Fang Yun nodded and said, "Let's talk about the papermaking workshop. When I climbed the Yueyang Tower, I didn't seem to see any papermaking workshop outside the city."
Dong Wencong sighed and said, "As you know, papermaking consumes a lot of water. It requires lime bleaching, the black liquid from straw pulp needs to be discharged, and other wastewater is added, making the papermaking workshop a well-known wastewater producer. Making 1,000 kilograms of paper will produce 100,000 kilograms of wastewater, a hundred times more! Papermakers have been trying to reduce papermaking wastewater, but there has been no major innovation. Therefore, papermaking wastewater has become the biggest headache for the human race."
Fang Yun nodded. Not to mention the current Shengyuan Continent, even the countries in the ancient Chinese era were worried about papermaking pollution and had no way to solve it.
Dong Wencong continued, "Back then, the Qing Kingdom never treated the people of Xiangzhou as human beings, so it built a large number of papermaking workshops in various places near the water in Xiangzhou. As too much wastewater was discharged, problems arose in the rivers and waterways in some places, which led to the people of Xiangzhou taking to the streets to oppose the papermaking workshops. This incident caused a big fuss, and even a righteous man ran to the gate of the Holy Court and burned himself, alarming the Holy Court to send people to investigate. The Qing Kingdom had no choice but to reduce the number of papermaking workshops in Xiangzhou and close the small ones at the same time, because the smaller the workshop, the more sewage it discharged for the same amount of paper."
"However, there was originally a papermaking workshop outside Baling City. After Jingguo took back Xiangzhou, Qingjiang Trading Company closed the last papermaking workshop on the grounds that the papermaking workshop produced too much wastewater, and then withdrew all the people and agencies. However, some people say that Qingjiang Trading Company's papermaking technology is unique to the human race and is stronger than Jingguo's papermaking technology. The reason why Qingjiang Trading Company withdrew was to avoid being stolen by Jingguo."
"Although Qingjiang Merchants withdrew the papermaking workshop in Baling City, they still have papermaking workshops in various places. They are still the largest paper merchant in Xiangzhou and earn a lot of money from Xiangzhou. Now, Zhao's Merchants have built a papermaking workshop in Baling, using local materials and lower costs, which will affect Qingjiang Merchants. Under the impact of Jingguo Merchants, the income of all merchants in Qingguo has already decreased by about 10%. If Zhao's Merchants build more papermaking workshops, Qingjiang Merchants' income in Xiangzhou will drop to 70% of the original, which is something Qingjiang Merchants do not want to see."
"So, I think that the people of Baling took to the streets to protest this time because Qingjiang Trading Company was behind it, in order to force Zhao's Trading Company to leave and almost ensure that it would be the only dominant company in Xiangzhou."
"I basically understand. However, how are you going to deal with the people of Baling taking to the streets?" Fang Yun asked.
Dong Wencong looked ashamed and said, "I haven't come up with a perfect plan. After all, this matter is complicated and one move can affect the whole body. If it causes public unrest, I am afraid that I will be rated as low in the Ministry of Personnel and demoted. I plan to gather my staff and officials today to discuss a perfect plan."
"Well, I'll leave this matter to you." Fang Yun said.
After Dong Wencong left, Fang Yun was about to read, but remembering Dong Wencong's words "he will be demoted", he stood in the yard motionless.
"As the governor of the two states, I can naturally make decisions first and report later, but I cannot decide on the transfer of the governors, governors and governors. I have the power to control officials of all levels below the third rank in the two states, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Left Prime Minister also have it! I can find an excuse to deal with those officials who are biased towards Qingguo or the Left Prime Minister, and Liushan can also find an excuse to deal with Jingguan. Since I encountered thousands of people taking to the streets to oppose me when I first came to Xiangzhou, I can't just leave it alone."
