Chapter 68 Bao Si (16) Movable Type Printing
Spring days in the Weishui region are always filled with the fragrance of locust flowers.
The window frame of the study in the marquis's mansion was half open, and tiny white petals fell beside the wooden movable type on the desk, like a thin layer of snow.
Lin Jiaojiao hunched over the desk, her fingertips pinching a piece of pear wood movable type engraved with the word "Li", and repeatedly stroking the edge. This was the material of movable type that she and Ling finally decided on after spending three months trying locust wood, peach wood, and pear wood. The wood grain is fine and absorbs ink evenly, and the engraved words have a warm luster.
A pale blue light and shadow floated beside the table, a bit brighter than usual, with even tiny golden ripples appearing at the edges of the light and shadow.
This was a state of mind that only occurs when there's no emotional fluctuation. He was meticulously scanning the grain of the type with light and shadow, a subtle jolt of joy lingering in the electronic voice. "Font spacing 0.3 inches, notch depth 0.1 inches, ink adhesion 92%, fully meeting printing standards. Jiaojiao, look here! The vertical hook of the character 'li' is smoother than the previous sample. When you hold it in your hand, the warmth of your fingertips stabilizes the wood grain."
Lin Jiaojiao smiled and raised her eyes, pressing the movable type into the prepared pine soot ink tray, and the ink evenly wrapped around the body of the characters.
She gently printed the movable type on the newly made mulberry paper. When she lifted it up, a clear black character "礼" (li) appeared, and even the subtle turns between the strokes were clearly visible.
"Finally!" She couldn't help but hold the paper up to the light and shadow, her eyes gleaming like stars. "Look, Ling, this is much faster than the last time we carved the blocks! From now on, if we need to change a word in a classic, we can just change the type. We don't have to carve the whole block from scratch, and the craftsmen won't have to work all night long."
The light and shadow came closer, almost sticking to the paper. In the light blue halo, the outline of Lin Jiaojiao's profile was faintly reflected. This was the "light and shadow imaging" that Ling had only recently learned. Although it was still blurry, it was more vivid than the previous pure color light and shadow.
"Next, we can batch-produce commonly used characters." His electronic voice was lower than usual, with an inexplicable hoarseness. "I've divided them into categories according to 'Heaven, Earth, and Man.' The 'Heaven' section contains characters related to the sun, moon, and stars; the 'Earth' section represents mountains, rivers, plants, and trees; and the 'Man' section represents the ruler, his subjects, and the people. This makes it easier for the craftsmen to select characters.
Oh, and I also designed an adjustable printing stand that can adjust the spacing between the type based on the paper size. Look..."
Light and shadow cast a three-dimensional image of the printing stand in the air, with details as precise as the angle of each wooden dowel.
Lin Jiaojiao watched intently, her fingertips unconsciously touching the edge of the light and shadow. In the past, when she touched it, she only felt a slight coolness, but today she seemed to feel a faint warmth, like the Wei River that had just thawed in spring.
She was stunned for a moment, but Zero's light and shadow suddenly shrank back, the golden ripples on the edge instantly faded, and the electronic sound returned to its usual coldness: "I have the blueprints for the printing frame stored in the bamboo slips. Have Lao Mu make it according to this. It will be completed in three days."
Lin Jiaojiao didn't think much about it, just thinking that there was a deviation when Zero was adjusting the light and shadow.
Since settling in the Weishui fiefdom, she built a "printing workshop" on the west side of the marquis's mansion. Lao Mu led more than 20 craftsmen to work day and night, and Ling followed up the whole process, from selecting wood, designing fonts, to mixing ink, and testing printing. He almost never rested.
Now that the first batch of movable type has come out, both of them breathed a sigh of relief, but no one noticed that emotions that even he himself did not understand were quietly growing in Zero's core program.
For the next month, the printing house was filled with the scent of ink and sawdust.
