Before Liu Yunyan could understand the meaning of that look, she heard Jiang Shuwan say, "I'm busy with departmental affairs right now, and I can't spare any time for home either. My second uncle will be returning to the capital to report on his duties in a couple of days. Would you be willing to take care of all the arrangements then?"
"Second Uncle? Isn't that the old Marquis's brother? Their whole family is coming back? That certainly needs to be arranged properly, but can I make those arrangements?"
"If I say yes, then yes."
The next day, Liu Yunyan happily directed the servants and maids to clear out the southeast corner of the courtyard, place new furniture and decorations there, and Pei Yanzhi woke up leisurely when his second uncle's family arrived.
The man lay on the bed, having survived a brush with death, but his eyes remained the same as before, especially when he heard that his second uncle had returned; his eyes became even colder and more complicated.
Pei Yanzhi was never a boring man; every emotion he displayed had a reason. Jiang Shuwan even had a special talk with her second uncle about it.
My second uncle used to be an official in Jiangnan. Although his position was not high, Jiangnan was a place that nurtured people, so my second uncle had a handsome appearance and a smile like a Buddha. He was also very honest and upright as an official, and had an excellent reputation.
Returning to the capital to report on her duties at this time would likely lead to a promotion. Her second uncle had long admired Jiang Shuwan, and although the new department was a new department, every position there was a highly coveted one.
So, as they talked, my second uncle mentioned that he wanted to join the new department.
"After all, we're all family. With your second uncle helping you, you can rest easy."
The second uncle smiled gently and harmlessly, and the old marquis nodded in agreement, clearly also thinking that it was good for the second uncle to join the new ministry.
Jiang Shuwan smiled and said, "I am overjoyed that my second uncle is here to help me. However, I heard that my second uncle had already made some arrangements beforehand. I heard that he could get me into the Ministry of Personnel. No matter how good the new ministry is, it can't compare to the Ministry of Personnel, which is the head of the seven ministries!"
"Is this really true?" The old Marquis was shocked; he never imagined his half-brother possessed such abilities.
"It would be best if you could get into the Ministry of Personnel, so why did you trick the princess and make her happy for nothing?" the old marquis said.
Jiang Shuwan smiled and said, "Yes, of course the Ministry of Personnel is better."
"Hehe, yes..." Second Uncle's smile was forced.
Jiang Shuwan turned around and told Pei Yanzhi about it. Pei Yanzhi was drinking medicine in his room at the moment. He needed to recover from his injury for a while and couldn't go to the yamen. The land reform couldn't be put on hold, so Yao Zhijie had been coming to report to him these days.
Despite setbacks, the land reform was still progressing slowly.
When Jiang Shuwan came over this time, Yao Zhijie was also there. After hearing Jiang Shuwan's words, he said in surprise, "I didn't expect Second Uncle to have such abilities. I didn't realize that..."
Of the four branches of the Marquis's family, only the eldest and second branches are the most successful. However, the second branch had been in Jiangnan before, but now that they have entered the capital, they have been able to enter the Ministry of Personnel. This is truly a promotion among promotions.
"He must have someone backing him up!" Yao Zhijie said this was just a guess, but as soon as he said it, Jiang Shuwan and Pei Yanzhi didn't say anything, and he knew things were going to go wrong.
The enemy has penetrated inside.
Moreover, judging from my second uncle's intention to join the new department, it's clearly aimed at Jiang Shuwan...
“I have already refused my second uncle’s offer. The new ministry doesn’t need that many officials for the time being,” Jiang Shuwan said.
"What about Ye Yifeng? I heard you took him with you. I was originally thinking of having him join us in the land reform. Are you familiar with him? Why did you only want him and not anyone else..."
"He is good at math."
"Ah... no wonder he was so willing..."
Yao Zhijie recalled the smile on Ye Yifeng's face. Ye Yifeng was the son of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and came from a family of mathematicians. Later, he switched to the Imperial Academy. If he could become an official and also give full play to his mathematical talents, that would be excellent.
"I heard that the new ministry is building a paper mill recently?" Suddenly, Pei Yanzhi's gaze turned to Jiang Shuwan. The man's gaze was like ripples on water, making it impossible to see the depth of his meaning.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem? It's been so cold lately that the ground is frozen, so we can't build factories. Paper mills are simple, though; we can just find a few houses to set up one. But sister-in-law, you know how to make paper? Paper is expensive in Kyoto, and the most famous paper comes from the Guo family. The Guo family has been able to survive for a century thanks to this technology. You're threatening their very lifeline!"
Yao Zhijie said with a sigh.
Previously, when three parties surrounded and killed Pei Yanzhi, the Fourth Prince was flogged, the Crown Prince was confined to his quarters, Ye Jingyu beheaded the Ye family and lost their family leader, causing chaos in the Ye family, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess suffered heavy losses.
The eldest prince was in an even worse situation than the crown prince, being demoted from a nine-bead prince to a seven-bead prince. Along with Minister Guo's followers, the old emperor also punished them. If Jiang Shuwan could make paper, and even better than the Guo family, then the Guo family would truly have nothing left.
“I’ve heard about papermaking in the countryside before. If it works, great; if not, it doesn’t matter,” Jiang Shuwan said softly. “As you all know, my family used to be farmers.”
"I have a feeling it will definitely work." After Jiang Shuwan left, Yao Zhijie scratched his head.
He didn't know where this idea came from.
Even though Jiang Shuwan said it in a joking tone, as if she was just playing around, he still felt that it might work.
Anything his sister-in-law wants to do, she will definitely succeed in.
"Look at how pathetic you are. You can't treat your sister-in-law like this in the future." Pei Shushu came in too. She had packed her things and was ready to go home with Yao Zhijie.
Hearing her say that, Yao Zhijie chuckled. He had indeed targeted Jiang Shuwan quite a bit in the past.
Then look at Pei Yanzhi, who is staring at Jiang Shuwan's back with an otherworldly air.
"She's getting too close to the fourth brother..." The man narrowed his eyes, his expression deep.
"ha?"
"Those censors before were the fourth brother's men. If the Guo family falls, the fourth brother will tear the entire Guo family to pieces."
Hearing this, Yao Zhijie immediately became anxious. "The downfall of the Guo family means that the eldest prince has lost power, and the crown prince will be the future heir apparent. The crown prince sent people to kill you before, which resulted in the beheading of the future patriarch of the Ye family, the crown princess's half-brother. What will you do then? The crown princess will not let you go."
"I have no intention of letting her go either."
"..."
****************
Before long, the paper made by Jiang Shuwan was all over the capital. It was of high quality and low price, and the Guo family fell into ruin in an instant.
Upon seeing the paper brought in by the servants, the entire Guo family—Minister Guo, Guo Yaqin, the eldest prince, and the imperial concubine—fell silent.
Along with the new paper, a new type of pen called the "quill pen" was also released. The new pen not only saved ink but was also easy to use.
For example, with various calligraphy brushes on the market, it takes at least three to five years of practice to write a decent piece of calligraphy, but with a beginner brush, an adult can write a decent piece in just half a month.
The time, energy, and money saved are immeasurable.
Especially for ordinary people, those who couldn't afford pens, ink, and paper before can now afford them.
Those who could afford it before can now save money to eat meat.
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