At this time, most of the workshops in the Tang Dynasty were using the assembly line production method proposed by Ang Lee. The advantages of this method were obvious. It could greatly improve labor efficiency. After all, repeating the same process was very beneficial to mastery. As for the boredom and fatigue of the craftsmen, there was no need to consider it. In the face of efficiency, the boredom and fatigue of the craftsmen were secondary. Moreover, the ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty were very hardworking and were not afraid of fatigue and boredom.
The hardships and fatigue of the craftsmen were visible. Everyone could be sure that craftsmen were a tiring job. However, as the owner of the workshop, it was not easier than the craftsmen at all. It was just that it was not easy for others to see it. Others could only see the extravagance of the rich, but they could not see the bitterness and helplessness behind these things, as well as the endless destruction of their own bodies.
Setting up a workshop not only required money and talent, but it also required a good relationship with the various yamen in the imperial court. None of the key points could be neglected. Otherwise, any small yamen could obstruct the workshop or even close down the workshop, causing the investors to suffer heavy losses.
In the early stage of a workshop's operation, a lot of money was needed to build houses and other facilities, buy machines, recruit manpower, and various raw materials and consumables needed for production. There were many places that needed money, and they were very fragmentary. If these expensive jobs were handed over to outsiders, the loss of money would be even greater. After all, once the subordinates had the idea of taking rebates, they would spend a lot of money to buy low-grade goods at a high price, which would cause a lot of losses to the owner of the workshop.
If all the necessary goods were purchased and managed by the owner of the workshop, it would be very hard and tiring. However, in order to obtain high-quality and inexpensive raw materials, the owner of the workshop often had to take care of these things in person, especially when he did not have enough money. He also had to frequently patrol the workshop to see if the craftsmen were working hard or slacking off. As long as the owner of the workshop appeared, the craftsmen would involuntarily speed up their work to avoid being seen by the owner and losing the job opportunity that they had obtained with great difficulty.
Therefore, it was very difficult to set up a workshop. It was a very big test for people. All aspects had to be considered. Any small mistake could cause irreparable losses.
For example, the sudden 30% increase in the price of the wood mentioned by Yang Yurou was actually not the wood merchant who wanted to increase the price. After she negotiated the price and bought the first batch of wood, the rest of the work was handed over to the subordinates. As a result, the subordinates wanted to take some rebates for themselves, so they deliberately asked the wood merchant to find an excuse to increase the price. However, when Yang Yurou personally checked the account, she found that the price of the wood was different from what she remembered, so she personally went to the wood merchant to settle the account.
The lumber merchant did not dare to offend Yang Yurou. At the same time, he also did not dare to offend her subordinates. So, he could only use the upstream lumber to raise the price. In the end, Yang Yurou naturally did not agree and forced the lumber merchant to supply the original price. Otherwise, she would report him to the yamen.
In fact, in the construction of the perfume workshop, the demand for a certain kind of wood was not high. They only needed to buy one kind of raw materials. As a result, because of her negligence, the subordinates wanted to take rebates and asked her to spend more money.
There must be more than one similar thing. In addition to her subordinates who had bad ideas, the subordinates of her two sisters were not very clean. There were also some merchants who gave samples that were slightly different in quality from the goods in large quantities.
In addition, the most important point was that this perfume workshop belonged to the three sisters of the Yang family. In theory, the three sisters should pay equally, but because Yang Yurou contributed the most, she could pay a little less. However, this little bit needed to be calculated carefully. If it was not handled well, it would seriously affect the relationship between the three sisters. The three families would inevitably fight with each other. Many times, the project progress would be delayed again and again, seriously affecting the existing progress of the project.
At this time, in order to make the project go smoothly and expand the production of perfume, the three sisters had to be present in person to settle the disputes. Only when they were present in person to discuss it could they finally calm the internal strife. This took a lot of time and energy. Moreover, it was difficult to guarantee that the servants would not continue to fight and cause trouble for the three sisters.
