Chapter 146: Returning to Chang'an

The contemptuous roll of his daughter’s eyes, and the disdainful look that flashed across her face, did not escape Li Zhi, standing beside her.

After the sacrifice was over, the family returned to Renshou Hall and sat down for tea.

Li Zhi waved a hand. Zhang Chengxin nodded in understanding and led all the palace maids and eunuchs out, leaving only the family behind.

The court recorder said nothing at all, simply turning and walking out.

Ever since Emperor Taizong’s reign, the court recorders had learned to read the room. Whenever the emperor wanted to discuss something he did not wish to have preserved in the historical record, they would obediently leave.

By now, it was quite ordinary for the family to sit together and chat. Even Pei Qingwan, the Crown Princess, who had only recently joined the imperial family, was beginning to grow accustomed to it.

In the relaxed atmosphere, Li Zhi asked as casually as if the thought had just occurred to him, “Chen’er, it seems you don’t care for Confucian learning?”

At her father’s question, Li Yuechen was puzzled at first. But after thinking it over, she understood what had prompted him to ask.

She lifted her teacup and breathed in its aroma, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. “It’s not that I dislike it. It’s just that different people seem to interpret it differently.”

“That’s perfectly natural,” Wu Zetian said with a nod. “The ancient classics are obscure and difficult to understand, and most people’s interpretations are shaped by their teachers or their forebears. Chen’er had no teacher growing up and studied on her own, so it stands to reason that she would interpret them differently.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they spent the rest of the afternoon discussing the subject.

They ate dinner together in Renshou Hall that evening, and only then did the children take their leave.

In Renshou Hall, Li Zhi cheerfully rolled the health balls in his hand. “I’m finding I enjoy dining with the children more and more.”

“Indeed. Having everyone together makes things lively, and that lifts the spirits,” Wu Zetian said, pouring him more tea with a smile. “Especially with Chen’er there. She’s always telling a joke or two, and the whole room soon brightens.”

Li Zhi reclined in his rocking chair and gave it a gentle rock. “Speaking of Chen’er… Her dislike was written all over her face today.”

“Was it because of the contest between the second and third princes?”

“I think I understand now.” Li Zhi stretched. “These ancestral rules really do have their problems.”

Wu Zetian turned to look at him. “Zhinu, you’d best not be too hasty about changing them. As Chen’er said, one wrong move, and the history books will condemn you for all eternity!”

“Yes, condemned for all eternity…” He gazed into the distance. “But if every generation to come thinks that way, can the Great Tang ever become better?”

He sounded less as though he were speaking to his wife than as though he were speaking to himself.

“So what do you intend to do, Zhinu? Continue with reform?” Wu Zetian asked.

Li Zhi shook his head and sighed softly. “I’m old. I can no longer act with the decisiveness I had in my youth. But… Chen’er will surely be able to shoulder this responsibility one day.”

Wu Zetian, who had just sat down beside him, paused, then nodded. “That’s true. Apart from Liu Rengui, Chen’er has had no other teacher. She’ll stand alone at court in the future, so we needn’t worry about her being too deeply entangled with anyone.”

“That may be so, but if she holds great power one day, people will inevitably try to attach themselves to her. Still, Chen’er has been resolute from a young age. I doubt she’ll be led astray.” Li Zhi smiled.

Wu Zetian agreed. Ever since their daughter had begun martial training, she had never once neglected her daily practice. Her discipline was plain for all to see.

“Enough. It’s late. Zhinu, wash up and get some rest,” Wu Zetian reminded him.

…

The sky had only just begun to lighten. The sun had yet to rise fully, but the sound of air being sliced—whoosh, whoosh—already rang through the garden of Renshou Hall.

A figure dressed in bright red moved through the garden, whirling the spear-staff in her hands with such force that it seemed to roar. The black ponytail at the back of her head flicked and swirled with her movements like a swimming dragon.

Inside the hall, Shangguan Wan’er, already dressed and groomed, came out and met Princess Yiyang, who was likewise ready for the day, at the edge of the garden.

As they walked together toward the newspaper office, they did as they often did and turned to look at Li Yuechen in the garden, the early morning sun shining across her face.

