Chapter Sixty: Schemes

The parade wound its bustling way around the front of Tianjin Bridge, turning eastward and leaving a trail of water on the road behind. Li Xian and his companions watched with delight as the revelers splashed each other with water; judging by their excited expressions, they could barely resist the urge to join in themselves.

The two elder sisters, having scarcely ever left the palace since childhood, found themselves momentarily exhilarated by such a lively game. Shangguan Wan’er was equally enraptured; Li Yuechen imagined that, had she a high-pressure water gun in hand, she would have unleashed it upon the crowd without hesitation.

For her part, Li Yuechen maintained an air of mild disinterest, content to accompany her siblings and Wan’er as an observer. To show her support, when the procession reached the opposite side of the imperial city and began to turn, she curved her middle and thumb into a ring and blew a piercing whistle through her fingers.

Her whistle, though sharp, failed to draw much attention amid the general cacophony. Instead, Li Xian and Li Lun, intrigued, attempted to imitate her, forming rings with their fingers and trying to whistle, but no matter how they tried, only faint, airy sounds emerged. Glancing at their bewildered sisters, Princess Yiyang and Princess Xuancheng, they felt a bit embarrassed.

Li Xian unconsciously shifted a few steps to the side, while Li Lun, unabashed, asked, “Yuechen, what’s the trick to this?”

With nothing better to do, Li Yuechen began instructing them in the art of finger-whistling. “You shape your fingers like this, and then…” As she demonstrated, Shangguan Wan’er seemed eager to learn as well, but seeing that it required putting fingers in one’s mouth in public, she was clearly too shy to try.

After an entire afternoon of practice, Li Xian and Li Lun finally managed to master the whistle, gleefully showing off their new skill. When the boisterous parade had passed out of sight, the group descended from the city tower, and the two boys, rubbing their numb cheeks, began to massage them gently. Their comical expressions made Princess Yiyang and Princess Xuancheng break into soft laughter.

Returning to Anfu Hall, they ate a simple dinner, and Li Yuechen took a stroll around her quarters before preparing for bed. Just then, Xiao He approached with a small tray. “Your Highness, today Her Majesty bestowed some balsam flowers. Let’s dye your nails.”

“Nail dye?” Li Yuechen was momentarily taken aback, then realized—could this be the ancient version of nail polish? She had little interest in such things and shook her head. “No need. You can use it for yourself.”

“Your Highness, Her Majesty said you must do it,” Xiao He reminded her gently.

Li Yuechen sighed. Very well—if it would please her mother, she would comply. But she resolved never to use such things once grown. Still, curiosity piqued her—what exactly did women of this era use for nail dye?

After her evening wash, Li Yuechen sat cross-legged on her bed, waiting for Xiao He to begin. She watched as Xiao He tossed petals into a small jar, added salt and a few drops of vinegar, then pounded the mixture with a wooden pestle until the petals were thoroughly crushed. Using bamboo tweezers, Xiao He carefully layered the paste onto each of Li Yuechen’s fingernails, then wrapped her fingers in unfamiliar leaves and bound them tightly with string.

Soon, all ten fingers were securely wrapped. Frowning at the sight, Li Yuechen declined to have her toenails dyed as well. “How long will this take?” she asked.

“Sleep well, Your Highness. By morning they will be ready to unwrap,” Xiao He replied.

Heavens, does it really take this long to dye nails in this era? Intrigued by the result, but reassured by Xiao He’s words, Li Yuechen obediently lay down to sleep.

People of this time rose early; when Li Yuechen awoke, it was still dark. After asking Xiao He, she unwrapped the leaves from her fingers and examined her nails, but in the poor light, could not discern their color.

Not until she had finished morning yoga with her sisters and Shangguan Wan’er and eaten breakfast did the sun climb high enough. Stepping outside, Li Yuechen raised her hand in the sunlight and saw that her nails were not bright red, but a shade slightly deeper than orange-red.

The greatest difference from modern nail polish was that this dye did not form a hard, glossy layer on the nail, but instead stained the nail itself. It couldn’t be washed off—it would remain until the nail grew out.

Xiao He explained that if she wanted a true red, they could repeat the process that night. Li Yuechen shook her head; it was only to appease her mother. To her, the color of her nails was of little importance.

However, Shangguan Wan’er had a different opinion. “Your Highness often wears red. Matching your nails to your attire would be much more harmonious.”

“Is that so?” Li Yuechen spread her fingers over her robe and considered, then nodded. “Very well, let’s do it again.”

After all, this seemed free of chemical additives and likely harmless to her health. Li Yuechen knew her own sense of aesthetics could never match that of a woman, so it was best to heed their advice. Not that she wasn’t a woman herself—though, perhaps, in some ways, she was not entirely so. The thought gave her pause, but she dismissed it; words were just words.

Waving her hand, she went out into the courtyard to practice, while the others busied themselves with their own tasks.

After her morning training, Fulai returned with a leather whip, handing it over respectfully. “This is what Your Highness spoke of yesterday.”

Li Yuechen took it and examined it closely. The whip was just over two centimeters in diameter, woven from strips of cowhide in a tightly interlaced pattern, much like a bamboo basket. She had assumed it would be hollow, but on inspection found it packed solid, layer upon layer.

