Chapter Eighty-Nine: Glasses

As the days grew hotter and hotter, Emperor Gaozong and his wife found themselves missing the useful little world they had enjoyed in the Jewel Pool the year before.

By the end of May, with nothing pressing to do that day, they decided to go swimming.

Since the road to the Jewel Pool passed by Anfu Hall, the two of them agreed to stop there first to fetch their daughter.

After all, Princess Yuechen was an excellent swimmer; if she were there to keep watch, they could enjoy themselves with greater peace of mind.

When they arrived at Anfu Hall and stepped into the courtyard, they were greeted by a broad sweep of lush green grain heads.

A breeze passed through, and they could even hear a soft rustling.

The grain swayed with the wind. Some of the heads had already begun to change color; by next month, they would all be turning golden.

The ears were so plump that it was plain to see, so densely packed in that little patch of land that the earth’s natural color was almost completely hidden.

The couple exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of astonishment in the other’s eyes.

They quickened their steps, went to the edge of the field, and crouched down. Gaozong gently reached out and drew one stalk of grain into his hand, examining it closely.

Empress Wu softly extended her hand and stroked the heads in his palm, her touch so tender it seemed she feared bruising them.

The two of them remained crouched there in silence.

Xiaohe came out from the hall, saw the emperor and empress crouching beside the field, and was startled speechless.

She hurried over at once to pay her respects, but Zhang Chengxin, who was behind them, waved her back and told her to wait where she was.

Xiaohe did not understand what was happening and could only remain in place.

Looking at the grain in his hand, Gaozong suddenly broke into a grin. “Though the result has not yet appeared, it is already more or less certain.”

“Yes,” Empress Wu said, nodding with feeling beside him. “Who would have thought that girl would truly manage it?”

Gaozong shook his head and, pressing a hand to his knee, rose to his feet. Zhang Chengxin quickly stepped in to support him.

“To be honest, I am beginning to suspect that Chen’er may be the reincarnation of Shennong himself.”

“That would be too much praise from Your Majesty.” Empress Wu extended her hand, and Zhang Chengxin hurried forward to help her up by the arm.

Only then did Xiaohe hasten to bow. “I greet Your Majesty and Your Grace. I did not dare disturb you just now; please forgive me.”

“Rise.” Gaozong lifted a hand. “Where is Chen’er?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the princesses are all playing in the Jewel Pool,” Xiaohe answered respectfully.

Gaozong nodded and went with Wu Zetian side by side toward the Jewel Pool.

“See us off well,” Xiaohe said, bowing.

After leaving Anfu Hall, the two of them walked along the road to the Jewel Pool, both wearing expressions of quiet reflection.

“Mubaiang, do you know,” Gaozong said as he walked and looked up at the sky, “ever since my illness began, I have thought this was some sort of punishment from Heaven. Yet now I am convinced Heaven never punished me at all; on the contrary, it has compensated me in another way.”

“Do you mean Chen’er?” she asked.

Gaozong nodded. “Chen’er is an auspicious blessing bestowed by Heaven upon me, and upon Great Tang as well!”

At this, Zhang Chengxin, walking behind them, could not help but gape in surprise. For the emperor himself to speak thus, this princess was certain to rise with the wind in days to come!

Wu Zetian smiled. “When Chen’er was born and did not speak for three years, I worried myself half to death! Looking at it now, she may well be a true immortal reborn, one who knew all things from birth.”

“It matters not.” Gaozong shook his head. “If Chen’er’s grain experiment succeeds, then bringing her into court service will be much easier.”

Hearing that Gaozong had already made up his mind to reform the laws, Wu Zetian nodded and said no more.

She had always stood at his side. Now that he had resolved to carry out reform, of course she would remain firmly behind him.

The couple strolled to the Jewel Pool, where they saw Yiyang and Shangguan Wan’er playing in the water below.

On the corridor above Yaoguang Hall, Princess Yuechen and Princess Xuancheng stood on the railing with their arms spread wide.

“You naughty girls!”

Wu Zetian muttered a curse under her breath and was just about to call them down.

Before she could speak, the two of them leaped at once, jumping from nearly ten zhang above the water!

Under the astonished gaze of the couple, Princess Xuancheng landed upright, while Yuechen somersaulted twice in succession, spun through the air, and plunged headfirst into the water.

A few seconds later, the two of them surfaced one after the other. Only then did Wu Zetian breathe out in relief.

Gaozong, meanwhile, merely chuckled. “There is no need for concern, Mubaiang. Did Chen’er not leap in this way when she went into the water to save someone last time?”

