Everything at home was packed and ready. Tomorrow they would return to the fief. Cheng Chumo would also return, but his family’s land was very close to Chang’an City, unlike the Yun family which was fifty li away. Old Niu’s family wasn’t far from the Yun family—only separated by the Ba River, one on the east bank, one on the west.
The Yun family’s fief had a full twelve hundred mu. Backed by Jade Mountain and facing the Ba River, it could indeed be called fertile land. On this point, Li Er was still fair—he didn’t mistreat Yun Ye. This was the only point he was satisfied with.
Today he had to request leave from the court. The Tang Dynasty regarded spring plowing as extremely important. According to custom, officials with land would be given a month’s agricultural leave for spring planting and autumn harvest.
Yun Ye sat on the swing in the garden, planning not to return to the capital this year. He would entrust the Bureau of Technology to Li Chengqian. After all, their main responsibility now was collecting materials, enriching the library, and laying a solid theoretical foundation for future development.
Li Gang was right—the foundation determines future height. Yun Ye didn’t want to pull up seedlings to help them grow. With his extra thousand-plus years of insight, innovation would be easy. While he was still alive, the Bureau of Technology wouldn’t lack new discoveries. But what about after he died? Stagnation would be the lighter outcome—the Bureau of Technology might be obliterated in the long river of history.
How many brilliant talents had appeared in Chinese history? Where are they now? Time passes like a white colt glimpsed through a crack—a startling glimpse won’t do!
To last long, one must stand firm, taking steady steps forward one footprint at a time. Driving social development isn’t the work of one person, but requires a group of people’s unrelenting effort to build the most beautiful future.
Yun Ye had a dream. If in later generations, he’d be arrested as mentally ill. Now, being in the Great Tang gave him the opportunity to turn his dream into reality.
Confucius established the great Confucian scholarly system—why can’t I establish an engineering system to rival Confucianism?
Every time in the deep silence of night, Yun Ye felt a fire burning in his chest, scratching at his heart and liver, preventing him from sleeping.
When Confucius pioneered Confucianism, didn’t he lack my current conditions? He wasn’t as high-ranking as me, didn’t have my abundant financial resources, didn’t have my vision to see through a thousand years, right? I know which direction society will advance, I know when dynastic changes will occur. More importantly, I don’t have the difficult environment of a hundred schools contending.
Dong Zhongshu said his Confucian doctrine was a beautiful young maiden who needed to marry history’s most outstanding emperor. He married his Three Bonds and Five Constants doctrine to Emperor Wu of Han, whom he considered the most outstanding emperor.
In history, Li Er’s brilliance illuminated Chinese historical records for a thousand years. Han and Tang, Han and Tang—two eras that haunted the dreams of the Chinese nation. Their demise made how many historians sigh with regret. Nations always perish from weakness; only Han and Tang perished from strength!
Yun Ye calculated with the darkest thoughts—if Dong Zhongshu’s was a beauty, then my mutant Ru Hua marrying the ruthless, black-bellied Li Er should also complement each other perfectly, right? You don’t even let go of barbarian stuff—I don’t believe you’d pass up engineering studies that could make your Great Tang a hundred times stronger.
I’ll return to South Mountain to live in seclusion. I’ll return to South Mountain to watch the sunrise. I’ll return to South Mountain to train my disciples. I’ll return to South Mountain to wait and give the world the most deafening powerful voice. When my Bureau of Technology emerges into the world, I want every person to know—God is dead!
One year? Two years? Ten years? Or twenty years? That madman named Zarathustra only meditated facing a wall for ten years. After eating and drinking for three years, I don’t believe I can’t surpass your ten years of madness.
Three years later, Li Er will stir up bloody storms on the great grasslands. The Great Tang’s iron cavalry will tread across every inch of grassland. Jieli? Just a joke!
I won’t run madly across the grasslands in the dead of winter—hiding behind and cheering for Li Jing will be enough.
Various thoughts surged like tides wave after wave in his mind, then spread throughout his body. Huh? Why is my whole body wet? Could it be my brainstorm produced water?
