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墨書 Inktalez
Since the last broadcast of Heavenscape, people everywhere have begun a paper-making craze.
"Success!"
A student of Mohism exclaimed as he looked at the paper in front of him.
"Let me see! Let me see!"
"Hey, don't push me!"
The paper, compared to the beauty showcased in Heavenscape, could even be described as ugly; its edges were uneven, it was yellowed, some parts thick while others thin, and it had bumps and hollows.
Yet everyone gathered around, staring at it intently, finding it incredibly beautiful. They were cautious, afraid to touch it or even breathe too hard, fearing that this first piece of paper might be damaged.
The yellowed paper reflected in their pupils, shining like burning sparks.
The flame of written communication was ignited here.
One student suddenly sniffled and reddened his eyes, "This is great; we Mohists can continue."
The crowd fell silent.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang favored Legalism and did not share their Mohist ideals of universal love and non-aggression; they could faintly sense His Majesty's dislike for Mohism.
Mohism had gradually declined, and the emergence of Heavenscape provided them with an opportunity, but what about the future? No one could say for certain what lay ahead.
No one wanted to see Mohism decline, but would they cater to Qin Shi Huang? Would such a Mohism still be the same universal love and non-aggression that they upheld?
"Left Chancellor is coming!" a young disciple announced.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Si hurried in and immediately spotted the paper surrounded by the Mohists.
"Color! Color! Color!"
Li Si was extremely pleased, repeating the word three times.
Not long ago, Ying Zheng not only restored his official position but also entrusted him with handling paper-making and copying books, a task that should have been assigned to the Confucians!
Under the pained gazes of the crowd, Li Si picked up a brush and wrote something down.
"The paper is a bit too thin; the ink has seeped through. We just need to experiment a bit more to find the right amount," said one of the Mohists after careful observation.
Li Si stroked his beard, quite satisfied; this Mohist technique was useful. In the future, Heavenscape would surely bring forth other innovations, and there would be plenty of opportunities for collaboration. He didn't mind striving for something for Mohism; it was just a goodwill gesture that would make future cooperation more pleasant.
No matter how things went for Mohism, it couldn't possibly be more favored by His Majesty than his Legalist faction, right?
However, what Li Si didn't expect was that behind him came a flourishing scene—no, rather, a hundred schools blooming together.
Speaking of Liu Che's side, he also enthusiastically began paper-making; when he got up, he saw a dazzling stack of white on the table and thought he was seeing things.
He distributed paper to Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Wei Zifu, and several ministers. The ministers were almost in tears; the Emperor finally thought of them. When he learned that both Wei Qing and Huo Qubing had received paper from Heavenscape, he was left speechless. Silence was destined to be the norm.
Although Emperor Taizong of Tang had already received paper from elsewhere, White Jade still sent over a stack. This was the way of human relationships. Li Shimin found it amusing yet helpless; realizing this was a kind gesture from future generations, he thought about keeping it as a memento.
Little did he know that Cheng Yaojin, having caught wind of it, shamelessly came over to take a few sheets. Before he could pack them up, Changsun Wuji, Du Ruhui, and Fang Xuanling arrived as if they had made an appointment, and even Wei Zheng showed up?!
Er Feng asked in confusion, "Do you really need those few sheets of paper?"
"It's different; this is a gift from our junior," they replied. A gift that transcended a thousand years—who wouldn't want it? Even if it was just a piece of paper easily within their reach.
Zhu Di received the paper sent by White Jade and proudly showed it off, carefree like a young man. "Look at the paper Heavenscape gave me!"
Zhu Yuanzhang shot him a glance and disdainfully said, "It's just paper; what's so special about it?"
"It's just~ paper~" Before he could finish his sentence, his father kicked him away.
White Jade glanced at the papermaking progress across various dynasties; they were all about the same, and her points were rapidly increasing. However, while observing the progress, she saw many suffering commoners—some had endured natural disasters, others had faced wars or were randomly killed by the powerful.
Though they belonged to different dynasties and faced various environments and calamities, they shared roughened knuckles from years of labor and backs bent under the weight of life and class oppression. Their eyes were dull and lifeless...
This sight made White Jade feel quite uncomfortable. Perhaps she could do something?
Next time, she decided to talk about agriculture instead of focusing on printing technology paired with papermaking. But first and foremost was ensuring people had enough to eat!
Determined to take action since this was her way of making money—and substantial money at that—White Jade got right to work. She first went to a bookstore to buy a pile of agricultural books, then headed to a seed store to purchase a large quantity of vegetable, fruit, and grain seeds. She bought so much that she had to rent a small warehouse for delivery.
However, most modern seeds cannot be saved for future planting; it seemed she would need to go to the countryside later to acquire their reserved seeds.
After finally finishing up, it was already late at night. White Jade's feet were peeling, and her calves ached. After a quick shower, she went to bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
The next morning, because she had gone to bed early the night before, White Jade was in great spirits. She left the house early, thinking that since she could teleport items now, she might as well bring some good food for His Majesty to try.
There really wasn't much good food in the Qin Dynasty; my brother Zheng was having a tough time.
So...
Ying Zheng received breakfast: soup dumplings and red date millet porridge. For modern people, this was quite early, but in ancient times, it was just after court had ended. The people in the room were still having a small meeting. Ying Zheng rubbed his temples; he hadn't slept all night, and there were dark circles under his eyes. The paper had been successfully developed, and based on its invention, he had issued some policies while others still needed to be carefully considered.
Even though he was working hard with these ministers, the tasks piled up like mountains, and problems kept arising one after another. There were still too few capable people under him.
White Jade sighed; this group of people was too intense, even holding meetings after hours. Considering this, she sent many portions to Ying Zheng, just enough for everyone to share.
Ying Zheng curiously picked up a soup dumpling and waved away those who wanted to taste it first. The dumpling was still steaming, white and soft. He took a bite; the delicate skin and tender meat were delicious!
Ying Zheng squinted his eyes in satisfaction, wondering what this white skin was made of...
He set aside the whole red date and ordered someone to see if they could find such fruit.
Wang Jian was sipping a bowl of red date millet porridge. The bland taste that seemed unappealing to modern people was just right for them; the sweetness from the red dates combined with the thick porridge felt wonderful going down.
His stomach felt extremely comfortable.
"This young junior truly respects His Majesty."
Ying Zheng slowly lowered his gaze, noncommittal, but being liked by others always lifted one's spirits slightly.
Hehe, feeding Brother Zheng is just too enjoyable!
Ah, right! There’s also the elixir; this thing is poisonous. White Jade quickly messaged Ying Zheng about the elixir issue and reminded him at the end not to kill the sorcerers yet as they were still useful.
Originally in a good mood, Ying Zheng... suddenly darkened his expression.
The ministers sitting below who were engaged in heated discussion instantly froze, unsure which remark had offended His Majesty.
"Come here," Ying Zheng said slowly, gritting his teeth. "Put that group of sorcerers into prison."
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