The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 32

You should do your best, hoping that one day I will be able to buy inexpensive, and even printed, books.

"Thank you for your understanding, Brother Zheng. I estimate that this matter will take about one to two years to achieve initial success. At that time, at least ordinary printed books will be available in Dingxiang City. As for how much the cost will decrease..."

It's not certain yet, but it will definitely be much cheaper than books are today.

“Excellent. Two years is much faster than I expected. I believe in you.” Zheng Zhuangyuan said with a smile, and then asked, “I wonder if you have any difficulties in this matter? If you can help make this happen sooner, I am willing to lend a hand.”

Hearing this, Xu Tian's heart stirred, and he said, "Alas, to be honest, there are indeed difficulties, and quite significant ones at that, which are still difficult to resolve at present."

"Oh, what's the problem? Is it that you don't have enough money?"

"No, that's not it. Although I don't have much money, the shop's business supports me, and I also get some income from soap making. I'll take it slow, and it's enough for now."

My difficulty is that to realize my ideas, I need to work on metal processing and manufacturing. Now my new workshop is almost finished, and next I want to build a furnace for smelting iron.

Unfortunately, it's impossible to build a high-quality furnace right now. I'm not proficient in this kind of craftsmanship, and I don't have anyone under me who knows it. It would also be difficult to find someone who is proficient.

The families who know how to smelt iron are all very secretive about it, unwilling to teach others how to build furnaces. I haven't been able to sleep these past few days because of this worry.”

“Oh, there are things you don’t know,” Zheng Zhuangyuan teased slightly.

“Building an iron smelting furnace is no small matter. All families engaged in this trade must register with the government and are subject to its regulation. However, building an iron furnace can be difficult or extremely easy.”

"Brother Zheng, don't underestimate this method. Building a qualified and usable iron furnace is not easy. If it fails to achieve the desired result of successfully turning iron into molten iron, it's basically useless."

I understand the principles of making an iron furnace, but I've never made one myself. I'm afraid I might ruin it if I'm not careful. I want to minimize failures; money doesn't grow on trees, and there are many other things I need to spend it on.

Xu Tian retorted, arguing that he was talking without understanding the situation, and then had some other thoughts.

"Oh, by the way, Brother Zheng, you are an official with a high status. I wonder if you know anyone who knows how to smelt iron? Could you introduce me to a master craftsman to help me build this iron furnace?"

Xu Tian then proposed his new idea: to ask Zheng Zhuangyuan to help find someone.

“I don’t know any iron smelters, but there’s another way. You know, the government also has workshops, including iron smelters. My idea is to find a few skilled craftsmen from there to help you build the furnace. Wouldn’t that be faster and better?”

Zheng Zhuangyuan didn't keep anyone in suspense and said it directly.

"Find people from the government's factories?" Xu Tian didn't seem happy when he heard this.

"Brother Zheng, are you joking? Putting aside whether we can even find them, this is a very risky thing. Government officials are public officials, and using public resources for private purposes should be a major taboo in officialdom."

Besides, given Brother Zheng's current position, I imagine it wouldn't be easy for him to accomplish this smoothly. It's best not to take the risk; it's too easy to expose, and the losses outweigh the gains. Nevertheless, I still want to thank Brother Zheng for considering my situation; I appreciate your kindness.