Black Myth: Starting from the Destined One
Chapter 372 - 256: Delivering a Book! _2

Chapter 372: Chapter 256: Delivering a Book! _2

"Your Majesty..."

Madame Zheng’s voice emerged, as a pair of hands climbed onto the back of Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji.

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji, impatiently turning around, said, "I am truly tired today, you..."

The sentence halted abruptly.

In front of him, Madame Zheng was half-concealed, donning a snow-white beast ear cap that gave her an appearance of a demon or beast.

And that slightly swaying tail behind her instantly made Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji’s blood surge.

"Empress, what is this?"

Madame Zheng, with eyes seductive as silk, said, "Your Majesty, the night is long; why not go hunting?"

"Roar!"

At these words, Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji could no longer hold back, and with a tiger’s roar, he pounced.

Madame Zheng was both shocked and delighted; the money was well spent!

She then remembered the scenes recorded in the album and used all her skills to respond.

What followed was a storm the likes of which had never been seen before.

Even Yang Jian, standing guard outside, was so frightened that he continually shouted for his Majesty to take care of his dragon body.

...

After the fervent battle,

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji lay on the bed feeling refreshed, caressing the fluffy fox tail.

This was an unprecedented satisfaction!

He had enjoyed the pleasure of future generations in advance.

"Empress, I have neglected you these days."

Hearing these tender words from Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji, Madame Zheng would have cried if it were before.

But today it was not just about the favor.

After tidying up the mess, she put on a heavy garment and then said seriously,

"Your Majesty!"

"I have something to report."

This amused Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji who said with a smile, "Empress, there’s no need to be so formal, just speak freely."

"Whatever you ask, I shall grant."

Madame Zheng took out the story-laden album:

"Please look at this, Your Majesty."

"What is this?"

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji took it and browsed through it, finding it full of bedroom techniques, and he read on with great interest.

In the Northern Song, such matters were not taboo.

In an era where not visiting prostitutes was considered moral integrity for scholars and officials,

before the exclusive promotion of Confucianism, the Great Han followed The Tao of Old Huang.

The ancients also had their decadent pastimes.

A novel with plot and illustrations had its charm; Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji found his heart ablaze while reading it.

"Allow me a short rest; I shall come later. I do want to try this move."

"What are you talking about, Your Majesty!"

Madame Zheng uttered lightly, pointing at the album, "What I wanted you to see is the material of this album."

Hmm?

It was then Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji realized the important point, gently pinched the paper, and his pupils contracted, nearly falling off the bed.

"Is this!"

"What can be written on?!"

No wonder he was excited, the paper of the album was light and thin, of excellent quality, compared to the cumbersome and heavy paper technology of the time.

In front of him, this light and airy album was like a game-changer!

Madame Zheng nodded lightly: "Indeed, I roughly counted, and there are more than twenty thousand characters in this album, not including the illustrations."

"And yet it weighs only eight taels!"

Eight taels, that is half a jin!

Twenty thousand words!

This made Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji even more astonished.

The biggest issue in promoting the Dao and enlightening the world was transcription and transportation.

To transcribe a large volume of documents was extremely time-consuming and laborious, not to mention the poor quality of the current paper that vexed many.

And the expense was no small amount!

If we had the material of this album, then copying the Four Books and Five Classics would become extremely simple.

Transportation would be easy as well, with just one person on horseback able to deliver it to cities thousands of miles away.

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji thought even further ahead.

Compared to oral transmission, with the album, the spread of culture would be much more effortless and convenient.

For the Song Dynasty realm, it was a transformative change across the ages!

Thus, a once frivolous erotic album became the holy scripture of the Song Dynasty!

"Quick, go grind the ink!"

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji rushed to the writing desk, and Madame Zheng hurried to pour water and grind the ink.

Before the ink was even fully ground, Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji, unable to wait, dipped his brush fully and wrote a large "Song" character on the cover!

The ink quickly seeped into the paper.

It required no drying, no worry of the ink smudging!

"A treasure!"

"This is a treasure sent from heaven for the Great Song!"

