Chapter 70: Wei Qing

Sang Qian brought the abacus Liu Li had prepared home to give to his father. Sang Hongyang looked at the square little package but didn't rush to open it; instead, he asked his son, "What is this, to be wrapped in such fine fabric?"

This black fabric looked for all the world like the material used for the Emperor's court robes! Sang Hongyang even briefly suspected his son of having done something treasonous.

Sang Qian curled his lip and said irritably, "Just open it and see for yourself. I didn't give this gift, so I don't know what it is either." Despite his words, he stared at the package just as curiously, wanting to know what exactly Princess Jianling had sent.

Sang Hongyang untied the package and saw the abacus inside, along with an instruction manual gifted by Liu Li. He slowly unfolded the manual, staring at the methods for using the abacus and the bead-calculation formulas; the more he read, the more pleasantly surprised he became.

This thing was simply ingenious!

It was several times more advanced than the set of calculating rods he had at home, and if one memorized these bead-calculation formulas, future calculations would be even faster.

"Did Princess Jianling send this?" Sang Hongyang looked at the handwriting on the paper, made a simple guess, and was already certain of who the giver was.

Sang Qian nodded. "Yes. What did she write on it?" He jumped up, wanting to see the paper in his father's hand, but Sang Hongyang carefully folded the paper, tucked it into his robes, and then cradled the abacus.

"Go, go, go, go play somewhere else. I need to study this thing properly." Sang Hongyang shooed his son away and took the abacus to his study.

After receiving this gift from Liu Li, Sang Hongyang spent a long time in his study, forgetting to eat or sleep. Finally, he wrote a long and eloquent memorial to present to the Emperor.

The general meaning of the article was that the abacus had many wonderful uses and should be promoted for use throughout the country; it would be best to incorporate the abacus into the education at the Imperial Academy.

After A Jiao read Sang Hongyang's memorial, she sought out Liu Li to ask about the abacus, and Liu Li simply explained the abacus's operations to A Jiao.

"Hearing this, it truly is a good thing," A Jiao thought earnestly and said. "Every year in the eighth and ninth months, the various feudal kingdoms present their annual tributes. At that time, the Shaofu and other offices become exceptionally busy calculating these items. If they had this abacus, perhaps it could improve their work efficiency."

Liu Li nodded. "That would also be a good thing. The abacus is easy to make; let the carpenters work overtime and they can produce many. The difficult part is how to flexibly apply the bead-calculation formulas and how to use the abacus."

A Jiao laughed. "Isn't there a Doctor as intelligent as A Li here?"

"Let me go teach the officials of the Shaofu and other offices?" Liu Li pointed at herself in surprise, then shook her head. "I don't think that's very appropriate." Not to mention that she was only six years old now, and those officials probably wouldn't listen to her lectures seriously. Secondly, Liu Li didn't consider herself teacher material, nor did she have a hobby of educating others.

"You can just teach one person, and then have that person teach the others," A Jiao suggested. "Just teach Sang Hongyang. He looks smart and should learn very quickly."

"That should work." Liu Li liked dealing with smart people, and she had already written the bead-calculation formulas for Sang Hongyang; she believed that in these few days, he had already grasped most of it and only needed a little guidance from her.

Thus, when Sang Hongyang had thoroughly learned how to flexibly use the abacus for calculations, a new subject was added to the Imperial Academy's curriculum—Arithmetic.

Afterward, every student received an abacus and began rote learning the various terms, functions, and bead-calculation formulas of the abacus. Every day when Liu Li came to class, she could hear the surrounding students muttering, "One times one is one, one times two is two..."

Even with such a simple multiplication table, many students still memorized it wrong. Liu Li couldn't help but correct them, which earned her looks of great admiration.

"My goodness, such difficult arithmetic problems, and you have already memorized them, Princess?"

"Truly amazing, as expected of you, Princess Jianling!"

Liu Li: "..." You might not know, but these formulas were all written by me.

Days passed in such a pleasant learning atmosphere for a while.

