In late April, the Qin Dynasty's great meeting was held in Xianyang Palace. It had already entered summer, and it had not rained for several days. The air in the palace seemed very dull, and even standing inside felt very depressing.
Zhao Tuo, now one of the Nine Ministers of the Shaofu, has broken away from the ranks of simple military attachés. He is no longer listed beside Wang Ben. Instead, he stands on the east side, facing the west, next to Tingwei Li Si.
After the First Emperor ascended the throne, etiquette and rules became more stringent. Although there is no explicit order prohibiting the ministers in the hall from talking to each other, there are censors on the side of the hall who are patrolling and supervising the etiquette postures of the courtiers and ministers.
Under such circumstances, no one would talk to the emperor before his arrival. It would be terrible if he was written down by the imperial censor and left a bad impression on the emperor.
But eye contact is essential. Nowadays, Zhao Tuo and Li Si have a very close relationship. They looked at each other and showed a tacit smile.
The right prime minister, Wei Xiang, sitting at the front, became more and more indifferent. Every time he came to the palace for a meeting, he would look at the head of the palace with his eyes and nose, and he would not express any opinions on general political affairs. He basically became a yes man.
Zhao Tuo guessed that the old prime minister wanted to make a good exit. After all, the previous prime ministers of Qin did not end well.
Xiong Qi died on the ground. Lu Buwei committed suicide by drinking poison. Compared with his two predecessors, being a yes-man prime minister who only listens to the emperor's opinions will naturally lead to a happy death.
Wei Zhuang ignored matters, and now the most popular figure in the Qin court was naturally the left prime minister Wang Wan.
He is in the prime of life and has a strong enterprising spirit. Coupled with the delegation of power by the Right Prime Minister, it can be said that Wang Wan alone controls all the power of the Prime Minister's Office, just like the Prime Minister in the past.
Even though he was defeated by Zhao Tuo and Li Si during the previous feudal war between counties and counties, the First Emperor did not hold him accountable afterwards and still reused him.
Therefore, Wang Wan was in good spirits and his back was straight. After a while, the First Emperor's chariot entered the palace, and the court meeting officially began.
"Your Majesty, General Tu Sui has arrived in Wei and is gathering the Wei clan. According to the time, in July, he will escort the clan nobles of Qi, Wei and Han into Guanzhong."
"Your Majesty, most of the Six Kingdoms City around Lishan Mountain has been built, which is enough to accommodate the relocating princes and nobles."
"Your Majesty, the food and fodder for the princes and nobles have been prepared. This relocation will definitely not cause riots in Guanzhong." At the beginning of the court meeting, the Taiwei, the general, the chief minister, and the internal history reported respectively on the work of relocating the nobles from the six countries. progress.
This should be a major event in the second half of Guanzhong. It is the first time in history that so many princes and nobles have moved into Guanzhong, and the First Emperor attaches great importance to it.
"I destroyed the wonder of the Twelve Golden People. I didn't expect to build another Six Kingdoms City. This can be regarded as a cultural symbol in later generations. The clan nobles of the Six Kingdoms migrated around Lishan, allowing the descendants of the Six Kingdoms to Guarding the mausoleum by yourself is quite a high standard." Zhao Tuo thought to himself.
The Six Kingdoms City was built to accommodate the princes and nobles who would come later, and also for nearby surveillance. It was a necessary project, but it was not a useless project.
After reporting on the progress of the Liuguo City project, the First Emperor continued to deal with some political affairs. Seeing that he would be leaving the court soon, Wang Wan's eyes flickered.
He knew very well that what he said later might further offend the young master. But Wang Wan also had her own reasons.
He is doing it for Qin. Before speaking, Wang Wan glanced sideways at Zhao Tuo, the young master. He found that Zhao Tuo was also staring at him, and the two looked at each other.
Wang Wan nodded slightly and nodded to Zhao Tuo. Zhao Tuo smiled back. Then, Wang Wan stood up and officially kicked off the show.
"I, King Wanmei, have died to report to Your Majesty. Recently, the Shaofu has made paper from hemp and promoted it in the mansions of all ministers. It is intended to replace bamboo slips and benefit our Qin country."
"I think the young master's intentions are very good. However, after using it recently, I found that although hemp paper is convenient, it also has many defects. If it cannot be solved, it will affect the government of Qin. Your Majesty, please take a closer look." When he came out, there was silence in the hall.
All the ministers looked at Prime Minister Wang Wan with surprise. Even the right Prime Minister Wei Xiang opened his slightly closed eyes and stared at his deputy.
Li Si's face was solemn, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly. Zhao Tuo, on the other hand, looked pale and did not seem to be affected in any way.
No one spoke. The emperor on the imperial couch looked calm, and no one could see how he felt about Wang Wan's suggestion. They could only hear the emperor say calmly: "Prime Minister Zuo said that the paper made by the Shaofu has a defect. I don't know what it is. ?" Wang Wan raised her hands and said: "The Prime Minister's Office has been using paper for administration during this period. I have discovered two problems. The first is that some officials have written wrong words on the paper and it is difficult to modify it. Unlike the bamboo slips, which can be used with a knife. Scrape it away and write it again.”