In short, after being busy for many days, Yang Yurou was mentally and physically exhausted. She wanted to have a good rest and calm her mind. However, Yang Guozhong came at this time, which made her very unhappy. However, it was not very annoying. After all, he came with a smile.
"Hehe, these are all small matters. Let's not talk about these unhappy things. Sister, you haven't been to the palace for many days. Do you know what happened in the palace?"
Yang Guozhong asked in a low voice.
"What happened in the palace? What's the situation?"
Yang Yurou looked curiously at Yang Guozhong.
"His Majesty is not feeling well. He has not left his bedroom for many days. Moreover, other than the Imperial Concubine and the people around him, he is not seeing anyone."
Yang Guozhong said.
Yang Yurou's face was full of surprise. Her eyes widened as she said, "These few days, my two sisters and I have not returned from the workshop. We do not know what happened in the palace. What illness did His Majesty get that it is so serious?"
"Didn't these servants tell you? Almost everyone in the city knows. You are the only ones who don't know. This morning, the Crown Prince, the Princes, and the officials above the fourth rank all went to pay their respects. His Majesty still did not see them. The Imperial Doctor only said that it was not serious. "
Yang Guozhong said.
Yang Yurou frowned and said, "These damn guys, they did not tell me what happened in the palace. Damn it. Brother, what do you think? Just tell me."
Yang Guozhong leaned over to Yang Yurou's ear and told her all his guesses. He also asked Yang Yurou to go to the palace and ask the Imperial Concubine what happened to the Emperor so that he could feel at ease.
"Brother's dog servant is really bold. He dares to suspect that His Majesty has an unmentionable illness. He really doesn't want to live. How dare he."
Yang Yurou was shocked when she heard this guess. This kind of thing could not be said carelessly. It was more terrible than being beheaded.
"Don't worry, I have already reprimanded this dog servant. However, what happened to His Majesty, we still need to know in advance! Why don't we trouble Sister to go to the palace and ask the Imperial Concubine? "
Yang Guozhong said.
Yang Yurou sighed and said, "I'm so tired these days that I can't walk."
"Sister! This is a big matter. Even if your leg is broken, you still have to go. Where do you feel uncomfortable? Let Brother help you rub it. "
Yang Guozhong rubbed Yang Yurou's thigh in a fawning manner.
"Everywhere is uncomfortable. A little higher, a little higher. It's also uncomfortable inside. It's so itchy!"
Yang Yurou unconsciously became restless.
"Well, Sister, let's go to bed and slowly discuss it."
Yang Guozhong said with a smile.
Of course, since she knew that the Emperor was unwell, Yang Yurou would definitely go to the palace. Nothing could stop her determination to go to the palace to ask about the situation. Just now, she was just deliberately acting coquettishly to gain Brother's favor.
After a while, Yang Yurou readily agreed to Yang Guozhong's request. Tomorrow morning, she would go to the palace to ask about the Emperor's condition.
Yang Guozhong left Madam Guo's house with satisfaction. This trip was very worthwhile. He had completely achieved his goal. He had hoped that the Emperor could live for a few more years, preferably longer than the Crown Prince. In this way, the Crown Prince he had offended could not inherit the throne and could only choose another Crown Prince. In this way, he only needed to curry favor with the next Crown Prince.
Of course, if the An Lushan Rebellion had not happened in real history, Li Longji might not have died so early in depression. Perhaps he really could have lived longer than Crown Prince Li Longji. After all, Li Heng had only lived for a little more than 50 years in history, only half a month longer than his father.
And the premise of all this was that Li Longji was depressed and confined in a very small area, while Li Longji was the emperor of the Tang Empire. If the situation had been reversed, Li Heng would have died earlier than in history, and Li Longji would have lived for many years. It was very likely that the white-haired man would die before the black-haired man. No one could change this fact.
