After entrusting Niu Tou to prepare properly and return, Gu Fang turned to Lin Yi with a gentle smile. "The moonlight has just risen, and the scenery is lovely. Would Xiaoyi be willing to push me out for a walk? We can also look for A Fu along the way and inform him about tallying the wounded soldiers."
"Sure," Lin Yi said, her eyes curving into crescents as she stepped forward and grasped the wheelchair handles. "Consider it a date with my husband."
Lin Yi slowly pushed Gu Fang out of the side chamber and meandered aimlessly along the corridor. The night breeze was cool, brushing through the courtyard grass and trees with a soft rustle. They chatted intermittently while keeping an eye out for A Fu.
As they walked, Lin Yi's mind returned to the most critical issue. She chose her words carefully. "Husband, have you used steel items before? What do you think of them?"
"Naturally," Gu Fang nodded. "Swords and armor. Steel is tougher than iron, less likely to break, and harder. My favorite longsword is made of refined steel; unlike an iron sword, it doesn't rust easily and is sharper." He paused, as if recalling something, a hint of reminiscence in his tone. "As for armor... back when I pushed the Northern Frontier back three hundred li in one go, the court officials suddenly grew afraid I'd die on the battlefield. They jointly petitioned, insisting that the Ministry of War craft a special steel armor for me."
He lightly tapped the armrest and continued, "That armor was indeed a rare treasure. The plates were forged repeatedly from fine steel, thin yet resilient. I charged into encirclements several times wearing it, and ordinary blades and arrows could hardly scratch it. It's thanks to that armor that I lived through several battles."
"That's amazing!" Lin Yi's heart raced. She pressed on, "Do you know how steel is made?"
Gu Fang thought for a moment. "When that armor was being made with great difficulty, the Vice Minister of War mentioned it briefly. I remember they melted pig iron into molten metal, then sprinkled in selected ore powder and stirred continuously... The specific steps were complicated; I only remember that much."
A gleam flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.
That was the puddling steel method. It relied heavily on the craftsman's experience; even a slight mistake in heat or stirring could over-decarburize and ruin the steel's hardness and toughness. Many optimized methods flashed through her mind—the composite steel method, the Suzhou steel method... Perhaps, based on existing furnace and forging conditions, she could choose one to improve.
"I see," Lin Yi nodded, her tone unconsciously carrying eagerness. "After we meet Prince Ning, perhaps we can visit an official smithy. If the existing furnaces and techniques are suitable, I might have other ways to produce even better steel."
She didn't elaborate but simply looked down at Gu Fang and winked. In the dim night, her eyes sparkled with unspoken confidence.
Gu Fang looked at her, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
"Good," he said warmly, gently placing his hand over hers on the push handle. "Then I shall trouble Xiaoyi to put in extra effort."
Lin Yi was still mentally contrasting the composite and Suzhou steel methods when a sudden thought struck her: the yuba was probably ready in a few days. She rubbed her forehead, counting off the matters at hand—steelmaking, alcohol, allicin... She probably wouldn't have the energy to explore all the soybean variations. Thankfully, she had already given A Zhi general directions last time; the rest he could figure out on his own.
Collecting herself, Lin Yi said to Gu Fang, "Husband, do you remember my saying that beans can be prepared in many ways to make them tastier and more acceptable to the common people?"
Gu Fang smiled. "Of course I remember. That table of tofu dishes you made—fresh, fragrant, tender—I still savor the memory."
"If you like, have the kitchen make them often. They all know how now." Lin Yi pushed him into a small pavilion and sat down on a stone bench to rest. "Speaking of which, the yuba I mentioned should be ready soon. I thought I'd teach A Zhi a few yuba recipes and let him experiment. He's sharp; he doesn't need me hovering. Only..."
She paused, her tone turning serious. "I'm afraid I can't spare time to promote bean-based food. Aside from steel improvements, I need to prepare large amounts of alcohol and test allicin. These tasks will take a lot of energy. Do you have someone suitable to handle the promotion?"
Gu Fang's brow furrowed slightly as he thought. "Since you think A Zhi is clever and knows the process well, how about entrusting it to him?"
"Alright," Lin Yi agreed readily. "After the yuba is ready, I'll ask if he's willing." Then she grew curious. "By the way, how does the court or the common folk usually promote things that benefit the people?"
The question seemed to catch Gu Fang off guard. He rested his chin on his hand, frowning slightly as if searching his memory. Lin Yi was about to tell him not to force it, but he spoke. "I've never seen food promoted, but I've seen how the court promulgates new policies: layer by layer down to the village, where the village head reads and explains them in public."
Lin Yi's eyes lit up, and she sat up straight. "How exactly does it pass down?"
"From top to bottom, through prefectures, commanderies, counties, townships, and finally to the village head, who informs the villagers." Gu Fang answered clearly. "But this method is mostly used for decrees, not food promotion."
