The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

Changsun Dan got up early and finally had a bowl of hot millet porridge. He explained some things to the two maids, Chun and Dong. Chun Chan excitedly took Zhang Tao'er to the East Market to look at shops, while Dong Yao took the Five Classics copy made by Wang Susu to the front yard to discuss the woodblock printing process with the engraver.

Changsun Dan examined the oranges and found that dense green mold spots had appeared on the peel. He estimated that it would only take a few days to collect the green mold and begin filtering and purifying penicillin.

Empress Zhangsun only has five months left to live. If anything goes wrong, Li Er will definitely kill her. After all, Zhang Yunggu only played a game of chess with a mentally ill person who had intermittent episodes, and then he was beheaded by Li Er.

Just as they stepped out of the greenhouse, Uncle Fu arrived with Zhou Youniang. Changsun Dan greeted them with a smile:

"Uncle Fu, Sister You Niang."

Uncle Fu was so excited that his hands trembled, but he forced himself not to kneel down. His young master had said that it was unlucky to be worshipped while alive, and he only wished that his young master would live a long and healthy life.

You Niang had seen Changsun Dan many times at Yuxian Tower, from the number one good-for-nothing in Chang'an to when she served him and wrote "Spring Snow" with her brush and ink.

Last night, her grandfather told her in detail all the effort the county magistrate had put in to save her, including how he created the miracle in the hearts of the people of Chang'an—the dragon and phoenix flying to the sky—and he was also a god in her heart.

Youniang had changed into the light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) that ordinary girls wore. Her face was clean and pretty, and her expression was much more resolute than that of other fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls. She held the hem of her robe in her left hand and folded her right hand, then bowed in a curtsy.

"I dare not accept such praise; I thank you, sir, for your life-saving grace."

Changsun Dan offered a helping hand from afar:

"If Uncle Fu hadn't saved me, Sister Youniang wouldn't have suffered so much. But it's all in the past now. Sister Youniang can go out and explore Dunhuafang with Uncle Fu more often. There are many things I need Sister Youniang's help with in the future!"

Uncle Fu finally managed to calm himself down and stepped forward to say:

"Young master, I have already sent Da Niu to take Lao Hu to inspect the land for the school. Once he has a plan, we can hire people to buy materials and start construction."

Zhou Youniang thought that Changsun Dan wanted her to worry more about the school. Although she didn't understand, she was willing to learn, so she nodded gently.

"Although You Niang doesn't know anything about studying, she will help Grandpa to build the school as soon as possible."

Changsun Dan smiled and waved his hand:

"Sister Youniang, you misunderstand. You don't need to participate in that kind of manual labor. I think Dunhua Ward is the poorest in the whole of Chang'an. Although it is partly due to its remote location, it is backed by Qujiang Pool and has the royal forbidden garden, Furong Garden. It is much better than Yongyang Ward, which is also remote."

"But the people of Yongyangfang are able to live in peace and contentment, with no worries about food and clothing. Do you know why?"

Uncle Fu clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and sighed:

"Young master, this old servant has lived in Dunhua Ward for several years, how could I not know the reason? Most of the people here are soldiers. The strong men in their families either died on the battlefield long ago or were left with disabilities. The remaining elderly, weak, women and children have no jobs and can only make a living by cultivating some wasteland and doing some small handicrafts at home. After His Majesty found out, he exempted Dunhua Ward from the fief tax, so many families of soldiers and widows gathered here. How could they not be poor?"

Changsun Dan nodded:

"With no strong men in the family and the workshops unwilling to employ female workers, coupled with the barren farmland, it is extremely difficult to survive. Therefore, I want to build a paper mill here first, and hire the women and children from the workshop as workers. At that time, Sister Youniang can first find out about the poor and widowed families in the workshop and see how many workers are available. Then she can help manage it."

Changsun Dan also had his own calculations. These people, who had been poor for so long, cherished the hard-won good life even more. The paper that existed in the Tang Dynasty was expensive to produce, and the technology was entirely in the hands of aristocratic families. If his method was feasible, he could keep it a secret for a longer period of time, which would give him more room to maneuver with the aristocratic families.

Uncle Fu was already used to his young master's whimsical ideas, but Zhou Youniang was greatly shocked because she had witnessed Changsun Dan's transformation from a good-for-nothing to a talented man, and she had also witnessed the incredible ingenuity he displayed in making the dragon and phoenix lanterns. Now he was turning his compassion for the poor into real help, which had exceeded her understanding of the powerful and wealthy.

No one can be so perfect, nor can anyone change so drastically, but one has to believe it, because he stands before one with a slight smile.

Seeing that they were just staring blankly, Changsun Dan smiled and waved his hand:

"I'll go see Wang Fangyi first. I still have to go to the palace later. Please take good care of things at home, Uncle Fu and Sister Youniang."

After Changsun Dan crossed the covered bridge, Zhou Youniang withdrew her gaze and said softly:

"Grandpa, please tell me more about what happened when I was a child."

-

Standing in the Lizheng Hall, Wang Youde bowed and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Your Majesty, there is a courtesan named Zhou Youniang in Yuxian Tower. She is the daughter of Zhou Dafu, the steward of Meiyuan. She was kidnapped by the Cui family's money house because of her family's debts and then sold to Yuxian Tower. When Wannian County magistrate found out, he went to demand her return. However, Wang Susu, a favorite of Yuxian Tower, made him a condition: on the Lantern Festival, he had to make a dragon and a phoenix fly into the night sky of Chang'an. Unexpectedly, Wannian County magistrate agreed immediately and even accepted 1,000 strings of cash from Yuxian Tower."

"Wang Susu then moved into the Plum Garden and got along well with the county magistrate. They even visited Yan Shigu at Yunlu together. The great scholar Yan spoke highly of her. He praised the county magistrate's method of making paper at low prices and printing books. He said that if the county magistrate succeeded, everyone in the world could read books, and within three to five years, the system of recommending scholars by aristocratic families could be broken."

Wang Youde lowered his head and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Li Shimin's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed. When he heard about papermaking and book printing, his eyes lit up. If he could really reduce the cost of papermaking and solve the problem of ink seeping out during printing, the common people's education would no longer be a major problem. The imperial examination system could also completely replace the internal recommendation system of aristocratic families. At that time, all those who worked hard would have a chance to rise in society. With hope for the people, why should I worry about not being able to create a truly prosperous Tang Dynasty!

Seeing Erlang's relaxed expression and smiling face, Empress Zhangsun felt a sense of relief. After all, in the emperor's heart, dragons and phoenixes were both taboo subjects. Although Dan'er's actions were meant to congratulate His Majesty, doing so without prior notice was ultimately a very risky move. Whether there was any benefit or not depended on Erlang's mood. She smiled gently.

"Erlang, Dan'er's mind is full of wonderful ideas, but he is too kind. He is willing to take such a great risk for a servant. It is only because Erlang is kind that he is so kind. Otherwise, he would have several heads to be chopped off."

He turned to look at Li Chengqian again: "What do you think, Qian'er?"

Li Shimin understood Guanyinbi's thoughts perfectly well. Changsun Dan was affectionate, righteous, and clever, but lacked any political wisdom. Perhaps this was why Yuan Tiangang valued him. He wondered if Chengqian understood this. He winked at Guanyinbi, his expression returning to its usual coldness, and asked calmly:

"Changsun Dan's actions have offended the imperial family. How should this matter be handled, Chengqian? What are your thoughts?"