The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 400 Two Good News

Xingqing Palace, Longchi.

Li Longji and Empress Dowager Wu sat in the Chenxiang Courtyard, with Gao Lishi standing behind them.

Seeing that Gao Lishi was old and had difficulty standing, Li Longji asked Gao Lishi to sit down as well.

Li Longji said: "This flower blooms and fades, fades and blooms again. People will always grow old, but there will always be young people."

Li Longji recalled the high spirits of his youth, and it seemed as if it were a lifetime ago.

Empress Dowager Wu knew Li Longji quite well. When she heard Li Longji's sigh, she knew what he was thinking.

Li Longji is accepting his old age.

When a person truly accepts old age, it means he has lost his ambition.

Empress Wu said: "When flowers are in full bloom, we should appreciate their beauty, and when they wither, there is no need to be sad about them. Withering and turning into soil may be another way of living."

Li Longji glanced at Empress Dowager Wu and said, "Your words are quite Zen-like."

Empress Dowager Wu smiled back and said nothing.

Li Longji was no longer the emperor, and he and Empress Dowager Wu got along more and more like an ordinary couple. Therefore, he did not feel angry when Empress Dowager Wu did not reply.

……

When Xingqing Palace was being renovated, civil and military officials of the imperial court wrote dozens of letters to Li Heng to discuss how to govern Nanzhao.

Li Heng summarized the excellent opinions among them.

Nanzhao is different from the Turks and Khitans.

The Turks were a nomadic people, so after Li Shimin conquered the Eastern Turks, he moved their people to the Hetao area.

Li Shimin felt that doing so would not only increase the controlled population of the Tang Dynasty, but also free up a large uninhabited "isolation zone".

As it turned out, Li Shimin achieved half of his goal and did increase the population of the Tang Dynasty.

As for the vacated quarantine zone, other forces soon moved in and grew rapidly.

The Khitans were a fishing and hunting people, and fishing and hunting were a semi-sedentary state, with the difficulty of management being between farming and nomadism.

Nanzhao entered the agricultural civilization.

The Dianchi Lake area, Erhai Lake area, Nanning Prefecture, and Zhuti Basin are all suitable for farming.

Therefore, for an agricultural civilization like the Tang Dynasty, Li Heng would have to choose to register all citizens.

However, Li Heng did not act too absolutely and insisted on registering households in the entire territory of Nanzhao.

Because there were too many and too diverse forces within Nanzhao, and their population and land were not on the same level as the current Khitan.

Based on this situation, Li Heng chose to set up states and register households in the core areas, and to control the marginal areas and govern together with the local big families.

In terms of military, Li Heng kept Li Sheng in Nanzhao and let Li Sheng station troops and cultivate land.

Culturally, Li Heng sent people to Nanzhao to open schools to preach the ideology and culture of the Tang Dynasty and encourage people from Nanzhao to go to Chang'an to take the imperial examinations. At the same time, he recalled the past and present, starting with the exchanges between Emperor Wu of Han and Zhuge Liang and Nanzhao, so that the people of Nanzhao could identify with the Central Plains dynasty.

The last resort was to move the Han people there and assimilate them.

However, relocating people was a very important matter. Li Heng could not rush into it and could only proceed step by step.

It was the seventh year of Ji De's reign when the affairs of the early Nanzhao were dealt with.

In February of the seventh year of Ji De, Li Heng received two pieces of good news in succession.

The first good news was that He Jin and his team invented the spinning jenny.

However, behind this good news, two problems arise.

The first problem is that the spinning Jenny is now considered a discontinued product.

According to historical development, the flying shuttle appeared before the spinning jenny.

The emergence of the flying shuttle and the spinning jenny are both seen as great developments in the textile industry, but there is a subtle difference between them.

The flying shuttle is a loom. Simply put, it is a device that weaves thread into cloth.

The spinning jenny is used for spinning yarn. In layman's terms, it is a machine that spins plant fibers into thread.

