I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 616 I Really Just Want to Cultivate an Inventor
Huang Chengyan thought about it and finally decided to answer truthfully: "My little girl likes to read. She saw a passage in an ancient book that mentioned a waterwheel, so she changed it."

If it was a young man he liked, he might have said, "I have an ugly daughter with yellow hair and black face, who is worthy of me," in order to test the young man's character. But after all, he is now facing the emperor. If he said such a humble word and it got out... it would be fine if his daughter was already married, but if she was not... that would be bad.

Huang Yueying?
Liu Bian thought of this name first.

Historically, there are different opinions about whether Huang Yueying had the talent for invention. Now it seems that since she was able to build and improve the old waterwheel based on the records in ancient books, she must have had relevant talents.

Now Liu Bian is very interested in various inventions and creations.

He was originally still thinking about to what extent he should recruit Huang Chengyan. After all, Huang Chengyan didn't look like he was planning to enter the officialdom.

Now, his attention was completely drawn to another person.

Liu Bian thought for a moment and said, "I have seen this waterwheel blueprint and it is indeed feasible... I have previously issued a special decree that rewards must be given in such cases. You can write to your daughter and ask her what reward she wants."

"By the way, although I think this blueprint is feasible, it would be better to ship the real thing here so that I can copy it."

Huang Chengyan was shocked when he heard this...

If you really want to reward him, why not just give him or his daughter something? Why bother writing a letter to ask?

Huang Chengyan originally thought that in recent years, under the leadership of the emperor and great scholars such as Cai Yong and Zheng Xuan, those who studied and made ingenious things would not be as easily despised as before as long as they had the intention of benefiting the people rather than simply making toys.

Huang Chengyan originally thought that the waterwheel designed by his daughter could indeed be used in the south where there are many streams, which would benefit the country and the people. Secondly, he had a little selfish desire - if his daughter who designed the new waterwheel could get a compliment from the emperor, it would be even better - even if he was wrong about his son-in-law, his daughter could live a peaceful life with such a compliment.

The love of the parents is far-reaching.

Huang Chengyan felt that he had considered everything, but he did not expect that the emperor would have such an idea...

His daughter hasn't even gotten married yet. If she receives a reward from the emperor, the image of "people seeing this will come to propose marriage to her endlessly" flashes through Huang Chengyan's mind. He realizes that compared to the former, it's more likely that people will think the emperor is interested in his daughter.

Seeing that Huang Chengyan seemed a little hesitant, Liu Bian also considered this after thinking about it.

However, he still wanted to encourage Huang Yueying to continue inventing, so Liu Bian said: "I will ask the Queen Mother to reward her for her contribution to designing this waterwheel."

"I issued an edict at the beginning. If anyone invents an instrument that benefits the people, I will reward him with a title and money. There will be no difference between men and women! Tell your daughter, the more water wheels like this, the better..." Liu Bian thought for a moment and said, "If you can have more instruments that can rival this water wheel, I will not hesitate to make you a marquis."

After hearing this, Huang Chengyan understood that the emperor's will could not be changed.

But, to be granted a title of nobility?
Although there had been stories of women being granted titles of nobility in the Han Dynasty before, but... Huang Chengyan thought of his daughter's intelligence and talent... it might not be impossible!

Thinking of this, Huang Chengyan couldn't wait to write a letter to tell his daughter the good news - no, he had to ask his daughter to bring a finished waterwheel over, and it would be best if there was a new device that could rival the waterwheel...

As for what the emperor originally proposed, that his daughter should say what she wanted, Huang Chengyan also gave his own explanation in his mind - it must be to encourage his daughter to do better... according to the emperor - to invent new tools.

If Liu Bian knew what Huang Chengyan was thinking, he would definitely tell Huang Chengyan that he guessed right.

After this little episode, Liu Bian finally remembered that he had not yet asked Huang Chengyan whether he wanted to enter the officialdom, and immediately promised him the position of Counselor.

Huang Chengyan did not hesitate and expressed his ambition to live in seclusion in the mountains and politely declined.

Liu Bian didn't bother about it. Huang Chengyan was not his target in the first place, and even less so now.

……

"The daughter of Huang Chengyan from Nanjun? Wan'er, have you ever heard of this person?" Empress Dowager He asked Tang Wan.