One day, when Liu Li was leaving school, the guard Zhao Yingqi, who was now specifically responsible for escorting her to and from school, suddenly spoke up: "Princess Jianling."

Liu Li looked at Zhao Yingqi. "What is it?"

"This subordinate has an uninvited request." When Zhao Yingqi spoke, his face appeared somewhat embarrassed, which made Liu Li curious about what he could possibly need from her.

"Speak, what is the matter?"

Zhao Yingqi said, "This humble one has a son who is three years old this year."

Liu Li listened earnestly, but after waiting for a long time without hearing him continue, she couldn't help but ask, "And then?"

Zhao Yingqi took a deep breath and bit the bullet. "This humble one sees that the Imperial Academy is so well-established now, and I would like to send my child in to study and learn alongside the Princess. It's just that my status..."

Hearing him say this, Liu Li understood instantly. So he had come to ask for her help regarding his son's schooling.

Although Zhao Yingqi would be the ruler of the Nanyue Kingdom in the future, he was currently just a small guard in the Weiyang Palace, and his son had no qualifications to enter the Imperial Academy to study. But if the Eldest Princess Jianling spoke up, it would be different.

Liu Li thought for a moment and said, "Your son is only three this year; it might be a bit early to send him to study. Why not wait another two years? When he is five or six, tell me again, and I will help introduce him to school."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yingqi was overjoyed. "This humble one thanks the Princess in advance."

【Zhao Yingqi Favorability: 60.】

Whoa, it jumped up by so much favorability all at once. Liu Li thought of Zhao Yingqi's identity, as if thinking of something, and asked, "What is your son's name?"

Zhao Yingqi replied, "My son's name is Zhao Xing."

Liu Li smiled lightly. "Alright, I have noted it."

Zhao Xing, huh? If she remembered correctly, this should also be a ruler of Nanyue, and it seemed he was the last ruler of Nanyue.

Because after Zhao Xing, the Nanyue Kingdom was destroyed by Emperor Wu of Han. But Liu Li didn't remember the specific reason for the kingdom's destruction very clearly.

Returning to the Weiyang Palace from the Imperial Academy, Liu Li rubbed her rumbling stomach but did not see Liu Che and A Jiao in the Weiyang Palace. After asking a palace maid, she learned that the Emperor and Empress had gone to the Xuanshi Hall to discuss politics and had not yet returned.

It was already close to dinner time, and they hadn't returned yet? Could something have happened again?

Liu Li had no choice but to return to her own bedchamber first, eat a few bags of snacks to pad her stomach, and then take out today's schoolwork for a glance, which counted as having studied.

It wasn't until it was almost dark that A Jiao and Liu Che returned from the Xuanshi Hall, and the family of three sat down to eat together.

Liu Li observed Liu Che's expression; he seemed somewhat unhappy. While eating, she asked, "Did something unpleasant happen at the Xuanshi Hall?"

A Jiao picked up a piece of dried meat for Liu Li and said, "The previously enfeoffed General of the Middle Palace Tang Meng has returned."

Liu Li's eyes lit up. Was it the General of the Middle Palace Tang Meng who was closely related to the "Southwest Silk Road"?! She hurriedly asked, "Isn't his return a good thing? Why does Father look so unhappy?"

"It is indeed a good thing; the Yelang Kingdom is willing to submit to the Great Han," A Jiao said. "But the Yelang Kingdom is very far from the Great Han, so even if they are willing to submit, governing them might be inconvenient."

Liu Li nodded. "Indeed."

"So just now at the Xuanshi Hall, when discussing whether or not to accept the Yelang Kingdom, the ministers' opinions were divided," A Jiao's tone was somewhat helpless. "Most people feel that we should not accept the Yelang Kingdom."

And then Liu Che became unhappy.

Liu Che raised an eyebrow and looked at his daughter, asking, "A Li, what is your opinion?"

Liu Li said, "Of course we should accept it. How can we give up just because the road is long and transportation is inconvenient?"

