When Yun Ye once again entered dreamland, the street-clearing drums of Chang’an City had already finished beating. Each ward and market tightly closed its gates. As the myriad household lights successively extinguished, Chang’an City, having bustled for an entire day, finally fell into silence.
The Taiji Palace still had lights burning. Eunuchs and palace maids stood silently under the long corridor, listening to the anxious footsteps within the great hall, exchanging perplexed glances with one another. The usually wise and composed His Majesty had today grown rarely agitated. The pacing footsteps, one burst more urgent than the last, seemed to convey that the mood of this master of the realm was extremely vexed.
His Majesty was displeased. The eunuchs and palace maids stood even more solemnly, their breathing much softer than before. A trail of lights wound their way from the inner palace. The yellow-robed eunuch before the palace gate showed a smile on his face. The stale air pent up in his chest instantly dissipated without a trace. He stepped forward two paces and bowed low: “Respectfully welcoming the Empress.”
A palace-dressed beauty in the lamplight gently waved her sleeves. The eunuch rose and stood to the side. “Has His Majesty not yet retired?”
“Replying to Your Majesty, His Majesty has been in the hall continuously since receiving Duke Luguo’s urgent report and has not yet retired.”
After dismissing everyone, the palace-dressed beauty entered the great hall alone. Seeing the Emperor still pacing, just as she was about to speak, she heard the Emperor say: “Guanyin Maid, do you think there truly exists grain in this world that yields fifteen dan per mu? If it truly exists, what manner of thing would it be?”
The Empress covered her mouth and laughed softly: “Is Erlang still worried about the locust disaster in Lingzhou? This humble one has already simplified the inner palace’s expenditures. I expect there should be a surplus of two thousand strings of cash. Although it’s like a cup of water trying to save a burning cart of firewood, it still counts as doing one’s part.”
The Emperor looked at the Empress and said with a smile: “Do you think I’m dreaming? Cheng Zhijie sent an urgent three-hundred-li memorial, speaking with certainty. Niu Jinda’s secret memorial from the Hundred Cavalry Division declares this matter is indeed true. Five original seed plants are being personally tended by him. In just over a month, they can be harvested. This treasure is called potato. I truly don’t understand—such a treasure actually has such an odd name. I have never heard of it. Guanyin Maid has read extensively—have you heard of this thing?” Having said this, he handed the memorial in his hand to the Empress.
The bewildered Empress took the memorial and read it carefully. In a moment she had finished reading. Placing the memorial on the table, she murmured: “There truly exists such grain? Fifteen dan? It can be planted in barren lands? Erlang, this humble one feels somewhat dizzy.”
Emperor Li’er helped the Empress sit down, tapping the table as he spoke word by word: “Although Cheng Zhijie is coarse, he has always been utterly loyal, and his words always have substance. He wouldn’t talk nonsense. Niu Jinda is meticulous and careful. Moreover, in those years he made a grand vow and great ambition, willing to have his brains dashed out for the sake of no one in the realm starving to death. Such a loyal and upright man wouldn’t speak such shocking words without eighty percent certainty. Let me wait for just over a month, and the truth of all matters will become clear. I await with keen anticipation. The Baron of Ping’an County said he wants to sell this thing to me. If it can truly yield fifteen dan per mu—no, even if it yields just eight dan per mu—even if I must ransack the inner palace, I will satisfy him. If it turns out to be empty joy, I absolutely will not let him off lightly.”
“Your Majesty, who is the Baron of Ping’an County? This matter is related to him?” The Empress was hearing this name for the first time.
“This young man’s surname is Yun, given name Ye. He’s fifteen years old, a disciple of a reclusive master. In Longxi, he was appointed to office through his miraculous salt-making technique. He currently serves as Campaign Counselor Secretary of the Lanzhou Zhechong Prefecture, seventh rank lower grade. Observing how he relieved Longxi’s salt shortage suffering, I specially granted him the title of Baron of Ping’an County.”
“So the method of extracting edible salt from brine salt was presented by him. Some days ago, my elder brother sent a family letter mentioning this matter, saying that Cheng Zhijie traded five hundred pounds of salt for his fifty fine horses—truly utterly unconscionable and outrageous. He’s determined to definitely return them when he has the chance. This was the first time my elder brother suffered extortion, and he was quite indignant.” Having said this, she giggled continuously.
