The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

Chapter 145

Shen Yu had previously explained to Shang Junlin the differences between movable type printing and the current printing technique used in Da Huan. Comparatively, the former was far more practical.

One of the reasons why influential families could stand tall for years was their extensive knowledge, accumulated over generations, and their rich collection of books.

Although Da Huan had implemented the imperial examination system, the competitive strength of scholars from humble backgrounds was far inferior to those from influential families. Part of the reason lay in the fact that scholars from humble backgrounds had access to less knowledge from the beginning.

It was not easy for an ordinary family to cultivate a scholar.

The impact brought about by the new printing technique would be tremendous. Unlike before, where all content was carved onto a single block, resulting in the entire block becoming useless if one word was incorrect, the new printing technique carved each character separately. When printing different content, one only needed to rearrange these characters instead of having to re-carve an entire block.

Shang Junlin could anticipate the enormous impact that this printing technique would have. With this method, books could be printed on a large scale. In the short term, there might not be any noticeable changes, but over time, the gap between influential families and scholars from humble backgrounds would gradually narrow.

Knowledge would no longer be monopolized by influential families, which was extremely advantageous for the true rulers of Da Huan.

For a moment, Shang Junlin forgot about his uneasiness regarding Mr. Ye. His full attention was now focused on the things before his eyes.

If this printing technique could be widely popularized, the influence of influential families would diminish.

Mr. Ye knew that the two had come to see the printing technique. He led them inside and had an experienced worker demonstrate it.

"This method is much more convenient than before," Mr. Ye exclaimed. "The cost required to print a book in the past simply can't compare to now."

"Yes, with this method, the required time, manpower, and resources are greatly reduced. Using this method, one can print more books in the same amount of time," Shang Junlin agreed.

Curiously, Shen Yu looked around. His understanding of this technique was limited to what he had heard from others. In his previous life, he had never seen firsthand how it worked. This was his first time witnessing it.

"What do you think, Your Majesty?" After walking around, the two returned to the front yard.

Mr. Ye tactfully didn't disturb them and went to the bookstore to attend to his tasks. With the new printing technique, the variety of books available in the bookstore had increased. Previously, due to the unique stationery, the bookstore had already gained a good reputation among scholars. Now, with a greater variety of new books, more customers visited.

There were some pastries on the table that Shen Yu liked to eat. He picked one up and tasted it, squinting his eyes slightly.

"Truly... surprising," Shang Junlin sipped his tea to relieve his mood. "But we can't let influential families know about it for now."

Influential families might not be unified, but when their interests were threatened, they could unite at the fastest speed and present a united front. Influential families had occupied this land for a long time. If they were truly angered, it would lead to unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, if they knew that Shen Yu was behind all of this, they would likely direct all their hostility towards him. Perhaps they would be wary of him and refrain from taking severe action, but they wouldn't hesitate to target Shen Yu.

Regardless, Shang Junlin would never let Shen Yu be exposed to danger.

"Your Majesty, are you worried about a counterattack from influential families? Indeed, we can't rush this matter. After all, we have the trump card in our hands. We can take it slowly," Shen Yu understood Shang Junlin's concerns.

"I'm afraid I'll have to inconvenience you for now, Yu. I can't reward you with the credit for the new printing technique," Shang Junlin paused for a moment, and when he looked at Shen Yu, his expression was somewhat complicated. "In the capital, influential families currently hold too much power. I can't risk exposing you to their scrutiny."

He was displeased. If he had resolved the hidden dangers posed by influential families earlier, there would be no need to inconvenience Shen Yu. Even though Shen Yu had made such significant contributions, he had to remain in the background because of these people.

"Even if Your Majesty doesn't say it, I would request to be removed from the equation. This method was originally obtained from elsewhere, and it wasn't me who achieved the actual results. If Your Majesty wants to give rewards, give them to these people," Shang Junlin held Shen Yu's hand on the table. "I will never let you be treated unfairly."

After returning to the palace, Shang Junlin immediately summoned the Prime Minister for a discussion on how to popularize movable type printing.

In the study room.

Shang Junlin said, "Under your leadership, someone has recently developed a new printing technique. Meng Chang, give the materials to the Prime Minister."

Meng Gonggong handed over the neatly organized files about movable type printing to the Prime Minister.

As someone who had reached the position of Prime Minister and becomes Shang Junlin's trusted minister, the Prime Minister possessed top-notch knowledge and political acumen.

After finishing reading, he didn't speak immediately but took some time to digest the contents of the file. Then he said, "This method is truly beneficial for Da Huan."

"I understand. What I'm currently considering is how to make the noble families less resistant to it. Also, we cannot reveal the connection between this matter and Ah Yu."

The Prime Minister immediately understood that His Majesty was doing this to prevent the noble families from targeting the Noble Monarch.

The Prime Minister could see how sincere Shang Junlin was towards Shen Yu, and therefore, he couldn't help but feel even more emotional. With Shen Yu's abilities, if he were in the court, he would undoubtedly become an influential figure. It's a pity he has an unreliable father.

Shang Junlin sought the Prime Minister's advice on the matter of printing. Finally, they tentatively made a plan to promote it directly among the people. Once the noble families discovered it, the court would intervene, but with enough buffer time in between, there would be greater room for maneuvering.

Subei is calm.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Fang Jun and his team, they finally discovered some clues. The "relationship" between He Chengyu and Boss Sun was becoming deeper.

After the successful completion of their first transaction, Boss Sun mostly dispelled his suspicions of He Chengyu and gradually began sharing some insider information with him. He also started introducing himself to some "foreign" merchants.

He Chengyu observed these people and found that some of them were from Beimo, while others came from other countries.

