Chapter 97 Du Fu: A drifter in a chaotic world, with no fixed abode.
759 AD (Tang Dynasty).
When Du Fu passed through Shihao Village, he wrote a poem called "The Officer of Shihao". This poem, along with "The Officer of Xin'an" and "The Officer of Tongguan", will later be known as the Three Officers. There are also "Farewell to the Newlyweds", "Farewell to the Homeless", and "Farewell to the Elderly", which are the Three Farewells.
"The Three Officials and the Three Separations" are Du Fu's masterpieces and have established his status in the history of poetry.
However, at this time, Du Fu was merely a disillusioned official who had resigned from his post.
He walked the earth, without fine clothes, servants, or gold and silver; he simply walked. This great poet was like a drifting duckweed in a chaotic world, homeless and suffering from hunger and cold.
Du Fu tightened his belt, looked up at the sky, and sighed deeply. If only it were during the Zhenguan era.
Just as I looked up at the sky, a piece of white paper floated down.
Du Fu took the paper, and his eyes lit up after he read it carefully.
——
After reporting to Jiang Ge that Jiang Yuanshan had been taken away by Liu Xun, Wei Shun stood aside.
He couldn't understand what grudge there was between father and son, why they were so hostile towards each other.
However, Kui Shun had one advantage: he was very good at keeping his mouth shut.
If I don't know, don't understand, or don't comprehend something, I won't ask.
Jiang Ge took a sip of tea, smacked his lips, and thought that this tea was still not as good as milk tea.
Letting Jiang Yuanshan go was merely to make things legitimate.
Putting Liu Xun and Jiang Yuanshan together is like having a den of snakes and rats in the same nest. But grasshoppers in autumn won't be jumping around for long. Let the two of them jump away.
The two grasshoppers hopping around are also whispering to each other.
Actually, Jiang Yuanshan didn't want to talk. He wanted to go home. He missed his wife and son. He missed home.
I'm thinking about it so much I can't stop.
He always felt that Jiang Ge was a strange person. He had been very fond of him at home before, but recently Jiang Yuanshan had locked him up in the jail for several days. The food was sour, the water was murky, and even the clothes he wore were spoiled.
Is Django really going to kill his father?
He's his biological father, that's no lie.
As evening approached, Jiang Yuanshan and Liu Xun were still talking. In the end, they discovered that Jiang Ge's official position was actually bought, and that they could directly write a letter to the court to get her dismissed.
Unexpectedly, the matter was so simple, and Liu Xun was quite pleased with himself when he picked up the letter he had written.
——
Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao had just returned to the Tang Dynasty.
Then they saw His Highness stride forward with bright eyes, grab Yuchi Jingde and ask, "Yuchi Jingde, was there a battle in Songyang County today?"
"Your Highness, no."
Let alone fighting, today he desperately wanted that inspector to stand up for himself and confront him head-on, to start a fight!
As long as a fight breaks out.
They can then make another fortune from the disaster.
The one who suffered was Liu Xun. They had received a bonus. Putting everything else aside, just take this Jenny spinning machine. One machine is equivalent to eight people, and they are skilled workers.
Outside the Taiji Hall, the Minister of Works was directing craftsmen to rush the production of new looms. Amidst the flying sawdust, replicas of the Spinning Jenny were gradually taking shape, but these were kept secret and not allowed to enter the market directly, otherwise the price of silk would plummet.
In the palace's weaving workshop, Empress Zhangsun was leading her maids to try out a new loom. With a gentle shake of her slender hands, the shuttle danced among the warp threads like a butterfly flitting among flowers, and in the blink of an eye, a half-foot square of brocade was woven. "This machine is truly amazing," Zhangsun exclaimed. "What used to take eight embroiderers a whole day to complete can now be finished in half a day."
It saves so much time and effort; this is all thanks to this machine.
Even Li Shimin became interested in these so-called unorthodox and eccentric techniques, perhaps his Tang Dynasty still had many such opportunities, but they had not yet been discovered.
The emperor was interested, so naturally everyone below got moving.
Chang'an was still shrouded in morning mist, but a long queue had already formed outside Anfu Gate on the east side of the imperial city. Skilled craftsmen from the ten circuits of the Tang Dynasty carried all sorts of unique machines, waiting to enter the palace to present them as treasures. This was the third group of craftsmen to enter the palace for an audience since the emperor issued an edict last month to collect ingenious machines from all over the country.