Hearing his daughter's supportive remarks, the expression on Liu Che's face finally turned around, and he thought to himself: This is truly worthy of being my daughter; her thoughts are exactly the same as mine.

In fact, Liu Li hadn't thought that much; it was mainly because in history, Emperor Wu of Han accepted the Yelang Kingdom, established commanderies and counties within its territory, and incorporated the Yelang Kingdom's lands into the Great Han's map.

In ancient times, the Yelang Kingdom's territory was very vast; in the future, it should be located in the central and western parts of Guizhou, as well as parts of Sichuan and Yunnan.

In summary, Liu Li believed that the Yelang Kingdom must become the territory of the Great Han.

"Since we want to govern the Yelang Kingdom better, we must consider what methods to use to govern it," A Jiao thought of the topic the ministers were arguing about just now. "After all, that place is too far from Chang'an, and there are many small surrounding kingdoms."

Previously, the Emperor enfeoffed Tang Meng as General of the Middle Palace, letting him take the Great Han's grain, silk, and other treasures to visit the Yelang Kingdom. Tang Meng showed the Yelang King the Great Han's wealth, strength, and military power to persuade the Yelang Kingdom to submit to the Great Han.

At first, the Yelang King felt that his land was vast and his population was not small, so he didn't think he was worse than the Great Han, and thus refused Tang Meng. But he couldn't resist the opinions of other ministers and surrounding small kingdoms; they coveted the Great Han's exquisite silk and fabric, and also felt that the road from the Great Han to the Yelang Kingdom was long, so they agreed to Tang Meng's alliance.

Now that Tang Meng had returned to report this matter, the ministers' opinions were once again not unified.

Hearing this, Liu Li finally understood the significance of the "Southwest Silk Road." She slowly spoke up: "Since the road is long, then we will build a road first! Just build a road that can open up the Yelang and other kingdoms; wouldn't that work?"

Liu Che "slapped" his chopsticks onto the table, his expression a mix of surprise and joy: "Good! A Li's idea actually coincides with mine!"

In fact, when he was at the Xuanshi Hall earlier, Liu Che had wanted to propose the road-building method, but due to his status at the time, he didn't say it.

He didn't expect to hear it from his daughter's mouth now; Liu Che was truly pleasantly surprised.

A Jiao frowned because of their road-building method: "Do you know how much manpower and money it will take to build a road from the Shu region all the way to the Yelang Kingdom? Not to mention that, the road between the Ba and Shu regions is extremely dangerous; that area is basically all mountains. How is one to build a road there? I fear that by then, the people will be complaining and resentment will arise everywhere."

In fact, A Jiao's consideration was not without reason. Liu Li had traveled to Chengdu, Sichuan, in the past; in future society, there were still many dangerous mountain ranges in Sichuan, not to mention now.

Even the great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai wrote lines like "The difficulty of the Shu road is harder than ascending to the blue sky!" to lament the complexity of the Shu region's terrain, didn't he?

But should they not do it just because the cost of building this road was huge? In history, Emperor Wu of Han spent decades building this road and finally succeeded.

Now, in the space-time they were in, they had already completed economic reforms ahead of the historical Emperor Wu of Han, so they should be even more inclined to build this road.

After all, this was a road that would be recorded in history and initiate the civilization process of the Silk Road!

Thinking of this, Liu Li had to use her cheating method again and ask the system: "Who are the pioneers related to the Southwest Silk Road?"

Because she had clicked the 【Encyclopedia】 skill, the system quickly gave an answer: 【Tang Meng and Sima Xiangru.】

If Zhang Qian was the discoverer of the Silk Road, then Tang Meng was the builder and pioneer of the Southwest Silk Road.

In a sense, the Silk Road pioneered by Tang Meng was even greater.

Liu Li already knew about Tang Meng, but she didn't expect Sima Xiangru to be involved too!

Perhaps in many people's impressions, Sima Xiangru should be a civil official of the Western Han; after all, he was one of the "Four Great Masters of Han Fu" and was once hailed as the "Sage of Fu."

