Chapter 222: 222
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"Might I remind you three I have yet to be formally engaged and am not yet married into the family. You guys might be fine with it but the Palace servants and ministers are going to talk, you know." She responded more casually but still kept a formal distance from them.
"I personally don't think it's much of a problem..." Rong Jian mumbled, scratching his cheek.
"Don't underestimate those old geezers. If you step on their bottom line in any way, they can make your life a living hell. I'd rather not deal with troublesome things like that after I finally gt rid of the same proble just before." Her cold expression didn't show any emotion so she didn't look like she was arguing with them from afar. 'I remember reading about an Empress Dowager that killed her own blood daughter because some military minister decided to get uppity and threatened her with not sending reinforcements to save her son. In the end... that didn't go very well for the daughter's daughter since the Princess had gotten into a loveless marriage to deflect that minister's criticisms. I'd rather not go throught anything similar thank you very much. At least I won't be staying here in long enough intervals for that to have a serious effect. Or at least I don't plan to.' She thought to herself as she waited for the previous appointment to scram out of the Emperor's Meeting Hall.
The two Managers of Lavender Palace arrived right after, both carrying cloth bags the size of a large box and long enough to almost reach the ground when they held it by their sides. When asked what it was, they said it was materials for the meeting. Only after they finished greeting the Crown Prince and three Wangye did the door to the Emperor's Meeting Hall finally open. A minister walked out, bowed to the inside of the room, and then left after greeting everyone waiting at the foot of the stairs. Only then was the group called in for their appointment with the Emperor. Good thing they were still earlier than the appointed time when they filed in, though only by a little bit. The inside of the room, named the Meeting Hall, was as decorated as his study. In the middle of the room was a circular table with tables all around it except for one spot. Directly in front of the spot without a chair was a less decorated dragon throne than the one in the hall reserved for Morning Courts. The Emperor was sitting in that seat, presiding over all discussions around the table and with no one obstructing his view. The Crown Prince, Qiao Wangye, and Jun Wangye sat on the left side while Shen Tianyu and the two Managers sat on the right, with Zhu Wangye sitting directly across from the Emperor, in the middle of the two groups. The eunuch that led them inside closed the large wooden doors as he left, with his head still bowed. Only then did the Emperor speak.
"What matter have you come to zhen and my sons with?" The Emperor asked with his head turned the slightest bit to the right.
"Your Majesty, I have come to discuss the matter of a 'patent'." Shen Tianyu got up and bowed to him, being the leader of their little group she would naturally be the one to speak.
"A patent?" The Crown Prince took over from here, knowing his father treated words like the remaining yuan in a person's pocket and would only spare more words for their mother. The Crown Prince sat closest to the Emperor, followed by Qiao Wangye and then Jun Wangye. On the other side, Shen Tianyu was the first, followed by Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao.
"Yes. If you don't mind, I can explain the concept to everyone present." She answered his questioning tone.
The Crown Prince turned to the emperor, who gave a slight nod before turning back to Shen Tianyu and her group of three plus two cloth packages. "Go ahead."
"A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. It gives the owner of said method or product the legal right to exclude others from making, selling, and importing an invention for a certain number of years in exchange for something, such as publishing and enabling public disclosure of the invention." She explained to them.
"Ah... so that's why you wanted us here. I was wondering what I had to do with legal matters." Qiao Wangye flipped open his fan and hid the smile on his lower face behind it.
"Huh? I get why they'd want me here. Since I'm always called to these kinds of meetings but why are you here?" Jun Wangye asked him with a blank look.
Just as Qiao Wangye was about to answer, the Crown Prince cleared his throat to tell them to keep quiet and focus on the discussion at hand. They both decided to drop that question for now less they anger their elder brother. "And how exactly will that help our country's development?" He asked her when he was sure the other two had quieted down.
