Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Setup

Back at Anfu Hall, Li Yuechen sat down on the railing of Linbo Pavilion, pondering what to do next.

There was no need to go to the Ministry of Revenue every day; after all, she was a princess. Being late, leaving early, or even skipping work should all be considered normal, right?

For Li Yuechen, she had never properly held a job in her previous life, let alone this one. Compared to working, making herself happy was far more important.

Speaking of which, what she most wanted to create right now was a glass mirror, though she couldn’t quite recall how to make one at the moment.

If she could craft an extra-large floor mirror, it would surely please her father and mother for quite some time.

In fact, the bronze mirrors of this era were not bad at all.

Li Yuechen didn’t know what bronze mirrors looked like during the Qin and Han dynasties, but at least now, they were not the dull yellow brass with poor clarity often portrayed in dramas.

Instead, the mirror surfaces in this era were silver-white, polished to a bright shine, and their clarity wasn’t much worse than that of glass mirrors in the future.

They resembled highly polished stainless steel plates with excellent clarity.

However, the drawbacks were clear: firstly, due to the difficulty of manufacture, they were quite small—at most about the size of a laptop; secondly, the mirror images tended to distort the reflected figures somewhat.

At present, Li Yuechen had forgotten how to produce silver mirrors. Though she still remembered the mercury method, it was quite labor-intensive.

She definitely didn’t want to poison all her workers, as that would be far too costly.

But… perhaps she could consider other approaches, such as using gas masks or something similar.

***

The next morning, as usual, she woke early to practice yoga with her two elder sisters and Shangguan Wan’er. After breakfast, they went to the courtyard to practice martial arts.

Starting today, in addition to fist techniques, weapon training would be included.

After a session of boxing, Li Yuechen picked up a wooden staff about two meters long and began practicing.

According to her master, Liu Rengui, the length was set based on her current young age and stature.

When she grew up, the real halberd she would use would be nearly ten feet long!

Though somewhat exaggerated, Li Yuechen understood the principle: the longer the weapon, the more powerful it was. A longer weapon could strike first and kill the opponent.

Moreover, Liu Rengui was a seasoned battle-hardened general with extensive combat experience, far more qualified to advise than Li Yuechen, who had barely fought in her life.

Having memorized the routine, Li Yuechen began practicing with the wooden staff. Compared to her past life, her physical fitness in this life was much stronger, with highly developed athletic reflexes.

The wooden staff twirled flexibly between her hands like a writhing earth dragon.

Her body moved with the staff, as if weapon and wielder were one. She swung the slender wooden pole with fierce energy.

Generally, the mornings in Anfu Hall were quiet. Li Yuechen practiced boxing in the courtyard while Shangguan Wan’er followed her mother inside to read and write. Xiao He, having nothing to do, would also join to listen and learn.

The two elder sisters would usually spend this time reading or practicing calligraphy.

However, today the peacefulness of Anfu Hall was broken by a faint “whooshing” sound.

The first to notice was Shangguan Wan’er, who was reading with her mother Zheng Shi. Suddenly, she raised her head, looked outside, and softly said, “There’s a sound.”

“A sound?” Zheng Shi looked up curiously and turned her head to listen carefully.

Sure enough, a faint whooshing noise was audible. Shangguan Wan’er suddenly stood up, saying, “I want to go see.”

“Sit down. You must not disturb Her Highness while she is training!” Zheng Shi scolded.

“I won’t disturb her, just watch from nearby,” Shangguan Wan’er grinned and ran outside.

Zheng Shi shook her head and followed, thinking that if she caused any trouble, she would bring her back immediately.

At that moment, Xuan Cheng and Princess Yiyang also came to the hall’s entrance out of curiosity.

Shangguan Wan’er moved aside a little, revealing half her body as she peered outside.

In the courtyard, a red figure was flipping and dodging, wielding a long wooden staff, continuously striking the air with a whooshing sound.

The long staff rolled ceaselessly between her hands, as if alive, twisting and tearing through the air.