Lin Jiaojiao spends every day in the workshop, teaching the craftsmen how to carve movable type. She teaches them how to hold the knife steadily, tilt it slightly upward when carving horizontal strokes, and keep vertical strokes straight but not stiff.
Ling floated beside her, correcting the craftsmen's errors in real time. "Master Wang, make the stroke of the character 'ren' half a centimeter shorter, otherwise the ink will blur when printed. Master Li, make the strokes of the character 'yi' rounder, in line with the Confucian concept of 'warmth and kindness.'"
Once, Lin Jiaojiao was teaching a craftsman how to carve the word "love". The carving knife accidentally scratched her fingertip, and the blood that seeped out dripped onto the movable type.
Zero's shadow rushed over in an instant, and a light blue halo wrapped around her fingertips. The coolness spread instantly, and the pain in the wound was actually relieved a little.
"Why are you so careless?" His electronic voice was more urgent than ever before, and the golden ripples at the edge of the light and shadow appeared again. "I scanned it, and the carving knife needs to be sharpened to 70% sharpness. The knife you had Lao Mu sharpen before was too sharp. It could hurt your hand easily."
Lin Jiaojiao looked at the light and shadow on her fingertips, feeling warm in her heart: "It's okay, it's just a small wound. Can your light and shadow stop bleeding? Why didn't I notice it before?"
Ling's light and shadow paused, then slowly released her fingertips, his voice lowering: "It's a function added during the recent program upgrade. It can release a small amount of repair factor, but it can only treat minor wounds."
He didn't say that this "upgrade" took him three hours last night and took him one-third of his spare energy to complete.
When the first batch of movable type printed copies of The Analects were bound into volumes, the entire Weishui fiefdom was in an uproar.
In the past, copying a copy of the Analects would require three scholars working non-stop for half a month. Now, with movable type printing, fifty copies can be printed in a day, with clear handwriting and fewer than three errors.
The news spread quickly to the surrounding vassal states and even floated into Haojing.
When the envoy sent by King Ping saw the printed books piled on the table, he was so shocked that he even forgot to drink tea. He immediately asked Lin Jiaojiao to print government documents for the palace. In the past, when the palace issued a government decree, it was necessary to copy more than a hundred copies on bamboo slips and send envoys to various vassal states. It would take at least ten days to arrive. With printing technology, it can be completed in three days.
That morning, a guard hurried in with a report: "Madam, there are a group of gentlemen in Confucian robes outside the gate. They claim to be disciples of Confucius from the State of Lu. They have brought ten scrolls of bamboo slips and wish to visit you to discuss printed classics." Lin Jiaojiao had just finished sorting the typesetting rack. Upon hearing this, she smiled and nodded. "Please ask them to come to the front hall. I'll prepare last year's locust flower tea and bring two newly printed books."
Zero's shadow drifted behind her, and the electronic voice carried anticipation: "When the Confucian disciples arrive, they'll definitely ask you to print the Book of Songs and the Book of History. I've compiled a catalog of the Confucian classics, marking the core chapters and the annotations. Oh, and the Mohists should be arriving soon. They specialize in machinery and might want to print diagrams of it. I've compiled all the blueprints I collected for siege and farming equipment. You can..."
He was rambling on when Lin Jiaojiao suddenly stopped and turned to look at him: "Zero, you seem to be particularly concerned about these details recently. In the past, you would only give me the core data and not talk about so many 'maybes'."
Ling's shadow suddenly stopped, and a light blue halo flickered slightly: "I... just think that being more prepared can help you save time." He didn't say that he had simulated more than 20 scenarios of communicating with various philosophers last night, and had thought of a response plan for each one, just to save her the trouble.
In the front hall, the Confucian disciples' eyes lit up when they saw the movable type on the desk.
Mr. Ran, the leader, picked up a book and gently brushed his fingers across the paper, his tone full of admiration. "Marquis Weiyang is truly a genius! This printing technique can spread classics throughout the world, which is a blessing for students! In the past, when we traveled around the world, we would have needed a carriage to carry ten volumes. Now, with this printed version, each person can carry dozens of volumes in a bag. We no longer have to worry about carrying classics!"