The several fu articles he wrote, which were passed down to later generations, were also considered unique. In addition, there was an even more widely known story, which was the romantic tale of Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun.

Yet she didn't expect that such a literary sage would also participate in such a great Silk Road.

Liu Che also understood A Jiao's concerns, but he felt that as an emperor, one could not give up just because there were difficulties. So he thought for a moment and said: "Today Tang Meng mentioned that when he was in the Shu region before, Sima Xiangru helped him a lot."

Because Tang Meng started his mission from the Shu region, his actions might have been a bit too big, disturbing the local people. Sima Xiangru then wrote an article called "Proclamation to Ba and Shu" on behalf of the imperial court, which instantly pacified the people's hearts and also raised the Emperor's status in the people's minds.

Liu Che said: "For this road-building trip, why not let Sima Xiangru also serve as General of the Middle Palace and coordinate with Tang Meng to complete it?"

One civil and one military, one playing the good cop and one playing the bad cop. Tang Meng was responsible for conscripting soldiers to build the road, and Sima Xiangru was responsible for pacifying the people's hearts; this move was ingenious.

Liu Li hurriedly raised her hand: "I agree!"

A Jiao looked at them, raised her eyebrows, and said: "Since you both feel it is necessary to build this road, then build it. But what about those in the court who oppose it?"

Liu Che said domineeringly: "I am the Emperor; what I say goes. As for the public resentment that road-building will cause, let Sima Xiangru write another article to pacify the people."

Liu Li whispered: "Give the people a little more compensation."

Liu Che thought about it and felt it was no problem: "Fine."

Thus, the decision to build the "Southwest Silk Road" was arranged. Liu Che wrote a memorial overnight, clearly stating the deployment orders; tomorrow, A Jiao only needed to issue the decree.

The Southwest Silk Road, deploying soldiers from the Ba and Shu regions to start building the road, from Bozhi (modern-day Anbian, southwest of Yibin City, Sichuan) all the way to that wide Zangke River. And they would establish Jianwei Commandery there to facilitate management.

Liu Li looked at the 【Southwest Silk Road】 task on her system panel. She didn't know when this task could be completed, but she believed that given the influence of this task, the reward points would definitely not be small.

The matter of pioneering the Southwest Yi was handed over to Tang Meng and Sima Xiangru. A Jiao indicated to them that if they had any difficulties, they should just bring them up, and the central government would satisfy them to the greatest extent.

The two received the Emperor's orders, set off from Chang'an for the Ba and Shu regions, and began preparing for the road-building matters.

After much turning, it was the beginning of the eleventh month again, and there were only two months left until the New Year. Wei Qing, who had returned to the Feathered Forest Guard for training, received news from his sister Wei Zifu, asking him to go to the Pixiang Hall when he had time.

On this day, having some leisure time, Wei Qing applied to the Emperor and came to the Pixiang Hall to visit his sister.

Seeing Wei Qing, Wei Zifu first exchanged a few pleasantries with him, and then brought up the main business: "During this time, the Eldest Sister and Second Sister have mentioned your marriage to me. They have introduced many matches to you, but you have refused them all. Why is that?"

Xia Ling, who was serving beside Wei Zifu, felt her expression tighten upon hearing Wei Zifu mention this matter, and she hurriedly pricked up her ears to hear Wei Qing's answer.

Wei Qing's breathing paused, and a figure appeared in his mind involuntarily. He lowered his eyes and said: "Sister, Qing does not want to consider this aspect for the time being."

"How can you not consider it?" Wei Zifu said. "You are already over twenty; you should consider starting a family."

Seeing Wei Qing frowning and not answering, Wei Zifu hesitated for a moment and asked: "Brother Qing, do you have a woman you like in your heart, which is why you are unwilling to accept the matches the sisters introduced? Who is this woman? If her family background is clean, we can let the Eldest Sister propose marriage on your behalf."

