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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 called ugly; the edges were uneven, the paper was yellowed, some parts thick while others thin, and it was pockmarked.
Yet everyone gathered around it, staring intently, finding it incredibly beautiful. They were cautious, afraid to touch it or even breathe, fearing that this first piece of paper might be damaged.
The yellowed paper reflected in their pupils, shining like burning sparks of stars.
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 sure 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 universal love and non-aggression that they upheld?
"Left Chancellor is here!" a young disciple announced as he entered.
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 "color" three times.
Not long ago, Ying Zheng had not only restored his official position but also entrusted him with handling paper-making and copying books, a task that should have been given 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," one of the Mohists observed carefully.
Li Si stroked his beard, quite satisfied; this Mohist technique was useful. In the future, Heavenscape would surely bring forth other things, providing many opportunities for collaboration. He didn't mind fighting for something for Mohism; it would be like making a good deal that would lead to more pleasant cooperation later on.
No matter how things went for Mohism, it couldn't possibly garner more favor from His Majesty than Legalism could, right?
However, what Li Si did not expect was that behind him, a hundred flowers—no, a hundred schools—would bloom 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 his desk and thought he was seeing things.
He distributed the paper to Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Wei Zifu, and some ministers. The ministers were almost in tears; His Majesty 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 simply the way of human relationships. Li Shimin found it amusing and thought about keeping it as a memento, appreciating the goodwill from future generations.
Little did he know that Cheng Yaojin, catching a whiff of the paper, shamelessly came over to grab 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 was puzzled: "Do you really need those few sheets of paper?"
"It's different; this is a gift from our junior," they replied. A gift that crossed a millennium—who wouldn't want it? Even if it was just a piece of paper within their reach.
Zhu Di received the paper sent by White Jade and proudly showed it off, carefree like a young man. "Look, the paper from Heavenscape!"
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 steadily increasing. However, while observing the progress, she saw many suffering commoners—some enduring natural disasters, others facing man-made calamities or being randomly killed by the powerful.
They belonged to different dynasties and faced various environments and disasters, but they shared roughened knuckles from years of labor and bent spines crushed by life and class oppression. Their eyes were dull and lifeless...
This sight made White Jade feel quite distressed. Perhaps she could do something?
Next time, she decided to focus on agriculture instead of discussing printing technology alongside papermaking as originally planned. But first and foremost was ensuring everyone had enough to eat!
Without hesitation, she got to work since this was her way of making money—and big money at that—so White Jade was full of energy. 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 planting; it seemed she would also need to go to the countryside to acquire their reserved seeds later on.
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 felt great. She left the house early, thinking that since she could teleport things 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; her 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 adjourned. The people in the room were still having a small meeting. Ying Zheng rubbed his temples; he hadn’t slept all night, and dark circles were forming under his eyes. The paper had been successfully developed, and based on its invention, he had issued some policies while others needed further deliberation.
Even though he worked tirelessly with these ministers, the tasks at hand were piling up, and problems kept arising.
There were still too few capable people under him.
White Jade sighed; this group was really overworked, even holding meetings during overtime.
Considering this, White Jade sent many portions to Ying Zheng so that everyone could share.
Curious, Ying Zheng 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 in their stomachs.
"That little junior really respects His Majesty," someone remarked.
Ying Zheng slowly lowered his gaze, noncommittal, but being liked by others always lifted one's spirits slightly.
Hehe, feeding 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 who were intensely discussing matters below instantly froze, unsure which remark had upset His Majesty.
"Come here," Ying Zheng said slowly, gritting his teeth. "Put that group of sorcerers into prison."
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