Tianliangyuan

Chapter 374 Level Assessment

Gu Dongyang couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Oh my, that's brilliant! Your Majesty, why didn't we think of this before? To grade jade, and for the court to send specialized craftsmen in conjunction with a few major jade families to do so, is simply wonderful!"

Without the authentication certificate issued by our imperial court and without the imperial seal, these items will not be able to leave the country, nor will they be sold in any gold and silver shops within my Daxing territory. Haha, I'm delighted just thinking about it!

"I also think it's feasible. Since Minister Gu thinks there's no problem, then it's settled. Go back and discuss it with the people in the Ministry of Works, and then draft a specific plan."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Ministry of Works has top craftsmen in all walks of life.

This is not hard to find.

"Furthermore, I have decided that the headquarters of the Jade Appraisal Office will be located in Lantian County. After all, Lantian produces jade and is quite famous for it. In this way, we can attract some merchants and solve some problems nearby."

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"As for the future, if other appraisal offices are to be set up in other places, it would be best to place them near the jade mines. Also, the jade and jewelry brought by the Hu merchants must be taken to the appraisal office for appraisal first, and only after obtaining specific certificates can they be sold within the territory of Daxing. Otherwise, they will be violating the laws of Daxing."

"Yes, Your Majesty. But how should we provide this concrete proof?"

Emperor Yong'an smiled. Gu Dongyang's reaction was indeed swift; an ordinary person wouldn't immediately think of this.

After all, jade and jewelry often look similar, and some foreign merchants might bring a whole box full of jewelry, so how can this be proven?

That's easy!

Since Xu Zhaozhao dared to come up with such a move, she must have thought of this point.

"Look at this again."

Gu Dongyang took it with some skepticism, but he felt that this kind of thing was not easy to handle.

We can't just issue certificates piece by piece, can we?

On the other side, Xie Zheng went to his duty first, while Xu Zhaozhao left the palace to go home about half an hour later.

When Xie Zheng returned home after his shift, he saw Xu Zhaozhao starting to write down details again.

Xie Zheng had read some ideas about jade identification before, but he never expected that his wife could actually do it.

"You're back? Did His Majesty ask anything, or say anything?"

"His Majesty asked."

Xie Zheng repeated all the questions His Majesty had asked, something Xu Zhaozhao had anticipated.

"I wonder how Minister Gu will revise those details. I need to think about it some more, so as not to be caught off guard again."

Xie Zheng smiled: "Probably not. At least, His Majesty has clearly ordered that the appraisal office be located in Yunqi Town, Lantian County."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Well, but we'll probably have to wait a while longer for the specific details. Actually, I'm quite curious too. I can understand the jewelry and jade that the foreign merchants brought over; we can have them inspected and then issue one or more certificates of grade. But how do we issue certificates for our own jade?"

Xu Zhaozhao chuckled: "What's so difficult about that? It's our own jade mine. We can identify the raw stones first, and then identify the finished products."

"What do you mean?"

This part was added by Xu Zhaozhao this morning, so Xie Zheng didn't have time to read it.

Xu Zhaozhao patiently answered his questions.

"For example, if we have our own jade mine but don't have our own jade workshop, then we have to sell the raw stones. So we go to the appraisal department, get the relevant certificate, and then sell them directly to the next buyer."

Once the buyer has finished the product, they can take it to the appraisal office to obtain certificates, whether it's jewelry or cut gemstones. And because they already have the original certificate for the rough stone, the appraisal process will be easier.

"But if that's the case, the appraisal department will have a lot of work to do. How many people and how many eyes will be needed!"

"Actually, it's not that difficult. Didn't I write in the plan that we can invite a few people from jade families to send their experts to join us? At that time, those people can receive salaries from the imperial court and also contribute to their families. Why not?"

Xie Zheng was taken aback; it seemed to make sense.

But he still felt that doing this kind of thing was too troublesome.

"If it's a necklace, how do you authenticate it?"

“Simple! The artist will draw the jewelry. If it meets the standards and is graded, the craftsman will mark it on the back or elsewhere, such as with a special number. Of course, this will be a headache for Minister Gu. I have no interest in doing it.”

Xie Zheng was stunned.

Can this be done?

After his eyes darted around a few times, he nodded blankly, as if it really was a feasible plan.

Moreover, there are not many jade mines in Daxing, and they are relatively concentrated, so there is no need to set up too many appraisal offices, which is actually a very good approach.

Furthermore, the appraisal authorities will set standards for the grading of jade, and the selling price of jade will vary depending on the grade.

In this way, people who don't know much about jewelry will be less likely to be deceived.

With this appraisal office established, the imperial court naturally gained another source of income. Even if the fees were not high, little by little, over the course of a year, this office would surely be able to contribute a considerable amount of silver to the national treasury.

Tsk, he really did marry a silver spoon in his mouth.

Not only can it bring wealth to one's own family, but it can also help the imperial court solve some problems. It's really amazing!

In that instant, Xie Zheng felt as if he was no longer worthy of Xu Zhaozhao.

Xie Zheng touched the tip of his nose, feeling slightly guilty: "Zhao Zhao, are you planning to open a jade workshop too?"

Xu Zhaozhao shook her head uncertainly: "Who knows! If we can't find an expert, we'll have to give up this lucrative opportunity. To be honest, the profit margins in jade and jewelry are enormous. You wouldn't even dare to dream of it. But even if I can't make jewelry, at least I can sell the raw stones, so it's not a loss."

Of course you won't lose out.

Your raw stone was dug directly from the mountain, which is equivalent to a business with no cost. You are the source, which means you make the most money!

Xie Zheng was somewhat worried: "We must keep this matter a secret and no one should mention it again."

Xu Zhaozhao understood that he was worried about her.

Her actions will inevitably harm the interests of some people.

But so what?

Xu Zhaozhao didn't think she had done anything wrong at all.

You need to know the price of jade. If someone who knows about jade buys it, the price can be several times, ten times, or even dozens of times higher than someone who doesn't!

Ultimately, it's about taking advantage of laypeople who don't know anything and are easily fooled. Even if the buyer falls for it, there's no one to reason with.

After all, there's a saying that goes, "Gold has a price, but jade is priceless!"