Chapter Fifty-Two: Fulai Returns

In these times, most people living inland were essentially landlubbers. Even though Luoyang City had the Luo River running through it, aside from the annual dragon boat racers, hardly anyone could actually swim.

Neither Li Zhi nor Wu Zetian knew how to swim, nor had they ever given it any thought.

So Li Yuechen decided it was time to unlock a new skill for the both of them. The very next day, she dashed to the Wardrobe Bureau and asked them to make swimsuits.

But to be honest, silk as swimwear felt rather awkward. Still, there was no helping it—this era had none of the synthetic fabrics of the future, so there was no way to make those high-elasticity modern swimsuits.

The designs she drew were simple enough: for Li Zhi, she requested swim trunks in the style of baggy beach shorts.

For herself and her mother Wu Zetian, something akin to the classic one-piece school swimsuit would suffice.

She’d originally considered bikinis, but mindful of the era's strict codes of propriety, she refrained.

Though she came from a much more open-minded age, wearing a bikini here would be the epitome of scandalous impropriety.

...

It must be said, the Wardrobe Bureau's efficiency was commendable. In just one day, they had brought Li Yuechen’s designs to life.

Once the garments arrived, Li Yuechen rushed to the Hall of Benevolent Longevity with excitement.

“Father, Mother, the swimsuits are ready! If you have no pressing matters today, let’s go swimming,” she announced as she bounded in.

Li Zhi, reclining in a rocking chair, nodded. “Meiniang, have you finished with the memorials?”

“Just a few left, I’ll be done soon,” Wu Zetian replied, continuing her review of the documents.

Li Yuechen waited, teasing and chatting with Li Zhi for a while.

Once everything was settled, the group made their way to the Anfu Hall to change clothes before heading out.

When it came time to change, Li Yuechen tossed the swim trunks to Li Zhi and pulled her mother into the inner chamber.

Outside, Li Zhi examined the baggy shorts and called out, “Yuechen, where’s the top?”

Li Yuechen poked her head out from behind, “Father, you’re a man—what need have you for a top?”

Li Zhi thought it over and decided she was right, then began to change.

Not long after, Wu Zetian’s voice was heard from within, “You wicked girl! How can one wear something like this in public?”

“Oh, we’re going into the water; no outsiders will see us. Mother, are you really worried about Father seeing you?” Li Yuechen’s heart was filled with resignation.

Honestly, you never seem bashful when you’re half-exposed at court, but now you’re shy about showing your legs? In these noble households, the collars are lower and lower, not much different from the low-cut dresses of the future.

Only after much fuss did Wu Zetian reluctantly don her swimsuit. At the same time, she issued an order: only palace maids were allowed in the Jiuzhou Pool—not even eunuchs permitted.

Even the head eunuch, Zhang Chengxin, was driven out.

At first, Li Zhi thought she was being a bit excessive. But when Wu Zetian emerged, bashful in her purple one-piece, he was stunned for a couple of seconds and silently admitted she was right.

After all, these swimsuits visually elongated the legs, making the whole figure appear even more alluring.

Li Yuechen couldn’t help but admire Wu Zetian’s ability to maintain her youth. Even in her fifties, her skin was still fair and taut, smooth and rosy—who knew how she managed it?

Li Zhi’s physique was also quite decent. Though he didn’t have chiseled abs, he wasn't at all paunchy—he resembled a particularly well-kept, prosperous middle-aged gentleman.

One thing was curious: perhaps due to his Xianbei heritage, he was even fairer than Wu Zetian.

Seeing his wife and daughter in their swimsuits, Li Zhi smiled, “No wonder... such garments are indeed not meant for others’ eyes.”

Li Yuechen couldn’t care less, waving it off. “It’s all palace maids outside. Let’s go!”

They made their way to the Jiuzhou Pool. Wu Zetian, at least, felt comfortable—after all, it was just the maids along the way.

Li Zhi, despite being a grown man, felt a bit self-conscious walking bare-chested under the intense gazes of the palace maids. Thankfully, his beard hid most of his blush.

But he was the emperor, after all, and quickly adjusted, striding forward, chest out, following Li Yuechen.

