After roughly arranged, the three of them left the small workshop.

Li Chengqian was still a little worried in the carriage.

"My brother, I have read all the steps you wrote just now. Although it seems that the output is higher and the cost is less, the biggest problem is that we are short of paper now."

"It's time to start making it now, and it will take nearly a year to use your own paper..."

"Didn't the bookstore open this year?"

No matter which paper you are making, the raw materials need to be fermented with water or lime in order to obtain the pulp later.

The cycle of fermenting bamboo can take at least one hundred days, and far-flung water cannot relieve intimidation.

But Lu Heng raised his eyebrows, as if he didn't care about it.

"Open it, why don't you?"

He patted Li Chengqian on the shoulder and said earnestly:

"Great, you have to look at it for a long time."

"I chose to make bamboo paper because it was not because of the books that this bookstore wants to print."

"The most common one on the market is hemp paper. The kind of paper you use in the palace costs 100 yuan per piece, but don't the poor children outside use paper?"

"Maybe you think it's not good to use hemp paper to print books, so it's a shame."

"But those who really need books will never give up cheap books just because the paper is poor."

Li Chengqian and Cheng Chumo looked at him at the same time.

Both of them were full of doubts.

If I came to the papermaking workshop today, it was not for printing books...

What else could it be?

"Brother Lu, what are you going to do for the papermaking technique you just taught them?"

Cheng Chu silently made it straight to the point:

"If I knew you would buy paper from the market, I wouldn't have brought you to this workshop at all."

"Compared with that kind of big workshop, my family produces too little every year."

"It's useless at all!"

Lu Heng did not immediately talk, but thought for a moment.

He was wondering how to convey the big things he was preparing to do to these two teenagers.

"We want to open a bookstore now. The primary goal is not to make a profit, but to open up the market and spread the name of the bookstore."

"So in terms of price, we can sell it only at the cost price, as long as we can guarantee that we will not lose money."

"If necessary, you can even do a loss-making business for a period of time!"

"Can you understand this?"

Li Chengqian and Cheng Chumo nodded together.

They had already known what Lu Heng wanted to do.

If you want to use the bookstore to make a profit, you don’t have to try your best to reduce the cost. It’s not worth letting Li Chengqian and Cheng Chumo get involved.

What he wanted was to take this opportunity to support poor families and thus cut off the wealthy family.

But what does this have to do with the workshop I mentioned just now?

Seeing that the two were confused, Lu Heng continued to explain.

"Paper workshops are a way out."

"If the aristocratic family discovered what we were doing in advance, they would do everything they could to suppress the bookstore and use various means and methods."

"Even the most important raw material, that is, paper, is just stuck."

"And, in addition to selling books for the Four Books and Five Classics, I also want to make something else."

"If they take out this thing, they may be anxious on the spot and don't have to wait for poor families to come to buy books."

Li Chengqian frowned and thought about it for a long time.

In the end he gave up.

"Don't keep it aside, tell me what it is?"

Facing the curious and anxious gaze of Li Chengqian and Cheng Chumo, Lu Heng grinned.

"Have you heard of the newspaper?"

"We must take the right to speak in this world, and then spread the good things done by the aristocratic family!"

……………………

At night, Tai Chi Hall.

Today, the Crown Prince, who had left the palace early, came back so late, and as soon as he came back, he rushed to His Majesty Li Er, which was very strange.

The palace people were quietly talking about it. Standing outside in the north wind, waiting for their orders, and eating melons could relieve their coldness.

Inside the hall.

Not long after the Chinese New Year, Li Shimin began to be so busy that he was not stuck in the ground again.

He was reviewing the memorial when he heard a notice from outside that the prince was coming.

After Li Chengqian came in, His Majesty Li Er put down his work and looked up at him.

"What's wrong, Gao Ming? It's dark now. Are you worried about me?"

Li Chengqian respectfully saluted him before speaking.

"Father, son Chen and Lu Heng are preparing a bookstore. I want to ask you if you want to participate in this matter."

Li Shimin was a little confused.

He stood up, moved his hands and feet, and walked to his son.

"The bookstore... is finally a bit literary and popular thing, not bad."

"But you want to run a bookstore, what does it have to do with me? The royal family has opened many bookstores, and the business is just like that. I haven't heard of how much money this kind of shop can make."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian stood up with the armrest of the wheelchair.

He spoke seriously:

"Father, you misunderstood. The books sold by the bookstore itself are second. This son-in-law does not intend to bring you."

"But the other item this bookstore wants to sell must be explained to you first."

His Majesty Li Er finally became interested.

He said in a deep voice:

"What do you want to sell, come and listen."

After carefully sorting it out in his heart, Li Chengqian replied:

"This was proposed by Lu Heng. He planned to make something called a newspaper."

"The newspaper is published every month. After it is published, it sends messengers to various prefectures. Among them, it can write down all the major decisions of the court this month, and add other new things. Lu Heng said this is called news."

"The newspaper can publish a lot of things. If there is free space on the page, you can also put the remarks you wrote yourself so that the people can read your articles."

"The reason I have to discuss it with you is mainly because the publication of the court's decisions, which must be approved by your consent."

Li Shimin was a little unresponsive at first.

But soon, he realized the importance of this newspaper.

Except for Guanzhong, the news from many prefectures is extremely lagging behind. Sometimes the imperial court issued a new law or resolution, and it took a year for Jiangnan and Shuzhong to find out.

If such things can really be produced, the efficiency of the court will be greatly improved.

But the main problem is...

"A monthly issue, is there enough staff?"

Li Shimin was deeply confused:

"How many slashers have you found in your bookstore to finish writing?"

Even if this thing is only sold in Chang'an City, the scholars in the city will probably buy it all, let alone sell it to other places.

If you break the pen, you can't even write that much!

Li Chengqian smiled and shook his head, saying:

"I can't tell you this, but as long as there is enough paper, you can get as much newspaper as you want."

"Father, do you agree with this? Do you want to participate?"
Chapter completed!