Chapter 114: The Prince Has Grown Up

Li Yuechen did not say much regarding the affairs of the Crown Prince. In her letters to her eldest brother, she merely urged him to take care of his health and told him to let her know if he ran out of canned goods—perfectly reflecting a younger sister's concern for her brother.

As for how to educate him on policy, that was a matter for Li Zhi and the Empress; it had nothing to do with her.

Considering that the children at the farm were about to start their lessons, Li Yuechen had been pulling Princess Xuancheng to sit at the desk every afternoon after her morning martial arts practice to compile mathematics textbooks.

The multiplication table had to be memorized, followed by operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Li Yuechen tried her best to recall elementary school knowledge; she knew the concepts, but the specifics were almost entirely gone from her memory. Left with no choice, she had to rewrite the materials based on books like *The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art*. Honestly, it was quite a chore.

But no matter how troublesome, it had to be done. As the saying goes, if you choose your own path, you have to walk it even if you have to crawl, right?

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the first lunar month. Li Zhi asked his daughter to prepare to accompany him to the annual spring plowing ceremony. Li Yuechen was indifferent to this decision, but many officials approved. After all, Li Yuechen had invented the "Princess Plow" and increased grain production, so she held a high status in the hearts of the farmers.

Li Yuechen felt a bit helpless. To put it bluntly, she was just going to be a mascot—just showing her face. It didn't really matter who went. However, since the Emperor’s command had been issued, as a dutiful daughter who tried to be a comfort to her parents, she could not refuse.

...

This year’s spring plowing ceremony was like any other; there was nothing special about it. The only difference was that when Li Zhi and his wife were reciting their parallel prose, they let her stand by their side to receive the homage of the farmers.

Afterward, Li Yuechen threw herself back into the compilation of the mathematics textbooks. Thanks to the efforts of both her and Princess Xuancheng during this period, they managed to finish shortly after the "Dragon Raises Its Head" festival.

The next day, Li Yuechen looked at the scroll in her hands and nodded with satisfaction. This was the first-grade math textbook that had taken them over twenty days to compile. The only pity was that they could not provide each student with their own copy, so they still had to have them copy the contents off the wall.

In the afternoon, Li Yuechen took a carriage to the farm. The village head led a group of people out to welcome her. After the formalities, Li Yuechen suddenly noticed a woman beside Lu Zhaolin. She looked to be around thirty, not very tall, with regular features, standing timidly by his side.

Seeing Li Yuechen approach, she hurriedly bowed: "Commoner Guo, greetings to Your Highness the Princess."

"Rise," Li Yuechen said with a smile, waving her hand before turning to Lu Zhaolin, "What are your plans now?"

Lu Zhaolin thought for a moment and replied, "I plan to pick an auspicious day to marry her properly."

"Let me know when the date is set, and I'll contribute to the wedding gift!" Li Yuechen smiled.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

After a few more polite exchanges, Li Yuechen knew he had finished the language lesson in the morning, so she walked into the courtyard and clapped her hands at the children: "Alright, today we formally begin our mathematics course."

The children agreed with expressions of anticipation, forming a semicircle in front of Li Yuechen to begin the class. Lu Zhaolin also stood by with his fiancée to listen; he was very curious about this Princess’s scholarship. Not just him, but even Fulai was listening attentively on the side, occasionally tracing calculations on his palm with his finger.

"Alright, now that we have learned this, let’s solve a problem," Li Yuechen said, facing the children. "Emperor Wu of Han had several carriages arranged in a square formation. Looking horizontally, there were thirteen, and looking vertically, there were nine. Tell me, how many carriages were there in total? Write out the equation!"

The children immediately used charcoal sticks to write the equations on the wall, calculating one by one. In truth, there was a reason she chose such problems; Li Yuechen did not have the energy to teach them history separately. Thus, she tried to incorporate historical figures into the problems, allowing them to absorb fragmented historical knowledge bit by bit. Occasionally, when the mood struck, she would tell them stories from *Liezi* or *Zhuangzi* as a break between lessons. As for the origins of those stories, she let Lu Zhaolin explain them during language class.

Li Yuechen did not want to cultivate these students into rigid Confucian scholars; she wanted them to learn how to apply what they learned and how to solve problems, rather than just composing poetry. Thought patterns determine a person’s character, and what Li Yuechen wanted to do was teach them scientific methodology: how to identify problems and how to solve them.

