Chapter 49: Sang Qian

"Princess of Jianling, Master Dong invites you to the library." A page boy at the Imperial Academy stood at the classroom door and called for Liu Li.

Liu Li gently brushed off Chen Yu's hand, stood up, and said: "Mm, lead the way."

She followed the page boy all the way to a building on the other side, where Dong Zhongshu was sitting upright in the main seat. Incense was burning in the library, and the smell was not very pleasant.

As soon as Liu Li walked into the library, she was almost choked by the incense, and she raised her hand to cover her nose lightly.

Seeing this, Dong Zhongshu just smiled lightly and said: "This is incense for repelling insects. Ants and insects become numerous in the spring and summer seasons, so it is necessary to burn incense in the library to repel them."

"So that's how it is." Liu Li automatically understood this scent as mosquito repellent.

She looked at Dong Zhongshu and raised her hand to bow in a proper manner: "Student greets Master."

"Princess of Jianling, please sit." Dong Zhongshu did not neglect her just because Liu Li was only a six-year-old child; he had already prepared a seat beside him.

Liu Li sat down behind the desk and turned to look at Master Dong: "I wonder why Master specifically called me over?"

Dong Zhongshu stroked his beard, a look of loving kindness appearing on his face: "I heard that it was the Princess of Jianling who specifically proposed to the Emperor to establish the Imperial Academy."

Speaking of this matter, Liu Li was also a bit ashamed. After all, she was just standing on the shoulders of historical figures and proposed this idea in passing. The person who should have truly proposed the idea of establishing the Imperial Academy should have been Dong Zhongshu.

Liu Li said modestly: "I just mentioned it to Father Emperor in passing; it was mainly due to the support of you, Master, and the other doctors that the Imperial Academy could be built."

Seeing that Liu Li was so modest at such a young age, Dong Zhongshu appreciated Liu Li even more: "As the legitimate eldest Princess of the Han, being able to have such thoughts, I think you must be deeply influenced by the Emperor."

Liu Li: "..."

"How does the Princess think the Imperial Academy should teach in the future?" Dong Zhongshu actually wanted to discuss this matter with Liu Li seriously.

Liu Li couldn't help but sit up straight, straighten her back, and say: "The main purpose of establishing the Imperial Academy is to cultivate talent for the Han. Currently, the students coming to the Imperial Academy are only children of marquises; in fact, this still has a certain degree of limitation, but this is also related to the fact that the Imperial Academy has just begun."

"In the future, when the educational system of the Imperial Academy is perfected, Imperial Academies can be built all over the Han, with doctors arranged by the court to teach. And students will not be limited to children of marquises; as long as they are of appropriate age, ordinary people who want to study can enter the academy to study. Those with virtue and talent, as long as they pass the examination, can be appointed to official positions according to their talent, and their positions can be determined according to their virtue, to serve the Han."

Liu Li's statement coincided with Dong Zhongshu's.

The Western Han had a special military service policy, where the whole country was soldiers, divided into regular soldiers and corvee soldiers. Regular soldiers belonged to the compulsory military service system, that is, all Han people had to join the army for two years at the age of twenty-three, and if they encountered war, this period would be extended.

Corvee soldiers were simpler; they had to spend 3 days a year in the army, and those who didn't want to go could pay someone to replace them.

Under such a system, if ordinary people wanted to enter the court as officials, without someone to recommend them, they could only achieve it by joining the army. For some people with ideas and virtue, this was undoubtedly very difficult. Now the appearance of the Imperial Academy could be considered as opening another path for these people to serve the country.

After listening, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but clap his hands: "What the Princess said is very true!" He pondered for a moment and said: "However, it is indeed too early to say these things now."

There were only thirty-some students who came to report to the Imperial Academy now, even fewer than expected, so education had to be taken slowly.

When Liu Li came out of the library, her head was still a bit dizzy, and she always felt that she had changed history again in a strange way.

When she returned to the previous classroom, there were only a few students left. Liu Li was curious and turned to look at the young lady near the door, walked over, and asked: "Where are the others?"

The young lady came back to her senses and looked at Liu Li, saying softly: "Returning to the Princess, the page boy said that everyone can go back today and come tomorrow for formal teaching."

