After checking Qin Hui's memorial in the palace, Chu Fan heard someone report that Cao Mengde had left Kaifeng City early in the morning.
Chu Fan was even more surprised when he heard the news. What was Cao Mengde afraid of? He had just become the Minister of War and was about to leave Kaifeng City. After learning about Cao Mengde's whereabouts, Chu Fan no longer worried.
It's no surprise that Cao Mengde went to the border between Wei and Shu. Chu Fan also knew that Liu Yu, the King of Shu, was his son-in-law. Since he was now the Minister of War of Wei, it was understandable that he went to the border to help Liu Yu, the King of Shu.
As for the question of who will be the prime minister, let it be. There is not much difference between these two people.
Chu Fan sat in front of the warm stove and continued to use his unskilled brush to record the method of papermaking in detail.
Although he had only watched the anchors explain the papermaking process in the video and had not tried to make paper himself, he knew that if paper could be successfully produced, it would have a profound impact on the cultural dissemination and knowledge preservation of the entire country.
Chu Fan began to recall the videos. The first step was to prepare the raw materials, bamboo and tree bark. These materials then underwent a complex series of processes to transform them into pulp. This involved boiling and pounding the raw materials, then filtering them through a sieve to remove impurities. Finally, the filtered pulp was evenly spread on a sieve and left to dry, resulting in smooth sheets of paper.
Chu Fan recalled the steps mentioned in the video while carefully recording every detail with a brush. Although his writing speed was slow and his handwriting was not particularly beautiful, he understood that every detail could affect the success of papermaking. Therefore, he did not dare to be careless.
As for why Chu Fan wanted to make paper, it was because the paper in this world was too difficult to use. It was very uncomfortable to write on. Not only was it thick, but it also bleeds ink, making it difficult to use. Another reason was that if he continued to use this world's paper, his butt would be almost at its limit. Chu Fan felt like he was about to get hemorrhoids.
On the other hand, if I can successfully master papermaking and combine it with movable type printing, then it will no longer be easy for those aristocratic families to continue to monopolize knowledge and culture. By then, I'd like to see if they'll get anxious. Chu Fan wrote intently, secretly imagining possible future scenarios with a sense of pride.
Because information dissemination was not well developed in ancient times, aristocratic families consolidated their status by controlling the dissemination of knowledge. They used handwritten books to maintain their monopoly on knowledge.
However, once papermaking and movable type printing are realized, the cost of copying books will be greatly reduced, and the speed of knowledge dissemination will also be accelerated. In this way, the monopoly of the aristocratic families will be broken, and more people will have the opportunity to access books and knowledge, thus changing the cultural landscape of the entire society.
Chu Fan was acutely aware of this, as he knew that the collection of classics in the homes of the aristocratic families could never be greater than that of the imperial palace. He planned to mass-print books and sell them cheaply to anyone eager to learn, thereby disseminating knowledge to the masses and ensuring that knowledge was no longer the exclusive domain of a few.
Chu Fan believed that once he implemented this plan, the aristocratic families would definitely oppose him strongly, and might even launch a rebellion. After all, these aristocratic families had always monopolized knowledge resources to maintain their status and power.
Furthermore, Chu Fan believed that the royal family might not approve of his decision. After all, the royal family also benefited from the monopoly of knowledge, and they might worry that once knowledge became widespread, their privileged status would be threatened.
As for why Chu Fan didn't give out books for free, it was because free things weren't valued. If the books were free, everyone in Kaifeng would come to get them, and then he wouldn't be able to supply so many books.
It is also possible that those who do not read books take books just to show off, or treat them as waste paper, which is undoubtedly a blasphemy against knowledge.
Chu Fan hopes that by setting a reasonable price, everyone will realize the value of books and thus cherish and respect knowledge more. He believes that only when people pay a certain price for knowledge will they truly read and learn, rather than just owning it for the sake of owning it.
At this time, Eunuch Li had already prepared the three dishes and one soup for lunch, and then respectfully said to Chu Fan: "Your Majesty, lunch is ready, you can start eating."
As for why Chu Fan didn't eat dozens of dishes in one meal like some of the wise emperors praised by the world, it was because Chu Fan was afraid of being called a glutton.
Anyone who heard that someone wanted to eat dozens of dishes might mistakenly think that this person was a glutton who only knew how to eat and had nothing to do with the emperor.
Chu Fan's ideas were different from others. His original plan was to return to Blue Star and live the life of an ordinary farmer. He didn't pursue a luxurious life, but rather focused on simplicity and pragmatism.
In his opinion, a meal does not need to be too sumptuous, as long as it can meet basic nutritional needs, it is enough. Therefore, he chose a simple meal of three dishes and one soup, which not only met his needs but also avoided waste.
Whenever Chu Fan had leftover food, he would not let it go to waste. He would ask Eunuch Li or the palace maids to take the leftovers away, and if they wanted to eat them, they could enjoy them themselves.
Of course, if they don't want to eat it, they can also take out the leftover food and distribute it to the wanderers in Kaifeng City to ensure that every grain of food will not be wasted.
As for the hygiene issue, Chu Fan had no other solution.
Chu Fan's behavior stemmed from his childhood, when he grew up in a farming family on Blue Star. He understood the hardships of food and the hard work of farmers. Therefore, he refused to waste food, a belief deeply ingrained in him.
Chu Fan put down the brush in his hand, turned to Eunuch Li and asked, "What kind of food have you prepared today?"
Eunuch Li pointed to the three dishes and one soup on the table and said, "Today's dishes are goose stewed in an iron pot, fish in vinegar, stir-fried cabbage, and ginseng hen soup."
Chu Fan pointed at one of the dishes and asked, "Can you tell me the name of this dish again?"
Eunuch Li replied, "Your Majesty, this is: goose stewed in an iron pot."
Chu Fan looked at the manuscript he had written with a brush, then at the goose meat on the table. He seemed to have lost all his strength and could only sigh.
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