“That little wretch really knows how to frighten people.” Wu Zetian patted her chest and let out a long breath.

When the girls saw the couple approach, they hurried out of the pool to pay their respects. Yuechen ran up first and asked, “Are Father and Mother here to swim as well?”

“Yes,” Gaozong answered with a smile. “It is hot out, so we thought we would come and cool off in the water.”

Yuechen nodded. “Then the two of you should go change at once!”

She turned and waved to Shangguan Wan’er. “Wan’er, you should go back for now. I’ll bring you to play again next time.”

Shangguan Wan’er also knew it would be best to leave quickly with the emperor and empress here, so after a respectful bow she departed.

Seeing her go, Gaozong smiled. “Chen’er, if you are fond of that little girl, it would be fine to have her stay and keep you company.”

“I’d rather not.” Yuechen shook her head lightly with a smile. “Father and Mother are naturally imposing; it would be easy to scare her. If she swallowed water, I would have to go to the trouble of rescuing her.”

Hearing his daughter’s very obvious flattery, Gaozong did not expose her. After a smile, he took Wu Zetian to Yaoguang Hall to change clothes.

Once they had changed, the couple also tied their hair back into ponytails. To be sure, they looked much fresher that way.

If Gaozong shaved off his beard now, he would even have a somewhat artistic air about him.

The family began swimming in the pool, Yuechen keeping as close to the pair as she could, so that if they were suddenly to cramp or the like, she could rush to help.

At the same time, she was thinking that later she might weave some bamboo into a kind of water volleyball to add a little more fun.

...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Just after lunch, Yuechen had been planning to read and practice calligraphy when Fu Lai suddenly came in.

“Your Highness, the artisans’ bureau says the tires can now be fitted. They ask that you come and test them.”

“Let’s go!”

The moment Yuechen heard this, she stood up and headed straight out. Fu Lai greeted Xiaohe and followed behind her.

When they arrived at the artisans’ bureau, they saw the carriage frame had already been lifted up and the craftsmen were fitting the wheels in place.

After securing the wheels, the body was slowly lowered to the ground.

Yuechen crouched down and saw that all four wheels had only flattened very slightly; one would hardly notice it without looking carefully.

She nodded, then stepped up onto the frame.

Since the body had not yet been installed, she was standing directly on the chassis.

She pressed down hard with both legs, and the leaf springs and wheels trembled gently twice.

Yuechen waved a hand. “A few more people, get up here!”

With a gesture from Fu Lai, he and several craftsmen all stepped onto the frame.

Yuechen moved below and counted. There were now nearly ten people standing on the chassis, yet the leaf springs had still not fully compressed, and the wheels were not overly flattened.

After a slight nod, Yuechen waved them down. “All right. Bring two horses over and try pulling it.”

Fu Lai agreed and hurried off. About twenty minutes later, he returned leading two horses.

After the reins and everything else had been secured, Yuechen had them stand on the frame again, then had the man at the front lead the two horses forward slowly.

The chassis began to roll gradually. Yuechen moved from the left side to the right, observing everything carefully as she went.

Fortunately, the wheels showed no obvious deformation. The leaf springs trembled lightly as the vehicle moved, and when it passed over small pits and gaps, the ride remained smooth.

When turning, the two front wheels shifted first, and only afterward did the two rear wheels slowly follow.

The joint between the front and rear frames twisted slightly; the turn was effortless, exceedingly smooth.

Seeing this, Yuechen could not help nodding, and a smile finally appeared on her face.

“Good, very good!” she said, her dimples faintly visible. “Once the body is installed, we’ll test it again.”

“Yes!” the craftsmen answered in unison.

For them, making this carriage meant learning a new craft, and it had been taught directly by the princess; in the future, that too would count as capital.

Yuechen did not care about the little calculations in their minds. She was only thinking about how far this carriage could be brought before Gaozong’s birthday.

Completion would certainly not be a problem, but if even the decorations and such could be finished together... that seemed rather unrealistic.

Of course, she did not voice her expectations. Instead, she praised them for the good work and told them to keep trying.

After leaving the artisans’ bureau, and seeing that the sky was still early, Yuechen thought for a moment and decided to go take a look at the Worthies Quarter.

She rode there by carriage, jumped down upon arrival, and was met by Wu Da, who came out with his son.

“I greet Your Highness the Princess!”

“Rise.”