Soon, they reached the Jiuzhou Pool. The water was fed by a live current, connected to the Luo River outside the palace, so it was crystal clear and of excellent quality.

“Shall we go straight in?” Li Zhi asked.

“Not yet, Father. Best to warm up first.”

“Warm up?” Li Zhi was puzzled by the term.

So Li Yuechen led them both through a set of calisthenics before letting them enter the water.

It’s worth noting that, for convenience, Li Zhi’s hair had been tied into a ponytail at Li Yuechen’s request. With his handsome features, he looked rather like an artist.

After entering the water, Li Yuechen began teaching them the simplest stroke—breaststroke.

She had considered teaching them dog paddle, but decided it was too unrefined, so breaststroke it was.

The most important thing was to get them accustomed to the fear of swallowing water—a subject in which Li Yuechen was thoroughly experienced.

People can’t truly conquer fear, she believed—but they can grow used to it.

After all, she was someone who had once climbed a thousand-meter cliff barehanded; when it came to living with fear, she spoke with authority.

After assuring them not to be afraid of choking, she began teaching the movements.

To her surprise, both Li Zhi and Wu Zetian proved quite talented athletically; after about half an hour, they were already swimming with some skill.

Of course, they would have looked even better if Li Yuechen—the true swimmer among them—weren’t darting circles around them in the water.

Being able to swim in the water during summer, Li Zhi and his wife felt much cooler and calmer.

They stood in the shallow end, only their necks and heads above water, taking a brief rest.

Li Zhi brushed his ponytail back and smiled, “Playing in the pool really does cool a person off.”

“Yes, it must be the same principle as soaking in a hot spring in winter,” Wu Zetian replied with a smile.

The two chatted as they watched Li Yuechen float on her back, hands still, her pale legs gently waving, drifting across the surface.

“Who would have thought Yuechen would be such a strong swimmer?” Li Zhi shook his head with a laugh. “Amazing, truly amazing...”

Wu Zetian lifted an eyebrow. “I suspect she’s been sneaking into the water for a long time—just that we never knew.”

“That’s likely,” Li Zhi agreed.

...

They swam all afternoon, finally leaving the pool as the sun began to set, ready to bathe and change.

Li Yuechen felt genuinely refreshed. Indeed, swimming was the only way to spend a summer’s day.

After bathing and changing, she lay on her own rocking chair, letting her wet hair air dry.

As she did, she pondered the feasibility of hair dryers in this era.

The compact ones from the future were probably out of reach, but perhaps a large, stationary one was possible. In theory, as long as you had a stove and a bellows, you could blow hot air. Just keep a safe distance from the nozzle to avoid burning your hair.

Otherwise, washing your hair in winter would be terribly troublesome.

Speaking of washing, her first thought was soap—but how was that made again?

She remembered learning it once, but too much time had passed for her to recall the process in detail.

After all, so many things were only vague memories now, impossible to reconstruct fully.

...

Li Yuechen spent much of the entire summer in the Jiuzhou Pool.

Not just Li Zhi and Wu Zetian—her two elder sisters and Shangguan Wan’er were also recruited to swim.

At first, her sisters were embarrassed to wear the one-piece suits in front of Li Zhi, but they soon got used to it.

The only downside was that silk swimsuits weren't very durable; after a few uses, they wore out.

But no matter—that was a minor concern for a royal household.

As Li Yuechen spent her summer swimming, much was happening at court as well.

The Hundred Family Surnames was officially being promoted as the latest primer for children.

Previously, primers were usually the Thousand Character Classic or the Rapid Learning Primer, both a bit too complex for the youngest learners.

But with the advent of the Hundred Family Surnames, even the old aristocratic families—though reluctant to see it spread—had to admit it was perfect for children.

With this new primer came greater recognition for the name Princess Taiping.

The health balls she’d invented had already become popular in Chang’an and the Eastern Capital, though people cared little for their inventor.

But the subsequent Princess Plow and the introduction of punctuation marks had made Li Yuechen famous throughout the government.

Now, with the publication of the Hundred Family Surnames, everyone across the country who read it knew it was the work of the princess.

