Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

The court was solemn and silent. The morning light was obscured by thick, dark clouds, with only a few dim rays of light filtering in through the high windows of the palace doors, which made the glow of the candles and bronze braziers inside the palace appear even more dim and somber.

Ying Zheng sat high on his throne, receiving the solemn salute from all the officials. His gaze swept over the ministers in the hall as usual, but paused slightly when it passed the middle of the front row.

Zhou Aiqing?

In that spot, that lean yet upright figure stood steadily, clearly discernible amidst the dark court robes.

Since he took pity on Zhou Wenqing's aversion to cold and issued a special decree to exempt him from the morning court sessions on days of severe cold, rain, and snow, Zhou Wenqing has not been defiant and has never appeared on such damp and chilly days, not even once.

Over time, not only Ying Zheng himself, but also the entire court seemed to have gotten used to it and accepted that person's inevitable absence on certain days.

After all, although Zhou Wenqing had accepted the position of Minister of Agriculture and was granted the title of Junior Minister, the three-month term he had requested to serve in order to gain the respect of the people had not yet been completed. Everyone in the court and the public knew that he was currently holding a "nominal title" and did not have any urgent or complicated daily political affairs that required him to report to the court. His occasional absences were not noticed by anyone.

So, is there something important happening today?

Ying Zheng's gaze lingered on Zhou Wenqing for a moment.

He was dressed in the same court robes as everyone else, standing in the path of the cold wind seeping in from the palace gate. He looked somewhat thin, and his profile was pale in the flickering candlelight.

He furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly and tilted his head slightly toward the eunuch standing beside him.

In a short while, the heat from the exquisitely crafted bronze braziers with coiled dragon patterns in the four corners of the main hall silently dispelled the biting chill that had seeped in through the cracks in the hall doors and lingered between the jade floor and the robes of the officials.

Among the courtiers who were bowing or had just straightened up, Li Si keenly sensed that the biting damp cold in the surrounding air seemed to have subsided considerably, and a sense of warmth quietly enveloped him.

He glanced discreetly out of the corner of his eye and, sure enough, saw that familiar figure.

Brother Zicheng... you actually came today? You didn't even inform me beforehand.

Li Si pondered to himself, but showed no sign of it on his face. He simply used the action of adjusting his sleeves to gently press down the simple wooden box in his sleeve pocket containing the documents for reporting daily affairs, without intending to take it out again.

These routine and trivial reports can all be set aside today. Since Zhou Wenqing has gone to court despite being unwell and braving the rain, the hall will likely be anything but peaceful today. He made this judgment almost immediately.

This judgment was confirmed in an instant.

As the echoes of the attendant’s customary shout of “Speak if you have something to say, otherwise leave the court” still lingered among the beams and pillars of the main hall, Zhou Wenqing was the first to step forward.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Ying Zheng had a vague guess. His gaze fell on him, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. It was more than two months ahead of schedule. It seemed that it was the right thing to give those useless people to my minister.

"allow."

Zhou Wenqing, having received permission, slightly turned his head and gestured to a middle-aged eunuch standing beside the imperial steps.

"What I spoke of before has now been completed. Please inspect it, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes focused on Zhou Wenqing, and on his hand as he reached into his robes and slowly took something out.

Zhou Wenqing reached into his robes with unhurried movements and took out something that was not the heavy bamboo slips or expensive silk books he had expected, but a stack of... rather neatly arranged, slightly yellowish, and peculiarly textured... thin slices?

He gently placed it on a brocade tray held high above the eunuch's head.

The stack of items was about half an inch thick, cut extremely square and neat, with smooth edges. Under the firelight in the hall, it shone with a soft and restrained luster, lying quietly on the dark brocade, appearing exceptionally clean and light.

What is this?

Wang Wan frowned deeply, her body involuntarily leaning slightly forward as she stared at the tray, her eyes filled with doubt and scrutiny.

It looks light and flimsy, without any weight, without any decoration, and without any solemnity or luxury... Could it be that Zhou Wenqing is trying to use this inexplicable thing to evade the promise of "continuous cultural heritage"?

