Chapter 151 - Fight till the End
“Royal Father, your son has lived in seclusion for many years. He thinks that he is far from the world of mortals and is tired of the world of mortals. He has even thought of becoming a monk.” First Prince wiped his tears and cried, “This son of mine established a temple hall at home and wrote Buddhist scriptures every day. I only hope that I can repay Royal Father's kindness in raising him.”
Tang Yue rubbed his arms and wanted to rub off the goosebumps all over his body. He said to himself, “These are all acting skills!”
Crown Prince Zhao glanced at him and picked up a dish for him. “Just listen.” Don't take it seriously!
“If it wasn't for the fact that the duke had woken me up, I would still be guarding the green lamp in the temple hall.”
“Bastard! Why do you have such thoughts at such a young age?” King of South Jin looked at his eldest son, who had suddenly matured, and sighed in his heart.
His parents liked his first child. Everyone knew how much King of South Jin doted on First Prince in the past. Moreover, First Prince's mother was King of South Jin's first woman. She had served him since he was young, and there was a great deal of love between them.
If it wasn't for the fact that he had provoked the male lover of the harem, he would definitely have taken a seat in the Imperial Court today.
“Royal Father, this son knows his mistakes, he truly knows his mistakes…” First Prince prostrated on the ground, tears streaming down his face. It was truly moving.
“That's why I have been preparing this painting ever since half a year ago. Every day, I have been painting this beautiful mountain and river, and I always miss Royal Father.”
King of South Jin shook his head and said, “Forget it. How long has it been? You have also been punished. Stand up.”
“Thank you, Royal Father. In the future, I will definitely change my mind and become a new person.”
The minister immediately stood up and said, “This year is a happy occasion. This means that the king has a good rule and has a good rule.”
Everyone could not help but agree, “The king is wise!”
“Haha…” King of South Jin was also very happy and laughed until he could not close his mouth.
No prince dared to compete with Crown Prince Zhao in the future, Crown Prince Zhao stood up and did not give up.
“Ninth brother has just been conferred the crown prince title. This year's congratulatory gift must be a little new. What bow and sword are you talking about? None of us can appreciate it.” Wang Zixian looked like he was joking.
King of South Jin was not unhappy at all. Instead, he defended Crown Prince Zhao. “Zhao Er was at the border in the past. Getting a good bow and a good sword is the best gift.”
“Royal Father is right. It's just that Ninth Brother returned victorious this year. I wonder what good things he found in Ye City for you, Royal Father.”
King of South Jin was also looking forward to it. He had seen all kinds of treasures. They were priceless and full of sincerity, but the gifts given by his son were always different.
Crown Prince Zhao was holding a sandalwood box with both hands. The box was very exquisite, and people could guess that it must be a priceless treasure.
“Royal Father, I did get a good thing this year. Although it is not good looking and doesn't have a good meaning, it can benefit the people.”
“Oh? What kind of treasure is it?” King of South Jin couldn't wait any longer.
“I didn't expect Ninth Brother to be so talkative when he grew up. I can't wait to hear what he said.” First Prince praised him.
Crown Prince Zhao didn't have a good impression of his elder brother. He hated him more than Wang Zixian, but he didn't show it on his face. He just handed the box to the servant and passed it to King of South Jin.
King of South Jin carefully opened the box. His eyes froze for a few seconds before he let out a puzzled voice, “Eh… What is this?”
He took out the book from the wooden box and looked at it. There were three big words written on the book's cover: “Three Character Classic.”
“Royal Father, this is a book bound in paper. It is a copy of the Three Character Classic. You can read it.”
The benefits of paper could not be fully described at the moment. No matter how many people did not experience it personally, they would not be able to imagine it. Crown Prince Zhao had this kind of experience, so instead of boasting, it was better to let King of South Jin figure it out himself.
Everyone watched helplessly as King of South Jin flipped through the pages of the booklet. The speed was very slow, as if each page was carved with a beautiful picture of a lady, making people unable to leave their eyes.
When King of South Jin flipped to the last page, he still wanted to turn it back. From time to time, he rubbed the feel of the paper with his fingers, or he shone it on the light.
“What did you just say it was called?”
“It was a book made of paper. The thin pages were paper.”
“Paper?”
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the book in King of South Jin's hand. Paper was undoubtedly unfamiliar to them. If it was bound into a book, it must be something good.
Usually, most people used bamboo slips. Putting aside the weight, it was also quite troublesome to make a blank bamboo slip. Every day, they had to use a carriage to pull the memorials into the palace. Looking at the book in King of South Jin's hand, it seemed to be weightless.
