Chapter 56: Bao Si (IV) Tai Shi Bo

As soon as the morning light filled the window lattices of the Qiongtai Palace, Lin Jiaojiao woke up.

When A'mo brought her warm water, she was combing her long hair in front of a bronze mirror. Her black hair was like a waterfall, and she used only a wooden hairpin to gently tie it up. A few strands of hair hung on her cheeks, making her already fair skin even more translucent.

"We're going to a small workshop today, so you don't need to wear anything too eye-catching." Lin Jiaojiao took the towel and wiped her hands with a natural tone.

She didn't notice A'mo's absent-mindedness, her heart full of anticipation for papermaking. Ling said that Lao Mu had prepared the tools in the small workshop behind the Qiongtai Palace, and they could try to extract plant fibers today, which was the first step in making paper.

As soon as I walked out of the palace gate, I saw Lao Zhou guarding the palace road.

The guard guarding the palace gate was still wearing old armor. When he saw Lin Jiaojiao coming, he subconsciously straightened his back, with a look of embarrassed respect in his eyes.

"Madam Si, the old carpenter is waiting in the workshop. I will take you there." As he spoke, his eyes unconsciously fell on Lin Jiaojiao, then quickly moved away, and the tips of his ears turned red.

Lin Jiaojiao smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Guard Zhou." Her voice was soft, and the wind blew through the hem of her skirt, causing the light cloth dress to sway slightly, just like the first blooming locust flowers on the bank of the Wei River.

Old Zhou's Adam's apple moved, and he quickly turned around to lead the way, but his steps were a little slower than usual. He didn't dare to walk too fast, for fear that he couldn't keep up with his wife's pace, but he was also afraid that if he walked too slowly, he would seem disrespectful.

The small workshop is hidden in the bamboo forest behind the Qiongtai Palace, and is surrounded by a barrier of reed stalks, which is both concealed and ventilated.

Lao Mu had already set up a large cauldron in the workshop. The firewood under the cauldron was burning brightly and the water in the pot was steaming.

The Baoguo craftsman, wearing coarse work clothes and with calloused hands, immediately put down his mallet upon seeing Lin Jiaojiao enter and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Madam Si."

"No need to be so polite, old carpenter." Lin Jiaojiao walked over to the cauldron and bent down to examine the ingredients inside. The reeds and bark had been chopped and soaked in water. "Zero said these materials need to be steamed for half an hour before the fibers can be extracted?"

Lao Mu was stunned for a moment, then realized that "Zero" was someone close to his wife and nodded quickly, "Yes, my wife, these reeds are grown on the banks of the Wei River. They have thick and tough fibers, and the bark is from three-year-old mulberry trees. It's very flexible and both are excellent materials for making paper."

As he spoke, his eyes fell on Lin Jiaojiao's profile - the morning light shone on her through the bamboo slits, even the tiny hairs were clearly visible, so beautiful that people dared not look directly at her.

Lao Mu quickly lowered his head and concentrated on adding firewood, but he secretly sighed in his heart: No wonder the people of Bao State say that the lady is "an immortal who has descended to the earth", her appearance is indeed rare in the world.

Lin Jiaojiao didn't notice anything unusual about Lao Mu. She squatted beside him and observed the water temperature. Her fingertips occasionally brushed across the wall of the pot, her movements serious and focused.

Ling's voice echoed in his mind: "According to the scan, the water temperature has reached the desired level. Cook for another quarter of an hour before the ingredients can be removed. Also, someone from the Queen of Shen just wandered around outside the bamboo forest for a while, probably trying to figure out what was going on. I've already disrupted her consciousness, making her mistakenly believe this is just a place to store miscellaneous items."

"Got it." Lin Jiaojiao responded in her mind, gently twisting a softened reed between her fingertips. "Let's speed up the process and try to extract the fiber today so we can make paper soon."

Her tone was full of anticipation, and she didn't notice that her concentration was warmer than the steam in the pot in Lao Mu's eyes. This old craftsman from Baoguo had seen many nobles, but he had never seen a lady who took her craftsmanship so seriously, not to mention that the lady was so beautiful, which made people admire her.

Half an hour later, Lao Mu took out the steamed reeds and bark and pounded them in a stone mortar.

Lin Jiaojiao also stepped forward to help, picking up a small wooden hammer and gently beating the material.

She didn't use much strength, but her movements were very even. Sweat gradually seeped out of her forehead, and A'mo quickly handed her a handkerchief.

When Lin Jiaojiao took the handkerchief to wipe her sweat, the loose hair on her temples was blown by the wind and stuck to her flushed cheeks, which made her look particularly beautiful. Lao Mu was stunned and the hammer in his hand almost fell to the ground. He coughed to cover it up and increased the speed of beating.

At this moment, A'mo's gesture was heard outside the workshop - a palace servant was coming.

Lin Jiaojiao put down the mallet and walked out of the workshop. She saw a young palace maid in a light green palace dress standing outside the bamboo forest, holding a food box in her hand. Upon seeing Lin Jiaojiao approaching, she quickly saluted and said, "Madam Si, these are some snacks that the Queen sent me to bring you. She said they're for you to try."

Lin Jiaojiao's heart trembled - Queen Shen suddenly sent snacks, which was obviously a test.

