An official sneers at Cai Lun's cheap scraps of material—until Cai Lun unrolls a thin, weightless sheet before the entire court and leaves everyone speechless.
Scene 1: Mockery in the Workshop
东汉年间，宫里的堆满了、破布和旧渔网。
During the Eastern Han dynasty, the palace workshop was piled high with tree bark, rags, and worn-out fishing nets.
The Official
蔡伦，你天天泡在这些破烂里，到底想弄出个什么名堂？
Cai Lun, day after day you're up to your elbows in this junk—what on earth are you trying to make of it?
Cai Lun
大人别急，这些便宜的材料，将来也许能又重又贵的。
Be patient, my lord. These cheap materials may one day replace the bamboo slips that are so heavy and so costly.
The Official
？我看你是把脑子泡坏了。
Replace bamboo slips? If you ask me, you've soaked your own brains soft.
Scene 2: Day and Night in the Workshop
蔡伦把材料切碎、煮烂，再捞起薄薄的一层，铺在帘子上晾干。
Cai Lun chopped the materials into shreds and boiled them to a pulp, then skimmed off a paper-thin layer and spread it over a bamboo screen to dry.
Cai Lun
太厚了，一写就破；太薄又散开，得慢慢试。
Too thick and it tears the moment you write; too thin and it falls apart—I'll have to test the proportions little by little.
一次次失败，他的手被烫起了泡，可帘子上的那层东西越来越。
Failure after failure left his hands blistered from the scalding water, yet the layer on the screen grew smoother and more even every time.
Cai Lun
成了……这一回，总算成了。
It worked... this time, it finally worked.
Scene 3: Before the Whole Court
几个月后，蔡伦双手捧着一卷东西，走进了大殿。
Months later, Cai Lun walked into the great hall, cradling a rolled-up object in both hands.
The Emperor
你献上的是何物？看着比绸缎还轻。
What is this you present to us? It looks even lighter than silk.
Cai Lun
回陛下，此物叫做纸，又轻又便宜，写字十分顺手。
Your Majesty, this is called paper—light and cheap, and a true pleasure to write on.
他提笔一挥，清清楚楚地留在了纸上，满殿的人都安静了下来。
He lifted his brush and made a single stroke; the ink stood out crisp and clear on the paper, and a hush fell over the entire hall.
Scene 4: The Bow of Apology
The Emperor
好！从今往后，朝廷的文书就用此纸，称它‘蔡侯纸’。
Excellent! From this day on, the court's documents shall be written on this paper, and it shall be called 'Marquis Cai's Paper.'
那位曾经讥笑他的官员，红着脸挤到了人群前面。
The official who had once mocked him pushed his way to the front of the crowd, his face flushed red.
The Official
蔡大人，先前是我，您别往心里去。
Master Cai, earlier I failed to recognize true greatness right before my eyes. Please don't hold it against me.
Cai Lun
大人言重了，往后天下读书人都用得上它，这才是我盼的。
You're too hard on yourself, my lord. One day scholars across the land will be able to use it—that is all I ever hoped for.