Volume 1 Princess Taiping Grows Up Chapter 62: Strange Power
Looking at the foot-operated blender in front of him, Li Yuechen walked around it twice and observed it carefully.
The base is made of wood and iron glued together, with a large gear vertically placed in the groove in the middle, and pedals connected on both sides.
A leather belt with many copper buckles is connected to a small gear on top, so that it can be driven to rotate when the foot steps on the pedal.
This small gear is also connected to a smaller gear horizontally, which is connected to an egg beater made of wire.
Li Yuechen waved to Fulai and asked him to take a stool and sit on it to try it out.
Fulai followed her instructions, sat on the stool, stepped on the pedal and started turning.
The egg beater connected to the gears also started to spin rapidly. Although it was definitely not as fast as an electric one, it was much faster than manual labor.
Considering that there will definitely be large-scale production in the future, maybe we need to make a few more of these things.
Seeing Li Yuechen frowning and thinking about something, Fulai walked up and asked, "Your Highness, is there any difficulty?"
Li Yuechen nodded: "Soap is made with lard, this time I want to try soybean oil. I just don't know if it will have the same bad smell..."
Fulai thought for a moment and said, "Why not try making a few first?"
"Yes." Li Yuechen nodded, "But not in the palace. If there is any smell, it will be very troublesome."
Li Yuechen waved his hand and said, "Go to Luoyang City and find a place to turn it into a production workshop. Try to choose a place with fewer people and a cheaper price."
Fu Lai nodded: "This is easy. This Dongdu is just like Chang'an. The southeast is sparsely populated, and many of the districts are empty."
"Well, you can handle it yourself." Li Yuechen thought for a while, "After it's done, find a group of workers and I'll train them. Don't worry about the safety issue. I've already informed my grandfather and he will send troops to garrison there."
"Yes!" Fu Lai bowed and then turned around to do it.
Fulai's ability to get things done was pretty good. Two days later, he told Li Yuechen that it had been done. He had found a piece of land in Jixianfang and it only required some minor modifications, and the price was very cheap.
Li Yuechen nodded. It was almost December now, so they could prepare for the sale of canned food.
Back in the palace, Shangguan Wan'er was playing Go with Princess Yi Yang, while Princess Xuancheng was reading a copy of "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art".
Li Yuechen was filled with admiration when she saw this scene. She had already read this book, which already contained the concepts of fractions and negative numbers.
Originally, Li Yuechen thought that she would need some time to study before she could understand the contents, but now judging from her expression, it is obvious that she can understand most of the contents of the book.
While looking at it, she was also swiping on the table with her slender fingers.
Li Yuechen came to sit in front of her with a sweet smile on her face: "Sister, are you interested in solving a problem with me?"
"What's the problem?" Princess Xuancheng asked after putting down the book.
"The cans are almost ready and are ready to be sold. However, in our Tang Dynasty, the cost of making sugar water is very high. I wonder what the price of these cans should be?" Li Yuechen asked with a smile.
Although sugar was available in this era, it was very expensive. It might not be considered a luxury product, but it was also not something that ordinary people could afford.
So Li Yuechen has not yet decided how much a can of food should cost.
As he spoke, he took a brush and wrote down the cost of items such as sugar water and porcelain jars on a piece of paper.
Sugar, water, porcelain jars, corks, wax for sealing, etc. must all be included in the cost.
Canned food is not currently sold to ordinary people, so in Li Yuechen's opinion, it doesn't matter if the price is set higher.
But it can’t be too high. It’s better if the price is a little expensive but acceptable.
Princess Xuancheng also found this question interesting, so she and Li Yuechen took up their pens and started to calculate bit by bit.
Princess Xuancheng’s level is now high enough to calculate these things independently, but she doesn’t know how to integrate them together.
So it was Li Yuechen who proposed the method and she was the one who did the calculations, which could be considered a hidden test for her.
Unfortunately, Li Yuechen was only half-baked in mathematics, and many parts took a long time to explain clearly, so the two of them spent a whole afternoon calculating before they came up with the final result.
The cost of one can is about ten Kaiyuan Tongbao coins... Then I sell it for forty-one bottles, is that not too much?
After all, a batch of them were shipped back from Lingnan after being made. The journey is long and it costs money.
