Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 56 55. Three Wonders of the Wei Bian
In such a large book-making office, assembly line operations have become extremely common. In the front, someone is carefully threading the steamed bamboo slips with a hemp rope, while on the other side, where the bamboo slips are being roasted, a craftsman is using a leather rope.

This is a very regular and repetitive action called "Weibian".

Qin Shi looked at it quietly for a while, and then remembered Confucius' "Three Wonders of Bamboo Slips".

Because she liked the Book of Changes in her later years, she read it often every day, so much so that the ropes that bound the bamboo slips broke many times...And now, she is witnessing the development of the text with her own eyes.

Fate is so wonderful.

The Imperial Engineer, standing nearby, asked attentively, "Is there anything else you would like to see?"

Qin Shi shook his head and pointed to the steaming hot spot beside him. "Ming, these water droplets produced by roasting bamboo are called fresh bamboo juice. They can dissipate phlegm and relieve coughs, calm nerves and improve mental function. Do you want to take some to test?"

The earliest record of fresh bamboo juice can be found in the "Ming Yi Bie Lu" during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It seems that it is not popular nowadays.

Yi Ming's eyes lit up instantly, and then he nodded heavily: "Ming needs it."

She looked at the Kaogong Ling, who said without hesitation, "I will send someone to collect them right away."

Qin Shi smiled, and then uttered the word everyone had been waiting for: "Reward."

So Yiming's happiness soon spread to the entire register office.

Someone from another manufacturing facility nearby heard the news and was waiting eagerly at the door: "Why don't you take a look at our creations? They're quite interesting."

It must be more interesting than making bamboo slips, knives and pens!

The craftsman behind him said without even looking up: "What's so interesting about this? It's just weaving reed mats."

My companion said sullenly, "There are also bamboo slips in the book-making department, but they're not very interesting either."

"That's different. You must be literate. I think you would be happy to read the bamboo slips."

They were handymen making reed mats and weaving things, what was so interesting about them? They were just doing whatever tools were needed in various places in the palace, and they were just doing it as a side job.

I hope you won’t do this!

But soon, the companions at the door became excited: "Here he comes! The wealthy and generous nobleman is here!"

All the craftsmen were excited, and as they watched from afar the Kaogongling was accompanying the nobleman, some knelt on the ground, while others pretended to work seriously.

When Qin Shi arrived, everyone was very cooperative.

Sometimes she would take a second longer look, and before the engineer could answer, a craftsman would stammer out:

"Sir, this is a reed mat. Made of cattail reed..."

Kao Gongling glared at him secretly: "Do I need to explain something so obvious? And you can't explain it well."

Qin Shi waved his hand: "I want to make some tools, but I may not remember them very accurately. I wonder if there are any craftsmen who have the spare time and patience to make them?"

Of course there must be one!
Qin Shi's reputation for giving rewards at every turn has spread throughout the Shaofu, and now everyone in the palace is very happy about it.

She recalled the tools needed for papermaking - bamboo screens, papermaking troughs, paper baking racks, etc.

The rest of the cooking pots, sinks, mixers, pestles, etc. were all available in the palace, so there was no need to make any extra ones.

Craftsmen have been making these kinds of small items for years. She only needed to give a brief description and simulate the required scene, and someone immediately volunteered:

"A villain will do it."

"I am willing to do it."

"Villain..."

Qin Shi really liked the feeling of actively doing things. Now he also knew what workers loved most, so he said:
"If I need the items, it will take at least ten days. If they are indeed useful by then, I will show them to you."

It only took ten days, while a metalworker, a bronzesmith, a woodworker, and a lacquer worker would take years to make the same thing! They were waiting!

Seeing everyone happily and enthusiastically working, Qin Shi looked at the work order and asked, "Next, I need some trees."

"Three baskets of ramie or hemp."

"Three baskets of mulberry bark."

"Three baskets of paper mulberry bark, also known as mulberry bark or grain bark."

These three are the most common raw materials for papermaking. Since they are now available in the Qin State and are produced in large quantities, it is natural to try more. "Wutong tears, that is, a basket of Wutong gum."

"One basket of kiwi fruit, also known as [Changchu] vines. One basket of hollyhocks."

These three are used as adhesives for papermaking, which keep the sediment suspended and evenly distributed, but she doesn't know which one is the best, so naturally she has to try them all.

"One jar each of wood ash and lime."

The functions of wood ash and lime in the papermaking process are slightly similar, except that both can accelerate fiber decomposition, but lime can remove some impurities.

Now that some people have time, of course they should try it slowly.

"Soak hemp, mulberry bark, and mulberry bark in clean water for seven days."

"Take a bundle of green bamboo and soak it in clean water. Come back and report to me after a hundred days."

She gave these instructions, adding a few more details.

Since Kaogongling was able to become an official, he obviously had a good memory. He then repeated everything one by one, and after confirming that it was correct, he called someone to carry out the work.

Qin Shi started a new project and felt a little relieved at this moment.

It was only then that Chi Nu asked, "What is Qin Jun going to do?"

Qin Shi smiled and said, "I have to try out mulberry paper, bamboo paper, and which one is easiest to use and most effective."

Chi Nu recalled something and asked cautiously, "Is this... the same paper and pen that Lord Qin once gave to the king?"

Qin Shi was a little surprised, and then he looked at Chi Nu again and couldn't help laughing: "So when I first met the king, you were also serving in the carriage."

Chi Nu lowered her head and said, "I didn't dare to look up, but I heard Lord Qin mention it, and the governor of the Zhou Mansion also talked about the quality of paper."

If she wasn't the king's usual maid, how could she have been arranged to be by Lord Qin's side in the first place? And she was devoted to him wholeheartedly, without any worries.

She didn't tell him at first because she was worried that Mr. Qin would feel alienated and would have to avoid her when doing things.

But later, no matter how they reported to the king, King Qin didn't care, which was really too casual.

As expected, after Chi Nu finished speaking, Qin Shi was not surprised, but even happier: "I was wondering how you could be so remarkable at such a young age? Not only do you know a lot, but you're also very thoughtful and meticulous in your work. So you're by the king's side."

She then asked, "Since you've been transferred here to be my maid, have your salaries been reduced?"

For workers, no matter where they work, the most important thing is salary.

Chi Nu was speechless for a moment.

After a moment, she also smiled: "Replying to Lord Qin, the salary has not been reduced, and there are even occasional rewards."

She already knew that Qin Shi was interested in many things, so she answered without further questioning: "I was once a first-class maid in the Xianyang Palace, so my monthly salary was not low. I could receive six stone of millet, one hundred and a half ounces of coins, and one bolt of cloth every month."

She added: "This salary is already higher than that of a township or county headman."

Nowadays, there is a pavilion chief every ten miles.

If it is in the capital, it is Duting.

If it is at the city gate, it is a gatehouse.

If it is in the countryside, it is a village pavilion.

The so-called Xiangxianting (乡县亭) had duties similar to those of a village police station. The most famous person to hold this position was probably Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, who was the head of Sishuiting (四水亭).

Qin Shi converted it and instantly became happy, then smiled and said: "You are worth it!"

She felt that the salary for such a first-class personal secretary was too low!

Many of the explanations in this article come from online encyclopedias. If there are any mistakes, please let me know.

【Chang Chu chang2chu3: Kiwi】

[Paper mulberry: in the Qin Dynasty it was called chu3, gu4]

Lime was already used in the Qin Dynasty.

Comparing this to Liu Bang doesn't mean to disparage him; he was also a very remarkable emperor. However, since he was the most famous pavilion chief, I'm comparing it to Chi Nu's salary to make it easier to understand.