Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

"Hahaha! This is hilarious!"

In a secluded courtyard south of Chang'an, a burst of maniacal laughter erupted, nearly lifting the roof off.

The remaining leaders of the collateral branches of the five surnames and seven clans were sitting together, toasting each other, their faces bearing the mocking expressions of looking at fools.

"What did he say? Books are cheaper than paper?"

One of the Wang family stewards laughed until tears streamed down his face, slapping his thigh and saying, "This little prince probably doesn't know how to write the phrase 'Luoyang paper is expensive,' does he?"

"They are like children raised in the deep palace, unaware of the hardships of ordinary people."

Another elderly man from the Lu family stroked his beard, a look of superiority on his face. "What does he think bookmaking is? Is it just molding clay?"

"Papermaking requires the finest bark of the Qingtan tree and rice straw, involving seventy-two processes and taking several months to complete. A single sheet of high-quality Xuan paper can cost as much as tens of coins!"

"Copying books requires hiring scholars with neat handwriting to copy them day and night. One person can only copy a few thousand words a day at most. If there is even the slightest mistake, the whole sheet of paper is ruined."

"Plus binding, polishing..."

The old man stretched out a finger and pointed it in the air a few times.

"The cost of a single volume of the Analects is no less than five hundred coins! And that's even with our own workshop and family school."

"He wants books to be cheaper than toilet sticks? Unless he can make the heavens rain paper down for him, and ink magically flow onto the paper!"

Everyone laughed, laughing so hard they were doubled over, laughing without restraint.

In their view, Li Chengqian's words were nothing but nonsense uttered in a fit of rage.

Monopolizing knowledge?

That's right, we've got a monopoly, so what can you do about it?

The technological barriers are there, and the resource barriers are there.

This is like a mountain. Even if Li Chengqian is made of iron, how many nails can he hammer in?

"Come on, let's drink!"

The Wang family steward raised his wine glass, his face flushed. "Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow morning. We'll see how this Crown Prince handles this!"

"If he can't produce the books, those poor scholars he's fooled will probably be the first to storm the Crown Prince's palace and tear him apart!"

"Dry!"

……

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Eastern Palace.

This area has been designated as a military restricted zone.

There was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps. Even if a fly flew in, the Imperial Guards would swat it down with the back of their swords to check its gender.

Inside a large workshop, the heat was intense, yet the atmosphere was deathly still and oppressive.

Dozens of top craftsmen transferred from the Ministry of Works were sweating profusely as they surrounded several huge wooden boards, their carving knives trembling.

"Your Highness..."

The leading old craftsman was named Mo Ju, who was said to be a descendant of the Mo family's mechanical arts.

He knelt before Li Chengqian, holding a half-carved jujube wood block in his hands, his face filled with despair.

"I can't do it... I really can't!"

Mo Ju's voice trembled with tears, "According to your request, printing 100,000 copies of the Analects overnight is impossible. Even if we gathered all the carpenters in Chang'an to carve the woodblocks, it still wouldn't be enough!"

"Moreover, with woodblock printing, if even one character is engraved incorrectly, the entire block is ruined. If the wood grain is even slightly uneven, the printed characters will be blurry."

"There's also paper..."

Mo Ju pointed to a stack of Xuan paper piled up beside him, trembling with heartache. "The palace's paper reserves have all been emptied, enough only for printing a few hundred copies. Go buy more? The aristocratic families have already bought up all the paper on the market!"

Li Chengqian walked around the workshop with his hands behind his back.

He picked up the jujube wood carving; it was heavy and exuded the fragrance of wood shavings.

The craftsmanship is indeed exquisite; every character is carved squarely and powerfully.

But it's too slow.

This is the limitation of this era.

Even with the emergence of woodblock printing, it still had fatal flaws such as high cost, long production cycle, and difficulty in modification.

Are they trying to use this to wage a price war against established brands?

That's just plain stupid. A family with hundreds of years of history can wear you down.

"I know you did your best."

Li Chengqian casually tossed the woodblock into the scrap heap, making a dull thud.

"But this kind of outdated stuff really should go into the trash heap."

Mo Ju and the other craftsmen trembled with fear, thinking the Crown Prince was about to lose his temper and kill people. They all lowered their heads and dared not even breathe.

"Alright, get up, everyone."

Li Chengqian found a clean step to sit down, crossed his legs, looked at the dark roof of the workshop, and sighed helplessly.

"I wanted to interact with you as an ordinary person, but all I got in return was helplessness."

"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean."

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the depths of his mind.

The once-silent system interface is now radiating an alluring golden light.

"System, stop playing dead."

Li Chengqian silently thought to himself, "I know you have some good stuff. Hurry up and give me your 'black technology'."

"I'm really angry right now and I desperately need some shock from industrial civilization to brainwash those bumpkins."

【Ding! 】

Although the system's voice was cold, it sounded like heavenly music to Li Chengqian.

[The host is facing a "cultural monopoly" crisis and has a strong need to refute it.]

[Matching the appropriate technical solution...]

[Solution matched successfully!]

[Check-in rewards are being distributed...]

As a tingling sensation ran through his body, two massive streams of information, like a sudden awakening, instantly flooded into Li Chengqian's mind.

That is the crystallization of the wisdom of countless sages.

That was the spark that could completely change the course of human civilization.

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Improved Papermaking Technique (Complete Set of Process Blueprints)!]

[Technical Features: No expensive tree bark is required; only inexpensive raw materials such as bamboo, straw, and reeds are needed. Fermentation is rapid, resulting in a high pulp yield, producing white and durable paper at only one percent the cost of Xuan paper!]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Movable Type Printing (Lead-Tin Alloy Version)!]

[Technical Features: Abandoning wood carving, we use lead-tin alloy casting for the type. The type molds are reusable, allowing for flexible layout and clear printing. Combined with specially formulated ink, printing tens of thousands of rolls per day is effortless!]

Li Chengqian suddenly opened his eyes.

In that instant, it was as if stars were burning in his eyes.

One percent of the cost!

Printing tens of thousands of volumes a day!

This is hardly technology.

These are clearly two nuclear bombs launched at powerful clans!

"call……"

Li Chengqian let out a long breath, stood up, and patted the dust off his backside.

He looked at the craftsmen who were still kneeling on the ground, trembling, and a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

"Old Mo."

"This old servant is here!" Mo Ju raised his head tremblingly.

"Throw away all that wood and carving knives you have in your hands."

Li Chengqian waved his hand and pointed to the pile of lead and tin blocks in the corner of the workshop, which were originally used to weigh down the warehouse.

"From now on, we're not playing with wood anymore."

"Let's play with gold."

Mo Ju was stunned: "Gold...gold?"

"Yes, the gold in 'turning stone into gold'."

Li Chengqian walked to the pile of metal, picked up a lead ingot, weighed it in his hand, and his eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

"Tonight, I'm going to lead you on a big mission."

"A momentous event that would make Confucius jump out of his coffin and applaud, and make those old dogs of the aristocratic families cry and beg for their mothers!"

"Start the fire! Turn on the stove!"

"Let's forge words!"