"Your Highness, that's a brilliant idea! The name 'movable - type printing' is also excellent!"
After Li Jingyun finished speaking, Yan Lide was even more excited than Li Jingyun herself. He immediately applauded and cheered.
How could he have been so blind not to think of such a simple operation?
Just break the wooden board into individual characters. You can assemble them into any form you want to print a book, and there's no need to carve characters anymore.
He took back his previous thoughts. All their little princess wanted was to build a library, right?
What was so difficult about that? It wasn't like she was trying to pick the stars from the sky. Why couldn't it be done?
Yan Lide even had a premonition that as long as he could make this printing technique work, his name would surely go down in history.
In the future, when scholars got their hands on low - cost books, they would all be grateful to the little princess and him.
"Master Yan, did my father tell you where the library should be built?" Li Jingyun didn't understand why Yan Lide's attitude had changed so much.
Just a moment ago, when he saw her, he had a stern and serious face. Now he was smiling more brightly than the flowers in the corner.
But more than that, she cared more about her bet.
She only had half a year. There was some progress in printing, but the construction of the library hadn't even started.
When Yan Lide was asked this question by Li Jingyun, the smile on his face faded a bit. He replied respectfully, "Your Highness, His Majesty has given no instructions. Please make the decision, Your Highness."
"Me?" Li Jingyun was stunned. She knew nothing about such matters.
Where should it be chosen? Where shouldn't it be? How would she know?
She'd better go back and ask her father and elder brother. They should have an idea.
The craftsmen all went back to their respective jobs. Seven papermaking craftsmen took their machetes and went to the mountain behind to cut bamboo. The other seven in charge of the printing technique were carving with great skill. They were all veterans and very proficient.
Li Jingyun watched them with satisfaction. She picked up a wooden block that had been polished smooth by the craftsmen and wanted to carve a character like them, but was immediately stopped by Yan Lide. "Your Highness, you are of such noble status. How could you do such things?"
One of the craftsmen also chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness. What if you cut your hand and leave a scar? It wouldn't be nice."
"Fine."
Li Jingyun pouted unhappily.
The craftsman immediately followed up, "Your Highness, it's very hot now. Why don't you go inside the house to avoid the heat and relax?"
She went to sit under the shade of a tree in the front yard. In the distance, heat was rising from around the furnace. As soon as you got close, you could feel the stuffy heat. Several craftsmen were guarding it and occasionally adding some firewood.
Li Jingyun had just heard from Master Tian that Prince Li Yin had taken Princess Li Mingda hunting outside. They said they were going to hunt a wild boar. She was very excited. Just thinking about wild - boar meat made her mouth water!
Master Tian wiped the sweat from his forehead. The sweat wasn't from the heat but from fear.
Prince Shu was really being reckless. Hunting in this wild mountain area. Didn't he worry about encountering wild beasts?
Although he seemed to have brought a lot of guards, who knew if they'd be enough in front of wild beasts?
Please don't let anything happen. If something happened to a prince and a princess on their watch, they'd lose their heads no matter how many they had.
Li Jingyun was daydreaming about wild - boar meat. Slices of freshly cut meat, with alternating layers of fat and lean, were being roasted on the charcoal fire, sizzling and oozing oil. Along with the chirping of insects and singing of birds, it seemed so much more relaxing than sitting in the palace shaking one's head while reading and reciting books.
Lost in these thoughts, she fell asleep.
It was Master Craftsman Yan Lide who came out and saw Li Jingyun sleeping soundly under the tree. He quickly called a few people and carried her and the chair into the house together.
Li Jingyun slept until 5 - 7 p.m. The sun was about to set when Li Yin and Li Mingda came back. The guards behind them were carrying two wild chickens tied up tightly and a wild goat with a big belly that seemed about to give birth.
