Volume One, Chapter Five: Unbelievable

One must understand, what is currently used in their Great Qian Kingdom? It is nothing but heavy, cumbersome bamboo slips! And even these are only tools that the wealthy aristocratic families can afford to use. As for the common people, they possess absolutely no capital to purchase such things, let alone receive an education. In this era, only the children of the wealthy have the right to be educated; the vast majority of ordinary people are illiterate. Even among those wealthy clans, only in select places do they use paper made from sheepskin, and the cost is prohibitively high.

Now, looking at this sheet of xuan paper—setting aside the subjects of mathematics and language for a moment—if the method of its production could be spread... At this thought, the Empress’s slender, jade-like fingers trembled slightly, and she felt a surge of indescribable excitement!

"Qingwei!" The Empress took a deep breath and called out.

The next moment, Qingwei appeared by the Empress’s side, asking with surprise, "What is your command, Your Majesty?"

"Take a look at this paper," Gong Yuyan said directly.

Qingwei was stunned for a moment. She looked toward the paper on the table, her gaze initially indifferent, but suddenly her pupils contracted. She picked it up with extreme care, gently stroking the surface as if she were handling a priceless treasure.

"You may also read the content on the paper..." the Empress instructed.

Qingwei looked solemnly at the handwriting. She could tell it was the little princess's script. However, the content written upon it left Qingwei silent for a long time. Even after the Empress questioned her, her heart remained in a state of turmoil, and she looked at the Empress with a touch of disbelief.

"What do you think?" The Empress’s eyes narrowed, her own heart still far from calm.

"Setting aside other matters, if this paper was truly made by him, then it is worthy of being promoted throughout the entire Great Qian. We could even reap enormous profits from this paper alone. Your Majesty—" Qingwei struck at the heart of the matter, "did you not say that the national treasury is empty?"

The Empress’s eyes brightened as well. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "You mean... I should ask him for the production method of this paper? And then use it to generate wealth?"

Qingwei nodded, saying with some agitation, "This sheet of paper holds not only immense wealth, but to a certain extent, it could reverse the disadvantageous position of our Great Qian in the trade between the three kingdoms! But is this paper... truly made by that man?"

By the end of her sentence, even Qingwei found it hard to believe. As for the subjects like mathematics and natural sciences—the former seemed to be arithmetic, and the latter involved natural phenomena—they felt distant and did not shock her as much. But the shock of seeing this paper was immediate and profound! Once promoted, the Great Qian Kingdom might undergo a earth-shattering transformation through subtle influence.

The Empress remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Except for him, there is no other..."

If not for the other contents in the letter, she might have been curious about the origin of the paper, but with those details included, she was certain. This paper was indeed created by that rustic villager! After drawing a deep breath, the Empress began to take up her brush and write.

...

Two days later, in the evening, outside a small courtyard in the countryside of Yanshan County...

After finishing his meal, Li Xian sat in a rocking chair by the stove, basking in the warmth with a sense of satisfaction. On the wall beside him hung a simple calendar, marked with the specific date of his arrival in this world.

Li Xian sighed and muttered to himself, "The New Year is only a few days away. The snow disaster outside must be quite severe; many people are likely starving to death. I can only manage to protect myself; forgive me, everyone."

Having said this, Li Xian cupped his hands toward the sky. He then shook his head, laughing at himself, "To be high in the temple is to worry for the people; to be far in the wilderness is to worry for the sovereign. With different positions come different perspectives on this world. I wonder what the Empress of Great Qian feels when she looks upon this snow disaster?"

Having transmigrated to this world for six years, Li Xian naturally knew that the Emperor of Great Qian was a woman. Under the current tripartite balance of power, Great Qian was at a disadvantage. Coupled with its northern geographical location, the blizzards this winter had swept across the entire kingdom, and it was feared that many had frozen to death.

He was located in Li Village, Yanshan County, under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital. The entire village was surnamed Li, comprising several hundred people. His parents had been landlords, but they had passed away shortly after his arrival due to an accident. Thus, Li Xian currently managed a hundred acres of farmland, making him the wealthiest man in Li Village.

Many villagers "contracted" his family’s land, but Li Xian was generous. Knowing that Great Qian imposed a poll tax, he covered the taxes for those villagers who had no land of their own. This was the reason many villagers held him in such high regard; the poll tax in Great Qian was no small sum. Li Xian paying it for them was a great act of benevolence. Especially this year, after several heavy snowfalls, many villagers had been on the verge of starvation. It was Li Xian who had distributed grain and firewood to every household, ensuring that Li Village could survive the bitter cold season.

This was also Li Xian's contribution to the village. While lost in thought, Li Xian was suddenly startled. His daughter, Gong Xinyi, was standing behind him, blinking her large eyes and looking at him curiously.

"Yiyi, why are you awake?" Li Xian asked with a gentle gaze. Now that he had a daughter, he felt he needed to stand tall.

Gong Xinyi murmured to herself, "'To be high in the temple is to worry for the people; to be far in the wilderness is to worry for the sovereign.' Father, did you come up with this?"

Li Xian coughed dryly, then replied, "It was something your father said. Why aren't you sleeping, Yiyi?"

"I couldn't sleep..." Gong Xinyi remembered the letter the Empress had sent her during the day and said in her childish voice, "Mother is very interested in Father's xuan paper. Could you tell her the production method?"

Li Xian paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Just give it to her. You can write it down."

Promoting the paper would be a good thing. He could guess that his wife must have a powerful clan behind her. Li Xian did not intend to hoard the secret of the paper; it was better to give it to her, perhaps as his bridal gift.

A moment later, Gong Xinyi had recorded the production methods for the xuan paper. There were three in total, ranging from best to worst, each with different steps. Even the poorest method was something this world had never seen before, let alone the best one.

"Father is the best!" After recording the complex methods, Gong Xinyi stepped forward and kissed Li Xian on the cheek.

Li Xian laughed heartily. He didn't care much about the formula itself, but he warned her seriously, "You must tell your mother that this recipe must be kept strictly confidential. It must not fall into the hands of others!"

Only Li Xian knew how much of a technological crushing blow this papermaking method represented for this world. The formula must never be allowed to spread easily!