Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 928 Fight for Books
The news that there were more than 400,000 paper and printed books in the Imperial College spread quickly, causing an uproar in Luoyang City.

In the teahouses, taverns, streets and alleys in the city, everyone was talking about it.

"I heard that the paper used for those books is very soft and smooth, and is a rare treasure."

"That's right. My cousin's second uncle's cousin works as a handyman in the Imperial College. He once had the honor of seeing the dean, Mr. Lu, reading a book in a pavilion outside the library. Wow, that book, that paper... I'm afraid this book alone is worth tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of coins."

"Your Majesty is really willing to sacrifice everything for this Imperial College. I often hear the wealthy families I work for complain that the court is indifferent to talented people. If I hear them say that again, I will smash their heads with a weeding hoe."

"Your Majesty is not only kind to us common people, but also open-minded. He encourages trade, treats craftsmen and merchants equally, and allows everyone to have the opportunity to study. He is truly a god descended from heaven, and the ancestors of the Han Dynasty have blessed him."

"We are so lucky to be born under such a wise ruler. Otherwise, how could my little dog who only knows how to play in the mud have the opportunity to learn to read and write? Hey, yesterday he held up a few crooked characters and said they were the names of our family of four. He also said that the teacher taught us to be loyal and filial first and to be good to our parents at home. Hey... that scene..."

"Haha, Old Zhang, why are you crying again?"

"Why are you crying? I...I am blinded by sand."

"But don't tell me, my kid is already eleven years old, and he doesn't know any other words except his own name. He has been in school for only a few days, but he can recite a long section of the Three Character Classic. Even the teacher praises him for being smart and says he will have a bright future. He might even become a county magistrate, which will bring honor to my Niu family. Just thinking about it makes me excited."

"Hahaha, you are such a loser, you want to be a county magistrate? I was hoping that my boy would learn something from the military academy and become a general in the future."

"I'm different from you. My wife had a difficult birth, but thanks to the divine doctor Hua Tuo, both mother and child are safe. I want my child to study medicine well, so that in the future, if he can have a divine doctor, he can cure diseases and save lives, and support the family at the same time, and comfort our ancestors."

"Yes, yes. Your Majesty attaches so much importance to the people's studies and has spent such an unprecedented amount of money. If we don't let our children study hard and serve the court, are we still human beings?"

"What a pity! My two children are not up to standard. One of them failed the exam because he was over the age limit, and the other was even more timid. He got so scared that he had diarrhea before the exam and missed the test. Hey, damn it, I'm really pissed off."

"Hahahaha... your two kids are just like you..."

Different from the unanimous praise from the common people, in the mansions of the major aristocratic families, most of the family heads and ministers had bitter expressions on their faces.

Many ministers gathered at Wang Yun's mansion again.

"Situ Wang, the tens of thousands of scholars who originally gathered in Luoyang to attack the Imperial College have now either entered the Imperial College or are trying to get in. Many of my nephews and nephews have almost broken down the door of my house in order to get me to ask Lord Lu for mercy."

"Yes, I never expected that His Majesty would have so many paper books. There was no news of this before."

"At least 70% to 80% of the Han scholars' hearts will be taken away by the imperial court. I'm afraid we no longer have the power to compete with the imperial court."

"You have to make a decision. Otherwise, after three to five years, our noble family will have no place to stay."

Listening to their chatter, Wang Yun became a little impatient.

"Stop arguing, it's annoying me to death."

Everyone was instantly quieted by his roar. Wang Yun sighed deeply, and everyone saw that he had not spoken, but they did not dare to disturb him.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally said, "It seems that His Majesty has been on guard against us for a long time."

After he said this, several ministers immediately understood.

"Yes, even a junior like Huangfu Han knew about the paper printed books early on. How could Lu Zhi, Huangfu Song, Cui Lie and others not know about it? But they kept it from us. The deep meaning behind this is really intriguing."

"What Situ means is... that His Majesty no longer trusts us?" Some ministers looked horrified.

Wang Yun looked at them with some disdain: "What are you afraid of? Even if His Majesty becomes suspicious of us for a while, so what? Fame, status, and power all need to be earned through one's own efforts."

The ministers nodded one after another, but then someone asked, "But now your Majesty has won the hearts of the people. Even in our family, there are many children and retainers who praise your Majesty and this Imperial College day and night and are full of yearning. What about the people outside?"

"Yes, in the court today, your majesty holds all the power in his own hands, and at the same time relies on Xun Yu, Qian Li and others to govern state affairs. In all the important towns in the prefectures and counties, your majesty's confidants serve as local governors. What else can we use to compete with your majesty?"

Wang Yun stroked his beard, looked into the distance, and said slowly: "This paper book is a good thing. If it can be in our hands..."

The ministers' eyes lit up: "Yes, that's right. The attitudes of many scholars changed overnight. They became respectful and close to the court, all for these paper books. As long as we get the books in our hands, we can naturally win back the hearts of the scholars."

However, everyone knows that this is easier said than done.

One of the ministers said, "This paper is a rare and excellent product in the world, yet Your Majesty is able to produce it in such large quantities. Moreover, the printing technique is extremely sophisticated. Both of them can be regarded as the art of protecting the country. How could Your Majesty be willing to entrust it to others easily?"

Wang Yun smiled slightly and said, "You all know that this kind of production technique is extremely sophisticated. To produce these more than 400,000 books, the cost is huge, and I don't need to say more. Your Majesty has reorganized the army, recruited new soldiers, and allocated huge funds to build city defenses. The treasury has long been empty."

"This time, in order to reopen the Imperial College, the court spent nearly 1 billion yuan and more than 1 million dan of grain just to build this huge complex. In addition, the court spent a lot of money to print so many books. Your Majesty is afraid that the Empress's inner court has been completely emptied. Later, Liangzhou, Yuzhou, and Youzhou will all need troops. I heard that Tong Jian will build three more dams this year. How can the court maintain it?"

When the ministers heard this, they immediately became interested and came forward one after another: "Does Situ mean to take advantage of Your Majesty's tight purse and use money and grain to buy the book printing technology?"

Wang Yun smiled, then shook his head. "If we can get the printing technique, or even the exclusive right to make and print paper, that would be the best. But who is the emperor today? I don't think he will agree. As long as we can buy a large amount of paper from your majesty, or even books that have already been printed, we can open a bookstore. Not only can we win the hearts of scholars again, but we can also take the opportunity to make a lot of money. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"

"But, with such a treasure in hand, will Your Majesty open a bookstore to sell it himself? After all, Your Majesty is the biggest boss behind the Anhan Commercial Bank."

A minister's question like this caused everyone to fall into deep thought.

Wang Yun was calm and said, "Absolutely not. Although these paper books are extremely popular, it will take at least several months to sell them for hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. I heard that in the past year or so, not only has the court been preparing for war, but Liu Yan of Yizhou, Cao Cao of Yuzhou, and Goguryeo of Liaodong have also not slacked off. I'm afraid that war will start soon. The court needs money immediately, and Your Majesty has no choice."

As soon as he finished speaking, he and many ministers looked at each other, and then all smiled knowingly.

(End of this chapter)