His Adam's apple bobbed as he mentally prepared his remarks, ready to offer his advice immediately.

"Bring it here quickly!" Ying Zheng's voice rang out, carrying a barely perceptible urgency.

The eunuch dared not be negligent. He steadily carried the wooden tray, quickly stepped forward, and respectfully raised the tray high above his head, presenting it to the emperor's desk.

Zhou Wenqing stood in the hall, facing gazes from all directions—some filled with doubt, some with scrutiny, and some with expectation—and slowly spoke, his voice clear and resonant in the silent hall:

"Your Majesty, my colleagues, this thing is called—'paper'."

Paper? A completely unfamiliar word I'd never heard of before.

A suppressed, hushed whisper filled the hall, and many people exchanged bewildered glances.

Zhou Wenqing seemed oblivious to the commotion around him, and continued in a clear voice:

"As you all know, historical records have traditionally been written in bronze or stone, inscribed with achievements and laws, which is solemn but difficult to do; or in bamboo slips or wooden tablets, written with laws and decrees, which are the most widely circulated, but their drawbacks are also obvious."

Zhou Wenqing lightly tapped the bamboo slip in the arms of an imperial censor, drawing everyone's attention to the familiar object.

"To make a single bamboo slip, one must cut bamboo, kill the green leaves, scrape and weave them together. The process is complicated. A complete set of laws can be carried in several carts. Only a strong man can carry it. The capacity of a post horse for delivering letters is limited. When scholars travel, their carts are heavily laden with books, making the journey difficult."

He paused briefly, his voice filled with deep emotion:

"Furthermore, bamboo slips are heavy and difficult to turn, and the binding ropes are easily decayed and scattered. To use them to carry the literary tradition and widely disseminate government decrees is like carrying a thousand pounds while walking through mud. Though one may yearn for it, how difficult it is to take the first step!"

His voice was not loud, but every word he spoke hit the nail on the head, causing many civil officials, censors, and scholars who dealt with bamboo slips every day to subconsciously nod slightly. A chorus of soft echoes and sighs of sympathy filled the hall.

Just as everyone was discussing and sighing, Ying Zheng, sitting on the throne, could no longer contain himself. He reached out and picked up the top piece of "paper" on the imperial desk with his fingertips.

It feels cool to the touch, smooth and delicate, a unique tactile sensation completely different from the roughness of bamboo and wood, the coldness of bronze, or the smoothness of silk.

He gently bent the paper, and it obediently curled up, making a very slight "rustling" sound. After loosening, it slowly returned to its flat state, leaving only very shallow creases.

Flexibility!

A thought struck him, and he rubbed the paper with his fingertips.

It is even and flat, without any burrs or unevenness in the wood grain.

Seeing that the atmosphere had become right, and that the king was personally examining the "paper," Li Si immediately raised his voice and said, "Zhou Neishi, your analysis of the drawbacks of bamboo slips is quite insightful. However, you have presented this thing called 'paper,' could it be... precisely because of these drawbacks? Can it be used for writing?"

This question was perfectly timed, instantly drawing everyone's attention away from the complaints about the bamboo slips and back to the mysterious stack of thin sheets.

"Exactly!" Zhou Wenqing replied loudly, "This 'paper' can also be used to carry writing and ink."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng immediately called out, "Bring me ink and a brush!"

Ying Zheng's wrist was steady as he held the brush on the paper and gently made a single stroke.

The jet-black ink seeped into the paper instantly, with clear edges and no blurring, making it even smoother and more fluid than writing on bamboo slips.

His eyes suddenly shone with an amazing light, and he wrote down the numbers "Great Qin" and "Eternal" in succession, his brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes, full of joy and exhilaration.

He put down his pen, picked up the paper with ink marks, and examined it closely in the sunlight streaming in from outside the hall. The ink was distinct, and the paper was warm and smooth.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Ying Zheng praised it three times, then exclaimed loudly, "Indeed, it can hold ink without it spreading, remaining clear and firm, vivid and clear! This thing... is excellent!"

This instantly ignited the entire court, and the whispers below were replaced by an overwhelming sense of amazement and eagerness.