Master Zeng and several other craftsmen were already preparing dinner. The two wild chickens were slaughtered and bled on the spot. In less than half an hour, they became roasted chickens. Li Jingyun's stomach was growling. She looked at the roasted chicken eagerly and said, "Didn't you say you'd get a wild boar? How come it's wild chickens instead?"
"Next time. Next time we come out, I'll definitely get one for you!" Li Yin was as stubborn as a rock. He'd stick to his words no matter what.
Li Jingyun was amused by her brother. She held a big bowl of white rice, half a roasted chicken, and some common vegetables like radishes and taros. Along with the bowl of water - shield soup that Li Mingda gave her, she ate with gusto, not even bothering to look up.
Li Mingda passed the soup because she was worried that Li Jingyun might choke. Her younger sister had always been like this, not caring about trivial matters when it came to eating. She enjoyed the delicate palace food as much as the simple dishes of ordinary people outside the palace.
Li Yin looked at the tasteless vegetables in his bowl, then at Li Jingyun who was eating so happily with her face almost buried in the bowl. Gritting his teeth and stomping his feet, with a look of determination, he stuffed two mouthfuls of food into his mouth.
He was of noble birth. Normally, he wouldn't even look at such food.
But now that both his sisters were eating, he couldn't very well refuse, could he? Otherwise, wouldn't it make him seem more pampered than his two sisters?
Where would his dignity as an elder brother go?
After swallowing those two mouthfuls, he had to admit, it was quite delicious. He'd been busy all day with his two sisters, either hunting or on the way to hunt. His stomach was empty.
The three siblings all ate with great enjoyment.
Seeing this, Yan Lide, who was mingling with the craftsmen, even had the first sentence of his memorial to Li Shimin in mind. Everyone knew that His Majesty doted on his youngest daughter the most. If he flattered His Majesty according to his wishes, he might really hit the mark.
Master Tian came over and said with a smile, "These Highnesses seem to be here for a leisurely trip."
"Who says it isn't? Tian San, how's the cement coming along?" Yan Lide asked.
"It's almost done. There's not much, just a little. We'll wait for it to cool and see if it meets the little princess's requirements. If Her Highness is satisfied, we'll figure out how to make more." Master Tian replied.
The raw materials weren't hard to find, but the process was a bit troublesome. If the cement was really made, there would be more than just their twenty - odd people in charge of the construction.
Yan Lide was no longer that surprised. Based on the two simple but problem - solving sentences of the little princess this afternoon, he was already used to the idea that the cement could really be made. He was just waiting to see the result.
He seemed to be able to see the expressions of foreign invaders when they tried to attack the city but were blocked by the city walls built with cement.
The streets in Chang'an City could also be leveled up with this opportunity.
Yan Lide was overjoyed. "Tian San, if this really works, your whole family will be rewarded. Maybe with this skill, you'll have enough to eat and drink for the rest of your life. If you're lucky, you might even get promoted. You'll be even more successful."
"Oh, Master Yan, you're exaggerating. I don't dare to expect any promotion or fortune. I just want to do my job well." Master Tian tried to act as if he didn't care, even though he was actually very happy inside.
Yan Lide didn't mind. He continued to eat his meal with a smile. Why was this meal so delicious?
The cement was almost done. Maybe the bamboo paper and the movable - type printing technique could also be made.
Chang'an City was going to change!
The remaining wild goat bleated at the craftsmen when it heard the noise. Li Jingyun had just finished eating. She came over to stroke the wild goat's head and said with a smile, "We won't eat you. Don't be afraid. You can just give birth to your kids."
The wild goat rubbed against Li Jingyun's hand as if it understood.
"Let me give you a name. You'll be surnamed Li like me. How about Li Dami?" Li Jingyun said with a beaming smile.
The wild goat lowered its head to eat grass and didn't respond. Li Jingyun happily told everyone that she had a pet goat named Li Dami, which was very docile and cute. In less than a quarter of an hour, all the craftsmen in the courtyard knew the goat's name.