"I have never heard of it..." Tang Wan felt a little sad after hearing this. She had heard that Huang Chengyan was a famous scholar in China, and she thought to herself - "Could it be that my husband is interested in this girl?"

But when she thought about how Liu Bian's harem was extremely thin compared to the previous emperor, Tang Wan's bitterness suddenly eased a lot.

She said to Empress Dowager He: "Before coming to Nanyang, Sister Zhaoji had specifically told me that if Your Majesty has a girl that she likes, as long as she has a clean family background and behaves properly, I can report to the Empress Dowager and marry her to Your Majesty..."

Empress Dowager He was stunned after hearing this.

She clearly remembered what Liu Bian had told her - "Daughter Huang has made great contributions to the invention, please reward her on my behalf. As for how to reward her, you will know when Huang Chengyan receives the reply. I will let you know in advance..."

I asked her to come forward and give the reward simply to avoid suspicion.

How come when it comes to Tang Wan, it seems like Liu Bian is willing to accept her?
However, Empress Dowager He followed Tang Wan's line of thought and thought that her son had always been very passionate about inventions, and it was not impossible that he loved Huang's daughter because of her invention.

Or maybe Liu Bian had feelings for her but was too embarrassed to say it out loud... After all, the concubines in the palace had already been in the palace for many years, and the last time a new concubine was recruited was at the request of her and Zong Zhengqing.

Thinking of this, Empress Dowager He felt more and more that Tang Wan was right.

The look she gave Tang Wan became softer. Empress Dowager He had a jealous side, but she had become more restrained after having her filial son by her side. She held Tang Wan's hand and said, "Wan'er, thanks for reminding me, otherwise I would have almost misunderstood..."

"In this harem, you and I are the closest... From now on, if Bian'er dares to bully you, I will not let him."

Tang Wan had been with Empress Dowager He for a long time. She was not afraid of her. Instead, she said jokingly, "I am afraid that by then, my mother will only care about my husband."

Empress Dowager He couldn't help laughing after hearing this. After a while, she said, "No, I'm helping you because I care about him."

After saying that, they both laughed.

After a long time, when Tang Wan had left, Empress Dowager He spoke to the female official beside her about serious matters: "Although the Huang family girl has the talent for invention, her temperament, talent and appearance are still unknown. You go and take a look at her in person on my behalf. If her temperament is not good, it will not work even if the emperor is interested."

"The palace is so peaceful now, I don't want this atmosphere to be destroyed by outsiders."

……

How did things get like this?

Huang Yueying was very puzzled.

She just received a letter from her father, asking her to take a waterwheel she made and similar utensils, and find her uncle from the Cai family to escort her to Wancheng. He also said that the emperor was going to let the queen mother reward her, and allowed her to choose the reward herself. Both of these were good things, and Huang Yueying happily went to find her uncle from the Cai family.

But along the way, things started to go wrong.

"Don't be surprised, young lady. We are just following orders... At first, young lady suspected my identity, but didn't she confirm it?"

At the beginning, Huang Yueying could still sense a bit of arrogance in the attitude of these people who claimed to be from the Empress Dowager's palace, but after the two sides met and talked for a while, Huang Yueying clearly felt that these people from the Empress Dowager's palace became more respectful to her.

But it shouldn't be like this! In Huang Yueying's mind, the behavior of these people in the palace from the time they appeared until now is not right.

Even if she was rewarded by the emperor for inventing the new waterwheel, why did these people, who were the empress dowager's confidants, treat her like this?

Huang Yueying thought about it and only thought of one reason -

"Do you have any requests for the Queen Mother's reward?"

After Huang Yueying finished speaking, she saw that the faces of several people changed a little, and she immediately felt that she had guessed correctly.

She was a kind person, and she promised immediately: "Don't worry, I'll be frank, as long as it's not an excessive request, I can consider it... After all, I haven't actually thought about what reward I want..."

In fact, Huang Yueying already had an idea in her mind - she heard that Hongdumen School had a discipline specializing in the study of artifacts, and she had always been curious about it.

It’s just that because of my physical condition as a woman, I can’t go out to study and explore like men.

But even though she had this thought, Huang Yueying was not sure whether to ask for it. After all, she was not a maverick, and she also had to consider the reputation of her parents and clan.

However, Huang Yueying thought that it should not be a problem to take this opportunity to ask for some books of Hongdu School.