In the future, regardless of their profession, they would at least be able to understand the essence of things.

She also told them to go to the fields to observe the crops when they had free time, and she even set aside a plot of about fifty square meters for them to plant seeds they liked. She wanted them to learn to observe the germination and growth process of these seeds; perhaps a future agronomist might be hidden among them, capable of developing new varieties of current crops.

...

At the end of the second lunar month, the Directorate for Palace Buildings sent someone to invite Li Yuechen to see the large-scale bearings they had produced. These bearings had been commissioned back when they were building the carriage for Li Zhi’s birthday last year. After more than six months of effort by over twenty craftsmen and the guidance of Wang Gangdan as a consultant, they had finally produced four large bearings that could be installed on the carriage.

After more than six months of continuous improvement, Li Zhi’s carriage looked significantly different from when it was first built. The rear of the carriage had been covered with a shell, a roof had been added, and curtains were hung on the front and sides, which could be rolled up or let down at will. The outer shell was carved with dragons and phoenixes and decorated with colorful paintings. To reduce weight, the craftsmen made extensive use of hollow-out techniques, giving the carriage the style of an exquisite work of art.

Watching the craftsmen remove the wheels to carve out the grooves for the bearings, Li Yuechen also picked up one of the large bearings to inspect it. Perhaps because Li Yuechen had ignited a spark of cooperation among the different craftsmen, or perhaps because this was her technology and the craftsmen didn't mind it being leaked... regardless of the reason, these four large bearings had actually been boiled until they were black. What use that served, nobody knew yet, but at least it looked good, and the Emperor’s carriage naturally had to look its best, so that was that.

The bearings had been soaked in lard, and when held in the hand and given a light flick, they spun rapidly.

Li Yuechen grinned: "I never thought that without inventing the steam engine, I'd end up seeing this thing appear first."

To be honest, the steam engine was the thing she wanted most, but that thing was not nearly as simple as it sounded. The principle of the steam engine is just three words: "Boil the water!" But the problem was that the actual difficulty of manufacturing it was quite high, and the quality of steel in this era could barely keep up. If she wanted to build a steam engine now, it would cost a fortune, and whether it could even be built was another matter. The blast furnace she had them design a while ago hadn't even been finalized yet, let alone a steam engine.

Li Yuechen’s current plan was to wait until soap and glass spread across the country, then use the proceeds to fill the national treasury. That way, at least the country would have money, and they wouldn't be tied down when it came to things like disaster relief.

Two days later, Li Yuechen took her carriage out of the city again to see how the construction of the factory outside the city was progressing. It was not too far from the Royal Farm, about three or four kilometers away. Less than five hundred meters away was the barracks of the Imperial Guard, so it could be said to be quite safe.

The houses here were built with bamboo and then coated with yellow mud and dried grass; honestly, they were not sturdy. But at least for now, they provided the slaves with a place to sleep. They only had to work for four hours a day and were allowed to eat their fill, which was already a very good treatment. Of course, a large brick building was also under construction next to it, which would be finished by the end of the year. When that time came, she would move the slaves into the brick building, and Li Yuechen specifically instructed the craftsmen to build a fireplace so they wouldn't be cold when sleeping in the winter.

Over ten brand-new mixing rods had also been delivered. Once the debugging was finished in a few days and the materials were ready, production could officially begin. Li Yuechen walked through the factory, which was not yet fully formed, looking around from time to time. The slaves she had purchased knelt on the ground one after another, heads bowed, not daring to look at her, letting her walk past them.

"Alright, all of you, get up."

Li Yuechen raised her hand: "Since you have come here, work hard. For those who perform well, if you have descendants in the future, I can allow them to shed their lowly status and become retainers!"

The slaves kowtowed: "Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!"

Regarding this scene, Li Yuechen only shook her head and did not continue. Slaves had no human rights; children born to slaves did not belong to themselves but to their masters. Therefore, once one entered the lowly status, it was almost impossible to flip one's fortunes for generations. Masters could beat, abuse, or rape their slaves at will... although the law stipulated that one could not kill a slave without cause, in reality, that law was just for show. If a slave died, no one would seek justice for them.