"Your Majesty, look at this queue! It's almost all the way to Chongrenfang!" Xing'er, Empress Zhangsun's personal maid, said, pointing to the outside of the palace wall in the corridor of Zichen Palace.
Empress Zhangsun put down her embroidery frame and looked in the direction Xing'er was pointing. In the morning light, artisans in colorful clothes stretched like a ribbon outside the palace walls. She smiled slightly: "His Majesty is truly taking this to heart. Ever since he saw the new loom, even the morning court has been discussing these ingenious and exquisite crafts."
These craftsmen also cherished this opportunity and brought out their most treasured possessions, many of which were things that even Empress Zhangsun had never heard of.
Just then, a eunuch's shrill voice announced from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived—"
Li Shimin strode into the hall, the hem of his bright yellow dragon robe fluttering with his steps. Excitement shone through his brows, and he held a scroll of blueprints in his hand.
"Guanyinbi, come quickly! The water-powered spinning wheel design that was just presented by Shu is several times more exquisite than the looms in our palace!"
Empress Zhangsun took the blueprints and saw a complex machine depicted, driven by a waterwheel, capable of spinning dozens of yarns simultaneously. She looked up in surprise: "This...this spinning wheel doesn't require human labor?"
“Exactly!” Li Shimin’s eyes gleamed. “According to the craftsman who presented the map, this spinning wheel is set up on a tributary of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System. It rotates by water power, day and night, and can produce enough yarn in one day to last a hundred weavers for ten days.”
Empress Zhangsun gently stroked the blueprints, lost in thought. "If that's true, wouldn't the production of Shu brocade increase several times over? But..." she said with slight worry, "those people who rely on spinning for a living..."
Li Shimin's smile faded slightly, then brightened again, saying, "Guanyinbi, you are overthinking it. Increased production and lower prices will naturally attract more buyers. Besides, I have already ordered the establishment of a special department in the Institute of Crafts to study how to make these new machines benefit the people."
No sooner had he finished speaking than an announcement came from outside the hall: "Minister of Works Yan Lide and Chief Craftsman Yan Liben request an audience."
"Summon them!" Li Shimin turned around and sat back on the dragon throne.
After the two ministers entered the hall and paid their respects, Yan Lide stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, six new machines have entered the palace today. Three of them have been preliminarily inspected by the Institute of Crafts and have indeed shown remarkable qualities."
"Oh? Tell me in detail." Li Shimin leaned forward slightly.
Yan Liben unrolled the scroll in his hand: "One of them is a self-propelled jacquard loom presented by weavers in Suzhou, Jiangnan East Circuit. This machine uses wooden plaques with holes to control the rise and fall of the warp threads, and can weave complex patterns. One weaver can operate two machines at the same time."
"The second is the repeating crossbow made by blacksmiths in Fenzhou, Hedong Road. It can fire twenty arrows in one go with a single load, with a range of three hundred paces."
"Thirdly..." Yan Liben paused, "it was a water-powered automatic spinning wheel presented by craftsmen from Yizhou in Jiannan Circuit. It was similar to the design in His Majesty's hands, but on a larger scale."
Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Very well! This afternoon, I will personally visit the Craftsmanship Institute!"
In the afternoon, the Qiaogong Courtyard was bustling with people. This originally unused side courtyard has now been transformed into a place to display various machines. In the center of the courtyard, a wooden machine, about two people tall, was creaking under the operation of the craftsmen.
Li Shimin, accompanied by Empress Zhangsun and several important officials, stood under the corridor to watch. As the waterwheel turned, the spindles on the spinning wheel spun rapidly, and pure white yarn was spun out like flowing water, winding around the yarn tube.
“Your Majesty, please look,” the old craftsman from Shu who presented the machine explained, pointing to the machine, “this waterwheel drives the main shaft, the gears on the main shaft drive the small shaft, and the cams on the small shaft control the rise and fall of the spindle. The water flows continuously, and the spinning wheel never stops.”
Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and exclaimed, "Wonderful! The work done by this machine in one day is equivalent to that of twenty textile workers."
Wei Zheng frowned and said, "Your Majesty, I have a concern. If such machinery is widely implemented, I fear that thousands of textile workers will lose their livelihoods and become homeless."
