Chapter 699: End of July

(Finale)

End of July, Yangzhou.

After nearly a month of intermittent travel, Chen Yan and his party finally reached the destination of this journey.

During that time, they rode horse-drawn carriages on land, then transferred to boats on water, witnessing countless sights that could not be seen in Chang'an.

Of course, the scenery here does not refer to mountains and rivers, but rather the daily lives of countless rich and poor families in the Tang Dynasty.

They also encountered reckless outlaws, but with Xue Li and Li Junxian present, they passed through without injury.

"We finally arrived,"

Li Tai stood beside the field, a lingering fatigue evident in his brows, yet he watched the farmers harvesting Champa Rice in the distance with considerable interest.

"Is this Champa Rice? It looks abundant on the stalks, so the harvest must be plentiful. If, as Zi Anxiong said, it can be harvested up to three times a year, then it truly lives up to Zi Anxiong and his father's painstaking effort."

Speaking so, Li Tai bent down and brushed his hand over the rice grains before him, feeling a bit surprised.

He had heard Chen Yan speak countless times about the marvel of Champa Rice, his ears even hearing cocoons; today he finally saw it.

It must be said, at first glance, Champa Rice truly justifies Chen Yan's risk of requesting from Li Shimin eight hundred men to form heavy cavalry, pouring vast wealth into training them and forging weapons and gear exclusively for them.

He also personally summoned Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang, braving great risk to leave the Tang Dynasty and storm other nations to seize grain seeds.

Li Shimin plucked a bunch of rice, a hint of joy appearing in his eyes: "Speaking of it, Champa Rice is already in its second harvest; the first time, I only knew of the harvest but never saw it with my own eyes."

"Now it finally fills the regret missing in my heart."

"According to my expectation, after this batch of Champa Rice is harvested, if all of it is used as seed, it will be enough, with Chang'an as the center, for many surrounding regions to plant Champa Rice."

"In just a few years, Champa Rice will be spread everywhere!"

"Perhaps... one day I truly can make it so that no one in the world dies of hunger!"

Li Shimin has always had one wish: that the people of the Tang Dynasty can eat their fill and dress warmly.

But those simple four words are harder to achieve than scaling the heavens; only a truly prosperous era could make such a scene possible.

And not the so‑called golden ages in history, which were merely brief periods of good governance under a particular emperor.

Champa Rice, Potato, and the continuously refined silk and cloth manufacturing techniques by Chen Yan truly gave Li Shimin a glimmer of hope.

Chen Yan stared at the Champa Rice for a long while, then smiled and turned to the two people beside him: "How is it, you two?"

"These are all the seeds you risked your lives to seize from other nations. Now seeing them planted by Tang citizens, taking root in the soil and sprouting into plump grain, how does it feel in your hearts?"

"... hard to describe," Li Chunfeng said calmly. "If you hadn't asked me, perhaps I couldn't speak at all right now."

"I find it hard to describe my current feeling; they are not merely rice or seeds, but a key that opens a new era."

Mid‑sentence, he turned, bowed earnestly to Chen Yan: "Mr. Chen, thank you."

"You gave us the chance to partake in ushering in this era; perhaps merely because we brought it back, even after ten thousand generations, the people of this land will still remember our names."

"This is something we never once imagined before."

Chen Yan was startled for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Li Shimin also laughed heartily.

Sun Simiao exclaimed, "Indeed, this is a key. If you hadn't told me personally about the marvel of Champa Rice, and I hadn't seen it with my own eyes now, I would never have believed such food existed in the world."

"To let the common folk eat their fill... sigh, no wonder Mr. Chen possesses such great medical skill, yet does not think of saving the dying and spreading his medicine."

"Treating patients, where is there an effective cure for this ailing world? You truly are the real healer..."

Sun Simiao's words fell silent, leaving Chen Yan, Li Shimin, Empress Changsun and the others in silence.

In a sense, this world is indeed sick: the disease of poverty, the disease where lives are treated like weeds, and the disease of pervasive injustice.

Sun Simiao practices medicine to heal the wounded, while Chen Yan, possessing medical skill, chose to become an official to heal this ailing world.

Both are healers, merely having chosen different paths.

At the same time, his words moved Li Shimin deeply: "Indeed, governing the world is like treating a disease; you and I are healers, yet also patients."

"Back then, Zi An, in front of me, cut open Du Ruhui's abdomen and removed an intestinal abscess that even divine physicians could not handle."

"That showed me an unprecedented method of treating illness."

"Later, Zi An's various ingenious ideas let me see different ways of governing the world."

"Even now, each time I recall it, I still find it incredible."

Chen Yan smiled, not speaking immediately, but lifted his daughter in his arms, gazing at the seemingly endless rice field before him; the twilight sun poured from the sky, covering the fields as if draped in a golden veil, bright and radiant.

"Old Master Sun, everyone has their own tasks, their own ideals, and they act upon them."

"I indeed possess medical skill, but I know that being born in such an era, medicine can only save a few, not the masses."

"So I chose this path, and the other path I leave to you."

Sun Simiao solemnly replied, "I will not fail your trust!"