The reason why Yang Guozhong and the others dared to curry favor with the Emperor and oppose the Crown Prince was probably because they saw that the Emperor's mental state was very good. He was a long-lived man, while Li Longji's state was not as good as Li Longji's. It was hard to say who would die first. Moreover, in a depressed environment, Li Heng would grow old faster.
And this idea began to change after the Emperor suddenly became unwell. Yang Guozhong was very worried that Li Longji's body would suddenly collapse. If that happened, everything he had gained would be gone, and Li Heng's succession would be his death.
Although the Emperor said that he was fine, the majority of people didn't really believe him. They knew that the Emperor was old, and it was reasonable for his body to suddenly have problems. How could an old person not get sick? Moreover, the older one got, the more likely they were to get sick. In old age, it was normal for many old people to be plagued with all sorts of illnesses, and Li Longji was naturally no exception.
Different people would use different channels to inquire about the situation. Everyone used their own abilities to find out what was wrong with the Emperor as quickly as possible. What illness could make the Emperor unwilling to see anyone? Even if he was recuperating, he didn't need to be so quiet. This had never happened before.
Based on history, Ang Lee estimated that the Emperor was fine. This old Emperor had a long lifespan, so he didn't care too much about him. Doing what he should be doing was the most important thing. But due to etiquette, when other officials went to pay respects to the Imperial Palace, he also had to go and show his loyalty.
When they went to see the Emperor on the first day and were rejected, everyone was only puzzled. Perhaps the Emperor was really tired and didn't want to see anyone. When they went again on the second day, they still didn't see the Emperor. The doubts in everyone's hearts multiplied. On the third day, the situation was the same, which made the officials and princes even more confused.
Early in the morning, Ang Lee reluctantly ran to the Imperial Palace. As soon as he arrived, he saw many officials and princes waiting there. Naturally, the Crown Prince also had to be present.
At the side door of the Imperial Palace, the three Yang sisters also entered the Imperial Palace together to find Yang Yuhuan. They wanted to ask about the Emperor's situation. However, because Yang Yuhuan went to Li Longji's bedroom early in the morning, they didn't see her. They also didn't dare to ask the palace maids to inform her. After all, they were insignificant compared to the Emperor. The Imperial Concubine taking care of the Emperor was the most important thing. How could the Imperial Concubine put down the Emperor and come to see them just because they came? The only thing they could do was to enjoy the scenery in the Imperial Palace and wait quietly for the Imperial Concubine to be free. If she was hungry, she could directly order the palace to prepare food.
There were already 50 to 60 princes and officials near the Imperial Concubine's bedroom. They could be considered the most important people in the Tang Empire. The princes came to pay respects to the Emperor. This was their homework every day. Usually, they only needed to see him once and then go back. But now that the Emperor was not around, they didn't want to go back for the time being. So, they gathered outside the Imperial Concubine's bedroom, which was a kind of filial piety and concern.
The officials also came to show their loyalty. But at the same time, there were many national affairs that the officials couldn't make up their minds about, so they had to let the Emperor deal with them personally. Therefore, some of them came with memorials.
"His Majesty hasn't seen us for many days. What should we do? The documents sent by the Ministry of Justice have piled up very thick."
"We also have a lot of documents in the Ministry of War. The Right Chief Minister is sick at home, and so is His Majesty. Someone has to come out and take charge of the overall situation."
"Why are you quarreling? Don't you know how to deal with these things?"
"Of course we can deal with them ourselves. But there are some things that we have to inform His Majesty. If we do something wrong, we can amend it in time. You know, once the documents are issued, it's difficult to change them."
A few ministers gathered together to discuss.
In fact, they could deal with many major affairs of the imperial court by themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn't be needed. But for particularly important matters, they still had to ask for the Emperor's opinion, or they had already informed the Emperor of the situation. After the Emperor nodded, the documents could be issued. Otherwise, if these important matters were handled inappropriately, they might not be able to bear the responsibility. Therefore, these officials were naturally quite anxious.
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