Chapter 37: The Significance of Persistence

Liu Jin felt much refreshed after bathing and changing into clean clothes. Yet, when he arrived at the fields by the lake, he still saw the Crown Prince, Liu Ju, gritting his teeth and persisting, pushing the plow with earnest dedication as he turned the soil over and over again.

He had refused any assistance from the servants. Despite being drenched in sweat and soaked through, he had even overcome his usual aversion to filth, with the hem of his robes heavily stained with mud.

Half an hour had not yet passed.

Liu Jin walked over and waited quietly for his father to finish the farm work assigned by Tutor Shi. When it was over, Liu Ju was panting heavily; no longer minding the dirt, he sat on the ground and drew deep, ragged breaths. Liu Jin walked over and handed him a flask of water, which Liu Ju drained in one go.

"Father, that should be enough. Why must you insist on half an hour?"

Liu Ju smiled, the final rays of the setting sun casting a glow on his resolute face. "Firstly, one must be honest. Since I gave my word to the teacher, I must fulfill it. It is also to set an example for you; after all, I am your father."

"Secondly, I truly wish to understand the hardships of the common people and the difficulty of farming. If I do not understand the suffering of the masses and only listen to what the teachers say, I will never truly feel it."

Liu Jin was silent for a moment before asking, "Are you tired?"

Liu Ju did not hide it: "Tired, very tired!"

"I have only done half an hour of farm work and I am already like this. The common people must rely on this for their livelihood, all while being subjected to corvée labor during the various seasons, and even then, they must hand over much of the grain they harvest to the government and the Imperial Court."

"There are also countless harsh taxes and levies."

"How can they be expected to be grateful to the court? If I were a commoner, I could not be grateful either."

"I often wonder, can some things be changed?"

He gave a self-deprecating laugh, stood up, and raised his hand to pat Liu Jin’s shoulder, but noticing how dirty his hands were, he said, "I am going to wash up."

That bitter smile seemed to mock his own situation—with his own position so precarious, why was he dwelling on such grand, impractical thoughts?

"Father."

"Yes?"

Liu Jin took a deep breath. "Large policies may not change overnight, but perhaps we can start with smaller things. For instance... making the lives of the commoners a little less arduous?"

"Haha!" Liu Ju laughed. "That is difficult!"

"I can try."

"Oh." Liu Ju did not pay much heed and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Following the hand plow came the straight-beam plow, which only emerged in the Western Han Dynasty after iron smelting matured and livestock populations grew, marking the gradual transition from human labor to ox-drawn farming.

In truth, the difference between the straight-beam plow and the hand plow was not vast; the only real distinction was that the straight-beam plow was better suited for animal traction. The handle of the hand plow became the beam, which connected to the ox, eliminating the need to hold it manually. The blade evolved into a V-shaped iron share, enhancing its ability to break the soil. A moldboard was added to turn the soil, and that was all.

Such a transformation was not exactly groundbreaking; even if Liu Jin had not done it, it would have been invented in the Western Han Dynasty before long, as scientific needs and agricultural demands would force people to address the shortcomings of the hand plow, especially after oxen became widespread.

Early the next morning, Liu Jin left the palace and found the carpenter on Hengmen Street who had previously crafted the rocking chair for his grandfather. He explained his requirements, personally supervised the work, and the carpenter went through significant amounts of wood before finally producing a straight-beam plow that satisfied Liu Jin.

...

In the Weiyang Palace, within the Xuanshi Hall, Emperor Wu of Han sat before his desk, eyes closed in contemplation. No one knew what the emperor was thinking at that moment.

"He had an illicit affair with one of Princess Yangshi’s maids?"

Bao Shengzhi bowed and replied, "That is the case, though it happened quite some time ago. Recently, the Grand Coachman Gongsun has stopped entering the palace."

"Hmm."

Emperor Wu stood up with his hands behind his back. On his desk was a list of names: Gongsun He, Gongsun Jingsheng, Wei Kang, Wei Buyi, Wei Deng, Huo Guang, Li Xi, Lu Bode, Wei Guang...

These were the people he intended to eliminate. Had Liu Jin not entered his field of vision, he would have already moved against them. Some were relatives of the Wei family, others were generals under Wei Qing or Huo Qubing, and they still held key positions in the court and the military.

To summarize, in the eyes of Emperor Wu, these people could be summed up in four words: The Consort Clan Faction!

Ever since the passing of the Founding Emperor and the rise of Empress Lü, Emperor Wu had been acutely aware of the influence of consort clans on the Han Dynasty. If he did not set a precedent for his successors, the Han Dynasty would sooner or later be destroyed by these consort factions!

Regardless of who ascended the throne, he did not want to see another consort group emerge. His decision to use the Wei and Huo families was the most correct decision of his life, but also the most wrong; it had laid the foundation for the expansion of consort power. Analyzing the history of his ancestors, it seemed the Han Dynasty had been held captive by consort factions until his own ascension!

He could not allow this to continue; it would affect the longevity of his Liu Dynasty!

With Emperor Wu’s ruthless and decisive nature, he needed no other strategy. All he had to do was find pretexts to remove these people one by one, so he could hand over a clean, untainted nation to his descendants. This was his duty!

But now, he hesitated. All because of his grandson, Liu Jin.

If it were not for him, he could have had Gongsun Jingsheng killed the moment Bao Shengzhi brought the news today.

Emperor Wu pondered for a long time before asking, "How many maids does Princess Yangshi have?"

Bao Shengzhi replied, "Thirty in total."

Emperor Wu commanded, "Send them all out of the palace and give them to Gongsun Jingsheng!"

"Does he not like maids? Tell him that I command him to marry all thirty-plus of them!"

"As you command!"

...

Liu Jin spent a busy day and returned to the Crown Prince’s palace in the afternoon. Shi De was still in the fields by the lake with Liu Ju. Farming was not a task to be completed in a day, and Tutor Shi was truly driving the Crown Prince to the brink—as he was doing to himself! He was indeed the most ruthless of Confucian teachers.

"Father, Tutor."

Liu Jin walked over, followed by servants pulling the new farm tool.

Tutor Shi nodded slightly, and upon seeing Liu Jin, said, "Imperial Grandson, come quickly and experience the hardships of farming."

Liu Jin: "..."

*You old man, you really are vicious!*

Liu Jin smiled and said, "Father, Tutor, I have brought a new type of farm tool today to test its effectiveness."

Shi De asked curiously, "Oh?"

He went over to the servants and carefully examined the straight-beam plow. He studied it for a long time, his expression shifting between confusion and sudden realization.

"The Tutor is knowledgeable and must surely understand its purpose."

Shi De said calmly, "I do not."

*You don't know?*

*Then what was the meaning of that ever-changing expression of yours just now?* Liu Jin was left speechless.