The laws of this era were difficult to enforce thoroughly. The law also prohibited burying the living with the dead, but in reality, in places far from the imperial capital, examples of landlords and gentry using slaves as funeral sacrifices remained common.

The slaves who worked for her didn't have to worry about such things. As long as they worked hard, Li Yuechen would provide for their old age.

After a round of inspection, Li Yuechen nodded in satisfaction and boarded the carriage to return to the palace.

On the carriage, Fulai continued to report: "Now, apart from the materials, all the equipment is ready. Production can start in ten days. In addition, the soap you mentioned has also been developed. As long as we add some perfume to cover the smell, it will be fine, but the cost is still a bit high. I'm afraid the common people won't be able to afford it..."

"Then find a way to reduce the cost, look into the materials or production methods," Li Yuechen thought for a moment. "If that doesn't work, set the price lower and go for a strategy of small profits but quick turnover."

"Understood!"

...

Time moved to the third month. Just after the Shangsi Festival, a large number of merchants from outside the city arrived in Jixian Ward.

In the reception hall, merchants from all over the country bowed to each other and introduced themselves, hoping to make friends and perhaps find business opportunities in the future.

Before long, a man entered the hall. He wore a smile of self-satisfaction, smoothed out his brand-new round-collared robe, and bowed to the merchants gathered there.

"Thank you all for coming today. My name is Lai Cao. I am responsible for discussing the agency matters with you all."

The corners of Lai Cao’s eyes and brows were lifted, his face full of smugness: "I believe you all understand the benefits of this soap. As for what an agency means, let me explain..."

...

The gathering at Jixian Ward lasted from morning until noon. After having a meal together, the merchants from all over the country walked out of the ward with satisfied smiles.

By the time it was nearly the Shen period (3:00 PM to 5:00 PM), Fulai entered Jixian Ward and came to the office that had been temporarily renovated. Lai Cao bowed, let Fulai sit down, and offered him a cup of yogurt.

Then he took out a wooden box, less than five centimeters in length and width, and placed it respectfully on the desk beside Fulai with a fawning smile: "Eunuch Fu, I have finished today’s work. A small token of appreciation, not much to speak of, I hope you will accept it."

Fulai squinted, used two fingers to lift the lid to take a look, and then a smile appeared on his face: "You are quite well-versed in the rules... I came here today to give you a word of advice. You know who I work for. Small matters like this are unimportant, but if the work is not done well or if there is a problem with the accounts, I won't be able to protect you!"

"Rest assured, Eunuch, I understand!" Lai Cao bowed hurriedly.

After chatting for a few words, Fulai took the box and left. Lai Cao followed him all the way to the carriage outside the door, and only after the carriage had departed did he turn and return to the office.

...

Fulai returned to Anfu Palace and placed the small box in front of Li Yuechen: "Your Highness, this is what Lai Cao offered in tribute today."

Li Yuechen opened it to take a look. Inside were about ten gold beans, and the quality was not very high; there were likely many impurities mixed in.

"How much did he take?" Li Yuechen asked with a smile.

"This person has only just started working for Your Highness, so I imagine he didn't dare take too much. Most of it should be here," Fulai replied. "I also arranged for people to monitor him. These were extra gifts from outside merchants to get a larger quota of goods."

Li Yuechen nodded: "These are trifles, but I don't want him to ruin relationships because of this, and I certainly don't want any problems with the accounts."

"Your Highness, rest assured. If he dares to overreach, I will chop his hands off!" Fulai replied.

"Heh..." Li Yuechen smiled and tossed the wooden box back to him: "You need to maintain social connections in the palace; take a few for yourself."

Fulai caught it and immediately beamed: "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!"

Li Yuechen’s expression suddenly became serious: "Fulai, you have been taking care of me since I was young. Whether it is you or Xiao He, I have deep feelings for both of you. So, if you ever become unfaithful to me because of these worldly possessions, I will be very heartbroken!"

Hearing this, Fulai was startled and immediately knelt down to bow: "Please rest assured, Your Highness! Your servant would never dare to have two hearts toward you! If I ever dare to betray Your Highness, may I die a horrible death and never be reincarnated!"

Oaths in this era still held some credibility. Li Yuechen smiled: "Alright, I was just saying. You may go!"

"Understood!"

Fulai walked out of the hall and let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't help but think to himself, the Princess has truly grown up...