Liu Che continued his idle chatter with A Jiao. For a moment, Lin Gao was stunned. Liu Che actually didn't take the paper seriously! How was that possible? Paper was such a cheap and useful invention!
A Jiao, however, let out a soft laugh. "Alright, Your Majesty, stop frightening him."
Lin Gao reacted instantly. If the Emperor weren't interested, he would have been dismissed already. Steeling his resolve, he knelt directly and said, "Your Majesty, this item is still crude. If Your Majesty grants me some time, I will surely find a way to produce paper fit for writing."
Liu Che turned back, remaining silent for a long while. Lin Gao pressed on, "Your Majesty, if this can be used for writing in the future, it would be far simpler and more convenient than bamboo slips. My Lady, wouldn't you agree?"
"My Lady?" Liu Che was taken aback for a second before he broke into a smile. "Then, I shall give you a chance!" His expression suddenly turned stern. "Lin Gao, I will give you time, manpower, and funds. If you fail to produce paper fit for writing, you shall atone with your life. If you succeed... there will be rewards."
Wei Buyi was shocked and couldn't help but interject, "But Your Majesty, he is of lowly birth, nothing more than a slave!"
A Jiao rolled her eyes on the spot, and Wei Kang’s expression also soured momentarily.
Liu Che looked at Wei Buyi with a playful glint in his eyes. He glanced at the faces of the other members of the Wei family and said with a half-smile, "In that case, I bestow upon him the status of a free citizen."
A Jiao smiled and prompted, "Why haven't you thanked His Majesty yet?" Lin Gao hurriedly bowed in gratitude.
Liu Che dismissed the crowd and leaned back into A Jiao’s embrace. Fearing he might press against her stomach, A Jiao quickly moved aside. The Emperor, displeased, caught her and made her sit down before carefully resting his head on her lap.
"I was wondering why you were so eager to follow me to the Wei manor. It turns out you had a scheme in mind." Liu Che gently tugged at a strand of her hair.
A Jiao thought to herself that it would have been better if he had arrived even later. She also wondered if Lin Gao had understood her hand gesture for a fifty-fifty split—though the idea of snatching credit like that felt a bit embarrassing.
Liu Che stood up and said, "I’m a bit tired and want to sleep for a while. Do you want to join me?"
A Jiao shook her head and replied, "I slept for a long time this morning and I'm not tired. Isn't Your Majesty returning to the palace now?"
Liu Che walked toward the bed and waved his hand. "I don't want to go back; it’s too bothersome." He suddenly turned back. "By the way, Zhongqing’s health... I’m afraid he doesn't have much time left. I plan to postpone the winter tour, perhaps until next spring."
Postponing the winter tour...
A Jiao nodded with a smile.
"Also, 'My Lady' sounds quite nice. Once we return to the palace, I’ll have them address you that way."
After settling Liu Che, A Jiao went to the side wing to look for Wei Yuan, only to find the young couple sitting together. Not wanting to disturb them, she went to the other side wing and sent Mianfu to ask if Lin Gao had left yet.
Lin Gao, who was hiding near the people Chen Chuo had brought, hurried over as soon as he heard A Jiao was looking for him.
"My Lady, His Majesty didn't give me a deadline! What if I can't make it in a year or two!" Lin Gao was very agitated the moment he entered.
A Jiao raised her hand to signal him to calm down. "Don't panic. What is there to panic about? If he gave you a deadline and you couldn't meet it, wouldn't that be even more troublesome? No deadline isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Lin Gao took a deep breath. "I hope so." Seeing that only the two maids, Mianfu and Nanke, were in the room, he couldn't help but say, "My Lady, I have some things I want to ask you. Could you ask them to give us some privacy?"
A Jiao complied. "Nanke, go watch the door. Don't let anyone in." The two girls retreated to the entrance.
Lin Gao then asked, "My Lady, when did you arrive?" Although he didn't know exactly when paper appeared in the Western Han, he knew it must have been after Emperor Wu.
*Why would this girl be so foolish as to get close to Han Wudi?* According to his sister, she was even pregnant. Perhaps girls in ancient times just weren't good at history. Lin Gao felt he should educate her.
A Jiao was confused. *When?* She had died in the third year of Yuanding. This person was definitely strange, though she didn't know if he was a wandering soul possessing a body or someone sent from the underworld. She asked calmly, "And what about you?"
Lin Gao smiled slightly. "Since it's come to this, I'll be frank. I came from the year 2020. You?"
2020? What was that? A Jiao was baffled but forced herself to say, "I am from the third year of Chunhe." She made it up on the spot.
Lin Gao: "..." He couldn't remember the era names of ancient emperors, and this girl clearly didn't know how to convert to the Common Era. Feeling a bit troubled, he asked, "Which dynasty did you come from? Western Han, Eastern Han? Or the Three Kingdoms, Wei-Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui, or Tang?" Maybe she was from the early Tang!
