Chapter 140: The Power of the Newspaper Manifests

Of course, she was only joking, and she knew very well that her name being "Taiping"—which translates to "Peace"—wouldn't actually guarantee peace.

However, she genuinely hadn't expected to start developing at the age of nine. Moreover, since this had begun, would the others also...

At this thought, she couldn't help but shiver all over.

She had heard before that girls shouldn't engage in strenuous exercise during their period; hopefully, this wouldn't affect her.

To be honest, should she make herself an undergarment or something similar to the sports bras worn by girls in fitness centers?

The problem, however, was that the materials available in this era probably weren't up to par, and many foreign girls didn't seem to wear those anyway.

After glancing down at her chest, Li Yuechen shook her head. Whatever, it was just beginning anyway, so there was no need to rush. If worst came to worst, she could just wrap a few layers of gauze around herself when the time came.

With these thoughts in mind, she began getting dressed with a helpless sigh.

When she arrived at the main hall, her two elder sisters and Shangguan Wan'er had just arrived as well. The palace maids on morning duty had already laid out the mats they needed on the floor.

Following her usual routine, she led them through their yoga session. By the time they finished, the sun was almost ready to rise.

After wolfing down a few bites of breakfast, Li Yuechen asked Fulai to fetch her rattan armor and weapon, and set off for the Gate Guard Garrison.

Fulai, following closely behind, looked at Li Yuechen's retreating back and couldn't help thinking that Her Highness was growing up fast.

At nine years old, Li Yuechen was noticeably taller than before, standing around 1.5 meters tall—nearly a head taller than ten-year-old Shangguan Wan'er.

Furthermore, because of her lifelong practice of yoga and martial arts, her figure was exceptionally well-proportioned and standard, the quintessential clothes hanger.

Her high ponytail, given a little more time, would probably reach down to her waist, swaying rhythmically from side to side with her steps.

Arriving at the Gate Guard Garrison, Geng Yunqiang was already waiting at the entrance to greet her.

After paying his respects, he led Li Yuechen to the training ground. She donned her rattan armor and began today's spar as usual.

During their training, the surrounding soldiers would occasionally steal a glance or two in their direction.

It was mainly because the sight was somewhat surreal: an eight- or nine-year-old little girl could actually go toe-to-toe with the Gate Guard Garrison's renowned solo-combat champion. Even though it wasn't their first time seeing it, it still felt like a dream.

Word had it that during an arm-wrestling match between the two last time, this princess had actually won! It was simply absurd!

Their sparring session continued intermittently for over two hours before they finally stopped.

Li Yuechen spread her arms, letting Fulai help her take off the rattan armor. She took a towel to wipe away the glistening layer of sweat on her forehead and said, "Let's call it a day for now. I'll come back next time."

"Yes!" Geng Yunqiang acknowledged. "Your Highness is progressing by leaps and bounds. This subordinate estimates that I won't be able to keep up with you much longer."

This wasn't entirely flattery; Li Yuechen herself could feel that the amount of time Geng Yunqiang could hold out against her was getting shorter and shorter.

No, to be precise, her physical stamina was still continuously growing, while his had already peaked.

After a moment of thought, Li Yuechen said, "Hmm, it seems I'll need to call upon more people in the future."

After all, Geng Yunqiang was already the strongest fighter in the Gate Guard Garrison. If he alone wasn't enough anymore, she would simply have to make up for it with numbers.

Li Yuechen figured that in a little while, she would be able to try taking on two opponents at once.

...

Returning to Anfu Hall, Li Yuechen took a bath as usual, lying in the wooden tub and letting out a long breath.

She glanced down at herself: fortunately, although she was developing, at least for now, there was nothing that made her feel uncomfortable.

Aside from a slight aching sensation...

She looked at Xiaohai, who was helping her scrub, and casually asked a couple of questions. The maid replied that it was a completely normal phenomenon.

Since that was the case, there was nothing to worry about.

Li Yuechen slid a bit deeper into the water and let out another long sigh.

After bathing and getting dressed, Li Yuechen ran over to Renshou Hall to pay her respects to her parents and chat with them for a while.

Her father had been in a very high spirits lately, burning incense and playing the zither to compose music whenever he had free time.

Li Yuechen would sit by his side, serving tea and water, while taking the opportunity to learn a bit and cultivate her own artistic sensibility in music.

Whenever Li Li asked how it sounded, she would chime in with enthusiastic praises. Praise didn't cost anything, after all, and tossing out a few compliments was never a bad idea.

Delighted by the flattery, Li Li began teaching her how to play the zither. Li Yuechen didn't mind trying, leaning into her father's arms as she began to learn.

...

