Chen Changli nodded in satisfaction, looking at the newspaper in his hand, his gaze lingering on the area with the storybook. He seemed somewhat unsatisfied for a while before asking, "How many copies of this Beijing Times do you plan to print, and when do you need them?"
Jiang Yimian thought for a moment before saying, "Let's print 10,000 copies first. There shouldn't be too many people buying them on the first day. I'll send someone to pick them up tomorrow."
Chen Changli almost choked on his own saliva, his eyes wide with disbelief as he said, "Princess, you wouldn't be here to torment me on purpose, would you?"
The printing plates for this newspaper haven't even been finished in a day, let alone be able to provide you with ten thousand copies tomorrow.
He had just thought the princess was a reasonable person, so why was she starting to torment him now? Did she think he wasn't busy enough lately and came here specifically to have some fun?
These influential people really do things on a whim.
Jiang Yimian was taken aback, then instantly realized that printing still used woodblock printing, which explained why books were subject to such strict control.
I initially thought it was to prevent someone from tampering with the books and writing inappropriate remarks about the Jin Dynasty's royal family.
Now it seems that's not entirely true.
Printing was simply too time-consuming and laborious, so it could only be managed by the royal family.
In addition, the number of print runs is strictly controlled, making it quite difficult for a small bookstore to open.
It's no wonder that most books in various study rooms are now handwritten copies, which is indeed more time-saving and labor-saving than printing when demand is not high.
She simply smiled and said, "Lord Chen, could you take me to the printing shop?"
She'd never seen woodblock printing before, so today was a good day to go and take a look.
Chen Changli hesitated for a moment, then nodded respectfully, "Since the princess wishes to go see, I naturally agree."
This will show them just how tiring it is for these rigid masters.
How could such a large printing plate for a newspaper be carved out in just one day?
These influential people are just good at causing trouble.
If this princess continues to torment people like this every day, wouldn't all the people in the Bureau of Justice be exhausted to death?
Thinking about the future, he felt as if the sunlight before him had dimmed.
Jiang Yimian followed Chen Changli to the building on the east side. As soon as they entered, they could smell a strong woody fragrance.
Inside, everyone was busy selecting timber, sawing it into planks, and then polishing it. These complicated processes looked quite arduous.
Just as Chen Changli was about to call on everyone to bow to Jiang Yimian, she stopped him.
She simply shook her head, not disturbing the busy crowd.
Chen Changli was taken aback for a moment, glanced at her in surprise, and said nothing more. He led the group through the lobby, through the back door, and into another room.
Jiang Yimian then noticed that many master craftsmen inside the room were carefully carving woodblocks with carving knives, while a few people further inside were responsible for printing.
Nearby, several unshaven men were copying books that needed to be printed using calligraphy brushes.
Then hand those nearly transparent sheets of paper to the woodblock carvers so they can cover them upside down and carve them onto the woodblock.
Everything looked well-organized, but the woodblocks of all sizes were scattered all over the ground, and everyone looked tired.
Seeing this, Chen Changli said, "Princess, you can see that this woodblock can't be finished in a short time, especially since your newspaper is so big and has a lot of words on it, it's even more difficult."
These past few days have been the time of the autumn imperial examinations, and bookstores are in high demand, making it the busiest time for our Bureau of Justice.
The princess's report will probably be delayed for a while.
He hasn't slept well for the past few days, and it will probably take him quite some time to carve this newspaper again.
Jiang Yimian simply nodded, feigning confusion, and asked, "Why don't you carve out the commonly used characters, and then arrange them according to the content in the book? Wouldn't that be more convenient since we don't have to carve the woodblocks every time?"
Chen Changli was stunned and didn't react for a long time. He stared at Jiang Yimian without saying a word.
However, one of the woodblock engravers who was closer to them reacted immediately. His eyes lit up instantly, and he said excitedly, "Does this young lady mean that we should carve out the commonly used characters separately, then piece them together from the contents of the book, and print them directly?"
Jiang Yimian nodded and smiled, "Sir, that's exactly what I meant. Isn't this method simpler than simply being rigid?"
I've heard someone mention this method before, and I think it's feasible, so I've remembered it for so long. I wonder what the master thinks?
Now that she is about to print the Capital Times, if it sells well, it might even spread the movable type printing technique throughout the Great Jin Dynasty.
The old master nodded repeatedly. If he hadn't seen that Jiang Yimian was a girl, he would have excitedly grasped her hand.
“Young lady, this method is indeed excellent, Lord Chen. We only need to carve those movable type characters, and then we can simply arrange and combine the necessary components to print much faster.”
There's no need to worry about preserving these woodblocks, nor about ruining a single character and rendering the woodblock unusable, and the process can be many times faster.
This world truly belongs to the young! I've been a woodblock engraver for so long and never even thought of such a method. It's ingenious!
After saying that, he quickly gathered all the woodblock carvers in the room and told them about the method Jiang Yimian had just mentioned.
There was a moment of silence in the room, then several excited exclamations erupted.
"This is a great idea! This way, we won't have to stay up all night every day these days, and we can relax a bit after a few busy days."
"That's right. So many people have been reassigned to engrave ink scrolls, and all this work has fallen on us. If we keep working like this every day, we'll be exhausted to death."
"Indeed, young lady, your method is truly ingenious; it has really solved our urgent problem."
Chen Changli was also a little excited. He finally realized what Jiang Yimian had said and immediately said excitedly, "Princess, you are truly my lucky star."
However, your newspaper may have to wait a few more days to print, as the Judicial and Economic Bureau is currently short-staffed and cannot produce it at the moment.
Give us a few days. Once everyone's been busy for a few days, we can carve out the commonly used characters, which will lighten the workload considerably. Then we can help the princess print the newspaper.
He had thought this person was there to cause trouble, but to his utter surprise, he received such a wonderful gift.
This method is really good. As long as we work overtime for a few days to carve out the fonts needed for these books separately, and then add some less commonly used fonts later, we won't have to go through so much trouble to carve them out.
Printing books will become a simple matter in the future, and the number that can be printed may gradually increase.
This is truly a great thing for the country and its people; he must report it to His Majesty.
The more I thought about it, the more excited I became, and the dissatisfaction and resentment I had felt vanished instantly.
No wonder the people say that Princess Ning'an is a wise and kind person who cares deeply for the people.
He was initially dismissive, but now he understands.
Since General Wei praised her, she must not be like those arrogant young masters and ladies.
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