papermaking
In the early summer of the eighth year of the Yonghui era, before the cicadas had reached their noisiest time, the Zichen Palace was already unbearably hot and humid.
Wu Meiniang put down her vermilion brush, rubbed her throbbing temples, and looked down at the mountain of memorials piled up on her desk—on the left were urgent matters that needed to be dealt with, already piled up half a foot high; on the right were documents that had just been delivered from various places, piled up more than three feet high.
She casually picked up the top document, a report from the governor of Jingzhou, written on thick silk with neat handwriting, but complaining about the enormous cost of paperwork and how the prefecture was already overburdened.
Take another one, written on bamboo slips, from the remote Qianzhou. The bamboo slips are heavy, the hemp rope binding them is somewhat loose, there are obvious signs of wear and tear during transportation, and the ink is mostly blurred.
(Inner monologue: This office efficiency is too low! Silk is more expensive than gold, and bamboo slips are as heavy as bricks. At this rate, the sheer volume of paperwork will bankrupt the national treasury. If we had A4 paper now, even the most basic offset paper, the efficiency would increase by at least 300%...)
She got up irritably and paced around the hall.
The sunlight outside the window was intense, making the jade bracelet on her wrist shimmer and sparkle, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in her heart.
As a time traveler, she knew all too well what the efficiency of information transmission meant for a vast empire.
Suddenly, she stopped and her gaze fell on the almost forgotten volume of the Book of the Later Han Dynasty in the corner of the bookshelf.
A name flashed through my mind like lightning.
“Your Majesty,” she turned to Li Zhi, who was patiently teaching Li Hong how to distinguish the categories of memorials, her voice rising slightly with excitement, “do you still remember Cai Lun?”
Li Zhi looked up at her with some surprise, not understanding why she suddenly brought this up: "That eunuch who made paper in the Eastern Han Dynasty? I certainly remember him. The Cai Hou paper he made, although good for writing, was coarse in texture, fragile and difficult to preserve, and has not been widely used to this day."
"It is indeed Cai Lun!" Wu Meiniang strode to the massive map of the Tang Dynasty, her fingertip precisely pointing to the location of Jiangnan Circuit, her tone filled with the excitement of discovering a new continent. "Cai Lun's papermaking technique is primitive, hence its many flaws. But if we can improve the method, use better materials, and innovate the process..."
Her fingertips traced the Jiangnan region, especially the Hangzhou area. "Your Majesty, you see, this place is warm and humid, with many paper mulberry trees, whose bark is an excellent raw material for papermaking. Moreover, the water system is well-developed, and the water is clear and cool, making it ideal for washing pulp!"
(Inner monologue: Perfect timing! The memories of visiting the intangible cultural heritage papermaking workshop in my past life are still there. I remember the steps—steaming, pulping, papermaking, drying—even the details! And the knowledge that adding paper mulberry bark and mulberry pulp can increase toughness is actually coming in handy here!)
Li Zhi looked at the gleam in her eyes, as if she had discovered a treasure; it was the unique charm that he admired most about Wu Meiniang.
He put down the memorial in his hand, walked to her side, and stared at the map: "What is Meiniang's intention?"
"Does the Ministry of Works have any young, ambitious, and quick-thinking officials?" Wu Meiniang asked, her eyes gleaming with unwavering determination. "This matter must be carried out in secret and must be entrusted to someone willing to try new things."
Three days later, Deng Hong, a twenty-eight-year-old official known for his keen interest in investigating things, was secretly summoned to a side hall of the Zichen Palace.
He knelt on the ground, feeling uneasy, wondering why the Empress had summoned such a lowly official as him alone.
Without much pleasantries, Wu Meiniang handed him a meticulously drawn silk scroll: "Minister Deng, rise. I recently dreamt that an ancient immortal taught me a new method for papermaking. Take a look at this. Following this method, select a site in Hangzhou and secretly test the new paper. The necessary manpower and materials can be arranged as you see fit, but you must be careful and not leak this information."
Deng Hong respectfully accepted the blueprints, unfolded them, glanced at them, and then couldn't take his eyes off them.
The drawings depicted unprecedented tools and processes with meticulous brushstrokes: a huge cooking pot specifically for softening wood; a water-powered mortar for separating fibers; and most ingeniously, a papermaking tool called a "curtain bed," which was cleverly designed to circulate and filter water, theoretically capable of producing large-format, uniformly thick paper!
