Chapter 32: Old Wang Is Overjoyed

Fusu understood. This was a veiled allusion to his illicit affair with Consort Li.

"Damn it!"

I didn't want this either! I woke up in that woman's arms the moment I transmigrated; who knows what actually happened?

Fusu offered an awkward smile and remained silent.

"Come, come, everyone, please sit!" Fusu hurriedly turned to Bai Shao and ordered, "Have the imperial guards serve tea!"

Bai Shao was stunned. The imperial guards were not servants! Why should they be the ones serving tea?

Seeing the hesitation on Bai Shao's face before he could even speak, Wang Ben glared at him and snapped, "What? Do you expect me to brew the tea myself?"

Bai Shao nodded immediately and rushed off to make the arrangements. Wang Ben was his direct superior; if he actually forced Wang Ben to brew tea, his career as the commander of the imperial guards would be over.

Wang Jian glanced at his son. Wang Ben, who had just been acting fierce and imposing, immediately sat down obediently, transforming into a docile kitten in an instant.

Wang Jian huffed and scolded, "I have told you many times: be kinder to your subordinates, just a little kinder! Stop putting on such airs all day long, as if everyone owes you money!"

Wang Ben nodded hastily.

Wang Jian paced the room with his hands behind his back and said, "Your Highness, if you lack suitable guards, we can arrange some for you."

Fusu gave a dry, awkward laugh. He did not respond. What nonsense! If you arrange everything, my entire estate will be filled with people from the Wang family. Won't everything I do be under your constant scrutiny?

Wang Jian seemed to realize this and dropped the subject, asking instead, "Is there anything else the household lacks? I will have someone send it over later."

"Yes, we lack plenty!" Fusu answered quickly this time. He said without hesitation, "The household is short of ten thousand shi of grain. If the Marquis of Wucheng has any, you could send some over."

"Ten thousand shi!!!" Wang Ben’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared blankly at Fusu.

Wang Ruonan also looked over in surprise. "Why do you need so much grain?"

Fusu sighed. "I’m being exiled to the border; I feel quite anxious without a food supply!"

"Ha!" Wang Jian chuckled in amusement. "You’re just afraid of going hungry at the border!"

Fusu nodded immediately.

Wang Jian looked at Lady Zheng and asked, "How much grain do we have left in the household?"

Lady Zheng hesitated. "Not much..." Clearly harboring a grudge against Fusu, she said with a cold face, "At most, we can buy enough to scrape together a hundred shi!"

Wang Jian paced for a few steps and said, "Very well, let those hundred shi of grain be part of the dowry."

Fusu’s eyes lit up, and he thanked them immediately, "That truly solves a major problem for me!"

Lady Zheng, however, said unhappily, "Your Highness, please be more sensible! From now on, you must act with more maturity; you cannot continue to be so reckless. Since my daughter Ruonan is marrying into your household, you are her support—do not let her suffer any grievances."

"Mother!" Wang Ruonan chided with a blush.

Fusu scratched his head in embarrassment. Wang Jian was about to offer some advice of his own when his gaze fell upon the paper on the desk.

"This is..."

Wang Jian walked over quickly. Seeing the stacks of paper, he instinctively reached out to touch one. It was soft and thinner than silk. Then, he noticed the seal script on the bamboo slips, and the regular script characters written beneath some of them. These were the characters Fusu recognized, so he had written the corresponding regular script below them.

Wang Jian was shaken. Though he was a military man, he came from a scholarly family. While they hadn't produced any great Confucian scholars, he knew a thing or two about literature. After all, many military treatises were obscure and difficult to understand; without a cultural foundation, one could not hope to grasp them.

Thus, when he first saw the regular script characters, he was deeply captivated. Without thinking, Wang Jian picked up a brush and began to write on the stack of paper.

Seeing this, Fusu hurriedly pulled the remaining sheets away, terrified that the ink would bleed through and ruin them.

Wang Jian wrote a few characters and marveled at them. A moment later, he continued writing, becoming increasingly engrossed. It was only after writing several more that he realized how fluidly this script style allowed one to write! And this soft paper—it was so comfortable to write on!

What was this? With a sense of wonder, Wang Jian began to brush away with abandon.

Wang Ben was dumbfounded. He looked at his father—weren't they supposed to be here to intimidate Fusu? To let him know how much the Wang family cherished Ruonan? So that after they were married, Fusu would restrain himself and treat her well? But now, you've arrived and started writing—what is going on?

It wasn't just Wang Ben; Lady Zheng was also stunned. Why was Father acting like this today?

Wang Ruonan was curious, but she forced herself not to stand up and look; she wanted to play the part of a gentle, refined maiden, a far cry from the tomboy who usually spent her time wielding swords and spears.

"Father..." Wang Ben finally couldn't take it anymore and prompted him.

Wang Jian acted as if he hadn't heard. A while later, Wang Ben could wait no longer; he stood up and walked over. Seeing this, Fusu hurriedly gathered the remaining sheets on the table.

Only then did Wang Jian reluctantly set down the brush. He looked with satisfaction at the two "happiness" characters he had written—one in seal script and one in regular script—linked together.

"Hahaha! Splendid! Absolutely splendid! I must take this sheet with me to keep!"

Wang Jian laughed heartily as he tucked the paper away. Then he looked at Fusu and asked, "Your Highness, what is the material? Writing on it is incredibly comfortable. If the entire Great Qin could use this, the scholars of the world would be overjoyed!"

Fusu, who had been displeased that the old man had wasted several sheets of his precious paper, saw that the man recognized the value of his invention. His expression softened, and he smiled. "The Marquis of Wucheng truly has a keen eye for treasure! Unlike some people who are blind and couldn't recognize a good thing even if it was right in front of them." Fusu said pointedly, still feeling a bit aggrieved.

Wang Jian laughed aloud, stroking his beard. "Your Highness, dare I ask, is the manufacturing process for this material complicated? Are the raw materials inexpensive? Can it be mass-produced?"

Hearing this, Fusu realized he could make something happen. He nodded immediately. "Simple, it is very simple! As long as one masters the method, raw materials can be found everywhere, and it can be mass-produced immediately!"

*Slap!*

Wang Jian clapped his hands together. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's start mass production immediately! How can such a marvelous invention be left to gather dust?"

Fusu pretended to be troubled. "Indeed, such a good thing should not be buried. But unfortunately, I am currently confined to my residence and have no way to recruit more craftsmen, so..."

Wang Jian frowned, lost in thought. Seeing that he was genuinely considering the problem, Fusu added fuel to the fire. "Marquis of Wucheng, I hear you have quite a few businesses in the city. When you returned in triumph, you received quite a few rewards, did you not?"