DCPRT Chapter 64

After happily telling You Fengyun about his money-making venture, You Yusui received a sum from You Fengyun’s private treasury, all under the latter’s disapproving gaze of “how could you compete with the common people for profit.”

The Juxian Pavilion Bookshop — You Fengyun had invested in it, but with one condition: that the cost of movable type printing be brought down.

After all, a single set of bronze movable type required several thousand catties of copper. Though durable, it was prohibitively expensive and far too heavy.

On this point, You Yusui decided to leave the matter to the talented people at Juxian Pavilion — after all, this was precisely their area of expertise.

“Does Father Emperor still think the talents this son recruited for Juxian Pavilion are not worthy of the name?” You Yusui asked with an earnest and sincere expression after receiving the money from You Fengyun.

You Yusui appeared to be fishing for You Fengyun’s praise, but in truth, he was settling the score for the time You Fengyun had gnawed on a great pork knuckle while lecturing him at Juxian Pavilion — he wanted You Fengyun to admit he had been wrong, and that You Yusui had been right.

You Fengyun looked at his son, who seemed to be angling for praise, and felt a twinge of irritation. Admitting he was wrong? Absolutely impossible. So the emperor, seated behind his writing desk in his dark ceremonial robes, spoke with a stern face, “If you would only apply your mind to proper matters, Zhen would not be so exhausted now.”

The pity was that this son of his simply refused to apply his mind to proper matters — he only acted when forced, and even then, he achieved results purely so he could slack off.

For a brief moment, You Fengyun found You Yusui rather exasperating. When You Yusui opened his mouth to ask for a reward, You Fengyun casually tossed him something and waved him off.

After You Yusui left, An Hai, who attended at You Fengyun’s side, said, “His Highness is truly exceptionally clever — Your Majesty is most fortunate.”

An Hai had flattered two people in one stroke and spoken well of You Yusui before You Fengyun, causing the corners of You Fengyun’s eyes to lift imperceptibly with amusement.

Up to this point, You Yusui was the son who had satisfied him the most — yet his heart was too soft, not ruthless enough. The cold indifference and ruthlessness that an emperor ought to possess, You Yusui had none of it. On top of that, he came from an aristocratic clan background; if his own heart was not hard enough, the realm would sooner or later become the aristocratic clans’ realm.

This softness and sentimentality would sooner or later become a burden on the path of an emperor. Moreover, his health was too poor. Medicines from the Imperial Medical Courtyard flowed into the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace like running water, yet his condition showed not the slightest improvement. Every time the imperial physician he had sent to take the Crown Prince’s pulse came back, the result was always the same.

You Fengyun let out a sigh, then said to An Hai, “Let us go to Consort Hui’s quarters today.”

An Hai’s eyelids gave a slight flicker, and he replied softly in assent. He then quietly pondered the emperor’s intentions in his heart. He had just praised the Crown Prince, and now His Majesty wanted to visit Consort Hui’s quarters. Could it be that…

The succession of this realm had not yet been settled after all. He had been too hasty. His Majesty was still in his prime — it was far too early to be thinking about an heir.

You Yusui had no idea of You Fengyun’s thoughts — that all his children had turned out disappointing and he might as well father a new one and raise it from scratch. After he returned to the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace, the people of Juxian Pavilion sent over something and requested he examine it personally.

The steward of Juxian Pavilion waited inside the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace, feeling rather at a loss. He had originally been nothing more than a manager overseeing a shop, and had later been chosen by the Crown Prince to manage the business affairs of Juxian Pavilion and attend to the daily needs of a group of people. This was his very first time entering the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace.

When You Yusui returned from Xuande Hall, Xie Ling was the first to speak. “Your Highness, you have returned at just the right moment — come and see what Juxian Pavilion has brought you.”

With those words, the Juxian Pavilion steward bowed in salute, then opened the box he had brought.

You Yusui looked closely and found they were movable type pieces made from clay. He reached out and picked one up to examine it — the surface was smooth and even, light in hand, far lighter than bronze movable type.

“Who came up with this clay movable type, and what is the cost?” You Yusui asked with delight.

