Liu Tan asked in a low voice: "When was it?"

Chen Ajiao didn't say anything, but Princess Danyang spoke up herself: "Father said that the third day of April is an auspicious day."

On the third day of April, Liu Tan calculated in his mind and found that there was only one month left.

He couldn't help but frowned and said, "Is this... too late?"

The so-called "whether it can come or not" actually refers to the dowry for Danyang.

In fact, Princess Danyang's dowry was not the same as the ordinary dowry. The Wusun requested a marriage and sent a betrothal gift, so they also had something to ask for. On the one hand, they asked the Han Dynasty to support them so that the Xiongnu would not dare to act rashly. On the other hand, they also asked for some advanced production technology.

And these are the most important things. It doesn't matter what to give to Wusun, and what must not be given must be discussed clearly.

For example, iron smelting technology is not worth even thinking about, it certainly cannot be given.

Of course, this was Liu Tan's idea. Liu Tan remembered that during the Tang Dynasty, Princess Wencheng married into the Tibetan Empire and brought with her many advanced technologies, practically everything that could help develop the country. But what was the result? Wasn't it just the occasional Tibetan invasion?

In the end, even after Tubo developed itself, it turned around and began to plunder the Tang Dynasty.

In Liu Tan's eyes, the Huns, like the Tubo, were ungrateful wolves that could never be tamed. Allowing them to develop would only harm the Han Dynasty in the end.

If these things are included in the agreed dowry, Liu Tan will make a protest even at the risk of his life!

Chen Ajiao said: "We have been discussing it for several months, and I think it has been settled."

In fact, these matters have been under discussion since the decision was made to marry the princess to Wusun. It has been two or three months now. If no decision is made, the Wusun people will probably doubt whether the Han Dynasty should marry the princess to them.

Liu Tan resisted the urge to sigh and forced a smile, saying, "April is also quite nice, with lush grass and singing birds. It's the perfect time for the grasslands to be truly beautiful..."

Chen Ajiao turned to look at Princess Danyang, unable to conceal the reluctance in her eyes.

Princess Danyang smiled and said, "Don't worry, mother. Once I'm established there, maybe I can come back to see you!"

Chen Ajiao said subconsciously: "How is it possible?"

This is a marriage far away, and the couple is thousands of miles apart. It is also a marriage of peace between two countries. Basically, the princess will never come back after she marries. How could she possibly come back to see her?

Princess Danyang said firmly, "Yes, I will find a way."

The momentum instantly overwhelmed the already disheartened Chen Ajiao, and she seemed to be ready to rush out and kick Wusun.

Liu Tan silently praised Princess Danyang in his heart, but he hoped that Princess Danyang could maintain this momentum after encountering difficulties.

Chen Ajiao looked at Princess Danyang. She had noticed before that Princess Danyang did not seem to be so resistant to the idea of ​​marriage.

No, she was resistant at first, but since...ever since Liu Tan went to talk to Danyang, she has become like a different person.

Chen Ajiao turned to look at Liu Tan in surprise and asked, "What did you say to Danyang?"

Liu Tan winked at Chen Ajiao and said playfully, "Secret."

Chen Ajiao slapped him in anger and said, "You're trying the same thing on me."

Although she said so, Chen Ajiao did not ask any further questions in the end.

It doesn’t matter what was said, as long as Danyang doesn’t cry all day long.

Liu Tan was really relieved. He could say those words to Princess Danyang, but he didn't dare to say them to Chen Ajiao.

What if Chen Ajiao awakens some strange attributes and wants to become the emperor herself?

It’s not that he thinks it’s wrong for a woman to be an emperor. It’s mainly because he doesn’t quite believe in Chen Ajiao’s political intelligence. Also, her husband is Liu Che, and even if he is a weak emperor, it’s not impossible for him to think about it.

If she met Emperor Wu of Han...I'm afraid that by the time Chen Ajiao had just come up with this idea, Emperor Wu of Han had already quickly deposed the queen.

