Chapter 300 – Xuan Paper and Printing
“Juniper?”
Xu Ke was momentarily bewildered, unsure of how Hejian County’s abundance of juniper related to Jiang Pengji’s fondness for the place.
“Yeah, don’t underestimate this juniper,” Jiang Pengji smiled softly, a hint of warmth in her expression. “Initially, my goal wasn’t Chongzhou. However, because of this juniper, I changed my mind. If my father is made the governor of Chongzhou, many of our plans can commence.”
Jiang Pengji aimed to disrupt the current system of knowledge transmission, and the first daunting challenge was not facing the scrutiny of the elite but rather the medium of books.
Bamboo slips were heavy and costly, making it impossible for the common people, even if they toiled their entire lives, to support a scholar.
Bamboo paper had its merits, but it also possessed some drawbacks.
The production capacity of paper mills was limited annually; aside from the value of rarity, output had to be controlled due to limited raw materials.
Hejian County was dense with mountains and forests, yet it had few bamboo groves, and the quality of bamboo affected the quality of bamboo paper.
When considering ancient transport methods, to minimize costs, materials needed to be sourced locally.
Thus, most bamboo paper produced by the mills was sold to various noble families, with only a portion kept for personal use, never expanding in scale.
But Jiang Pengji’s ambitions extended beyond that; the bamboo paper’s output couldn’t satisfy her needs, prompting her to seek alternatives.
Juniper was the wood she identified, being the closest match to the quality of the qingtan tree.
The audience noted they used xuan paper in ancient times, one of its raw materials being the qingtan tree.
“Juniper is hard and dense, has strong toughness and wear resistance, making it ideal for durable farming tools, furniture, and axles. Its bark and branches have significant uses as well…” Jiang Pengji murmured, tracing a character on the table with her finger.
Paper!
Xu Ke’s eyes lit up as understanding dawned on him. “Really?”
Jiang Pengji nodded.
The technology for making bamboo paper had matured; even if they switched the raw material, with some experimentation, they could produce new types of paper over time.
Cheap raw materials combined with established technology meant a significant reduction in the cost of this new paper, certainly cheaper than the current options.
Xu Ke rubbed his hands together in excitement at the thought of acquiring such paper at a low price, his heart racing, “But what if Chongzhou accidentally falls into someone else’s hands… then all our plans would…”
Jiang Pengji replied, “That’s why we need to discuss this with my father and find a way to operate our plans transparently to secure Chongzhou.”
Given the current situation, capturing Chongzhou shouldn’t be too difficult, but unexpected events were a real concern.
“This matter indeed requires thorough discussion with the master.”
Xu Ke took a deep breath to suppress his rising excitement.
Coming from a common family, no one knew better than him how difficult it was to read and write.
If it weren’t for his Teacher being kind-hearted and recognizing Xu Ke’s talent, given his family circumstances, he would have had no chance of studying at all.
If this Young Master could truly accomplish such an endeavor, Xu Ke would willingly serve him for a lifetime.
“Also, there’s one more thing.” Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze, stood up, and retrieved a dark green box from a book chest, containing several stacks of paper she had drawn herself, laying them before Xu Ke. “What do you think of this?”
Xu Ke was puzzled, looking through the papers with great care, slightly confused by their meaning.
However, the audience in the live stream quickly grasped the implications.
Having paper wasn’t enough, as manually copying books was too labor-intensive, so printing technology was essential.
[Library Director]: Is the streamer secretly planning to create printing technology? Movable type printing or woodblock printing?
[Old Driver Alliance]: It must be movable type printing, though woodblock printing can be advantageous in certain scenarios.
[Electric Demon King]: Disappointed! I wanted to see the streamer build a printing press, but it’s just printing technology.
[Canteen Lady]: Tsk, every high tower starts from the ground. No matter how great the streamer is, they’re just one person, and the technology in that world is outdated. By your logic, @Electric Demon King, you should be complaining about why the streamer doesn’t create a cosmic battleship.
Jiang Pengji had considered both paper and printing for quite some time.
With a workshop capable of making bamboo paper and the technology available, she simply needed to figure out how to reduce costs and choose the right raw materials.
As for printing?
Heh, she only knew about printing presses.
That contraption was a super old antique in her world, something out of a history book, so Jiang Pengji had no idea about its intricate parts and structures. Besides, even if she did, the materials available in this world wouldn’t support the construction.
Lacking the means to create a printing press, she had to settle for a more rudimentary method.
She’d carve the required characters for the books in advance and then arrange the type for printing.
It might not seem noticeable with one or two books, but if thousands were printed, the efficiency would be incomparable.
Xu Ke, still bewildered, set the drawing paper down and asked, “Young Master, this…”
Jiang Pengji produced her private seal, stamped it on the paper with a clang, and raised an eyebrow at Xu Ke.
“Still don’t get it?”
A flash of realization struck Xu Ke, and he eagerly picked up the drawing paper, excitement overtaking him as he didn’t know how to react.
“It’s not that simple; it’s still too early to be excited,” Jiang Pengji shook her head and said, “Initially, I wanted to use clay for the type molds, but firing it wastes time, and I’d need to experiment with the clay’s composition to prevent distortion… And if firing it, I’d need to set up a kiln…”
Xu Ke thought for a moment and replied, “Then we can explore other materials, like copper, iron, or wood…”
Making type molds from copper or iron would be exorbitant in material costs, while wood was viable but posed issues with deformation, moisture, and pests.
Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze and said, “Juniper is actually quite good. It’s insect-resistant, dense, and won’t deform much, and if stored in a dry place, it should last a while… However, we’ll need to test it to see the actual effects.”
The key was that wood was cheap and easy to carve.
Xu Ke nodded seriously.
If these two things were accomplished, it wouldn’t just be empty boasts about leaving a legacy; it would significantly benefit countless aspiring scholars hungry for knowledge.
The impact would resonate through time.
“Put it away for now, and once we’ve established ourselves, we can take it step by step.”
Jiang Pengji patted Xu Ke’s shoulder as she stood up.
Liu Zhi and the other evaluators needed to assess the examination papers in a heavily guarded location, with him leading and the others assisting in scoring all named papers, categorizing them into “Excellent,” “Average,” and “Poor,” then calculating the overall scores based on other criteria.
In total, there were just over a hundred scholars, so the workload wasn’t too arduous.