He did not know the exact cost, but clay was certainly far cheaper than copper.

The Juxian Pavilion steward who had brought the clay type also wore an expression of great relief, and then replied, “Your Highness, this was the idea of Old Zhang, a craftsman who makes clay figurines. He pressed clay into character molds, then removed them from the molds and fired them in a kiln, and the result is these clay movable type pieces. Compared to bronze movable type, the cost is practically nothing.”

“Have any books been printed with them?” You Yusui continued.

The Juxian Pavilion steward quickly drew a sheet of paper from his sleeve and unrolled it, saying, “It has been printed — the characters are clear and neat.”

You Yusui saw the printed page and the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. It seemed the profits of his Juxian Pavilion Bookshop could become even more staggering.

“Your Highness, should we inform His Majesty of this matter?” Xie Ling beside him asked.

In the next instant, You Yusui clapped a hand over Xie Ling’s mouth.

“If you dare breathe a word of this, this prince will tell maternal grandfather that you bullied me and have you copying books every single day,” You Yusui said in warning.

If he told You Fengyun, how was he supposed to give him a smaller share of the dividends at the beginning? After all, it was his Father Emperor’s money — whatever he could skim off, he would.

Xie Ling blinked and nodded repeatedly in response, wuwuwu, why did his cousin have such great strength — he struggled but couldn’t break free at all.

The Juxian Pavilion steward, witnessing this exchange, finally voiced the purpose of his visit.

“Your Highness, shall we continue making bronze movable type?”

Now that there was a cheaper and more convenient clay movable type, what need was there for bronze movable type?

So You Yusui said, “From today onwards, make clay movable type. As for Old Zhang who devised the clay type, reward him with a hundred gold.”

The Juxian Pavilion steward drew a sharp breath upon hearing this. A hundred gold! A thing made of mere clay warranted a reward of a hundred gold!

One should know that the total wealth of a prosperous household in Chang’an amounted to around fifty gold, yet His Highness had rewarded a hundred gold in a single gesture — Old Zhang the clay figurine maker had risen in an instant to the ranks of Chang’an’s wealthy.

You Yusui looked at the stunned Juxian Pavilion steward and said, “Go and tell them — so long as they serve this prince diligently, rewards will not be lacking.”

“Yes, yes, yes — this subject will certainly convey His Highness’s words,” the Juxian Pavilion steward said.

“You may go.” You Yusui returned the clay movable type to the Juxian Pavilion steward, then instructed Eunuch Fubao to retrieve a hundred gold from his private treasury and have a young eunuch deliver it personally to Old Zhang the clay figurine maker. He also gave the steward some reward money, praising him for his dutiful service.

After everyone had left, Eunuch Fubao remarked with admiration, “Your Highness, the way you handle things now is truly thorough.”

You Yusui, who was by the bird perch, froze. Thorough? Earned through fifteen lifetimes.

“Is Your Highness in low spirits?” Huo Xiling beside him perceptively noticed You Yusui’s mood shift.

You Yusui placed a hand over his chest and said, “It feels so uncomfortable here.”

Huo Xiling immediately stepped forward to knead You Yusui’s chest. Just as Huo Xiling was about to ask whether an imperial physician should be called, he heard You Yusui say, “I don’t want to attend morning court tomorrow.”

Huo Xiling: …Your Highness, that was the point all along, wasn’t it?

Meanwhile, You Fengyun, who was enjoying song and dance at Consort Hui’s quarters, fell briefly silent upon hearing the news that You Yusui had fallen ill again and wished to request sick leave, then said, “Never mind, let him be.”

Over at Juxian Pavilion, Old Zhang the clay figurine maker nearly lost his footing at the sight of the hundred gold reward before him, barely steadied by the person behind him.

“This is His Highness’s reward to you for devising the clay movable type. Serve His Highness wholeheartedly from now on, and rewards will not be lacking,” the young eunuch said to Old Zhang.

Old Zhang immediately tried to refuse upon hearing this, saying, “I merely made a clay character — how could His Highness reward me so generously? No, no, this won’t do. Take it back quickly. After eating free meals at Juxian Pavilion for so long, how could I presume to accept a reward on top of that?”

