A New Chapter in the Grand Canal
During the Cold Dew season, the newly built Grand Canal Transport Office was bustling with activity.
Wu Zetian stood on the white marble canal tower, holding Princess Taiping wrapped in an apricot-yellow cloak, with Di Renjie, who had just been appointed as the deputy commissioner of the Grand Canal, standing behind her.
A river breeze brushed against the pom-pom on the brim of the princess's hat, and the little princess excitedly waved the model canal boat in her hand.
"Your Majesty, please look," Di Renjie pointed to twelve new-style cargo ships on the river, "with your design of slanted sails and waterproof compartments, each ship's carrying capacity has increased to eight hundred shi (a unit of dry measure), and its draft has actually decreased by half a foot."
Wu Zetian took her daughter's small hand and examined it closely in the sunlight: "Does Taiping know? These ships don't need to unload their cargo when passing through the locks, saving three days of travel time to reach Chang'an."
The little princess giggled and leaned the model over the railing.
(OS: Thanks to my past experience in logistics park planning, the principles of container transportation can be used with slight modifications.)
Ten days ago, during a political discussion at the Yan Ying Hall, Zheng Fang, the Minister of Revenue, stroked his beard and questioned, "How could Her Majesty, living deep within the palace, know that the canal workers were about to untie the mooring lines and unload the cargo at the sluice gate?"
She immediately ordered someone to bring over a sand table of the canal, and lightly pointed with silver chopsticks: "From Yangzhou to Luoyang, it passes through thirty-six locks, each of which delays the journey by two hours. By the time the lychees arrive in the capital, they will have already changed color. What if we set up a fast route by light boats, with transit warehouses in Zhenjiang, Bianzhou, and Luoyang?"
The old minister stared at the glazed navigation markers on the sand table, then suddenly bowed deeply to the ground: "Your subject wishes to conduct a trial run in the Huainan region."
Gazing at the fleet making its maiden voyage on the river, Di Renjie handed over the account book: "After the 'Heavenly Balance Calculation' was adopted for the grain storage in various prefectures, 50,000 shi of falsely reported grain reserves were cleared out."
(OS: Turning double-entry bookkeeping into arithmetic formulas proved incredibly effective.)
As the fleet approached the Willow Branch Lock, Wu Meiniang suddenly frowned: "Minister Di, do you see any unusual draft on the port side of the lead ship?"
"Perhaps the cargo is not loaded evenly..."
"Immediately order the fleet to dock for inspection." She pulled Taiping closer to her chest. "Also, retrieve the ballast records for each ship."
Three days later, the results of the investigation were alarming: the stewards of the three new ships had secretly hidden salt in the waterproof compartments, and secret copper pipes used for correspondence with the Weibo military governor were unearthed in the backyard of the Grand Canal Commissioner.
"What a fine '30% increase in carrying capacity'!" Li Zhi smashed a jade teacup in the Penglai Palace. "These parasites actually used the compartments designed by the Empress to smuggle salt!"
Wu Zetian gently patted the startled Princess Taiping: "Your Majesty should reward them. If it weren't for this matter, I wouldn't have thought of establishing a Grand Canal Transport Inspectorate to specifically check the ballast of each ship."
(OS: Auditing + disciplinary inspection + random checks – this combination of measures would have been just as effective in the Tang Dynasty.)
When the new policy was implemented for a full month, long queues formed in front of the "direct supply shop for canal transport" in Chang'an West Market.
A farmer's wife, holding a freshly unpacked package of new rice from Jiangnan, exclaimed, "The rice that was still in the fields of Suzhou yesterday is already in the pot this morning!"
That evening, Wu Zetian held Princess Taiping as they released paper boats by the Taiye Pond.
The little princess stubbornly pushed the painted boat into the water, murmuring in her childish voice, "Rice... rice..."
"Your Majesty," Shangguan Wan'er approached, carrying a report, "the newly composed 'Shunfeng Ballad' by the canal workers has already reached the Imperial Music Bureau."
Wu Zetian gazed at the paper boats laden with flower petals in the pond, then suddenly lifted Taiping over her shoulder: "My dear daughter, look, don't these boats look like they're performing a flower petal dance?"
As dusk fell, the last cargo ship was sailing into the Jinguangmen Wharf.
On the fluttering blue sails at the bow of the ship, a newly made canal transport emblem was embroidered in gold thread—a wave pattern that Taiping casually drew during his first birthday celebration.
——
Di Renjie's Notes on the Grand Canal
September 23
When the Empress summoned me, I thought it was to discuss criminal matters, but it turned out to be about the Grand Canal.
She held Princess Taiping in her arms and stood in front of the canal map. The three-year-old princess was able to accurately point out the location of the Bianzhou Sluice Gate.
(Could it be true, as rumored, that the child's first birthday celebration involved picking a model of a canal and thus connecting to the waterways?)
October 1st
I witnessed firsthand the launch of the new-style cargo ship designed by the Queen.
A slanted sail can catch winds from all directions, and a compartment can prevent the ship from sinking—this ingenious design actually came from the hands of a woman deep in the palace.
Cheng Wuting secretly told me that when the Empress was at Ganye Temple, she helped the caravan improve the load-bearing capacity of the carriages.
No wonder she is so familiar with the canal transport system.
October 15
During the audit, it was discovered that the "Heavenly Balance Algorithm" was a remarkable skill.
The phrase "old management, new receipts, dismissals, and practical results" is compiled into a mnemonic that even veteran accountants can quickly master.
The Queen said she learned this from how toddlers count wooden blocks...
(If that's the case, then the people from the Ministry of Justice should also be sent to listen to elementary education.)
October 28
The Queen immediately noticed that the lead ship was not drawing water.
Sure enough, they found 3,000 catties of smuggled salt!
Even more surprisingly, she then proposed a "random inspection system," requiring the inspector to board the ship and inspect the cargo at irregular intervals.
(This kind of keen observation surpasses even the meticulous paperwork of the Dali Temple.)
November 1st
The price of new rice in the West Market has dropped by 15 wen.
Seeing the people's joyful faces, he suddenly understood why the Empress insisted on setting up "direct supply stations for grain transport".
She said, "Only when farmers and consumers meet can they truly understand the significance of the Grand Canal."
(I used to only know how to handle cases according to the law, but now I understand that prevention is more important.)
November 15
When the Crown Prince came to the Grand Canal Transport Office to observe, he was able to point out the differences in water flow at each sluice gate.
When asked about his teacher, he replied, "I learned it from my mother when she taught me to play with the sand tray."
(No wonder the Empress always took Princess Taiping on tours of the Grand Canal; she had been educating her children about this long before.)
Looking at the granaries full of new grain, he suddenly recalled the Empress's words from yesterday: "Minister Di, do you know that when Taiping is sailing, he always says 'Hurry up!'?"
Perhaps the acceleration of this prosperous era is hidden in the innocent words of children.
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