Besides, this thing is basically only sold in winter and spring. In summer and autumn, people can just buy the fruit and eat it.
Moreover, this price is not unacceptable to those who are rich and powerful.
The most crucial point is that Li Yuechen knows that the formula of this thing cannot be kept secret for too long, so he has to try to sell it at a higher price before the formula becomes known to the public.
…
The place was taken care of, and people moved very quickly, and there were even people in South City who specialized in selling slaves.
Fulai picked out some that looked good and brought them to Jixianfang to settle down first.
At the end of November, Li Yuechen came over to take a look in person.
This time, Fulai bought a total of thirty people. In addition to the locals, there were also two Kunlun slaves and a Silla maid.
This Kunlun slave is not a black African. He is short and thin, a bit like the Indians.
Li Yuechen turned his head and asked, "Is it expensive?"
"Your Highness, it's not expensive." Fu Lai bowed slightly and replied with a smile, "That man probably saw that I was from the palace, and just hoped that I could take care of his business in the future, so he sold it to me at a low price."
In this era, Kunlun slaves were really expensive, and generally only wealthy families could afford such slaves.
In order to maintain their monopoly, these slave traders would castrate all these people to prevent them from having offspring.
In this way, if you want a new one, you have to spend money to buy it.
In fact, most of these slaves did not live to see their death. If they became sick or old, they would basically be killed.
As for Silla maids, if they were pretty, they would basically be bought back as concubines.
The girl in front of me is of average appearance. Even if she is bought by someone else, she will be destined to be a maid.
These slaves looked at the little girl who was surrounded by a group of soldiers with knives. Knowing that she was of noble status, they were a little restrained for a moment and looked at her timidly.
After thinking about it, Li Yuechen smiled and thought to herself, you are lucky to meet me!
Although she would not pay them wages or free them, she would at least make sure they had enough to eat and would not kill them because they were old.
Under his command, at least he could let them live to the end of their lives. In this era, this was indeed considered a benevolent master.
Li Yuechen took two steps forward, looked at the two Kunlun slaves and a Silla maid in front of him and asked, "Can you understand what I am saying?"
The two Kunlun slaves looked confused, but the Silla maid bowed respectfully and replied, "Your Highness, I understand."
Li Yuechen looked at her and saw that she looked to be around 30 years old. She probably had not just been sold to the Tang Dynasty.
When she answered, her accent was no longer there, so it could be judged that she had stayed in the Tang Dynasty for quite some time.
"What's your name?" Li Yuechen asked.
"I used to be called Chunmei by Alang."
Li Yuechen was a little curious: "Why did you sell you again?"
Chunmei replied: "My family has fallen on hard times... and I need money."
Hearing her answer, Li Yuechen nodded: "From now on, you should train these two Kunlun slaves, at least make sure they understand daily orders!"
"Yes!" Chunmei bowed.
Then Li Yuechen took another casual look and pointed to a house in the yard and said, "Renovate this place and let them live there. Then build a thatched hut in the corner..."
Fu Lai bowed and said, "Your Highness, there is no need to be so nice to them?"
Li Yuechen shook his head: "Hygiene is very important. If an epidemic occurs, it will be very troublesome!"
"So that's how it is. Your Highness is very thoughtful." Fu Lai complimented.
After planning their dormitories and toilets, Li Yuechen didn’t think of anything else that needed to be explained, so he turned around and left.
When returning to the palace, he first visited the craftsmen supervisor and asked them to make another batch of molds.
One is a low-cost soap mold that is made into a square shape.
As for the good soap mold, it also needs to be improved by adding two stripes and engraving the word "soap" to increase the sense of luxury.
I also asked the carpenter to make a batch of soap boxes, using small wooden strips to make the bottom look like a fence, and carving patterns around the edges to increase the sense of luxury, so that they can be sold at a high price.
Then he asked the blacksmith to make an iron pot. Li Yuechen had already decided not to have hot pot this year, and would let Li Zhi and his wife try stir-fried vegetables or fried rice with eggs.
Although Li Yuechen's cooking skills were only average, and were developed when she lived alone, they were still extremely advanced in this era.
It’s a pity that it is almost impossible to promote cooking in this era.
Not to mention the problem of seasoning, the iron production in the Tang Dynasty was not high, and most of it was used to supply the army. Stone knives are still used by the people in many places.
