Chapter 382: Exchange of Old for New
Facing Xie Zheng's reminder, Ou Zanghua just smiled and said calmly: "Brother Dazhong, don't worry. The Ministry of Rites can still afford this expense. If it really doesn't work, we can lower the standard of reception for the tribute-paying vassal states, let the foreign guests suffer, and I will bear the blame."

"Will this affect the country's reputation abroad?" Xie Zheng asked with some concern.

“That makes sense!”

Ou Zanghua thought for a while and said, "How about this! Let's compile a set of books that describe the various etiquettes of the imperial court in detail, so that these envoys can better understand the etiquette of the imperial court and avoid making a fool of themselves in formal occasions. The books will be sold for 100 taels per set, with etiquette courses and related court robes included. For those who buy more, we can arrange for them to stand in the front row during the grand court meeting to listen to the teachings."

"Of course, we are a big country, so it doesn't matter if we don't buy it. But in this case, we don't know if they have learned it. It's a small matter if they are impolite, but it will affect your Majesty's feelings! Those who don't buy it, don't participate in the grand court meeting."

Xie Zheng was stunned. Was he really facing the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and the Chancellor of the Chancellery?

Isn't it the Ministry of Rites' job to teach vassal states etiquette?
Why do I have to spend money to buy textbooks here?

"It's settled! Our Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette. They only need to spend a hundred taels to learn the most comprehensive, practical, and gorgeous etiquette in the world. When I think about it this way, why do I feel that a hundred taels is still too cheap?"

“No, no, no,” Xie Zheng hurriedly stopped him, “Enough, enough! Lord Ou cares about the vassal state, I think they will be very touched.”

Ou Zanghua smiled with satisfaction and continued, "I know that Brother Dazhong understands my heart very well. Those foreign nations that are unwilling to follow the etiquette of our dynasty are actually disrespectful to the Ming Dynasty. For such acts of disrespect to the Ming Dynasty, we should demonstrate the majesty of a great country with our actions, and respond in an appropriate manner when necessary."

"Yes, please keep this in mind."

As for changing the paper used, only the Ministry of Rites was reluctant to support it, while the Zhanshi Palace and the Honglu Temple had no other opinions.

The Honglu Temple, in particular, made a lot of money from the Qianqing Palace Imperial Farm. The Qingning Palace Manor was also registered under its name, so it directly placed an order for 100,000 sheets of Qingning paper, which cost only 4,000 taels of silver in total, and transferred the money all at once.

At the same time, in Baoguo Temple, there are book markets on the fifth, fifteenth and twenty-fifth days of every lunar month. Book stalls are connected under the corridors in front of the temple, and book shops are lined up in the streets around the temple. It is also a place for scholars to visit, where they can buy books, dry them, cook tea around the stove, and look for flowers to appreciate. It is a unique experience.

However, there was an extra stall in Baoguo Temple today, with a sign that read 'Qingning Palace Imperial Farm Trial'. On one of the stalls was brand new, snow-white paper, and a sign next to it stated the regulations.

Many scholars gathered around to check, and then they realized that the Qingning Palace Imperial Farm recycled waste paper. One pound of waste paper could be exchanged for ten sheets of Qingning paper. If you wanted to buy it, you would have to pay four taels and five cents of silver for one hundred sheets.

Scholars were shocked to see the price. You have to know that the best Yongfeng cotton paper and Changshan Cambodian paper on the market only sold for 3.5 liang and 2.5 liang respectively.

Even if it is called an imperial farm, it is still too expensive!
Everyone looked at another stall and found that everyone could get a piece of Qingning paper for free to try. If they found it useful, they could place an order to buy it.

Seeing that they could get three free trial tickets, many readers were tempted, but everyone had their own identities, so the first one did not appear.

At this moment, a servant took out another sign, on which was clearly written: 'Special paper designated by the Zhanshi Mansion, the Ministry of Rites, and the Honglu Temple'.

There was a discussion among the scholars. The Honglu Temple was fine, but the Zhanshi Mansion and the Ministry of Rites were different!
One is one of the six parts, and the other one.
Everyone's voices were a little low. After all, in the current dynasty, the status of the Zhanshi Mansion was average.

At this moment, a scholar came out and said, "Please give me one."

"Please come in, sir!" Upon hearing this, the servant standing in front of the stall took out three sheets of Qingning paper with a smile and presented them with both hands.

The scholar took it and examined it in front of everyone. He saw that its color was uniform, pure and elegant, without any impurities, just like a quiet field covered with snow in early winter, giving people a fresh and refined feeling. He pinched it with his fingers and found that its texture was delicate and tough, and it felt as smooth as silk, with a subtle warmth, which was a feeling he had never experienced before.

He walked to the nearby bookstall, took the pen and ink from the owner, and wrote a passage entitled "Encouraging Learning" on the spot.

The ink can penetrate quickly and evenly, without spreading or seeping through the back.

“Great paper!”

Seeing this, the scholar stood up excitedly, walked to the stall and said, "Please give me a hundred tickets."

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment." The servant responded and quickly sorted out a hundred sheets of paper for him.

The scholar paid the money and left with the paper.

With the first one, the second and the third naturally emerged. In less than a moment, the thousand trial papers were distributed, and those who missed the chance showed expressions of regret.

Finally, someone noticed the sign that said one pound of waste paper could be exchanged for ten sheets of Qingning paper, and immediately asked, "Little brother, is what's written here true?"

"Yes,"

The servant nodded and then reminded him seriously: "If you want to exchange, you must understand one thing. We will erase all the waste paper after the exchange, no matter whether it is a beautiful article, a beautiful poem, or an IOU for land. So before exchanging, please be sure to carefully check the waste paper you don't need, so as not to exchange important items."

"Haha, of course. What kind of idiot would exchange the IOU for land?" Everyone laughed out loud, not believing that there are such brainless people in the world.

The servant in charge of the replacement didn't believe it either, but this was something Lord Ou had instructed personally, so he had to make it clear, and he had to make sure the other party had listened.

Therefore, even though the servant himself felt that he was making a fool of himself, he still completed this step diligently. You know, now in the Qingning Palace Imperial Farm, the most popular job is to set up a stall, followed by working in a paper mill, and then working in a pig farm.

Therefore, even if it is just to keep the job, servants will give 100% of their energy to their work.

In this way, more than 1,200 kilograms of waste paper were replaced in Baoguo Temple in one day. These waste papers will be transported to Qingning Palace Huangzhuang for recycling, and then made into toilet paper for sale.

In the following days, many Qingning Palace Huangzhuang specialty stores quickly emerged in Beijing and Tianjin, selling the unique "Qingning Paper" and rolls of paper in an elegant and simple manner.

Although its price is slightly higher than similar products on the market, the quality is guaranteed. In the Ming Dynasty when literature was flourishing, literati had plenty of ways to make money, making this price seem insignificant.

Another reason is that due to the quality and unique design of the toilet paper, it has attracted the love of readers as soon as it came out. Many people will buy a few rolls of toilet paper when they buy Qingning paper.

This thing is very cheap, only ten cents for one volume, and any educated person can afford it.

But troubles soon followed. The productivity of the paper mill in Qingning Palace Imperial Farm could not meet the market demand.

Faced with this situation, Ou Zanghua weighed the pros and cons and ordered the paper mill to temporarily put aside the order to the Honglu Temple and go all out to give priority to meeting the needs of the common people. After getting through this hurdle, he could then find a way to
(End of this chapter)