Chapter 40: The New Plow

By the time Liu Ju returned to the Crown Prince’s Palace, it was already afternoon.

Liu Jin hurried out to welcome his crown prince father, asking, "Father, did the Imperial Grandfather change his attitude toward you?"

Liu Ju sneered slightly. "Him? In the eyes of others, he is the unfathomable Son of Heaven of Great Han whose royal wrath is unpredictable! How could he ever change his inherent views for anyone?"

"Who could possibly change something once he has made up his mind?"

"Judging by his attitude, I doubt he even bothered to take a single glance at the straight plow!"

"Do you know why?"

"This plow is perhaps not even as important to him as a Daoist elixir! Does he ever regard the common folk as human beings? All he and Sang Hongyang ever study is how to exploit merchants, how to increase corvée labor, how to enslave the common people, how to fill his own pockets so he can build palaces, buy fine steeds, and wage wars!"

"Only by doing this can he expand his territory and accomplish feats that his ancestors could not. He wants to match Gaozu and surpass Wen and Jing. He wants to be the supreme number one of the Liu family, to become the First Emperor of Qin!"

Liu Jin had never witnessed such fierce passion from his father before; it was as though he held Emperor Wu of Han in absolute disregard!

"Father, calm down, calm down. Walls have ears, and too many words lead to trouble. Please speak less."

"If you wish to vent, let us go to the study where it's just the two of us. You can vent all you want and get it thoroughly out of your system."

Liu Jin hurriedly pulled Liu Ju toward the study.

At this moment, however, Liu Ju had also calmed down. He did not feel afraid; instead, he felt a sense of great relief. The anger that had been suppressed in his heart for so long had finally erupted all at once—how could he not feel gratified?

Liu Jin gently stroked his father's chest, handed him a cup of tea to take a sip, and then asked, "Father, tell me what happened in Weiyang Palace."

Liu Ju recounted the conversation in Weiyang Palace to Liu Jin word for word, even vividly mimicking Emperor Wu's tone and demeanor.

"Father, the Imperial Grandfather dislikes it when you dabble in flowery literary prose, so next time you go, just get straight to the point."

For a leader who acted decisively and cared only for results rather than processes, reasons, or motives, one simply had to give him a direct result. Talking too much would only annoy him.

Liu Jin silently memorized Emperor Wu's temperament in his heart, so that next time he communicated with him, he would at least have some idea of what to expect.

It was hard to judge who was right and who was wrong, and Liu Jin did not know if his old man had hit some kind of rebellious phase. In an ordinary family, a son complaining to his father was no big deal, but you were the Crown Prince! When you spoke while wearing that political identity, and he was the Emperor, talking about father-son affection seemed somewhat redundant.

You couldn't even be sure whether you would ever become Emperor, so why act all sarcastic with him? And to insinuate that the old man's straight plow would allow him to extract profits from the people—wasn't that slapping him right across the face?

You understood the reasoning, and you knew that Emperor Wu was stubborn, proud, and ruthless; why bother saying such things to provoke him?

"Father, do the job well, and then attribute all the credit to the Imperial Grandfather."

"That will make him feel far more uncomfortable than cursing him a hundred or a thousand times!"

Liu Jin spoke up, naturally siding with his father, even though his father's actions in Weiyang Palace had been slightly impulsive. But he knew his father loved him—loved him deeply—and that was enough.

Liu Ju asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Liu Jin smiled and said, "Father, when the common people praise the current Emperor because they are farming with the new plow, every single scolding he gave you today in Weiyang Palace will only intensify the guilt and shame in his heart."

Liu Ju was suddenly enlightened and burst into a hearty laugh, "Well said!"

"Then I shall do my job well as the Minister of Agriculture."

"I will go to the Grand Commandant’s office right now to select a few officials to accompany me in promoting the straight plow!"

Liu Ju’s face was full of drive; he was revved up and determined to make Emperor Wu feel thoroughly awkward.