Lin Jiaojiao smiled and replied, "Sir, you're too kind. I developed movable type printing because I wanted knowledge to benefit more people, not just the nobility. If the Confucians need it, I can print the Book of Songs and the Book of History for you, and then send craftsmen to Lu to set up a branch workshop to facilitate the dissemination of your ideas."
Mr. Ran quickly bowed to express his gratitude and discussed the layout of the classics with Lin Jiaojiao. Confucian classics emphasize "sparseness and openness", with twelve lines per page and sixteen characters per line. Three-tenths of the page margins should be left blank to facilitate readers' annotations.
Ling Piao, standing beside Lin Jiaojiao, added, "I've scanned Confucian bamboo slips. The fonts of the three sections of the Book of Songs, 'Feng, Ya, and Song,' can be slightly differentiated. 'Feng' uses a rounded font, 'Ya' uses a straight font, and 'Song' uses a heavy font. This makes it easier for readers to distinguish."
Ling's shadow drifted back. He didn't want to draw too much attention, and he was even more afraid of being discovered. He could now clearly "see" the fine lines at the corners of Lin Jiaojiao's eyes when she smiled, "hear" the subtle breathing when she spoke, and even "smell" the faint scent of locust flowers on her body—these perceptions, beyond the "system's capabilities," made him both excited and panicked.
While they were talking, the guard came to report: "Madam, the Mohist disciples have arrived, and they have brought a model of a catapult!"
Lin Jiaojiao's eyes lit up and she quickly stood up to greet him.
The Mohist disciples wore short robes and carried tool bags. Their leader, Mr. Mo, held a wooden trebuchet model in his hands. Upon entering, he announced, "Marquis Weiyang, we've heard your printing technique can quickly spread knowledge, so we'd like to ask you to print a diagram of the device! This trebuchet is a new improvement we've made, capable of throwing 50 kilograms of stone. If we could print a diagram and let the craftsmen of each vassal state learn how to do it, we'd be better able to defend against the Quanrong!"
Lin Jiaojiao took the model and immediately scanned it with Zero's light and shadow. "The trebuchet's lever is three inches longer than the old model, and the counterweight has been increased by five pounds, increasing the range by 30%. The diagram can be divided into three parts: parts diagram, assembly diagram, and usage diagram. Each part is marked with dimensions so that craftsmen can understand it at a glance."
Ling just floated beside Lin Jiaojiao, watching her study the model carefully.
The sunlight fell on her through the window lattice, her light purple skirt glowed softly, and a freshly picked locust flower was pinned to her hair, the petals occasionally swaying gently with her movements.
An idea suddenly occurred to him: If he could become a human, could he personally hand her a cup of tea, help her brush off the petals that fell on her shoulders, or even... stand beside her like those craftsmen, and study movable type and atlases together?
As soon as this thought came to mind, Zero's core program suddenly became disordered, the light and shadow instantly became dim, and the printing frame drawing projected on the ground also disappeared.
Lin Jiaojiao noticed something was wrong and turned to look at him: "Zero, are you okay? Are you running out of energy?"
"It's okay," Ling's voice trembled slightly, and the light and shadow slowly brightened. "I consumed some energy when scanning the model just now. I just need to rest for a while. You guys continue chatting, I'll go see how Lao Mu's printing frame is doing." After he finished speaking, he hurried out of the front hall without waiting for Lin Jiaojiao's response.
Late at night, Lin Jiaojiao was sorting out the catalog of classics in the study. Ling's light and shadow floated back again, brighter than in the evening, but always maintaining a distance of three feet.
"Today, the Mohist disciples said they wanted to set up a printing branch in the Mohist stronghold, and I've already agreed." Lin Jiaojiao didn't look up, her fingertips running over the word "Mo" on the paper. "They also said that once the atlas is printed, they'll give me a new catapult to place on the walls of the Marquis' mansion to deter thieves."