"Administration is based on paper. If one word is wrong, the paper will be useless. You need to start copying all over again, which is not only slow. Moreover, the Shaofu said before that the price of paper is cheaper than bamboo slips, but because of the waste of paper, the price of this item is not lower than bamboo slips. , is not an object that can replace bamboo slips."
"The second point is that this paper is made of hemp. Hemp can be used to weave cloth, make clothes, make shoes, and tie ropes. It is an important material. Making paper from hemp consumes a lot of hemp. If it is true, If hemp paper is to be popularized all over the world, then there will no longer be hemp clothes or hemp ropes in the world. Will Guizhou leaders have to travel naked?" Wang Wan finished his words.
All the ministers frowned slightly. Among them, Tingwei Li Si, Taishi Ling Hu Mujing, Zhisu Neishi Wang Wu and others nodded slightly.
The government offices where they work are all qualified to use paper. After hearing what Wang Wan said, I naturally thought of the problems encountered in daily administration using paper.
The characters commonly used in the Qin State, whether small seal script or official script, evolved from Zongzhou Zhouwen. No matter how simplified it is, its structure and strokes are much more complicated than the fonts of later generations.
Calligraphers like Li Si may still be able to maintain the accuracy of their writing. But what about the officials at the lower levels of various government agencies?
How many people can write hundreds of words without missing a word? Common saying
"Knife and Pen Official", as the name suggests, holds a pen to write and uses a knife to cut the words. Traces of knife cutting are often seen on the slips excavated by later generations. It can be seen that typos are an unavoidable thing in daily administration.
If you have to copy the official document from scratch because of a single word mistake, it is indeed a waste of efficiency.
The First Emperor frowned slightly, thinking of how he used paper to write, and if he made a slight mistake, he would just change the paper.
This is indeed a problem. According to Zhao Tuo's idea, paper is to be spread throughout the world. There are countless officials in the world, how many of them can avoid making typos?
As for using hemp to make paper, as Wang Wan said, there will indeed be a problem that the leaders of Guizhou will no longer have hemp clothes to wear, which will have a great impact on the people's livelihood of the Qin State.
But the First Emperor still remembered that Zhao Tuo said that he could make paper from bark, grass and other things. Although he had not yet produced results, the emperor still believed that Zhao Tuo could do it.
However, the problem of typos still needs to be solved. If it cannot be solved, it will be difficult for paper to be promoted throughout the world.
The First Emperor looked at Zhao Tuo and saw that his face was indifferent. He seemed not to be bothered by Wang Wan's words, and his heart calmed down again.
This guy has a solution! The First Emperor said calmly: "Prime Minister Zuo's words make sense. I wonder if the Young Master has a solution?" Wang Wan and all the ministers looked at Zhao Tuo.
Zhao Tuo smiled faintly, cupped his hands and said: "I have already studied the method of correcting typos on paper, and I am about to write a letter to Your Majesty. Now that Prime Minister Zuo has proposed it in the palace, I just happened to say it. I want to correct typos on paper. , all it takes is one thing.”
"What?"
"Orpiment!" Zhao Tuo said calmly. These words shocked some officials in the palace. What is orpiment?
Many people have never heard of it. Fortunately, the knowledgeable Li Si stood up and explained: "Orpiment is the opposite of realgar. Realgar is born in the yang of the mountain, and orpiment is produced in the yin of the mountain." After hearing the name of realgar, everyone had the impression that realgar can be When mixed with wine, it repels insects and has a reputation far and wide.
Orpiment has few uses, so many people don’t know about it, which is normal.
"May I ask, young master, how can orpiment correct a typo?" Wang Wan asked. He knew the existence of orpiment, but had never seen it. He could only think of a similar realgar appearance in his mind. It was hard to imagine that something like that could Correct typos on paper.
Feeling the confused gazes of the ministers in the palace, Zhao Tuo secretly shook his head. Sure enough, I still don’t have enough imagination. People who were born in the Bamboo Slips era can only think about scraping with a knife. Can’t they open their minds?
Zhao Tuo cleared his throat and said: "You will know how to use this thing as soon as you see it. I have asked the attendant to wait at the palace gate with the prepared paper and orpiment, and I also ask your Majesty's permission to get it." Following Zhao Tuo's words As soon as it was said, the ministers in the palace suddenly showed playful expressions on their faces, and their interest even exceeded the usage of orpiment to correct the typo.
Zhao Tuo was already prepared! He knew that Wang Wan wanted to make a suggestion today, and also knew the content of the suggestion, and responded accordingly.
Even the First Emperor, who was sitting on the imperial couch, was startled for a moment before looking at Wang Wan with sharp eyes.
Zhao Tuo's advance preparation showed that someone else knew about Wang Wan's advice and revealed it to Zhao Tuo behind Wang Wan's back.
