gnovel Chapter 120 Paper
Chapter 120 Paper
The news that Liu Shan favored Consort Wang quickly spread among the court officials.
Although the women sent to the harem by the Yizhou and Dongzhou factions were noble in name, they did not receive Liu Shan's favor and could not bear princes. What use was this superficial glory?
If Consort Wang becomes pregnant and gives birth to a prince, then the Empress's position in the harem will be even more secure.
Although the court officials were anxious, they knew that officials outside the court were not allowed to interfere in the inner palace, which was a rule since ancient times. Therefore, they could only worry helplessly and dared not mention the matter in court.
"My esteemed ministers, if there is nothing else, you may adjourn the court!"
The court assembly lasted for two hours, and Liu Shan felt a little tired, wanting to finish quickly so he could stretch his muscles.
"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to report."
Qiao Zhou stepped forward and bowed to Liu Shan.
"Doctor Qiao, please speak."
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Academy now has a large number of students, and the daily consumption of writing materials is excessive, especially paper. During the monthly exams, the consumption of paper far exceeds that of other materials, and the academy's inventory is already struggling to keep up."
The Imperial Academy was an institution of learning supervised by the imperial court, and all its expenses were paid from the national treasury.
Paper production relies on wood, which grows slowly and has high production costs. Even after Cai Lun improved papermaking, this paper was basically reserved for the royal family and high-ranking officials, and ordinary people could hardly obtain it.
After the establishment of the Imperial Academy, the students' exam papers were written on bamboo slips for each monthly exam, which was extremely inconvenient and increased transportation and handling costs.
Therefore, Liu Shan once decreed that students could use paper to answer questions in monthly exams and general exams, so as to facilitate carrying and the examiners' grading.
Even so, the amount of paper consumed by the academy during each exam was staggering, further increasing the national treasury's burden.
Moreover, as schools are to be established in various prefectures of Yizhou in the future, if the court continues to bear these costs, it may not be long before the court is unable to afford them.
"In your opinion, Doctor Qiao, how should this matter be resolved?" Liu Shan asked.
Qiao Zhou was in charge of promoting education, overseeing cultural and educational affairs, and supervising schools and cultural and educational matters.
"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that the number of monthly exams should be reduced. This would not only alleviate the pressure on students but also save on expenses."
This is a fairly standard suggestion.
In ancient times, schools did not have a monthly examination system, and students mostly studied diligently without a care in the world.
With exams every month these days, students are naturally under increasing pressure.
"No!"
Liu Shan decisively refused, saying, "Exams allow students to summarize what they have learned recently. Only by discovering problems can they conduct timely self-examination and reflection. Exams are indispensable."
Qiao Zhou's first proposal was rejected, so he immediately put forward a second solution.
"Your Majesty, why not charge students for the paper used in each monthly exam? That would solve the problem."
This proposal was approved by many court officials.
The students in the academy were mostly sons of court officials, nobles, and local gentry, so they could afford the paper costs.
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan's face immediately stiffened.
Although the powerful families and officials didn't care about this amount of money, there were still some poor students and ordinary people in the academy. Asking them to pay this "materials fee" would undoubtedly be a heavy burden on their lives.
Liu Shan remained silent, and a brief silence fell over the hall.
The court officials knew that Liu Shan also disagreed with Qiao Zhou's second proposal, but there was no best solution at the moment.
After a long silence, Liu Shan slowly spoke, "Minister Qiao, while this method may solve the immediate problem, it is ultimately not a long-term solution. My esteemed ministers, do you have any other better strategies?"
The courtiers lowered their heads and whispered among themselves.
They all felt that Qiao Zhou's two suggestions were very pertinent. If neither could be adopted, then they would have no choice but to continue using the old, cumbersome method of bamboo slips.
At this moment, Zhuge Liang stepped forward, and all the ministers turned their gazes to this prime minister.
"Your Majesty, this paper has always been expensive to produce. If we want everyone to be able to use it, we must work on the fundamentals of its production."
