A polymath, an explosives theorist, an astronomer, and a master DIYer of optical instruments.
Such people are always in demand, how could they not be arranged with good positions?
Someone was sent to fetch textbooks from the academy and the New Oriental Vocational School.
These books are intended for the children of the village. Gentlemen, you may take a look to pass the time.
If there are any errors or omissions in the content of the books, please point them out in a timely manner.
After arranging their accommodations, Fang Er pointed to the pile of textbooks and smiled.
Upon seeing the "Introduction to Physics" in the textbooks, Fang Yizhi's eyes lit up. He immediately pulled out the book and hugged it to his chest, flipping through it.
The word "physics" was not unfamiliar to him, as he himself had written a book called "A Brief Account of Physics."
The so-called "physics" generally refers to the principles of all things in the world, which is different from the meaning of physics in our modern scientific understanding. "Shi" (识) is akin to "Zhi" (志), meaning record. Thus, "A Brief Account of Physics" is a comprehensive record of the principles of all things in the universe. The book is divided into twelve volumes and fifteen categories, namely: celestial bodies, calendar, wind, thunder, rain, and sun, earth, astronomical phenomena, human body, medicine, food, clothing, metals and stones, implements, plants, birds and beasts, ghosts, gods, magic, and strange events.
From its content, it extensively covers astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, agriculture, crafts, philosophy, art, and many other aspects.
In terms of astronomy, "A Brief Account of Physics" inherited the excellent achievements of traditional Chinese astronomy and also absorbed advanced knowledge introduced from the West at that time.
For example, the book introduces the Western concept of a spherical Earth, stating: The Earth is indeed spherical, at the center of the heavens. The notion that the Earth floats on water and the heavens encompass water is erroneous. The Earth's surface is like walnut meat, with convex mountains and concave seas.
Furthermore, "A Brief Account of Physics" provides outstanding descriptions and elaborations on numerous issues such as the dispersion, reflection, and refraction of light, the generation, propagation, reflection, resonance, and soundproofing effects of sound, specific gravity, and magnetic effects.
Therefore, upon seeing the introductory physics textbook, he immediately developed a strong interest.
Sun Yunqiu, Li Tianjing, and Jiao Xu were all the same. Each of them searched the pile of books for content that interested them.
Ultimately, Sun Yunqiu chose "Introduction to Mechanics" and "Introduction to Physics."
Li Tianjing opted for "Introduction to Physics" and "A General Overview of Datang Geography."
Jiao Xu was engrossed in reading "Introduction to Chemistry."
Fang Yizhi's son, Fang Zhongtong, treasured the mathematics textbooks.
Seeing them engrossed in flipping through the books, Fang Er quietly left the room.
He went to check on the workshop. Production was as bustling as ever. Merchants gathered at the workshop entrance, chatting and waiting for the loading carts, which lined up from the entrance for a considerable distance.
In the evening, he called together the managers of each workshop, along with Old Ma Tou and Sun Lao Si, for a small gathering.
In the palace, Empress Changsun pointed to several boxes of books in front of her and asked Li Shimin in confusion, "Second Brother, what are these books?"
Li Shimin casually picked up the Old Tang Book and handed it to her: "This time, I went to another world with that young man Fang. This is the record of the Tang Dynasty from that world. Take a look. Strangely, there is no mention of his deeds at all."
Empress Changsun was bewildered by his words. Another world, a record of the Tang Dynasty?
She quickly began to flip through the Old Tang Book in her hands, but after only a couple of pages, her heart was filled with immense shock.
After quickly scanning through the general content, she put down the Old Tang Book and picked up another one to read.
But the more she read, the more grave her expression became.
"Second Brother, these books must never be revealed.
It would be best to burn them all and pretend they never existed."
Two hours later, Empress Changsun closed the book she was reading, no longer daring to look further, and continued with a worried expression.
"The matter of An Zhi is insignificant compared to what is recorded in these books regarding future events!
The important thing is that the events before your enthronement are recorded in these books with perfect accuracy. There is no guarantee that the subsequent events will not occur.
If the content of these books were to circulate, I fear..."
Li Shimin was stunned. Subsequent events? What content?
He had been so focused on finding Fang Er's traces in the historical records that he hadn't had a chance to read the later parts. Empress Changsun's words left him confused.
What was written in the later parts?
He instinctively reached out to take the book, but Empress Changsun stopped him.
"Second Brother, listen to your concubine. You cannot read these books, and I dare not read any further!
In my opinion, we should burn them all in the end!"
Curiosity killed the cat. The more she said this, the more Li Shimin felt an unbearable urge to find out what was going on. Burn them? I haven't even had a good look yet. Why should I burn them?
