Chapter 28: Completion of the Paper Mill

It was well past midnight when Su Ze finally returned to his small dwelling by carriage. Head Constable Li had promised to send a generous gift once the case was solved before hurriedly departing with his lean subordinate.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, a servant from Ouyang Xiu’s household arrived with a collection of literary works—the very same "Collected Works of Master Changli" that Su Ze had copied in his youth.

[Literary Essence detected. Would you like to absorb it?]

This book contained Literary Essence, too?

Judging by the mottled cover and yellowed paper, it was clearly an old edition. From the creased corners and loose binding, it was evident that the owner, Ouyang Xiu, must have leafed through these pages frequently. As Su Ze opened the volume, he understood why the system had identified it as containing Literary Essence.

Ouyang Xiu had transcribed this entire collection by hand!

Master Changli was none other than Han Yu, the foremost of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties and the pioneer who led the movement for reform in classical prose. Ouyang Xiu had become a proponent of classical prose after being deeply influenced by Han Yu’s works in his youth. Within this hand-copied collection, Ouyang Xiu had filled the margins with dense annotations and reflections recorded after reading Han Yu’s essays.

This was truly invaluable!

Su Ze could not help but marvel. To give away such a precious collection so readily proved that Ouyang Xiu was as fond of talent as the rumors suggested. Su Ze felt a stirring of emotion; Ouyang Xiu might not have been politically mature, but as a person, he was undoubtedly a mentor and a friend. He had recommended many talented individuals and never hesitated to praise those with ability or offer support to young scholars. To his friends, he was fiercely loyal, harboring a sincere and wholehearted devotion to figures like Fan Zhongyan.

This was the unique quality of the gentlemen of the Qingli era. While they were far less adept at political maneuvering than the New Party of the Xining Reform, they were truly deserving of the title "gentleman" in terms of personal character and integrity.

Yet, it was precisely the failure of the Qingli New Policies that taught Wang Anshi and the Xining reformists the cruelty of political struggle, turning reform into a life-or-death battle. The factional strife at the end of the Northern Song was the ultimate consequence of this political polarization. Su Ze recalled his reading on the failure of the Qingli reforms; it could be said that they "succeeded because of their character and failed because of it." Men like Fan Zhongyan were driven by ideals and possessed noble integrity, but they were naive in political combat, easily outmaneuvered by conservative, professional politicians like Lü Jianyi, Wang Gongchen, and Xia Song.

Su Ze sighed and carried the "Collected Works of Master Changli," annotated by Ouyang Xiu himself, into the Peach Blossom Spring.

The realm remained an ethereal paradise. Beside the paper mill, a new ink-making workshop had appeared, with a column of black smoke rising straight into the sky. The Guide Child quickly approached and said to Su Ze:

[One hundred points of Literary Essence detected. Would you like to absorb it?]

One hundred points?

That made sense; annotations were not complete essays, often consisting merely of brief explanations. To be worth one hundred points was already a testament to Ouyang Xiu’s profound literary mastery. This windfall of Literary Essence was an unexpected joy, and Su Ze immediately instructed the Guide Child to absorb the energy from the collection.

The books remained unchanged after the absorption. Su Ze looked at his balance of one hundred points, calculating which new structure to build. He asked the Guide Child:

"I have collected some tools for a printing shop from the outside world. Can I build a printing shop here in the Peach Blossom Spring?"

[Does the Master of the Spring wish to design the blueprint himself?]

Su Ze nodded, and the Guide Child immediately replied:

[Of course! However, designing a blueprint yourself costs five points of Literary Essence. Furthermore, the completed design must be approved by the Peach Blossom Spring before it can be built. There is a possibility of failure, and the Literary Essence will not be refunded if it fails. Are you sure you wish to design a blueprint?]

"What defines success?"

[A blueprint building is considered successful if it can produce the intended product. For example, if the Master wishes to build a printing shop, the structure must be capable of printing books.]

So that was it. Thinking of how precious the Literary Essence was, Su Ze decided to hold off for the moment. He planned to practice in the real world first and actually print a book before attempting it here.

"How much does it cost to upgrade the Peach Blossom Spring?"

[Upgrading the Peach Blossom Spring costs fifty points of Literary Essence.]

Su Ze reconsidered; one hundred points were not that many after all, and he needed to be frugal. Just then, A-Zhi walked over with a stack of paper on her head and said:

"Master of the Spring, this is the paper produced by the mill yesterday."

Su Ze took the stack. The paper was rough, uneven, and a brownish-yellow color—the same kind he had seen the night before at the Black Seal Shop, used for printing pirated books and tabloids. A-Zhi explained:

"Master, due to the raw materials, the mill can currently only produce the lowest grade of hemp paper. If you want to produce better quality, we will need different materials."

"What materials are needed?" Su Ze asked.

A-Zhi counted on her small fingers:

"The most convenient would be bamboo paper. You only need to build a bamboo grove. Paper made from tender bamboo is whiter and smoother than hemp paper, and the ink does not bleed as easily. It is an excellent material for papermaking."

Su Ze remembered that when he first entered the Peach Blossom Spring, there was a structure called [Half-Mountain Bamboo Grove]. So that was for papermaking! He nodded, intending to build a bamboo grove immediately.

A-Zhi continued:

"In addition, mulberry bark can be used to make mulberry paper, light fragrant bark for fragrant paper, and hibiscus bark combined with hibiscus flower juice can make colored stationery. As long as there are enough raw materials, these can all be produced."

Su Ze asked in surprise:

"You can make colored stationery too, A-Zhi?"

A-Zhi held her head high and said:

"Of course. The papermaking process is mostly the same, but this kind of paper is more labor-intensive, so the monthly output will be much lower."

Colored stationery was the "Shu stationery" he had heard of before, said to have been invented by the famous Tang dynasty poetess Xue Tao in Bashu, hence it was also called "Xue Tao stationery." Among scholars, this was the most prized stationery for calling cards. If one added gold leaf, it became "Gold Flower Stationery," and a single sheet could sell for half a string of coins.

"Can we add gold leaf to make Gold Flower Stationery?" Su Ze asked.

"That is not difficult either," A-Zhi replied.

"Then how many can you produce in a month?"

"About one hundred sheets."

One hundred sheets?

That would be fifty strings of coins—a massive fortune that Su Ze had never dared to imagine before! Although gold leaf would be required as a raw material and selling in bulk would likely lower the price, this was still a considerable profit.

Indeed, products with high added value were the most profitable. It was no wonder the shops in Bianjing were so numerous. Su Ze thought for a moment and decided to start with the colored stationery. He unfolded the scroll and quickly found the [Open-Air Flower Field] structure.

He spent five points of Literary Essence to build the [Open-Air Flower Field] and another five points to recruit an ordinary, green-quality farm-spirit child. Just as he finished his work, the Guide Child by his side said:

[Master of the Spring, you have a guest.]