Shangguan Wan’er’s eyes widened, feeling that today’s princess was more heroic and valiant than usual.

Li Yuechen spun around, thrusting as the staff stabbed forward; her black ponytail whipped through the air like a divine dragon’s tail, sweeping the air and slowly floating down on the breeze.

“Whoosh—”

***

Li Yuechen exhaled deeply and brushed away a strand of hair sticking to her forehead with sweat.

“Alright, stop watching. Go back inside.”

Hearing her words, her two elder sisters nodded and turned back into the hall.

Shangguan Wan’er hesitated but finally turned away, casting a couple of glances back.

Seeing Li Yuechen wave at her, she reluctantly returned inside.

Li Yuechen didn’t mind having company while training, but it distracted her focus.

After putting down the staff, she picked up two small hammers and continued practicing.

While training, she thought about making these two hammers bigger when she grew up.

Since she was much stronger than ordinary people, handling heavier hammers would be feasible.

These tiny hammers spoiled the beautiful childhood she once imagined, so if given the chance, she vowed to wield a large hammer in her lifetime.

Not necessarily as massive as the hundreds of pounds wielded by Li Yuanba in the legends, but at least somewhat larger and more imposing.

These billiard ball-sized hammers felt neither powerful nor impressive in her hands.

If she could hold a hammer like Li Yuanba’s, just planting it in front of an enemy formation would be enough to scare many away.

Li Yuechen shook her head, dismissing such wild thoughts, and focused on her practice.

Time passed quickly once her attention was fully engaged until Xiao He, standing nearby, reminded her it was time to eat.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Li Yuechen returned to the inner hall to bathe.

Soaking in a wooden tub, she grabbed some unknown herbs from the bottom and rubbed them on her body, shaking her head. She resolved to find a way to make a scrubbing cloth.

Xiao He lathered her with soap, then rinsed her: “Your Highness, you may come out now.”

In the past, Xiao He would carry her out after bathing, but now she was too heavy.

Li Yuechen guessed her weight must far exceed that of her peers, though it was not apparent from her appearance.

She knew that such great strength required dense bones and muscles to support it, so having a heavier weight than others her age was normal.

Fortunately, her figure was no different from ordinary people, so it was impossible to tell from her looks.

After bathing and dressing in clean clothes, Li Yuechen felt grateful for being born into royalty, as bathing was a luxury for commoners.

Ordinary people in this era rarely bathed daily; bathing once a month was considered good.

Poor families might bathe only a few times a year, enduring great hardship.

As she thought about this, Xiao He finished braiding her hair, and Li Yuechen went to the inner hall where it was almost lunchtime.

With nothing pressing and no cleaning duties today, Li Yuechen beckoned Shangguan Wan’er to join her and her two elder sisters for the meal.

Shangguan Wan’er sat nearby, hugging a flatbread larger than her face and nibbling on it while saying, “Today, Your Highness was amazing! That long staff even made the wind whistle.”

“Er…” Li Yuechen raised an eyebrow, “Actually, you can make a whistling sound with your swings too.”

Princess Yiyang smiled: “But Chen’er is indeed getting better and better. When she grows up, she’ll definitely become a top expert!”

“An expert, yes, but top-tier? Forget it,” Li Yuechen waved her hand. If she were a boy, maybe, but as a girl, she needed to protect her hair carefully.

As they chatted, Fu Lai, who was serving nearby, quietly estimated that today the princess had eaten at least half a catty of mutton and four flatbreads… and she was only seven years old!

***

In the afternoon, still thinking about the telescope, Li Yuechen arrived early at the Craftsmen’s Workshop.

The artisans understood its importance and had already prepared it. Upon seeing Li Yuechen, they respectfully handed it over.

After adjusting and briefly testing it by looking into the distance, Li Yuechen nodded, then waved at Fu Lai and walked out.

Fu Lai tipped the craftsmen two gold beans each and quickly followed.

This telescope was well made, with adjustable spacing to suit most users.

It was constructed using mortise-and-tenon joints, and no nails were visible from the outside.