“Just take it without worry,” the young eunuch said with a smile. “Please don’t refuse any further.”

And so, amid these repeated words of persuasion, Old Zhang finally accepted the hundred gold reward.

After the young eunuch who had delivered the reward left, the Juxian Pavilion steward said to the assembled craftsmen, “His Highness treats us so well — we must give him our very best.”

“But of course,” the craftsmen all said in unison.

Apart from the hundred gold Old Zhang had received, those of them who made the character molds had also received wages from His Highness — far more than what they would have earned working for another household.

In that moment, the craftsmen of Juxian Pavilion threw themselves into their work with even greater vigor, and also began to consider how to make their tools simpler and more efficient.

Ever since You Yusui had taken sick leave from You Fengyun, he had not attended morning court for several days in a row. Upon hearing the news that the Crown Prince had fallen ill again, You Yuyi and You Yushan were both in excellent spirits. Whenever You Yusui was present at court, his brilliance pressed down on them so heavily they could barely breathe — they hoped You Yusui would never appear at court for the rest of his life.

At the same time, the faction of lower-born officials who supported Prince Yan You Yuyi began to move against the Grand Princess. Memorials impeaching the Grand Princess floated into Xuande Hall like snowflakes.

The Grand Princess was accused of arrogance and wantonness, of beating and killing servants, of failing to raise her family’s young women properly, of encroaching upon the land surrounding the imperial ancestral temple, of secretly harboring hidden households, of shielding criminal servants within her household, and of allowing her carriage to travel on the imperial road reserved for the emperor alone.

These charges were neither trivial nor grave, and the majority of court officials and nobles had done much the same — yet only the Grand Princess found herself targeted in such a manner.

Seeing how the situation had developed, Huo Xiling knew in his heart that his scheme to divert the flood eastward had succeeded.

And so, on one of the days when You Yusui again failed to attend court, You Fengyun issued a special imperial decree reprimanding the Grand Princess, ordering her to remain confined at home to reflect on her faults, and demanding she pay a redemption sum.

In an instant, the conflict between the lower-born faction and the consort clan began to intensify.

Yet none of this had anything to do with You Yusui. He was now nothing more than a patient so ill he could barely drag himself out of bed, a person who could only survive each day by being carried about in Huo Xiling’s arms.

Half a month later, the two thousand books donated by Xie Yi were finally finished printing — each title had more than ten printed copies, so there was no longer any fear of the books being damaged or lost.

Thus, when the two thousand books Xie Yi had sent into the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace were returned, four thousand came back in their place, and everyone marveled — how had this been accomplished?

As for the group of aristocratic clan young masters who had been forced to copy books, they were nearly in tears. Your Highness the Crown Prince, how did you manage it? Come quickly and rescue us! Upon learning that books from home could be brought to Juxian Pavilion for printing, these aristocratic young masters who could not bear the hardship immediately hauled their families’ rare and unique editions to Juxian Pavilion, begging only that the Crown Prince might deliver them from their sea of suffering.

You Yusui smiled at the sight of so many rare and unique editions. This opportunity was given to this prince by you yourselves — this prince did not even need to come knocking on your doors.

Meanwhile, when the elders of those aristocratic clans learned that these fools had sent their families’ rare collections to Juxian Pavilion as if they were common cabbages, they flew into such a rage that they yanked off their shoes and started beating them, cursing them roundly as idiots.

Those things were priceless — even selling these fools themselves wouldn’t cover their worth!

The pampered aristocratic young masters were beaten until they fled in all directions with their heads in their hands, crying out that they dared not do it again.

Just when the aristocratic clans thought the Crown Prince would pocket their rare books, the books were returned to them completely intact — with several additional copies, every word identical to the originals.

The clan leaders who received the copies felt their blood pressure spike again, and seized their canes to beat the clan young masters who had been assigned to copy books.

The idle aristocratic young masters who never applied themselves to anything: Wuwuwu, the books have come back, haven’t they? Why are you still beating us?