Historically, the flying shuttle appeared first, and the cloth drove the demand for thread. But now, since Li Heng knew very little about the flying shuttle and only had some understanding of the spinning jenny, he first brought about the innovation of the spinning machine.

Moreover, although this change was advanced, it was not that advanced. After all, by the Song Dynasty, China had already begun to learn to spin yarn with the help of water conservancy, and was only one step away from the spinning Jenny.

The efficiency of spinning has improved now, but how to weave cloth quickly is still a problem.

Li Heng didn't know how to solve this problem.

The second problem is the raw materials for spinning.

In comprehensive comparison, the most suitable plant fiber for spinning is cotton (silk is animal fiber), but cotton is not grown on a large scale in the Tang Dynasty at present.

Cotton was first introduced to China during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (still controversial), but it was not widely promoted until the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that Zhu Yuanzhang promoted cotton planting in the form of a decree, which made cotton enter thousands of households.

However, Li Heng can solve this difficult problem.

When Li Heng was in Anxi Beiting before, he made a special investigation and found that cotton was grown there, but most of it was used for viewing.

Aqisi and He Jin knew something about cotton planting in the Western Regions.

But at that time, Li Heng did not promote cotton planting in Anxi Beiting, because promoting cotton planting requires a national strategy, and the grain output of Anxi Beiting was not high. If he promoted cotton planting in Anxi Beiting but could not get grain from other places, the result would be that he could neither report to the court nor guarantee the food and clothing of the people of Anxi Beiting.

In addition to cotton being introduced from the Western Regions, it was also introduced from the southwest.

India, Bangladesh and other places were relatively early cotton-growing areas. By the Tang Dynasty, cotton had already been introduced to the Pyu Kingdom.

Li Heng conquered Nanzhao, and the Pyu Kingdom returned to the Tang Dynasty. India, also known as Tianzhu, established diplomatic relations with the Tang Dynasty.

Li Heng opened up the channel from northwest to southwest, so introducing cotton cultivation was not a problem.

Of course, the cotton grown in the northwest and southwest is not the same variety. He can leave it to the people from the Sino-Agricultural Temple and the Royal Academy of Sciences to study how to plant and cultivate it specifically.

Therefore, on the day when he saw the finished product of the Jenny spinning machine, Li Heng sent the imperial edict to promote cotton planting to the Sino-Agricultural Temple and the Royal Academy of Sciences, and secretly ordered that Aqisi and He Jin could serve as technical consultants.

The second good news Li Heng received was that Sun Daifeng built a large ship that could go to sea and recommended two people to Li Heng.

The first one is Yang Liangyao.

Li Heng had heard of Yang Liangyao's name, but was not very familiar with it. He only knew that Yang Liangyao was the first recorded Chinese diplomat to sail to the West, and he was also a eunuch.

Li Ying had looked for Yang Liangyao among the eunuchs before, but didn't find her, so he gave up.

But unexpectedly, Sun Daifeng actually recommended him.

Li Ying personally met with Yang Liangyao. As soon as he saw Yang Liangyao's appearance, Li Ying knew why he didn't find him in the eunuch team.

Because Yang Liangyao is not a eunuch yet.

Historically, Yang Liangyao entered the palace as a eunuch during the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang in 756 AD. But now, Li Heng changed history. The Anshi Rebellion broke out earlier, and Li Heng did not become emperor. Therefore, Yang Liangyao did not become a eunuch. By mistake, he first followed Sun Daifeng to suppress the rebellion, and then followed Sun Daifeng to build a fleet.

The second person recommended by Sun Daifeng was Jia Dan.

In history, Jia Dan was a famous geographer in the middle period of the Tang Dynasty, and he once served as prime minister.

In terms of geographical achievements, Jia Dan completed 40 volumes of "Map of China and Foreign Countries" and "Description of Counties, States, Roads and Four Barbarians in Ancient and Modern Times". Among them, "Map of China and Foreign Countries" is the first large-scale map in Chinese history. In terms of cartography technology, he created the Mo Zhu Shuwen cartography method.

