EMHTC -Chapter 119 I Shouldn’t Have Let Their Family’s Ancestral Grave Off Back Then!

The old emperor never expected such a pleasant surprise!

Xiao Baize was truly the auspicious sign of their Great Xia!

【Why is the old emperor so happy today?】

【Because he thinks the Western physicians can finally cure the Crown Prince?】

【He’s grinning so wide you can practically see his gums.】

On the golden platform, the old emperor quickly restrained his smile and gave a couple of dry coughs. “Do all of you still remember two years ago when I opened the ports and organized a fleet to sail out to sea?”

【Ah!】

【I remember now!】

【I think I heard that Xie Luoshui and her team already found potatoes and sweet potatoes and returned!】

“Pop—”

“Pop-pop-pop—”

Somewhere in the capital, the sound of firecrackers echoed. Hung on walls and beams, the fireworks ignited, shooting bright flames upward and producing a rapid succession of crackling explosions. The crowd laughed and celebrated the New Year, with confetti falling like rain, dusting the children joyfully darting around in a festive crimson hue.

Perhaps sensing the celebratory mood, the old emperor maintained a solemn expression, but once again, his pearly white teeth peeked through in a grin.

Since the topic of the fleet had come up, it was natural to mention the general as well. “It’s been nearly two years. I wonder how Qin Guan is faring now—if he’s still well.”

The ministers below naturally chimed in with auspicious remarks, each one painting a picture as if the great general was dominating the seas without a single scratch.

Hearing this made Xu Yanmiao’s teeth ache.

The old emperor clearly enjoyed it. He continued, “In these two years since opening the sea routes, our Great Xia’s porcelain and tea have been exported far overseas. At the same time, the Ministry of Revenue has increased its income—just from the Hangzhou, Mingzhou, and Guangzhou maritime commissions, we have collected 541,173 strings of cash, as well as grain, silver, incense, and medicine. Additionally…”

After listing a long string of revenue increases, the entire court was filled with joy.

Xu Yanmiao: 【So… does this mean a pay raise?】

The old emperor: “…”

【If there’s no pay raise, what are they so happy about? It’s understandable for those officials who genuinely care about the people or those who want to leave their mark in history. But for the others, aren’t they just in it to make a living?】

Baize’s confused expression: jpg

The officials: “…”

Isn’t the emperor practically expecting them to pay for the privilege of working? They’d long given up hope for a raise, settling instead for some spiritual satisfaction.

Those officials who cared for the people or aspired to make history blushed in embarrassment.

Ahem. While they were indeed noble-minded… they wouldn’t mind a raise either.

The old emperor kept a straight face.

A pay raise? Impossible. But if they worked well, he might reward them with a little extra money.

Quickly changing the subject, he said, “Recently, some Europeans have come to visit. I’ve heard that European fleets have been sailing the seas for decades, exploring many strange lands. You should all listen closely—Great Xia has no more lands to conquer on this continent. From now on, the oceans will be our new frontier.”

The officials straightened up and said, “Understood!”

Xu Yanmiao made a note: 【The imperial exam could include a question about the Maritime Silk Road.】

The ministers: “?”

What’s that?

—Although Great Xia engaged in maritime trade with other nations, they never referred to it as the “Silk Road.”

Even if they heard the exam question, none of them dared to reveal it.

Embezzling was for their own benefit—what’s the point of risking their official hats to hand someone else a leg up? They weren’t selfless saints.

This European visitor had indeed traveled to many places.

He spoke of a land so hot that its people had to live in underground caves.

He mentioned a sea that neither formed waves nor hosted marine life, where even objects couldn’t sink, calling it the Dead Sea.

He described a country where, on the day of a wedding, the bride and groom ate something called “cake.” Before cutting the cake, whoever managed to remove one of the other’s shoes first would be the head of the household.

As he spoke, his tongue occasionally tapped against the roof of his mouth, and his accent swirled as if dancing. It was incredibly foreign.

He recounted the customs of various countries in an amusing way, and the strange and unique regions he described piqued the curiosity of the court officials.