At this hour, her expression was always utterly focused. In the orange light, her dark eyes seemed to glitter.

Maintaining their composure, Shangguan Wan’er and Princess Yiyang walked across the garden with quick, delicate steps and left Anfu Hall.

Even after they had gone through the gates, the sound of the spear-staff cutting through the air still seemed to linger faintly in their ears.

“Your Highness really does seem to love martial training,” Shangguan Wan’er murmured, almost to herself.

Princess Yiyang smiled. “Yes. Chen’er and Wan’er, one skilled in letters, the other in arms—together, you’ll surely make the finest pair.”

“If I can be of help to Her Highness, I couldn’t ask for more,” Shangguan Wan’er said with a nod. “I want to help her accomplish what she hopes to do.”

Princess Yiyang tilted her face toward the sun, which was nearly risen, and narrowed her eyes. “And isn’t that exactly what you’re doing already?”

She was an adult, after all, and could see more than Shangguan Wan’er could.

She could already imagine that the newspaper office would one day become the emperor’s eyes and ears.

Such an organization would surely wield astonishing power in the future. And Li Yuechen was the one in charge of it now—which clearly meant the emperor was deliberately grooming her.

Thinking of this, Princess Yiyang shook her head and decided not to dwell on it. Better to focus on doing her own work well.

…

In Anfu Hall, Li Yuechen continued her training.

As the sun climbed higher, the world around her brightened.

Li Yuechen stepped forward into a bow stance, thrusting the end of the spear-staff with her right hand.

The staff shot through the air like an arrow, piercing a yellow leaf just before it reached the ground.

She lowered the staff, let out a long breath, and looked up at the sky. “Autumn’s here already.”

Setting the spear-staff aside, she picked up the pair of hammers nearby and continued her practice.

It was nearly the end of the hour of the Snake when she finally set down the hammers. Fu Lai, who had been waiting nearby, hurried over with a towel.

After wiping off her sweat, Li Yuechen returned to the inner hall to bathe.

Only once she was immersed in the hot water did she let out a long breath and feel herself refreshed from head to toe.

There were, after all, some good things in the ancient world. She had no idea what the medicinal herbs floating in the water were, but they certainly eased her fatigue.

And not only that. A soak in the bath seemed to ease the soreness in her chest as well.

Xiao He, who was helping wash her, suddenly smiled. “Your Highness really has grown up.”

Li Yuechen closed her eyes and said nothing. Even if she teased her now, what could she do about it? Better to use the time in the bath to think about other things.

Autumn had arrived, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was only a few days away. After that, it would soon be time to return to Chang’an.

Thinking she ought to make arrangements in advance, she called out, “Fu Lai!”

Hearing her, Fu Lai hurried in and stopped behind the screen, bowing. “What are Your Highness’s orders?”

“Make preparations over the next few days. Take Lai Cao back to Chang’an ahead of us,” Li Yuechen said, resting her head against the rim of the bath with her eyes closed. “Find an inexpensive neighborhood, buy a plot of land, and build a new place for Lai Cao to receive visitors. We’ll need dormitories too…”

“Dormitories?” Fu Lai asked, taken aback. “Your Highness, didn’t you say the workshops would remain here?”

“Not for the workers. I mean my students. I intend to take them back with me. They’ll need somewhere to live.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll make the arrangements and set out ahead of you.”

“Good. Also, open branches of those two shops in Chang’an. Do you have anyone in mind? The people Lai Cao found… I really can’t trust them.”

Fu Lai thought for a moment. “I’m afraid I don’t have any other relatives…”

Li Yuechen opened her eyes. “What about you, Xiao He?”

“Your Highness, I was sold when I was very young. I don’t have anyone either…”

Hearing this, Li Yuechen closed her eyes again with a helpless sigh.

Come to think of it, she really did have no one she could entrust with the shops. She lightly swished her hand through the water, then nodded. “Never mind. We’ll have Wu Gouzi and his father keep an eye on them.”

“Yes!”

“If Your Highness has no further orders, I’ll go and make the preparations,” Fu Lai said.

“Go ahead.”

With that matter settled, Li Yuechen yawned. Once the Chang’an branches were established, the two locations could work together and expand the business.