But because Li Heng changed history, Jia Dan never got the chance to enter the official career.

It was not until the second year of Ji De, 755 AD, that Li Heng opened a special examination, allowing all those who were proficient in a certain skill in the world to come to Chang'an to take the exam. Only then did Jia Dan come into Li Heng's sight.

At that time, there were only three people from Hebei on the list, one of whom was Jia Dan.

Sun Daifeng knew that Li Heng wanted to go to sea, so he recommended these two people to Li Heng.

Now that we have the ship and the people, we just need to prepare one more thing and we can prepare for an ocean voyage.

This thing is a compass.

Feng shui activities were popular in the Tang Dynasty. In order to find a more convenient pointer than a magnetic spoon, the south-pointing iron fish, tadpole-shaped iron pointers and water-floating magnetic needles came into being.

During the Kaiyuan period, geomancer Qiu Yanhan had already developed it, which was later praised by geomancers as the main needle among the three needles in geomancy.

The prototype of the compass has appeared and can be used with slight improvements.

So Li Heng asked people to improve the compass while preparing for the voyage.

In August of the seventh year of Ji De, the promotion of cotton planting and preparations for going to sea were underway. The two summer taxes were also collected, and the imperial treasury was full. Liu Yan and others took the initiative to ask Li Heng to tour the country.

Li Heng had stayed in Chang'an for nearly eight years and had never left the house, so when the ministers agreed, he did not refuse at all and agreed immediately.

Li Heng took his concubines, Gao Xianzhi, Li Siye and others on the tour, leaving Liu Yan, Feng Changqing and Zhang Guangsheng in Chang'an, and letting Li You assist in government affairs in Chang'an.

Li You is now nearly sixteen years old.

The first stop was Luoyang, where Li Heng and Yang Yuhuan went together.

After Yang Yuhuan went to live with her uncle Yang Xuanlu, she lived with him in Luoyang for a period of time. Later, Yang Xuanlu was transferred to Jiannan, and their house in Luoyang was sold.

However, even though the house had been sold, Yang Yuhuan still wanted to visit where she had lived before, so Li Heng changed into casual clothes with her and went there with guards.

Yang Xuanlu was born into the Hongnong Yang family, but they were distant relatives after all. After Yang Wang was killed by Li Shimin, their family gradually fell into decline.

Therefore, Yang Yuhuan's previous residence in Luoyang was not in the center of Luoyang City, but in Jixianfang on the edge of the city.

Li Ying and Yang Yuhuan arrived outside Jixianfang and saw people coming and going, and they couldn't help feeling curious.

Li Ying stopped a scholar and asked, "Sir, this Jixianfang is not a prosperous center, why are there so many people?"

The scholar was quite contemptuous of Li Heng because he didn't know the reason. But when he saw that Li Heng was dressed elegantly and must be rich or noble, he changed his attitude and said, "Brother, you are from another place, right?"

Li Ying said, "Isn't that right?"

The scholar said, "This Jixianfang is where the current Empress Yang once lived, so everyone should come and pay their respects."

Li Ying said, "Empress Yang doesn't live here, so even if she comes, she won't be able to see anyone."

"You don't understand this. Empress Yang is the saint's first wife. She and the saint went through hardships to get to where they are today. It is said that Empress Yang is both talented and beautiful, well-educated, polite, and virtuous. She is the most extraordinary woman in the dynasty. Naturally, everyone wants to see what kind of feng shui can produce such a person." When the scholar said this, he noticed Yang Yuhuan beside Li Ying, and his expression was startled. He said, "From the description of her appearance, she is somewhat similar to your wife."

Li Ying glanced at Yang Yuhuan and smiled slightly.

The scholar lowered his voice and continued, "Besides this, there is another reason."

"What's the reason?" Li Heng also lowered his voice.

The scholar said, "The current sage favors Empress Yang, and some people predict that there will be two sages in the future. Think about it, if Empress Yang were to rule, wouldn't the place where Empress Yang lived be a priceless treasure? Right now, the price of houses in Jixianfang is more expensive than those around the Luoyang Imperial Palace."

