Chapter 61: Cotton Goods

Riding her little tricycle, she arrived at the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. After greeting Zhang Chengxin, who was on duty at the gate, Li Yuechen jogged into the hall.

“Come here, Chen’er!” Li Zhi, sitting cross-legged at his desk, beckoned her over. “Just in time, the tea is ready. Keep me company for a while.”

“Alright!” Li Yuechen responded cheerfully, leaping over the desk to settle down beside him.

Wu Zetian, who was going through memorials, seemed to be in a foul mood and suddenly scolded her: “Look at you, always so reckless—where is the dignity of a princess?”

Though she had no idea why she was getting scolded, she knew mothers were always like this, perhaps something in the memorials had annoyed her. Li Yuechen wasn’t upset. She got up and gently started massaging Wu Zetian’s legs. “It’s only because I care so much about you and Father that I didn’t want to walk slowly!”

It was only natural to be reproved. Women of this era were exceptionally particular about their bearing. Most wore high-waisted ruqun, with hemlines that nearly swept the floor, completely hiding their feet. Their steps were small and measured so that no movement of the legs would be visible beneath the skirt, making it seem as if they were gliding.

But Li Yuechen, who trained in martial arts, usually dressed in men’s clothes—trousers, not skirts—striding about in large steps. When she sat, she’d spread her legs without a care, nothing like the refined women of the inner palace.

“Hmph!” Wu Zetian glanced at her but didn’t pursue the matter further.

“In my opinion, Chen’er is perfect as she is. Meiniang, don’t scold her for this!” Li Zhi chuckled, waving her over. “Come, have some tea!”

Li Yuechen obliged, sat beside Li Zhi, and picked up a teacup, blowing gently on the surface.

“Hmm, Chen’er’s nails look very nice,” Li Zhi observed.

Hearing his praise, Li Yuechen looked at her bright red fingernails. She didn’t feel much, but still smiled. “It’s all thanks to the flowers Mother gave me that they look so beautiful.”

She complimented Wu Zetian naturally, who glanced over but said nothing.

Li Zhi sipped his tea and asked, “How do you plan to sell that soap of yours, Chen’er?”

“I was just about to discuss that with you, Father.” Li Yuechen scooted closer, flashing him a sweet smile. “But I’ll need your help to make it work.”

Li Zhi was not surprised and nodded slightly. “You want an ‘investment’ again, like last time? Go on, how much do you need?”

Li Yuechen nodded. “Yes! Besides the investment, there’s one more thing I’ll need your help with.”

“Speak freely!” Li Zhi replied grandly.

“I’d like to find a place in Luoyang City to produce the soap,” she explained, “but I’m concerned the formula might be stolen, so I’d like you to send soldiers to guard it.”

Li Zhi nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense. Permission granted!”

…

Leaving the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, Li Yuechen felt elated and rode her little tricycle home.

Meanwhile, Li Zhi and Wu Zetian exchanged a smile.

“I knew Chen’er would think of everything,” Li Zhi said with satisfaction.

Wu Zetian nodded, then sighed, “She certainly is resourceful. It’s just a shame she doesn’t apply her talents to the proper path, always thinking about commerce…”

“I think not!” Li Zhi took another sip of tea. “Chen’er knows that once this thing appears, countless complications will arise. That’s why she asked me to send troops—to solve part of the problem in advance.”

He fell silent, rolling his health balls, lost in thought.

Wu Zetian, who understood him well, watched him for a few moments, then returned to her memorials without further comment.

Back in the Hall of Tranquil Fortune, Li Yuechen was also deep in thought. For someone her age to suggest military protection was indeed unusual. Would the Emperor and Empress suspect she was hiding her true intelligence?

After a moment’s reflection, she felt it wasn’t a big deal. Children matured early in this era, and such foresight wouldn’t seem too out of place. Besides, as she created more and more things, this was a problem she couldn’t avoid. Better to let them slowly realize her abilities. And since she was favored now, a little cleverness could only be a good thing.

While she was pondering, Xiao He entered. “Your Highness, the Wardrobe Bureau has sent over a piece of cloth for your inspection.”

“Cloth?” Li Yuechen looked up. “Bring it here.”

Xiao He complied, bringing in a bolt of white cloth about ten feet long, which two palace maids unfurled before her.

The instant Li Yuechen saw it, she was stunned. She walked over and touched it. Cotton cloth! The Wardrobe Bureau had actually succeeded!

After some thought, she went to the Wardrobe Bureau herself.

The head court lady came out promptly to greet her. “Greetings, Your Highness!”

“No need for formalities.”

Li Yuechen inspected both the white cloth they’d made and the heaps of cotton stored in the warehouse, a smile unconsciously appearing on her lips.

She then asked for pen and paper on the spot, drew a design for undergarments, and instructed them to make it out of the cotton cloth.

“Your Highness, such a thing is fine for winter, but in summer it may be stifling,” the head court lady reminded her.

“Then weave it thinner,” Li Yuechen advised. “And also…”

She briefly explained, asking them to make a sample of a sanitary pad. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure what the original was made of, so she could only instruct them to weave the cotton into a gauze-like semi-transparent bag and stuff it with cotton.

Considering the absorbency of cotton, it should work well enough. Admittedly, anything was better than stuffing ashes into a cloth bag, as was commonly done.

With those two items set, Li Yuechen told them to make a batch of samples.