“A sea where nothing sinks? Is there truly such a peculiar place? Wouldn’t that be the opposite of the weak waters in the legend, where even a feather couldn’t float?”

“A place so hot that people live in underground caves? Wouldn’t that mean losing much of life’s pleasures?”

“I think it would have its own unique charm.”

“This is utterly absurd! How can the role of head of the household be decided by a competition to remove a shoe? And how can a woman’s feet be exposed for others to see?”

“But it’s quite interesting.”

Who said that?!

Turning around, the old-fashioned official was immediately stunned: “T-Too… Crown Prince?!”

The Crown Prince clearly didn’t care about his reaction. Stroking his chin, he turned and asked, “Shengxian! When you find a husband, would you want to try this game?”

Princess Xiangyang choked for a moment before responding, “Brother, I’m a princess. Once I marry, I’ll naturally be in charge of the household.”

The Crown Prince thought about it and nodded. “True. Hmm… I wonder if the palace maids who leave the palace would like this idea.”

Several traditionalist ministers were instantly alarmed.

Absolutely not!

They immediately began preparing to use the famous historical anecdotes of the Seven Kingdoms to admonish the Crown Prince. Stories like “The King of Wu loved swords, so the people all bore scars,” or “The King of Chu loved thin waists, so countless women in the palace starved to death,” were perfect examples to persuade him to avoid such frivolous behavior.

As the saying goes, “What the ruler does, the people follow.” Since the Crown Prince was destined to become emperor, what if women all over the kingdom started imitating this? Wouldn’t society descend into chaos?

Just as they were about to speak, a loud voice rang out: “Your Highness is wise!!!”

The conservative ministers: “?”

They turned to look and found that it was none other than the Minister of Works, a notorious “daughter fanatic.”

“…”

It didn’t matter—this minister could be argued against too!

They opened their mouths again.

【I like this idea!】

【Although it seems playful, it spreads faster than any decree about women’s rights.】

—The Chinese people have a natural inclination to follow trends and authority. Sometimes, jokes leave a deeper impression than laws.

The moment Baize’s inner thoughts were revealed, the faces of the conservative ministers turned red with frustration.

They exchanged silent glances.

‘You go.’

‘Why don’t you go?’

‘I just took in my eighth concubine recently. We tried many… positions. Seven nights in a row! If that gets exposed, I’d lose face!’

‘I… I recently built a sheep pen in my courtyard. I can’t let that be known either.’

‘It’s just raising sheep. What’s the big deal?’

‘It’s nothing.’

The truth was, the sheep’s backside was quite… plump, and its bleating was… well, there was no need to share this detail with colleagues.

The ministers glared at each other so fiercely they nearly gave themselves cramps, but not one of them dared to step forward.

This perfectly demonstrated the scholar’s spirit of “I’ll reason with you, but you go die in my place.”

On the dragon throne, the old emperor’s brows climbed higher and higher, clearly displeased with the Crown Prince’s words.

However, considering the Crown Prince’s authority and reputation among the ministers, he refrained from speaking out, instead silently plotting how to lecture his son after court.

And as for the Minister of Works—what was he meddling for? Wasn’t “female household heads” already enough?

Smoothly switching topics, the emperor turned to the European visitor and asked, “I’ve heard your people have a great deal of knowledge about the stars in the sky?”

The interpreter responsible for translating the emperor’s words relayed them to the European envoy.

This seemed to hit the visitor’s sweet spot, as their voice grew noticeably more excited.

They explained how they had calculated Jupiter to be 12,076,795,849 li away from Earth, and Saturn to be 20,577,056,489 li away.

They also mentioned Mars, Venus, and Mercury…

European astronomy was truly dazzling. Many officials with an interest in such studies listened intently, their eyes wide, the sunlight reflected in their pupils flickering faintly.

Initially, everyone was enraptured by the presentation, but then a faint sigh was heard: 【European astronomy is indeed ahead of us right now.】

Some officials were about to bristle in displeasure, but upon realizing it was Baize’s inner thoughts, they froze in place.

