Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Reason for Not Marrying

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the heat grew nearly unbearable. Just then, Princess Shangguan had her swimsuit finished, and since Li Yuechen had nothing better to do, she took her and her two elder sisters to swim in Nine Provinces Pond.

In truth, the pool beneath the Ripple Pavilion in the Anfu Palace would have served as well, but it was a little too small; one could soak there, but not truly swim.

The two elder sisters had already learned how to swim, and after warming up they went straight into the water.

Li Yuechen first taught Shangguan how to warm up on the shore, then spent a while explaining swimming techniques before slowly entering the water herself.

Shangguan’s talent was indeed not bad. In about half an hour, she was already able to swim on her own.

The stroke Li Yuechen taught them was breaststroke, which was relatively simple and easy to learn, so they picked it up quickly.

Seeing them swimming together, Li Yuechen simply climbed ashore.

“Where are you going, Chen’er?” asked Princess Yiyang.

“Diving!”

Li Yuechen answered, then trotted all the way up to the Jade Light Hall.

The corridor here stood very high above the water, nearly ten meters up. Yet this was the very center of Nine Provinces Pond, where the depth was more than three meters, so there was no danger at all.

Though Li Yuechen had already jumped from there once before, the two elder sisters were still a little worried. “Chen’er, don’t be reckless. What if—”

“It’s fine. Just watch, elder sisters.”

With that, Li Yuechen took a few quick steps, planted a foot against the railing, and leaped out.

In midair she performed two backflips followed by a spin, then plunged straight down headfirst into the water with a very small splash.

A few seconds later, Li Yuechen’s head surfaced. She shook her head and muttered to herself, “What a pity. Still not thrilling enough…”

For her, ten meters truly was not very high.

Princess Xuancheng, however, was quite bold and even looked forward to it. “Chen’er, won’t you be hurt diving from a high place?”

Li Yuechen thought for a moment. “Not if it is done properly. At this height, so long as one enters the water upright, there will certainly be no problem.”

In truth, diving from a height required technique.

First, one had to keep as upright a posture as possible upon entering the water, whether headfirst or feetfirst. Second, one should try to break the surface tension before impact.

If the water were as still as a mirror, the chance of injury would be quite high.

But if one tossed in a stone beforehand and stirred the surface into motion, the risk of harm would drop sharply.

Nine Provinces Pond itself was running water. Its current was not fast, but the surface was never completely still, so dropping straight down from that height was perfectly safe.

After explaining at length, Li Yuechen waved a hand. “Come, I’ll take you up there and let you try.”

“May I?” Princess Xuancheng became interested at once.

Princess Yiyang was a little frightened and shook her head. “I shall not go.”

Shangguan seemed tempted from her expression, but Li Yuechen considered that she was still young. If she lost control during the descent and slapped sideways into the water, she might injure herself. So she waved her off. “You can forget it, Wan’er. You’ve only just learned to swim; you’re not yet accustomed to it.”

Ignoring the disappointed look on her face, she took Princess Xuancheng up to the Jade Light Hall.

After explaining the key points, Li Yuechen smiled. “Don’t be afraid, elder sister. I’ll go down together with you.”

“Mm.”

Princess Xuancheng nodded, then followed Li Yuechen’s instructions, drew a deep breath, and sprang out.

She held herself upright in the air and plunged straight into the water.

Li Yuechen leaped down from the side as well. After two splashes, one large and one small, two heads surfaced in turn.

“Phew—”

Once she emerged, Princess Xuancheng let out a long breath, unable to keep the smile from her face. “How interesting. Truly interesting!”

“See?” Li Yuechen asked with a grin. “Shall we do it again?”

“Yes!” Princess Xuancheng nodded.

...

They spent most of the afternoon in Nine Provinces Pond, and by the time the hour of Shen was nearly over, the group finally returned to the Anfu Palace.

After all, they still had to go back, bathe, and dry their hair. In this age without a hair dryer, they could only come out and bask in the sun while it was still there.

After returning to the Anfu Palace, they washed together, then the four of them lay side by side on the rocking chairs in the courtyard, soaking up the sunlight.

Such a tranquil scene stirred a host of memories in Li Yuechen, and for a time she fell silent, eyes half-closed.

The other three thought she had fallen asleep, and their voices grew much softer.

If only such a life could go on forever... Li Yuechen thought.