How could Ying Zheng not know what everyone was thinking? He waved his hand with a smile: "Go quickly and distribute this 'paper' to all my beloved ministers, one for each of you, so you can read and experience it."

"Yes!" The eunuchs responded in unison, and immediately stepped forward as if distributing some extraordinary reward. They carefully and respectfully separated the stack of papers, one for each person, and handed them to each courtier with both hands.

A chorus of low gasps, exclamations, and eager groping sounds immediately filled the hall.

"Wow, so light!"

"The feel... smooth yet not greasy, resilient yet not hard, simply wonderful!"

"Look! It's so evenly and clearly translucent when held up to the light!"

"Let this old man give it a try!" General Wang Jian snatched Wei Liao's pen and forcefully drew a line on the paper. Looking at the clear ink mark, he widened his eyes. "Hey! It can really write! This thing writes so smoothly, I'm afraid we won't even need a bookbrush!"

General Meng Wu leaned over, placed his finger in the center of the paper, and gently pried at it. "Hey, it's not torn!"

"Go away, go away, go to the side. This is mine, don't make it wrinkle."

To watch the two of them fight, Shi Ranran pocketed the other blank sheet of paper presented by the eunuch.

For a time, the solemn and dignified imperial court became somewhat bustling like a marketplace, with everyone experiencing, discussing, and marveling at this unprecedented "paper".

Holding the paper that felt both weightless and immensely heavy, Li Si could hardly contain his surging emotions. He stepped forward from the crowd, his voice rising slightly with excitement, yet each word resounding with conviction:

"The Grand Historian Zhou has presented this divine object. A thousand words of writing can be contained in the palm of one's hand, a post horse can carry ten thousand words, and a scholar's bag can hold the classics of a hundred schools of thought. This is truly a great treasure of the nation, a blessing for the literary tradition of our Great Qin, and a boon to the state! Your Majesty, I congratulate you!"

"Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations!"

The court officials immediately stopped their discussion and bowed in unison.

"Hahahaha!" Ying Zheng laughed loudly and unrestrainedly, his gaze sweeping across the entire room like lightning, especially lingering briefly on the faces of several senior ministers.

"Excellent! Excellent! Minister Zhou has rendered this unparalleled service, providing concrete evidence to refute all doubts. This is truly a remarkable achievement. From this day forward, the title of Junior Imperial Envoy is rightfully his, and no one can challenge it in the slightest!"

Wang Wan, who was originally prepared to launch an attack, now held the light yet heavy piece of paper in her hand. Looking at the clear handwriting of her colleague, she opened her mouth, but found that the words of rebuke she had prepared, such as "showy but impractical" and "strange tricks," could not be uttered in the face of this irrefutable fact. Her face turned red and white, and she was extremely embarrassed.

Lord Changping glanced at him subtly, sighed inwardly, and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, the 'paper' presented by Zhou Neishi is indeed an ingenious and wonderful object, truly admirable. I also deeply agree with Li Changshi's statement that it is 'a great instrument of the state'."

"However, the more important a weapon is to the country, the more comprehensive its implementation strategy must be. What I am concerned about is not that this weapon is bad, but its reality of 'widely distributing it throughout the country and simplifying its use'."

"Not to mention that this item is newly created and the craftsmanship is still being explored, the initial cost must have been quite high. The fact that Your Majesty established a workshop for craftsmen and recruited many artisans shows that it was for this item, which demonstrates how much importance you attach to it."

"However, even if a large number of craftsmen are gathered, how much raw material, how many craftsmen, how much space, and how much money and food would be needed to maintain such a scale of production in order to supply the daily documents of government offices at all levels and even gradually replace the hundreds of millions of bamboo slips in the hands of scholars across the country?"

"Of course, I am not denying the advantages of paper, but I am worried about the difficulty of using it."

Lord Changping spoke frankly, "Such a huge investment and output balance, and a long-term strategy for promotion, I wonder if Minister Zhou has a plan in mind, and can answer your questions for Your Majesty and us, so as to reassure the court and the people?"