Xu Yanmiao tilted his head and looked at Lian Hang. “What’s the matter?”

Why was he suddenly staring at him?

Lian Hang’s facial muscles twitched slightly as he feigned contemplation. “Xu Lang, listening to how the Europeans study the stars, I can’t help but feel a bit unnerved—how exactly are these numbers calculated?”

Xu Yanmiao carefully chose his words. “I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve vaguely heard that Europe has theories about celestial motion, sunspots, and planetary motion. They’ve even developed telescopes specifically for observing the stars. Perhaps their calculations are possible because they prioritize this field.”

【But clearly, China has the Gan Shi Star Manual, and the data from it is still used today by many to measure the positions and movements of the sun, moon, and planets.】

【China also has the Dunhuang Star Atlas. Before the European Renaissance, they had nothing comparable to it.】

Baize’s inner thoughts sounded a bit melancholic.

【But later, even the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had to bring in Hui astronomers.】

【It’s true that successive dynasties valued astronomy, encouraging scholars to understand it and requiring the Ministry of Rites to recruit people knowledgeable in astronomy and geography. But ultimately, the Four Books and Five Classics became the proper path.】

Had anyone else spoken like this, the officials would have dismissed it, firmly believing that Western knowledge originated from the East and that, no matter what, the East was superior to the West. However, since these thoughts came from Baize, it was as though their blood was boiling.

How could China be inferior to the barbarians?!

It was just astronomy, after all—they could also prioritize it! It wasn’t too late to make an effort now!

Moreover, their ancestors had once been the world leaders in astronomy. For their descendants to now fall behind—it was utterly shameful!

The old emperor, sensing the growing tension, didn’t let it fester. He quickly calmed himself.

—Even if they couldn’t catch up, it didn’t matter. Sharpen their swords and seize other nations. Wouldn’t their advancements become part of the Great Xia Empire’s progress then?

The only question was… was astronomy even worth the effort?

The old emperor began to weigh the value of this field.

【Forget it, maybe this is just the inevitability of history.】

【After all, the previous dynasty experienced over a century of war and chaos, so a regression in astronomy is perfectly… wait! No! I can’t just let this slide!】

Xu Yanmiao’s inner thoughts suddenly tightened with urgency.

The court of Great Xia immediately tensed up—they had rarely seen Xu Yanmiao in such a state of urgency, as if facing a great enemy.

What had happened?

【A regression in the calendar means inaccuracies in determining the seasons! Specifically, errors in calculating the precession of the equinoxes… which means the spring equinox date calculated by the court is inaccurate!】

Even with Xu Yanmiao’s limited agricultural knowledge, he understood that farmers relied on the court to inform them of the precise spring equinox date to manage their fields accordingly.

The old emperor, who was far more knowledgeable about farming, instinctively jolted upright but forced himself to sit back down slowly. His gaze, however, was filled with uncertainty and alarm.

“So that’s why…”

No wonder the yield per mu was significantly lower compared to Liang and Chu.

Take wheat as an example: the timing of the spring equinox is critical. It marks the jointing stage of wheat growth. If there’s plenty of rain, all is well. But in cases of drought, it becomes essential to irrigate the wheat during the jointing stage. If there’s no nearby water source for irrigation, then measures like intertillage for moisture retention must be taken. Without an accurate spring equinox date, farmers wouldn’t know when to water the crops.

If wheat lacks sufficient nutrients, the crop will fail during this critical stage. At harvest, the ears of wheat will be small and sparse—how could that possibly feed families?

—Experienced farmers might rely on their intuition to judge the right time to irrigate, but how many such skilled farmers exist in the empire? Most people rely on guidance from the government to manage their crops.

“From the early Zhou to its collapse, over a span of 242 years, even when discrepancies in lunar eclipses or inaccuracies in the calendar were observed, never once did the Zhou emperors send people to make adjustments.”

Emperor Tiantong furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth. “And now I have to clean up their mess!”

He regretted not digging up their ancestral graves back then!

Wait…

Maybe it’s not too late even now?