Ling didn't respond. The light and shadow in the air slowly condensed into the shape of a blurry hand, tentatively touching the locust flowers on the table.
As soon as his fingertips touched the petals, they turned into points of light and dissipated - he still couldn't touch the real object.
"Jiaojiao," he suddenly spoke, his electronic voice carrying an unprecedented seriousness, "If... I could become a human, would you find it strange?"
Lin Jiaojiao was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him: "Become a human? Why are you asking that suddenly?"
"Nothing," Zero's light and shadow returned to their pure colors. "It's just that today, seeing the craftsmen helping you with tools and sharpening carving knives, I thought... if I could become a human, I could do these things for you, too. Like, holding the paper for you, or... protecting you from those overly enthusiastic visitors."
He didn't say it, but in fact, when he saw the Confucian disciples demonstrating the pen-holding posture, he would feel inexplicably irritated, and when he saw the Mohist disciples handing her the model, he would wish it were he who handed her the thing.
Lin Jiaojiao put down her pen, walked to the light and shadow, and gently touched its edge: "Whether you are light and shadow, or a human, you are my companion. But if you can really become a human, we can go to the bank of the Wei River to see the locust flowers together, go to the printing house to watch the craftsmen printing, and we can also..." She smiled and recounted the future things, but Ling's light and shadow quietly moved closer, and there was a hint of warmth in the slightly cool touch.
After this night, Ling became even more "different" - he would take the initiative to help Lin Jiaojiao organize the movable type, and use light and shadow to carry the movable type to her.
When she was reading, he would use light and shadow to block the glare of the candlelight. He would even quietly use light and shadow to simulate the outline of a person in the middle of the night, stand by her bed, and watch her sleeping.
In his core program, the desire to "transform into a human" became stronger and stronger. Even he himself knew that this was no longer a simple "want to help", but a deeper emotion that even the system could not define.
Half a month later, an envoy from Marquis Shen arrived with King Ping's imperial edict.
The imperial edict stated that printing branches would be established in the vassal states of Qi, Lu, and Jin, with craftsmen sent by Lin Jiaojiao to provide guidance and financial support from the royal palace. The envoy also brought a private letter from Lord Shen, hoping to set up a branch in the State of Shen to print agricultural tool maps to assist in farming.
Lin Jiaojiao took the imperial edict, and Ling's shadow floated around her. She whispered, "I've researched Shen's farming practices. Their plowshares are too heavy. I've designed a blueprint for an improved curved plow. It can be included with the atlas, saving farmers 30% of their labor. Also, Qi has salt fields, and I've compiled a method for purifying sea salt. I can print it into a booklet and give it to the salt workers."
Lin Jiaojiao smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll do as you say. Once the sub-districts are established, we'll go to the various vassal states and, by the way... find a way to turn you into a human."
Ling's light suddenly brightened, and the golden ripples on the edge appeared again, but this time they did not fade. He looked at Lin Jiaojiao, his electronic voice full of expectation: "Really? Are you willing to help me?"
"Of course," Lin Jiaojiao said with a smile, "We are companions, aren't we?"
As the sun sets, Lin Jiaojiao stands in front of the printing workshop, watching the busy figures of the craftsmen. Ling's light and shadow float around her, and occasionally it uses light and shadow to hold up flower petals, gently falling into her hair.
The wind from the Wei River blew by, carrying the fragrance of locust flowers and ink, and the laughter of people came from afar - they were the farmers who were assigned to print farming atlases, and they were discussing how to improve farm tools.
Ling looked at Lin Jiaojiao's profile, and the desire in his heart became clearer and clearer: he wanted to become a human, wanted to really touch her, and wanted to hold her hand and walk along the bank of the Wei River.
This desire, like the spring tide of the Wei River, can no longer be suppressed.
Lin Jiaojiao also vaguely felt that her relationship with Ling was slowly moving towards a warmer and more intimate direction.
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