Under Candidate Hou's management, the movable-type printing workshop soon opened. To cut papermaking costs, Jian Ruonan casually supplied an even more economical papermaking method.
Craftsmen, premises, and all the miscellaneous paperwork were handled entirely by Candidate Hou. Jian Ruonan merely had to move her lips, providing detailed technical guidance and gossip support.
Although Candidate Hou managed everything single-handedly, Jian Ruonan held the majority share.
Now that the movable-type printing workshop was open, printing nothing but gossip seemed wasteful. After discussing it with Candidate Hou, Jian Ruonan decided to coax their colleagues at the Hanlin Academy into bringing out their unique copies, fine editions, and other books for printing, to establish the printing house's reputation.
Many aristocratic families in ancient times had their own libraries. Their rarest books were passed down as family heirlooms and seldom lent out.
Scarcity made things precious. The fewer copies a book had, the greater its value.
Once there were too many copies, a book lost its significance as a treasured collectible. This was also one reason many unique copies were eventually lost forever.
Unique copies and fine editions held enormous weight in scholars' hearts. Some even joked, "You can lend out your wife, but not your books."
When Jian Ruonan proposed borrowing unique copies from the Hanlin officials, Candidate Hou looked troubled. "That might be rather difficult."
Jian Ruonan suggested, "We'll work in tandem. I'll use lofty principles to morally blackmail them, and you'll tempt them with profits."
Candidate Hou's eyes shifted. "That works. Though perhaps I won't even need to step in. Scholar-in-Waiting Jian might manage it alone."
The next day, when Jian Ruonan reported for roll call at five in the morning, she stayed awake for once. Once roll call ended, she volunteered, "Ruonan Printing House officially begins operations today."
"You can bring