Fang Yun thought about it, and walked towards the side door of the provincial government office. When he reached a deserted place, he took out a pen and ink, used the power of painting to quickly change his appearance, then changed into ordinary student clothes and walked out.
The soldiers on both sides of the door glanced at Fang Yun, then looked straight ahead.
Fang Yun walked out of the provincial government office and out of the narrow alley. After a few steps, he saw several carriages parked outside.
Fang Yun waved his hand, and the driver in front immediately drove over.
The carriage was pulled by a common yellow-maned horse. The carriage was very old and the gaps between the wooden boards were as wide as a finger.
"Mr. Tongsheng, where are you going?" The middle-aged driver bowed his head and bent over with a respectful attitude.
Fang Yun took out a two-liang silver coin, threw it to the middle-aged driver, and said with a smile: "I'm going to a far place, to the North Workshop District outside the city. You may come back empty-handed, so take it."
The middle-aged driver was very excited and said, "Thank you very much, Master Tongsheng! Thank you very much, Master! We can't even earn two taels of silver a day."
The drivers not far away saw this scene and were all envious.
Fang Yun entered the carriage and frowned instinctively, because the carriage was too old and even gave off a musty odor, which made Fang Yun, who was used to riding in luxury carriages, very uncomfortable. But then, Fang Yun looked serious, criticizing himself in his heart that he should not let his emotions fluctuate because of such a small external influence. If he continued like this, it would be difficult for him to become a university scholar with a righteous mind.
If you have a righteous mind, you will not be affected by the negativity of yourself or external things.
Fang Yun was reflecting on his own arrogance and even hypocrisy when he heard the groom's voice outside.
"Master Tongsheng, since you are an honest man, I will tell you the truth. There is trouble in Beigongfang District today, so I am afraid I can only deliver you to a place near Beigongfang District. This money is too much." The middle-aged driver has a rough face and dark brown complexion. He has been weathered by wind and rain for a long time, but his tone reveals a comforting honesty.
Fang Yun smiled and said, "I'm just afraid that the troublemakers there will affect you, so I gave you more money. Take it first, and go as far as you can in the end."
The middle-aged driver hurriedly said, "Since you say so, I'll take you wherever you go. This money can allow me to go around Baling City."
"Let's go." Fang Yun nodded.
"Okay! Go!" The middle-aged coachman waved his whip, the tip of the whip made one's ears crackle, and the carriage moved forward.
After a while, the middle-aged driver said as he drove the car: "Sir, the North Workshop District is not peaceful right now, you'd better be careful."
Fang Yun was about to say thank you when something occurred to him and he asked, "I am a student, is there anyone who dares to rob a student?"
"You don't know, among those causing trouble there are even candidates for the imperial examination. Do you think they dare to hit the candidates for the imperial examination?"
"Oh, is that so? Then do you know why they took to the streets to cause trouble?"
The middle-aged driver said, "Actually, you can't really say they are causing trouble, they are also doing it for the good of Baling. A few days ago, the officials of Jing State were quite considerate of our Xiangzhou Baling, but recently things have suddenly changed, and they are actually going to build a large papermaking workshop in Baling. The older people in Baling know that that thing is harmful to people. Once a papermaking workshop is built, there will be a stench for ten miles and crops will fail for a hundred miles. So some people in Baling City went together to oppose the construction of the papermaking workshop. The reason why I say they are causing trouble is that I saw a lot of ruffians followed them, and I also heard them secretly saying that there is money to be made there. But don't tell others, or you will lose your head."
Fang Yun smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't say anything nonsense, I'm just curious about this matter. What do you think of this papermaking workshop?"
The middle-aged driver said helplessly, "Don't build a papermaking workshop. It will cost more for people in Xiangzhou to buy paper, and Qingguo will make all the money. If we build a papermaking workshop, the people of Baling will be unlucky for generations. What else can we do? The papermaking workshop can be built in other areas of Xiangzhou, not in Baling."
.(To be continued.)