Yun Ye raised his head to look around, only to discover the whole family was gathered nearby with tear-stained faces. Old Grandmother held a water basin in her hands, crying heartbrokenly. This made him angry—who dares bully my family? I’ll dismember him! Just as he was about to find a suitable weapon, Old Grandmother grabbed him in a hug, calling “my precious, my precious” incessantly.
“Good grandson, you must never frighten Grandmother again. If something happened to you, how could this family go on living?” Grandmother gave Yun Ye no chance to speak at all, constantly urging him not to think of doing anything foolish.
Who wrapped the swing in curtains? Nothing better to do?
“Good grandson, you absolutely must not learn from those bald monks to chant Buddha. The Yun family only has you as a single sprout—we’re still counting on you to branch out and spread leaves. Our family will never chant Buddha again. If anyone goes to the temple again, Grandmother will break their legs.”
“Chant Buddha? Whose Buddha? I never planned to become a monk before, I won’t now, and I won’t in the future. Whoever told you your grandson wanted to become a monk—break their legs!”
Utterly baffling!
“You’ve been sitting on the swing for two days. Grandmother thought you were possessed, so she invited an eminent monk from the Temple of Great Kindness to exorcise evil spirits. Unexpectedly, the monk said you were in meditation and congratulated Grandmother, saying the Yun family would produce an eminent monk of great virtue. Grandmother chased him out with a broom.” Elder Sister finally explained clearly.
“Two days? You’re saying I sat on the swing for two days? I felt like it was only a moment—not even half a shichen.”
Good heavens! Since when was I so formidable that daydreaming could last two days?
“Oh! I understand now. Grandmother, your grandson was just trying to figure out some academic matters. Unexpectedly, I got stuck in a dead end. My thoughts got trapped and couldn’t come out. Fortunately, you splashed water to wake me. You’re so capable—how did you even think of this idea?”
Old people—if you praise them from time to time, it greatly helps their longevity.
Seeing her grandson was fine and wasn’t becoming a monk, Grandmother relaxed and said: “Duke Cheng originally wanted to slap your face, but Grandmother didn’t want that, so I splashed you with warm water. Fortunately you woke up, otherwise Grandmother would have followed you.” She spoke miserably, but her face showed a smile.
Hugging each of his several crying sisters in turn, he told them he was fine, then kissed their dirty little faces. The whole family was finally consoled by him.
He’d just lain down for a moment when Old Cheng’s dark face appeared before his eyes. Yanked out from under the covers, before he was even fully awake, he was asked: “What were you thinking about during your two-day delirium?”
Without thinking, he told him: “Planning how to marry a woman who looks like Uncle Yuchi to His Majesty!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt something was wrong. Not only was Old Cheng in the room—behind him was Old Niu, further back was Li Chengqian grinning like he was constipated, in the chair sat Li Er just about to drink tea, and beside him stood Empress Zhangsun with her eyebrows standing up.
Doomed. Dead for sure today. How did I speak my inner thoughts aloud? You,堂堂 Emperor and Empress—what are you doing running to someone else’s bedroom?
Quickly apologize: “This minister didn’t know Your Majesty and Empress had arrived. I failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive me, Your Majesty and Empress.”
Li Er said nothing, only looked at Yun Ye curiously. He was probably startled too.
“Hmph! You’re not even of age yet—how can this palace not come to your bedroom? If I hadn’t come, how would I have heard about you matchmaking for His Majesty? If you can’t explain clearly, this palace will marry you to ten wives of that appearance.” This concerned her—even if she ran to the court hall, she’d be completely justified.
Better explain quickly, or they’ll really marry me to ten Ru Huas. I might as well die right now.
“In reply to Your Majesty, this matter has existed since ancient times. This minister is merely picking up others’ wisdom.”
“This kind of greatly disrespectful thought—only you have it. Who else has such ability? This palace is also versed in the Six Classics—how have I never heard of this?” Empress Zhangsun’s anger hadn’t subsided.
“Dong Zhongshu did it. It’s just that the woman in this minister’s hands isn’t as good-looking as the one in his hands. But she excels in being physically strong—can fight in battle, can plow fields, can engage in commerce, can build cities, can pacify the realm!”
Li Er threw down the teacup in his hand, came before Yun Ye and said word by word: “Such women—I want as many as possible!”