Liu Li nodded: "Then why haven't you left yet?"

The young lady's eyes turned slightly red, and she said with some grievance: "I left for a moment just now, and my brother has already

left with the servants."

Liu Li frowned: "How excessive, why didn't your brother wait for you?"

The young lady slowly lowered her head and didn't speak, but was silently wiping her tears.

Seeing her like this, Liu Li sat down beside her, reached out and took a piece of candy from her bag, and handed it to her: "Don't cry, let me treat you to some candy."

The young lady hurriedly shook her head: "I cannot, you are a Princess, I am just..." I am just a small illegitimate daughter.

"In the Imperial Academy, we are all students." Liu Li stuffed the candy in her palm to her: "Eat it, wait a while and you can go with me, I will send you home."

As she spoke, she subconsciously turned her head to look for Liu Yue and Liu Ling in the classroom, but couldn't find them. The few people remaining were those whose family carriages had already left, and they could only arrange for carrier pigeons or others to pick them up.

Could it be that the two of them had also left first?

The young lady held the candy in her palm, turned her head, and saw Liu Li's slightly darkened expression. She whispered: "Princess Yue and Princess Ling left with the Pingyang Marquis Cao Gongzi."

After hearing this, Liu Li nodded lightly: "So that's how it is." She wasn't worried about not being able to return to the Weiyang Palace, so she turned and asked the young lady beside her: "What is your name, and which marquis family are you from?"

"My name is Wei Yan'er, and I am the daughter of the Pingqu Marquis Wei Xin." Wei Yan'er's voice was thin and soft, and quite pleasant to hear.

This Pingqu Marquis Wei Xin was the son of the previously deceased Jianling Mourning Marquis Wei Wan. After Wei Wan died, Wei Xin should have inherited his father's title to become the new Jianling Marquis. But A Jiao had an extra thought, and Wei Xin's fief was changed to Pingqu. Thus, there was the current Pingqu Marquis.

Then the Wei Yan'er before her should be considered Wei Wan's granddaughter.

Wei Yan'er said: "My mother is my father's concubine, and this opportunity to come to the Imperial Academy to study was something my mother specifically begged my legitimate mother for on my behalf."

"So the brother you mentioned is your legitimate brother?"

She nodded.

"Even if he is your legitimate brother, he shouldn't have left you here alone." Liu Li stood up and patted the table: "Get up and come with me, I will send you home."

"Princess..." Wei Yan'er looked at Liu Li with some unease: "I'd better wait a little longer. If my father knows I haven't returned yet, he should... he should arrange for someone to come and pick me up."

"You don't even have the confidence when you say this yourself." Liu Li gently exposed her unease.

Wei Yan'er pulled her sleeve uneasily, her expression somewhat shy.

"Let's go." Liu Li reached out and gently pulled her arm.

Wei Yan'er hesitated for a moment, then stood up and followed Liu Li, and the two walked toward the gate of the Imperial Academy together.

Although the Imperial Academy was a place for students to study, the scenery here was actually quite good, with flowing water, pavilions, and rockeries, looking quite like a landscape painting from afar.

"Princess of Jianling, actually I have seen you before." Wei Yan'er said softly.

Liu Li blinked and asked: "When?"

Wei Yan'er: "The day my grandfather passed away, didn't the Emperor and Empress bring the Princess to the Marquis Mansion?"

"That day." Liu Li smiled suddenly: "So it seems we are quite fated."

She smiled shyly, and two shallow little dimples appeared on her cheeks: "I have been influenced by my grandfather since I was young and like reading very much, and my grandfather also taught me a lot of things. So when I knew my brother was coming to the Imperial Academy, I also wanted to come together. But I am just an illegitimate daughter and am not qualified to come with my brother."

She paused and said: "My mother knew my wish and begged my legitimate mother for a long time before she won it for me."

Even so, her brother still mocked her secretly: "You are a woman, what is the use of reading so many books? You can't enter the court."

But the Emperor clearly also said that children of marquises, regardless of gender, could enter the Imperial Academy to study.