“Huang Zhi’en is Liu Huai’s prized disciple. In the way of mathematics, few can compare with him, yet he was won over by this young man in just a few words. Two diagrams actually had Huang Zhi’en calculating by lamplight all night. Thereafter, whenever he mentions this young man, he invariably calls him teacher. This shows that Yun Ye, this young man, has true talent. His teacher must surely be a great sage of his generation. I look forward to him giving me another tremendous surprise.”
“Such a talented person presumably wouldn’t speak irresponsibly. Hearing Your Majesty speak of these things, this humble one also somewhat believes there truly exists in this world grain that can yield fifteen dan per mu. However, the night is already late. Your Majesty should also retire. Tomorrow there is still morning court. Resting early is the proper course.”
The husband and wife were just supporting each other and preparing to retire when a long urgent report cry awakened the entire palace. In an instant, the imperial palace was flooded with light. The palace gates that had already been locked flew open. A yellow-robed eunuch held a bundle with three red-dyed chicken feathers inserted in it. This was the famous hongyu urgent report—eight-hundred-li express. When encountering checkpoints, gates would open. Even in the deep of night, it must be immediately presented to the Emperor.
Behind the yellow-robed eunuch was a disheveled rider being supported by Imperial Guard soldiers, hurrying toward the Taiji Palace. Emperor Li’er was already seated on the imperial throne. Hearing it was an urgent report from the Left Militant Guard, his mood was quite anxious. The Left Militant Guard had no battle affairs, so presumably it was unrelated to military intelligence. Then it must certainly be about that high-yield seed matter. Emperor Li’er couldn’t help but clench his fists, urgently awaiting the arrival of the urgent report.
The young yellow-robed eunuchs presented the bundle to the senior eunuch before the hall. The senior eunuch unwrapped the bundle and opened the wooden box. A strange dagger lay within the wooden box. Under the candlelight’s illumination, it flashed with cold light—one could tell at a glance it was a lethal killing weapon.
Just as he was hesitating whether to present it to the Emperor, he saw the Emperor had already descended from the imperial throne. In two or three steps, he arrived before the hall. Seeing the odd-shaped dagger in the wooden box, he snatched it up at once. Gripping it in his hand, he felt it was incomparably comfortable. He flourished it twice in a blade flower display, gripped the handle in a reverse hold, turned his body, and stabbed it into a red wooden pillar within the hall. With just a chi sound, it had already penetrated half the blade’s length.
Emperor Li’er exclaimed in surprise. Pulling out the military spike and holding it in a reverse grip, he asked in a heavy voice: “Where is the hongyu urgent report?”
The eunuch hastily presented it. Emperor Li’er carefully inspected the fire seal, saw it was intact and undamaged, then used the dagger in his hand to pry open the seal and extracted the memorial to read carefully.
After finishing the memorial, he remained silent for a long time. Empress Zhangsun, carrying a bowl of lotus seed porridge, stepped inside. Seeing the Emperor had again fallen into contemplation, she also made no sound and quietly sat beside him.
The Emperor spoke slowly to the Empress: “Cheng Zhijie and Niu Jinda jointly memorialized, requesting heavy rewards for Yun Ye, because they have again obtained from Yun Ye the technique of steel-making. Three people in one day can produce one hundred pounds of hundred-times-refined steel. They have presented a military weapon personally forged by this young man. I just tried it out, and indeed its power is extraordinary—truly the best weapon for close combat. The Imperial Armory can only produce four thousand pounds of hundred-times-refined steel per year. This is the maximum output of nearly five hundred skilled craftsmen. Now someone can produce one hundred pounds in one day with three people. I believe this is still their conservative estimate. Cheng Zhijie also obtained a set of military body-strengthening techniques and has now selected one hundred men to begin trials. I’m not currently in a dream, am I?”
“This young man’s background has now been investigated and clarified. He’s from the Chang’an Yun clan, living in Lantian for generations. The ancestral shrine still exists. Unfortunately, the male members became involved in a rebellion in the previous dynasty and nearly all died. Now only over forty women and children remain, their livelihood destitute. I now understand why this young man wants to make deals with me—actually, he wants to restore his family’s reputation. However, this young man said that rare treasures without merit are difficult to accept—this too is a remarkable matter.”