"I'll go check out the movable-type printing first," Li Jingyun finally chose Yan Lide. "Eighth Brother came out of the palace specifically to see the cement in the backyard."
The group went to the backyard. The cement ground was still firm, and many craftsmen were bustling about on it. In a short while, a page of "Mengqiu" had been printed, with clear and neat characters.
"My goodness!" Li Yin looked at the page of "Mengqiu" several times and exclaimed in admiration.
"My goodness!"
Li Zhen squatted on the ground and was almost lying on it to observe.
These two brothers were quite in sync, even their exclamations were the same.
Yan Lide said, "Princess, the article 'Mengqiu' has more than two thousand characters, which already covers most of the commonly used characters. As soon as the bamboo paper is made and various books are transported here, we can print and produce books for the Princess."
"Great!" Li Jingyun cheered. "I'll go back and ask the Imperial Secretariat to send books."
System: Congratulations to the host. The movable-type printing has been successfully developed. You have gained 50 points and now have a total of 122 points.
Li Jingyun counted on her fingers. She was still 28 points short of getting the pill that could completely cure her mother.
Success was just around the corner!
Su Gui pulled Li Jingyun to a secluded place. There was a lush expanse of greenery all around. In the middle, there was a strong female goat lying there, and in front of it were three little lambs sleeping huddled together. They were all pure white without a single stray hair and were extremely cute.
There was also a basin of forage in front of the female goat, and only half of it was left.
"How beautiful! Big Baa, you've worked hard," Li Jingyun said, reaching out her hand. Big Baa was very intelligent and leaned its head over.
It was fluffy and felt great to the touch.
Su Gui picked up a little lamb. The lamb looked up at Su Gui blankly and was then pushed into Li Jingyun's arms by him. "Princess, look at this one. Master Zeng told me it's the only little ewe and was the first one born. I delivered it myself."
"You delivered it yourself?" Li Jingyun was very surprised and weighed the little lamb that didn't even know to run away in her arms.
Li Jingyun wasn't very tall, and when she held the little lamb, it could cover half of her body. The little lamb was also very affectionate towards Li Jingyun and unknowingly licked her face full of saliva.
"Of course. Master Zeng guided me. He used to raise sheep too. It was just getting dark then. I was startled when I heard its miserable bleating. I was so afraid something would go wrong that I rushed over immediately..."
When Su Gui started talking about this, he just couldn't stop. He even wanted to tell every detail, like who held the lamp for him that night and how many stars were in the sky.
He was very proud. He had finally accomplished something entrusted by the Princess.
Looking down again, he saw that Li Jingyun's face was covered with saliva and she didn't even notice. Su Gui quickly took out his handkerchief. "Princess, there's something dirty on your face. Let me wipe it clean for you."
"Okay."
Li Jingyun tilted her head up, smiling. Her hand kept rubbing the little lamb's head, making the little lamb so comfortable that it squinted its eyes and was about to fall asleep.
"You're all my treasures. I'll name you Dabao, Erbao, and Xiaobao," Li Jingyun said with a smile.
"The Princess has come up with such good names," Su Gui was about to say that the names were a bit casual, but then he remembered that Li Jingyun was only five years old. It was already great that she could come up with such names.
The words of persuasion were on the tip of his tongue but he swallowed them back.
Li Yin and Li Zhen came over under the guidance of Master Zeng. As soon as they came, they saw Li Jingyun holding a little lamb and was extremely happy. They couldn't help but laugh.
"Sixth Brother, Eighth Brother, you're here? This is Li Dabao, Li Erbao, and Li Xiaobao. Come and say hello," Li Jingyun said, holding the little lamb's two hooves to greet Li Yin and the others.
After having some fun, Li Jingyun was very satisfied. She went back and had a big pot of rice with the masters. Li Yin had eaten it before and didn't think it was anything special. He picked up the bowl and stuffed the food into his mouth. Li Zhen wasn't used to it, but since his elder brother and younger sister were eating so happily, he had no choice but to eat with them.
Su Gui also joined them. The Su family knew that he was "working" for Li Jingyun and didn't stop him or say things like he must study hard and pass the imperial examinations.
At the beginning of the You hour in the afternoon, the craftsmen all received their rewards. Li Jingyun officially bid farewell to them and set off back to the imperial city.
Li Yin no longer lived in the palace. He only went to see Concubine Yang occasionally and usually lived in the mansion bestowed upon him by Li Shimin.
When Li Jingyun and Li Zhen reached Chang'an City, it was already getting dark and the moon was shining like water. They were starving, so they had to find a restaurant to eat something to fill their stomachs first.
"Welcome, two guests. What would you like to eat and drink?"
The waiter with a towel on his shoulder quickly came over to greet them. The two siblings in front of him were both dressed extremely expensively. It was obvious that they were from noble families.
"Bring us a jar of dark plum drink and some of your signature dishes," Li Jingyun said.
"Sure thing. We just got some fresh mutton today. We have cold marinated mutton, which is delicious. It will definitely satisfy the two distinguished guests," the waiter replied and then stepped back to prepare the food.
They found a seat by the window. It was dinner time, and the restaurant was bustling with noise and filled with the aroma of various dishes.
Dark plum drink was actually what people in later generations called plum juice. It was very popular in summer. Cold marinated mutton was similar to sliced boiled mutton. The mutton was cooked in various spices and then the bones were removed. It was sliced into thin pieces and served on the table.
Li Jingyun was thinking about the sour and sweet dark plum drink, just taken out of the ice water and icy cold. She imagined taking a sip of the dark plum drink and then a bite of the tender cold marinated mutton. The taste of the spices would linger in her mouth.
It sounded so wonderful!
However, her train of thought was soon interrupted by the loud conversation behind her.
"As for the Cui family, they brought it upon themselves! I heard that Cui Tian from the Cui family once mocked the royal family for having few books and not knowing the rules even though they owned the whole world. That's why our little princess got angry and was determined to build a library," a man said.
Li Jingyun heard that they seemed to be talking about herself and quickly turned around to look.
The man who was speaking was dressed like a scholar. He was tall and thin, and his face was a bit pale, as if he wasn't in good health. He was very excited as he told the story, and there was a group of diners around him listening intently.
Li Zhen simply moved his stool around and also listened to the scholar's words.
At this time, a beautiful woman loudly echoed, "Who says it isn't? I heard that the gold and silver they offered wasn't enough to build a library in Chang'an City. So, His Majesty ordered the Cui family to build a library in Henan Circuit, but they weren't even willing. Are the scholars in Chang'an City people, but those in Henan Circuit aren't?"
"Very well said! Very well said! The little princess wanted to build a library in Chang'an City for the reputation of the Tang Dynasty, but the libraries in places like Henan Circuit are even more useful. The Cui family only cares about their own reputation. They're really heartless despite their wealth," an old Confucian scholar in his sixties with white hair and beard came out to support.
After his words, the crowd cheered.
"Master Zhang is quite right. Not to mention what the Cui family did today. It's really disgraceful. I, I'm even ashamed to say it," the scholar just now exclaimed.
Immediately, someone起哄, "What happened? What did the Cui family do wrong again? You're well - informed. Just tell us."
"I'll tell you, but you mustn't spread it around," the scholar said with a smile.
This kind of gossip was the most curious and spread the fastest. His words were completely useless.