Thanks to the fact that she was born into a royal family, basically everything that could be obtained in that era was available in the palace.
If I were born in an ordinary family, whether I could eat enough every day would probably be a big problem.
…
Considering that the Chinese New Year is approaching, Li Yuechen plans to officially start the production of soap after the New Year.
During this period, he exercised in the palace every day, occasionally played sand table simulation with his master Liu Rengui, read and practiced calligraphy with Shangguan Wan'er and his two sisters in the afternoon, and when he had nothing to do, he would go to play with Li Zhi and his wife. His life was very fulfilling.
It was not until seven days later that news came from the craftsman supervisor that the iron pot she wanted was ready.
After all, the bottom of this iron pot needs to be made into a hemispherical shape and the thickness must be uniform. Even for an experienced craftsman, it took a lot of time to complete it.
Upon hearing the news, Li Yuechen came out of the hall, eager to try the taste of the food cooked in the iron pan.
However, when he took it from Fulai, he felt something was wrong.
Fulai watched Li Yuechen's expression change from surprise to confusion, and he gradually loosened one of his hands which was originally holding the iron pot with both hands.
Then he hooked one of the iron rings with one finger and hung it in the air, shaking it gently.
Li Yuechen raised his eyebrows and looked at Fulai: "Is this really an iron tool? Why is it so light?"
Fulai also felt a little unbelievable, because he had taken this thing back from the Craftsmen's Supervisor and he knew its weight.
And your Highness, a child who is less than seven years old, can actually carry it with one finger!
Although he was shocked, he still bowed and replied, "Your Highness, it is indeed iron!"
Li Yuechen looked down at the iron pot hooked on her finger with a complicated expression.
Although she had vaguely felt that she was much stronger than her peers over the years, she did not think too much about it because she had been practicing martial arts since she was a child and practiced yoga every day.
In addition, as a princess, she usually does not need to lift any heavy objects, so she has never had an accurate concept of her own strength.
But today, to see such an iron pot hanging on a finger was a little unbelievable for a little kid like her.
After thinking about it, he handed the iron pot in his hand to Fulai and walked into the hall.
Shangguan Wan'er was still writing something with Princess Yi Yang . When she saw Li Yuechen coming, she stood up and prepared to salute.
However, before she could say anything, Li Yuechen suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of her collar and lifted it up!
Before Shangguan Wan'er could react, she felt her feet leave the ground. She was horrified and looked carefully to find that she was being held in the air by Li Yuechen's hand!
"Your Highness...Your Highness..." The frightened Shangguan Wan'er struggled subconsciously.
Zheng, who was standing next to her, was startled and was about to come over when she saw Li Yuechen gently put her down with a puzzled look on his face.
After landing on the ground, Shangguan Wan'er was still a little frightened, her eyes were watery, and her voice was a little trembling as she asked: "Your Highness, what did I do wrong?"
“No, no…” Li Yuechen waved his hands, “I just wanted to see how much you weigh, hahahaha…”
Having said that, he turned around and walked out of the hall with a puzzled look on his face.
Shangguan Wan'er was stunned for a moment, raised her hand in confusion to wipe away the tears that had not yet fallen, turned her head to look at Princess Yi Yang and her mother Zheng, who were also a little dazed on both sides.
Arriving at the entrance of the palace, Li Yuechen raised his hand, looked at his palm, and clenched his fist.
There was always a feeling of unreality. Although Shangguan Wan'er was indeed not heavy, she was only half a head shorter than me.
In terms of proportion, my strength seems to be a bit too great.
When I was carrying Shangguan Wan'er just now, I did feel a little strenuous, but it wasn't to the point where I couldn't carry her.
"Your Highness?" Fulai reminded cautiously.
Li Yuechen came back to his senses, raised his hand and pointed twice in the air: "Don't tell anyone about what happened today! Even my parents are not allowed to do so!"
Looking at the serious look in those bright black eyes, Fu Lai was silent for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes!"
Li Yuechen didn't want to hide it deliberately, but just wanted to do some experiments on herself to see what was wrong with her body.
He turned his head inadvertently and saw Shangguan Wan'er, whose eyes were still a little red. Then he remembered that he might have scared her just now, so he hurried over to explain to her.