It was a pity she hadn’t studied commerce. This was all she could manage for now. As for the future, she would take it one step at a time.

…

The day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Fu Lai set out for Chang’an with Lai Cao.

Lai Cao took his wife and son with him. His family had originally come from Chang’an, leaving only because of the famine. They still had an old house there, so they needn’t worry about finding a place to stay.

The emperor, his family, and the court officials did not leave the Eastern Capital for Chang’an until the end of the ninth month.

The two cities were not far apart, but with so many people traveling together, there was no way to move quickly.

The palace staff alone numbered seven or eight thousand, not to mention the other craftsmen and household officials.

They might have been traveling by carriage, but in practice they moved little faster than a walking pace.

Li Yuechen spent most of each day outside the carriage, walking on the road herself.

The only real inconvenience was that there was nowhere to bathe along the way. After her morning training, she had to make do with wiping herself down with a damp towel inside the carriage.

Fortunately, the children were all well. Most afternoons, they would climb into the emperor’s carriage to chat with the imperial couple or play a few games, so the journey was not too dull.

Li Yuechen also found herself wondering whether she should try making cement.

Paving every road in the country with cement was obviously unrealistic. But building a road just between Chang’an and the Eastern Capital might be possible with the technology of this age.

If she could build one cement road, travel between the two cities could become more than twice as fast.

And if they built enough carriages for everyone to travel by carriage instead of on foot, the journey might take only three or four days.

The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Even if ordinary people could not afford carriages, the government could fund public coaches between the two cities.

Ordinary people would only need to pay a small fare to travel back and forth between Chang’an and Luoyang.

That would fully connect the economies of the two cities. And if soldiers were stationed at the relay posts along the route, they could keep the highway safe.

The idea startled Li Yuechen herself. It would be difficult, but if she really managed it…

She shook her head and set the thought aside for now. It was a matter for the future.

…

In the latter half of the tenth month, the great procession finally arrived in Chang’an.

The people lined both sides of the broad Vermilion Bird Avenue, more than a hundred meters across, watching with awe as the procession made its slow way toward Daming Palace.

Though the emperor was in the Eastern Capital, Chang’an was the place best informed about events there.

By now, nearly everyone in Chang’an had heard that Princess Taiping had increased grain yields. Though most had no idea what the princess even looked like, they were filled with gratitude toward her.

Seated in her carriage, Li Yuechen lifted the curtain slightly and looked out at the people on either side of the familiar Vermilion Bird Avenue. She could not help smiling.

This time, Xiao He did not remind her of anything. Shangguan Wan’er, however, looked curious. “What are you looking at, Your Highness?”

“This city, and the people in it.”

Li Yuechen smiled as she let the curtain fall, then leaned back against the carriage. “They must have had a difficult time in recent years, but at least there’s some life in their faces again.”

“Your Highness is kind, and you’ve increased the grain harvest. The people will be grateful,” Shangguan Wan’er said.

“That isn’t why I did it…” Li Yuechen smiled, then patted her on the head. “I only hope the Great Tang will suffer fewer disasters, and that all the people in this land can live happier lives.”

Shangguan Wan’er could not help asking, “And what about you, Your Highness?”

“Me?” Li Yuechen looked up and considered it. “I’m already very happy.”

A second life, a chance to live her life over again—surely that alone was a remarkable blessing. And in this life, she was a beloved little princess, too.

Seeing the smile on her face, Shangguan Wan’er nodded, seeming to understand, but said nothing more.

The procession entered Daming Palace. Looking at the familiar vermilion walls and green glazed tiles, Li Yuechen could not help sinking into memories of her childhood.

Only when the carriage stopped did she jump down and approach the emperor’s carriage.

Her two sisters and several brothers came along as well. When Li Zhi and Wu Zetian stepped down hand in hand, the children all bowed to them.

Li Zhi looked moved. “We were gone for years. Now that we’re back, the place feels almost unfamiliar.”

“It certainly brings back memories,” Wu Zetian said with a smile. “We’ve been jolted through clouds of dust all the way here. Let’s rest properly first.”

Li Zhi nodded and waved the children away. “All right, you should go and rest too. Come to Yan Ying Hall tonight and have dinner with us.”

The children answered and withdrew respectfully.