Li Yuechen knew many aristocrats must be gnashing their teeth at her behind closed doors—but so what? She was a princess, after all.

She cared little about the aristocrats’ reactions; her current concern was collecting fruit peels.

Indeed, after the whole of June, she began gathering fruit peels, intending to compost them.

At the beginning of July, news came from Gao Kan in Anshi City that the situation in Goguryeo had finally stabilized.

But for all this time, there had been constant wrangling with Silla, demanding they hand over An Shun.

Silla, it seemed, hoped to gain some advantage or other from the situation, and kept delaying.

So Gao Kan submitted a memorial requesting to send troops against Silla.

Li Zhi, however, rejected the request on the grounds that recent droughts made it ill-advised to start a campaign.

Listening to the news, Li Yuechen nodded in agreement; she too thought this wasn’t the time for war.

At most, Silla would shout a bit, but they wouldn’t dare truly fight. If they did, they’d be swiftly dealt with.

Her view was that they could rant all they liked; it was better to focus on rebuilding and recuperation. If Silla dared to make a real move, they could be dealt with then.

Li Zhi seemed to share this view, so he denied Gao Kan’s request, instructing him instead to remain in place and pacify the remaining Goguryeo population.

...

In mid-July, news arrived at the palace: Fulai would soon return, likely within three days.

And he was bringing back hundreds of pounds of canned lychees.

Li Zhi was overjoyed at the prospect—at last, he could eat lychees again!

Li Yuechen had been thinking of finding someone to take care of the composting outside the city, but now that Fulai was returning, she could leave it to him.

Three days later, Fulai returned to the palace.

The first order of business was, of course, to report to the emperor. Li Yuechen also went to the Hall of Benevolent Longevity.

Fulai entered and bowed respectfully. “Your servant greets the Emperor, the Empress, and Her Highness!”

“At ease!” Li Zhi waved a hand, spinning his health ball rapidly, clearly in high spirits. “Fulai, how many cans did you bring this time?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, your servant brought back more than nine hundred and thirty pounds, nearly a thousand jars in all.”

Li Zhi nodded with satisfaction. “Very good, very good...”

He rewarded Fulai generously for his efforts, and Fulai thanked him with another bow.

Li Yuechen hopped over the desk to circle Fulai and inspect him.

Fulai, puzzled, asked, “Your Highness, is something amiss?”

“You’ve tanned quite a bit,” Li Yuechen said with a smile.

“Er...” Fulai was momentarily taken aback, then ventured, “Your Highness has grown taller as well.”

Li Yuechen glanced down at herself. “Really? Well, you’ve just returned—rest for a couple of days, then get ready for your tasks.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Li Zhi waved him away. “You may go.”

As soon as Fulai had left, Li Zhi couldn’t wait to have Zhang Chengxin fetch a few jars so he could taste them with his wife and daughter.

Once the wax seal was cracked open, the lychees—soaked in syrup and glistening like crystal—were revealed.

Li Zhi eagerly scooped one out and popped it in his mouth, savoring it with eyes closed before finally swallowing.

Li Yuechen raised an eyebrow nearby. Was it really that good? It was just a lychee.

But then, she thought, in this era, even an emperor rarely had the chance to eat such a delicacy. It was understandable.

Wu Zetian was no less enthralled, relishing the taste of lychee on her tongue.

Li Yuechen, by contrast, was far more casual. She was never fond of sweets, and had tasted lychees before—there was no novelty for her.

Instead, she was calculating how much profit could be made if these canned lychees were sold.

Or perhaps, in the future, whether it would be worthwhile to form a trading caravan specializing in lychee preserves.

After all, there were plenty more things she wished to accomplish, and it was clear she’d need significant funds.

Making money was the top priority. More importantly, if she could demonstrate her earning abilities to Li Zhi, he might be persuaded to reform the tax system.

If that happened, there’d be no need to worry about tax evasion and missing households.

Of course, she knew tax reform would inevitably involve many complications—not something that could be resolved in a single sentence.

But that was no matter; these things could be tackled gradually, step by step.

With that thought, Li Yuechen smiled, scooped up a lychee with her spoon, and popped it in her mouth.