Hot flashes

The drums signaling the end of the court session sounded, and the officials began to leave. Zhou Heng was swept along by the crowd, inching his way out step by step.

Some people deliberately bumped into him as they passed by, some muttered something under their breath, and some said nothing but glanced at him with a look that was more painful than any insult.

Zhou Heng ignored him.

He walked through the crowd, through Chengtian Gate, along the long imperial road, and back to Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Jue is already inside.

He changed into his everyday clothes, sat on the tatami mat, holding a book in his hand, and looked up when he saw him come in.

Zhou Heng walked over and stood in front of him.

Xiao Jue looked at him.

"You've been kneeling for so long, don't your legs hurt?"

Zhou Heng paused for a moment, then shook his head.

Xiao Jue put down the book and extended his hand.

Zhou Heng grasped that hand and was pulled into his arms.

Xiao Jue placed his hand on his waist and gently massaged it.

"How was my performance today?"

Zhou Heng leaned against his chest and heard the man's steady heartbeat, a stark contrast to his demeanor in the court just moments before.

He looked up at Xiao Jue.

Zhou Heng suddenly laughed.

"How impressive!"

Xiao Jue's lips curved slightly.

Then he lowered his head and pressed his forehead against Zhou Heng's.

"That's impressive enough," he said. "There will be even more impressive ones to come."

On September 26th, the imperial decree was issued.

We will first set up a school in Jiangling Prefecture on a trial basis, and start enrolling students next spring.

Jiangling.

Zhou Heng was stunned when he heard those two words.

He thought he would start in the capital. The capital was easier to control and less likely to cause major trouble. But Xiao Jue chose Jiangling.

Jiangling is Xie family territory.

Xie Xun had been operating there for decades, and everyone there was his man. Setting up a school in Jiangling was like throwing a fish into a cat's nest.

Zhou Heng went to find Xiao Jue.

Xiao Jue was reviewing memorials when he heard the question and put down his pen.

"What happened to Jiangling?"

Zhou Heng said, "Jiangling is Xie family territory. If we set up a school there, they will try to make things difficult for us."

Xiao Jue nodded.

"meeting."

Zhou Heng waited for him to continue.

Xiao Jue did not say anything.

Zhou Heng suddenly understood.

"Did you do this on purpose?"

Xiao Jue's lips curved slightly.

"The Xie family has been entrenched in Jiangling for too long," he said. "I need a pretext."

Zhou Heng's heart skipped a beat.

Origin.

The school is located in Jiangling; the Xie family will definitely make a move. If they do, we'll have leverage over them. And with leverage, we can deal with them.

Zhou Heng remained silent for a moment.

Then he asked, "Should I go to Jiangling?"

Xiao Jue shook his head.

"You can't go," he said. "They'll only act if you're in the capital."

Zhou Heng understood.

He was in the capital, which is why the Xie family dared to touch the school. Touching the school meant disobeying Xiao Jue's decree. Disobeying the decree meant rebellion.

He stood there, looking at Xiao Jue, and suddenly didn't know what to say.

Xiao Jue reached out and pulled him into his arms.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Zhou Heng began preparations for the school.

The first thing is the teaching materials.

The school had plenty of textbooks for the Four Books and Five Classics, but there were no ready-made textbooks for subjects like mathematics, geography, and history.

Zhou Heng locked himself in his duty room, spent three days reading books and three sleepless nights writing the first editions of "Introduction to Mathematics" and "A Brief Introduction to Geography".

After he finished writing, he discovered a problem.

Who will print these books?

Most of the printing houses in the capital were owned by powerful families. The few remaining ones were also controlled by these families.

Zhou Heng sent someone to inquire, and the owners of several printing houses were all very polite, saying that they were certainly willing to print Lord Zhou's book, but recently the price of paper had risen sharply, and printing one copy would cost a certain amount of money, three times more expensive than the market price.

Zhou Heng listened without saying a word.

Chen Shen, standing to the side, was furious, his face turning ashen: "Young Master, they did this on purpose!"

Zhou Heng nodded.

"I know."

He stood up and walked outside.

Chen Shen chased after him, asking, "Young Master, where are you going?"

"Find a few craftsmen."

Zhou Heng found an old craftsman surnamed Bi in an alley in the south of the city.

Old Bi, in his sixties, had spent his entire life in printing; his hands were calloused and his eyesight was failing, yet he spoke eloquently about book printing. When Zhou Heng mentioned wanting to print his own book, he paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"Sir, this is not an easy task," he said. "Printing books is not something one person can do. It requires engraving the plates, typesetting, mixing the ink, pressing the printing press, cutting the paper, and binding—it would take one person half a year to print a single book."

Zhou Heng nodded.

"I know," he said, "but I've heard there's a printing method that doesn't require carving a whole plate."

Old Bi's eyes lit up.

"Are you referring to the word 'living'?"

Zhou Heng nodded.

Old Bi remained silent for a while.

"I pondered the idea of ​​movable type when I was young. You carve individual characters, arrange them, and print. Once you're done, you can disassemble them and use them again." He sighed, "But nobody's willing to try. The powerful families control the bookstore business; whoever dares to try will starve."

Zhou Heng looked at him.

"What if I'm willing to try?"

Old Bi was stunned for a moment.

Zhou Heng said, "I'll provide the money, buy the materials, and hire the staff. You can teach. The printed books won't be sold; they'll only be used by the schools. The aristocratic families have no say in this."

Old Bi stared at him for a long time.

Then he asked, "Sir, aren't you afraid of retaliation from the powerful families?"

Zhou Heng shook his head.

"What's there to be afraid of?" he said.

Old Bi remained silent.

Zhou Heng waited for a while, then stood up.

"Sir, please take your time to think it over. Once you've made up your mind, have someone come to the Hanlin Academy to see me." He paused, "I won't force you. I understand you have a family to support."

He turned and walked out.

After walking a few steps, Lao Bi's voice came from behind.

"grown ups."

Zhou Heng stopped in his tracks.

Old Bi stood there, something moving within the wrinkles on his face.

"Sir," he said, "I'll do it."

Zhou Heng's printing shop opened.

The place was in an abandoned house in the east of the city. It wasn't big, just three rooms, but that was enough. Old Bi brought three apprentices and recruited a few young men from outside the city. Seven or eight people worked day and night.

The first batch of movable type was for over a thousand commonly used characters in "An Introduction to Mathematics." Old Bi personally oversaw the carving, meticulously carving each stroke for ten days. Once finished, the type was arranged, a sample was printed, and presented to Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng looked at the paper.

The words on it are clear and neat, just like those in a printed book.

He looked up at Lao Bi.

"Okay," he said, "print it like this."

The first batch of textbooks has been printed.