Spring plowing season
Outside Chang'an in March, willows sway gently, and spring waters begin to rise.
Wu Zetian insisted on participating in this year's Imperial Ploughing Ceremony. At this time, she was four months pregnant, and her lower abdomen was slightly protruding, with a noticeable curve visible under the elaborate empress's dress.
(Inner monologue: Pregnant women should be more active to aid in childbirth; this is common knowledge in modern medicine! Besides, the Plowing Ceremony is so important; it's a perfect opportunity to promote new agricultural tools.)
Li Zhi looked at her stubborn eyes and shook his head helplessly: "Meiniang, your body..."
"I know what I'm doing," she interrupted with a smile, neatly tying a knot in the hem of her dress. "Back when I was pregnant with Hong'er, didn't I still manage to review memorials until I was about to give birth?"
In the end, Li Zhi could not persuade her otherwise, so he ordered a cushioned couch to be set up by the imperial field and had his three princes stay close to their mother.
In the village, ten-year-old Li Hong held the new curved plow with a serious expression, his little face tense.
Six-year-old Li Xian followed behind, imitating the old farmers he had seen, sowing seeds in a very professional manner.
Meanwhile, one-year-old Li Xian sat in a specially made wooden cart, pushed by his wet nurse along the ridges of the field, babbling and directing his older brothers.
Just as Wu Zetian was about to step forward to demonstrate the correct way to hold a plow, a sudden, noticeable fetal movement in her abdomen made her involuntarily stop.
"My little sister's kicking!" Li Xian, with her sharp eyes, dropped the seeds and ran over, her little hands curiously reaching for her mother's belly. "She must want to come out and play!"
Li Zhi quickly supported his wife, and gently smiled at her pregnant belly, saying, "My dear Taiping, wait a little longer. When you come out, your father will take you to see the real spring plowing, which is much larger than this imperial field."
(Inner monologue: This child is already very noticeable even before birth; he's probably going to be a very lively person.)
After the Jitian ceremony was completed, Wu Zetian summoned agricultural officials from various regions to a couch on the edge of the field.
The spring breeze caressed her slightly pale face, but it couldn't extinguish the light in her eyes.
As she opened the thick stack of spring planting reports from the Ministry of Agriculture, her brow furrowed: "Why is the same type of rice being promoted in all regions? How can the soil and water conditions of Jiangnan and Guanzhong be treated the same?"
The old farmer bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is a rule established during the reign of Emperor Taizong, in order to achieve unity..."
"Times have changed." She pointed to the rolling hills in the distance. "Jiangnan prefers moisture, Guanzhong is drought-resistant, Longyou is suitable for wheat, and Huainan is suitable for rice. How can we force a uniform approach?"
He then ordered the revision of the "Agricultural Guidelines," requiring that guidance be categorized according to regional characteristics.
(Inner monologue: Adapting to local conditions is the key to scientific farming! Why didn't the ancients understand this principle?)
That day, as she was dictating the outline of the new agricultural book, Li Xian suddenly wobbled over, carrying a handful of soil, his little hands covered in mud. The wet nurse was startled and tried to stop him, but Wu Meiniang smiled and took it, praising, "Even Chilang knows the value of soil?"
Upon seeing this after court, Emperor Li Zhi simply took off his dragon robe and, with his three sons, began to cultivate a small garden in the open space behind the Zichen Palace.
The Emperor and Empress, along with the princes, personally planted eggplant seedlings brought from the Western Regions. Wu Zetian took the opportunity to explain the principle of crop rotation: "Planting the same crop on the same plot of land year after year is like people eating the same food every day..."
"It'll get boring!" Li Xian blurted out, still clutching a few seeds in his hand.
"Not only that," Li Hong added earnestly, "the soil's fertility will deteriorate, and yields will decline year after year."
(Inner monologue: Great, agricultural science popularization a success! These kids grasped it immediately.)
April brings abundant rainfall, and the new-style waterwheel proves its worth on the Guanzhong Plain.
Despite being seven months pregnant, Wu Zetian insisted on inspecting the Wei River Canal.
When she saw the waterwheel automatically drawing water to irrigate the fields, and the old farmer kneeling and shouting "The Empress is wise!" she stroked her pregnant belly and whispered to Li Zhi:
"When Taiping is born, she should see this bountiful harvest. Let her know what a magnificent empire her mother has built for her."
"It's more than just peace," Li Zhi said, pointing to his three sons learning to plant rice seedlings on the paddy field. "My princes and princesses should all know the hardships of farming. This is the foundation of governing a country."
In late spring, good news kept coming from all over the country.
The promotion of the new agricultural book is progressing smoothly, and the spring seedlings are growing well.
When Wu Zetian was reviewing memorials during a break from her pregnancy nausea, she would always let the toddler Li Xian touch the new grain seeds presented from various places.
"Remember, my son," she said, gently stroking the golden ears of rice as she held his small hand, "this is no ordinary grain; it is the foundation of the Tang Dynasty, the hope of all people."
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the mother and child embracing.
Looking at the thriving spring scenery outside the palace, Wu Meiniang suddenly felt that this child conceived in spring might truly bring the peaceful and prosperous world she longed for.
——
[Mini-Theater: Oden's Interlude]
(Records of the Si Nong Temple)
During today's ceremony of personally tilling the field, the Third Prince actually staggered down the ridge to chase butterflies.
Just as he was about to fall into the mud, His Majesty rushed over to save him.
In the rush, a mistake was made, and the emperor and empress ended up sitting in the paddy field, looking at each other and laughing.
(If those rigid censors saw this scene, they would probably write ten memorials to remonstrate about the "majesty of the emperor.")
The most interesting thing was that the Second Prince, seeing his parents covered in mud, immediately rolled around in the field and said he wanted to "share weal and woe".
Only His Highness the Crown Prince maintained his composure, helping his parents to their feet while diligently taking notes: "Three inches of muddy water is suitable for rice seedlings to grow. A parent's deep affection is even more conducive to proper family education."
Indeed, the dragon has nine sons, each different from the other.
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