bookrebus Chapter 413 Photocopying Rare Books
Chapter 413 Photocopying Rare Books
Time flies. As the trade fair progressed smoothly, the expansion project of Xianyang City was also proceeding in an orderly manner. The originally narrow and cramped streets and alleys gradually became wide and open, and the original uneven dirt roads were replaced by sturdy and durable cement roads. They extended in all directions like a spider web, closely connecting the newly planned markets, workshops and residences.
The towering cement walls, resembling a giant dragon, coil around Xianyang City, impregnable and safeguarding its security. Standing atop the walls, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire city of Xianyang.
In the princess's study, Ying Wuyou was deep in thought, staring at the unfolded city defense map. Her gaze was sharp as she carefully examined every detail on the map, pondering how to further improve the city's defense system.
Indeed, Ying Wuyou took advantage of the expansion of Xianyang City to build a princess's residence for herself. Although she cannot currently spend the night outside the palace, the completion of the princess's residence was undoubtedly inevitable. Moreover, this would make it much more convenient and efficient for her to handle affairs. Thus, before the expansion project of Xianyang City even began, the construction of the princess's residence had already commenced, and it is now complete.
Ying Wuyou moved all her work to the Princess's residence, which became her new place for handling government affairs and planning strategies. With a series of hurried footsteps, Lin Xiao rushed in. After bowing, he said, "Princess, the timber from Longxi has arrived!" He handed a booklet to Ying Wuyou and continued his report: "Three thousand pieces of century-old pine timber have arrived at the North Gate. The Crafts Bureau requests permission to begin constructing the West Market Covered Bridge immediately."
“Approved.” Ying Wuyou wrote with a blank stroke of her vermilion brush, but her gaze did not fall on the approved document. Instead, she stared thoughtfully at the blank space in the southeast corner of the drawing.
There, a magnificent library was originally planned. With the advent of movable type printing, the dissemination of books became much more convenient, and much knowledge that was once only accessible to the children of nobles gradually became more widespread. However, despite this, many precious rare books, scattered by war or eroded by time, are quietly disappearing into the long river of history.
Ying Wuyou gently traced the ink marks on the bamboo slips with her fingertips, her eyes deepening. She had once seen a fragment of the *Book of Lord Shang* with her own eyes; the bamboo slips were rotten, the characters blurred, and if not copied in time, it would probably have long since turned to dust. How many such rare copies remained in the world? They were like pearls forgotten by time, buried deep in the dust of history, and most people had never even seen them.
Ying Wuyou deeply understands the value of these unique copies; they are not only cultural treasures but also witnesses to history. Whatever the reason, the loss or damage of these precious copies would undoubtedly be a great loss to cultural heritage.
After careful consideration, Ying Wuyou decided to take action. She first had an in-depth discussion with the King of Qin, explaining the importance of protecting the rare manuscript and the necessity of establishing a library. The King of Qin expressed his support for her ideas and encouraged her to propose them in court.
The following day, inside Zhangtai Palace.
Ying Wuyou stood in the hall, her dark robes accentuating her tall and straight figure. She slightly raised her eyes, her voice clear and firm: "Your subject requests that all the books in the palace be printed, and that all the ministers be ordered to contribute their rare family copies, so that they may be widely circulated."
As soon as he finished speaking, the court fell silent, then erupted in uproar.
"Absurd!" Grand Historian Feng Jie stepped forward first, his white beard trembling. "The imperial library is a national treasure, how can it be shown to others so easily? Moreover, the private collections of each family are all heirlooms, how can they be forcibly seized?"
Ying Wuyou remained calm and said indifferently, "If the classics are lost, future generations will not even have the opportunity to glimpse the wisdom of the sages. Is Lord Feng willing to take on this responsibility?"
Feng Jie choked, before he could refute, but Li Si, the Minister of Justice, stepped forward slowly, his gaze deep: "Princess Jiayang's concerns are not without merit, but this matter involves a wide range of issues. If it is rashly implemented, it may cause turmoil in the court and the country."
Ying Wuyou looked at Li Si, a slight smile playing on his lips: "The Minister of Justice once said, 'Take the law as your teaching and officials as your teachers.' If even the classics are incomplete, how can the people of the world learn the law and understand the principles?"
Li Si's eyes flashed, and he said nothing more.
On his high seat, King Ying Zheng of Qin lightly tapped the table with his fingertips. After a moment, he slowly spoke: "Granted."
The imperial edict caused a stir throughout the land.
Some aristocratic families burned books overnight, preferring to destroy their ancestral classics rather than hand them over; while scholars from humble backgrounds spread the news with great joy, finally having the opportunity to see those legendary rare books.
Ying Wuyou personally led a group to visit each household, persuading and investigating. At the Xun family in Yingchuan, facing the tightly closed gate, she calmly said, "As Xunzi said in his 'Exhortation to Learning,' 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' If even the foundation of learning is severed, how can future generations move forward?"
Three days later, the head of the Xun family personally presented a scroll of bamboo slips, which was the long-lost fragment of Xunzi's "Zheng Lun".
Several days later, Chunyu Yue learned of this matter. During these days, he had been busy copying fragments of the Book of Documents, immersing himself wholeheartedly in the world of ancient literature, and was completely unaware of what was happening in the court.
When he overheard from his disciple that the imperial court was going to requisition rare books from all over the country, he was so shocked that he almost jumped out of his seat. His eyes widened, his face was full of anger, and his white beard trembled slightly with excitement.
"This is utterly absurd!" Chunyu Yue roared in uncontrollable rage. "These rare and unique books are cultural treasures of the world. How can the court be allowed to print and disseminate them so wantonly? If everyone can easily read classics like the Book of Poetry and the Book of History, how can the rules of etiquette and law still exist? How can the distinction between superior and inferior be made?"
His voice echoed in the room, filled with anger and worry. Chunyu Yue knew the importance of these classics in maintaining social order and moral norms, and he could not accept the impact that the court's actions would have on traditional values.
The disciple beside him said cautiously, "But the imperial edict has already been issued. If we don't hand it over, it might be seen as disobeying the imperial decree..."
Chunyu Yue sneered: "The books hidden in the wall of the Confucian temple are the bloodline of the sages. How can they be given to others so easily?" He turned and walked into the inner room, and took out a scroll of bamboo slips wrapped in brocade from a secret compartment. It was the ancient copy of the Analects that was once in the collection of the Confucian family. It contained many chapters and sentences that had not been passed down to later generations.
"Go, find a few reliable disciples and have them make a copy tonight," he whispered. "The original is hidden in the cellar of the old house in Qufu; only the copy will be given to the imperial court."
Chunyu Yue thought to himself: "The orthodox Confucian tradition must not be severed by the imperial court."
However, for Ying Wuyou, neither the meticulously copied imitations nor the precious genuine articles secretly hidden by Chunyu Yue were of paramount importance. Although piracy was indeed despicable, Ying Wuyou was more concerned with the dissemination of knowledge and the inheritance of culture than with the struggle between genuine and pirated products.
Therefore, Ying Wuyou had no idea whether the item Chunyu Yue gave her was genuine or a fake. She devoted herself wholeheartedly to building the library and collecting those rare and unique books, so busy that she had no time to think about anything else.