hsntnovel Chapter 2711 Li Shen's 3 Conditions
Chapter 2711 Li Shen's 3 Conditions
Many people were surprised to hear Tang Jian say that he had failed.
"How could it not succeed? It's already taking shape, isn't it?"
"Yeah, if you follow the instructions and still can't make it? How is that possible?"
People started discussing it again. Li Tai and Li Zhi were both deep in thought. Was it because Yan Lide of the Ministry of Works had a good relationship with Prince Ji that he said this on purpose?
"Minister Yan, why don't you speak to His Majesty and the other officials?"
Seeing so many people were suspicious, Tang Jian turned to Yan Lide, who was standing to the side, and said something.
Yan Lide stood up, bowed to Li Shimin, then bowed to Li Shen, and said:
"Your Majesty, and gentlemen, last year our Ministry of Works was commissioned by the three ministries to replicate the four-wheeled carriage of the Prince Ji's residence."
Our ministry spent months researching, but apart from the carriages, we couldn't manufacture many other things.
There was a round thing inside that contained some beads. We studied it for two months but still couldn't figure out how to make it.
There are also parts with many gaps, which the car dealers call gears. They mesh together and require very fine precision.
We can make it, but it will take a long time, and the two may not even be a perfect match.
There are many more such things, but I won't go into detail about them here.
The four-wheeled carriage we finally made could not turn, had a load capacity of only two thousand catties, and most importantly, its parts were very fragile and would break after only a few uses.
"It is all due to the incompetence of this old minister; please punish me, Your Majesty."
Yan Lide did not hide anything and directly told them the results of their research. In fact, he wanted Prince Ji to answer his questions.
Why is this happening?
But how could Li Shen possibly tell them?
"Lord Yan, there's no need for this. It's perfectly reasonable that we can't replicate it. What crime have we committed?"
Li Shimin said with a smile.
It would be surprising if you could replicate it. The Ji Prince's Mansion invests so much money in the Academy of Sciences every year. If you could easily replicate it, wouldn't that unfilial son hang himself?
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty." Yan Lide bowed respectfully. He still hoped that His Majesty would intercede for him and clear his doubts.
They just didn't dare to say it out loud.
Li Shimin didn't say much, and he didn't mention the Academy of Sciences at all. He knew better than anyone how important Li Shen's Academy of Sciences was.
Many of the blueprints in his study came from the Academy of Sciences and must not be noticed by others.
"See? I'm right, right?"
Li Shen raised an eyebrow at Li Zhi. The kid's still young.
Li Zhi snorted and turned his head away. He hadn't expected that the carriage of the Prince Ji's residence couldn't be replicated.
"Gentlemen, how about this? In order to show my respect to my father, I can reduce the price by another fifty strings of cash, making it two hundred and fifty strings of cash per carriage."
What do you think? This is the lowest price I can offer.
Li Shen stood up and went to Li Shimin's side; he had to flatter him.
"Really?" Tang Jian was pleasantly surprised. He had thought that three hundred strings of cash was inevitable.
"Of course it's true, how could I joke about my father?"
Li Shen's face hardened, and he looked somewhat displeased.
"Your Highness, please forgive me. This old minister thanks Your Highness." Tang Jian quickly smiled apologetically.
"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Ji." Changsun Wuji and the other two also stood up. Two hundred and fifty strings of cash for a carriage was already quite good.
It may seem like a lot of money was spent, but in the long run, it's definitely worth it.
"However, I have one condition." Before these people could rejoice, Li Shen spoke again.
"What are Your Highness's conditions?" Tang Jian became nervous again. Could it be that the price would be increased at the last minute?
"First, a thousand carriages are too many, so I need time to produce them and deliver them all within a year."
Secondly, as you know, a carriage has many parts. In order to make your carriage last longer,
Regular maintenance must be performed according to our requirements.
Third, if the carriage is damaged, it must be repaired at our shop; it cannot be repaired elsewhere.
If discovered, we will no longer provide any repairs for this vehicle.
Do you understand?"
Li Shen counted on his fingers and put forward three requirements.
"Um... Your Highness Prince Ji, what is regular maintenance?" Yan Lide stood up and asked, as he had never heard of the term before.
"Regular maintenance means that after the carriage has been used for a period of time, it needs to be brought to the carriage shop for a comprehensive inspection to see if any parts are damaged and to apply our specially made lubricant."
This is also to prevent the carriage from being damaged during transport, thus avoiding unnecessary losses.
Li Shen began to explain to everyone.
"Then why must it be repaired at the Prince Ji's carriage shop? Except for some important parts, the Ministry of Works can handle the rest."
For example, the car body and wheels are made of wood, which the workshop can replace.
Changsun Wuji also spoke up to ask.
"Well... it's also for the safety of your carriages. Our wheels are all fixed in size, the frame thickness is standardized, and the holes in the middle of the wheels are also carefully designed."
We also have strict requirements regarding the weight and material of the carriage panels.
Your Ministry of Works is unfamiliar with these matters. Unauthorized modifications and repairs might damage important components. If that happens, don't blame us for the poor quality of our carriages.
Li Shen began to speak eloquently, explaining why he had reduced the price by fifty strings of cash—it was for these few conditions.
This was an idea that Li Shen suddenly came up with; after all, he could still make a profit of 250 guan.
After listening to Li Shen's words, everyone felt that what he said made sense, for some reason.
Something that even Gongbu couldn't replicate must be no ordinary carriage; it can't be easily repaired by anyone.
"May I ask, Your Highness Prince Ji, are there any fees for maintenance and repairs?"
Tang Jian asked, not caring about any other requirements, he only cared about how much money was needed.
Li Shen nodded:
"Of course, but don't worry, since I've already sold the carriages to you at cost, I certainly won't charge you extra."
I hereby promise that the purchase of a carriage will include five free maintenance services. The carriage will be repaired free of charge, and the cost of replacing parts will be charged only.
This is also my contribution to the court as His Majesty's son.
"Excellent! As expected of a prince, His Majesty has done a good job in educating his son."
"Yes, His Highness Prince Ji is indeed benevolent and virtuous, sharing the burdens of the court."
"After all, he is a prince, and he never backs down when faced with matters of principle."
After Li Shen finished speaking, he was met with cheers from the audience.
Li Chengqian smiled but remained silent. Li Shimin raised one eyelid, glanced at Li Shen, and then closed his eyes to rest.
Li Shen clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, then smiled and called out to those below:
"You flatter me, you flatter me, you are too kind, haha, it's all thanks to my father's good teaching, his good teaching."
(Do you guys have any ways to cure laziness? I only write when I absolutely have to.)