Chapter 1692: Puzzle Pieces

Soft autumn light streamed through the palace gates, spilling into the hall and falling upon Emperor Liu, warm and utterly comfortable. Before the palace gates, Emperor Liu lay sprawled on the silk-cushioned floor, rear end raised, utterly absorbed in his work.

Beneath the autumn sun, Emperor Liu's face looked especially earnest—such focus was a rare sight on him these days. What had captured his attention was a jigsaw puzzle, a pastime that was not of Emperor Liu's own invention, but rather something created by Duke of Qi, Liu Yang.

In the Great Han, it was still something of a novelty. Liu Yang was the Great Han's trendsetter, driving all manner of fashions among court and commoners alike. The jigsaw puzzle was one of the most favored by Emperor Liu, thanks to its mind-sharpening qualities, and after years of accumulation, it had gained considerable popularity.

At the very least, it had entered the Great Han's education system, endorsed by the Ministry of Rites as an educational amusement, capable of yielding no small effect in enlightening children's minds during their formative education.

Of course, what Emperor Liu approved of naturally drew a response from those below. Moreover, this was not limited to elementary education—it was a pastime suitable for young and old alike, and at the very least, it had a more positive and constructive effect than those gambling-tinged games that were all the rage in upper society.

Thus, over the past several years, the jigsaw puzzle had entered countless households across the Great Han, especially among the upper classes. Whatever His Majesty the Emperor played with was obviously the best advertisement of all.

What Emperor Liu was fiddling with now was a puzzle crafted by the Imperial Workshops. Naturally, anything made for the emperor had to be special—not just in the choice of materials and exquisite workmanship, but also in its content.

This puzzle was also a map—a complete map of the Great Han—while also encompassing the grasslands, the outer northeast, Tibet, the South Seas, and other lands beyond civilization. Of course, territories beyond the Nine Provinces were rendered more roughly, resolvable in just a few modules.

Its refinement was especially outstanding in its presentation of China's traditional territories—national borders, circuit boundaries, and prefectural lines were all clearly demarcated, reflecting the administrative divisions the Great Han had implemented for many years.

It had to be said that the Great Han had invested enormous effort in the study of geography. Cartographic techniques had grown ever more sophisticated and mature, and distance calculations had become increasingly precise.

In this regard, the court had long established a tradition, maintaining a mature team of geographical researchers who, decade after decade, traversed on foot, conducting actual surveys and measurements, synthesizing their findings, and ultimately presenting the Great Han's vast territory clearly and vividly before the eyes of the world.

When the Imperial Workshops completed this Great Han map puzzle and presented it to Emperor Liu, it received high praise, and he directly ordered them to manufacture it in batches and promote it widely, so that his ministers could, through those individual map modules, more vividly and meticulously experience the empire's strength and greatness.

Emperor Liu had been working on this puzzle for half a day, completing less than a third of it. His assembly followed a pattern, proceeding along the trajectory of the Great Han's rise from obscurity to strength, from fragmentation to unification, tracing the expansion routes of the past several decades.

Along with this process, those magnificent and stirring years of yore resurfaced in memory, stirring many emotions in Emperor Liu. At key junctures, he could not help but lapse into reminiscence, and his pace naturally could not be quick.

As the module representing Chenzhou was fitted into place by Emperor Liu, he stood up—blood rushed to his head, his mind suddenly went dizzy, darkness flashed before his eyes, and his body swayed involuntarily.

This startled Yan Tuo, who stood nearby. He hurried forward to support Emperor Liu, asking with anxious concern: "Your Majesty, be careful!"

This time, Emperor Liu did not stubbornly push away the supporting hand. He closed his eyes, rested for a moment, and once the vertigo passed and light returned to his vision, he steadied himself, raised a hand to rub his forehead, and said: "I am fine. It seems I was simply too absorbed!"

"Your Majesty, perhaps you should summon the imperial physician for an examination!" Yan Tuo, still uneasy, offered the suggestion.

"No need!" Emperor Liu refused decisively, speaking softly: "Just a minor issue—it will pass once I catch my breath. No need to make a fuss over nothing. Otherwise, if word gets out, who knows what kind of commotion it might stir!"

"Your Majesty, your dragon body is of utmost importance!" Yan Tuo hesitated.

"Do you intend to defy my will?" Emperor Liu was growing impatient.