Next to it, in small regular script, are detailed instructions on the optimal ratio of paper mulberry bark and inner bark, as well as the secret to adding wild vine juice as a paper medicine to improve fiber suspension.
"Your Majesty! This...this is absolutely exquisite!" Deng Hong's voice trembled with excitement. He was completely absorbed in the ingenious design of the blueprints. "If this 'curtain bed' can be made, it will greatly improve the efficiency and quality of papermaking! And the proportions of the ingredients...it's brilliant!"
(Inner monologue: Looks like Deng Hong knows his stuff! This looks promising!)
Wu Meiniang was reassured, but her face remained calm: "If this matter succeeds, you will be the one to deserve the greatest credit. The craftsmen needed can be recruited from all over the Central Plains. We will offer them generous rewards and promise to grant them land and houses and exempt them from taxes and corvée labor in accordance with the military merit system. You must produce a sample that satisfies me within three months."
"Your Majesty, I obey your decree! I will certainly live up to your trust!" Deng Hong kowtowed, holding the scroll of blueprints as if they were priceless treasures, and retreated with great excitement.
Over the next three months, Wu Zetian handled daily government affairs while secretly keeping an eye on the progress in Hangzhou.
Every ten days, a secret report would be sent to the palace through a special channel, reporting on the construction of the paper mill, the making of equipment, and the collection of raw materials.
In the height of summer, the first batch of new paper was finally delivered to the palace by fast horses.
When the eunuchs carried the sealed wooden box into the Zichen Palace, Wu Meiniang felt her heart beat faster.
The box was opened, revealing neatly stacked papers, slightly yellow in color and quite thick in texture.
She carefully took out a sheet; it was soft and supple to the touch, and when she shook it gently, it made a crisp sound.
She tugged at the corner of the paper, but it only deformed slightly and did not tear.
"Hong'er, why don't you try it?" She handed the paper to Li Hong, who had curiously come closer.
The five-year-old prince imitated his mother, tearing at the paper with all his might, his little face turning red, but the paper remained intact. "Mother, this paper is so strong!"
Li Hong exclaimed in surprise.
Wu Zetian picked up the imperial purple brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote the four characters "Great Tang Forever Prosperous" on the paper.
The pen tip glides smoothly across the paper, the ink is quickly absorbed without any smudging, and the characters are clear and full.
Looking at the familiar ink and brushstrokes, her eyes welled up with tears.
(Inner monologue: It's done! It really is done! Finally, we don't have to work on those expensive and heavy silks and clumsy and fragile bamboo slips anymore! This is a technological advancement that spans thousands of years!)
Li Zhi also picked up a piece of paper, examined it carefully, and repeatedly rubbed it with his fingers, his eyes full of amazement: "The texture is uniform, it is flexible and durable, and it absorbs ink without bleeding. Good paper! Truly good paper!" He was more concerned with practical matters and turned to Deng Hong, who stood respectfully with his hands at his sides: "Minister Deng, how much does this paper cost?"
Although Deng Hong was exhausted from the journey, his face was flushed with excitement, and his voice trembled slightly with emotion: "Your Majesty! I have carefully calculated that, for the same writing area, the cost of this paper is less than one-tenth of that of silk, only half the cost of the paper previously produced by Cai Hou! If it is mass-produced, the cost can be further reduced!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Zetian felt reassured and immediately issued an order: "Issue the decree! Establish an official papermaking workshop in Hangzhou, overseen by Deng Hong. All artisans involved in its development will be rewarded with money and silk according to their contributions, and granted permanent land according to military merit standards, exempting their families from taxes and corvée labor for three generations! Furthermore, issue a general order to all prefectures, counties, and districts that they should prioritize the purchase of this new paper for official correspondence, and its usage and promotion effectiveness will be included in the annual performance evaluation of local officials!"
(Inner monologue: Technological innovation must be accompanied by supporting policies and incentives! With performance evaluations, there's no fear that this new paper won't be widely adopted! Knowledge is productivity; the ancients were right!)
Once the decree was issued, the promotion of the new paper proceeded with unstoppable momentum.
The benefits of the new paper were quickly realized by everyone, from the government to the public.
