Chapter 46: Soft Paper

The sky was pitch black. Outside the porch of the Imperial Academy instructors' dormitory, Cai Yong, the Court Gentleman Consultant, his hair disheveled, was hiding in the shadows with a look of panic and uncertainty. To be honest, several times he had wanted to dash straight into the porch and flee back into his room, but he always felt there were shadowy figures lurking near his door around the corner, so he never dared to move, terrified of being discovered in such a wretched state and making a fool of himself.

After a long while, watching the figures in the lamplight beneath the porch gradually thin out and no movement for half the day, Cai Yong finally mustered his courage. Gripping his hair with both hands, he ducked his head and charged over.

Who could have guessed that just as he rushed through the corridor and arrived before his room door, before he could even catch his breath, a voice rang out that nearly made him die of shame and fury.

"Court Gentleman Consultant Cai." Gongsun Xun, standing before Cai Yong's door, sized up the other's appearance with slight astonishment; beside him, Gongsun Yue, holding a large box, was also dumbstruck. "This... what happened? Did you encounter bandits? Are there bandits even in the Imperial Academy?"

"N-no." Cai Yong's face flushed crimson as he hurriedly explained. "I went out earlier to discuss musical tones with Instructor Zhang, but on the way back the sky was too dark. A tree branch caught my headscarf and pulled it off, and my hair bun came loose..."

"So that's what happened." Gongsun Xun suddenly understood. "Do you know where you lost your headscarf? If it's nearby, my brother and I can accompany you to look for it?"

"No need, no need." Cai Yong shook his head repeatedly. "I have headscarves in my room; I'll just go in and wrap it up again... You were looking for me about something?"

"To be frank with you, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai," Gongsun Xun said, bowing slightly along with Gongsun Yue, "we have an important matter to request, and so we have been waiting here for quite some time!"

Hearing this, Cai Yong shot the two a somewhat aggrieved look, said nothing, and ducked his head as he rushed into the room.

The Gongsun brothers were momentarily taken aback, exchanged a glance, then shamelessly followed him in anyway.

And so, Cai Yong entered the room, lit the lamp, fetched water, washed his hands, coiled his hair, then selected a headscarf and slowly put it on... Yet no matter how much this Court Gentleman Consultant Cai fussed about, Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Yue were like paste, firmly stuck to the rush mats in the room, clearly intent on keeping him company to the bitter end.

What ill-bred wild boys from the border commanderies! Cai Yong cursed inwardly, but in the end could only helplessly kneel and sit down with them: "You said you had a matter to request?"

"Exactly." Gongsun Xun led Gongsun Yue in bowing formally. "We earnestly hope for your full assistance, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai."

"Of course, of course." Cai Yong forced a dry smile on his face, but in his heart he had already resolved that this time he absolutely would not play the 'honest man' again — or else may he find himself without even a toilet spatula to wipe with the next time he went to the privy!

"Ah..." Having received this assent, Gongsun Xun hesitated for a moment. "For a moment I hardly know where to begin. Might I ask if you are aware of my family background, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai?"

"I only know that you hail from the Gongsun clan of Liaoxi." Cai Yong, having more or less steadied himself, stroked his beard slightly. "But Liaoxi lies at the junction of Hebei and the frontier, thousands of li away. As a man of the Central Plains, my understanding is truly limited... If I must say something, it is that I know your family is exceedingly wealthy — I've heard your household assets amount to hundreds of millions, comparable to the Mi clan of Xuzhou, the Zhen clan of Jizhou, and the Ma clan of Jingzhou."

Gongsun Xun nodded slightly: "You are not mistaken, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai. My mother is extremely adept in the ways of commerce and goods. In a little over ten years, our family's Anli Trading House has gained some renown between Qing and You provinces. And speaking of this, I must consult you, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai — with your vast learning, do you know why our Anli Trading House was able to spread across several commanderies around the Bohai Sea within a few years, yet in the years that followed, though business was not poor and money was not lacking, we could never advance even an inch further?"

"Oh?"