Chen Ajiao pulled Princess Danyang to sit down and said, "I don't have anything else to tell you. Your situation is too complicated. From now on, I can only rely on you."

Chen Ajiao turned to look at Liu Tan and said, "Since you are so talkative, talk to her more."

Liu Tanxin said that I have said everything I can say, and the rest... I don’t know how to say it.

To be honest, Liu Tan didn't think Princess Danyang could do what he encouraged her to do. If he were thrown into this situation, he couldn't think of what to do first.

Liu Tan and Princess Danyang comforted Chen Ajiao for a long time. Chen Ajiao suddenly came to her senses and asked Liu Tan, "Is there something wrong with you coming back?"

Liu Tan was slow to remember the purpose of his return, and then he smiled and said, "There's no rush."

Chen Ajiao said angrily, "You wouldn't come back even if there was nothing wrong. You spend all day and night at the manor. There's no way the manor is as comfortable as the palace. I don't know what you're thinking."

Liu Tanxin said that being in Zhuangzi was much more comfortable than being in the palace. At least not having to see Liu Fuling made him feel much more comfortable.

Chen Ajiao waved her hand at Liu Tan and said with disdain, "Go ahead, go and do your thing."

After paying his respects, Liu Tan left the Pepper Palace and asked Miao Rui to go to the Prince's Palace. Liu Ju happened to have time, so he asked someone to carry something to the Prince's Palace.

After arriving at the Prince's Palace, Liu Ju actually ran to the door of the main hall to greet him, which made Liu Tan very flattered.

Before Liu Tan could salute, Liu Ju grabbed his wrist and said, "I heard you made some new horse gear. I've been busy these past two days and haven't had time to check it out."

Liu Tan laughed and said, "Why bother sending the Crown Prince there in person? I'll have someone send over a pair."

Anyway, he has already promised many pairs, so it doesn’t matter if there are more. Too many lice won’t itch, and too many debts won’t worry.

Liu Ju was very happy and said, "It's settled now. If I find out that it's not, I will come to your palace to settle the score."

Liu Tan immediately said, "When have I ever forgotten Your Highness?"

The two chatted and laughed until they reached the main hall. After he sat down, Liu Ju asked, "Miao Rui just said you had something important to discuss. What was it?"

After Liu Tan had someone put the things up, he explained the whole story.

After hearing this, Liu Ju's expression became serious. He picked up the props and looked at them carefully. Liu Tan stood up and demonstrated them to him. As for the screws, there was only a very rough initial version, but even so, it was enough for Liu Ju to discover the benefits of screws.

He pondered for a while and said, "Well...are the screws difficult to make?"

Liu Tan said uncertainly, "I'm not too sure. The blacksmith where I work said it's not difficult, but it just requires a lot of effort. According to my standards, it should be more detailed than this. He only makes one a day. However, I don't know what blacksmiths are like, so I'm a little undecided."

Liu Ju: ...

Liu Ju really didn't know much about this aspect, and he couldn't answer Liu Tan's questions!

But it was rare for his younger brother to come to him with troubles, so how could he, as an older brother, say he didn’t know!

Liu Ju originally wanted to say that he would wait for two days to think about it before giving an answer, but he felt that this excuse was a bit lame, so he simply said, "Let's go and see the emperor."

Whenever in doubt, look for your father. Liu Ju was much more thorough in implementing this than Liu Tan.

Instead, Liu Tan hesitated: "Ah? Is it okay to bother Father with such a small matter?"

"How can this be considered a small matter?" Liu Ju looked at him strangely. "If it were a small matter, why would you come to me?"

Liu Tan thought about it and agreed. With Liu Ju leading the way, what was he afraid of?

Liu Tan followed Liu Ju all the way to the Weiyang Palace. Originally, Liu Tan was worried that Liu Che was busy working and had no time, but he found that he was actually listening to music and watching dance.

Liu Che was a little surprised to see his two sons coming together. He had already known the news that Liu Tan had returned to the palace, and guessed that the horseshoe should have been made. He was also waiting for Liu Tan to come to him, but he didn't expect that Liu Tan went to find Liu Ju first.

