webnovelvip Chapter 347 346 Gold is never pure
Chapter 347 346 Gold is never pure
Chapter 347, Section 346: Gold is never pure.
The gold in the Qin state was not pure gold.
The purest gold today comes from the Xianyang Palace; it is top-grade gold, also known as pure gold.
Purity...
Qin Shi remembers reading the data, which basically guarantees a score of 99.6.
But this only applies to Xianyang Palace.
For example, the 20,000 gold coins that Ji Heng gave her. At first, she only knew they were valuable, but now, considering the tax burden, they are extremely valuable.
Nowadays, due to technological and economic reasons, it is difficult to achieve uniform purity in gold circulating in the market.
The gold that nobles and wealthy merchants brought for testing was also called pure gold, but it was not pure gold. Its purity was about 90%-95%, and it was also called purple gold or 95% pure gold.
Lapis lazuli and gold are also found in small quantities among the general public.
Lapis lazuli is the lowest quality, with only 70% purity, followed by 80% yellow and 90% purple.
Earlier, in the pre-Qin era, red gold was the counterpart to red copper.
However, under the strict requirements of standardized weights and measures, the price and purity of gold have gradually become fixed and clear.
The gold being auctioned today is indeed composed of gold from later generations.
It's just that the purity is slightly lower.
The saying "Gold is never pure, and no man is perfect" is exactly true.
Now, the auction has finally come to a successful close, culminating in the bid of a custom-made divine weapon by the wealthy Ren family of Yongcheng for 60,000 gold coins.
Zhong Shuzi Xin is still compiling various data and has not yet come to report, but Qin Shi has already quickly calculated the proceeds from this auction:
The total price of the Crystallization Technique is 30,000 gold.
[75,000 shi of snowflake salt]
[120,000 shi of cement]
[Cups, plates, bowls, and exquisite knives, etc., totaling approximately 11 gold.]
[Secret recipes for cooking passed down through generations, totaling 20,000 gold coins...]
Based on this calculation, excluding grain, the auction has already brought in 160,000.
This already exceeds half of the annual tax revenue of the Qin state.
Ji Heng was also unusually unsteady on his breath.
Prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is a national policy. Although scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants are all indispensable, he never expected that an auction organized by the Queen would directly solve Qin's current urgent problem!
In matters of commerce, money truly moves people's hearts.
160,000 gold coins, plus 200,000 shi of millet...
He looked at the queen, whose brows were slightly furrowed, and felt a rare sense of joy in his heart.
……
Although the auction has ended, there are still many matters to be addressed, such as subsequent exchanges with various wealthy merchants and the signing of agreements.
Princess Wen stayed behind to handle miscellaneous matters, while Xin was still so busy that he didn't have time to rest until the King and Queen had already set off to return to the palace. Just before the curfew at Xianyang Palace began, he was finally able to rush back and report everything he had learned that day.
But the Queen stared at the table Xin had drawn on the paper, and only murmured:
"That's ridiculous."
The cement, which she presented with great care and even guarded against the nobles using for their work, was auctioned off for only 12 shi of millet.
At the current price of about 30 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure), these pre-ordered finished cement products are priced at only 625 gold coins.
However, the dessert recipe that Xin Guan claimed to be a "family heirloom and a symbol of noble status" could be auctioned off for 20,000 gold!
The difference between 625 and 20000 is truly like night and day.
However, this feeling of absurdity lasted only a moment. Qin Shi quickly finished reading the table carefully, and then praised it generously:
"Xin, you have done a great service."
Xin hurriedly bowed: "I dare not take credit. I did everything according to the Queen's instructions. Even if it were not me, the princess would have been able to do it properly."
That being said, those who can strictly follow instructions without deviation and also incorporate their own ingenuity are rare talents.
Qin Shi smiled and said, "The success of this auction is evident to His Majesty. However, you have only just been promoted. When you achieve further merit in the future, you will be rewarded accordingly." Xin couldn't help but smile as well, "Yes, sir."
