Di Renjie, however, had a different perspective. He carefully examined the turtle painting and said with a smile, “Master’s brushwork has become increasingly sophisticated and refined. Look at this turtle – even though it finds itself in a difficult situation, it still maintains an optimistic and accepting attitude. This is meant to remind us not to turn our good days bitter, but to cherish our present life as the correct path.”
Xiao Wu glanced at it indifferently and said, “How come I don’t see that? All I see is an unlucky overturned turtle. Combined with those two lines of poetry, it’s nothing more than an insult.”
Di Renjie laughed heartily. “Master has always had this temperament – burying truth within humor or playful scolding and laughter. Think carefully – haven’t many of Master’s predictions come true one after another?”
“Speaking of which, I haven’t met anyone in the Great Tang with more far-reaching vision than Master. That Yuan Shoucheng claims to have lived two lives, but I still think he’s just a charlatan. Such a person isn’t even worthy of carrying Master’s shoes.”
“Master is also the closest to perfect among all the people I’ve met. He has love for his wife, loyalty to his friends, devotion to his sovereign, and compassion for the weak. As long as Master retreats to the mountains after seven years, he will be a figure comparable to the Duke of Zhou.”
Xiao Wu said dismissively, “So what? Hasn’t he still wronged himself for a lifetime? In terms of wisdom, means, and the aura of a hegemon, Master lacks nothing. Even if he became Wang Mang, I’d think it a hundred times better than being the Duke of Zhou.”
Di Renjie looked at the indignant Xiao Wu with affection and said, “If Master truly became ruthless enough to eliminate the Li family descendants, could you still maintain such closeness with him? To kill Li Jue, he would first have to kill the Grand Empress Dowager, then kill Prince Wei Tai, kill Prince Wu Ke, kill Prince Shu An, kill Prince Qi You, then kill all his lifelong friends, and while at it, execute all the scholars at the academy. Only then might a successful usurpation be possible. Such a Master would no longer be the General of Swift Cavalry respected from the bottom of everyone’s hearts.”
“Xiao Wu, do you really wish for Master to be someone who denies all family ties and has a venomous heart? For the sake of a mere imperial throne, it’s not worth it. Master has never viewed the throne as an objective he must obtain.”
“These past three years, Master has appeared to keep a low profile, but he’s actually been monitoring every change in the Great Tang. Do you really think the realm has been this peaceful? Ambitious figures like Zhangsun Chong and Dugu Mou – aren’t they all rubbing their hands together, planning to flex their muscles and create great achievements?”
“But they don’t dare. While Master lives, they dare not make a single move. Three years ago, when Master buried Li Xiang alive without asking questions, he announced something to all of the Great Tang: whoever starts civil war dies! So the ambitious men of the Great Tang can only keep their eyebrows lowered, their eyes submissive, and their tails tucked tight, afraid that Master might learn of the slightest dissatisfaction and bring catastrophe upon them.”
“Master is far more intelligent than you imagine. Other people’s reforms are all carried out with bold and sweeping strokes – like Shang Yang, like Chao Cuo. Only Master’s reforms are mixed into the flow of time, proceeding silently and imperceptibly. The authority of the Great Tang’s Six Ministries is continuously being refined. The direction of the court is no longer something that can be changed by a single word from the emperor. Power is transforming into administration, legislation, and judiciary, advancing toward a tripartite balance of powers. Right now, you see the Zhangsun family controlling legislative power, the Dugu family controlling administrative power, and Master controlling the military and judicial power. It appears these three families can do anything they want in the Great Tang, but with the cooperation of the Grand Empress Dowager, the three families are gradually withdrawing from the political arena.”
“Once the three great families withdraw from politics, the era of true tripartite balance of powers will arrive in the Great Tang. The emperor, as the symbol of the nation, will have only one value – representing Heaven in ruling this land. Wanting to wield the power of life and death like Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong will be fundamentally impossible.”
“Now merchants are reaching toward the court demanding rights, and workers and farmers are also beginning to show preliminary signs of this awareness. If the emperor still wishes to restore the old rule, he would be making enemies of everyone in the realm.”
“In Master’s view, being emperor is not only boring but also extremely frustrating. Changing a nation and establishing rules for all ages – that’s what a truly great figure must do.”
“Do you remember what Master once said? ‘Establish a purpose for Heaven and Earth, establish destiny for the people, continue the lost learning of the sages, and establish peace for all generations.’ Master has never forgotten this and has consistently carried it out.”
“What kind of person qualifies as a great man? Qu Yuan walking alone by the Miluo River? Wu Zixu with his head hung on the Wu River city gate? An undefeated famous general commanding thousands of troops? A talented scholar who writes immortal poetry? Or a sovereign who devours thousands of miles like a tiger?”
“Hmph, none of them. In my view, only someone like Master who establishes destiny for the people and peace for all generations can be considered a truly great man. Master always says he’s just a stepping stone, seeking nothing else but that those standing on his back can see farther, and still farther.”
“It’s precisely this brick that has allowed us to touch the divine realm. It’s this brick that has turned our gaze from the yellow earth to the azure sea. It’s this brick beneath our feet that has let us know we stand upon a giant sphere. It’s also this brick that has let us taste the most beautiful emotions in the human world. Our vision has never been so far-reaching.”