Comfortable days passed quickly, and before they knew it, April had arrived.

It was worth mentioning that another solar eclipse had occurred on the first day of the third month. Before the ministers even had a chance to speak, Li Li declared that someone was disrupting the court and promptly dismissed several officials.

Seeing this stance, the ministers didn't dare urge the emperor to issue a decree of self-blame any longer.

Having tasted the sweetness of this approach, Li Li even began looking forward to the next solar eclipse.

Moreover, everything that happened during this period was announced to the entire realm through the newspapers, and the common people clapped and cheered in approval.

In teahouses and taverns, many people loudly praised the current Emperor for his wisdom, declaring that having such a heroic monarch ruling the realm was truly a blessing bestowed upon the Great Tang by the heavens.

The power of the newspaper was finally beginning to truly manifest itself. Many of the Emperor's policies could be communicated to the outside world, and coupled with Princess Taiping increasing food production and other achievements, Emperor Li Li's prestige among the common people soared repeatedly.

The resulting consequence was that imperial power began to clearly and highly centralize. After all, the will of the people was directed toward him, and that momentum was unstoppable!

Recently, Li Li walked with his head held high no matter what he was doing, his mood unprecedentedly good—even rivaling the time when he had first ascended the throne and prepared to show off his grand ambitions.

On the other side, because her father was in such a good mood, Li Yuechen finally initiated her next plan.

Inside Xijian Lane, Li Yuechen stood in the courtyard. Facing her were dozens of middle-aged men whose hair was beginning to turn gray.

In this era, ordinary people aged relatively quickly; these men were all in their early forties, yet a significant portion of their hair had already whitened.

"Your Highness, everyone is here," Fulai reported.

"Mhm," Li Yuechen nodded.

These men were all garrison soldiers approaching retirement, and all of them carried old injuries to varying degrees. One of them had even completely lost his left eye.

Seeing how restrained they appeared, Li Yuechen smiled. "No need to be nervous. You are all men who have rendered meritorious service to the Great Tang, and you are people whom this Princess deeply respects! I called you here today simply to ask: when you return to your hometowns, will you have any work to do?"

The veteran soldiers opposite her shook their heads, replying that besides farming, there was nothing else they could do.

Li Yuechen nodded. "I happen to have a job for you. You will retain your military ranks, and upon returning to your respective hometowns, you will establish branch offices of the *Great Tang Daily*. I will provide the funds for you to recruit people..."

After roughly explaining the concept, the veteran soldiers understood.

To put it plainly, Li Yuechen would provide the funds for them to set up newspaper offices in their hometowns, recruit people to come to the capital to learn printing techniques, and simultaneously dispatch messengers every half-month to bring local news back while ensuring that the *Great Tang Daily* could genuinely be circulated locally.

Furthermore, because they retained their military ranks, local officials couldn't casually make things difficult for them, granting them the maximum degree of freedom.

"To put it simply, aside from myself and the Emperor and Empress, you do not need to take orders from anyone else!" Li Yuechen stated.

Hearing these words, the veteran soldiers wore expressions of utter disbelief.

They wouldn't have to go to the battlefield, they only needed to handle the work of the newspaper office, and they wouldn't have to worry about being bullied by local gentry... Such a wonderful thing actually existed?

Naturally, this matter had been approved by Li Li. Now that he completely understood the power of the newspaper, he spared no effort in promoting it, allowing his daughter to toss and turn as she pleased and granting her the utmost authority.

The veteran soldiers nodded one after another, expressing their willingness, calling it an immense honor to serve the Emperor, and so on.

Li Yuechen nodded and immediately instructed Fulai to begin handling the arrangements.

...

Such a matter could hardly be kept low-key, and soon many people received the news.

The aristocratic families who received the news were all utterly shocked. If things continued this way, these newspaper offices scattered across the country could form a massive intelligence network!

It could be said that once this succeeded, nothing in the realm would be able to be kept hidden from the Emperor in the future.

The most crucial point was that the Emperor's policies could be clearly communicated to the common people through the newspaper. As a result, it would be very difficult for local officials to play tricks behind the scenes.

If problems arose during the implementation of a policy, the people wouldn't blame the Emperor; instead, they would blame the local officials who failed to execute it properly.

After all, they already knew the Emperor's original intention through the newspaper, so if something went wrong, it had to be the fault of the responsible officials!

If this went on, the grip of imperial power would grow stronger and stronger, and the political voice of these aristocratic families would be further compressed!

However, the momentum of this matter was already established and could no longer be stopped.

If there was anything they could do, it was to find ways to bribe those people.

Li Yuechen, who was not adept at political scheming, hadn't thought of this immediately, but her mother had.