As soon as Zhuge Liang finished speaking, the courtiers were filled with indignation.
"Prime Minister, this paper is made from wood pulp. To obtain wood pulp, trees must be felled. Trees take at least five years and at most ten years to mature, which is the root cause of the high cost of paper. Are we going to embark on a massive construction project?"
"That makes sense. Although Yizhou has many mountains and forests, they should not be over-logged. If the mountains and forests are depleted, all things will wither. This is a matter of great importance concerning the foundation of the country. I hope Your Majesty will be cautious."
"The laws of the Han Dynasty stipulate that the forests should be used 'at the right time and with moderation.' If thieves cut down trees, they will be punished for theft. Is Prime Minister Zhuge about to knowingly break the law?"
Amidst a chorus of doubts, Zhuge Liang remained calm and composed, a smile always on his face.
Liu Shan raised his hand to signal silence, then asked, "Does Your Excellency have a brilliant plan to resolve our current predicament?"
Before Zhuge Liang could speak, Qiao Zhou bluntly asked, "Besides cutting down the forests, what other good strategy is there? Are we going to buy timber from elsewhere?"
The amount of wood used in papermaking is neither too large nor too small.
If timber is purchased from elsewhere, the purchase price and transportation costs can be quite high, even far exceeding the cost price.
Moreover, even if the imperial court is willing to buy, others may not be willing to sell.
These mountains, forests, and vegetation are also extremely valuable resources.
"Your Majesty, my esteemed ministers, I have never said that there is a solution," Zhuge Liang said calmly.
This sentence left everyone present completely bewildered.
"Prime Minister Zhuge, His Majesty is here in the court. How can you speak recklessly and deceive the emperor?" Li Yan shouted.
Other court officials also scoffed at this.
Jiang Wan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Governor Li, Prime Minister Zhuge only said that to resolve this matter, we must start from the root. But what is the root cause, and how can it be resolved? The Prime Minister has not said a word about it. How can you accuse me of deceiving the emperor?"
The assembled officials were all taken aback upon hearing this.
Zhuge Liang, you were the prime minister of the court, yet you played word games in the imperial court.
Qiao Zhou sneered, "What a sharp tongue you have! No wonder you're a student of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. You dare to mock the entire court in the imperial court."
After a slight hesitation, Jiang Wan puffed out his chest and said, "No. Our Han Dynasty is full of talented people, and all of you ministers are outstanding individuals. The reason why Prime Minister Zhuge said this is to gather wisdom from all sides and discuss solutions together."
"What solution is there? It's asking the impossible," the ministers whispered among themselves.
Zhuge Liang ignored them and instead cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, Cai Lun, the former Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, improved the papermaking process by using tree bark, hemp fibers, rags, and old fishing nets as raw materials, which could prevent excessive deforestation."
Liu Shan clapped his hands and said, "What you say is absolutely right, Prime Minister. How could I have forgotten Cai Lun's papermaking technique?"
Before Liu Shan could even feel happy, Situ Xu Jing stepped forward and poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Your Majesty, although Caihou paper is inexpensive to produce, due to war and turmoil, the artisans were scattered, resulting in the loss of this technique to the common people."
"When I was in Luoyang, I used Cai Hou paper. Although it was more convenient than bamboo slips, it was easily eaten by insects and was not easy to store. Therefore, even if you know this method, it is difficult to use it to preserve historical materials and books."
Liu Shan suddenly understood after hearing this.
In ancient times, information was scarce, so improving papermaking techniques did not equate to widespread adoption. In the event of war or chaos, it was quite normal for these techniques to be lost or scattered among the people.
The fact that paper is difficult to store is the fatal reason why it cannot replace silk and bamboo slips.
Isn't there any better way?
Liu Shan felt some regret.
He did not study papermaking techniques in modern society, and therefore could not popularize this technology with modern knowledge.
Is there really no other way?