Chapter 44 The Prince's Failed Rebellion
Zhang Xiaojia cleverly brought a chair for the emperor to sit down, then found two more chairs, arranged them neatly behind the emperor, and then pulled He Fei to sit down together.
Next, Liu Wen began to talk incessantly about the love story between the emperor and the empress. Her voice was so loud that Zhang Xiaojia's ears were almost callused.
Zhang Xiaojia sat in an awkward manner and simply collapsed in He Fei's arms, looking comfortable and casual.
He Fei finally couldn't help but interrupt Liu Wen. "You said your world has carriages that can travel without horses. Can you really make them? And what about the lamps you mentioned that don't require oil or candles? What exactly do they use?"
Liu Wen replied disdainfully: "It uses electricity, don't you know that?"
Zhang Xiaojia frowned when she heard that He Fei dared to look down on her. She shouted angrily, "How dare you! You talk so much like that, why don't you show me how to do it? If you can't do it, I'll kill you!"
Liu Wen stared blankly at the woman in front of her. She was stunningly beautiful, with an outstanding temperament and a high spirit. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Zhang Jia..."
Zhang Xiaojia frowned slightly when she heard this, and corrected him unhappily, "My name is Zhang Xiaojia!"
The Emperor couldn't help but cough twice. "You're embarrassing me! You don't even know your own name?" "Which family, no matter if noble or humble, would have a girl named with the character 'xiao' in it? It's neither elegant nor dignified. 'Xiaojia' is just your nickname. Do you still want to write 'xiaoxiao' like you did when you were little?"
Seeing this, He Fei quietly explained in Zhang Xiaojia's ear: "Zhang Jia is your real name, Xiao Jia is just your nickname."
Zhang Xiaojia's cheeks instantly flushed when she heard this. She simply pretended to be dead and said nothing more...
The Emperor sat upright in his chair, his gaze as sharp as a torch, fixed on the person before him. His voice was majestic and solemn, demanding, "Let me ask you this: You constantly claim to be from the future, and even boast that everything in the future surpasses the present. So, I'd like to hear your thoughts carefully: just how vast were the territories of your country in your time? What powerful weapons did you possess to defend your homeland? What were the grain harvests like? Furthermore, you just mentioned being able to use the internet to meet people thousands of miles away, and even to fly freely in the air. Could you truly achieve such miraculous things?"
Hearing this, Liu Wen shook her head helplessly and said, "I can't."
The emperor frowned upon hearing this and asked, "Then what can you do?"
Liu Wen hesitated for a long time, unable to explain herself. Finally, she said angrily, "I'm a liberal arts student. Isn't it normal that I don't know these things?"
Zhang Xiaojia heard the word "liberal arts students" and asked curiously, "What are liberal arts students? Shouldn't they be like us now? The imperial examination includes subjects such as Jinshi, Nine Classics, Five Classics, Kaiyuan Rites, Three Histories, Three Rites, Three Commentaries, Xuejiu, Mingfa, and Mingjing. What are the liberal arts students you are referring to?"
The emperor frowned slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion and curiosity. He slowly said, "You, a liberal arts student, are quite intriguing to me. As far as I know, the imperial examination is a crucial method for selecting talent in our dynasty, encompassing a wide range of disciplines. And the liberal arts students you're referring to, do you mean those who specialize in a particular field?"
Seeing this, Liu Wen was secretly glad that the emperor didn't delve into it, so she explained, "Yes, Your Majesty. In our later generations, the education system is different, divided into liberal arts and science. Liberal arts students mainly study humanities and social sciences, such as history, literature, and philosophy, while science students focus on natural sciences and technology."
The Emperor nodded slightly, a thoughtful look on his face, and said softly, "I see. Then let me ask you again, as a student of the humanities, do you have any unique insights into how to govern the country and appease the people?"
After hearing this, Liu Wen couldn't help but start to hesitate again. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time: "I... I... I..." Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and the entire prison fell into a suffocating silence.
The emperor's eyes dimmed slightly when he saw this, but he tried to keep his tone gentle and continued to ask, "So what exactly do you know?"
Liu Wen took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, before slowly speaking, "Your Majesty, I know there's a kind of food called potatoes, which can yield up to 2,000 kilograms per mu. There's also corn, which also yields around 2,000 kilograms per mu. Furthermore, there's another kind of food called sweet potatoes, which also yields at least 2,000 kilograms per mu, and hybrid rice, which also yields around 2,000 kilograms per mu."
The emperor responded calmly, "Our dynasty also has potatoes and corn, but I wonder if you know how to grow them."
Liu Wen shook her head without hesitation and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, please understand that farming is something rural people excel at. I'm just a weak woman from the city, how could I possibly understand these farming techniques?"
A subtle, murderous intent flashed across the emperor's eyes, but he was a man of great cunning, and ultimately suppressed his dissatisfaction. He patiently demanded in a low, dignified voice, "Since you know nothing about farming, what other skills do you possess?"
Liu Wen felt the tension in the air and guessed that if she didn't say something, she might really be killed.
She said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, I can make soap, refine fine salt, and even make ice from saltpeter."
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaojia started to tease, "Dad, the palace maids in the imperial mausoleum taught me all this, I can do it too."
The veins on the emperor's forehead bulged slightly, his face instantly turned as cold as ice, and he said coldly: "Kill him!"
Liu Wen was so frightened that she shouted, "Your Majesty, wait a minute! I can also cure smallpox!"
Although Zhang Xiaojia rolled his eyes inwardly, he pretended to be excited and asked, "Oh? Then tell me, how did you cure smallpox?"
Liu Wen took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and said, "Use cowpox to treat smallpox."
Zhang Xiaojia knew Liu Wen's understanding of cowpox might not be very deep when she heard this, so she deliberately pressed the issue: "Is cowpox a treatment for smallpox or a preventative? Do you get the vaccine after you get smallpox? Or do you get it before you get smallpox? Or do you swallow the cowpox?"
Liu Wen was left hesitant and unable to answer by this barrage of questions. She had just wanted to casually mention a life-saving skill, but she hadn't expected to attract so many follow-up questions.
Zhang Xiaojia was speechless as she watched Liu Wen's embarrassment. She had tried her best to save Liu Wen's life, but Liu Wen's lack of basic common sense left her helpless.
Zhang Xiaojia still wanted to save this little idiot's life.
Zhang Xiaojia walked up to the emperor and said coquettishly, "Brother, spare her life. What she said about the future is really interesting. Didn't she just say that cowpox can cure smallpox? I'll try it too. She's stupid, but what if what she said about cowpox really can cure smallpox? If I figure it out, I can really leave my name in the history books this time. Instead of being infamous as a beauty who brings disaster in the history books there!!!"
The emperor warned: "You are not allowed to mess around with me."
Zhang Xiaojia said obediently: "Dad, you are the best. Can I talk to her alone?"
The emperor turned and left.
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