The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

When it came to the possibility of making studying cheaper, neither Wu Zetian nor Li Lingyue listened most attentively.

They were maids.

They were palace slaves, their relatives exiled to remote and impoverished areas where life was difficult. If the cost of education could be reduced, perhaps there would still be hope for the future...

Compared to the high and mighty Empress Dowager and princesses, they were more eager to hear Lu Jun's solution.

"It's printing technology," Lu Jun replied.

Li Lingyue frowned: "What is printing technology?"

"Printing technology is not a new invention. I will give you a few examples, and you will understand."

"The first method is to make rubbings of the inscriptions. Ink is applied to the stone tablet, and then paper is used to press it down, so the inscription can be rubbed off. This is a common method."

"But the stele is made of stone, which is difficult to carve, and it is engraved in relief, so the black background and white characters are printed on it, which uses a lot of ink."

"The second is the seal, such as the imperial edicts of the Empress Dowager, the official seals of government offices, and the wooden seals of Buddha images on Buddhist scriptures."

"Some are made of jade, some of bronze, and some of wood. They are all embossed, making them very convenient to use."

"The third is the printing and dyeing in the cloth shops, which is made of wood and used to print patterns on the cloth."

Lu Jun first gave a few examples to make it easier to understand.

Let me explain further:

"Printing is a process of creating text engravings using wooden reliefs similar to stamping or dyeing, combined with the method of carving characters on stone tablets."

"Ink is applied to the woodblock, and two sheets of paper are pressed together to press them down, thus transferring the characters of the scroll onto the paper."

"This would save on manual copying and the cost of pens. Although carving is time-consuming and labor-intensive, it can be reused."

"The cost of paper and ink for books is a minor expense; using printing can save on labor costs and copying time, greatly reducing costs."

"My rough estimate is that if enough woodblocks are reused, the reduction could be reduced to around 10%!"

"At that time, the imperial court can engrave the scriptures and print them for the prefectural and county schools, so as to attract more people to study and receive their education."

"Years from now, perhaps everyone will have access to education!"

Woodblock printing emerged around the time of Emperor Xuanzong.

During the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, woodblock printing was mainly used for printing simple reading materials such as Buddhist scriptures, calendars, and poetry collections.

During the Five Dynasties period, both official and private printing made great strides. Feng Dao presided over the official printing of the Nine Classics, which lasted for 21 years and was of great significance to the popularization of books.

Through the continuous efforts of both the government and the people, the Song Dynasty finally brought down book prices, thus benefiting the people.

With the flourishing of official schools and the significant increase in the number of people selected through the imperial examinations during the Song Dynasty, more and more ordinary people were studying and entering officialdom.

Of course, printing consumes a lot of paper, which can lead to paper shortages and price increases.

Lu Jun also had a solution, but there was no need to change the subject, so she didn't elaborate.

As things evolved in later times, the powerful clans eventually disappeared due to the combined effects of the development of Jiangnan, tax reforms, and the reduction in the cost of education.

Because it occurs passively and takes a long time, the process will naturally be accelerated if the monarch guides it in an orderly manner.

Upon hearing the phrase "everyone has access to education," Li Lingyue clicked her tongue repeatedly, exclaiming, "Chu Yu has such lofty ambitions! Truly remarkable!"

Wu Zetian hesitated and said, "It sounds good, but there are simply too many Confucian classics. Engraving them will take a long time and cannot be accomplished overnight..."

She was, after all, 67 years old, and not very interested in techniques that took too long and didn't produce immediate results.

The development of Jiangnan can be carried out gradually, and the results will be seen. Tax reform can also be tried in selected prefectures and counties. However, investing money and manpower in woodblock printing may not be worthwhile.

Lu Jun pondered for a moment, then looked up and smiled:

"We can first let the craftsmen study woodblock printing techniques and carve some important Buddhist scriptures. After they have mastered the skills, they can then carve Confucian classics."

Wu Zetian was incredibly intelligent; she could discern the meaning behind the music and immediately understood that he was referring to the "Great Cloud Sutra".

The Great Cloud Sutra is not very long; with the commentaries by eminent monks, it only takes about ten pages.

In other words, by carving just a dozen or so blocks, this Buddhist scripture could be quickly spread to various prefectures, counties, and temples.

In fact, many of them are collected by private individuals...