At this question, Shen Tianyu merely gave a small smile and looked beside her. Taking this as their cue, Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao unpacked their cloth packages, revealing stacks of documents that they had found and copied over the week. Seeing the height of the whole package, both Qiao Wangye and Jun Wangye let out sounds of surprise but no more than that. The two of them then passed out smaller packets within the pile of documents separated by pieces of blank cardboard. Everyone got one and Shen Tianyu was the one who handed the emperor's packet to him, holding it up with both hands and a bow. The Emperor took it without much hesitation. She then sat back down as her two subordinates walked around the table passing out the packets.
"In a survey we conducted with craftsmen and medical proffessionals, including physicians and doctors, inside the capital and a few nearby paces surrounding it, we found that many of them were unwilling to take more than a handful of apprentices the most. When asked the reason why, the majority of them answered that they didn't want their techniques to be stolen and or given to competitors. Only a few of them answered that they thought they couldn't handle more than that number of apprentices and a fewer number still said that it was just tradition." Shen Tianyu started after making sure everyone had one of the packets, including her and the two Managers of Lavender Palace. She picked up the first document, after making sure it was what she thought it was, and held it up fro everyone to see. "From this, we inferred that these people would be willing to accept more apprentices if there was a system implemented to protrct their intellectual property. We sent out our men again to try to reaffirm our inferrence and made another chart based on that survey." She picked up the second sheet of paper from her small stack and held that up, putting the first one to the side. "Ninety-five percent of the same group of people we surveyed the first time agreed that such a system would allow them to accept more apprenticeships and ninety-eight percent of them agreed that it would be beneficial to the and their craft. The remaining two percent were undecided but no one spoke of any disatissfaction towards such a system." She put that paper aside too and placed both her hands on the table, standing up. "With more apprentices, their crafts could spread further and more physicians can be trained in the case of the medical field. It would also allow for more competition, which forces the producers to find ways to upgrade their craft and techniques to stand out from the rest, resulting in better quality goods. Old techniques are sometimes seen in a bad light precisely because times change and societies advance. However, old craftspeople that have been successful for a long while refuse to change, partially because they have been successful and because they do not have enough time nor reputation to risk any kind of changes, making their techniques archaiac. On the other hand, apprentices have the time and reputation to spare on new innovations. Though it may fail, it can also lead to high popularity if it succeeds. And with their intellectual property protected by the government, inventors will be more at ease and not as fearful of creating new things just to get ripped off. In this way, they can invent more efficient tools for the people, and by large, the kingdom. It would also give merchants a more peaceful mind when they know they are not selling copies of other things but authentic goods, wherein they can jack up prices for their goods. Of course, in order to prevent them from taking advantage of the producers, there needs ot be laws in place so that they don't pay the producers less than what their work is worth." royal "I" reserved only for the Emperor to use, not even the Empress can use it
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"Might I remind you three I have yet to be formally engaged and am not yet married into the family. You guys might be fine with it but the Palace servants and ministers are going to talk, you know." She responded more casually but still kept a formal distance from them.
"I personally don't think it's much of a problem..." Rong Jian mumbled, scratching his cheek.
"Don't underestimate those old geezers. If you step on their bottom line in any way, they can make your life a living hell. I'd rather not deal with troublesome things like that after I finally gt rid of the same proble just before." Her cold expression didn't show any emotion so she didn't look like she was arguing with them from afar. 'I remember reading about an Empress Dowager that killed her own blood daughter because some military minister decided to get uppity and threatened her with not sending reinforcements to save her son. In the end... that didn't go very well for the daughter's daughter since the Princess had gotten into a loveless marriage to deflect that minister's criticisms. I'd rather not go throught anything similar thank you very much. At least I won't be staying here in long enough intervals for that to have a serious effect. Or at least I don't plan to.' She thought to herself as she waited for the previous appointment to scram out of the Emperor's Meeting Hall.