“To be his disciple – Di Renjie is fortunate beyond three lifetimes!”
Xiao Wu sighed deeply and said, “I wasted six years on the illusory White Jade Capital. Those six years were exactly when Master was carrying out his grand plans. He truly acted with such secrecy that even someone like me didn’t notice. Xiao Jie, living under Master’s protection, though we are safe, we’ve lost our own brilliance. It seems I can only return to the academy and properly fulfill my role as Deputy Director of Yushan Academy.”
Di Renjie stroked his beard and laughed heartily. “Under the sun, the light of fireflies need not shine!”
Xiao Wu silently closed the “Overturned Turtle Painting” that Master had given her and called for the steward to come in, instructing him to take it to the best mounting craftsman to have this painting mounted as a center hall hanging. She planned to hang it in the center of the main hall as a constant reminder.
Yun Ye vigorously scratched his ear because it itched terribly. He didn’t know who was gossiping about him. Li Anlan bit her tongue while helping him clean out the other ear. Whenever she extracted a large piece, she would grimace in disgust. Xinyue, with a dark expression, slapped away the hand Yun Ye was using to scratch his ear and used her own hairpin to help her husband clean the other ear.
Attacked from both sides – this was quite troublesome. Yun Ye’s ears were pulled long by the two quarreling women. He didn’t dare move at all, afraid these two crazy women would make him deaf.
His little grandson ran over, looked at Grandpa’s miserable state, and very sensibly turned and ran away. Wang Cai also came over to look, saw there was nothing to eat here, and also turned and left. Yun Ye grimaced, wanting to find someone to rescue him but couldn’t find anyone. He had all this strength but didn’t dare use it. For the first time, he discovered that having multiple wives was an extremely annoying thing.
His two ears were probably very clean by now. Xinyue, after all, felt sorry for her husband and carefully released his ear. She glared at Li Anlan, who also quickly let go of Yun Ye’s ear.
Li Anlan smiled and said to Xinyue, “You bore two sons for our husband, and I also bore one son and one daughter for him. So there aren’t many things you can boast about in front of me.”
Xinyue snorted coldly and said, “The sons I bore all have the surname Yun, but the son you bore has the surname Li. As for the daughter, you only gave birth to her – I’m the one who raised that child. There are plenty of hens that can lay eggs. The household collects over a thousand eggs every day. Is giving birth such a great accomplishment?”
Li Anlan was momentarily speechless. Yun Ye seized the opportunity to interject, “How strange – when you were young, you got along peacefully. Why is it that now that you’re old, you’ve started becoming jealous and petty? Ha ha, this is good though. This old man finally won’t be lonely anymore. From now on, the three of us will quarrel together. When you quarrel, remember to call me, lest I run out and bring in a few younger ones! Cheng Chumo just sent a letter saying that the Mizhi County where he’s currently stationed is a rare nest of beauties. He’s invited me two or three times already.”
Li Anlan finally found a topic she could address: “If you have the ability, go ahead! There are still five sisters at home. Just yesterday you said you felt inadequate, so how have you become so ambitious today…”
“The Cheng family aren’t good people either. If Cheng Chumo has the skill to act as a pimp, he should first get rid of that stepmother of his who’s younger than his own daughter.”
This was like fire burning through eight hundred li of connected camps. When the situation becomes untenable, immediately flee a thousand li – this is the creed of assassins and also an essential quality for famous generals. So Yun Ye immediately fled with Wang Cai to Li Tai’s workshop. Rather than confronting two crazy women, it was better to see how Li Tai’s first propeller airplane was coming along.
Regarding the engine matter, Yun Ye was actually quite perplexed, because he had never actually seen the Great Tang’s engine. Although it was just a cylinder and piston, plus a connecting rod to complete the entire transmission work – a square block would suffice – Li Tai’s engine was a peculiar octagon. It was said to derive from the Taiji principle, the endless interconnection of Yin and Yang, which he then calculated and developed into the form of the Eight Trigrams…
“Qian represents Heaven, Kun represents Earth, Kan represents Water, Li represents Fire, Zhen represents Thunder, Gen represents Mountain, Xun represents Wind, and Dui represents Marsh – totaling sixty-four transformations.”
Li Tai proudly explained his masterwork to Yun Ye. Yun Ye tentatively understood it as an engine with sixty-four gears. Seeing Hipatia continuously nodding in praise, he could only forcibly suppress the urge to roar and continue patiently enduring Li Tai’s boasting.
“This engine truly cost me tremendous effort! As you know, just purifying the fuel oil is extremely demanding. From a large barrel of fierce fire oil, only a very small portion can be utilized. It exploded several times before it was finally tamed by my Eight Trigrams engine. Ha ha, the Eight Trigrams mutually generate and restrain each other while complementing one another. The eight gates – ‘Rest, Life, Injury, Closure, View, Death, Alarm, and Opening’ – include the Gate of Life and the Gate of Death. So as long as my aircraft follows the direction of the Gate of Life, it will certainly remain safe and sound.”
After enduring for a long time, Yun Ye finally said to Li Tai, “What if I have business that requires me to head in the direction of the Gate of Death?”
Li Tai fell silent and glared viciously at this annoying Yun Ye together with Hipatia.