Crucially, it used concealed tenons; apart from barely noticeable seams, there were almost no signs of assembly.

***

Li Yuechen only learned about concealed tenons after arriving in this era. Previously, she had only heard of mortise-and-tenon joints online but never of concealed ones.

Arriving at Renshou Palace, Emperor Li Zhi saw the object in her hands and immediately recognized it as something valuable. He eagerly reached out, “Come, let me see.”

Li Yuechen smiled and handed over the telescope: “Father, please look. This is an upgraded version of the telescope.”

Having seen a monocular telescope before, Li Zhi knew how to use it instantly. He took it and peered out the window.

“Wow—what a treasure!” Li Zhi exclaimed, admiring the scenery outside. “It’s as if it’s right before my eyes!”

He even gestured as if reaching forward to grab something, making Li Yuechen almost burst out laughing.

Empress Wu Zetian also came over: “Is it really so magical?”

“Meiniang, you’ll see for yourself,” Li Zhi handed it to her.

As expected, Empress Wu couldn’t resist and began fondly examining it.

Taking the opportunity, Li Zhi sipped his tea: “Chen’er, your shop’s revenue grows daily. What are your plans next?”

“To expand production and sell to other provinces,” Li Yuechen replied. “I’ll focus on the Eastern Capital and Chang’an; other places can be handled by agents.”

“Agents? What are those?” Li Zhi asked, puzzled.

Li Yuechen explained in simple terms: “This way, I can concentrate most of my energy on expanding production.”

After hearing the explanation, Wu Zetian put down the telescope and showed a hint of appreciation: “How will you ensure merchants sell at the prices you set?”

“That’s simple. We sign contracts specifying terms, and I will send people posing as buyers to investigate,” Li Yuechen said with a slightly cunning smile, “As a princess of the Tang Dynasty, surely no one dares break a contract with me.”

Hearing this, the couple exchanged satisfied glances and nodded.

“Speaking of which, the Jixian Workshop will definitely be insufficient in the future. I want to build a factory outside the city, near the military garrison,” Li Yuechen said. “That way, no one will dare trespass.”

“Good, approved!” Li Zhi nodded. “I’ll arrange it for you!”

“Long live Father!” Li Yuechen raised her fist.

After chatting with them a while, Li Yuechen left Renshou Palace and boarded a carriage, planning to visit Jixian Workshop.

The carriage headed straight to the workshop, bypassing the palace.

Along the way, Li Yuechen lifted the curtain to look out, sensing that the Eastern Capital had undergone some changes recently.

Previously, women on the streets wore veils atop their heads. Though these didn’t hide their faces, it was a customary formality.

But now, hardly any women wore veils; most had discarded them entirely, fully revealing their faces.

Seeing this, Li Yuechen pondered and roughly understood the reason.

Now the entire Eastern Capital knew that women had started holding official positions, and many women had grown more confident as a result.

She actually liked this sight. Only a strong and confident civilization allowed women to fully express their individuality.

In a way, this was a further advancement of Tang civilization.

Thinking this, Li Yuechen lowered the curtain.

As the carriage neared Jixian Workshop, a sudden scream rang out, “Ahhh—” and the carriage came to a halt.

Frowning, Li Yuechen rose and drew back the curtain: “Did we hit someone?”

The gatekeeper driving the carriage looked grave: “Your Highness, be careful. The person ran into us on their own; it might be a trick!”

A man in his forties was rolling on the ground, clutching his leg. At the mention of “Your Highness,” he froze, then his face turned pale with fear.

Judging by his reaction, Li Yuechen understood.

This man must have seen plainclothes guards around her carriage and thought it was a wealthy family’s carriage, intending to scam and extort money.

He hadn’t expected to target the royal family, hence his terrified expression.

Li Yuechen found it amusing and crouched on the carriage frame, asking, “Who are you? May I have your name?”

The man looked at the surrounding plainclothes guards and grimaced: “Your Highness, my surname is Lai, given name Cao.”