My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

Ying Zheng, however, was even more shocked.

He reached out and picked up a piece of paper.

It feels incredibly light, smooth, and flat to the touch!

Compared to the heavy, rough bamboo slips on his desk that weigh several kilograms and have rough edges that might scratch his hands, this thin piece of paper was so light that it seemed weightless, yet it was sturdy and resilient.

He repeatedly rubbed the paper with his fingertips; the delicate and even texture was completely different from any silk, leather, or rough early hemp paper he remembered.

He even incredulously grasped both ends of the paper with both hands and carefully pulled it outwards with force—

The paper was slightly deformed, but showed no signs of tearing!

"What...what is this?!"

Ying Zheng's eyes widened, and the shock on his face was almost overflowing.

He looked at the neatly formatted and concisely written text and marveled at it.

"How...how could this be?!"

"My God!"

Ying Zheng subconsciously weighed the paper in his hand.

Then I imagined how many heavy bamboo scrolls would be needed to record the same amount of text, the weight, the volume...

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng couldn't help but complain.

"I knew it! Looking at those wooden slips and bamboo scrolls every day makes my neck stiff! Carrying them would be exhausting!"

"What a miserable life I used to live!"

After saying that, Ying Zheng walked excitedly to Chen Mo.

"Manager Chen! Tell me honestly! This...this pure white treasure called 'paper,' what's the price? Can my Great Qin Dynasty manufacture it?"

Upon hearing this, the other emperors also looked at Chen Mo with burning eyes.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment.

"This type of paper is called machine-made wood pulp paper, which became the most common and widely used paper for printing and writing in later generations. As for the price..."

He thought for a moment and found an analogy.

"Probably... well, like back in your time, Old Zhu, an ordinary family could buy a peck of rice and exchange it for this thick stack of bills."

He gestured with his hand to indicate a thickness equivalent to several hundred sheets of A4 paper.

"What?! A bushel of rice for this stack of rice?!"

Old Zhu exclaimed in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Li Shimin and Liu Che also gasped in shock.

In their time, paper was more expensive and of lower quality, so the price Chen Mo mentioned sounded like a free gift to them.

Ying Zheng's breathing became heavy, and he tightened his grip on the paper.

"Is it even possible to build? Can our Great Qin Dynasty even build it?!"

Chen Mo nodded affirmatively.

"We can make it! The principles and basic processes aren't complicated; the main issues are raw material processing and procedures. I can provide you with detailed papermaking process data, from raw material pretreatment to finished paper."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, then added.

"However, to produce paper of my quality that is uniform, white, and smooth, certain tools and processes are required."

"The paper may be rough and yellowish at first, but it's perfectly fine for writing on, and it's much lighter than bamboo slips."

"It's alright!"

Ying Zheng waved his hand with great force.

"As long as we can create this thing, what do we care about its crudeness? My Qin warriors are fearless in conquering cities and seizing territories, why should we fear mere technological exploration?!"

Liu Che was equally resolute.

"Upon returning, I will order the Imperial Household Department to begin this matter! First, resolve the issue of availability, then strive for exquisite craftsmanship!"

Li Shimin and Zhu Yuanzhang both nodded in agreement, clearly determined to launch the papermaking project immediately.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Mo and the others kindly offered their advice.

"As for papermaking, it's definitely possible."

"But to be honest, with your current level of productivity, it's very difficult, extremely difficult, to produce this kind of white, smooth, and uniformly thick paper."

"It may require a lot of manpower and resources, and take several years or even longer to explore and improve, and there is still no guarantee that the desired effect will be achieved."

He picked up a piece of A4 paper, flicked it, and it made a crisp sound.

"It's like asking a toddler who has just learned to walk to run a 100-meter sprint. It's not impossible, but he'll fall countless times and spend a lot of time practicing."

Upon hearing this, the emperors all frowned.

"What should we do then?"

Chen Mo paused.

"I suggest that we should certainly make our own, but for blank sheets of paper like this, how about... we bring them in directly from here?"

"Enter?"

Liu Che raised an eyebrow.

"Can you supply this in large quantities?"

"Of course!"

Chen Mo patted his chest confidently.

"We have as many as you want! And the price will definitely be much more cost-effective than making them yourself!"

Buying other things might get you checked, like white sugar.

But buying paper is impossible, since the amount high school students use in a year is already taller than a person.

Chen Mo looked at Old Zhu and Liu Che, who were still somewhat unwilling, and counted on his fingers.

"Think about it. Is it more important to have the artisans of the Imperial Workshop continue to research how to improve the efficiency of plows and how to smelt better steel, or to have them struggle with tree bark and rags just to produce paper that might not even be as good as the paper I buy here?"

"Time, talent, and resources must be used wisely!"

These words struck a chord with several emperors.

They were all leaders of great talent and ambition, and naturally knew how to weigh the pros and cons.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and looked at Chen Mo.

"Making it yourself is time-consuming and laborious, and there's no guarantee it will be good... Just buy it, it's worry-free and effortless, and you can use it immediately... It seems... that makes sense?"

"Hey Chen, are you keeping your word? Can you really supply in large quantities? And you can't fool us with the price!"

"Don't worry, Old Zhu, I'm honest and trustworthy!"

Chen Mo assured him.

"You can buy a batch to use and solve your immediate problem."

"At the same time, I'll also give you the basic papermaking data so your people can study it gradually and conduct small-scale trials, as a kind of technological reserve. When our national strength is greater and our production technology is more mature, then we can consider large-scale production, right?"

Old Zhu nodded upon hearing this.

On the other side, Li Shimin also nodded slowly.

"Manager Chen is right. Rather than wasting national resources on unknown outcomes, it is better to seize the immediate benefits and free up resources to focus on more important matters."

Liu Che, having weighed the options, readily agreed.

"In that case, let's buy it first! This item will be of great benefit in transmitting military intelligence and issuing government orders. The sooner we use it, the sooner we will benefit!"

Although Ying Zheng was still somewhat unwilling to rely entirely on external purchases, he had to admit that Chen Mo's words made sense.

He finally nodded heavily.

"Alright. I'll do as you say. I'll buy this paper first to meet our urgent needs. But I still need the papermaking technique!!!"

"Okay! I'll give it to you later!"

Chen Mo also readily agreed.

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the printing press again, as if he wanted to ask something.

Chen Mo, however, saw through his thoughts first and spoke up.

"You're too early for printers, and besides, they require electricity to run, which you don't have there."

Upon hearing this, a hint of resentment flashed across Old Zhu's face.

Is such a useful gadget just going to be left here?

Wouldn't that be such a waste?

Looking at Old Zhu's appearance, Chen Mo suddenly had an idea, and a rare sly smile appeared on his face.

"Gentlemen, are you short of money?"