Today Yuechen was in a good mood. She walked up to Wu Gouzi and smiled. “How has your schoolwork been lately?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, I can now recite the first fifty lines of the Classic of a Thousand Characters from memory!” Wu Gouzi said with a trace of pride, then took out a sheet of paper and handed it over. “Please have a look, Your Highness.”

Yuechen accepted it, glanced through it, and nodded.

The writing was poor, but at least it was all correct, with no mistaken characters.

To have learned this much in such a short time was already quite good.

“Not bad!” Yuechen nodded and returned the paper to him. “Once you’ve learned to read characters, I’ll teach you some arithmetic.”

Wu Gouzi still wanted to ask what arithmetic was, but at that moment Yuechen had already turned and walked away.

Entering the workshop, she lifted a hand to excuse the people inside from bowing, and took two steps forward. “How many lenses have you made these past few days?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, the failure rate is rather high. We have only made twenty-three,” answered the lead craftsman.

“All right, bring them all here and let me see.”

Seeing that she was not angry, the craftsmen answered and quickly brought out a tray lined with silk, upon which more than twenty round lenses were resting.

Yuechen picked them up one by one with bamboo tweezers and tried them. Unfortunately, the lenses varied too widely in prescription; she could not even find any that were close.

There was nothing to be done. She would have to make only single-lens spectacles.

For someone with myopia, a difference of one or two hundred degrees between the left and right eyes would still be normal—but a difference of five or six hundred would not be.

Yuechen had Fu Lai take the lenses back with him, then smiled at the craftsmen. “Do not worry. Keep making them.”

“Yes, Your Highness. It is just that the stones from last time are almost used up...”

“Mm. I have already sent people to collect more. They should be delivered after some time. These days, you should also think things through yourselves.”

“Yes!”

...

The next day, Yuechen had Fu Lai bring more than twenty lenses to the Hall of Benevolent Longevity.

When Gaozong saw them, he found it rather curious. “Chen’er, what do you intend to do with so many glass pieces?”

Yuechen handed him a pair of bamboo tweezers. “Please have Father and Mother try them one by one in front of your eyes, and pick the one that feels most comfortable.”

Gaozong seemed not to quite understand, but he still nodded and tried the lenses one by one before his eyes.

When he held the first one up, his expression was plainly surprised. “Well now, I never thought that looking through this lens would make things so much clearer!”

Wu Zetian also came over curiously, took the bamboo tweezers, and picked up a lens to inspect.

But after a moment she shook her head and set it down. “Looking through this, I feel dizzy.”

Yuechen privately complained to herself: you’re not nearsighted, of course you’d get dizzy.

Her mother was the kind of person who had naturally excellent eyesight.

Come to think of it, Yuechen once had a university classmate who had played on the computer every day since childhood, and even after entering university, it was common for him to stare at his phone until midnight after the lights went out.

Yet when he had his physical examination before graduation, his eyesight was still comparable to a pilot’s; he could read the very bottom row of the vision chart, and all the roommates cried out that he was a monster.

After trying all the lenses, Gaozong selected one of them. “This one feels most comfortable.”

“Then Father, wait a couple of days. I’ll have it worked on and then bring it to you.”

“Good!” Gaozong nodded. “Let me see what else Chen’er can make this time.”

In this era, making a spectacle frame was not difficult at all. Yuechen went to the gold-and-silver workshop and found a jewelry craftsman, who made a silver frame for her.

The nose support was made from polished, rounded jade, and the arms were not made with hinges. Since the thing did not need to be carried around all the time, the temple side was made fixed and seamless, formed in one piece.

Just two days later, a monocle was complete.

Yuechen carried it eagerly to the Hall of Benevolent Longevity. “Father, look!”

Gaozong studied the thing in her hand with curiosity. “How is this to be used?”

“Hehe...” Yuechen had him crouch down and personally fitted it before his right eye. “In the future, when Father reads, you won’t need to squint anymore.”

Wearing such a thing, Gaozong looked somewhat incongruous; perhaps it was because the hairstyle of a man from ancient times did not suit it. To Yuechen, it was almost funny.

“So that is how it is...”

Gaozong was also a little astonished, but then he asked, “Why is it only for one eye?”

“Because this thing can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. I hope Father will try not to use it too often in daily life,” Yuechen explained. “Unless it is truly time to read, it is better not to wear it. Otherwise, you may come to depend on it.”

Hearing his daughter, Gaozong thought it over and felt it made sense, so he removed it and handed it to Zhang Chengxin.

At the moment, all the memorials were being handled by Wu Zetian, and if there were any problems, they were told to him orally anyway; there was no need for him to read them personally. This thing would do well enough as an emergency measure.