Actually, Liu Che's decree that it didn't matter whether they were male or female wasn't because he valued the education of women; he just wanted his three daughters, especially Liu Li, not to be too abrupt when studying at the Imperial Academy.

Among the girls who came to report today, except for the three Princesses, there were only four others, and the rest were boys.

The problem of gender inequality didn't just exist in this era; it even existed in the future modern era.

Liu Li lowered her eyes slightly, collected her thoughts, raised her eyes to encourage her: "So what if you are an illegitimate daughter? Everyone is equal in the face of knowledge. If you have more talent than your brother, maybe you can enter the court as an official in the future."

Hearing Liu Li's words, Wei Yan'er gasped, her eyes full of shock. A woman entering the court as an official?! This was something she had never dared to think about.

Liu Li didn't find it convenient to say too much at this time, so she blinked at Wei Yan'er: "Alright, let's not think about these things for now, let's see if the carriage that sent me is still there."

Liu Li didn't see the carriage that sent her at the gate of the Imperial Academy. She raised her eyebrows and turned to Wei Yan'er: "It seems it's not just your brother who would leave you behind first; my sister and younger sister would also do the same."

Wei Yan'er frowned: "How dare Princess Yue and Princess Ling..."

Liu Li hummed lightly: "I'm afraid they are relying on the Emperor's former favor." Actually, Liu Li had never taken the hostility of the two sisters Liu Yue and Liu Ling to heart.

In her eyes, these two little Princesses were still just children, one seven and one five. If it were in the modern era, one would have just started first grade, and the other would still be a kindergartner. She didn't need to be too calculating with two children.

But now she was a little angry.

Not to mention that her status was the legitimate Princess, even if the three of them came together this morning, they should have waited for her at least when they left, right? To leave without a word, did they really think she was easy to bully?

Wei Yan'er turned her eyes to look at Liu Li, seeing the expression on her small face tense, her eyes becoming exceptionally sharp and serious, and an aura that people couldn't ignore around her, very much like the "Empress" she had secretly seen hiding behind a tree that day.

"Princess of Jianling, how should we go back now?"

Liu Li knew that if she didn't go back, A Jiao would definitely send someone to find her. She raised her eyebrows and said: "Let's just pick a ride."

As soon as the words fell, a carriage that looked quite luxurious slowly stopped in front of the Imperial Academy. The coachman came over and handed the identity plate to the guard at the door, indicating his identity: "I am the coachman of the Sang Mansion, here to pick up our young master."

Liu Li smiled: "Look, isn't a ride here? And it's the Sang family's."

Currently, the only family surnamed Sang in the Han court was Sang Hongyang's family. Liu Li decided to hitch a ride on the Sang family's carriage home today.

Liu Li and Wei Yan'er waited at the gate for a while before Sang Hongyang's son, Sang Qian, walked over slowly, and there was another older boy beside him.

The two walked over and saw Liu Li waiting at the gate. The boy beside Sang Qian raised his hand and bowed to Liu Li: "Greetings, Princess of Jianling."

The boy looked at least fourteen or fifteen years old. Liu Li looked up at the boy's appearance, her small face full of appreciation. Was the Western Han a place that produced handsome men? Why was this little brother so handsome?!

Sang Qian at the side quietly raised his hand and waved it in front of Liu Li's eyes: "Princess, wake up."

Liu Li came back to her senses, turned her eyes to look at Sang Qian's playful expression, coughed lightly, and said seriously: "Young Master Sang, can you let your family's carriage send me and Wei Yan'er home?"

Sang Qian's expression paused, looking at Liu Li and Wei Yan'er, seemingly somewhat embarrassed. But he also knew that he couldn't refuse such a thing.

"Do I have room to refuse? Princess of Jianling?" Sang Qian made a gesture of invitation while still having to make a snide remark. This personality was quite like his father, Sang Hongyang.

Liu Li raised her eyebrows and said: "I'm sorry, I wasn't asking for your opinion just now, I was just informing you that this Princess is going to requisition your family's carriage."

"Ha." The boy suddenly let out a low laugh, the smile on his lips somewhat charming.

Sang Qian seemed somewhat dissatisfied: "Brother Han, what are you laughing at?"