Lin Yi nodded thoughtfully. That sounded somewhat like modern propaganda hierarchies, but obviously not flexible enough. She'd have to figure it out herself. "I have some preliminary ideas. Would you listen and see if they work?"
"Are you referring to leveraging famous people, as you mentioned last time?" Gu Fang asked gently.
"Yes, but not just that." Lin Yi's tone became brisk. "I want to prepare two approaches: one is to use the fame of influential people; the other is to illustrate the methods in a booklet that even the illiterate can understand, and distribute it for free. That way, even ordinary folk can learn by following the pictures."
She spoke earnestly but gradually grew embarrassed, her voice lowering and cheeks warming. "I don't know if this is too fanciful. I'm still a novice in many things, so I wanted to ask for your advice first."
Gu Fang gazed at her quietly. "This is not fanciful. It's a precious wish—to help more people live better. That is a wonderful thing."
He paused, but his brow furrowed again. "However, that booklet you mentioned—paper is expensive nowadays. Free distribution would be hard to sustain. Using pictures and explanations is feasible, but only if our people travel around with illustrations to demonstrate. We can't just give the booklets to the people."
Expensive paper?
Lin Yi was taken aback. After Cai Lun's improvement, shouldn't paper have become much cheaper? Yet she vaguely recalled online discussions saying paper was still scarce in ancient times, forcing writers to be concise. Perhaps the technology hadn't spread or was monopolized?
"The paper I used before felt pretty ordinary. Is it really expensive?" Lin Yi asked, puzzled.
"The paper I gave you before was fine silk—woven from silk fabric. Nowadays, such fine silk is only used by the imperial family and aristocracy," Gu Fang explained gently.
So that was the famous silk manuscript! Lin Yi suddenly realized. No wonder she hadn't recognized it—she was too inexperienced. Since they were still using silk, papermaking hadn't been revolutionized. Maybe she could start there. If paper became cheap, wouldn't learning be easier?
"Husband, I know how to improve the current papermaking method to make paper cheaper and more accessible. Then even ordinary scholars could afford paper and books. What do you think?" Lin Yi decided to first ask Gu Fang's opinion. She had too many things to handle, and she still lacked common knowledge about this era—after all, the original Lin Yi had been a nobody in the Minister's Mansion, never taught anything. Better to ask Gu Fang, who seemed to know a bit of everything.
Gu Fang was silent for a moment, his eyes deepening. "If paper truly becomes available to everyone, that would be wonderful. But I wonder if the improved paper you speak of will be suitable for use, and how low the cost can be?"
Lin Yi hesitated. She hadn't actually tested it herself, but according to Cai Lun's method, the result should be similar to ordinary modern paper. "It will be easier to write on than fine silk, and much lighter. As for cost..." She thought back. "Tree bark, worn fishing nets, old cloth scraps, hemp fibers—those can be used as raw materials, practically free, right?"
Gu Fang looked up sharply, his tone clearly astonished. "Just those discarded things?"
Lin Yi quickly reviewed her compulsory education knowledge—yes, all primary school Chinese and middle school history texts clearly described Cai Lun's papermaking materials and steps. She nodded firmly. "Yes, exactly those. I also know the whole process."
"Good." Without any hesitation, Gu Fang said, "I have a workshop that has been idle for a long time. Once we find A Fu, I'll have him restart that workshop, dedicated to the improved paper you described."
"Wonderful!" Lin Yi couldn't help smiling. "Then let's go find A Fu now. I've rested enough." She stood, pushed the wheelchair out of the pavilion, and continued along the corridor.
The night breeze was gentle. As she pushed Gu Fang, she brought up another concern. "As for the celebrity effect for promoting bean food, I originally thought our mansion could host a banquet for high officials to taste a full soybean feast. News would spread, and the common people would see that even the nobility eat it, so they'd follow suit."
Gu Fang nodded. "That's a clever method. But from your tone, you have other plans now?"
"Mm." Lin Yi didn't slow her steps, her voice clear in the quiet corridor. "But since you said Prince Ning is wholeheartedly for Great Qian, I thought it might be more appropriate for him to host the banquet. He's already managing state affairs and will soon inherit the throne, won't he? His banquet would carry more weight than ours. Also, if we openly invite many courtiers, might it arouse suspicion of forming factions?"
Gu Fang let out a soft laugh, tinged with emotion. "You've even considered the faction issue. It's indeed more suitable for Prince Ning to take the lead. When we see him, we'll ask for his opinion. How about that?"
"Sure." As Lin Yi agreed, she pushed Gu Fang around a corner of the corridor and spotted A Fu standing by a pillar, speaking quietly with someone. They waited a moment until the person left, then Lin Yi slowly pushed the wheelchair forward.