After Liu Che dismissed the musicians and dancers, he asked, "What brings you two together?"

Liu Ju turned to look at Liu Tan, and Liu Tan could only repeat his concerns.

After hearing this, Liu Che became very interested in the model he had obtained. After fiddling with it for a while, he easily understood what Liu Tan meant.

Originally, Liu Tan thought that since everything had been told to Liu Che, he just had to wait for Liu Che's order and use whatever he said.

Liu Che then asked, "Which one do you think is better?"

Liu Tan said decisively: "Screws." Then he explained again the reason for choosing screws. The only restriction on such things is the low productivity.

Liu Che examined the screw carefully for a while before chuckling, "It's rare that you could come up with this idea. Bu Fan, gather some people and discuss this matter!"

So... a quarter of an hour later, Liu Tan sat among a group of people with a confused look on his face, feeling the atmosphere of the court.

Before the appearance of horse harness and horseshoes, they were only circulated in a small range. The generals did not get them and naturally there was not much discussion. But now they are being discussed in a serious occasion, which means that this matter has involved the general direction of the country.

Liu Tan sat next to Liu Ju and tried to minimize his presence. He even sent people to give explanations. Fortunately, eunuchs in the Han Dynasty were not so low-status, so it was acceptable for him to give explanations in the court.

After Miao Rui and Bigo finished their collaborative explanation, everyone began to discuss what these things were like.

In fact, many people can only rely on their imagination, and the only ones who have experience are Liu Che, Liu Tan and Li Ling.

It was impossible for Liu Che to tell his ministers about his feelings after riding the horse. Liu Tan treated himself as a backdrop, so only Li Ling could take the stage.

Li Ling was very supportive of horse harnesses, but he didn't dare to express too much opinion on horseshoes because he was not sure whether they were good or not.

Li Ling was not the only one who welcomed the appearance of horse harnesses. Just when Liu Tan thought the promotion of horse harnesses and horseshoes was a done deal, someone suddenly said, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince's actions are all aimed at destroying the Han Dynasty. He deserves death!"

Liu Tan was not angry after hearing this, but his head was full of questions.

He really didn't understand the logic behind this.

Liu Che glanced at the man and said lazily, "What do you think, Prime Minister?"

Prime Minister? Prime Minister Shi Qing?

Liu Tan was even more puzzled. Wasn't this prime minister famous for not caring about anything when he was the prime minister?

He still remembered that when he first learned to do the analysis here, everyone thought that it was because Shi Qing was a puppet prime minister that he was able to have a good end.

You should know that few prime ministers during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han had a good ending. Shi Qing died in office, which was considered a good outcome.

He hadn't offended this puppet prime minister, had he? Why did he just come up and attack him?

Shi Qing said with a serious face, "The Fifth Prince first allowed the grapes to bear fruit in winter, which is against the will of heaven and is likely to bring disaster. The fire at Bailiang Terrace is most likely a warning from heaven."

Liu Tan almost laughed out loud after hearing this. "It's been over a month since the fire at Bailiang Terrace, and you're only now saying it's related to me? What were you doing before? Why didn't you think of it in the first place?"

Liu Che was obviously unconvinced. He said directly, "Don't talk nonsense. The fire at Bailiang Terrace was caused by dry weather and water running away. Let's not talk about this matter anymore. Today we will only discuss the horse harness."

Shi Qing added, "It is the horse harness that will destroy the Han Dynasty. Our heavy cavalry has always been superior, and that is sufficient to deal with the Xiongnu. Even with the new harness, our light cavalry may not be able to defeat the Xiongnu. If the Xiongnu obtain this set of harness, their cavalry will be even more powerful, and our heavy cavalry may not be able to defeat them. The Fifth Prince's intentions deserve death. Your Majesty, please understand."

Liu Tan: ...

How should I put it, this train of thought... I have to admit defeat.