"So, it's not just people from Beimo." At night, He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing gathered as usual to discuss their findings.

"The transactions between these people mostly involve regular goods. This Boss Sun seems to have quite a few secrets hidden within."

They initially thought he was just an ordinary merchant, but the more they got to know him, the more they realized the complexity of the forces behind him.

"The influence of Boss Sun has reached its current scale not without connections to the forces behind him. It's like a network that links various forces together."

After discovering the connection between Boss Sun and the people from Beimo, Fang Jun ordered a careful investigation into his identity. He was originally an ordinary merchant from Subei, and the Sun family wasn't as influential as it is now before falling into his hands. There was no useful information regarding his rise to power overnight.

Having found a breakthrough, Fang Jun instructed his men to continue the investigation along the line of Boss Sun, hoping to uncover more useful information.

Fang Jun called Yao Ji and asked, "Have you heard of this person, Boss Sun?"

During this period, Yao Ji had been assisting the officials in their investigations, and her temperament had undergone a significant change. She appeared more resolute, and her gaze was notably different from before.

Especially after Fang Jiayi's arrival, Fang Jiayi's confidence and composure greatly impressed her, indirectly influencing her own character transformation.

"Boss Sun?" Yao Ji carefully recollected, and she managed to recall this person from her memory. "I have seen him before, at a banquet. That Boss Sun seemed to have a relatively high status. Even Lord Hou at the time showed him some respect."

At that time, MInister Hou was an influential figure in Subei, and even he had to show some courtesy to those people. It was evident that they were not simply individuals.

"Think carefully. Do you have any more detailed information about this person?"

"Boss Sun doesn't appear at every banquet. Whenever he does, it's relatively mysterious. Minister Hou showed greater interest in those banquets than others. As a common dancer, I could only occasionally receive orders to stay a bit longer in the hall, but most of the time, I couldn't interact with those people."

Considering her position, the amount of information Yao Ji provided was already a pleasant surprise.

"Who else have you seen? Can you describe them well enough for someone to sketch their portraits?" Fang Jiayi suddenly spoke up.

"I can."

Fang Jun called in someone skilled in this art, and they collaborated to draw about ten portraits.

Fang Jun immediately ordered his men to investigate the backgrounds of these people.

It was much easier to investigate these individuals, and before long, information about them was delivered to Fang Jun's desk. Based on the investigation results, Fang Jun listed a series of commonalities, gradually uncovering the hidden truth. The only thing missing was the final piece that would connect everything together.

Following Shen Yu's instructions, Boss Ye took the opportunity to collaborate to reveal the movable type printing technique.

It was Boss Ye who proposed the collaboration in the first place. He contacted bookstores that were not associated with noble families, knowing that Shen Yu had instructed him to keep this matter from the noble families for the time being.

Boss Ye was a rational person who understood his position very well. He knew that without Shen Yu, he wouldn't be where he was now. Therefore, even if it seemed imprudent to unconditionally share the new printing technique, he did not voice any objections to Shen Yu's request.

"Today, I invited all of you here to discuss a business opportunity. I want to work with you to create a basic literacy book and sell it at the lowest price."

As Boss Ye's words fell, someone raised an objection, "Boss Ye, are you trying to involve us in charity? It's not that we refuse, but as bookstore owners, we know that our industry is not as profitable as it seems. The high price of books is mainly due to the costs involved."

"I understand that it may be difficult, but as a gesture of good faith, I'm willing to share the new printing method that the bookstore has recently acquired."

After listening to Boss Ye's introduction, everyone present was dumbfounded.

"This method is truly marvelous."

After a while, someone spoke up. They had been running bookstores for many years and were well aware of the shortcomings of the current printing technique. Many books were sold at high prices, and a significant part of it was due to the high production costs.

Whether it was printing or copying by hand, it was not an easy task.

But with the new printing technique that Boss Ye described, many problems could be solved.

"Why would Boss Ye be willing to tell us about this?" After the initial shock, someone couldn't understand. They were competitors in the same industry. If Boss Ye kept this technology to himself, his bookstore would dominate them in a few years.

"Cooperation requires some sincerity, doesn't it?" Boss Ye smiled faintly. "I believe the sincerity I've shown is sufficient. I admit that the cooperation I propose may seem overly idealistic, but with the new printing technique, this matter is not as far-fetched as it may seem. What do you all think?"

"Boss Ye truly..." One person stood up, cupping their hands. "In that case, I'm willing to cooperate with Boss Ye."

The others exchanged glances and no longer objected.

It didn't matter about anything else; Boss Ye's description of the new printing method was enticing enough.

Once the matter was settled, Boss Ye passed on the news to the palace.

"Your Majesty, since you wanted to implement it among the people first, I had Boss Ye invite the owners of major bookstores in the capital under the pretense of collaboration. He will teach them the movable type printing technique. In order to maximize their benefits in the initial stage, they certainly won't willingly reveal this method to others."

On the contrary, they would keep the secret as long as possible.

"You've helped us once again, Ah Yu!" Shang Junlin suddenly embraced Shen Yu. "The Prime Minister told me a few days ago that if you were in the court, your achievements would surpass his. I also believe it."

"Oh?" Shen Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your Majesty, do you also think I should enter the court?"

"Whether you enter the court or not, Ah Yu will always be mine."

Author's Note:

Prime Minister once again regrets: Why can't I just have Shen Yu as a happy coworker? [Regretful working cat sigh.jpg]

Changed the cover of the pre-release of "Regent Prince Just Wants to Be a Salted Fish [Transmigration]". Interested readers can take a look. By the way, please pre-order it hhh.

Finally paid off the debt of the long commentary update. _(:3)_

Requesting some nourishment for the double update (3)?