The boy revealed a gentle smile and said generously: "The Princess of Jianling is very humorous."

Liu Li's mouth twitched.

Seeing his young master arrive, the coachman of the Sang family hurriedly knelt by the carriage to let his young master board. Sang Qian raised his hand and said: "Princess, please board the carriage first."

Liu Li reached out and shook Wei Yan'er's arm, whispering: "Sister Yan'er, you go up first and then pull me up."

Wei Yan'er was stunned, meeting Liu Li's pleading expression, she didn't find it convenient to ask more, so she nodded

: "Yes." As she spoke, she boarded the carriage first, and then with Wei Yan'er's help, Liu Li also successfully sat on the carriage.

Sang Qian turned to say goodbye to the boy: "Brother Han, then I'll go back first." After that, he also boarded the carriage.

After Sang Qian sat in, Liu Li asked: "Young Master Sang, that boy just now, why haven't I seen him? Who is he?"

Sang Qian replied: "Brother Han? He is the son of the Xiangcheng Marquis Han Ying."

"Wow, is he actually the son of Master Han?" No wonder that boy had a gentle and refined feeling just now.

This Xiangcheng Marquis Han Ying was appointed as a doctor when Emperor Wen of Han was on the throne, and he was also the Grand Tutor of the Changshan King Liu Shun during the time of Emperor Jing of Han. He was a very talented gentleman.

It is said that he was also the founder of the "Han Poetry School" in the Western Han.

Sang Qian raised his eyebrows and said: "This is a private carriage and cannot enter the Weiyang Palace. So after sending Miss Wei home, the Princess will go home with me, and I will have my father arrange a carriage to send the Princess back to the Weiyang Palace."

Liu Li nodded, indicating she had no objections.

Sang Qian looked at Wei Yan'er.

Wei Yan'er met Sang Qian's gaze, hurriedly lowered her head again, and whispered: "Sang, Young Master Sang, why do you keep looking at me?"

Sang Qian: "Miss, you haven't told me your address yet."

Wei Yan'er: "..."

Finally, she reported her address in a very low voice, then lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Sang Qian told the coachman to take them there first.

Seeing this, Liu Li chuckled, thought for a moment, took out a box of chocolate from her bag, opened the box, and sent it to Sang Qian: "Take one, treat yourself, thank you for being willing to send us home."

Sang Qian stared at the chocolate in Liu Li's hand for a long time before reaching out to take a black thing from the box and asking: "What is this? Can it be eaten?"

Liu Li nodded: "It's considered candy, of course it can be eaten." As she spoke, she took one herself and put it in her mouth, then handed the box to Wei Yan'er: "Sister Yan'er, you try it too."

Wei Yan'er hesitated for a moment. She was originally embarrassed to take it, but couldn't resist her curiosity, so she reached out and took a piece and slowly put it in her mouth.

Liu Li asked with a smile: "Is it delicious?"

Wei Yan'er held the chocolate in her mouth, and a bitter and sweet taste spread in her mouth. The taste was very strange; it was a taste she had never eaten in her life, and she couldn't say whether it was delicious or not.

"It's quite smooth." Sang Qian gave his evaluation: "There is actually such bitter and sweet candy in the world."

Liu Li chuckled. This evaluation actually matched the advertisement of a certain brand, truly an affirmation from the ancients.

The carriage soon arrived at Wei Yan'er's home. Wei Yan'er looked at Liu Li gratefully: "Thank you, Princess, for sending me home."

"You're welcome, hurry back." Liu Li said hurriedly.

Sang Qian rested his hands behind his head, leaned against the carriage, and raised his eyebrows: "Wasn't the carriage that sent you back mine? Why do you only thank the Princess and not me?"

Wei Yan'er's face turned red instantly, and she hurriedly thanked Sang Qian again.

After Wei Yan'er got off the carriage, the carriage started slowly again. Liu Li said angrily: "Young Master Sang, you really know how to belittle people."

"Sorry, I'm used to being belittled by my father."

Liu Li was curious: "Does Master Sang often belittle you?"

"Ever since my father met the Princess."