Therefore, under Wu Zetian's reminder, Li Yuechen began crash-course political training for the recruited veteran soldiers.

Inside Xijian Lane, the veteran soldiers sat in a semicircle while Li Yuechen stood in the center lecturing.

"When you go back, the local gentry will definitely try to bribe you. They can offer you many benefits, and honestly, those are benefits I cannot provide right now. But think about it: how did they treat you before? Offering you benefits now is merely a reluctant measure. When the opportunity arises in the future, they will flip their faces and deny you just as easily!"

"Although I cannot give you too much benefit right now, I am standing here representing the Emperor and the Empress! I can promise you that if you do your jobs well, in the future, your descendants will be able to come to the capital to study. If they achieve success in their studies, one day they will be able to enter the imperial court through the imperial examinations and reach the highest positions of state!"

"Think about it carefully: should you remain loyal to the Great Tang, or commit wrongdoing for those trivial benefits? You are all soldiers! You have fought and shouted for the Great Tang! You have slain enemies and shed blood! Showing utter loyalty to the Great Tang and protecting your homes and country should be the glory carved into the bones of a soldier..."

Li Yuechen's lecturing skills could only be described as average; she couldn't compare to master-level speakers like totalitarian demagogues.

Fortunately, people in this era had not yet been bombarded with motivational rhetoric, so their acceptance of Li Yuechen's words was relatively high.

Thus, they bowed one after another, solemnly declaring that they would forever remain loyal to the Emperor!

Li Yuechen had no idea how much effect her words would have when they actually faced those temptations.

After all, concepts like national honor couldn't be cultivated in just a day or two.

But at least, as long as some of them could hold the bottom line, once various systems were perfected in the future, such issues could be avoided to the maximum extent.

...

In Renshou Hall, the imperial couple naturally knew all about their daughter's maneuvers.

Wu Zetian smiled and said, "Who knows how much effect Chen'er's words will have."

In her view, mere talk was useless; she believed that displaying concrete means—combining both carrots and sticks—was the best approach.

Li Li nodded. "However, the method itself is a good one. Allowing the descendants of these men to study, so that they might enter the court as officials in the future..."

At this, he couldn't help shaking his head, praising his daughter's brilliant idea.

If these people could achieve academic success and become officials in the future, they would be the Emperor's officials, not the aristocratic families' officials.

As time went on, if all officials became like this, imperial power would no longer be restricted.

"To have such far-sighted vision, she truly possesses the talent of an emperor!" Li Li smiled and shook his head. "What a pity!"

Especially set against the backdrop of such an outstanding daughter, his few sons suddenly appeared somewhat lacking in comparison.

To be honest, in Li Li's eyes, his eldest son, Li Hong, was good at everything, but he was simply too honest and not really material for an emperor.

The second son had talent, but was too unrestrained and fond of play. The third son was easily swayed.

As for the fourth son, Li Lun, he hadn't grown up yet, so it was hard to say, but he currently seemed somewhat timid and cautious.

When you have many children, you fear comparison. Once compared, this daughter appeared all the more exceptional.

Wu Zetian beside him also nodded. "Indeed, what a pity."

Li Li suddenly raised his head. "Meiniang, what do you think if we made Chen'er the Crown Princess? As for future succession issues, she could simply remain unmarried, and we could adopt one of Hong'er's offspring later. You wouldn't need to worry about the imperial dominion..."

Wu Zetian, however, suddenly shook her head. "I understand Zhinu's thoughts, but Chen'er is not suited for it. It's not just a matter of her being a woman."

"What else is there?" Li Li asked.

"Her heart is too soft; she is not someone who can bring herself to wield the executioner's blade!" Wu Zetian replied. "Back during the incident with Helan Minzhi, she actually managed to cover it up just to prevent those gate guards from being punished... To be an emperor, one cannot merely possess benevolence; one must also have the ruthlessness to harden one's heart!"

Hearing this, Li Li nodded. Indeed, that made sense.

Since ancient times, which emperor had not killed people? Which emperor's hands were free of unjustly spilled blood?

Or rather, many times, even knowing an injustice existed, one still had to kill! Because if one didn't kill, imperial power would become unstable!

At the same time, Wu Zetian knew her daughter very well, knowing she lacked the disposition to ruthlessly slaughter.

Hearing her words, Li Li nodded. "Let's observe this matter further for now. Chen'er's nature differs from ordinary people; perhaps her way is right after all."

"Zhinu is becoming somewhat blindly indulgent toward her!" Wu Zetian smiled from the side.

"No matter, let her toss and turn as she pleases!" Li Li grinned, gently clasping his wife's hand. "At least for now, no matter what happens, I can cover for her!"