New policies for canal transport
On the day Li Xian turned six months old, Wu Meiniang held him in the Zichen Palace to receive the newly appointed Grand Canal Transport Commissioner Liu Rengui.
The baby curiously grasped the pearl on its mother's clothes, while the mother frowned as she looked at the canal transport map.
“The Yellow River is frequently flooded, and the grain transport ships are severely damaged.” Liu Rengui pointed to the red dot marked on the map. “Last year, forty-seven ships sank, resulting in the loss of 200,000 shi of grain.”
Wu Zetian gently patted Li Xian in her arms: (Inner monologue: My love, the boat model you picked for your first birthday celebration has come true.)
She suddenly asked, "Has Liu Qing ever seen ants moving house?"
Liu Rengui was stunned.
Wu Zetian picked up her vermilion brush and drew several branch lines on the grain transport map: "Why insist on taking the treacherous main waterway? Open up branch lines on the Luo River and Bian River, breaking the large shipment into smaller ones. Large ships transporting grain are easy targets; if we use smaller boats to transport it in convoys..."
Suddenly, Li Xian, who was in her arms, let out a "yah" sound and slapped her little hand on the branch line that her mother had just drawn.
(Inner monologue: Good son!)
Liu Rengui suddenly realized: "Your Majesty is wise! Segmented transportation can avoid dangerous sections of the river, and even if a section of the river is damaged, the entire army will not be wiped out."
“Furthermore,” Wu Zetian added, “we will build warehouses to store grain at each transshipment point. The grain transport ships will not have to wait to fill up the grain convoy; they can depart as soon as they arrive.”
The new policy has had an immediate effect after three months of implementation.
On this day, Di Renjie came to report on the new achievements in the canal transport, and Wu Meiniang was teaching Li Xian to recognize the cities on the map.
Upon hearing that losses during the canal transport had been halved, she held the baby's tiny hand and pointed towards Bianzhou:
“Look, my lord, this place will become the granary of the world in the future.”
When Li Zhi returned from court, this was the scene he saw: his wife holding their young child standing in front of a huge map of the Grand Canal, the setting sun gilding the mother and child.
He took his babbling son and suddenly said:
"Meiniang, I would like to take Chilang to Luoyang to see real grain transport ships."
Wu Meiniang was taken aback.
(Inner monologue: The emperor's tour is no small matter...)
"There's no need to make a big fuss," Li Zhi saw her concerns. "Let's travel light and keep it as a family matter."
During the crisp autumn season, the emperor and empress, along with their three princes, toured Luoyang.
When Li Xian first saw a real grain transport ship, he excitedly danced around in his wet nurse's arms.
Wu Zetian pointed to the new-style two-masted ship on the dock and explained to Li Hong:
"This type of boat has a shallow draft, making it more suitable for navigating tributaries."
Li Xian asked curiously, "Why are there eyes painted on the bow of the boat?"
“That’s Longmu,” Li Zhi lifted his second son onto his shoulders. “I will take you to see the newly built river granary.”
In front of the massive official granary, Liu Rengui was inspecting the new grain.
Upon seeing the imperial procession arrive, he excitedly reported: "According to Her Majesty's segmented transportation method, all the grain transported this year has been stored, with losses less than 30% of those in previous years!"
Li Xian, who was in Wu Meiniang's arms, suddenly reached out his little hand towards the pile of grain and giggled.
(Inner monologue: Could this child truly be destined for the Grand Canal?)
On the return journey, Wu Zetian took a short rest by the car window.
In a hazy state, she felt someone cover her with a robe, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Li Zhi holding her hand and writing red annotations on a document.
"His Majesty?"
"I have approved the new regulations on the Grand Canal for you." He looked down at her, his gaze gentle. "You have worked hard breastfeeding the young master; you don't need to worry about these trivial matters."
Outside the car window, the white sails of the grain transport boats stretched like clouds in the autumn wind.
——
[Mini-Theater: An Introduction to the Grand Canal]
(Li Xian's wet nurse's diary)
The third prince is six months old today, and he picked up a model ship during the traditional "grasping ceremony".
The Empress was overjoyed and stood in front of the canal transport map for a full hour, holding the prince in her arms.
The little prince didn't cry or fuss; instead, he reached out his little hand to pat the map.
(Could it be that he can actually understand it?)
The most amazing thing was that just now, when the Empress was reviewing the memorials on the canal transport, the little prince suddenly pointed out the window and started babbling.
The old servant looked up and saw that a flock of geese had formed the shape of a fleet of ships!
The Imperial Observatory declared it an auspicious sign, and His Majesty immediately allocated an additional 100,000 strings of cash to the Grand Canal Transport Office.
(Could our Third Prince be the reincarnation of the God of Water Transport?)
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