“The Great Tang has less fire oil than others?” Li Er was stunned and asked a question that Yun Ye didn’t know how to describe.
“Indeed, they have more than us. In terms of the number of oil springs, there’s simply no comparison.” Since the emperor had spoken, Yun Ye had to answer.
“Then there’s no need to prohibit it. After all, they have plenty, and they’re too far away…”
There was no common language with this gangster emperor. Having finished reporting the matter, he immediately left. If he stayed any longer, he’d probably be leading troops to attack somewhere without even knowing where.
Taking what one wanted—this was the Great Tang’s current state. When the empire lacked something, the ministers would very habitually first open foreign maps to study them carefully. Only when they truly discovered no place to plunder would they sigh and turn their gaze toward domestic sources. Over time, this became a fixed pattern of thinking.
The domestic situation had stabilized, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Not detecting any signs of Yun Ye and Zhangsun Wuji fighting to the death, everyone began figuring out how to eat, drink, and be merry.
Standing on the main street watching strongmen erect the statue could no longer be considered novel. Jumping walls to enter Furong Garden to get an advance look at the exotic flowers and plants inside wasn’t fresh either, considering the Chang’an County yamen entrance had over a dozen ruffians or wastrels locked in large cangues. Chang’an and Wannian, the two counties, used the same methods to deal with both ruffians and wastrels, making no distinction.
Chang’an City had become unbearable. The Patrol Censors and Investigating Censors were difficult to deal with. These people wore black faces all day without a trace of human warmth. When they saw wastrels riding horses, they dared to place leopards standing on the horses’ rumps. Without asking questions, the leopards would be skinned, the horses confiscated by officials, and as for the people, that was hard to say. If the county magistrate was in a good mood, he’d give a few strokes of the paddle and release them. If in a bad mood, he’d lock them in large cangues for public display.
The restless wastrels finally discovered a new form of entertainment.
Rafting down the newly restored Zhengguo Canal was the most recently discovered novelty. Seven or eight sheepskin bags blown up tight, then tied with rope to a wooden frame, with people sitting on top, could float from the Baihe entrance all the way to the Luo River, a full three hundred li. The only drawback was that the Jing River water had too much sand—after one rafting trip, the whole body would be caked with mud.
Yun Shou really wanted to try it but was severely forbidden by Xinyue, so he could only follow his father in the garlic field pulling garlic scapes. Unsettled in heart and restless in spirit, he broke every one he pulled, irritating Yun Ye so much that he quickly drove Yun Shou away.
Wearing a bamboo hat and laboring under the warm sun was what Yun Ye found most comfortable. In no time, he’d pulled quite a large bundle of garlic scapes, green in color and plump and tender, perfect for stir-frying with mutton slices.
Li Tai was experimenting with a new type of boat in Taiye Pool. Supposedly, this boat could move on its own without anyone rowing. The nobles all planned to go see it. According to Li Tai, it just didn’t look good, but its function was excellent.
Yun Ye didn’t go. What new tricks could a teapot produce? Nothing more than adding a few wheels, using a crankshaft to paddle in the water. Moreover, it was leaking steam everywhere. A boat running as slowly as a stroke-afflicted elderly person—Li Tai was not ashamed but proud. Yun Ye said this thing wasn’t fit to be seen yet, but Li Tai and Hypatia thought differently. They unanimously believed this was a new type of power that needed to be known by everyone in the Great Tang. Hypatia insisted that as long as the spark was sown, naturally a raging fire would ignite.
Yun Mu today was taking her sisters to the palace to see the teapot. She’d even specially dressed up carefully. When leaving, Yun Ye was very dissatisfied seeing Yun Mu’s gauze skirt and wanted to say a few more words, but was firmly blocked by Na Rimu who wouldn’t let him speak.
In the evening, Yun Ye ate garlic scape stir-fried mutton slices alone. This dish had an intensely strong flavor. Throwing in a handful of cumin for quick stir-fry over high heat, then breaking off half a flatbread and adding the dish to it—that flavor was something ordinary people simply couldn’t enjoy.
Yun Mu ate like her father. Father and daughter sat at a small table and finished off a fierce plateful, then drank hawthorn water before being shooed by Xinyue to the garden to walk and digest their food.
“Father, do you think Empress Mother is imposing?”
“Empress Mother is always very imposing. Anyway, Father has been bullied by her for a lifetime.”
“I just feel that Empress Mother’s entire outfit looks good. Dragons and phoenixes painted everywhere making it lively, and the headdress is beautiful too. Leading the foolish Li Zhi out, she’s still imposing in all directions. All the women must perform grand ceremonial bows.”
“Of course. Our Empress Mother is famously formidable. The history books will describe her in rich detail. Why bring this up? If you like watching, Father will take you tomorrow to see Empress Mother’s other side. It’s quite frightening!”
“Father, if I became empress, would you have to bow to me too? I saw Zhangsun Wuji bow to Empress Mother.”
Yun Ye suddenly stopped, turned his daughter’s head left and right to look, and sighed disappointedly, saying, “Dragon eyes and phoenix eyes—you have neither. You even learned from Father and have squinting eyes. You can’t become empress.”
Yun Mu laughed cheerfully, “Father’s appearance is the best. People say daughters who resemble their fathers are fortunate. I’m a fortunate one. Who knows, maybe later I can become empress.”
