Poverty Alleviation in Qin: A Sky-High Review of "I Am the Female Prime Minister of All Time&qu

[Let me first give you a brief overview of the daily work and hours of county magistrates in the Qin Dynasty. It was roughly like this: From 5 to 7 a.m., the magistrate was required to personally inspect the office, check the attendance of subordinate officials, verify unfinished cases, and inspect the local prisons and granaries.]

[From 1 to 6 PM, the work involves office work, handling cases and government affairs, organizing documents, issuing imperial edicts, verifying accounts, and arranging the work for the next day.]

[This isn't the end. After dark, the county magistrate still needs to handle emergencies and local changes, responding to reports immediately, day and night.]

At this point, Tian Tian pointed to a separate display area next to the showcase and dropped a bombshell in the calmest tone:

[Amidst this hectic schedule, at the beginning of the fourth year, Song also invented and popularized papermaking.]

"???"

What is papermaking?

In the past, all written records were kept on bamboo slips. Each stroke of the bamboo slip was crucial; each scroll was copied one by one. A single bamboo slip could only hold a few lines of text, and a cartload of bamboo slips couldn't even carry a single book. The government's archives piled up like mountains, while ordinary scholars couldn't even afford the capital to copy books.

Books are heavy objects; they weigh down not only the bookshelf but also a person's head.

The invention of papermaking not only revolutionized the written document system but also significantly reduced the cost of governing a country.

A single roll of paper can hold thousands of words, and the contents of a cartload of bamboo slips can be stored in just a few sheets of paper.

[Not only has the transportation cost of all the official documents, household registers, and legal copies sent to Xianyang from prefectures and counties across the country plummeted, but it has also significantly reduced the amount of corvée labor required for transportation.]

"??!"

[Not only have the costs associated with household registration, land ownership, and tax records plummeted, but the widespread availability of maps has also made water conservancy and agricultural planning more convenient and precise.]

"!!!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Emperor Qin Shi Huang stepped forward impatiently, wanting to see the "paper" more clearly.

Similarly, the courtiers present were also incredulous.

Some people had their mouths slightly open, some had their brows furrowed, and some subconsciously turned to look at the people around them, as if to confirm that what they had just heard was not a hallucination.

Their first reaction was: Is this canopy a joke? Papermaking? What is paper?

Bamboo slips have been used for so many years, how come something suddenly appears that can replace them?

But then I thought about it again. Everything Tianmu said was based on evidence, so there was no need to waste time on such strange phenomena to amuse them.

Paper must have actually existed.

Once this thought was settled, everyone's expression changed.

Those officials in charge of household registration, granaries, and documents, in particular, reacted faster than others.

If what Tianmu said is true, that a single sheet of paper can be worth a cartload of bamboo slips, then tax accounts, household registers, and all government affairs that rely on manual labor and stacks of bamboo slips will be completely rewritten.

Transportation costs, warehousing pressures, and corvée labor for transshipment... those long-standing problems weighing on the heads of various counties and prefectures may indeed be resolved.

However, Tianmu's words completely chilled the hearts of all the civil and military officials.

The most direct benefit for ordinary people is that knowledge is no longer monopolized by nobles and officials.

The ministers: "?"

It's important to know that during the pre-Qin period, only aristocratic families and officials had access to bamboo slips; ordinary farmers and merchants would never see written characters in their entire lives.

[With inexpensive paper, cheap handwritten scrolls appeared among the common people: literate minor officials and teachers could copy agricultural books, calendars, and basic Qin laws, which could be borrowed at low prices by children from lower-class families. If ordinary people could understand the basic laws, they would be less likely to be arbitrarily exploited and deceived by officials.]

Everyone knows that the cumbersome bamboo slips required vast amounts of bamboo and wood, necessitating annual conscription of people to cut bamboo in the mountains, slice it, dry it, and weave it. Meanwhile, silk production relied on silkworm rearing and weaving, further burdening the women's labor.

[As a result, the Song Dynasty also introduced papermaking technology. Papermaking uses tree bark, rags, and hemp fibers as raw materials, which are cheap and readily available, eliminating the need for large-scale logging of bamboo and wood.]

The government will no longer forcibly conscript people to make bamboo slips, thus reducing unpaid corvée labor each year. People will also no longer need to leave their posts for agricultural work during busy seasons, leading to better harvests.

[In the imperial court, the costs of issuing decrees and maintaining records have plummeted, allowing the central government to exert stronger control over counties and prefectures.]

At the grassroots level, the efficiency of county and municipal government offices has increased significantly, and water conservancy and tax management have become more refined.

For ordinary people, the lowered literacy threshold, reduced corvée labor, and convenient business and correspondence have brought tangible benefits to their lives.

Sweetie spoke in a straightforward manner, her tone devoid of much additional emotion.

But under the sky, when those words reached people's ears, they were like a pebble thrown into ice.

The crack spread outwards from the point of impact, silently and rapidly, too fast to stop.

In front of Xianyang Palace, several courtiers standing in the front row frowned almost simultaneously.

Someone turned their head and exchanged a very brief glance with the person next to them.

No one spoke, but that moment of silence said it all.

Papermaking brought not simple convenience, but a knife, its blade falling towards the direction they had guarded for generations.

Bamboo slips and books have never been merely tools for recording.

They are thresholds, barriers, walls used to separate people.

The right to read and write has always been a privilege reserved for a minority.

From the pre-Qin period to the present day, those who are able to read, write, and understand laws and regulations have always been the sons of aristocratic families, officials, and powerful clans.

Those who spend their days bending over in the fields, hawking their wares in the streets, and carrying stones on construction sites have never, and should never, touched a single bamboo slip.

This is the rule, an invisible yet solid wall, its surface as smooth as a mirror, and no one has ever thought of smashing it.

But now Tianmu says that the wall can be torn down.

How could this be? How could this be?

They absolutely will not allow it!

An elderly minister in the front row finally couldn't hold back and spoke in a low voice: "What does papermaking have to do with the common people?" His voice was not loud, but his tone carried an almost cruel incomprehension.

The people around didn't respond, but they didn't refute either, because they had the same question in their minds.

Literacy has always been a privilege reserved for a minority. Why should those from humble backgrounds get a share of the benefits?

Most people remained silent.

This silence is like a lake, calm on the surface, but churning with all sorts of thoughts beneath.

Some people think Tianmu went too far, some think he spoke too soon, and some think that if these words are spread too widely, they will cause some people who shouldn't have such thoughts to start thinking about things they shouldn't be thinking about.

Li Si stood in the crowd, his face expressionless.

What benefit does enabling common people to read and write bring to good governance?

In his view, it was enough for ordinary people to simply obey the law, pay taxes, and perform their corvée labor.

The more words you know, the more thoughts you have.

With more thoughts, you'll have more ideas.

Having too many ideas makes one restless.

Legalism governs the people by providing clear laws and strict rewards and punishments, rather than by having everyone read books and understand principles.

He lowered his eyes and put the thought away, but the fingers in his sleeve twitched slightly.

Li Si had no intention of expressing any opposition in front of the heavenly curtain, because he knew that the noble families would speak up for him without him having to.

On the other side of the crowd, Prime Minister Wang Wan frowned, his thoughts focused on order.

In his view, the distinction between people is simply part of the world's order.

Who are scholars, who are commoners, who should study, and who should farm—these distinctions have long been established.

Paper can be lightweight and inexpensive, but if we want everyone to be able to afford to read books, then we are muddying up what were originally clear-cut distinctions.