In this way, it shouldn't be considered greedy to satisfy the wishes of these people in the palace!

"That's not necessary, young lady."

"I will always remember your kindness, young lady...but I don't have any wishes, so I don't need to trouble you..."

"I didn't lie to you." Huang Yueying emphasized again.

Her response was still rejection.

After the reason she had finally thought of was denied by reality, Huang Yueying became worried again. She really couldn't figure out the reason.

When she arrived in Wancheng and met her father, Huang Chengyan was shocked by Huang Yueying's appearance.

"Did you not sleep well on the way? Go get a good night's sleep when you get to the city!"

Huang Yueying was indeed very tired. Before entering the city, the people from the Empress Dowager's palace had already left, but Huang Yueying still endured her tiredness and told Huang Chengyan about her confusion.

When Huang Chengyan heard that the palace maid came from the empress dowager, he thought of a possibility - maybe the emperor was not interested and the empress dowager was!

However, Huang Chengyan understood that it was useless to think about it. At most he could just mention it the next time he met the emperor. After all, the emperor chose to have the empress dowager give the reward last time out of consideration for taboos.

The most important thing is that he has figured it out during these days in Wancheng. If the emperor really has such an idea, can he still refuse?
Huang Chengyan did not reveal these unsolved matters to Huang Yueying. Instead, he asked Huang Yueying to relax and not worry about the affairs of the Empress Dowager and the palace maids, and to sleep peacefully.

When Huang Yueying woke up and felt refreshed, Huang Chengyan asked, "Have you thought about what reward you want? What other tools did you bring besides the waterwheel?"

Huang Yueying hesitated for a while, and finally said: "Father, I heard that there are people in Hongdumen School who are particularly good at the art of artifacts, and I want to join Hongdumen School to study..."

"My daughter has thought about it. If the Queen Mother agrees, she will be more careful when she goes to school, so as not to cause rumors."

"But...if Father feels that it is inappropriate, you can ask for some books from Hongdu Sect for your daughter."

Huang Chengyan was touched when he heard Huang Yueying's sensible words. After thinking about his daughter's idea for a while, he finally said in Huang Yueying's expectant eyes: "Go to Hongdumen to study!"

"I am Huang Chengyan's daughter, a man of great talent. How can she not go to Hongdumen School?"

"Father..." Huang Yueying heard her father's powerful words. She knew the pressure her father had to bear to make this decision, and her voice was choked with sobs.

"Okay, stop crying and acting like a child... Do you know what His Majesty said when he saw the blueprint of the waterwheel you designed? If you invent a few more devices that can rival the new waterwheel, you can be granted a title of nobility! By then, I'll be the father of all marquises!" Huang Chengyan consoled with a smile.

Huang Yueying listened and nodded heavily.

She secretly made up her mind.

"By the way, what new things did you bring back this time... Why do I see kitchen utensils in the carriage?"

"It's used in the kitchen." Huang Yueying's answer made Huang Chengyan's eyes go dark.

The new waterwheel benefits the country and the people, but what other functions do kitchen utensils have besides satisfying the desire for food?

Huang Yueying explained: "After my father left, Uncle Pang opened the gates of the mountain and accepted more than 20 disciples at once... I saw that it took them a long time to cook every time, and because the stove needed someone to watch it all the time, it was very time-consuming. So I designed a set of clever devices that can be operated by one person, so that they can do other things while cooking..."

"As for its use... Although this machine is a little complicated to install and cannot be used for military logistics, it can be used to prepare dishes when guests come to your home."

After hearing this, Huang Chengyan felt that it was not completely useless.

Huang Yueying continued, "I also brought the wooden dog with me. It is convenient for carrying goods on the mountain trails. Although it is just a toy, it is still useful."

Now that he was here, Huang Chengyan could only nod.

He thought about the tools Huang Yueying had brought with her. Although they were all useful, compared with the new waterwheel, they did not look like they were invented by one person.

On the other hand, Empress Dowager He received a reward and soon found Liu Bian - "The Huang girl you like has been seen by your mother. Her family calls her Yueying. She has a virtuous personality and is very good..."

"Wait..." The more Liu Bian listened, the more he felt something was wrong. At first, he thought that Empress Dowager He was considering the temperament of the person who accepted her reward, but later on, why did it become that she wanted to add more bricks and tiles to his harem?
He really just wants to train an inventor!
(End of this chapter)