Xianyang City was a bustling hub, but its routine was suddenly disrupted by an extraordinary sight. A dozen guards at the city gates, including the leader, a man with a full beard named Hu Jie, watched in disbelief as hundreds of people dressed in foreign attire approached. Immediately suspicious, Hu Jie bellowed, "Who are you and what are you doing in our Xianyang City? Enemy spy?" The foreigners looked at one another in confusion, not understanding the language.
A foreign merchant named Sanjay, who frequently traveled between his home in Sindhu and the Middle-earth, stepped forward. "We are not spies from an enemy country, nor are we from the Middle-earth. We are from the Outland of Sindhu," he declared. "We came to your country to seek the World Honored One, the great and supreme Enlightened One, the Buddha!" The guards and the residents of Xianyang were utterly bewildered. "Sindhu? What kind of place is that?" they whispered. "World Honored One? Buddha? What is this?"
Sanjay smiled patiently and explained. "Bhagavan," he began, "is Sanskrit for the most noble saint in the world and beyond." The Qin people understood this concept of a supreme saint, but the concept of a "Buddha" was alien to them. Sanjay continued, "In our world, the Buddha is the supreme enlightened being, possessing immeasurable power." He went on to describe some of these powers: the ability to read minds, to know past and future lives, divine vision, and divine hearing. He hinted that these were just minor abilities, and the Buddha's true power was ineffable.
The people of Xianyang were captivated. "So, there's a god called Buddha from another world?" they wondered. Hu Jie, still skeptical, asked, "You came all the way to Xianyang just to look for the Buddha? Your Buddha is in our Xianyang?" Sanjay nodded, his eyes filled with conviction. "Yes, we suspect that the Buddha is in Xianyang, your Qin State. We came here to find the Buddha!" The guards and residents were left in a state of shock, awe, and confusion. "Who could it be?" they asked themselves. "Who could be worthy of such a title?"
The Birth of Paper
At the same time, in some shops under the jurisdiction of Lu Buwei, something monumental was about to be unveiled. Xunzi, Li Si, and spies from various countries had been keeping a close eye on Ying Zichu's actions, and they naturally noticed this new development. Li Si, still confident that Ying Zichu was a fool, smiled and said, "Teacher, let's go in and take a look. Let's see what good things the Qin royal family can come up with this time!" He was certain it would be a failure.
Inside, a clerk greeted them with a smile. They asked to see the new inventions: paper, printing technology, and improved brushes. The clerk, with a flourish, took out a stack of snow-white paper, a new brush, and a printed book. The onlookers, a mix of scholars and curious civilians, watched with rapt attention.
The clerk demonstrated the new brush, dipping it in ink and writing on the snow-white paper. As the black ink touched the surface and the first word was written, Li Si's pupils shrank. The other students and even Xunzi's face paled. The clerk then opened the printed book, revealing densely packed Great Seal characters. "This is something called a book," he explained, "printed using printing technology and paper."
Xunzi could no longer contain his shock. He picked up the book and began to read it, his face filled with awe. The text that would have required an entire basket of heavy bamboo slips was now contained in this small, lightweight book. He realized the immense implications. The invention of paper and printing would completely revolutionize the Hundred Schools of Thought. Bamboo slips, the very foundation of their knowledge transfer, would become obsolete. The impact would be monumental, changing the very fabric of society.
Li Si and the others were in a state of utter disbelief. They had expected to see something ordinary, something a little better than a waterwheel, but what they saw was a godsend. It was the greatest invention they had ever seen. Li Si could imagine that countless achievements and the entire history of civilization would be recorded on this new material. It was something that would influence not just the present but all future generations. It was a foundation for eternity, something that they could never have imagined the Qin royal family would produce. They were all left in a state of shocked and dazed wonder.