"Now our family's business cannot go south past Langya, cannot go west past Dai Commandery, and toward the southeast into the Hebei heartland, every step is blocked. Were it not for the various trading houses of Jizhou having large-volume dealings in horses, cloth, and grain with our Anli Trading House and being willing to leave a crack open, even opening a branch in Ye City would be difficult..."

"Ah..." Hearing this, Cai Yong could not help but laugh. "Haven't you already answered your own question? Every place has its local trading houses — how could they tolerate your family barging in for another share? Even in Ye City, weren't you only able to set foot there after obtaining the consent of the local great clans?"

"Court Gentleman Consultant Cai, your insight is indeed clear and profound!"

"Profound my foot!" Cai Yong suddenly changed his expression. "I don't believe a lad like you doesn't understand this principle! What does your family's Anli Trading House rely on to spread across several commanderies? You know perfectly well yourself, yet you come asking an old scholar like me?"

Hearing this, Gongsun Xun did not grow angry, but instead smiled faintly: "To be honest with you, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai, of course I know my family's situation. At the very beginning, it was because our Liaoxi Gongsun clan resides in Lingzhi, and Lingzhi is in fact two sides of the same coin with Lulong Fortress, firmly holding the sole major passageway between Hebei and the several commanderies beyond the frontier. Merchant caravans and tribes from beyond the frontier, wanting to communicate with Hebei, could only pass through here... As my mother put it, profit could be generated just by sitting there! And so within a few years, Anli Trading House had already accumulated considerable capital, connections, and trade routes. This was the so-called first stage of our Anli Trading House's rise."

"Let me think." Hearing this, Cai Yong sneered. "This second stage — could it be that seeing how the various commanderies and princedoms beyond the frontier, such as Liaodong, Liaoxi, the Liaodong Dependency, Lelang, and Xuantu, were all scattered sand because they lay beyond the frontier — merchants, tribes, and powerful families all disorganized — your mother used the Gongsun clan as her backing and Anli Trading House as her tool to unify and integrate the trade routes of these places, while she herself remained at Lingzhi, that critical node, coordinating everything and interfacing with Hebei?"

"Court Gentleman Consultant Cai, your mind is truly penetrating." Gongsun Xun nodded repeatedly in praise.

"However, I am curious." Cai Yong suddenly drew a breath. "You just said your family's Anli Trading House already 'encircles the entire Bohai Sea.' Then this third stage, I imagine, must have been opening up shipping trade across the Bohai Sea, directly connecting Liaodong with Qingzhou. I am aware that Qingzhou and Liaodong have had sea routes connecting them since ancient times. But places like Beihai, Donglai, Lean, and Bohai are all great commanderies thick with powerful clans, with countless great hereditary houses — how did your family's... this... this Anli Trading House manage to enter?"

"To be frank with you, Court Gentleman Consultant," Gongsun Xun lowered his head and smiled, "all these places have branch lineages of the Gongsun clan. Although they have long since passed beyond the five degrees of mourning and divided their households, if you go back seventy or eighty years, they all stem from the same line, and words can still be spoken. Besides, this Anli Trading House is not solely enjoyed by my mother alone — the clan and the various local branches, and even the various friendly local powerful families, all receive dividends every year..."

"Then I underestimated your Gongsun clan." Hearing this, Cai Yong drew another sharp breath. "I never imagined you had spread your branches and leaves to this extent — 'encircling the entire Bohai Sea' — and the main line in Lingzhi, Liaoxi, has held the two-thousand-bushel rank for generations... enough to make one tremble with awe!"

"Without classical scholarship passed down through the family, we are ultimately only second-rate." Gongsun Xun said with a faint, ambiguous smile. "That is the common judgment of all under Heaven."

Cai Yong fell silent upon hearing this.

"Back in those days," after a brief pause, Gongsun Xun continued, "when my mother discovered that Anli Trading House's business had stagnated, she understood that geography was truly a difficult thing to overcome, and so she gave up on the ambition of expanding the trading house all the way to Luoyang. She turned instead to supporting widows and orphans and sponsoring students. Yet during this time, she encountered another matter that she brooded over and has never forgotten to this day!"

