After listening to Sei Itō's explanation, Ji Yanran could not help but fall silent. No one knew what she was thinking about.
Seeing this, Sei Itō did not disturb her. He continued to bring Ji Yanran and Zou Yan around the college, taking in the classroom and the situation of the students who were studying inside.
After more than 15 minutes, they finally ended their tour.
"The scenery of Julu College is indeed enlightening and thought-provoking." In the dean's lounge of the college, Zou Yan sighed as he took a cup of tea from a female servant.
"Eh, what is this? Could it be tea? "Then, Zou Yan noticed the abnormality of the tea in his hand.
As the last thing Shennong found after tasting hundreds of herbs, tea had long been known during the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period. However, they had always thought that it was a medicinal ingredient, so no one had thought of brewing it directly for drinking.
"That's right, it is tea," Sei Itō confirmed with a smile.
"Then this is … a medicinal soup?" Zou Yan lowered his head and sniffed the fragrance wafting from the cup.
"It's not a medicinal soup. It's just a drink that I made in my spare time," Sei Itō said with a smile. Then, he raised his arm and invited, "Please."
After that, he moved the teacup in front of him and took a sip.
Seeing Sei Itō's demonstration, Zou Yan and Ji Yanran did not hesitate and followed suit.
Instantly, a thick and mellow tea fragrance spread in their mouths, causing Zou Yan and Ji Yanran to reveal a look of enjoyment.
"I didn't expect this tea to be used like this." After a while, Zou Yan let out a long sigh. His eyes were filled with fondness as he spoke.
"Marquis of Julu always has some exquisite and novel toys here." Ji Yanran looked at Sei Itō with bright eyes. She smiled.
Sei Itō smiled slightly and did not speak. He leisurely drank the tea in his cup.
Seeing this, Zou Yan and Ji Yanran also did not speak and were immersed in the wonderful taste of the tea.
In an instant, the entire room became quiet.
"Clack ~"
"Miss Ji, where do you want to go next?" After a while, Ito Sei gently put the teacup on the table and asked Ji Yanran.
"I wonder if I could have the honor of visiting the place where you make books and paper?" Ji Yanran asked softly.
"Since Miss Ji wants to see it, there's no problem." Sei Itō smiled.
"I wonder if Marquis Ju Lu would mind if this old man accompanied you?" Just as Sei Itō was about to leave, a voice rang out. Zou Yan chimed in.
Originally, he did not plan to follow Marquis Ju Lu and Ji Yanran and be a hindrance. However, the place they were going to was a place he had always wanted. Therefore, after some hesitation, Zou Yan still shamelessly made his request.
"Sir, what are you talking about? It's my honor to be able to travel with you, so why would I mind? Mister, just follow me. "Sei Itō pretended to be surprised.
"Then this old man will be thick-skinned." Zou Yan laughed dryly.
Then, the three of them left Ju Lu Institute under the escort of the dean, Zhao Ni, and the left disciple, Zhao Ya. They returned to the carriage in front of the institute. They moved towards Madam Ya's fief on the outskirts of Handan City.
As the carriage moved, it passed through the gate of Handan City and drove onto the fertile fields. Then, a patch of green seedlings came into Ji Yanran's sight through the carriage window.
"Eh? Those don't seem to be millet seedlings? "Ji Yanran asked curiously.
Hearing Ji Yanran say this, Zou Yan, who was resting with his eyes closed, also opened his eyes and looked out the window.
"They are indeed not millet seedlings," Zou Yan confirmed.
"That's right. Those are indeed not millet seedlings. "Sei Itō nodded with a smile.
Instantly, Ji Yanran and Zou Yan's eyes fell on Sei Itō.
"Those are late-season seedlings. I got them from other places. They are not from the central plains," Sei Itō explained.
"They are not from the central plains?" Ji Yanran was shocked.
"Yes," Sei Itō replied softly, but that was it. He did not say anything about the culture of the world outside the central plains, which made Ji Yanran, who was full of curiosity, feel uncomfortable. She could not help but roll her eyes at Sei Itō.
Sei Itō pretended not to see and continued, "These seedlings will probably mature in September or October. At that time, if the two of you are still in Handan City, you may be able to eat something different from the current dishes."
Zou Yan was shocked when he heard this. He secretly calculated with his fingers and then exclaimed with a face full of disbelief, "It only takes four months?!"
Hearing this, even Ji Yanran could not help but be shocked. She looked at Sei Itō with a face full of disbelief.
Sei Itō, however, still felt that it was not enough and said, "It is a pity that I became a Marquis too early and did not make it in time for spring. Otherwise, I would only need to plant new seeds. When autumn comes, I would be able to harvest 100 dan of grain per mu and make the Kingdom of Zhao a country rich in grain."
"How much did you say?!" Zou Yan exclaimed. Because they were too shocked, they even ignored Sei Itō's honorific title.