The two Managers of Lavender Palace arrived right after, both carrying cloth bags the size of a large box and long enough to almost reach the ground when they held it by their sides. When asked what it was, they said it was materials for the meeting. Only after they finished greeting the Crown Prince and three Wangye did the door to the Emperor's Meeting Hall finally open. A minister walked out, bowed to the inside of the room, and then left after greeting everyone waiting at the foot of the stairs. Only then was the group called in for their appointment with the Emperor. Good thing they were still earlier than the appointed time when they filed in, though only by a little bit. The inside of the room, named the Meeting Hall, was as decorated as his study. In the middle of the room was a circular table with tables all around it except for one spot. Directly in front of the spot without a chair was a less decorated dragon throne than the one in the hall reserved for Morning Courts. The Emperor was sitting in that seat, presiding over all discussions around the table and with no one obstructing his view. The Crown Prince, Qiao Wangye, and Jun Wangye sat on the left side while Shen Tianyu and the two Managers sat on the right, with Zhu Wangye sitting directly across from the Emperor, in the middle of the two groups. The eunuch that led them inside closed the large wooden doors as he left, with his head still bowed. Only then did the Emperor speak.
"What matter have you come to zhen and my sons with?" The Emperor asked with his head turned the slightest bit to the right.
"Your Majesty, I have come to discuss the matter of a 'patent'." Shen Tianyu got up and bowed to him, being the leader of their little group she would naturally be the one to speak.
"A patent?" The Crown Prince took over from here, knowing his father treated words like the remaining yuan in a person's pocket and would only spare more words for their mother. The Crown Prince sat closest to the Emperor, followed by Qiao Wangye and then Jun Wangye. On the other side, Shen Tianyu was the first, followed by Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao.
"Yes. If you don't mind, I can explain the concept to everyone present." She answered his questioning tone.
The Crown Prince turned to the emperor, who gave a slight nod before turning back to Shen Tianyu and her group of three plus two cloth packages. "Go ahead."
"A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. It gives the owner of said method or product the legal right to exclude others from making, selling, and importing an invention for a certain number of years in exchange for something, such as publishing and enabling public disclosure of the invention." She explained to them.
"Ah... so that's why you wanted us here. I was wondering what I had to do with legal matters." Qiao Wangye flipped open his fan and hid the smile on his lower face behind it.
"Huh? I get why they'd want me here. Since I'm always called to these kinds of meetings but why are you here?" Jun Wangye asked him with a blank look.
Just as Qiao Wangye was about to answer, the Crown Prince cleared his throat to tell them to keep quiet and focus on the discussion at hand. They both decided to drop that question for now less they anger their elder brother. "And how exactly will that help our country's development?" He asked her when he was sure the other two had quieted down.
At this question, Shen Tianyu merely gave a small smile and looked beside her. Taking this as their cue, Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao unpacked their cloth packages, revealing stacks of documents that they had found and copied over the week. Seeing the height of the whole package, both Qiao Wangye and Jun Wangye let out sounds of surprise but no more than that. The two of them then passed out smaller packets within the pile of documents separated by pieces of blank cardboard. Everyone got one and Shen Tianyu was the one who handed the emperor's packet to him, holding it up with both hands and a bow. The Emperor took it without much hesitation. She then sat back down as her two subordinates walked around the table passing out the packets.