Doesn't this mean that Wang Wan's words just now were actually premeditated. It is not simply a speech for the country, but a political struggle to attack Zhao Tuo through paper.
The First Emperor said coldly: "That's right." As the emperor's attendants went to the palace gate to get the paper and orpiment prepared by Zhao Tuo, the atmosphere in the palace became more and more depressing.
Wang Wan lowered his head, his face turning blue and white. At this time, he still didn't know that he had been sold.
Damn Confucian scholar! Zhao Tuo looked at all this with a smile. One sentence can decide the outcome in an instant. After today's court meeting, I think the alliance between Wang Wan and those Confucian scholars will completely fall apart.
Wang Wan can no longer believe the words of those Confucian scholars. Moreover, Zhao Tuo exposed this matter directly in front of the First Emperor, and Wang Wan's future was probably ruined.
With the character of the First Emperor, even if he were to be used again, Wang Wan would never have the chance to be promoted to Prime Minister. For Zhao Tuo, he has completed a successful counterattack!
After a while, a servant brought the orpiment prepared by Zhao Tuo. With the arrival of these two things, the atmosphere in the palace relaxed slightly, and everyone's eyes fell on Zhao Tuo again, wanting to see how he corrected the typos on the paper.
Zhao Tuo's expression remained as usual. He first raised the yellowed paper in his hand in front of the First Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zuo just said that using hemp to make paper will consume a lot of hemp and affect the livelihood of Guizhou. I think what Prime Minister Zuo said is true. , so after a month of study, I have figured out how to make paper from tree bark!"
"The paper in my hand is made from the bark of the Chu tree. Using this method to make paper will no longer need to use hemp in the future. Only bark can be used to make high-quality and cheap paper. This will not affect the development of Guizhou Province. , and can further reduce the price of paper, much lower than using bamboo slips!" Bark paper making!
Except for the First Emperor, all the officials in the palace looked shocked. It's okay to use hemp to make paper. After all, hemp can be used to weave cloth and make paper similar to silk. It's understandable.
But the rough and bare bark can also be used to make paper?
"Using tree bark to make paper, public transportation is so scary!" Li Si's eyelids twitched slightly, witnessing Zhao Tuo's ability once again.
Only Wang Wan looked pale. Even though Zhao Tuo had not yet started to demonstrate how to use orpiment to correct typos, he already knew that he had lost.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Zuo, please come and see me." Zhao Tuo ignored everyone's different expressions and formally began to demonstrate.
He first wrote something on the yellowed bark paper
The word "six" was raised for everyone in the hall to see. After the First Emperor and the ministers confirmed that Zhao Tuo had written six.
Then he picked up the polished orpiment and placed it there
Apply on the word "six". As the orpiment rubs against the paper, the
"Six" gradually disappeared. By the time Zhao Tuo raised the paper again, the ministers could no longer see what had just been said.
"Six", only a piece of yellow remains.
"What a good orpiment! What a good way to correct typos!" Tingwei Li Si was the first to applaud, with bright eyes.
Zhao Tuo was actually able to use orpiment to correct typos. With this method, it wouldn't matter if he wrote the wrong words on paper in the future. All the shortcomings Wang Wan mentioned became nonsense.
In addition, Zhao Tuo used bark to make paper, which greatly reduced the cost. Li Si could already predict that such paper would definitely replace bamboo slips and become popular all over the world.
"Shaofu Zhao is really a capable person. We have never heard of him removing the word "pisces".
"Of course, I've only heard that orpiment can be used as medicine. I didn't expect it to have such uses. It's really enlightening." The ministers took the opportunity to praise Zhao Tuo.
As Zhao Tuo took out the bark paper and orpiment, the words Wang Wan just said became very ridiculous.
On the imperial couch, the First Emperor's eyes were also filled with brilliance. This boy really did not disappoint him, he really brought surprises everywhere.
Zhao Tuo looked indifferent, there was nothing to be proud of. Orpiment is equivalent to the correction fluid of later generations, something like correction tape, which can be used to remove typos on yellow paper by smearing it.
The reason why he knows this is precisely because of
The idiom "talking nonsense". During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the ancients discovered the use of orpiment to erase typos and used it in practice.
This is probably one of the reasons why paper was rapidly popularized and promoted in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Since Zhao Tuo knew this, he naturally would not be defeated by Wang Wan and the group of Confucian scholars, and easily solved their difficulties.
However, what happened just now was just an appetizer for Zhao Tuo. Zhao Tuo did not pay attention to Wang Wan's questioning, but was even more prepared to use this matter to introduce something more important.
Zhao Tuo glanced at Wang Wan, who had a livid face and lowered his head without saying a word. He turned his head, saluted the First Emperor on the imperial couch and spoke.
"Your Majesty, besides making paper from tree bark and orpiment, I have one more thing to offer to Your Majesty today."
"With this thing, the efficiency of transcribing laws and government orders can be increased by more than ten times!"