Crown Prince Li Hong used it to draw increasingly detailed plans for the transformation of the Grand Canal.
The second prince, Li Xian, discovered another wonderful use for the new paper—the paper boats folded from it were sturdy and durable, and could float in the Taiye Pond for a long time.
Even the conservative censors who were initially skeptical of new things have quietly fallen in love with the new paper—after all, the same memorial can now contain three times more content than it used to on bamboo slips or silk, making it much easier to impeach people.
That afternoon, Wu Meiniang strolled to the outside of the Hongwen Hall and heard bursts of laughter and cheerful voices coming from inside.
She stood by the window and saw a group of students from poor families excitedly discussing a newly delivered copy of "The Correct Meaning of the Five Classics" printed on new paper.
"This paper is of really good quality, writes smoothly, and is not easily torn!"
"The key is the price! I heard that this quality is only 30% of the price of silk scrolls from the past!"
"In this way, we students from poor families can also buy more books!"
Listening to the students' heartfelt joy, Wu Meiniang stood outside the window, the corners of her lips unconsciously curving upwards slightly.
Li Zhi appeared behind her unnoticed, gently draped a thin silk robe over her shoulders, and said softly, "Meiniang, do you know that in the streets of Chang'an, this paper is now called 'Empress's Paper'?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Meiniang shook her head: "'Empress Paper'... doesn't sound good."
She paused for a moment, then looked up at the clear sky in the distance. “Let’s call it ‘Peace Paper.’ May this paper carry knowledge and spread learning, so that more poor students in the world can afford to study. May our Great Tang Dynasty prosper in culture and education, and may the world be at peace.”
(Inner monologue: The widespread use of paper is just the first step... Next, it's time to put movable type printing on the agenda. Only when the monopoly on knowledge is broken will the true transformation of this era begin.)
The moonlight, like water, quietly spilled over the Taiye Pond and flowed into the Zichen Palace.
After Li Zhi finished processing the last memorial, he found his empress hunched over her desk, drawing another, more complex blueprint by candlelight.
The paper was covered with tiny squares, with labels that he didn't quite understand, such as "reverse characters," "lead-tin alloy ratio," and "typesetting template."
"Meiniang, what kind of magic is this?" Li Zhi asked curiously as he approached.
Wu Meiniang raised her head, the candlelight dancing in her eyes, reflecting a radiant light of ambition.
She smiled mysteriously, her voice light yet firm: "Your Majesty, this is... a magical technique that can make the price of the 'Clan Records' as low as that of elementary school textbooks, making it accessible to ordinary people."
——
[Mini-Theater: The Emperor and Empress's Paper Mill]
(Li Zhi's perspective)
My Empress has recently become obsessed with papermaking.
At first, she said she wanted to improve Cai Lun's ancient methods, but I thought it was just a woman's idle whim.
It wasn't until that day, when I saw her personally stirring a pot of paper mulberry bark soup with her sleeves rolled up, that I realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Your Majesty has come at the perfect time!" Her forehead was smeared with paper pulp, and her eyes shone with an astonishing light. "Come and try this paper-making screen!"
I was forced to grasp the bamboo curtain and, under her direction, scoop and lift the pulp from the vat.
Watching the murky water flow down from the curtain seam, gradually leaving a thin layer of fibers... I felt inexplicably comfortable.
(Turns out, papermaking is much more interesting than reviewing imperial edicts.)
Ten-year-old Li Hong was responsible for recording the ingredient ratios, while seven-year-old Li Xian chased after the paper-drying craftsmen throughout the palace, asking why they had to brush on rice paste.
What troubles me most is that Meiniang has given each step of the process a strange name:
Steaming is called "empowerment", pulping is called "decentralization", and even the paper drying rack is called "cloud drying".
(My palace is becoming her laboratory.)
But when the first sheet of "Taiping Paper" was successfully made, I watched as Meiniang held that paper, laughing and crying at the same time, and suddenly I felt that even if she turned my Zichen Palace into a papermaking workshop, it would have been worth it.
——————
【Note】
Three years later, when official schools across the Tang Dynasty were using inexpensive "Taiping paper" textbooks, a new children's rhyme quietly began to circulate among the people: "Empress Wu made new paper, and sold the sage's books cheaply; poor children went to school, and the noble families were so angry that they stomped their feet and cried."
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