"Chu Yu is right! For the sake of future generations, although woodblock printing is time-consuming, it is worthwhile for craftsmen to study it!"

Her eyes sparkled, and she instantly looked twenty years younger, thinking, "Chu Yu always manages to surprise me unexpectedly when discussing matters of state!"

Compared to those bumpkins who only offer stones and turtles, this is so much more considerate.

Moreover, he is young and handsome, erudite, witty, a gifted poet, unparalleled in tea ceremony, and full of ingenuity...

Someone actually got jealous of him and wanted to send him to Lingnan... Hmph, I will not let you succeed!

Wu Zetian lowered her eyes and went through Lu Jun's three methods, finally gaining a thorough understanding of this part of the "National Policy Chapter".

She already had a plan for dealing with powerful families.

Two paths—

First, they selected officials on a large scale to dilute the influence of powerful clans.

Secondly, they used cruel officials to eliminate stubborn powerful clans.

But as Lu Jun said, the first path would only lead to more powerful clans and a worse situation, and it was not a good method.

The second path is a double-edged sword. Relying on cruel officials will ruin one's reputation. It is only suitable for doing dirty work in specific periods and cannot deal with many powerful clans.

Although Lu Jun's method was time-consuming, it was clear and step-by-step, and was a good approach with long-term planning.

In reality, there is no quick-fix strategy. Once the powerful clans are collectively and fiercely targeted, they will inevitably unite, and then the situation will be difficult to manage.

Wu Zetian raised her head, pulling her thoughts back from the future to reality; she needed to solve the problem of searching for escaped residents.

"Chu Yu, you have a great vision for governing powerful clans. I believe you will have a solution when you arrive in Yongzhou."

"But I still want to ask first, Yongzhou is full of powerful clans and nobles, what are your plans?"

"I am not exaggerating; searching for escaped households in Yongzhou is absolutely one of the most difficult tasks in the world!"

What she was considering was that Lu Jun had already proven himself to be an unparalleled strategist, but whether he could actually get things done still depended on his actual skills.

Having a long-term vision does not equate to being able to put it into practice.

Li Lingyue sensed her mother's worry and blinked, "Mother, I was just thinking of going back to Chang'an. I'll go with Chu Yu and help him out, what do you say?"

Wu Zetian turned around and glared at her fiercely: "What's wrong with you? Aren't you getting married soon?"

"There are still more than two months left..." Li Lingyue pouted, "I'll be right back!"

"You are not allowed to go!" Wu Zetian's tone was extremely stern.

Li Lingyue gave an "oh," but her bright eyes darted around, and the corners of her mouth subtly turned up.

Lu Jun waited until the mother and daughter finished arguing before finding an opening to speak:

"Your Majesty, the fleeing households can be roughly divided into several categories..."

"The first type is those who, although they did not run away, tried every means to forge the identity of an official and used sex labor to evade the rent, labor service and tax."

"The second type is to flee to the homes of powerful families, become their tenants, and thus disappear from the imperial register."

"The third type is those who obtain ordination certificates for monks or nuns through connections, but do not actually become monks or nuns."

"The fourth type is those who migrate to other places and become customers. According to the law, customers are exempt from paying rent, labor service and taxes, and thus they evade these duties."

"I need to first go to the Land Administration Office and the Ministry of Revenue to check the household registration and military service records, and then go to Yongzhou to investigate the situation."

We'll decide on a plan later.

At this time, there were all sorts of ways to evade registration, which were listed in the Tongdian, so he was aware of them.

Although the mission objective is Yongzhou, there's no need to go directly there; Wenchangtai is the first stop.

Hearing Lu Jun's clear and well-organized account of the fleeing households, Wu Zetian smiled and nodded: "Based on these few words alone, I know you won't let me down!"

With a flick of her long sleeves, she immediately made a decision:

"Chu Yu, I hereby appoint you as the Supervising Censor of Guannei Circuit, with the exclusive duty of searching for runaway households in Yongzhou!"

"You will inevitably encounter resistance, and may even face danger. I will provide you with an army for protection..."

"I just need to train military talent, so I appoint Xue Rengui's eldest son, Xue Ne, as the General of the Imperial Guard, leading 500 soldiers to protect you."

"I hereby issue you an imperial edict, granting you the authority to command Xue Ne. If anyone attempts to obstruct the search, you may exercise your discretionary power!"

"The imperial edict will be issued tomorrow!"