"In a survey we conducted with craftsmen and medical proffessionals, including physicians and doctors, inside the capital and a few nearby paces surrounding it, we found that many of them were unwilling to take more than a handful of apprentices the most. When asked the reason why, the majority of them answered that they didn't want their techniques to be stolen and or given to competitors. Only a few of them answered that they thought they couldn't handle more than that number of apprentices and a fewer number still said that it was just tradition." Shen Tianyu started after making sure everyone had one of the packets, including her and the two Managers of Lavender Palace. She picked up the first document, after making sure it was what she thought it was, and held it up fro everyone to see. "From this, we inferred that these people would be willing to accept more apprentices if there was a system implemented to protrct their intellectual property. We sent out our men again to try to reaffirm our inferrence and made another chart based on that survey." She picked up the second sheet of paper from her small stack and held that up, putting the first one to the side. "Ninety-five percent of the same group of people we surveyed the first time agreed that such a system would allow them to accept more apprenticeships and ninety-eight percent of them agreed that it would be beneficial to the and their craft. The remaining two percent were undecided but no one spoke of any disatissfaction towards such a system." She put that paper aside too and placed both her hands on the table, standing up. "With more apprentices, their crafts could spread further and more physicians can be trained in the case of the medical field. It would also allow for more competition, which forces the producers to find ways to upgrade their craft and techniques to stand out from the rest, resulting in better quality goods. Old techniques are sometimes seen in a bad light precisely because times change and societies advance. However, old craftspeople that have been successful for a long while refuse to change, partially because they have been successful and because they do not have enough time nor reputation to risk any kind of changes, making their techniques archaiac. On the other hand, apprentices have the time and reputation to spare on new innovations. Though it may fail, it can also lead to high popularity if it succeeds. And with their intellectual property protected by the government, inventors will be more at ease and not as fearful of creating new things just to get ripped off. In this way, they can invent more efficient tools for the people, and by large, the kingdom. It would also give merchants a more peaceful mind when they know they are not selling copies of other things but authentic goods, wherein they can jack up prices for their goods. Of course, in order to prevent them from taking advantage of the producers, there needs ot be laws in place so that they don't pay the producers less than what their work is worth." royal "I" reserved only for the Emperor to use, not even the Empress can use it
"Might I remind you three I have yet to be formally engaged and am not yet married into the family. You guys might be fine with it but the Palace servants and ministers are going to talk, you know." She responded more casually but still kept a formal distance from them."I personally don't think it's much of a problem..." Rong Jian mumbled, scratching his cheek."Don't underestimate those old geezers. If you step on their bottom line in any way, they can make your life a living hell. I'd rather not deal with troublesome things like that after I finally gt rid of the same proble just before." Her cold expression didn't show any emotion so she didn't look like she was arguing with them from afar. 'I remember reading about an Empress Dowager that killed her own blood daughter because some military minister decided to get uppity and threatened her with not sending reinforcements to save her son. In the end... that didn't go very well for the daughter's daughter since the Princess had gotten into a loveless marriage to deflect that minister's criticisms. I'd rather not go throught anything similar thank you very much. At least I won't be staying here in long enough intervals for that to have a serious effect. Or at least I don't plan to.' She thought to herself as she waited for the previous appointment to scram out of the Emperor's Meeting Hall.The two Managers of Lavender Palace arrived right after, both carrying cloth bags the size of a large box and long enough to almost reach the ground when they held it by their sides. When asked what it was, they said it was materials for the meeting. Only after they finished greeting the Crown Prince and three Wangye did the door to the Emperor's Meeting Hall finally open. A minister walked out, bowed to the inside of the room, and then left after greeting everyone waiting at the foot of the stairs. Only then was the group called in for their appointment with the Emperor. Good thing they were still earlier than the appointed time when they filed in, though only by a little bit. The inside of the room, named the Meeting Hall, was as decorated as his study. In the middle of the room was a circular table with tables all around it except for one spot. Directly in front of the spot without a chair was a less decorated dragon throne than the one in the hall reserved for Morning Courts. The Emperor was sitting in that seat, presiding over all discussions around the table and with no one obstructing his view. The Crown Prince, Qiao Wangye, and Jun Wangye sat on the left side while Shen Tianyu and the two Managers sat on the right, with Zhu Wangye sitting directly across from the Emperor, in the middle of the two groups. The eunuch that led them inside closed the large wooden doors as he left, with his head