Chapter Eighty-One: Manganese Ore

The carriage stopped in front of Liu Rengui's residence. Li Yuechen hopped down, with Fulai following behind her.

At the entrance, the young doorman immediately bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness!"

"Rise," Li Yuechen replied, lifting her hand slightly as she stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard.

Having already received word of her arrival, Liu Rengui was waiting in the front yard. When he saw Li Yuechen enter, he immediately saluted.

Li Yuechen jogged over to help him up, then turned to Liu Huang beside him and smiled. "No need for formalities."

Liu Huang straightened up, revealing an honest, slightly awkward smile. "Has Your Highness recovered well over these past few days?"

"More or less," Li Yuechen replied with a smile.

"As long as Your Highness is well, I can rest easy," Liu Huang grinned.

Liu Rengui gave him a firm slap on the shoulder. "Get out and tend to your own business!"

"Yes, sir!" Liu Huang obediently bowed and left, but as soon as Liu Rengui turned his back, Liu Huang made a silly face at him, which Li Yuechen caught in full view.

Amused by the boy's antics, Li Yuechen smiled and turned to follow her master inside.

Liu Huang, thinking the smile was for him, paused in surprise before bouncing away in high spirits.

Li Yuechen practiced martial arts several rounds with Liu Rengui, studied some military tactics, and even competed a few times on the sand table.

The two of them tacitly avoided any discussion about recent events. Li Yuechen truly didn't wish to ask, preferring to feign ignorance, and Liu Rengui saw no need to bring it up.

Yet the atmosphere between them was far from tense—instead, it was light and comfortable, the very picture of a caring master and filial disciple.

At noon, after dining at her master's home, Li Yuechen took her leave, as she had other matters to attend to.

Leaving Liu Rengui's residence, Li Yuechen took the carriage to Jixian Square.

Since the incident a few days prior, more soldiers had been stationed here as a precaution.

As Li Yuechen’s carriage entered the square, Wu Da and his son Wu Gouzi were already waiting.

She lifted the curtain and jumped down from the carriage. Father and son hurriedly bowed with utmost respect. "Greetings, Your Highness!"

"There's no need," Li Yuechen waved her hand. "Thank you for saving me."

"It was nothing, just what I ought to do. Your Highness need not thank me," Wu Da replied.

Despite his words, being a simple country man, his face couldn't hide his true feelings, and the smile he tried to suppress betrayed his joy.

Wu Gouzi, on the other hand, appeared clueless, curiously observing Li Yuechen.

The last time he’d seen her, she had been soaked through, her eyes dull, and her lips pale.

Now, she wore a bright red round-collared robe, her black belt adorned with shimmering jade ornaments. Her delicate, doll-like face was set with striking dark eyes, and her high ponytail lent her a spirited air.

As she had not yet begun to develop, she could easily be mistaken for a handsome young boy if one didn't look closely.

If not for her exquisitely pretty face, with such attire, she could indeed be taken for a boy.

Seeing this transformed Li Yuechen, Wu Gouzi mustered his courage and asked, "Wow, I never realized you were so good-looking! I couldn't tell that day!"

"Nonsense! What are you babbling about?" Wu Da immediately cuffed his son and hurriedly explained, bowing in alarm, "Children are ignorant, please forgive him, Your Highness!"

Li Yuechen smiled. She rather enjoyed seeing lively children. She waved her hand. "No harm done! I called you here today to discuss something."

"Your Highness need only give the word!"

Li Yuechen’s workshop only occupied a quarter of the space in Jixian Square, and beside it stood a large, empty mansion.

She pointed next door. "I intend to settle you two here. You can work in the workshop daily, for which you'll be paid. As for your son, I'll arrange for a tutor to teach him reading and writing. If he excels, he may be recommended for an official post in the future. If not, he can work in the workshop and live a prosperous life…"

She paused, looking at the beaming Wu Da. "So, what do you think?"

Wu Da was grinning from ear to ear. He knelt and saluted Li Yuechen. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity!"

He even pressed his son down to kneel beside him.

Li Yuechen laughed softly and raised her hand. "Enough, rise. After all, you are my saviors; such formalities are unnecessary."

Wu Da rose, still overflowing with gratitude. From today on, they were city folk, no longer bound to their village.

Moreover, Li Yuechen’s arrangement was far better than simply handing them money; it meant a lifetime free from worry.

She led them inside, giving a rough introduction of the place.

She then reminded them, "Although you are free men and they are servants, you must not bully them, or I will be displeased!"

"Rest assured, Your Highness, I would never do such a thing."

Li Yuechen nodded. "I’ll drop by from time to time. If you need anything, tell me when I visit."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Come, since we’re all here today, let me show you around." Li Yuechen waved them forward.

She also wanted to stretch her legs; with little training in recent days and a long carriage ride, she felt restless.

Wu Gouzi, bold and ignorant of etiquette, suddenly blurted out, "Can I hold your hand?"

Fulai's face instantly darkened. If not for Wu Gouzi being a child, he might have struck him on the spot.

Wu Da was also startled and prepared to scold him, but Li Yuechen waved it off.

She studied the boy, about her age, and couldn't help but smile. Imagine, not yet eight, and already showing a mischievous streak. Still, his eyes were clear, with no hint of malice.

She knew well enough—some things are simply inborn.

She herself didn't mind holding the boy’s hand, but still shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" Wu Gouzi asked, puzzled.

"You're not my servant. Touching me without permission could bring disaster upon you," Li Yuechen warned with a smile.

She glanced at Wu Da. "Teach him these things, so he doesn’t cause trouble outside."

"Yes, Your Highness. I’ll thrash him tonight!"

"I mean teach, not beat. Show him what is and isn’t proper," Li Yuechen said with exasperation.