But the next moment, Empress Changsun knelt before him with a thud, shaking her head and saying, "Your Majesty, if I read them, I can still pretend not to know. But if you read them, you will inevitably have reservations. It is best not to read them!"
Li Shimin quickly pulled her up: "What are you doing? It's just that the Great Tang will cease to exist after more than two hundred years. I already know that."
He had carefully read the earlier parts of the Tang history and briefly scanned the end of the Great Tang in the later sections.
Although he felt anger about the Tang Dynasty being replaced, that was, after all, something that would happen more than two hundred years later, and in another world's Tang Dynasty at that.
His own Great Tang had already embarked on a different path due to Fang Er.
Therefore, there was no need to consider what would happen in two hundred years. No one could say for sure whether it would continue or perish.
But Empress Changsun shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, your concubine is not worried about that. It is the events within our current dynasty that you are better off not knowing.
Many things in the current Great Tang are vastly different from what is recorded in the Old Tang Book, but some events bear a subtle resemblance!
Very well, then I shall not read them..."
Seeing her resolute attitude, Li Shimin agreed. He glanced at the sky outside, scooped Empress Changsun into his arms, and laughed heartily.
"Since you won't let me read books, then let me have a good look at you~"
With that, he carried Empress Changsun towards the bed.
Guess Who I Am
Half an hour later, Empress Changsun fell into a deep sleep, while Li Shimin was overjoyed.
Ever since he had been castrated, he had gone to the Great Ming with Fang Er. Although he had enjoyed his time with the eight women, he had not taken the final step.
Therefore, this was his first sexual encounter after being castrated.
He never expected it to feel so good after being castrated!
A strong wind reveals stiff grass; it feels great~~~
He gently covered Empress Changsun with the thin quilt, then got out of bed and walked towards the books.
"Now, surely you can't stop me anymore?"
But just as Li Shimin got out of bed, Empress Changsun quietly opened her eyes. Looking at his retreating back, her face was filled with helplessness.
Li Shimin, completely unaware that Empress Changsun was watching him, had already sat down at the desk and was looking at the Tang history.
This time, he no longer deliberately searched for terms like "Fang Er," "Fang Anzhi," or "Duke Anguo." Instead, like Empress Changsun, he quickly scanned the content of the books.
On each page, he only read a small portion.
The human brain is miraculous. When you know a few key points of an event, the brain automatically fills in the details.
Wude era: nothing to pay attention to.
Events after the Zhenguan era would not make Empress Changsun so nervous.
Therefore, the events that made her so nervous must have occurred after the fifth year of Zhenguan!
Fourth year of Zhenguan: Li Jing captured Khan Jieli, Eastern Turkic Khaganate destroyed; Japanese envoys arrived in Tang.
Eighth year of Zhenguan: Daming Palace construction began.
Ninth year of Zhenguan: Village chiefs appointed in each township. The empire's households were divided into nine ranks. Li Jing defeated Tuyuhun. Ashina Sheer of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate submitted to Tang.
Tenth year of Zhenguan: The Fubing military garrisons were renamed Zhuchong garrisons, with Zhuchong Duwei as the commander and Guoyi Duwei as the deputy.
Eleventh year of Zhenguan: The Zhenguan Legal Code and Regulations were promulgated.
Twelfth year of Zhenguan: Gao Shilian and others completed the "Clan Records," also known as the "Zhenguan Clan Records."
~~~~~
"There's nothing here that should make Guan Yinbi so nervous, is there?"
However, shortly after this thought, he was stunned by what he read in the book.
Sixteenth year of Zhenguan: Crown Prince Li Chengqian, in collusion with Prince Han Li Yuanchang,驸马都尉 (Imperial Son-in-law) Du He, and Duke Chen Hou Junji, rebelled!
Long ago, Gao Chong, Qin Liangyu, and others had mentioned some future events of the Tang Dynasty, but no one had ever mentioned Li Chengqian's rebellion.
They were not fools; mentioning such a thing would be considered an incitement of imperial family affections.
Now, this line of text struck Li Shimin's heart like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. He felt dizzy and choked with emotion, unable to speak.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
He gasped for air, trying to calm himself down, but there was no improvement at all.
Anyone who knew that their son would stab them in the back in the near future would likely not feel any better than he did at this moment.
Hearing his gasping, Empress Changsun quickly turned to look at him.
Under the lamplight, Li Shimin's face was ashen. He clutched his chest with his right hand, his mouth open greedily, his expression ferocious.
"Second Brother!"
She was terrified and cried out, then quickly rushed over, fumbling to pour a cup of warm water and bring it to Li Shimin's lips.