Wei Qing pursed his lips; no matter what, he couldn't say the name in his heart, and in the end, he could only answer sullenly: "There is no such thing."

How could such an expression be hidden from Wei Zifu? Wei Zifu thought, Brother Qing must have a sweetheart!

Who is this woman?

In his previous life, Wei Qing did not refuse the matches his Eldest Sister introduced for him and soon married a woman surnamed Shen. After the woman surnamed Shen gave birth to Wei Kang, she passed away.

Subsequently, the palace maid Xia Ling, who was beside Wei Zifu, was taken as a concubine by Wei Qing, and Xia Ling gave birth to Wei Qing's second son, Wei Buyi, and third son, Wei Deng.

"Brother Qing, could the woman in your heart be..." Wei Zifu didn't say the name, but her surprised expression seemed to suggest she had already guessed who her brother liked.

Wei Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly denied it three times: "It's not, I don't, Sister, don't let your imagination run wild."

Seeing this, Wei Zifu's face changed: "Brother Qing, you are muddled! No matter who you like, you cannot like her!"

Wei Qing's face turned pale, thinking his sister had guessed his thoughts, and he lowered his head in shame: "I'm sorry, Sister..."

"You are unwilling to marry because of that woman; do you want to ruin your own career?" Wei Zifu was so anxious that she stood up, walked to Wei Qing's side, grabbed her brother's hand, and pleaded earnestly: "Brother Qing, listen to Sister's advice; do not have any dealings with her, it will harm you!"

"Sister, don't worry, she and I... will never have any dealings." Wei Qing answered in a hoarse voice, the bitterness in his heart spreading infinitely.

She was the ruler, and he was the subject.

Hearing this, Wei Zifu breathed a slight sigh of relief and began to persuade him again: "Since that is the case, why are you still unwilling to marry? I heard from the Eldest Sister that the young lady from the Shen family has a good appearance and an excellent personality."

Wei Qing: "..."

Seeing that Wei Qing was still unwilling, Wei Zifu seemed to think of something and suddenly said: "If you are truly unwilling to marry the young lady from the Shen family, would you be willing to marry a Princess?"

Wei Qing: "??"

Wei Zifu patted Wei Qing's hand and whispered: "Brother Qing, you don't know, but actually, the Pingyang Princess has always admired you. Now that the Pingyang Marquis has passed away and the Pingyang Princess is a new widow, why don't I act as a matchmaker for you and the Pingyang Princess?"

After all, in his previous life, in the second year of Yuanding, didn't her brother marry the Pingyang Princess, and in the end, their relationship was excellent? The Pingyang Princess had also once told Wei Zifu that she had actually liked Wei Qing for a long time.

So in this world that had already changed, it would be better to directly bring her brother and the Pingyang Princess together, rather than letting Brother Qing like someone he shouldn't.

In his previous life, her brother married the Pingyang Princess for less than ten years before they both passed away; this time, it would be better to let them be together sooner.

Wei Qing hurriedly said: "Sister, how can someone of my status be worthy of the Emperor's sister?"

Wei Zifu said: "You might not be worthy now. But in the future, you will definitely be worthy!" Her brother would be the Great General of the Great Han in the future; the glory of the Wei family having five marquises was unparalleled.

"Zhongqing, that Liu Ling is really not suitable for you, and she is also the Wengzhu of the Huainan King. The Huainan King... is destined to be liquidated by the Emperor in the future. If you marry her, wouldn't you be ruining your own future?"

Wei Qing was stunned: "Sister, you think I like Liu Ling?"

Wei Zifu was even more surprised: "If not her, then who?"

After all, some time ago, Liu Ling often came to her side, expressing openly and covertly that she had taken a fancy to Wei Qing. But Wei Zifu knew the fate of the Huainan King's family, so she ignored Liu Ling.

Wei Qing was silent for a moment, lowered his eyebrows, and said: "That's right, it is her."

Wei Zifu: "..." Admitting it so readily, I always feel something is wrong somewhere! ===== CHAPTER 71 =====