Chapter 16: The Genius Inventor

What surprised everyone even more was that it was said this delectable food had been made by the Crown Prince himself! With this, Chen Mu’s image among the people of the capital suddenly became much more approachable.

Meanwhile, in the Crown Prince’s residence, Liu Susu was equally astonished by Chen Mu’s actions.
“I never knew you could do these things,” she said.
Chen Mu chuckled.
“It was just a whim. I happened to make them, that’s all.”

In the days that followed, Chen Mu fully exercised the advantages of his modern upbringing. Since there were no pressing matters in the court lately, he spent his time making small inventions around his residence. What seemed trivial to him was nothing short of miraculous to others.

Each time Chen Mu crafted something new, those around him were left utterly astounded.

“Your Highness, what is this?”
“It’s called a coat hanger,” Chen Mu replied, holding up a simple hanger fashioned from wood and twine.
“From now on, I’ll hang my clothes on these, so they won’t be wrinkled every time I take them out.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”

A few days later, Chen Mu devised another novelty. He found bamboo tubes of suitable size and carved threads into their tops with a knife.

“Your Highness, what are you doing?” someone asked.

Chen Mu smiled slightly, took a round lid, and screwed it onto the bamboo tube. It fit perfectly.

“If you use this to carry water, it won’t leak even if turned upside down. Now, when traveling, you can carry water without spilling it.”

Before anyone could react, Chen Mu had already produced another item.

“Your Highness, what is this now…?”

“A folding stool. Take it with me when I travel, so I can sit anywhere I please.”

In just a few days, Chen Mu had repeatedly shattered the worldview of those around him. Yet, for him, this was merely a warm-up.

Just wait and see. There are many more ways I, Chen Mu, will astonish you!

With these inventions made by his own hands, Chen Mu could clearly feel a vast improvement in his quality of life. If nothing else, at least the convenience was incomparable to the past.

On the other side, however, Chen Xing Tian’s efforts to implement new policies met with obstacles. The reforms were extensive, and each copy took a long time to transcribe.

Even though the paper Chen Mu had invented greatly improved the efficiency of writing, it was still far too slow. So far, only the areas surrounding the capital had received the full text of the new policies. Other regions knew only the general outline, and could only carry out vague implementations.

In some remote areas, entrenched interests, emboldened by the emperor’s distance and the lack of written law, were already showing signs of unrest.

Chen Xing Tian was anxious, but with so many regions across the land, he knew that urgency alone would not solve the problem. With no other choice, he issued an order to summon talented individuals from across the realm.

Anyone who could transcribe quickly would be paid handsomely for copying the new policies in the palace.

During the morning court, Chen Mu silently looked at this decree, inwardly rolling his eyes.

What a waste of money! All that wealth, and it had to be spent rewarding those who could write.

Thinking of this, Chen Mu immediately stepped out from the ranks of ministers.

All eyes instantly turned to him.

Chen Xing Tian’s gaze brightened, wondering what surprise Chen Mu would bring this time.

“How many copies of the new policies are still needed?” Chen Mu asked calmly.

“To distribute to every county and township, we still need exactly one thousand copies,” Chen Xing Tian replied.

A thousand copies—not a small number. Since most ministers were busy with official duties, there were only a few dozen available scribes. The policies were lengthy, and producing a thousand copies was truly a daunting task.

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. By tomorrow evening, one thousand copies of the new policies will be delivered to you.”

At these words, the surrounding ministers looked on with disbelief.

Although the Crown Prince had recently displayed many unexpected talents, and his inventions had dazzled all, this promise sounded arrogant indeed.

“Your Highness, do you realize what one thousand copies means?” came the mocking voice.

Sure enough, it was Minister Zhang, the same man who had once threatened to spill blood in the Golden Hall. Since being threatened by Chen Mu to crash into a pillar, Zhang had become a staunch opponent of the Crown Prince. Now, he was the first to leap forward and ridicule Chen Mu.

“No need for your concern, Minister Zhang. I have my own solution,” Chen Mu replied coldly, glaring at him.

Minister Zhang, still traumatized by their previous encounter, fell silent at Chen Mu’s stern look, though his eyes remained full of challenge.

“Excellent! My son has ambition!” Chen Xing Tian now placed absolute trust in Chen Mu. Even if this sounded like a fairy tale, he showed not the slightest doubt.

“How many people do you need? I’ll arrange them for you immediately.”

“Not many,” Chen Mu declared loudly. “Just ten carpenters.”

This time, the voices of doubt in the court grew louder.

“Carpenters?”

“Those rough men can’t even read, how can they copy the new policies?”

Chen Mu ignored all such doubts.

Though Chen Xing Tian was puzzled, he approved without hesitation. His son always managed to deliver pleasant surprises. He wondered what solution Chen Mu had in mind this time.

Chen Mu led the ten carpenters—personally selected by Chen Xing Tian—back to his residence, giving each several wooden boards.

He then produced a fully written copy of the new policies.

“Your Highness, what do you want us to do?” one carpenter asked curiously.

“Yes, Your Highness, we can’t read at all,” another chimed in.

Chen Mu smiled.

“No need for you to read.”

He placed the copy on the table.

“On these boards, carve out the shapes of the characters, but carve them in reverse. Understand?”

These carpenters were skilled craftsmen; although they had never carved reversed characters before, copying shapes was hardly difficult.

Without hesitation, they set to work, carefully carving the forms of the characters as instructed.

Though the policies were lengthy, as the carpenters gained experience, their speed increased.

“Your Highness, why carve the new policies onto these boards? And why in reverse?” a carpenter asked as he worked.

“Yes, wouldn’t your new paper be more convenient than these wooden boards?”

Chen Mu only smiled faintly in response.

The printing technique of our ancient civilization—today, I, Chen Mu, will bring it to this Great Xia!

With these carved blocks, not only a thousand copies, but even ten thousand would be no trouble at all!