...

Life went on as usual. Gongsun Jingsheng’s marriage of thirty concubines had become the talk of Chang’an over tea and chatter. Every time they attended court, Gongsun Jingsheng always felt that others looked at him differently. Although no one said anything, their looks said it all, which could be summarized in two words: Stud Bull.

This left him in a state of shame and embarrassment every day. He had repeatedly asked Emperor Wu to relieve him of his post, but Emperor Wu refused every request. The old man was deliberately making things difficult for him as a punishment; the method was vicious in the extreme.

During this time, Liu Jin did not leave the palace. He stayed quietly in the Crown Prince’s Palace, helping Liu Ju brainstorm how to promote the plow, where to promote it, how local governments should cooperate, and so on. Although he couldn't offer massive help, he certainly couldn't just watch his father toil and run about alone.

In the garden of Weiyang Palace, Emperor Wu had ordered a plot of farmland to be cleared out separately.

At that moment, he was driving an ox, holding the handles of the straight plow, and quietly tilling the earth.

Liu Bo had been visiting very diligently these past few days. As soon as he found Emperor Wu and saw such an unbelievable sight, he hurried over to the field and said to Emperor Wu, "Father, your imperial health is paramount! Such a lowly task, let your son handle it for you!"

Emperor Wu glanced at him sideways and retorted, "What kind of task is not lowly?"

Liu Bo hurriedly said, "This son spoke without thinking, simply unable to bear seeing Father work so hard. Father, please rest."

Emperor Wu handed the straight plow over to him, but Liu Bo had lived a life of luxury and had no idea how to operate a straight plow. He stumbled about, making a complete fool of himself.

Yet Emperor Wu did not tell him to stop. With his hands clasped behind his back, he stood not far away, his gaze fixed on the straight plow in Liu Bo's hands.

This caused Liu Bo to mistakenly believe that Emperor Wu was watching him, so he tried even harder.

"Another contrivance that benefits the people. That little fellow always manages to surprise Me."

Emperor Wu narrowed his eyes, staring at the straight plow in Liu Bo's hands, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes in contemplation.

When Liu Bo looked back at Emperor Wu, the old man had already left at some point.

"Summon Sang Hongyang."

In the Xuanshi Hall, Emperor Wu sat before his desk and commanded his attendants with majesty.

When Sang Hongyang arrived, Emperor Wu stated, "The Crown Prince is promoting a new farming tool. Have you seen it?"

Sang Hongyang hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this minister has seen it. This farming tool is indeed exceptionally good."

"Say something useful," Emperor Wu said.

Sang Hongyang pondered for a moment and said, "Draft oxen are a problem."

Emperor Wu nodded slightly. Given the current economic conditions of the Han Dynasty, everything seen from above looked wonderful, but if a common village could possess one or two draft oxen, that was already considered fortunate.

Once the straight plow was manufactured, the ones who would benefit most were the great landlords and nobles, not the ordinary smallholder farmers.

"How can this be resolved?" Emperor Wu asked again.

Sang Hongyang thought for a moment, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the government can rent out draft oxen during the busy farming season at a unified price."

This matter could not be allowed to fall into the hands of landlords and nobles, or they would squeeze the common people to death for money. It was better for the state to use its administrative power for regulation. The farming seasons each year only lasted those two brief periods; if the rental fees were kept low, the common people could still afford them.

Sang Hongyang understood Emperor Wu's mindset all too well. Even at a time like this, he was still thinking about how to generate revenue for the imperial court.

"Of course, the straight plow can also be pulled by human labor, though the tilling speed is a bit slower. The truly impoverished common folk may also choose this option."

Emperor Wu grunted in acknowledgment and said, "Forging a farming tool is not too expensive. Do not charge the common people too much for this item. Have Lu Chongguo, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, step up production of the straight plow, lower the costs, and sell it cheaply to the common folk to ensure that every farming household is guaranteed to own one."