Seeing this, Yan Tuo immediately knelt and answered with fervor: "Even if Your Majesty demotes or berates me, I would not dare to be careless. I must still speak my piece—Your Majesty bears the weight of the realm and the safety of all its people. Your health must not be neglected!"

Such earnest entreaty, with tears nearly spilling from his eyes—though there was some element of performance to it—Yan Tuo's loyalty and consideration still moved Emperor Liu somewhat.

Harsh words could no longer be spoken. He sighed, waved his hand, and said: "You people! You always love to make mountains out of molehills. This is merely a normal bodily reaction from crouching too long. The way you describe it, you'd think it was something dire—completely unnecessary! Get up now. I no longer feel any discomfort!"

Hearing this, Yan Tuo looked up, gazing at Emperor Liu with pleading eyes. Seeing that he truly showed no abnormal signs, he finally answered hesitantly: "Yes!"

Still, he continued to watch Emperor Liu with careful attention, afraid he might have some accident or another, which made Emperor Liu both appreciate his loyalty and find him somewhat amusing.

His attention returned to the puzzle at his feet. Emperor Liu crossed his arms, gazing at his handiwork with a smile, and said: "Recovering Hunan—that was around the seventh year of Qianyou, wasn't it? In the blink of an eye, thirty years have nearly passed. What a long time it's been!"

"I remember, when Hunan was first recovered, it was still desolate and scarred everywhere. Now, it has become a land of fish and rice!" Emperor Liu sighed again.

Seeing Emperor Liu once more immersed in reminiscence, with a hint of self-satisfaction in his words, Yan Tuo naturally would not spoil the mood, and flattered: "This is all the merit of Your Majesty's diligent governance!"

"This credit cannot fall on me—it belongs to worthy ministers of Hunan governance like Bian Guidang and Zan Jurun!" Emperor Liu shook his head modestly.

A thought arising, he instructed Yan Tuo: "We must not forget these meritorious officials. Issue an edict—have the Hunan authorities erect steles, statues, and shrines in Changsha for the two Dukes Bian and Zan, to commemorate them!"

"Yes!"

"By the way, where is Zhou Baoquan now?" Emperor Liu thought of Zhou Baoquan, known in the Great Han for "the virtue of Mother Zhou," and asked curiously.

Yan Tuo was taken aback—this touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge. But he could hardly say he didn't know, so relying on a vague memory, he answered: "Marquis Guangping seems to be serving as an official in the Southern Yan Mountains circuit. I shall go look it up at once!"

"No need!" Emperor Liu waved his hand: "With such a virtuous mother, the children she raised should not be lacking. I imagine he must be a good official!"

In fact, Zhou Baoquan was not merely a good official—his abilities were considerable. He was currently serving as Prefectural Administrator of Jizhou, with an excellent official reputation, diligent and hardworking, much praised by his superiors and colleagues alike.

Back then, after Emperor Liu had shown special grace and ended his life of tending horses in the palace gardens, mother and son had settled in the capital. As a surrendered lord of sorts, he had received the title of Marquis of Guangling.

Under the tutelage of his mother, Lady Yan, he studied tirelessly and conducted himself with integrity. Later, at the age of twenty-six, he passed the imperial examinations and entered officialdom. Now, he was gradually becoming a renowned minister of the Great Han.

In fact, Zhou Baoquan was not an isolated case. Among those surrendered officials who had submitted to the Great Han, quite a number of talented individuals had emerged. Another representative figure was Meng Xuanzhe, the eldest son of Meng Chang. Not only was this man employed by the court, he was heavily employed—currently serving as Commander of Military Forces of Xiazhou, assisting Wang Shen in suppressing bandits in the Yulin circuit. He was a man accomplished in both letters and arms.

From this it could be seen that although Emperor Liu was a suspicious and exacting master, occasionally conducting purges and even engaging in secret-police politics, the political atmosphere of the Great Han remained relatively relaxed. On the whole, the Great Han was an extremely inclusive empire.

"This puzzle is excellent—very meaningful!" Emperor Liu stepped forward two paces, planting a foot on the capital-region piece, and said: "However, stopping at the prefecture level is still not detailed enough. Send a verbal decree to the Imperial Workshops—have them find a way to make this puzzle down to the county level."

Though it was only down to the county level, the additional work required would multiply exponentially. The Great Han currently had 1,329 counties. To craft over a thousand of these fine puzzle modules—the sheer workload could well be imagined.

But if it succeeded, it would be another grand masterpiece, of extremely great significance.