Just then, Fulai suddenly came in. Seeing Li Yuechen’s eyes half-closed, he assumed she was asleep and turned to leave.

But the moment he turned around, he heard Li Yuechen’s lazy voice behind him. “What is it?”

“Your Highness,” Fulai said, turning back, “the glazed workshop says the samples are finished, but they do not know whether they will do.”

Li Yuechen looked up. It was not yet dusk; there should still be enough time. She rose at once. “Come, let us go and see.”

The samples Fulai mentioned were actually the two things Li Yuechen had asked the glazed craftsmen to try making.

One was a lens for eyeglasses, though unfortunately it was very hard to adjust the prescription; in practice, whatever came out was whatever you got.

The other was a prism. With this in hand, binoculars would not be far off.

Li Yuechen had little knowledge of telescopes beyond the basics. The binoculars she wanted were not Porro-type but roof-prism type.

Style-wise, she still preferred the Porro type a little more, but roof-prism models were relatively easier to make in this era.

After greeting her two elder sisters, Li Yuechen left the Anfu Palace, climbed into the carriage, and headed straight for Jixian Ward.

Upon arrival, Wu Da and Wu Gouzi were already waiting at the gate to receive her, and when they saw the princess dismount they hurriedly bowed.

“You may rise.”

Li Yuechen lifted a hand and, without pausing, entered the workshop and quickly made her way to the unfinished glazed workshop inside.

Only after she had gone in did Wu Gouzi turn to look after her and say, “Father, Your Highness’s hair is still wet…”

“Idiot! If it’s not your concern, keep your mouth shut!” Wu Da scolded him, then hurriedly dragged his son away.

Today Li Yuechen had not even tied her hair in a braid; she had come with it completely loose.

In this age, she was probably the only one bold enough to appear before people with her hair down.

When she entered, several craftsmen were momentarily stunned, but they quickly stepped forward and bowed, then respectfully held out two items. “We beg Your Highness to inspect them.”

Fulai hurriedly took them from their hands and carried them before Li Yuechen.

She first picked up the prism and held it toward the still-descending sun, shielding the other side with her hand.

A full rainbow appeared neatly on her palm, exquisite and lovely.

Fulai, standing nearby, was rather astonished, and saw Li Yuechen nod with an expression of satisfaction.

Then she used bamboo tongs to lift the lens and held it before her eye to test it.

The good news was that it truly had some prescription in it, though she could not say exactly how much.

After all, in two lifetimes she had never been nearsighted, so she had no precise feeling for such things.

The bad news was that the two lenses were not the same strength, and the difference between them was quite large.

Li Yuechen felt a bit helpless. If such mismatched lenses were made into eyeglasses, they might actually worsen Li Zhi’s eyesight problem.

After some thought, she beckoned the craftsman who had made the lenses. “Make many more of these lenses. I shall come again in a few days.”

At present, the only method Li Yuechen could think of was to make as many as possible and then compare them one by one.

If she could find a pair with similar strength, she would make them into glasses. If not, then she would make them into the Western-style monocle.

In fact, monocles were originally held in place by the brow ridge and cheekbone, since Westerners generally had higher brow ridges and deeper eye sockets, so that arrangement worked fine.

But there was no need for that here. At worst, she could simply add a little frame to the monocle as well. It was easy enough.

As for the prism, it was indeed usable. With it, they could begin trying to make binoculars.

...

When she returned to the Anfu Palace, Li Yuechen had originally intended to draw the design for the binoculars, but she saw that the sun was already tilting toward the west.

To protect her eyes, she decided to draw it tomorrow instead.

Tilting her head back, she shook out her hair, which had almost dried, and ran her hand through it a few times before deciding not to tie it up that night.

Princess Yiyang was still playing weiqi with Shangguan. Seeing her with her hair loose, she smiled and said, “If Father and Mother were to see you in such a state, they would surely scold you.”

“Then I shall not go to pay my respects tonight.” Li Yuechen smiled and waved a hand, then sat nearby to watch them play.

As Shangguan placed a black stone and turned to glance over, she smiled faintly. “I think Your Highness looks very beautiful with her hair down.”

“Mm.” Princess Yiyang nodded in full agreement. “Chen’er has a generous temperament, and in daily life she wears men’s clothes. With her hair tied up, she looks spirited and vigorous, with no trace of softness. Only when she lets her hair down does a hint of feminine grace appear.”