She placed it on the ground and bounced on it with both feet; it was extremely rigid and sturdy. Remembering she was only a child, she had Fulai and Xiao He try it as well, crouching beside them to watch. The whip flexed slightly under their weight but did not flatten—a strong and resilient material.

Running her fingers along it, Li Yuechen smiled. In the future, pneumatic tires would be made mostly of rubber, but since this era lacked rubber, perhaps this material could serve as a worthy substitute.

That night, after another round of nail dyeing, her nails finally emerged a vivid red. She compared her hands to her clothes—indeed, the effect was much more harmonious.

Life had been tranquil of late, and one pleasing development was that Princess Xuancheng had become thoroughly immersed in the world of mathematics. Li Yuechen not only taught her future mathematics, but also gave her the mathematical classics left by her own master for self-study. As the two of them debated back and forth, they uncovered many fascinating ideas—though to Li Yuechen, these were not even of middle school level, they were nonetheless advanced for this era.

That afternoon, as Li Yuechen sketched out a design for a foot-operated mixing rod, she chatted with Princess Xuancheng about mathematics.

“If one day, elder sister, you can calculate the speed of this wheel, and the force it contains, that would be remarkable!”

“Force?” Princess Xuancheng was curious. “Can such an intangible thing truly be calculated?”

Li Yuechen nodded. “In this world, anything that exists, even if unseen and untouchable, can still be quantified.”

Though Princess Xuancheng did not fully grasp the meaning, she found herself believing her sister. Perhaps, from the moment this sister had rescued her and Princess Yiyang from the Palace of Restraint, she had resolved to trust her unconditionally—even if her words seemed fantastical, she was willing to believe.

Yet a question lingered: “Then, as you say, how can one prove she has calculated the intangible?”

Li Yuechen considered. “If a sky lantern can rise into the air, then one day, when a person can soar into the heavens, would that not prove that many invisible forces have been calculated?”

“How could a person fly into the sky?” Princess Xuancheng asked, eyes wide.

Li Yuechen smiled. “Never underestimate the power of life, sister!”

With that, she finished her drawing and, together with Fulai, headed to the Department of Artisans. This project was complicated; a single blueprint might not suffice, so she needed to explain her requirements face-to-face with the craftsmen.

By now, the craftsmen were quite familiar with Li Yuechen, and relations had improved thanks to her. In the past, craftsmen rarely communicated across trades, but many of her recent inventions required carpenters and blacksmiths to collaborate, fostering much more interaction.

Take the children’s tricycle, for example—a typical product requiring both woodwork and metalwork. This time, when Li Yuechen handed over her design, the craftsmen were struck by its complexity. Her drawing skills were adequate for her own understanding, but not for others, so she had to explain everything in person.

Fulai, seeing that this would take some time, signaled Wang, the assistant supervisor, to fetch a cup of yogurt for her. Tea was inconvenient to prepare in this era, so yogurt remained the beverage of choice. Sanlejiang and similar drinks, though not expensive, were not for everyday indulgence.

Standing before the gathered craftsmen, Li Yuechen patiently explained her requirements and the desired outcome for the device. Her demeanor was calm and unhurried, inviting questions from the craftsmen, who knew her to be approachable and good-natured.

One thing surprised Li Yuechen: none of them seemed at all startled by the concept of gears. Upon inquiry, she learned that gears were already known in this era, greatly easing her explanations—she only had to clarify their intended application.

Though she had planned to use a belt drive, Li Yuechen made some adjustments. Initially, she intended to make the wheels concave and attach wooden rods to the belt so they would slot into the grooves as they turned. But this would require constant reinforcement—too troublesome. So she opted for standard gear shapes and added brass clasps to the belt for transmission. With just three gears—one large and two small—they could build a foot-operated mixer.

Half an hour passed in explanation, and just as she turned her head, Fulai, anticipating her need, handed her a cup of yogurt. Li Yuechen drank it in one go, then addressed the craftsmen, “If there are any further questions, speak now so I don’t have to come back.”

The craftsmen all shook their heads—no questions remained.

“Very well,” Li Yuechen nodded. “I won’t set a deadline, but do try to finish as soon as possible. If anything unexpected arises, report to me immediately.”

With that, she turned and left the Department of Artisans.

That settled, it was time to prepare for production. First, she would need a reliable team of workers for concentrated training. Then, she must find a suitable location in Luoyang to serve as a workshop—after all, it was impractical to manufacture these things in the imperial harem every day.

There was also the issue of secrecy. Though her identity as a princess protected her from overt theft, there was always the risk of covert scheming that would be difficult to prove or prevent. The best solution was to use the military for security, ensuring maximum secrecy.

Yet the most critical issue was… money! Canned goods had yet to go on sale, so expenses were mounting without any income. Li Yuechen scratched the back of her head; clearly, she would have to approach her parents for investment.

Asking them for money always felt awkward, but then again, she was earning it for their sake, wasn’t she? Otherwise, as a pampered princess with no worries about food or clothing, why bother with all this?

Perhaps, she mused, she should write a detailed business plan for her father to review. But she dismissed the thought—asking her own father for money hardly required such formality.

In any case, both her parents had already tried the soap she had made and experienced its benefits—surely they could see its potential. Securing funding shouldn’t be difficult.

So, hopping onto her little tricycle, humming a tune, Li Yuechen set off toward Renshou Hall.