Cai Yong's expression grew slightly more serious — so he knows to share his mother's worries; he can be considered a filial son after all.

"When my mother was supporting local education, she very naturally discovered that bamboo and wooden writing slips posed a great difficulty for young children from poor families... Expensive, heavy, cumbersome — whether for copying or use, they were far inferior to paper."

"That is only natural." This topic was Cai Yong's specialty; he knew the ins and outs better than anyone. "Truly speaking, when it comes to the word 'enlightenment,' writing slips cannot compare to paper in any way — it is cheaper and lighter... However, paper only excels for writing and practice. When it comes to recording books, one must still use cloth and slips; there is no helping it."

"What you say is quite true, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai." Gongsun Xun nodded in agreement. "The paper commonly used throughout the realm today is too brittle. Even when the court and government offices commonly use this kind of paper for wanted posters and drawings, they must be posted in pavilion lodges and carefully looked after to barely survive a few months. My mother would never be so presumptuous as to use that kind of paper for making books. However, back then, my mother inadvertently took over two paper-making workshops, which greatly changed her view on the future prospects of paper..."

"Tell me about it." Cai Yong was genuinely curious now.

"A'Yue, go ahead and take the items out." Gongsun Xun turned and instructed.

Only then did Cai Yong suddenly realize that he had unwittingly been chatting with this Gongsun Xun for quite a long time, and had even overlooked that most detestable boy beside the fellow.

But there was no time to dwell on it. Gongsun Yue opened a wooden chest placed beside him and took out an object that appeared soft and limp, yet was recognizable at a glance as some kind of paper.

"This is a type of soft paper from our Liaoxi region," Gongsun Xun took it and presented it with both hands to Cai Yong across from him.

Cai Yong took it, felt it with his hand, and immediately frowned: "The quality is comparable to ordinary brittle paper, but it is far too soft. The moment ink touches it, it will bleed and spread — it cannot be written on!"

"Exactly so." Gongsun Xun nodded frankly. "In fact, this yellow hemp soft paper produced by this paper-making workshop has always been supplied to its owner as a substitute for toilet spatulas!"

Cai Yong's expression froze, and he directly threw the yellow hemp soft paper onto the floor.

Gongsun Xun reached out and picked it up, utterly puzzled: "Why do you do this, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai? This paper is clean, is it not?"

"Ahem!" Cai Yong's face flushed red as he forced an explanation. "You don't understand — when I heard you say that someone actually uses paper to replace toilet spatulas, I found it far too extravagant and wasteful, and my heart grew disgusted..."

"What kind of talk is that, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai?" Gongsun Yue, who had been silent all this while, could not help but retort. "You have long resided in Luoyang — do you not know what true extravagance is? In the homes of some powerful nobles, simply to flaunt their wealth, they specially place fine silk cloth and scarves in the privy — that is what is called unbridled luxury! Tell me yourself, how many poor people under Heaven cannot fill their bellies or cover their bodies? Can silk scarves be used for going to the toilet? Why have we never seen you grow disgusted at that?"

Cai Yong's face was bright red, and he stammered, unable to speak.

"Enough, A'Yue." Gongsun Xun hastily stopped his cousin's retort, then turned back to explain to Cai Yong. "You are unaware, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai, but this kind of soft paper is merely made from discarded hemp ends, broken fishing nets, and tree bark. Yet it cannot be written on, so using it for the toilet is actually quite fitting... Ah, you are advanced in years and often bent over your desk — how about I have someone send you some later for you to try?"

"Th-thank you." For some reason, despite his age, Cai Yong still seemed somewhat embarrassed. "Please continue."

"Yes." Gongsun Xun nodded in assent, then had Gongsun Yue bring over another sheet of paper. "Take a look at this one..."

"This sheet is pure white like snow." Cai Yong took it and quickly appraised it. "But it is merely white like snow; its texture is no different from ordinary brittle paper. I fear it still does not keep well — a pity!"

"Your discerning eyes are like torches, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai." Gongsun Xun nodded repeatedly. "That is exactly the case... Now look at this third sheet of paper!"

