Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 483 Can’t Wait to Let the Empress Know

Human spirits soar with joyous events, and Wang Yingluo began to plan eagerly.

She pondered and wracked her brain in her room for three days, writing countless sheets of discarded paper, until finally a triumphant smile appeared on her face.

To acquire a good reputation, it was most important to gain the recognition of the common people, especially scholars.

Those scholars might be pedantic, but in this era, the spread of poetry was the widest, if someone wrote an incomparable poem praising her, her reputation would naturally improve.

By then, even Empress Murong wouldn’t be able to overshadow her popularity.

But how to make the scholars sing her praises? Of course, it was by doing something beneficial for all the scholars in the world.

She couldn’t possibly start a new academy, nor did she have the energy to compete with Murong Jiu, but she had come up with an excellent idea.

That was the Printing Technique!

She had just entered the palace when she found out that the current printing technique was very outdated. She inquired around and learned that it was still woodblock printing, which was time-consuming and laborious, requiring manual carving that sometimes took years for just one book, unable to meet the demand for mass printing.

This was why books were expensive, and many out-of-print books were kept in the hands of the wealthy.

Many scholars from poor families who wanted to read could only borrow books from their teachers.

The blocks carved for woodblock printing could only be used for the printing of one book. If you wanted to print other books, you had to carve new blocks, and these blocks were also prone to warping and erosion, not easy to preserve.

But if she invented movable-type printing, she could speed up the printing of books. She could have people make a large number of books and lend them out to scholars around the world for free to read and copy.

As long as she invented movable-type printing, Jun Yuyan would definitely help her with the remaining tasks.

Movable-type printing was quite simple, time-saving, and labor-saving. Each carved character could be reused for rearranging and expediting the printing process.

And this was only one of her plans.

Another plan was about money.

The day Jun Yuyan took her to choose her favorite items in the national treasury, she realized that the treasury was empty. Although she liked many antiques, she did not take any and thoughtfully told Jun Yuyan that not only was Empress Murong able to make money, but she could too.

She knew Jun Yuyan was a good emperor, concerned about the country and the people. With an empty treasury, there would likely be issues with military pay in the future. If she could earn a lot of silver like Murong Jiu, Jun Yuyan would be able to dethrone Murong Jiu even faster.

Someone as understanding as her, Jun Yuyan would be hard-pressed to find a second one.

She had summarized several ways to make money, and to make a lot of it.

For instance, making soap and distilling high-proof alcohol.

The production of soap was not difficult, yet its cleaning power was a hundred times stronger than the pancreas and bath beans currently in use.

High-proof alcohol required distillation, but for her, that was also not a problem.

There were other ideas too, but she knew better than to bite off more than she could chew, so she decided not to bring out too many at once.

She bathed and changed her clothes, then went to the Imperial Study Room to find Jun Yuyan.

After she finished speaking, she saw the look of delighted surprise in Jun Yuyan’s eyes, just as she had hoped.

"Ah Ying, you are truly a genius! How did you come up with these ideas?"

"It was the old immortal who taught me. Some are quite old, and I don’t remember them very clearly, but I’m sure I’ll slowly recall them over time. As long as Brother Yan doesn’t mind that I’m different from others."

"How could I mind? I couldn’t be happier."

His Empress was indeed clever, awakening him with a single statement from his dreamlike state, it was evident that the benefits she could unlock were far greater than the dangers brought by Wang Yingluo.

Movable-type printing, just by listening to what Wang Yingluo had said, he could discern its advantages.

And then there was soap and alcohol; if they were really as good as she claimed, they would indeed be two ways to make money.

He was already impatient to share this with the Empress.

With that thought, he immediately summoned Eunuch Li.

"From now on, let Eunuch Li follow you, and he can assist you with anything you need. In addition, whatever talent you desire, I will help you bring them over."

Wang Yingluo was overjoyed upon hearing this.

A few days ago when she left the palace, it was because she was accompanied by Eunuch Li that she was recognized. Jun Yuyan assigning Eunuch Li to her was granting her significant face, letting everyone know that she was now the woman at the top of Jun Yuyan’s heart.

"I want Manager Chai and the talented people under him, and also, Commander Su Kai. I have heard that he is highly skilled in martial arts and can ensure my safety, and also, Lord Lou Zixi."

"Oh? I can understand the rest, but why Lord Lou?"

Wang Yingluo thought he was jealous and hurriedly explained, "Lord Lou is a model for all from a Poor Family. If he helps Ah Ying promote the Printing Technique, it will certainly be more effective. Ah Ying also wants every student to have access to books, to have something to read."

In truth, she knew that Lou Zixi was highly capable. By bringing him over to appreciate her, she would not only be undermining Murong Jiu’s influence but might also gain another minister to support her in the future. How delightful!

She intended to leave Murong Jiu isolated and unsupported; only then would Murong Jiu have no chance to turn the tables.

However, hearing that Murong Jiu had been ill for over half a month and had never stepped out of Kunning Palace, she mused that Murong Jiu must be severely ill by now.

This reminded her of a novel she had read in the past, where a supporting female character took away the protagonist’s fortune, becoming dazzling and brilliant, while the protagonist withered away in a dark corner.

On this matter, she felt a strong sense of immersion, wishing she could seize others’ fortunes. And now, she was like the one who had taken away Murong Jiu’s fortune; she would only become more brilliant in the future, while Murong Jiu would remain downtrodden, destined for a tragic end.

This turn of events suited her wishes perfectly.

She didn’t need to lift a finger against Murong Jiu; she could kill without a bloodied sword, effortlessly.

After hearing her explanation, Jun Yuyan nodded and said, "Beloved Minister Lou is indeed very capable. Having him strategize for you also puts my mind at ease."

Wang Yingluo was so delighted at his words that she almost jumped up.

Seeing that she was about to move closer to him, Jun Yuyan subtly reached for something else, all the while saying:

"I am already eager to see the movable-type printing in action, Ah Ying, I know you will not disappoint me."

"Of course not! How could I possibly disappoint Brother Yan? Just wait for me to present the books printed with movable-type to you."

Wang Yingluo was brimming with confidence.

Jun Yuyan offered a few more words of encouragement and dismissed her from the palace.

No sooner had Wang Yingluo left than Jun Yuyan skillfully dismissed the people around him and quietly made his way to Kunning Palace, climbing over the wall to enter.

"Movable-type printing? Her mind is truly not simple," he mused.

After hearing Jun Yuyan’s description of movable-type printing, Murong Jiu pictured it in her mind. She showed genuine surprise and praised sincerely.

If it were widely adopted, scholars all over the world would have books to read, greatly reducing the time and cost of printing, making books no longer prohibitively expensive.

It was a deed that would benefit the entire world.