still bowed. Only then did the Emperor speak."What matter have you come to zhen and my sons with?" The Emperor asked with his head turned the slightest bit to the right."Your Majesty, I have come to discuss the matter of a 'patent'." Shen Tianyu got up and bowed to him, being the leader of their little group she would naturally be the one to speak."A patent?" The Crown Prince took over from here, knowing his father treated words like the remaining yuan in a person's pocket and would only spare more words for their mother. The Crown Prince sat closest to the Emperor, followed by Qiao Wangye and then Jun Wangye. On the other side, Shen Tianyu was the first, followed by Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao."Yes. If you don't mind, I can explain the concept to everyone present." She answered his questioning tone.The Crown Prince turned to the emperor, who gave a slight nod before turning back to Shen Tianyu and her group of three plus two cloth packages. "Go ahead.""Apatentis an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. It gives the owner of said method or product the legal right to exclude others from making, selling, and importing an invention for a certain number of years in exchange for something, such as publishing and enabling public disclosure of the invention." She explained to them."Ah... so that's why you wanted us here. I was wondering what I had to do with legal matters." Qiao Wangye flipped open his fan and hid the smile on his lower face behind it."Huh? I get why they'd want me here. Since I'm always called to these kinds of meetings but why are you here?" Jun Wangye asked him with a blank look.Just as Qiao Wangye was about to answer, the Crown Prince cleared his throat to tell them to keep quiet and focus on the discussion at hand. They both decided to drop that question for now less they anger their elder brother."And how exactly will that help our country's development?" He asked her when he was sure the other two had quieted down.At this question, Shen Tianyu merely gave a small smile and looked beside her. Taking this as their cue, Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao unpacked their cloth packages, revealing stacks of documents that they had found and copied over the week. Seeing the height of the whole package, both Qiao Wangye and Jun Wangye let out sounds of surprise but no more than that. The two of them then passed out smaller packets within the pile of documents separated by pieces of blank cardboard. Everyone got one and Shen Tianyu was the one who handed the emperor's packet to him, holding it up with both hands and a bow. The Emperor took it without much hesitation. She then sat back down as her two subordinates walked around the table passing out the packets."In a survey we conducted with craftsmen and medical proffessionals, including physicians and doctors, inside the capital and a few nearby paces surrounding it, we found that many of them were unwilling to take more than a handful of apprentices the most. When asked the reason why, the majority of them answered that they didn't want their techniques to be stolen and or given to competitors. Only a few of them answered that they thought they couldn't handle more than that number of apprentices and a fewer number still said that it was just tradition." Shen Tianyu started after making sure everyone had one of the packets, including her and the two Managers of Lavender Palace. She picked up the first document, after making sure it was what she thought it was, and held it up fro everyone to see. "From this, we inferred that these people would be willing to accept more apprentices if there was a system implemented to protrct their intellectual property. We sent out our men again to try to reaffirm our inferrence and made another chart based on that survey." She picked up the second sheet of paper from her small stack and held that up, putting the first one to the side. "Ninety-five percent of the same group of people we surveyed the first time agreed that such a system would allow them to accept more apprenticeships and ninety-eight percent of them agreed that it would be beneficial to the and their craft. The remaining two percent were undecided but no one spoke of any disatissfaction towards such a system." She put that paper aside too and placed both her hands on the table, standing up. "With more apprentices, their crafts could spread further and more physicians can be trained in the case of the medical field. It would also allow for more competition, which forces the producers to find ways to upgrade their craft and techniques to stand out from the rest, resulting in better quality goods. Old techniques are sometimes seen in a bad light precisely because times change and societies advance. However, old craftspeople that have been successful for a long while refuse to change, partially because they have been successful and because they do not have enough time nor reputation to risk any kind of changes, making their techniques archaiac. On the other hand, apprentices have the time and reputation to spare on new innovations. Though it may fail, it can also lead to high popularity if it succeeds. And with their intellectual property protected by the government, inventors will be more at ease and not as fearful of creating new things just to get ripped off. In this way, they can invent more efficient tools for the people, and by large, the kingdom. It would also give merchants a more peaceful mind when they know they are not selling copies of other things but authentic goods, wherein they can jack up prices for their goods. Of course, in order to prevent them from taking advantage of the producers, there needs ot be laws in place so that they don't pay the producers less than what their work is worth."royal "I" reserved only for the Emperor to use, not even the Empress can use it