Cai Yong took it, felt it, and still frowned without speaking: "Although this paper is also white and clean, it is still soft and limp... What use could it have? I fear it can only be used for the toilet as well?"

"Think again, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai."

Cai Yong felt this white soft paper, looked at the other two sheets laid before him, and suddenly a thought stirred in his mind: "Could this paper be something your mother produced after acquiring those two paper-making workshops, taking the strengths of both?"

"Exactly so!" Gongsun Xun swung his palm like a blade, chopping straight down onto the floor, clearly excited to the extreme. "You probably do not know, Court Gentleman Consultant Cai, but ever since Marquis Cai invented paper-making, the paper-making techniques under Heaven have seen no significant change for nearly a hundred years. It is nothing more than these four processes: pounding, mashing, stirring, and drying... All the rest are minor tricks devised by the craftsmen themselves — some soft, some hard, some white, some clean, some tight, some textured..."

"I understand your meaning now." Cai Yong suddenly saw the light. "You are saying that the basic techniques of paper-making are all the same and quite mature, so gathering the strengths of various workshops is actually a very easy thing. In other words, if one could collect the techniques from various places, then producing paper that is light, white, and tight would be a natural outcome... and it might even replace writing slips and silk cloth?"

"Exactly so."

"Then why has your family, after all these years, only produced this kind of white soft paper used for the toilet?" Cai Yong asked, baffled.

Hearing this, Gongsun Xun sneered: "Court Gentleman Consultant Cai, did we not just say it? A hereditary clan without classical scholarship passed down through the family is ultimately only second-rate. And the families that can maintain a paper-making workshop and possess unique techniques — which of them is not a first-rate hereditary clan? You must understand, the paper that is produced is, in the end, mostly used for writing!"

Cai Yong suddenly saw the light: "No wonder you said earlier that your mother still broods over this… I suppose those great houses that own paper-making workshops, relying on their reputations as renowned clans, looked down on her for being a woman, a merchant, and from a border commandery, and simply couldn't be bothered with her? And besides, your mother cannot leave Liaoxi, and your family, after all, only has some influence in the commanderies around the Bohai Sea. Once outside that circle, I fear every step is an impossible struggle?"

"These classical scholar-gentry clans keep paper-making workshops merely to affect cultural refinement," Gongsun Xun raised his head and sneered coldly. "Moreover, their households are extravagantly luxurious — if bamboo slips are heavy, they have servants to drive carts and carry them for them; if engraving is difficult, they have scribes to do the labor on their behalf. Were it not for my mother, who would ever have thought to use this to benefit the world?! Yet every one of these people fails to appreciate her efforts…"

"My aunt offered a reward of a million cash, seeking new paper — back then, everyone around the Bohai Sea knew of it," Gongsun Yue interjected again. "Yet over several years, she only obtained this one white-paper technique, and that was begged from a gentry family in Zhuo Commandery, near Liaoxi. Beyond that, there has been no further progress…"

"Now I truly understand what you seek," Cai Yong gently stroked his beard and sighed with emotion. "Your mother, a woman, yet harbors such concern for culture and education — how could I sit idly by? Besides, I myself have no other hobbies; only calligraphy, music, and rhapsodies. If this matter succeeds, it will greatly benefit me as well — serving both public and private interests, I cannot but help… Do you have any specific information? Tell me, and I shall use the name of transcribing the Stone Classics to demand this paper-making technique on your behalf!"

Gongsun Xun and Gongsun Yue exchanged a glance, then both burst out laughing. The latter immediately took several kinds of paper from the box and spread them out one by one before them!

"Cai Yong prided himself on his calligraphy, mastering both the methods of Si (Li Si) and Gang (Shi Gang), and would not casually set brush to paper unless the grain was right. A craftsman who wishes to do his work well must first sharpen his tools. Using Zhang Yi's brush, Zuo Bo's paper, and Wei Duan's ink — all ancient methods — only when these three implements are combined can one fully express the sweeping force of a yard-wide stroke and the thousand officials within a square inch." — Records of the Three Adjuncts, by Zhao Qi

PS: There is also a new book group; interested readers can join: 684558115.

(End of Chapter)