Sang Qian thought of a day more than half a year ago. He had just taken a bird's nest from a tree when he was caught red-handed by his father, Sang Hongyang. Then his father didn't say a word, picked up a rattan, and beat him up.

Later, he covered his scarred buttocks and asked his father why he hit him. His father began to belittle him for being Sang Hongyang's son, yet not thinking at all about how to accumulate wealth for the family.

"Princess, you tell me, as a member of the Sang family, my father is responsible for accumulating wealth, and I am responsible for spending money. Isn't this inflow and outflow correct?"

Liu Li nodded: "It seems to make some sense, but have you ever thought that your father is accumulating wealth for my family?"

There was silence in the carriage for a while, and Sang Qian suddenly laughed: "I finally know why my father likes you so much, Princess."

Liu Li blinked: "Why?"

"I'll say it, don't get angry." Sang Qian said.

"Go ahead, I shouldn't get angry." Liu Li felt that Sang Qian was quite fun. How did that saying go? Beautiful skins are all the same, interesting souls are one in a million.

Sang Qian: "You and my father both have a smell of copper."

Liu Li: "..." She pretended to be serious, raised her arm, sniffed herself, and then looked at Sang Qian: "I think the phrase 'smell of copper' is wrong; it should be called 'scent of copper.' I smell good."

Sang Qian: "..."

"Hahahaha!" He suddenly burst into laughter: "Princess, you are truly too interesting, making me like you a little too."

Liu Li's mouth twitched: "..." That was really unnecessary.

Actually, this was Liu Li and Sang Qian's second meeting. The first meeting was in the Weiyang Palace.

That time, the potatoes cultivated by the Shaofu Office had grown. Because Liu Li had promised Sang Hongyang that she would leave the potatoes for him to handle, Liu Li specifically discussed with Sang Hongyang how he planned to use the potatoes to develop business opportunities.

Sang Hongyang's ideas really coincided with Liu Li's. He planned to sell the potatoes to various vassal states to accumulate their money. At that time, potatoes had only appeared in the Weiyang Palace, and for people outside the palace, this was something they had never seen before.

Thus, the first batch of potatoes grown was successfully promoted to several neighboring vassal states by Sang Hongyang in various flashy ways, and the national treasury +10086.

Afterwards, he also sent a portion of the potatoes to the Sang family's firm in Luoyang, where they were made into delicious dishes and sold, earning a huge profit again. Now potatoes had been promoted among the people, from being worth a thousand gold at the beginning to now where ordinary people could also afford to eat potatoes.

During this time, not only did Sang Hongyang earn a lot of money, but Liu Li's private small treasury was also almost piled up like a mountain. However, Liu Li felt she didn't need this money, so she kept it piled in her private small room.

On the day of dividing the money, Sang Hongyang specifically brought his son Sang Qian along, attempting to arouse his son's inner talent for accumulating wealth. He firmly believed that since he was so talented, his son must also be.

That was the day Liu Li met Sang Qian.

This teenager, Sang Qian, was truly very interesting. Although she had only met him twice, Liu Li felt as if he had been a good friend for many years.

It was a pity that Sang Qian was not famous in history, so the system couldn't identify him and couldn't unlock his favorability value.

However, because Liu Li had studied Sang Hongyang in history, she also knew that Sang Hongyang's son, Sang Qian, died in the coup during the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han.

Liu Li thought that Emperor Zhao of Han shouldn't appear in this space-time, so the ending of Sang Hongyang, including the entire Sang family, should all become different, right?

"Sang Qian, I don't want to return to the Weiyang Palace now, take me to the Chang'an market to see." Liu Li said: "I've grown up so much and haven't been to the market yet."

She had been in the Western Han for so long and hadn't had the chance to see the commercial market of this era. Now that she had the chance, she wanted to observe this commercial street from thousands of years ago.

"Why don't you go back?" Sang Qian was puzzled.

"Because I want to teach those two willful little Princesses a lesson." Liu Li raised her eyebrows: "I was too good to them before, making them forget that I am the legitimate eldest Princess of the Weiyang Palace."

Sang Qian moved his eyebrows and didn't ask more, knocked on the carriage door and said: "Old Zhang, go to the market." ===== CHAPTER 50 =====