“May I ask Crown Prince, how did you make this… paper? Can you promote it in large amounts?”
“It's not convenient to tell me about the production process, but I can guarantee that this paper will replace the bamboo slip and even become the most important improvement in South Jin. It will leave a heavy mark on the history books.”
“Crown Prince, you are exaggerating. It is just a carrier of writing. Be it the bamboo slip or the fabric, it is not much different.”
Crown Prince Zhao glanced at First Prince indifferently. “Brother Wang said that he has been copying Buddhist scriptures at home every day. I wonder how many copies he has made over the years.”
“Of course there are many of them.”
“There are at least a thousand words in one Buddhist scripture,” Crown Prince Zhao said. “There are only a few hundred words in one bamboo scroll. Brother Wang has been copying scriptures day and day. I'm afraid that the mansion has already piled up a few books in several courtyards. “Why don't you bring me to take a look in a different day? I believe that the scene must be very spectacular!”
“Pu!” Tang Yue couldn't help but laugh. It seemed like he didn't have to worry that Crown Prince Zhao would be surrounded by people in the royal court. He wasn't a glutton.
“Zhao'er, come up here!” King of South Jin waved at Crown Prince Zhao and asked him to come up to the stage.
King of South Jin wanted to know how the paper was made. If the cost was too high, it would not be suitable for widespread use. He was not stupid. He knew that the technology must be kept secret. Otherwise, if it was spread out, what profit would South Jin have?
“Yes.” Crown Prince Zhao walked to the throne and stood three steps away from King of South Jin.
“Why are you so far away? When you were young, Royal Father held you in his arms.”
Crown Prince Zhao took two more steps forward. This time, he could not go any further. King of South Jin could only ask him in a low voice, “Why are you so far away? Tell Royal Father how this paper was made. Is it rare and precious to use it?”
“No. The process of making paper is simple. The raw materials used are mostly things like Master's rags. It doesn't affect anything.”
“Can be mass produced?”
“Yes.”
[It can be widely used in books?]
“Not only books, it can also be used to record books. There is one more thing… Crown Prince Zhao looked back at Tang Yue and coughed. Even the handkerchief can be used in the toilet.”
For ordinary people, after going to the toilet, they could only use the branches and bamboo slices to shave. The houses of the rich and powerful were naturally more expensive. They were all made of fabric.
King of South Jin stroked the cover of the book, and only after a while did he ask someone to pass the book to everyone to take a look.
Everyone looked at it strangely. They could not help but move their hands a few more times. With a slight tearing sound, a piece of paper fell off the book.
“This…” The book was currently being read by State Duke Ann's hands. The moment it was torn apart, he was scared out of his wits.
Crown Prince Zhao shook his head and said, “It's okay. This is just a book for everyone to see. It's not precious.”
Everyone did not think so. The paper was as thin as wings, and the book was so light. It was obviously a good treasure.
First Prince sat by the side and calmly watched this scene. He laughed and said, “It looks like… This paper isn't very solid, either. It can be torn with just a tug. How can it be compared with bamboo?”
“This is the weakness of paper, easily damaged and combustible.”
“It looks like there's nothing good about it. Why does Ninth Brother treat him like a treasure?” First Prince had decided to fight Crown Prince Zhao to the end.
“When Royal Brother finishes copying all the scriptures in the room, we will know the benefits of using paper.”
“Your Highness is right. Paper is indeed more useful than bamboo slips. Everyone, look, this paper is white. It must be very clear to write with ink on a brush and not as blurry as bamboo slips. In this way, it will be more convenient to read books and more students will be able to enter the court.”
“This King looks pretty good too, but this involves government affairs. Is Crown Prince sure he wants to make a scene at the New Year's Eve banquet?” The entire Imperial Court had been on holiday since the 29th year of the Lunar New Year. The court would not be open until after the Yuanxiao Festival.
“This is my gift to Royal Father. I wonder if Royal Father still likes it?” Crown Prince Zhao didn't want to bother with Wang Zixian at all. This meaningless verbal battle wasn't his style.
“Good! Good! There is no better gift than this!” This was Crown Prince Zhao's contribution to King of South Jin for free. How could King of South Jin not be happy?
If Crown Prince Zhao wanted to hide this thing, King of South Jin had no choice. As long as he took it out after he ascended to the throne, it would be a great contribution that would benefit the people. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a glorious achievement.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