The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 65: Since ancient times, only reputation is hard to give up

After a few days, Ying Zheng invited Zichu, Lu Buwei, Zhongcang, Chisongzi, Ran Hong, Xiangli Sheng, Gongshu Chou and others to gather together, and also invited Chang Lu and Qingqin to join the party.

Although they were in last place, they were very excited.

Zichu sat in the main seat, and Ying Zheng sat on one side. Zichu spoke first: "Everyone, I have called you all together today because Zheng'er has something important to discuss with you. This is a good thing, and you can speak freely."

Zichu motioned for Ying Zheng to speak. Ying Zheng nodded, stood up, bowed to the audience, and said, "Some time ago, Zheng had two dreams in which a black bird appeared to him, offering the papermaking and printing techniques, speaking human language, and saying: This is a gift from heaven for the benefit of all people."

"Zheng woke up from his dream, and the scene in the dream was so clear and unforgettable that he asked Mr. Xiang Lisheng of the Mohist School and Mr. Gongshu Chou of the Gongshu School to test the authenticity of the item. It turned out that they were all real. He presented the item to his father, who also said that it was indeed a thing that would benefit the people."

"Today, I invite everyone here to discuss the use of this item."

After Ying Zheng finished saying this, those who knew about this in the audience remained calm. However, Ran Hong, Chi Songzi, and Chang Lu Qingqin, who heard about it for the first time, were shocked and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Gongshu Chou and Xiangli Sheng had already understood by now that there was no need to hide the matter of Tianjuan, as the young master had already spoken frankly.

Gongshu Chou immediately said, "This is true. You are a man of destiny, a royal noble, and a gift from heaven. I, Gongshu, am honored to have your favor and to have created this thing."

Xiang Lisheng was a beat slower to react, and quickly continued, "Indeed, it is an honor for my Mo family as well."

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "Zheng was gifted by heaven. The fact that this thing can be brought to the world is inseparable from the hard work of the two gentlemen and disciples. The two gentlemen do not need to be too modest."

After that, he asked someone to hand each person present a piece of white paper and a printed copy of Qin Law.

Everyone present was an expert. When they saw the paper and the book of Qin Law, those who had not known about it before could instantly realize its importance.

Ran Hong was so excited that he couldn't stop shaking as he held the paper in his hands: "This is truly a gift from heaven."

Instantly, I thought: "Excuse me, sir, how much does this thing cost?"

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "Each horse can be sold for four shi of rice."

In an instant, everyone was shocked except Zichu Yingzheng who already knew the price and Gongshu Chou Xiangli defeated the other four.

Even though Gongshu Chou Xianglisheng and the other two knew the cost, they couldn't help but be moved and secretly praised the young master for his kindness and for selling the house so cheaply!
Ran Hong lost his voice and said, "It's so cheap?!"

Ying Zheng smiled and nodded.

Ran Hong carefully put down the paper, walked to the hall, and bowed respectfully: "Prince Hongfu, Young Master Hongfu! You have brought benefits to the world and have done immeasurable merits."

Everyone followed suit and bowed down.

Zichu smiled and said, "This is my son's merit, but it is also the merit of our Great Qin. Please stand up quickly."

After they sat down again, Ran Hong asked, "Excuse me, sir, when can this item be sold?"

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "It can already be mass-produced and sold at any time."

"I have another matter today. Please look at another volume of Qin Law. Please compare them and see if there are any similarities."

The people present looked at each other, and Ran Hong couldn't help but praise: "Paper is much lighter than bamboo slips, and this book has smaller fonts. One book is enough to record a classic."

"No! Sir, could it be that these volumes were copied by one person? No, it is impossible for one person to copy them with exactly the same handwriting, without any mistakes or omissions, and even the spacing between the words is exactly the same."

"Sir, could this be the other divine skill bestowed by God that you mentioned, the art of printing?"

The others also reacted and understood immediately, realizing the importance of it in an instant.

Paper is of course extremely important, but it is also mainly for the convenience of readers. However, if it is combined with the printing technology, all classics will no longer need to be copied manually and can be mass-produced, which will be a truly subversive progress in the dissemination of classics and knowledge.

In an instant, many thoughts came to everyone's mind. This is the best tool to spread their own theories and expand their own influence.

Ying Zheng smiled slightly and said, "I have to thank Mr. Gongshu for his hard work."

Gongshu Chou said quickly: "I dare not take credit for anything, it is all thanks to the Lord's will."

Ying Zheng went on to say: "Mr. Boyang's guess is correct. Printing can quickly print classic knowledge and ensure that there will be no omissions or errors. As long as the content provided is correct, all printed content will not have errors like manual copying, and the precious knowledge of the ancient sages will not be corrupted."

Ran Hong asked anxiously, "I wonder how much can be produced every day?"

Gongshu Chou replied: "Now the Gongshu family has enough manpower. If we take the Tao Te Ching as an example, with half-inch font size, we can get 300 copies every day."

Chisongzi lost his voice and asked, "Every day?"

Everyone around was also shocked.

Gongshu Chou said proudly: "That's right, every day."

Ying Zheng interrupted them and said, "Don't worry, everyone, just listen to what I have to say."

"Zheng has been taught this skill to benefit the world by the black bird twice. He should follow the will of heaven, think about the people of the world, inherit the unique knowledge of the past saints, and educate the people. This is also Zheng's great wish."

"When you do things, you must have a sense of justice, especially for a king. Having a sense of justice is often better than a million troops."

"Zheng is still young, and he is lucky to be blessed by heaven, which is inseparable from the help of the masters of hundreds of families. Therefore, I have gathered you all today to discuss what to do. Zheng now has a suggestion, and I would like to ask the teachers to give me some advice."

“The government wants to take the classics of hundreds of schools, compile them, and spread them throughout the world.”

"All books have specifications. Please take a look."

Ying Zheng waved his hand and had a copy of the Tao Te Ching given to each person, and then said, "Take the Tao Te Ching as an example. The cover page has the title and author, and the next page has information about the book and the author's life."

"The second page is the editor and publisher. Now the publisher is naturally the Xianyang Academy and Gongshujia. Whoever compiles it is naturally the editor. The editor and publisher should also be clearly stated."

When Gongshu Chou heard this, he was so excited that he bowed deeply to Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng continued, "Following this is the table of contents, chapters, main text, and finally the epilogue, etc."

"This is the original text of the classics. The Tao Te Ching is profound and extensive, and many other classics are also full of pearls. Zheng also hopes that a teacher can write an interpretation so that the world can understand the true meaning of the saints and avoid the common people misunderstanding the original meaning."

Ran Hong spoke first, taking the lead: "My lord, what you said is very true. I am willing to compile all the Confucian classics. I have annotated the Book of Documents and wrote the Commentary on the Book of Documents, which I am also willing to compile and publish."

He quickly added, "Your Excellency's views on the specifications of the book are truly insightful and perfect. I fully agree with them."

Chisongzi was no longer as indifferent and aloof as before, and spoke eagerly: "My lord, I am willing to do so. My Taoist book Tao Te Ching is a classic in the world, and people in the world must read it. I also wrote Moral Senses, and I am willing to compile and publish it together."

Xiang Lisheng and Zhong Cang also spoke up and competed for it, both expressing their agreement with Ying Zheng's opinion, and then hurriedly said that they had works to be published.

They were about to fight.

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(End of this chapter)