Li Shimin pondered for a moment: "Wei Qing's concerns are not without merit. However..." He turned to the old craftsman, "How much does this machine cost? What kind of water power is required to operate it?"
The old craftsman knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, this machine needs to be made of the finest nanmu wood, costing about fifty strings of cash. Moreover, it must be set up in a place with rapid currents, as it cannot be driven by ordinary streams."
“Fifty strings of cash…” Li Shimin calculated, “That’s equivalent to ten years’ wages for a textile worker. Let’s try it out in the government-run weaving workshops first, observe the results, and then discuss its wider application.”
The group moved to another area where the self-propelled jacquard loom was on display. Unlike the looms currently in the palace, this loom had dozens of perforated wooden plaques hanging above it. As the weaver stepped on the pedals, the plaques fell one by one, controlling the rise and fall of the warp threads to weave intricate patterns.
Empress Zhangsun approached for a closer look and saw that a peony pattern was gradually appearing on the brocade, each petal lifelike. She couldn't help but reach out and touch it: "This pattern is even more exquisite than the hand embroidery of the palace embroiderers."
The weaver from Jiangnan who presented the loom was a lean man in his early thirties. He respectfully explained, "Your Majesty, the secret of this loom lies entirely in these perforated wooden plaques. Different patterns correspond to different perforation methods, and my family has already collected hundreds of different patterns of wooden plaques."
A glint of light flashed in Du Ruhui's eyes: "If we combine this technology with water-powered spinning wheels, wouldn't we be able to produce exquisite brocades at extremely low cost? Our Great Tang silk will surely dominate the Western Regions market!"
Li Shimin nodded: "That makes sense. Issue my decree to reward this weaver with one hundred bolts of silk and fifty strings of cash, and order him to stay at the Crafts Academy to teach this skill."
The last exhibit showcased was a modified repeating crossbow. Compared to traditional crossbows, this one had a wooden magazine containing twenty arrows. As the winch turned, the arrows were fired one after another, creating a dense rain of arrows.
The Minister of War's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty! If this crossbow were equipped on the border troops, it would surely greatly dampen the morale of the Turkic cavalry!"
Li Shimin personally tested the arrows a few times and nodded in satisfaction: "Good! Order the Imperial Workshop to make a hundred of them in the same style, and test them on the Shuofang Army first."
As the sun began to set, the tour concluded. On the way back to the palace, Li Shimin enthusiastically discussed his observations with Empress Zhangsun. Suddenly, he stopped: "Guanyinbi, do you think... these machines might change the very foundation of our Great Tang Dynasty?"
Empress Zhangsun pondered for a moment: "Your Majesty, I believe that machinery is ultimately just a tool. The key lies in how it is used. If it can benefit the people and strengthen the army, that is certainly a good thing; but if it leads to unemployment among the people, then we must be cautious."
Li Shimin squeezed her hand: "Guanyinbi is absolutely right. Tomorrow at court, I will discuss this matter thoroughly with all my ministers."
Li Shimin was undoubtedly a good emperor. He prioritized the people's welfare, implemented many policies to benefit them, and restrained his pursuit of pleasure. These experiences allowed him to glimpse another world, which was a radical change for the common people.
He needs to think about it carefully.
That night, in a side room of the Qiaogong Courtyard, candlelight flickered. Wei Zheng and several ministers sat together.
"Gentlemen," Wei Zheng said in a low voice, "His Majesty has recently become too enthusiastic about these strange and ingenious skills, which may not be a blessing for the country."
An older official nodded: "Lord Wei is absolutely right. Agriculture is the foundation of the nation, while industry is secondary. If everyone abandons agriculture for profit and rushes to develop these machines, who will cultivate the fields?"
Another official added: "What is even more worrying is that most of these machines are made by merchants. If this trend continues, the power of merchants will surely grow stronger and shake the foundations of our dynasty."
Wei Zheng stroked his beard and pondered, "At tomorrow's court assembly, we must jointly submit a memorial advising His Majesty not to excessively praise these ingenious devices..."
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants are the foundation of the nation, and cannot be easily changed.
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Author's Note: These machines actually appear later in the story; the descriptions are exaggerated for the purpose of exaggeration.
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