Chapter 2079: 2076: Yield or Face the Challenge

Capítulo 2079: Chapter 2076: Yield or Face the Challenge

“But marble is very expensive, we can’t afford it.” The main issue is the raw materials; these minerals are all controlled by the imperial court.

Even the development of iron ore mining is so difficult, let alone other mineral resources. She gave up this idea from the start.

So she could only settle for slate.

But even if the slate is neat, it doesn’t look that great; the neater the slate, the more expensive the price. Just based on the capital’s prices, a one-meter piece of slate costs around six to seven hundred wen.

And to cover the entire garden, at least five to six hundred pieces are needed, which would cost more than three hundred taels.

This is also why house prices in the capital are expensive, the cheapest is over five hundred taels.

Of course, Ye Muyu is very meticulous and insists on high-quality slate.

There are also many families whose houses don’t have slate flooring, just a path made from small stones, or a corridor built beside it, so they don’t have to worry about wet feet when it rains.

No one has spent so lavishly, buying stones that are both smooth and flat, which naturally drives up the price.

At this time, Ye Muyu really misses modern tiles and cement.

To mass-produce tiles, given the current backward technology of Great Chu, it’s hard to achieve. Just the second step of ball milling isn’t something easily done manually.

Of course, there are some precursor products to tiles at this time.

But generally, they’re extremely rare and expensive, even if she wanted to improve them, there’s no way.

Then there’s cement.

Compared to tiles, the production of cement is much simpler.

But cement as a product.

There are different varieties of cement; even in modern times, mature cement requires iron ore, coal, clay, and so on.

There’s a lot of yellow soil around the capital, but little clay.

To use clay, it needs to be transported from other places.

Not only is this time-consuming and laborious, but it’s also impossible to mass-produce.

Given the inconvenient transportation now, it’s naturally best to source materials locally.

Fortunately, Ye Muyu knows of a somewhat inferior cement made by burning yellow soil, resulting in a yellowish color, and while its hardness isn’t as good as mature modern products, it’s still much better than a muddy ground.

Ye Muyu thought for a moment and decided to discuss the cement issue with Chu Heng.

After speaking, she looked at him expectantly, “Do you think I can make this thing?”

If she succeeds in making cement, it definitely has to be offered to the Emperor. After all, at this time, if subjects hoard valuable items, especially something of this value, the crime is significant.

If they encounter a narrow-minded Emperor, it could directly result in execution.

While Emperor Xuanming may not be that direct, he would likely suspect Chu Heng.

Therefore, if the cement is produced, they probably can’t profit from this business themselves, otherwise it’s tantamount to opposing the Emperor.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to offer it, I’m just afraid that once the Emperor gets it, he might suspect we have ulterior motives.” Ye Muyu was genuinely displeased with this era of royal power.

Still, inevitably, this must be dealt with.

Chu Heng reached out to rub her head, “Ah Yu, you’re worried about me, aren’t you?”

“Huh?” Ye Muyu diverted her gaze somewhat guiltily.

Chu Heng gently turned her face to meet his gaze, his eyes soft, “I know you’re worried about me, otherwise you would have already secretly worked on this thing yourself.”

“It’s not really that, if I were an ordinary commoner, wouldn’t it be dangerous for me too? Anyone who sees such a good thing would be tempted.” Ye Muyu hastily waved her hands to clarify, fearing he might overthink.