“You’re a descendant of an immortal. Immortals subdue dragons and tigers, which is more formidable than any dragon or phoenix. My resembling Father means I have an empress’s fate. Whoever dares compete with me, I’ll beat her to death.”
A daughter who’d practiced martial arts was just this confident!
Lying in bed that evening, Yun Ye kept shaking his head with a bitter smile, sighing left and right. Xinyue held up her hair and leaned close to her husband’s face to look, not discovering anything wrong. Logically, he’d drunk hawthorn water and walked in the garden for half a shichen. He shouldn’t be bloated, so why was he constantly moaning?
“Our eldest daughter wants to become empress. What should we do?” Yun Ye lazily asked Xinyue.
Xinyue, who had already lain down, rolled right up and sat, looking at Yun Ye and saying, “Marrying Li Chengqian won’t do. Even if it means being empress, it won’t do. The Yun family can’t afford to lose that face.”
“If it’s marrying Li Chengqian, I’ll personally beat this wretched girl to death and strangle Li Chengqian while I’m at it. It looks like she wants to become Li Chengqian’s daughter-in-law.”
“Li Cheng is also too young. If she married over, it probably wouldn’t be suitable.”
“Who said Li Cheng? I’m talking about Li Xiang. You know what rekindling dying embers means, right? This is it. The emperor has once again brought Li Xiang into his evaluation scope. I hear his current performance isn’t bad.”
“But the Great Tang has a rule—daughters of high ministers don’t become empresses. The Great Tang’s empresses can only be daughters from families that are small households compared to us. This is to guard against interference from maternal relatives in government affairs. So our daughter is thinking too simply.”
Xinyue sat up, hugging her blanket and looking at Yun Ye, “Li Xiang will become emperor?”
“Heaven knows. Just wait and see. If Li Xiang really marries our daughter, then there’s an eighty percent possibility.”
“What will Zhangsun Wuji think? He’s never been on good terms with you. Whatever you want to do, he’s sure to oppose. Besides, I feel Xiao Mu doesn’t like Li Xiang. She just likes being empress.”
Yun Ye turned over and muttered, “Right now, we can’t find anyone suitable to be her husband. This child is proud and arrogant. I’m afraid she can’t properly be this empress. A child’s thoughts—in a few days, they’ll fade. Sleep!”
Just as Yun Ye was entering dreamland, Li Tai and Hypatia were ecstatic, for no other reason than having discovered a new field of learning. Li Tai had discovered that energy could be converted and moreover was never lost…
In a single night, Li Tai seemed to have discovered a new world. He wanted to sing loudly, to dance, to shout, to cry bitterly, to laugh heartily, to get thoroughly drunk with Yun Ye. He desperately wanted to grab Yun Ye by the collar and tell him this was the gift given to him by that big teapot running on Taiye Pool.
He seemed to already see a broad avenue. This avenue was edged in gold, straight and vast…
In the end, he still suppressed his ecstatic state, only embracing Hypatia lightly before drilling into his research room. This time he firmly believed he was no longer a blind man touching an elephant, no longer viewing a leopard through a tube. What he saw was a complete system, like lifting the hem of heaven’s skirt to see the deepest privacy.
Day and night continuously exchanged. Chang’an City’s bustling crowds still walked with hurried steps every day. The palace gates opened and closed, closed and opened. Yun Ye appeared at the Ministry of War unchanged every day. Zhangsun Wuji still worked tirelessly, slowly eroding Yun Ye’s influence. However, he’d recently become fond of Li Yifu’s thick congee, which reportedly contained medicinal herbs and was most refreshing and brain-clearing.
The Tubo people had also begun their western expedition, supposedly to punish Tianzhu for disrespecting Tubo. To prevent the Great Tang from interfering with his western expedition, they specially sent many treasures, among which the most famous was an eight-armed golden Buddha. Li Er was extremely fond of it and specially invited Master Xuanzang to chant sutras a thousand times for this golden Buddha, placing it in Taiji Palace as a treasure to protect the residence.
However, the wish to seek Princess Jincheng’s hand in marriage for the young Tubo prince once again came to nothing. The desire to fight for Academy enrollment qualifications for young Tubo nobles similarly came to nothing. But Li Er accepted the gifts. Not taking the opportunity to attack the plateau was already his greatest concession.
This golden Buddha was placed in Taiji Palace because Li Er had installed it there for Zhangsun’s convenient Buddha worship. The empress’s grand birthday had arrived, and all the women in the realm were celebrating the empress’s birthday.
Xinyue led all the ranked women from the household into the palace. Yun Mu once again experienced the majesty of being the mother of a nation. With a single command, the flock of women prostrated. She envied such scenes. Though always hiding behind curtains, she was carefully learning and imitating Zhangsun’s every word and action. At this moment, the desire to become empress and enjoy supreme honor filled her heart.
This was the true master. This was truly being a person…
“Father, I want to become empress! I want all the women in the realm to bow to me!”
“No problem. First practice with the maids at home…”
“I’m being serious!”
“Father is being serious too. Do you think just being an empress will gain everyone in the realm’s respect? Do you think just being an empress will give you the majesty that Grandmother Zhangsun has? Do you know how much suffering she’s endured? Do you know how many hardships she’s suffered? How many empresses in history were either beheaded or secluded in the deep palace? You should first finish reading these books before stating your decision.”