"Second Brother, drink some hot water quickly~"
"Yes, this is what Chai Yue told her. Whenever she felt unwell, Fang Er always told her to drink more hot water~"
Li Shimin painfully drank the water. It seemed to have a slight effect, at least his breathing was less labored.
But the next moment, his eyes widened, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the Tang history on the desk in front of him a dark red.
"Second Brother~"
Empress Changsun was frightened. In her panic, she shouted towards the hall, "Someone, quickly summon the imperial physician!"
"No, I... I'm fine now~ You, you quickly put on your clothes~"
Li Shimin could finally speak. He quickly pointed at Empress Changsun.
Empress Changsun then realized that after the storm, she was completely unclothed. It would be bad if someone burst in and saw her.
She quickly returned to the bedside, grabbed her robe, and put it on. Just as she finished, the hall door was opened from the outside, and Deng Dengjie rushed in, looking anxious.
"Get out, I'm fine!"
Li Shimin had covered the Tang history on the table with a cloth and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, feigning composure as he shouted.
Deng Dengjie was bewildered but could only comply.
After he left, Empress Changsun returned to Li Shimin's side, worriedly asking, "Second Brother, why didn't you summon the imperial physician?"
Li Shimin, although better than before, still had a terrifyingly ashen complexion. He did not answer Empress Changsun's question.
The account of the Crown Prince's rebellion in the Tang history had pierced his heart like a knife, making it unforgettable.
After much deliberation, he looked up and shouted towards the hall, "Someone!"
Deng Dengjie had just closed the door from the outside when he heard this summons. He pushed the hall door open again, looking rather wretched, bowed, and respectfully said,
"Please, Your Majesty, give your orders~"
"Quickly go to Fang Family Village and summon Duke Anguo!"
Li Shimin said expressionlessly.
"Your will be done!"
Deng Dengjie stepped back a few paces, then turned and left, closing the hall door behind him.
At Fang Family Village, Fang Er was lying in bed, chatting with Daughter of Duke Zhou about life. After the foreplay, just as they were about to get to the main course, he was called up by Zhang Tian.
No one would have a good mood at such a time. He glared at Zhang Tian: "Can't we talk about this tomorrow?"
Zhang Tian pulled Deng Dengjie, who was outside the door, in: "My Lord, you can hit him, it has nothing to do with me!"
His Lord dislikes being disturbed while sleeping the most. He heard that it is a condition called "morning grumpiness."
Those who have this condition are all outstanding figures with great talent, such as the First Emperor of Qin and Cao Cao of Wei, both had this condition.
The saying, "I like to kill people in my dreams," came from this.
Well, this is what his Lord said. He doesn't know if it's true.
Seeing Deng Dengjie arrive in the middle of the night, Fang Er's heart sank. Could something have happened in the palace?
"What is it!"
"My Lord, the Emperor summons you to the palace."
"Let's go!"
After leaving the Fang residence and getting into the Jihu electric vehicle, Fang Er continued to ask him what had happened in the palace. But Deng Dengjie had no idea what it was about.
He only knew that the Emperor had just had intimacy with the Empress before issuing the order.
Fang Er was dumbfounded. Why would these two call him over?
In the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin saw the two enter and, before Fang Er could speak, said to Deng Dengjie, "Go out. All the guards, retreat fifty paces from the hall!"
Deng Dengjie looked at Old Li and his wife, then at Fang Er, and seemed to understand something. He quickly and respectfully withdrew.
After conveying the order to the guards, he looked back at the Ganlu Hall from afar, his heart filled with longing.
"The Emperor married the Princess to Duke Anguo, and now even..."
He quickly shivered, looked around, and suppressed this thought deep within his heart. If others found out, he wouldn't have enough heads to be chopped off!
Inside the hall, a faint, alluring scent filled the air. Fang Er pretended to cough twice, then put on a mask and said with a smile.
"Father, Esteemed Mother-in-law, your humble servant has a bit of a cold. Please forgive me~"
Li Shimin removed the cloth covering the table and then pointed to the pile of Tang history, saying sadly.
"There are some things I have always wondered about. After reading these books, I seem to have found the answers.
I don't care who you are. I know that everything you do is for the good of the Great Tang. That is enough.
But one thing I truly cannot comprehend is that I believe I have treated you well, yet why have you never mentioned the matter of the Crown Prince's rebellion in the sixteenth year of Zhenguan?
Don't tell me it would cause suspicion of incitement. With your abilities, you would surely have found a way to convince me!"
Fang Er: "???"
So, they summoned him in the middle of the night for this matter?