Chapter 338: Chapter 214: Liking the Mo Family has Great Prospects_2
Zheng Rang can cook. At home, he and his family had three meals a day, most of which were prepared by him. The delicacies he brought were also made by him personally, so he is very familiar with the methods.
He knows that Zhao Yao has the habit of collecting recipes from various places, so he thoughtfully wrote down the methods in advance.
Zhao Yao, seeing Zheng Rang’s attention to detail, felt even better about him. He enthusiastically introduced to Zheng Rang the delicious recipes he brought today.
Zheng Rang has a hobby of cooking, and the few dishes Zhao Yao brought, he hadn’t eaten before. After having some just now, he found them delicious and thought about trying to make them himself in the future. Unexpectedly, Zhao Yao directly told him the recipes, which he carefully noted down.
Although Zhao Yao doesn’t cook, he is very clear about the recipes because he has made it a point to understand them.
Zheng Cheng, seeing his elder brother listening intently, thought to himself with a laugh that his brother had found a kindred spirit.
The dishes were already delicious, but with Zhao Yao’s description, they instantly seemed even tastier, making Zheng Rang and Zheng Cheng feel like they were eating the finest delicacies.
Zhao Yao ate with great appetite, and influenced by him, Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu ate half a bowl more of rice each.
The table full of dishes was finished completely by Zhao Yao and Prime Minister He, without even leaving any soup. As long as Zhao Yao was there, no leftovers were possible.
Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu, having experienced famine during the previous dynasty, cherished food particularly. Every meal, they would clean their plates. If they couldn’t finish, they would save it for the next meal and never throw it away.
Grandmaster Liu took a bottle of medicine from the drawer of his desk and poured out two pills for Zhao Yao.
"Your Highness, take this digestive medicine quickly, otherwise you’ll feel bloated."
Actually, Zhao Yao didn’t feel bloated, but seeing Grandmaster Liu and Prime Minister He worried about him, he didn’t want to refuse their kindness. So, he took the two pills from Grandmaster Liu’s hand and put them in his mouth.
Prime Minister He hurriedly handed Zhao Yao a cup of tea.
Zhao Yao took the teacup and sipped a few times with his head down.
"Your Highness, may I ask you a question?" During the meal earlier, Zhao Yao kept talking about food, and Zheng Cheng was too embarrassed to interrupt.
Zhao Yao smiled and said, "Go ahead and ask."
"How did you come up with the idea of making stirrups?" Zheng Cheng asked, "How did you think of using two iron rings to make stirrups?"
"Huh?" Zhao Yao thought it would be some other question, not stirrups. The stirrups had been made a long time ago. "I just thought of it like that."
Seeing Zheng Cheng curious, Zhao Yao recounted to him the day he came up with the idea of stirrups.
"The iron rings can be securely fastened, making them perfect for stirrups."
"Oh, that’s how it is." Zheng Cheng made a deep bow to Zhao Yao, "Your Highness, you are brilliant."
Zhao Yao waved his hand and said, "It’s just a stirrup, no need to make a big fuss."
"Your Highness, you asked Xiao Fengzi to carve words with clay and then fire them; what do you plan to do with that?" Zheng Cheng thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out what the Tenth Prince was doing by making some fired words.
Zhao Yao took out the few characters Xiao Fengzi had handed him earlier from his bosom and said with a smile, "Don’t underestimate these words; they will be very useful."
Zheng Cheng curiously asked, "What use?"
"I won’t tell you for now," Zhao Yao said with a mysterious look, "When it’s all done, you’ll know what they’re for."
Prime Minister He stroked his beard and said, "It seems Your Highness is going to make something useful again."
Zhao Yao nodded vigorously, "Yes, very useful. When I make it, you’ll be amazed and even thank me."
Listening to Zhao Yao’s grand claims, Prime Minister He and Grandmaster Liu couldn’t help but become a bit curious.
"Even more useful than the stirrup?"
"Yes, even more useful than the stirrup. Just wait and see." Zhao Yao was eager to get back to his experiments, so he didn’t chat long with Prime Minister He and the others. After speaking, he left with Tong Xi.
Zheng Cheng was left itching with curiosity, wanting to follow and see what’s happening.
In the afternoon, Zhao Yao hurried back to Kunde Hall to practice riding and archery.
"Mother, is the ink I asked you to prepare ready?"
"It’s ready, and I’ve also prepared paper for you."
"Great." Zhao Yao took out the words he had just made, brushed them with ink, and pressed them onto the paper. On the blank paper, the characters immediately appeared.
Liang Zhaoyi and Tong Xi stood aside, watching Zhao Yao’s actions in surprise, "Yao Yao, are you making stamps?"
"Mother, I’m printing words." Zhao Yao held up the newly printed paper, "Mother, do you think the print is good?" Since the characters were carved in reverse, the print appeared correctly on the paper.
"The prints are very clear," Liang Zhaoyi said with a puzzled expression, "Isn’t this the same as a seal?"
"It’s different. What I’m trying to make is called movable type printing." Zhao Yao explained, "With movable type, in the future all books can be printed without needing to be copied by hand."
"Movable type printing?!" Liang Zhaoyi and Tong Xi were both shocked.
Next, Zhao Yao took out the drawings he had made earlier and explained in detail to Liang Zhaoyi and Tong Xi what movable type printing was and how to use it.
After listening, Liang Zhaoyi and Tong Xi were dumbfounded.
"Xiao Fengzi just temporarily made out the characters I wanted. Next, we’ll also need iron plates." Zhao Yao said, stroking his chin, "First, we’ll make all the commonly used characters, then make the rare ones, making it easier to print books."
Liang Zhaoyi, visibly excited, said, "Yao Yao, this movable type printing is amazing!"
Tong Xi stood by, nodding quickly, "Your Highness, you’re really incredible! How did you come up with this? It’s amazing."
"Hehe, with this, more books can be printed in the future, making them cheaper, so more people can afford to buy books." Zhao Yao said, hands on hips, smiling with great pride, "And publishing books will become very convenient."
Liang Zhaoyi knew this movable type printing must be something from the world Zhao Yao saw in his dreams, "Yao Yao, have the Office of Policy Administration make all the commonly used characters as soon as possible."
"Tong Xi, go to the Office of Policy Administration now and tell Xiao Fengzi to burn the movable type according to this standard," Zhao Yao instructed, "And make sure he completes everything behind it." When it comes to actually printing books, it’s not like applying ink to movable type one character at a time as he did just now.
"Yes, Your Highness." Tong Xi bowed to Liang Zhaoyi and Zhao Yao, then hurried off to the Office of Policy Administration to find Xiao Fengzi.
"Actually, the movable type printing I’m working on now is still rather rudimentary and has many shortcomings; it needs improvement." Zhao Yao said thoughtfully, "I’ll improve it in the future; for now, I’ll get the simplest movable type printing done first."
Liang Zhaoyi reached out and gently touched Zhao Yao’s small head, "Don’t rush, take your time."
Zhao Yao asked, "Mother, should I tell the stinky Father Emperor about the movable type printing I developed?" Actually, in his heart, he wanted to tell the Father Emperor so that they could print many books quickly.
"Of course, there’s no need to hide it," Liang Zhaoyi comfortingly smiled at Zhao Yao, "You made the stirrups before; this time producing movable type printing is not unexpected."
Yao Yao, your Father Emperor will protect you.