However, thinking about it, in the Warring States Period, a harvest of three dan of grain per mu was considered a good harvest. 100 dan of grain was too shocking. It completely changed the world's grain market.
"100 dan of grain. If we plant carefully, we may be able to get even more, "Sei Itō said lightly.
Zou Yan and Ji Yanran were shocked speechless. They looked at each other and thought at the same time, "If all of this is true, then Marquis Ju Lu is a new saint!"
Just as the three of them were talking, the carriage drove into a road between the fields and finally stopped in front of a large building.
"Halt!" At this time, a stern voice came from outside the carriage.
"It is me," Sei Itō said to the soldiers guarding the housing area.
"Greetings, sir," the two soldiers who saw Sei Itō's face immediately knelt on one knee and bowed their heads.
"Get up," Sei Itō said.
Then the two stood up from the ground and quickly walked to the railing in the middle of the road. They worked together to move it away. Seeing this, the coachman did not hesitate. He started the carriage again and drove into the housing area. Finally, it stopped in an open space.
"You two, we have arrived," Sei Itō turned his head and said to the two people who were full of thoughts.
Zou Yan and Ji Yanran nodded slightly, got up, and followed Sei Itō out of the carriage. They walked across the road paved with green stones and walked into a humming factory.
"This is the place where the paper is made." Sei Itō took a mask from the worker next to him and handed it to Ji Yanran and Zou Yan. Then he raised his hand and put on the mask that he had left behind.
"Why is this?" Looking at the mask in her hand, Ji Yanran was puzzled.
"During the papermaking process, there will be a serious smell. Not only is the smell pungent, but it is also poisonous. If you breathe in it for a long time, it will cause discomfort. Therefore, for safety, everyone needs to wear this mask during work to protect themselves," Sei Itō explained.
Ji Yanran nodded in understanding and put on the mask. Then she followed Sei Itō around the papermaking factory and carefully observed every step of the papermaking process.
After the tour ended, the three left the papermaking factory and turned around to go to the printing factory that Zou Yan and Ji Yanran were most interested in.
"So this is how books are made." Ji Yanran, who had seen the process of the book's creation, exclaimed.
"It is indeed a work of art!" Zou Yan stopped next to the printing machine and looked at the blank sheets of paper that were filled with writing. He also looked at the sheets that were taken out by the workers from time to time.
"Marquis Julu, I have a presumptuous request. I don't know if I should say it." Zou Yan then looked away and looked at Sei Itō shyly.
"Please say it." Sei Itō, who had vaguely guessed what Zou Yan's request was, smiled.
"I would like to ask Marquis Julu to print my book 'The Beginning and End of the Five Virtues'. I wonder if Marquis Julu would agree." Zou Yan looked at Sei Itō's face nervously and said.
"Of course, this old man is willing to pay for the production costs," Zou Yan quickly added.
"There is no need for that." Sei Itō smiled and said, "As long as Mr. Yan can agree to one condition, I will not only promise to help you print the book, but I am also willing to use my business to help you promote it."
"What condition?" Zou Yan's eyes lit up and he quickly asked.
"The book will be printed in clerical script without any foreign languages," Sei Itō said calmly.
"This …" Zou Yan heard this and could not help but hesitate.
Since clerical script could not be promoted, the risk of printing the book in clerical script was too great. Perhaps the effect of publishing the book would not be as good as traveling around the various countries and giving speeches to the nobles and officials of each country. Therefore, Zou Yan could not help but hesitate.
Sei Itō did not rush him and quietly waited for Zou Yan's decision.
"Okay, we will do as Marquis Julu says." After a moment, Zou Yan's eyes became firm and he nodded in agreement.
"In that case, Mr. Yan, please prepare the manuscript as soon as possible so that the workers in the printing factory can print it," Sei Itō said with a smile.
After that, Zou Yan, who had devoted all his attention to the manuscripts, was not in the mood to visit. After roughly looking at the cement factory and the winery, as well as observing the overseas vegetable seedlings mentioned by Ito Sei at a close distance, he hurriedly rushed back to the posthouse in the city, locked himself in the room, and began to organize the manuscripts.
"Miss Ji, what are you thinking about?" Inside the hotel, in the courtyard where Ji Yanran lived, Sei Itō looked at Ji Yanran, who was in a daze, and softly asked.
Ji Yanran turned her head and looked deeply at Sei Itō as she softly said, "Yanran is thinking that it would be great if the entire world could enjoy the convenience of the things that Marquis Julu made."
"The world … I did not expect Miss Ji to be someone who cares about the country, the people, and the world." Sei Itō lightly laughed.
This time, Ji Yanran did not answer.
"The world is too far away. Didn't Mencius say, 'If you are poor, you should take care of yourself. If you are rich, you should do good to the world.' Therefore, it is better to enjoy the moment. "Sei Itō looked up at the blue sky and said quietly.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
