My father is Emperor Wu of Han, how can I be different from him?

Chapter 59: Deerskin is not as abundant as tree bark

Xuanshi Hall.

The prince sat upright on the right side of the imperial steps. He was not punished to kneel when he met the emperor today.

The emperor no longer behaved as he did last night. He looked at the people below him calmly and tapped a stack of papers on the imperial desk.

"Do you know the importance of this thing?"

"know."

Liu Che got straight to the point, and Liu Ju naturally did not drag it out, "I have already said, what I offer is a true auspicious omen."

Auspicious.

Auspicious signs generally refer to natural phenomena, such as colorful clouds, colorful black, a five-clawed, two-headed turtle, and so on.

Paper, a man-made object, cannot be described as auspicious.

But with the "magic pill" offered by Shao Weng as a foundation, it would be no problem for Liu Ju to use it to compare himself with these two words.

Hearing the word "auspicious" again, the emperor did not get offended and angry. Instead, he focused on Liu Ju and said sternly:
"This thing is ten thousand times more powerful than any auspicious omen in the world!"

The craftsmen of the Prince's Palace were recalled overnight yesterday and questioned, and it was learned that the recording instrument supervised by the Prince was actually made of tree bark!

The raw materials are cheap, the process is not complicated, and the writing function far exceeds that of bamboo slips and can be compared with brocade.

however.

Even when the emperor was issuing an ordinary edict, unless there was a major event, he would not use brocade. How expensive were brocade?
And how cheap is that thing made of tree bark! ?

With the extremely simple craftsmanship and raw materials, the emperor was only stunned for a moment, and immediately realized the value of this item -

Enhance the royal power!

Please note, it is not the imperial court, but the emperor’s personal power, the imperial power!
If we raise our vision, what is in opposition to the emperor's personal power are the rights and interests of all officials in the court and even the entire bureaucracy of the world.

Under the emperor's nose in Chang'an, the capital and other places, the imperial power obviously suppressed the "official power". If any minister made a mistake, the emperor would easily remove him.

But thousands of miles away.

Places that the emperor could not see or take care of, such as the county magistrate, the thief officer, and minor clerks, were all rewarded, punished, appointed, and dismissed by local officials.

Under the influence of factors such as mutual protection among officials, nepotism, and corruption and bribery, local officials often form a tight and long-lasting network of relationships.

How durable is it?

"During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the eldest sons and grandsons of officials who held official positions took their official titles as their surnames. The Cang and Ku families were descendants of the warehouse clerks."

The official position you hold can be passed down to your descendants, and you can even use a certain official position as your family name!

The person who manages the warehouse can do so from generation to generation in the family.

So he took Cang and Ku as his surname...

In theory, official positions cannot be inherited by the next generation, but in reality, they have become hereditary positions similar to those of kings and marquises!

During the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, they advocated a policy of governing by inaction, and would not intervene even if they knew about such phenomena. After Emperor Liu Che ascended the throne, he wanted to intervene, but was powerless.

Because even if he intervened directly, tens of thousands of local officials like this had to be selected from the local area.

At this step, the problem arises.

It was impossible for the emperor to know all the talented people in the local area, so he asked local officials to recommend them, but those they recommended were those who inherited the throne!
Is there any shady deal involved?

There should be...

But Liu Che knew it clearly, but he was more helpless. There were only a few literate people in the counties and kingdoms. Who else could he choose if not them?

From here.

The emperor was actually "kidnapped" by officials in disguise...

Who gave the officials of the Han Dynasty the courage to resign at any time? Scarcity makes things valuable!
Speaking of which.

The topic was brought back.

If the talent base can be expanded and the number of alternative officials available to the emperor can increase, the situation of being out of reach and left to its own devices can be greatly improved.

At that time, the emperor would no longer have to use whoever the local officials recommended.

Liu Che even thought more. Once there were more talents, it would not be a problem to change the way of selecting officials.

Conquest.

The emperor called conscription "zheng" and officials called conscription "bi". How could officials enjoy the same power as the emperor?

Inside the Xuanshi Hall.

"What is this thing called?"

"Paper means cotton waste." Liu Ju replied.

Liu Che remembered the craftsman's instructions for making it and nodded, "Very appropriate."

Then he waved his sleeves and drove out the idlers in the hall, and said directly: "This paper will be of great use to me!"

"You must have guessed it. I want to use it to promote the classics and cultivate talents for the country!"

talking.

He stared at Liu Ju and said seriously: "This thing is different from horse gear. It has a great impact. It can benefit you, but it can also cause hostility. It has both good and bad effects."

"Whether you want to take on this title or not, you are the crown prince, so you can decide for yourself."

"Whichever one you choose..."

Liu Che paused and said solemnly: "I can tell you that as long as I am here, no matter how great the hostility is, it will not cause any waves!"

If you want to break an old system, you will inevitably attract hostility from relevant stakeholders. Whose interests will be harmed by the promotion of paper?
A small number of people who control knowledge!
Specifically speaking for the Han Dynasty, they were those powerful and wealthy people who held a large number of bamboo slips, worthy of the description of "a building filled with books"!

Historically, it took Cai Lun decades or even hundreds of years to innovate the papermaking process before paper became truly popular. Why?
For one thing, the quality of paper at that time was really not good.

The second is man-made obstacles.

former.

This was not a problem for Liu Ju. He stood on the shoulders of giants and knew that mulberry bark and bamboo could be used to make paper without Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs.

In the manufacturing process, there is no need to add any fishing nets or rags. Instead, peeling, fermentation, steaming, filtering and drying are all done in one step!
The paper quality is absolutely excellent.

But the latter, the hostility of the powerful and wealthy.

The Emperor has already hinted... No, it can't even be considered a hint, it's an explicit statement! His attitude is very simple, in layman's terms, it is:
"My son, you can't be a coward!"

He didn't need to tell her, Liu Ju had never been a coward...

The prince smiled proudly and said, "I invented the paper, so I should take the credit. As for hostility, let him take it!"

"Father, please promote paper throughout the country. I will take the benefits!"

Say it.

Liu Che, who was sitting at the top, had a look of obvious satisfaction in his eyes.

After finalizing the important matter, the seriousness on his face lessened a bit, and he picked up a piece of white paper with a half-smile on his face.

"We need to wait a while before implementing the nationwide plan. This is a long-term plan and there is no need to rush. Now..."

Speaking of which.

Liu Che stood up from the dragon couch, slowly walked to the center of the hall, and started talking about irrelevant topics.

"After a while, the princes from all over the country will come to the capital to pay homage. I originally thought of using the white deer skin from Shanglin Garden to make coins, priced at 400,000 coins."

"Force the kings to present the White Deer Coin when they meet the emperor."

"But now, I have changed my mind!"

He held the paper in his hand up to the sunlight, as if looking at the texture inside, "Oh, white deerskin, how can it be more than tree bark?"

"My uncles and brothers have accumulated a mountain of money and grain year after year. It's time for you to share some of the worries for the court!"

(End of this chapter)