Chapter 129: Printing Results

There was some good news, however: the soap had been successfully perfected, and that foul odor had finally been removed.

This item was sold very cheaply, making it affordable for most commoners, and truthfully, it was quite durable. For twenty Kaiyuan Tongbao coins, one could buy a bar that would easily last a family of several people an entire month. It did not yield much profit, but the volume made up for it; after all, the wealthy were few, and most commoners lived hand-to-mouth. Now, with something to wash their clothes with, they could at least make their garments last a little longer.

Outside the Anfu Hall, staff from the Bureau of Palace Attire were reporting to Li Yuechen on the tasks she had assigned.

"The gauze Your Highness requested can be woven, but..." the palace attendant's expression was hesitant, "...the supply of white cotton is limited, and it does not seem to grow well on a large scale here in the Great Tang."

Li Yuechen nodded. She was well aware of this; cotton was only truly suitable for cultivation in places like Xinjiang or the southern regions. As for places like Chang'an or the Eastern Capital, while it could be grown, it was not cost-effective, and the efficiency was far too low. It seemed she would have to find a way to encourage people in the south or Xinjiang to grow it; at worst, she could simply pay to purchase their harvests. This would be a win-win, as it would also stimulate the local economy.

After nodding, Li Yuechen waved for the attendant to leave, turning back to contemplate the problem. Sending people to grow it was simple in theory, but in an era with poor communication technology, the central government felt distant, and those dispatched might not necessarily act in good faith. Therefore, she needed to cooperate with the locals, ensuring they could profit so they would be willing to do the work. This would require careful planning, to be set in motion once the grain supply issues were resolved.

Over at Mangshan, blast furnaces of various materials were already under construction, with trials expected to begin within ten days.

The following afternoon, Li Yuechen took a carriage to the production factory outside the city to inspect the first batch of transparent glass vessels. After a period of practice, the craftsmen’s glass-blowing skills had improved by leaps and bounds. They were already highly experienced artisans; once they understood the method through brief training, their progress was naturally rapid.

Li Yuechen picked up a transparent goblet to inspect it. Apart from the color not being as brilliant as the glass of the future, there was no difference. It was completely transparent, with no bubbles! The prototype for a goblet had actually appeared in this era, used for drinking grape wine, but Li Yuechen had refined the design entirely.

She then examined other cups and bottles, nodding in approval. "During your rest days, you can think about how to add patterns to these. As I said before, it doesn't matter if you fail, but if you succeed, there will be a great reward!"

The craftsmen readily agreed; they couldn't ask for a better employer. Artisans had their own aspirations—to create better works. In this era, however, they often dared not experiment for fear of failure. With Li Yuechen’s promise as a foundation, they finally felt free to try.

Li Yuechen selected two of the best glasses, intending to take them back as gifts for her father and mother.

"Take the rest to Lai Cao and let him figure out how to handle them. Whether sold to foreign merchants or others, it doesn't matter if the price is high for now; we can lower it later when the quantity increases," Li Yuechen instructed.

Fu Lai bowed. "Understood! But Your Highness, should we have someone keep an eye on him? I have always felt this fellow is of crooked character; he might..."

Li Yuechen shook her head slightly. "It is fine. If he is smart enough, he won't dare to go too far. If he dares to reach his hand where it doesn't belong, I don't mind replacing him."

"As you command!" Fu Lai replied.

...

In Jixian Ward, Lai Cao stared at the dozen transparent glass vessels on the table, lost in thought. Entrusting these to him could be interpreted as trust, or perhaps a test. Honestly, the thought of selling them at a higher price and pocketing the difference had crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. The reason was simple: the Princess did not rely on him to the extent that she couldn't replace him with a single word.

Through the previous incident, Lai Cao had gained a rough understanding of the Princess’s character. She valued a person’s sense of responsibility above all; one must perform their duties well before considering anything else. Having realized this, Lai Cao understood where her bottom line lay. Therefore, while he might still quietly seek small benefits, he would ensure that every task she assigned was completed perfectly.

After respectfully seeing Fu Lai off, Lai Cao decided to get to work the next day. As long as he did well, the Princess would be reluctant to let him go.

That evening, when Lai Cao returned home, he saw his wife, Lady Wang, still busy at their street stall selling *botuo* (noodles). He approached with a look of displeasure. "I told you, there is no need to run this stall anymore. Why are you still out here?"

Lady Wang glanced at him. "You never stick with anything for long. Running this stall at least provides a backup."

"You..." Lai Cao looked around and lowered his voice to his wife. "I am working for a noble now. You still running this stall—aren't you losing face for me?"

"Losing face?" Lady Wang turned to face him. "All these years, from Chang'an to the Eastern Capital, who has been supporting this family? You spend your days gambling and idling about. Were you not ashamed when people pointed at your spine and cursed you?"

Seeing his wife talk back, a nameless fire rose in Lai Cao’s heart. Ordinarily, he would have ignored everything and argued with her right there on the street. But now, fearing the loss of face and remembering the lesson the Princess had taught him, he held back. With a fierce flick of his sleeves, he turned and walked away. "I’m not talking to you!"

Back at their home across the street, his only son, Lai Junchen, walked toward him. "Father, you're back."

Lai Cao didn't speak; he just looked back at his wife working across the street. She was past her prime, her face covered in wrinkles, her hair graying. The hands that were once soft in her youth were now covered in thick calluses. He then looked at his son, who had a slouching, insolent air, and his suppressed anger flared up again. With a sharp "slap," Lai Cao struck him.

"Ow!" Lai Junchen clutched his head. "Father, why did you hit me for no reason?"