A Jiao was no longer baffled, but she felt she had just learned something monumental. For instance, the Great Han might have perished just like the Qin Dynasty... and subsequent dynasties rose and fell one after another.
A Jiao deliberated for a moment. "The Three Kingdoms, I suppose." It sounded like there were multiple countries, quite chaotic, and seemingly close to the Han.
After speaking, A Jiao took the initiative to ask, "Tell me about yourself first. How did you come to... the Great Han?"
Lin Gao was about to ask if she knew any figures from Wei, Shu, or Wu, but hearing her question, he could only say, "I don't know how I got here. I went mountain climbing in the morning, accidentally fell, and woke up here."
A Jiao nodded inwardly. *It must be some method of soul possession.*
Lin Gao continued, "And you, My Lady? Think about it, neither of us belongs to this world. We know more than they do. Why don't we team up? You tell me what you know, I'll tell you what I know—wouldn't that be wonderful!"
A Jiao could only say, "I... died of illness. I lived a secluded life and didn't know much about the outside world."
Lin Gao nodded and sighed. "No wonder you chose to be with Liu Che!"
"Liu Che? What's wrong? I also think we can team up. We both know many things others don't."
"Did you read much in the past, My Lady? Don't you know about the history of Han Wudi's harem?"
*Han Wudi!* A Jiao’s eyes darted around. "My family was poor, so I didn't read much. I only know... Liu Che married Lady Chen as his wife. Later, Lady Chen was deposed for witchcraft, and Wei Zifu was instated."
Lin Gao sat down next to A Jiao and slapped his thigh. "No wonder! Let me tell you about Emperor Wu of Han first! Liu Che, you know him, right?"
The posthumous title "Wu" (Martial) certainly fit Liu Che's conduct.
"What you know is correct. Liu Che first married his cousin A Jiao, the one from the 'Golden House' story..."
"Wait, wait. 'Golden House for A Jiao'—what is that?" A Jiao interrupted.
Lin Gao thought for a moment. *Where did 'Golden House' come from? Was it before or after the Three Kingdoms?* He had forgotten, so he simply explained, "It means that when Emperor Wu was a child, his aunt, Grand Princess Guantao, asked him if he wanted to take a wife. The young Emperor said yes. Then the Grand Princess pointed to the women in the hall and asked if he wanted to marry them. Liu Che shook his head and said no. He said if he could marry Sister A Jiao, he would build a golden house to hide her in. That’s the story of 'A Golden House for A Jiao.' Aren't you envious?"
The real A Jiao: "No... how come I didn't know about this?"
Lin Gao dismissed her concern. "You were just a young girl back then. Your elders certainly wouldn't let you hear these stories of romance and love."
A Jiao: "..."
Lin Gao continued, "Isn't it romantic? Isn't it enviable? But the ending was bad. Chen A Jiao was later deposed and confined to Longmen Palace, where she died alone. That's why 'A Golden House for A Jiao' and 'The Phoenix Seeks His Mate' are the two greatest romantic jokes of the Western Han! No wonder people say, 'Mistakenly spending gold to buy a poem; Xiangru is also a heartless man.'"
*Romance? A joke!* It turned out that even with a so-called "Golden House," her story was a joke to future generations.
A Jiao asked with a wooden face, "A poem? What poem?"
*This girl isn't just bad at history; she's completely ignorant!* At least he knew some unofficial history. Lin Gao explained patiently, "It means that after Empress Chen was demoted to Longmen, Grand Princess Guantao spent a hundred catties of gold to ask Sima Xiangru to write the 'Ode to Longmen Palace' to beg the Emperor to see her. There are rumors that Empress Chen regained favor, while others say the Emperor only praised the poem but never saw her. Tragic, right?"
"..." A Jiao had no idea how to respond. Her heart felt stifled. If she remembered correctly, after she went to Longmen Palace, she had been lost in a daze of madness. Her mother had indeed spent a lot of money on physicians, but as for Liu Che... in her memory, until she gradually recovered and cleared her mind, no one ever mentioned him again!
Lin Gao went on, "Then Chen A Jiao was deposed, and Wei Zifu took her place. What can I say about Wei Zifu? Her womb and her brothers were both effective. She had children when she needed to, and her relative Wei Qing won battles when she needed support. She gave birth to Liu Che's first son and became Empress. Wei Qing helped her secure her position. Tsk tsk, that's why some call it the 'Myth of Weiyang'! After all, she was the person of the lowest status in the entire Han Dynasty to become Empress."
A Jiao felt even more stifled! Even if she didn't understand some of the terms Lin Gao used, she could guess most of it.
Lin Gao spoke again, "But..."
A Jiao was puzzled. "But?"
"You know that before long, her beauty faded and his love faltered, right? Then someone else appeared. Lady Wang gave birth to Liu Hong, you know that? According to historical records, after Lady Wang died, Liu Che even hired an