She took the food box and said with a smile, "Thank you for taking the trip, sister. Please thank the Queen for me." Her smile was natural, and her light cloth dress looked particularly fresh among the bamboo forest. The little palace maid looked at her face and forgot to reply. It was not until Lin Jiaojiao spoke again that she replied "Yes" with a blushing face and hurried away.

"Queen Shen is testing our intentions." Lin Jiaojiao returned to the workshop and put the food box aside. "Zero, can you tell if there's anything wrong with Dian's mind?"

"We've scanned it. There's no poison in the snack, but a small amount of tranquilizer has been added. Long-term consumption will cause lethargy." Ling's voice was a bit cold. "Queen Shen doesn't dare to attack you directly, so she wants to use this method to weaken your energy and make you unable to take care of other things."

Lin Jiaojiao sneered and handed the snacks to Lao Mu: "Give these snacks to the guys in the workshop." Although the snacks had problems, it would not have much impact if they were only eaten once. It would be a pity to throw them away, so it would be better to share them with the craftsmen and let them taste the palace pastries.

In the following time, Lin Jiaojiao and Lao Mu put the beaten fibers into water and stirred them to make pulp.

As the sun set, the first rough paper blank finally took shape and was spread out on a bamboo curtain to dry. Lin Jiaojiao looked at the wrinkled paper blank with a smile in her eyes: "Zero, we succeeded in the first step!"

"This is just the beginning." Ling's voice was tinged with laughter. "Next, we need to improve the process to make the paper smoother and easier to write on. But today's results are already very good. As for Tai Shi Bo, Old Zhou has already revealed the news that 'Baoguo craftsmen are researching lightweight writing materials,' as planned. He should take the initiative to inquire about it."

Lin Jiaojiao nodded, and just as she walked out of the workshop, she saw Tai Shi Bo standing outside the bamboo forest.

The old minister in charge of the royal classics was still wearing gray court robes, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand. When he saw Lin Jiaojiao coming over, his eyes were a little inquiring, but also full of unconcealed amazement - the setting sun fell on Lin Jiaojiao, her light cloth dress was emitting warm light, her black hair was blown by the wind, and she was as beautiful as a painting.

"Why is Tai Shi Bo here?" Lin Jiaojiao saluted with a smile, her tone natural.

Tai Shi Bo came back to his senses and hurriedly bowed: "I heard that Madam was researching new things in the workshop, so I came to see it. Just now, Guard Old Zhou said that Madam was researching 'light writing materials'. I wonder if you could let me broaden my horizons?" As he spoke, his eyes fell on Lin Jiaojiao, but quickly moved towards the workshop, trying to remain calm - he had lived for most of his life and had never seen such a beautiful woman, not to mention that this woman was also researching something that could change the inheritance of classics. This made him both curious and admired.

Lin Jiaojiao stepped aside to make way: "Taishi Bo, please come in. It's just that these are just preliminary results at the moment, so please forgive me for making a fool of myself."

She led Tai Shi Bo into the workshop and pointed at the blank paper on the bamboo screen. "This is the 'paper' we're researching. It's made from reeds and tree bark, and is lighter than bamboo slips. If it can be improved in the future, perhaps it can be used to write classics."

Tai Shi Bo squatted beside the paper blank, observing it carefully, his eyes filled with surprise. "This... can this thing really be used for writing? If it really works, then the inheritance of classics will be much more convenient!" He raised his head and looked at Lin Jiaojiao, his eyes less amazed and more appreciative. "Madam, you not only care about the people, but also consider the inheritance of classics. It's really rare."

Lin Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Taishi Bo, you are too kind. I just think that bamboo slips are too heavy. It would be better for everyone if there were lighter writing materials." She did not mention her own contributions, and her tone was humble, but it made Taishi Bo admire her even more - such a beautiful woman, but not arrogant or impatient, and she can also think about the people of the world. How could such a woman be the one who "relies on beauty to seduce the master" as rumored?

It was already late at night when we left the workshop.

Taishi Bo held the bamboo slips with extra strength, his heart full of anticipation for paper - he decided to write a letter to King You of Zhou tomorrow, requesting support for his wife's papermaking research, not only for the inheritance of classics, but also for the future of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

When Lin Jiaojiao returned to Qiongtai Palace, A'mo had already prepared dinner.

She sat at her desk, looking at the moonlight outside the window, her heart filled with relief - she had made progress in papermaking and won the recognition of Taishi Bo. This was an important step she had taken in the Western Zhou Palace.

Ling's voice echoed in his mind: "Tai Shi Bo has decided to support us, and we have resolved Queen Shen's temptation. Next, we can speed up the papermaking process and prepare to contact Queen Shen to advance our plan."

"Okay." Lin Jiaojiao responded softly and picked up the chopsticks, but she didn't notice that her every move today had already inadvertently amazed Lao Zhou, Lao Mu and Tai Shi Bo, and also won more and more support for herself.

Her beauty is like the moonlight on the Wei River, naturally illuminating the people around her, making them willingly approach her and willingly help her.

As the night deepened, the lights in the Qiongtai Palace were still on. Lin Jiaojiao sat at the desk, writing "Improvement Plan" on bamboo slips. The sound of the pen tip sliding across the bamboo slips was particularly clear in the silent night.