…

In a few days, it would be the Winter Solstice, and the palace was already busy preparing. In this era, life moved slowly, and celebrations for the New Year began with the solstice. The Tang people regarded the Winter Solstice as the start of the new year, for its night was the longest and its day the shortest. From the next day on, the days would start to lengthen.

In this aspect, Li Yuechen couldn’t help but admire the wisdom of the ancients. Without advanced instruments, they had determined the calendar simply by observing the stars.

The Emperor would also lead rituals on this day. In previous years, women like Li Yuechen weren’t required to attend, but this year, for some unknown reason, Li Zhi had insisted she join both the Mid-Autumn and Winter Solstice ceremonies.

Li Yuechen had never been interested in such events. They were, at heart, elaborate banquets where the Emperor entertained his ministers, drinking a little before breaking into poetry and song, and inevitably, raucous dancing.

Especially the men’s dances—simple movements, boisterous style… in fact, not much different from a modern nightclub.

Still, the imperial decree was the imperial decree—she had to attend.

Looking at her bright red nails, Li Yuechen raised an eyebrow. She was becoming more and more like a real princess.

A note on customs: the Winter Solstice already featured the tradition of eating dumplings—though they were called wontons, and any dough wrapped around filling was so named. On this day, people would invite friends over to eat wontons and drink.

That evening, the royal banquet in the Yaoguang Hall, above the Jiuzhou Pool of the Ziwei Palace, was in full swing. The moonlight shimmered on the water like a disco ball in a nightclub.

Knowing the importance of the occasion, Li Yuechen had dressed properly for once, her hair styled and adorned with various ornaments—most notably, a large moth, its wings trembling with her every step. She wore formal robes instead of her usual men’s clothes, hands folded at her waist, taking tiny steps so the wide sleeves wouldn’t drag. Thankfully, she was still young and not required to wear makeup; otherwise, she would never have come. It wasn’t that she disliked makeup itself, but the cosmetics of this era were full of heavy metals—something Li Yuechen, ever health-conscious, would never tolerate on her face.

Countless lanterns filled Yaoguang Hall with a soft, intoxicating glow, reminiscent of a bar. The musicians played ceaselessly, making her feel for a moment as if she’d returned to the future.

Li Yuechen sat obediently with her brothers. When the Emperor and ministers began composing poetry and dancing, she slipped over to sit beside her mother.

“Let me pour you some wine, Mother,” she said sweetly, taking up the wine pot.

Wu Zetian glanced at her, a hint of satisfaction in her expression. “If only you could be so dignified every day, Chen’er.”

“If you don’t want to see my true nature, Mother, I will certainly obey!” Li Yuechen replied with a smile, putting down her cup.

Her words drew another glance from Wu Zetian, but Li Yuechen quickly added, “But Mother would never bear to see me acting against my own wishes every day, would you? After all, you love me so much!”

Wu Zetian laughed. “You clever child, you always have it both ways!”

“It only shows your kindness, Mother, that you can’t bear to scold me too harshly!” Li Yuechen replied, nudging her mother’s arm with her head.

Even Wu Zetian, who usually maintained a stern demeanor, couldn’t help but laugh at that.

Meanwhile, the Emperor and his ministers, emboldened by wine, had begun to dance. The scholarly paraphernalia was cleared away, and the revelry grew wilder. Some foreign generals even stripped off their shirts, baring thick chest hair. Judging by his expression, Li Zhi wanted to join them, but a glance at the censors made him think better of it.

Her brothers cared little for decorum—apart from Crown Prince Li Hong, both Li Xian and Li Xian had shed their upper garments and jumped into the dance.

Li Yuechen glanced up and saw her mother’s face had darkened completely. To spare her brothers a severe scolding the next day, she raised her cup to clink it gently with Wu Zetian’s. “Don’t be angry, Mother—let them have their fun.”

Wu Zetian could only sigh at that. As for her sons, apart from Li Hong… well, sometimes she wished they weren’t her own flesh and blood!

Looking down at her little daughter by her side, Wu Zetian’s mood improved. She smiled and raised her cup for a sip.

…

The banquet lasted until midnight. Li Yuechen didn’t stay late, heading home early to rest.

The next morning, after her exercises, the Wardrobe Bureau sent over the finished samples. The undergarments were simple, and since it was winter, a little extra thickness didn’t matter. Back in her private quarters, Li Yuechen tried them on—worthy of the Wardrobe Bureau’s master tailors, they were exceedingly comfortable. She didn’t want to take them off.

She distributed the other samples to Shangguan Wan’er and her two sisters for them to try. If they were satisfied, she’d recommend them to her mother, Wu Zetian, and with a few tweaks, to her father, Li Zhi.

As for the other item—she was still too young for it, so she gave it to Xiao He and Lady Zheng to test. In any case, it was far superior to ashes, and the cotton cloth was fine and smooth, very comfortable against the skin.

Shangguan Wan’er and her sisters were all pleased, finding them much better and more convenient than the old layered wraps.

Li Yuechen began to wonder if these things could be popularized. With cotton cloth, commoners would have an easier time through the winter. Needlework was an essential skill for women of the era; perhaps not as refined as the palace tailors, but making clothes for family was not difficult.

If cotton cloth could be promoted, it would help people survive the winter. The elite could afford animal furs, but commoners relied on things like willow down or rice straw, which were uncomfortable and inefficient. If cotton cloth and cotton could be used to make padded clothing, deaths from cold could be reduced.

The problem, however, was… how to keep costs down?

As Li Yuechen pondered this, news arrived from the Ministry of Works that the foot-operated mixer she had requested was ready.