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji’s voice had changed somewhat.

"Empress, what is this thing called? How much did it cost?"

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji asked in a weighty voice, changing his address from Lord Husband to Empress.

"This consort does not know."

"You do not know?"

"How could you not know?"

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji frowned and said, "Whatever you wish for, I am willing to comply, but this is no time for jest."

"Your Majesty, this consort truly does not know."

"This item was acquired by this consort today at..."

The matter being of great significance, Madame Zheng did not withhold, and spoke of the origins of the book.

Of course,

she selectively omitted her own motives.

Who would have expected that Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji, after listening, not only remained motionless but frowned and sat down:

"The Red Mansion again?!"

"Your Majesty is aware of this place?" Madame Zheng said in surprise.

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji glanced at her and said, "Li Shishi has mentioned it to me before, praising the Red Mansion as a paradise in the human realm, a place of leisure for many court officials."

"These past few days, I have been pondering how to deal with it."

The word ’deal’ was emphatically pronounced.

No ruler in history has ever wanted to see his officials form cliques for personal gain.

This action by the court officials was undoubtedly a taboo.

Having been married for many years, Madame Zheng obviously understood Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji’s concerns.

"Your Majesty need not worry too much, those officials have their assigned seats and have not overstepped their bounds."

"In this consort’s view, the owner of the Red Mansion is rather a greedy merchant."

At this point,

Madame Zheng’s face turned red; after all, she had spent a hefty sum on these clothes and furnishings.

It was indeed embarrassing.

"To me, that may not necessarily be the case."

Zhao Ji shook his head.

He did not believe that Li Ping’an was just a simple merchant.

Mingling with the court officials, he had even extended his reach to his own harem.

Moreover, both Li Shishi and Madame Zheng had visited the elegant dwelling, purchasing these garments which had become irresistibly enchanting.

It was frustrating to consider the possibility that his own wife might have been tampered with.

Although the clothes and the picture book they sold were indeed treasures.

"Why not issue a decree to summon this shopkeeper to the palace?"

"There’s no need."

A glint flashed in Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji’s eyes: "I shall personally investigate the Red Mansion!"

"I shall purchase the rights to produce this book, ensuring his well-being for the latter part of his life."

"However, what concerns me is that he may have other intentions."

His voice was decisive, indicating a chilling ruthlessness.

At present, the Great Song had just managed to stabilize, and it was a critical period to govern the Western Xia.

He would not allow any turmoil within the nation!

A merchant was not worrying.

But a merchant making connections with court officials, even having Madame Zheng speak on his behalf.

That was somewhat dangerous!

Regardless, he must acquire the technique to create this picture book!

Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji kept flipping through "The Memoir of Ah Bin," feeling a surge of heat within as dawn was still far off.

"Forget it, let’s not discuss this now."

"From now on, you shall act as my landlady..."

...

The next morning, early.

In the Taiji Palace’s Zichen Hall,

the court officials sat below, utterly bewildered.

The dragon throne at the head was empty.

Prime Minister Cai Jing turned his head to inquire, "Minister Tong, why has His Majesty not arrived yet?"

"How would I know where to go find out?"

Minister Tong replied irritably, "We had agreed that today there would be an important court discussion, yet the main party is nowhere to be seen."

"I heard that today the Red Mansion is premiering a new song, and I’m waiting to leave court to see it."

"Who isn’t?"

Liang Shicheng joined the conversation, saying, "According to the ancient system, the Emperor may be one two-hour period late to the court discussion. Just wait."

...

At this moment, Imperial Majesty Zhao Ji had already dressed in plain clothing, and, accompanied by Madame Zheng and his personal guards, had left the palace gates.

He had deliberately issued a night decree for a court discussion precisely to avoid being recognized by the officials when visiting the Red Mansion.

Upon seeing the Red Mansion, Zhao Ji could not help but be dazzled.

"What a cunning merchant!"

"To think he has made his shop more beautiful than my Imperial Palace!"

In his mind, a shop should be the kind of small storefront on the street side, selling all sorts of goods.