Chapter 240

Su Qiao's eyes grew even brighter.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself,

"Old Zhu, Old Zhu, this time I'll help you once more. If you can't figure it out on your own, then don't blame me."

Having said that, Su Qiao gripped the Great Ming Baochao in his hand, stood up on his own, and began scanning the courtyard for a handy tool.

The pattern on this Great Ming Baochao was not difficult to imitate.

One could simply trace the outline with a chisel along the one in his hand.

Su Qiao examined the Baochao before him closely.

Then he glanced at the mulberry bark paper in his study and also spotted a few clues.

Although this mulberry bark paper was similar in every other aspect,

its color was slightly greenish.

Su Qiao's brows furrowed tightly.

Only then did he realize.

The mulberry bark paper used to print the Great Ming Baochao must have been mixed with some other material.

But where could he possibly go to inquire what was mixed into this mulberry bark paper!

Just as Su Qiao was about to give up on his grand plan of "printing counterfeit banknotes,"

he happened to glance at Jiang Huan, who had come to inspect the post.

The two Embroidered Uniform Guards stationed at his gate clasped their hands together and said,

"Grand Commander!"

Jiang Huan nodded slightly. Just as he was about to proceed to the next checkpoint to investigate, Su Qiao immediately raised his hand and shouted,

"Commander Jiang!"

Jiang Huan, stopped by Su Qiao's call, was taken aback.

He walked over with a puzzled expression and asked,

"Lord Su, is there something you wish to instruct?"

Su Qiao immediately sat down nearby and smiled,

"Nothing, Commander Jiang. Come sit and chat with me for a while."

Jiang Huan looked at Su Qiao with a face full of astonishment.

This was the first time Su Qiao had actively asked him to stay and chat.

Having said that, Su Qiao brushed the Baochao in his hand and sighed,

"As the saying goes, even a single coin can bring a hero to his knees."

Hearing this, Jiang Huan couldn't help but frown with worry.

As if opening a floodgate, he sat opposite Su Qiao and began to pour out his grievances.

"Who says otherwise?"

"The words of the older generation are truly correct; rice in Chang'an is expensive, and living in Chang'an is no easy feat."

"We only have such a small salary each month."

"You, Lord Su, are in a better position; you suddenly acquired this entire residence out of nowhere."

"I know a few Hanlin academicians over at the Hanlin Academy; they have entered the court for five years now, yet they can only rent a place in Beicheng."

"The price of a residence on Qianmen Street changes every day."

Bringing up this matter,

Jiang Huan felt a surge of frustration in his heart.

"Lord Su, don't look at me as if I'm all glorious and prosperous every day. I currently only have a single-courtyard residence bestowed by Your Majesty at the founding of the dynasty."

"It's not much bigger than yours, Lord Su."

"My household has several more people than yours, Lord Su."

"My two daughters are grown now. If I want to change to a larger residence, with such a meager fixed salary, how many years will it take me to save up!"

Su Qiao imitated Jiang Huan's manner and sighed,

"Indeed. Last night I even dreamed that I had carved a printing block and was printing Baochao at home, laughing myself awake."

Hearing this, Jiang Huan couldn't help but burst out laughing,

"Lord Su, if you had been like this earlier, would you have fallen to this state today?"

"His Majesty values you highly. If you just said a few good words to Your Majesty, let alone rewards,"

"even if you made some old official documents yourself and printed some Baochao, what could Your Majesty do to you?"

Hearing this, Su Qiao's eyes suddenly brightened.

"So the Baochao is just mixed with some official documents?"

Jiang Huan didn't care at all.

He pulled his sleeve, picked up his tea cup, and said,

"Does Lord Su not know this? Where do you think all the discarded official documents collected annually by the Gedaya Sect go?"

"The Bureau of Baochao Production relies on these documents from us to survive."

Hearing this, Su Qiao's eyes brightened once more.

He squinted and examined the Baochao before him again.

It did indeed seem as Jiang Huan had described.

In fact, compared to the mulberry bark paper,

the paper used for official documents in the palace had a better texture.

And the better the quality of this paper, the easier it is to control the source.

Mixing this stuff into the mulberry bark paper pulp, the color after drying should be nearly identical to the bluish-gray of the Great Ming Treasure Notes.

Thinking of this,

Su Qiao immediately perked up.

He patted Jiang Huan's shoulder and said,

"Commandant Jiang, it's done. Go attend to your affairs; I apologize for stirring up that sorrow of yours."

Jiang Huan patted his chest and said,

"What's there to it? It's done. We take our leave."

With that, Jiang Huan picked up his sidearm and then slowly walked out of Su Qiao's small courtyard.

Watching Jiang Huan's back, Su Qiao couldn't help but mutter,

"Jiang Huan is actually not a bad copy."

"Never mind."

"Since we have met, it is fate; let's gift Commandant Jiang a large mansion."

The moment Su Qiao finished speaking,

Jiang Huan, who had just left Su Qiao's small courtyard, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine...

143, Su Qiao: I printed it myself! ~

After Jiang Huan left,

Su Qiao surveyed the meager assets he had left.

After hesitating a moment, he took out all the scattered silver he had remaining.

He shoved it all into the hands of an Embroidered Uniform Guard standing nearby and said,

"Go outside and buy some mulberry bark paper. This official needs it."

"Yes."

After all, Su Qiao was still a man of the Donggong.

Just the Donggong nameplate alone was enough to be intimidating.

Moreover, Su Qiao had already caused such a scene, yet Zhu Yuanzhang had several times refrained from actually beheading him.

These Embroidered Uniform Guards dared not show the slightest negligence.

As long as the request wasn't excessive, these men would still try their best to satisfy Su Qiao.

Not long after,

those two Embroidered Uniform Guards returned to the courtyard carrying a huge stack of mulberry bark paper.