chongyu felt his throat was stiff for a moment and could not say a single word he had prepared. He had already thought that these two people would not be able to open a weaving workshop at the moment. If Cudi's method worked well, he would spend a lot of money to buy the rolling mill just like he bought engravings, and then spend more time to make the fine details. I thought it would be a long-lasting and profitable business compared to engraving! But right now, not to mention Pei keeping his promise, even Cudi's intention is...

Listening to Pei Xingjian's words about Xizhou, he felt that his heart was getting more and more depressed, and an evil fire emerged from the bottom of his heart. His mind turned around a few times, and he said calmly, "It's true what Chang Shi said! It's just that he will The idea of ​​sending rolled cars to various villages should be more appropriate. "

There was a look of surprise on Pei Xingjian's face, and Qu Chongyu finished speaking in one breath, "Mrs. Kudi probably already has a draft of the bullet cart. It's one thing to think of it, but it's another thing to make it." Chongyu is not talented, and he has some experience in machine carpentry, so he is willing to help Madam. However, Chongyu also has some ideas about how to deal with the rolling cart. I hope Chang Shi and Madam can listen to me. "

Pei Xingjian relaxed his shoulders slightly and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, it's okay to say anything." Qu Chongyu's expression was very solemn, "These rolling carts and slingshots must be controlled by the officials!"

Liuli couldn't help but frowned, and couldn't help but ask, "How can ordinary villagers use it?" Qu Chongyu indeed offered a price, but this request was really harsh. She didn't make these things just to let Qu Chongyu monopolize them in the hands of the government to earn ordinary people's hard-earned money!

Qu Chongyu’s voice was calm, “The people can follow it, but they cannot know about it.”

 What does he mean? Liuli was a little unable to turn around for a moment, but Pei Xingjian had already opened his mouth and said, "Does the Crown Prince mean that these objects cannot be lost among the people, or does it mean that the art of Baidu weaving cannot flow out of Xizhou?"

A sneer appeared on Qu Chongyu's face, "Of course it's the latter. Who does Chang Shi think I am? Since ancient times, the art of mulberry silkworms in the Central Plains has never been so easy for Hu people? Chang Shi needs to know, Things are precious when they are rare. Xizhou is only a small area, fertile land is scarce, dripping water is like gold, and there is no big plan for recuperation. In the Central Plains, it is just a small and dispensable trick. If you think it is expensive, the pros and cons can be clearly distinguished by long history!"

Liu Li thought to herself, "Who says it's a small skill? In a few hundred years, everyone in the Central Plains will be wearing cotton, okay?" Just as he was about to speak, the words "a few hundred years later" suddenly flowed through his mind again, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

Qu Chongyu added lightly, "If Chang Shi refuses, Chongyu will not be verbose, so he will retire."

Pei Xingjian pondered for a moment, glanced at the raw material on the desk, and nodded, "The prince's concerns are not unreasonable, and I will follow what the prince said on this matter."

A smile appeared on Qu Chongyu's face, "Then it's a deal!" Since Pei Xingjian and his wife can act so selflessly for Xizhou, if he mentions any gold and silver, wouldn't they be even more left behind? take? But no matter what, he didn't want his painstaking craftsmanship to be in vain to make those Tang people cheaper!

Liuli couldn't help but glance at Pei Xingjian. He had expected what Qu Chongyu would do, and with just a few words he convinced the peacock to agree to help. But he didn't expect that Qu Chongyu would make such a request, right? He still couldn't imagine how popular this rare thing called white folded cloth would be in the future! It turns out that some things are really impossible to change...

Pei Xingjian's smiling gaze passed over Liuli's face and turned to the rolling cart. "In this case, how should this rolling cart be modified? I think the prince already has an idea?"

Qu Chongyu raised his eyebrows, took a step forward, and gently touched the upper one of the two logs with his fingers. A strange light appeared on his face, "Two logs of the same thickness should not be used here." The shaft should be thinner so that the gap between stirring is smaller and the grinding force can be sufficient! Furthermore, it should be made of harder wood and polished smoother so that it will not be difficult to rotate. "

Mr. Li patted his thigh and said, "What the prince said is true, why didn't I think of it? It's the prince who has a sharp eye. Thank you for your advice!"

Qu Chongyu smiled slightly and said in a very determined tone, "Go get a piece of pear wood that is half as thick and plan it smoother."

 Half the thickness? Not hard enough? The already vague memories in Liuli's mind gradually became clearer, and she couldn't help but say, "Wait a minute, it's not Limu!"

Several people looked over in surprise. Liuli frowned and was silent. Qu Chongyu's eyes gradually brought a hint of ridicule, "I wonder what Mrs. Kudi has to say? If it's not pear wood, what kind of wood should it be?" She didn't know. Would you be crazy enough to use sandalwood on this thing?

Liuli looked up at Qu Chongyu and showed a relaxed smile, "Why must we use wood?" She pointed to the wooden shaft, "Replace it with an iron rod of half the thickness!"

Qu Chongyu couldn't help but be stunned. Why didn't he think that in terms of hardness and crushing power, iron rods were not much stronger than wooden rods? Subconsciously blurted out, "Iron rod? Why did you think of using an iron rod?"

Liuli bowed slightly and smiled very modestly, "Of course I want to thank the prince for his advice. The prince has already made it so clear. Although I am a bit stupid, how could I not think of it?"

Qu Chongyu looked at the smiling face in front of him that was at least 30% similar to Pei Xingjian's. He was silent for a moment, then turned around and stared at the wooden frame in trance. He suddenly felt confused: Why did he deliberately take this trip? (modified a bit)

I’m really blushing. Yesterday, I mistook the Christmas hat and socks, and shamelessly asked everyone for socks...Thank you for your compliments. I can only guarantee that there will be more updates for Christmas.

p.s. In the history of textiles, Xizhou’s white-folded textile technology has never spread to the Central Plains. Although Xizhou soon began to use white-folded cloth as taxes, tributes and currency, Dunhuang, which is only a thousand miles away, has hundreds of Cotton cultivation only began in 2000. Cotton cultivation and cotton textile technology in the Central Plains came from the south.

 (End of this chapter)