“I am only seven or eight years old. What do I need feminine grace for...” Li Yuechen said helplessly. “Elder sister, I’m still young.”

Since this came up, she remembered hearing that in the past her mother, Wu Zetian, had been given the title of Wu the Beautiful.

Because her own appearance took after her mother’s, it was only natural that she would seem somewhat alluring with her hair down...

But the thought only made Li Yuechen shake her head again. Honestly, she did not want to seem alluring at all.

As a girl, she already had many aspects that had become feminine enough. If she became any more alluring, she feared the first one who would not be able to stand it would be herself.

Thinking of this, Li Yuechen quickly rose and returned to her inner chamber, where she stood before a bronze mirror to take a look.

Sure enough, with her hair down, she had a little more of a young maiden’s charm than usual, and she seemed much gentler as well.

Though still just a little girl, there seemed already to be a hint of lightning in those two eyes...

A tender, porcelain-white little face, with a full brow and perfectly balanced features.

If she smiled with her lips parted, two faint dimples would appear.

Perhaps because she was still young, the face was still filled with a lovely, childlike quality.

Yet from her high bridge of the nose and those bright black eyes, one could already vaguely glimpse what she might look like in the future.

Thinking of this, Li Yuechen decided she would still try to keep her hair tied up whenever possible. Otherwise, if she went out looking like this, people asking the emperor for her hand would probably wear out the threshold.

She was quite confident in her appearance now. After all, she was the daughter of a female emperor; the bloodline was there.

Her father, Li Zhi, was a handsome man, and her mother had been alluring in her own right. Having inherited the best of both, Li Yuechen’s looks were naturally superb.

When she came out of the inner chamber, Princess Yiyang wore a knowing, triumphant smile. “Went back to admire yourself in the mirror?”

“Mm.” Li Yuechen nodded. “It seems I really cannot go out before people looking like this.”

Princess Yiyang agreed readily. “Exactly. This sort of appearance should only be shown to your future husband!”

“Future husband?” Li Yuechen first stared blankly, then shook her head violently. “No, no, no. I do not want to marry!”

“That is an odd thing to say...” Princess Yiyang grinned. “Why not marry?”

Li Yuechen thought about it. Yes, why not marry?

This was something she would almost certainly have to face sooner or later. Though she was still young now, as the years passed, Li Zhi and his wife would inevitably raise the matter!

Why not marry?

After thinking carefully for a moment, Li Yuechen suddenly stood up, her expression solemn. “Because I am too outstanding! They are not worthy of me!”

Her childish voice, coupled with such a serious expression, made Princess Yiyang burst out laughing at once.

This was something Li Yuechen had just thought of, and in that instant she had made her decision.

Originally, she had been thinking she ought to keep a low profile for the time being, since Li Zhi and his wife had already made her read the “Model for Emperors,” which meant they had noticed something was off.

But now, Li Yuechen felt that while she should indeed stay low-key, she should also try to produce as many things as possible in the future.

As long as she brought out enough things and enough benefit, the two of them would surely be unable to bear marrying her off!

For if that happened, sending her away in marriage would be a loss to the imperial house.

At some future opportunity, if she could bring out gunpowder, cement, refined salt, and the like, let us see whether they would still dare to marry her off!

From the first day she had arrived in this world, Li Yuechen had never once thought about marriage.

As for the bodily desires that came with adulthood... spare her. A person who played extreme sports did not lack for such things.

The psychological rush and intracranial ecstasy of extreme sports was far more exhilarating than the satisfaction of bodily desire.

Once she had figured all that out, the worry that had been lingering in her heart vanished at once, and she sat smiling beside them to watch the two of them play weiqi.

Though she could not understand the game, simply looking at the side profiles of the two beauties, one large and one small, was already pleasing enough. As for anything else, there was nothing to worry about.

For one thing, the knowledge she held in her mind—even if she revealed only a tiny part of it—would be enough to make Li Zhi and his wife take her seriously.

Of course, that was not truly a good method, but rather a double-edged sword.

If what she exposed were too astonishing, it might well provoke fear in the two of them.

By then, the question might no longer be one of taking her seriously. If the couple resolved to kill her, she would have no power at all to resist.

So the matter of degree... just how far she should go, still required careful thought.