He then reported, "Both the Nan family and the Ren family of Yongcheng have asked me to express their respect to Your Majesty and Queen."
This emphasis on privately suggests that such respect must be different from that given to others.
However, Qin Shi changed his initial enthusiasm for appointing Bai Qiusha:
"As a citizen of Qin, it is only natural to be loyal to the king. Just be kind and polite."
And right now...
Her eyes rarely sparkled with joy and anticipation; her expression was palpable.
"Xin, now that the cement project is complete and both the national and private treasuries are full, you shall be transferred to Xianyang Palace to begin preparations for the talent selection ceremony that belongs to Ganquan Palace and to me."
Xin bowed again and said, "I am willing to serve the Queen."
……
Promoting talented individuals was something Qin Shi had always wanted to do.
After all, without someone to guide her, even if she had a thousand brilliant plans, they would be difficult to implement.
but.
Ugh!
This is what happens when you marry into a poor family; even a clever woman can't cook without rice. As the ruler of Qin, Ji Heng's treasury was rather empty.
Without money and food, how can we recruit talent, reward them generously, and allow them to experiment freely?
She didn't even dare to mention the repeated expansion of the paper-making facilities in the palace.
Things are different now.
Paper and pen, as a medium for information transmission, should be rapidly promoted nationwide.
She had previously created various tables, line charts, pie charts, bar charts, etc., which Ji Heng had repeatedly reviewed, indicating that he was not unaware of the advantages and disadvantages involved.
He grasped the key points with just a moment's thought. When the emperor had a preference, the ministers discussing politics in the Zhangtai Palace followed suit and adapted accordingly. Now, it has been initially implemented.
However, the reason it was not widely promoted was because silk manuscripts were rare, and bamboo slips simply could not reproduce such patterns.
Because it was a small-scale adjustment, no pedantic old ministers submitted a memorial arguing that it violated the rites of Zhou...
However, the Qin state accomplished the great feat of standardizing cart axles, writing, and weights and measures in just a few years. Given the smooth flow of Ji Heng's decrees, it is suspected that:
In the Qin court, were there really any ministers who dared to present such things without fear of Tie Tou's authority?
One-man rule is not good.
However, in the early stages of reform, a one-man rule really improved efficiency.
For example, when she suggested to Ji Heng that they expand the production of paper and pens, Ji Heng laughed heartily.
Even in the bleak winter, his palms were as warm as ever, and now, holding her hand, their eyes were focused:
"Your Majesty, you know me well!"
With enough money and supplies, everything seemed to be accelerated.
Despite it being winter, the palace was bustling with activity. Workshops across the country were recruiting and expanding their workforce, working day and night to begin the preliminary work on paper and pens.
When spring arrives and the frozen soil thaws, a brand-new workshop will once again be built on the banks of the Wei River.
Qin Shi turned on his phone again and retrieved his local files—
It is known that the ancient and simple papermaking technique we are currently providing uses only lime and wood ash, without any chemical raw materials, so the pollution to water is practically non-existent.
After all, much of the residue can be used to fertilize the land.
However, if it is to be implemented nationwide, some chemical methods will be necessary.
For example, the files she retrieved—
A method to improve the efficiency of traditional papermaking using caustic soda without polluting water resources.
[Dense black ash is boiled down to regenerate alkali, the washing water is recycled in a pool, the waste residue is composted and returned to the fields, and the clean water does not flow into rivers or streams.]
Finally!!! I'm rich!!! Three months after my time travel, the process is officially accelerated!!! [Although I feel like I've already done so much!!!]
The Grand Ceremony for Selecting Talents: An ancient honorific term for the imperial examination system for selecting officials. "抡" means to select or choose.
I won't go into too much detail about this papermaking technique, but I'll just mention it briefly so everyone knows there are methods that won't cause water pollution.