After showing them around the workshop, Li Yuechen noted the time and prepared to head back.

On the carriage ride home, Li Yuechen suddenly asked, "Did my father punish you?"

Fulai paused, then quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. His Majesty did not punish this servant."

Li Yuechen nodded. "You’ve worked hard."

"Serving Your Highness is no hardship," Fulai replied, shaking his head. "I was only surprised by Your Highness’s remarkable skills."

"Well, they’re at least good for running away," Li Yuechen said with a small smile.

Fulai could not help but laugh. "That day, Your Highness moved with such ease, it was like—"

"Like a monkey?" Li Yuechen finished for him.

"No, I just couldn’t think of a better comparison," Fulai replied.

…

Days passed. By late March, Li Yuechen attended court as usual to hear the news.

Upon arrival, she heard that Duke Jian of Yong’an, Jiang Ke, had died in office.

Hearing this, Li Yuechen sighed behind the screen. In truth, though she was not close to him, she had quite liked this dark-faced man.

Emperor Li Zhi seemed saddened as well. After a long silence, he ordered a grand funeral when the remains were returned.

The rest was trivial news that Li Yuechen barely listened to—something about a Tibetan envoy seeking an audience.

She paid little attention, returning to her own affairs.

Having just recovered, she spent her days either with Emperor Li Zhi and his consort or with her brothers.

To their credit, her brothers were quite attentive, sending her many tonic gifts during her convalescence.

Now that her health was restored and she’d seen her master, things had finally settled down.

She’d promised to make a carriage for Li Zhi and wondered if the artisans at the Workshop Bureau had been affected by recent events.

That afternoon, she visited the Workshop Bureau and saw the craftsmen working methodically. She nodded in approval.

She lingered to observe.

She trusted their skill, but since they were constructing an unfamiliar item, things appeared a bit complicated.

Carpenters and blacksmiths conferred constantly; the Tailoring Bureau had even sent an old tailor to consult on the design.

When the workers saw Li Yuechen, they gathered to ask her questions.

She answered patiently and inspected the rough, newly-formed carriage body.

She had designed the carriage with a layout resembling a bus, so the whole family could sit together: Li Zhi and his consort in the back center, the children on either side.

The seats could rotate ninety degrees, so when the carriage stopped, a table could be placed in the center.

She also checked the chassis. After some thought, she decided to have them try making leaf springs—not of steel, but of bamboo, layered to achieve a similar effect.

How effective would they be? Only after building them would she know—if they worked at all.

The carpenters, hearing her description, thumped their chests and promised it would be easy to make, though they couldn’t guarantee the results.

Li Yuechen told them to give it a try—if it worked, great; if not, so be it.

They assured her there would be no problem.

After spending more than an hour in the workshop, Li Yuechen left to return to Anfu Hall.

At that moment, a young eunuch hurried over. "Your Highness, someone outside the palace gate asks to see Eunuch Fu."

Li Yuechen nodded. "Go ahead. I’ll wait here for you."

"But—"

"Go," Li Yuechen smiled, "This is the imperial city. What could happen?"

Fulai thought it over and agreed. "Then please wait a moment, Your Highness. I’ll be right back."

He trotted off to the city wall, which was only a few hundred meters away.

Soon, Fulai returned, slightly out of breath from the run—perhaps from lack of recent exercise.

He raised his hand, revealing a gray-black stone. "Is this the black stone Your Highness mentioned last time?"

Li Yuechen took it and examined it. "Where did this come from?"

"I had Wang Xiang ask merchants from various regions to keep an eye out. If they found samples, they brought them," Fulai explained.

"How much is there?"

"Not much, just over a dozen pieces, less than twenty catties," Fulai said.

Li Yuechen nodded. "I’ll return myself. Go fetch the rest! And pay that merchant one string of cash!"

Fulai hesitated. "Should I ask him to bring more in the future?"

"No," Li Yuechen shook her head, "Let me experiment with these first. If it works, we’ll discuss more later."

"Understood!"

Fulai ran off to Wang Xiang’s shop. Li Yuechen took the stone back to Anfu Hall.

She’d seen manganese ore before; this seemed similar, but she wasn’t a geologist and couldn’t be sure by sight.

If it was genuine, perhaps she could finally produce transparent glass!

Back at Anfu Hall, Li Yuechen sat in the Linbo Pavilion, turning the gray-black stone over in her hand.

Shangguan Wan’er approached and, seeing her lost in thought, asked, "Your Highness, what is so special about this stone?"

Li Yuechen shook her head lightly. "Whether it’s special or not still needs to be tested…"

She swung her legs over the railing, looking quite at ease.

Shangguan Wan’er seemed worried. "Your Highness, you’ve just recovered. Best not sit here; what if you fall?"

"Don’t worry, I swim very well." Li Yuechen put down the stone and turned to her. "By the way, summer is almost here. When the weather’s hot, how about I teach you how to swim?"

Surprised by the sudden offer, Shangguan Wan’er thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright!"

Soon Fulai returned with a large sack.

Li Yuechen opened it and examined the contents. It looked right, but her memory was hazy after so many years.

Whether it would work, she couldn’t say. Still, tomorrow she could take the stones to the glass workshop for the craftsmen to test.

If they succeeded in making transparent glass, she could finally make a few magnifying glasses for fun.

Once the magnifying glass was made, she could persuade Li Zhi to invest and buy up all this stone. For a long time to come, the Tang Dynasty would be the world’s largest glass producer!

In this era, pure transparent glass was exceedingly rare—its appearance would make it a priceless treasure.

But she also realized that if glass could be mass-produced, its value would surely plummet over time.

Li Yuechen caught herself—she was thinking too far ahead. For now, she needed to see if it could be done first!