"You scoundrel! You do nothing but idle away your time. All the schooling I paid for has gone to the dogs!" Lai Cao shouted. "Go out and help your mother!"

Lai Junchen didn't know what had gotten into his father, but he could feel his foul mood and obeyed, going to help his mother. Since he was a child, whenever his father was in a bad mood, he would strike him, leaving the boy terrified.

...

Back at Anfu Hall, Li Yuechen was reviewing the documents Fu Lai had handed her. Since the last incident, she felt the need to be more vigilant about Lai Cao. For a man to suggest to his employer that he help him divorce his wife—and to do so by brazenly citing the "three reasons not to divorce"—it was clear that his character was cold and ruthless. If she couldn't control such a person, he might eventually cause her trouble.

Looking at the documents, Li Yuechen paused. "He didn't marry his wife of his own accord?"

Fu Lai nodded. "This man gambled with a fellow villager surnamed Cai. For some reason, the man lost tens of thousands of coins to him and, unable to pay, mortgaged his wife to him. When this woman arrived at his home, she was already pregnant..."

Li Yuechen nodded. So that was why. Wanting to divorce her to take a concubine seemed, in his twisted logic, reasonable. But business was business; she had worked for years to support him and even observed mourning for his parents. That debt of gratitude was undeniable. Regardless, Lai Cao could not be given too much leeway. He was a gambler and a hoodlum—the type who would run wild if given an inch—and he had to be kept on a tight leash.

Thinking of this, Li Yuechen froze, then shook her head. It seemed her father’s influence on her was strong; all the lessons on statecraft were being applied here. She couldn't help but sigh: "My innocent soul, I fear, is gone forever..."

...

In June, after the start of the dog days, the heat was suffocating. Even inside the well-ventilated palace, the heat was unbearable. Li Zhidaily sent over *sushan* (a chilled dairy dessert), but heat was heat. In this era without air conditioning, wearing long sleeves and trousers was truly agonizing.

Just as she was considering taking her two sisters and Shangguan Wan'er swimming, Fu Lai rushed in. Wiping the fine sweat from his forehead, he said, "Your Highness, the Directorate for Palace Manufactures says the movable type is ready. Would you like to go see it?"

Li Yuechen decided to go. She stepped out, put on her wooden clogs, and started to walk out. Fu Lai tried to stop her: "Your Highness should change your footwear; if you are seen barefoot..."

"Oh, it's so hot, why fuss over such things? Hurry up!" Li Yuechen urged impatiently.

Fu Lai had no choice but to hold an oil-paper umbrella over her to shield her from the scorching sun. When they arrived at the Directorate, the craftsmen bowed. Before they could speak, they quickly closed their eyes, whispered a prayer of "do not look at what is improper," and then offered their greetings: "Greetings, Your Highness!"

"No need for formalities. Bring out the movable type and let me see!" Li Yuechen waved.

The craftsmen brought out the four carved characters. They laid them in a row, applied some ink, and placed a sheet of paper on top. Using a small roller, they rolled over it a few times and lifted the paper. The characters for "Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow" appeared clearly. The font was modeled after her father Li Zhi's calligraphy, almost identical to his handwriting.

The characters were only as large as a pinky nail. While a bit larger than the font size of future newspapers, it was quite an achievement for this era. Most importantly, the text was clear, with no signs of bleeding, and perfectly legible.

"Good, good, good..." Li Yuechen nodded, highly satisfied, examining the paper from all angles. "What materials were used to make these?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, they are made of a mixture of iron and lead. The cost is lower than pure iron, and they are relatively more durable!"

"Excellent!" Li Yuechen praised. "Keep up the hard work and finish the rest of the characters. Also, characters like 'zhi' (of) and 'ye' (particle) should be made in greater quantities..."

The craftsmen agreed. "Just estimate the materials needed, calculate the costs, and report them to Fu Lai," Li Yuechen instructed.

...

Walking out of the Directorate, Li Yuechen nodded. With the movable type experiment a success, she now waited for the papermaking workshop. Since the bamboo needed to be soaked, most common characters should be ready by the time the first batch of paper was produced. If the bamboo paper experiment succeeded, the price of paper would drop significantly, allowing many more people to afford it.

However, to lower the price further, she would have to expand production. In this era, reaching the level of the future would be difficult. Thinking of this, Li Yuechen sighed; she would have to take it one step at a time and do what she could.

...

Back at Anfu Hall, she found her two sisters and Shangguan Wan'er sitting at a table, all looking listless. Clearly, the oppressive heat made everyone irritable and lethargic. A half-finished game of chess lay between them, but it was obvious they lacked the energy to move another piece.

Seeing Li Yuechen return, Shangguan Wan'er opened her eyes wide, puffed out her cheeks, and looked expectant: "Your Highness, Wan'er wants to go swimming."

"Me too," Princess Xuancheng raised her hand. "It is just too hot!"

Li Yuechen nodded. "Let's go!" It was only just past noon, so there was plenty of time. Upon hearing the go-ahead, the three beauties instantly perked up and ran off to change into their swimsuits.

Once submerged in the cool pool, everyone let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if they had come back to life. Shangguan Wan'er swam around Li Yuechen, enjoying the refreshing water. After swimming for a while, Princess Xuancheng couldn't wait to practice her diving.

Li Yuechen floated on the surface, moving her legs gently to stay afloat, looking at the sky and pondering her next plans. At the same time, she kept a portion of her attention on the others; strictly speaking, they were still beginners, and she needed to be ready to save them if anything happened.

Come to think of it, such a large pool was a bit of a waste. In the future, she should have all the royal family learn to swim. It would make summer much easier to bear, and having the family play together often would help foster bonds—perhaps reducing the chances of them killing each other over the throne...