I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 58 Paper Spreads to Six Countries (Part 6)

The Kingdom of Wei, Daliang City. The magnificent Wei Royal Palace stands in this bustling center, its splendor and majesty drawing attention. Deep within the palace, in his bedchamber, the young King Jia of Wei lies quietly on his dragon bed, enjoying a leisurely afternoon nap.

Just as King Wei was feigning drowsiness, a series of light footsteps reached his ears. He slowly opened his eyes, his blurry vision gradually clearing, and saw the figure of a young eunuch. The young eunuch hurried towards him.

Upon reaching the King of Wei's false bed, the young eunuch said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is outside requesting an audience."

King Wei sat up straight and said, "Let the Prime Minister in!"

The young eunuch nodded in agreement and turned to leave. A short while later, the Prime Minister entered, and King Wei noticed that the Prime Minister was still tightly clutching an object in his hand.

"Your Majesty, I have brought you something wonderful!" the Prime Minister said excitedly as he walked, his face beaming with joy.

"Oh? What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?" King Wei asked, feigning suspicion, his gaze falling on the item in the Prime Minister's hand.

"Your Majesty, please take a look!" The Prime Minister handed the object in his hand to King Wei, his expression full of anticipation.

King Jia of Wei took the object and examined it carefully. It was a square object, as thin as a cicada's wing, with a soft and delicate texture, and a comfortable feel. King Jia of Wei couldn't help but ask curiously, "What is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is paper made in Qin!" the Prime Minister explained excitedly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

King Wei sat up straight, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Qin paper? It's so thin, like a cicada's wing!"

King Jia of Wei then carefully stroked the paper and asked, "What is the use of this paper?"

"Your Majesty," the Prime Minister said eloquently, "this paper can be used for writing. Moreover, it is as thin as silk, making writing smooth and durable. Compared to the bamboo slips and silk books we use, it has a greater advantage. It can greatly improve writing efficiency and is very convenient."

Upon hearing this, King Wei's eyes lit up, and an overwhelming sense of joy welled up within him. He quickly stood up, strode to his desk, and carefully placed the paper on it. Then, he picked up a brush, lightly dipped it in ink, and wrote several powerful characters on the paper. After finishing, King Wei gazed at the writing and exclaimed in admiration, "This paper is exceptionally strong, and the ink is clearly visible; it is truly a divine object! The Qin people are truly remarkable to have created such a masterpiece!"

At this moment, the Prime Minister couldn't help but speak up: "Your Majesty, Qin is growing stronger every day, while our Wei is growing weaker and weaker, and we can only helplessly follow in Qin's footsteps. Paper is a divine object, and the other states will surely be eyeing it covetously. If we could go to Qin to learn the papermaking method, it would be of great benefit to our Wei."

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" King Wei feigned delight, nodding repeatedly in praise. "If our Great Wei obtains this treasure, prosperity will be just around the corner."

The Prime Minister bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I will immediately send someone to Qin to learn the method of papermaking." King Wei nodded slightly and said, "Good, my dear minister, please make the arrangements quickly!" Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister immediately accepted the order and left.

Inside the Qi palace, King Jian of Qi was frolicking and playing with several newly arrived beauties, thoroughly enjoying himself. Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar. King Jian looked up and saw it was his uncle—Prime Minister Hou Sheng. Upon seeing him, King Jian smiled and asked, "Prime Minister, what brings you here today?"

Hou Sheng stepped forward with a serious expression, holding a white object as thin as a cicada's wing. He handed it to King Jian of Qi and asked, "Does Your Majesty know what this is?" King Jian of Qi took the object, examined it carefully, and then shook his head, saying, "I do not know."

Hou Sheng explained, "This is paper made in Qin." Upon hearing this, King Jian of Qi was greatly surprised, secretly wondering what new invention Qin had come up with this time. He stared wide-eyed at the paper in Hou Sheng's hand, and hurriedly asked, "What is the use of this paper?"

Hou Sheng replied, "This paper can be used to write, and it is lighter and easier to carry than bamboo slips." Hou Sheng continued, "Moreover, as far as I know, the Qin state has already begun to use paper instead of bamboo slips to write memorials and other documents, which has greatly improved the speed of the Qin court's work."

Upon hearing this, King Jian of Qi's eyes flashed with greed. He thought to himself, "If our Qi state could also master this technology, wouldn't we be able to surpass other countries?"

Hou Sheng nodded and said, "Your Majesty, Qin's national strength has greatly increased thanks to this papermaking technology, and the surrounding states have all taken action. Our Qi state cannot fall behind!"

"The Prime Minister is right." King Jian of Qi finally made up his mind. "Immediately send an envoy to Qin to obtain the papermaking method. I will make Qi the most powerful country!"

Hou Sheng's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, you must not send anyone to Qin to learn the papermaking method!" King Jian of Qi frowned slightly, looking puzzled, and asked, "Then what does Uncle mean?"

Hou Sheng's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice, "Now that all countries have heard of the wonders of papermaking, they will surely send people to Qin to learn it. If we follow suit and send people there, not only will we fail to seize the initiative, but Qin may also see through our intentions and refuse to teach us the real techniques. Rather than that, it would be better to send shrewd people to secretly steal the papermaking method. This way, we can avoid arousing Qin's suspicion and ensure that we obtain the complete technology."

Upon hearing this, King Jian of Qi's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Very good, very good, Uncle is absolutely right. Then I'll leave this matter to you, Uncle." Hou Sheng nodded and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly handle this matter well." Hou Sheng then took his leave.

In the northern part of the Zhao state, King Jia of Zhao was being surrounded by several ministers who were advising him to be diligent in governing. At this moment, one of the ministers suddenly walked over and said, "Your Majesty, recently something called paper has suddenly appeared in the city. It is said to have been brought from Qin."

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled, and someone hurriedly asked, "The Qin army has attacked?"

The man replied, "No." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"However, how did this Qin paper enter our country? This matter must be thoroughly investigated, lest spies from other countries take advantage of it," King Jia of Zhao said solemnly.

"Your Majesty understands. We will certainly send more people to investigate this matter," a minister replied.

King Zhao Jia nodded slightly. At this moment, another minister said, "I have also heard of paper. It is said to be thin, flexible, and easy to use for writing and drawing, much lighter than bamboo slips. If this kind of paper could be widely used, it would greatly help the spread of culture."

“Lord Zhao is absolutely right,” another minister echoed. “However, we must also be wary of Qin’s intentions. They might be using paper to transmit intelligence.”

“Yes, you make a good point,” King Jia of Zhao said after a moment of contemplation. “We must strengthen the supervision of paper to prevent the Qin state from using it to endanger the security of our Zhao state.”

The ministers unanimously agreed and began discussing strict checks on pedestrians and carriages entering the city.