During this journey, Chen Yan told him countless things, and also gave him a book that amazed him — the Barefoot Healer Handbook.

The title is far from grand, one could even call it mediocre.

However, its contents made Sun Simiao feel as if he had found a treasure, exclaiming that it is a Medical Dao Holy Book, and that Chen Yan should be called a Medicine God!

Yet Chen Yan waved his hand to refuse, bluntly saying he does not deserve such a title and telling him not to mention it again.

His attitude was very resolute.

He could not understand why Chen Yan, who could write such a book, still did not merit the title of Medicine God.

But Chen Yan kept insisting, so he did not press the matter further.

"Your Majesty."

At that moment, Wushe suddenly jogged over, holding a newspaper: "The Duke has already set out with troops; Crown Prince has fulfilled your expectation, not only providing a perfect solution to the Shandong drought but also officially implementing the tariff."

"Oh?" Li Shimin was somewhat surprised; it was still only late July, and Li Chengqian's speed exceeded his expectations.

He had thought that, without Chen Yan and the support of several heavyweight figures, it would be good enough for Li Chengqian to accomplish this in two months.

He did not expect that, less than a month after setting out, Li Chengqian had already achieved it.

Li Shimin took the newspaper from Wushe's hand, read it carefully, and finally nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, Cheng Qian this kid… very good!"

Li Tai became interested, leaned over to take a look: "To receive such praise from you, it seems the elder brother's work this time was indeed quite good, huh."

"You're not bad either," Chen Yan said casually: "You've created a tremendously powerful explosive, and also researched a Divine Might Cannon capable of besieging cities and seizing forts."

"You're only in your twenties, still young; your future achievements might even be greater."

"You two brothers each shine on your own paths, and though you later converge, it's all for the Tang Dynasty."

Hearing this, Li Tai was stunned for a while, then his face smiled like a chrysanthemum: "Not bad, not bad; we each shine on our own paths, all for the Tang Dynasty."

"Zi Anxiong, you still understand me,"

Chen Yan shook his head wordlessly, ignoring Li Tai.

Li Tai amused himself for a while; seeing no one respond, he sheepishly scratched his head and fell silent.

For a moment the atmosphere turned oddly quiet.

The group silently stared at the rice field before them and the farmer far away, sweating and wearing a joyful expression, and for a while they seemed entranced.

"His Majesty…"

Chen Yan called softly.

"I'm here," Li Shimin replied gently.

A pause of silence.

Chen Yan gazed at the rice field bathed in the evening glow and slowly said, "No more hiding, right? After we return, Champa Rice and Potato should truly step onto the stage of history."

"Indeed…" Li Shimin murmured, hand behind his back, "No need to keep waiting, and no need to keep hiding any longer."

"We really are about to create a golden age with our own hands… Zi An!"

Chen Yan, holding his daughter, felt a swirl of emotions, yet smiled outwardly: "Then today should be a day worth remembering."

"Yes, today is a day worth remembering," Li Shimin nodded slightly, his voice soft: "We too are people worth remembering."

"Do you remember the Immortality Method you told me about?"

"Our bodies will die, but our spirit will endure!"

Li Shimin and Chen Yan, in unison, spoke those words: "All we can do is use our hearts as brush, our deeds as ink, and write in this world marks that time cannot easily erase."

"When the walls we build continue to shelter the people, when the systems we implement bless future generations, when the lands we seize are home to later descendants, when the verses we compose are still sung…"

"Centuries later, the common folk, living in peace and plenty, will still recall—everything they now enjoy is thanks in part to us."

"Then our spirit will endure, we will forever live in the hearts of posterity, in those marks that time cannot easily erase!"

When they finished, each wore a different expression, and Li Shimin said gravely, "That's enough, isn't it?"

Chen Yan was slightly startled, then smiled.

Indeed, that's enough.

The wheels of history roll inexorably forward; no one can be remembered forever, but those things that truly changed this land…

A stalk of rice, a potato, a medical book, a skill—will, like seeds, take root, grow, and spread endlessly, until they cover every inch of mountains and rivers.

The evening wind blows, the scent of rice fills the air.

His daughter, cooing in Chen Yan's arms, reaches out to grasp the heavy rice ear.

"Let's go," Li Shimin turned, stepping forward, "Return to rest; tomorrow I will personally harvest the Champa Rice!"

With him leading, Empress Changsun, Li Tai, Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, and Sun Simiao all followed.

Only Chen Yan lingered a moment longer.

"Husband, let's go."

Gao Yang gently tugged Chen Yan's arm.

Chen Yan said, startled and uncertain, "What did you just call me?"

"…You'd better not give me any face!"

"Tsk, now it's just right, let's go."

Li Lizhi covered her mouth and smiled, then pursed her lips, hand resting on her belly, her eyes shimmering with maternal radiance and an indescribable happiness.

"Lizhi, let's go, what are you thinking?" Chen Yan called back.

"I'm coming," Li Lizhi replied softly, following.

Behind them, the rice field still swayed in the dusk, like a silent farewell and an eternal watch.

The party set out on the road home.

No one looked back, for the road ahead was still long.

The End!