Li Ying asked, "Do you think the two saints will come to the throne?"

"No." The scholar was very confident. "The sage is strong and healthy, Empress Yang is self-sufficient, and the prince is growing up. Empress Yang will not attend the court, and she does not need to."

Li Ying asked, "Then why are the housing prices in Jixianfang still so expensive?"

The scholar said, "Even if I don't believe it, there will be others who do. When someone comes to see your precious place, someone will see business. The area around Jixianfang has never been prosperous, but now there is such a precious place, some people will take the opportunity to spread the word that the saint is seriously ill, the prince is weak, and Empress Yang will come to the court at any time. Because I know a few people in Chang'an, I know this is a rumor, but not everyone can identify rumors."

"So that's it." Li Heng suddenly realized.

The scholar smiled mysteriously and said, "Now that the saint has arrived in Luoyang, the rumors that he is seriously ill have been dispelled. People who bought land and houses around Jixianfang have invested all their money."

After hearing this, Li Heng finally understood why Liu Yan and others took the initiative to ask him to inspect.

If he doesn't come out for a walk, people all over the world might spread the news that he is dead.

Wu Zetian left such a deep impression on the people of the Tang Dynasty that when she favored Yang Yuhuan, others would subconsciously associate Yang Yuhuan with Wu Zetian, and those with ulterior motives would take the opportunity to cause trouble.

An old farmer in coarse linen clothes nearby said, "It doesn't matter whether Empress Yang is in power or not. No matter who is the emperor, as long as he can make the people live in peace, he is a good emperor."

Li Heng came back to his senses and asked, "What do you think of the current saint?"

The old farmer sighed and said, "After the new tax law was implemented, the government collected less tax from us, but they didn't redistribute the land. Without land, I always feel uneasy."

Li Heng asked, "How does life compare to before?"

The old farmer said, "It's much better than before. In the past, only half of the harvest from the fields was left after paying taxes. To build the river and transport government grain, we had to bring our own food and do corvée. Sometimes the government was in a hurry to collect taxes, so the crops in our fields were confiscated and we were asked to transport government grain. Alas, if we don't borrow money next year, we will starve to death. If we borrow money, we can't pay it back, so we have to sell our children."

At this point, the old farmer sighed quietly, as if he was recalling some bad things from the past.

The old farmer was silent for a while, then continued, "Now the tax is collected based on the acreage of the family's land, 1 in 40. There is a lot of grain left, and the government does not collect it by force to transport official grain to the river, but instead uses money to hire people. If the weather is bad and there is a disaster, the government will also distribute grain to provide disaster relief. Such days appeared more than 20 years ago. I just hope this time is not a flash in the pan."

Li Ying asked, "How is the rice harvest this year?"

Another person continued, "My family planted early rice last year, and the harvest was better than before, but the early rice didn't taste good. It was hard and lacked fragrance, so I planted less this year."

The early rice this person is talking about is Champa rice.

Li Ying asked, "Will it be enough if we plant less?"

"If we have enough to eat, we will plant less." The man replied, "If we have surplus food at home, we will eat some good rice. If we don't have surplus food, we will plant more early rice."

Li Heng nodded.

He had anticipated from the beginning that the people would not plant more rice just because the Champa rice harvest was high. When their lives stabilized, the people also needed to eat better.

This is also one of the reasons why he established the Royal Academy.

If the cultivation of rice is left to the private sector to develop slowly, it will be a very long process. If the imperial court pays for professional research, the cultivation progress will be accelerated exponentially.

Moreover, this is also a development of thinking mode.

In ancient times, people valued experience and had basically no way of thinking and methods for scientific research. Li Heng's establishment of the Royal Academy of Sciences not only affected his research project itself, but also opened up a way of thinking and methods for scientific research.

With the support of the imperial court and the expansion of thinking, it can be foreseen that a large-scale technological revolution will break out in the Central Plains in the near future.

(End of this chapter)