Diqin Designer

Chapter 451 Li Nian Meets Tou Man

Even the eunuchs and palace maids here wore exquisitely crafted clothing and ornaments that reflected the characteristics of the Qin Dynasty, which Touman and the other Xiongnu people could clearly feel.

This banquet was clearly specially prepared for their arrival, making Touman and the others feel once again the importance they were placed on by their elder brother.

Not long after Touman and his group sat down in the garden, they saw a young man dressed in the formal attire of a young master of the Great Qin Dynasty walk into the garden. Although they hadn't heard the young man give his name, Touman and his group already had a thought in their minds: this young man was most likely the young master Li Nian!

After entering the garden, the young man bowed to the Emperor and apologized, saying, "Your subject Li Nian is late, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Just as they had expected, the young man was indeed the young master Li Nian. Touman and the others looked at Li Nian seriously, carefully examining this famous young master of the Great Qin Dynasty.

This man appeared to be in his early twenties, younger than the Crown Prince Fusu. He was quite tall, though somewhat thin, with fair skin and no beard.

Touman and the others sensed a different aura emanating from this person, unlike anyone they had ever seen, unlike the Qin Emperor, unlike Crown Prince Fusu, and unlike the ministers of the Qin Dynasty...

Although one can sense it, when Touman and others try to put it into words, it seems they cannot find the right words to express it. It is a kind of temperament that is difficult to describe but leaves a deep impression.

In fact, this is the temperament that Li Nian inherited from later generations. As a post-90s generation born in the spring breeze and raised under the red flag, she would naturally appear different from people of the pre-Qin era.

Although Li Nian has lived in the Qin Dynasty for more than two years and has gradually integrated into this era, some things have not changed, and Li Nian does not want to change.

The First Emperor ignored Li Nian's apology, pointed at Li Nian, looked at Touman and the others, and laughed: "This is the boy that I and the other chieftains wanted to meet—Li Nian. This boy is also my prospective son-in-law, the current Minister of Education of the Great Qin!"

Although it was a brief introduction, Touman and the others could feel the importance that the Qin Emperor attached to this young master Li Nian, calling him "young man" and specifically mentioning his status as his son-in-law, all of which clearly indicated that he and Li Nian had a close relationship.

Li Nian turned to Touman and the others, and smiled as he bowed to them: "Li Nian of the Great Qin greets the Chanyu and all the chieftains!"

"Touman greets the young master!" Touman and the others hurriedly stood up to return the greeting. Although this man did not seem to be listed among the important officials by the Qin Emperor, they did not underestimate him.

This man was highly valued and trusted by the Qin Emperor. It is said that many changes in the Qin Dynasty were related to him. Even the Xiongnu people recognized the Qin Dynasty as their elder brother, and he played a role in that. It can be said that he not only changed the Qin Dynasty, but also greatly influenced the Xiongnu people.

Without this person, the Xiongnu would not know how they would have interacted with the Qin Dynasty. It might have been for better or worse, but it would not have been the same as it is now. It can be said that it was this person's design that pushed them and the Qin Dynasty to their current positions.

Logically, they should have resented Li Nian, as the rumors suggest that Maodun died because of her. However, the reality was that Touman and others had very complex feelings towards Li Nian, including resentment, fear, envy, and admiration.

They were wary of this man's talent, and while it would be good for Qin to use his abilities, it wouldn't be for them, the Xiongnu. They envied Qin for having such a talented person at its disposal, and they also admired this man's talent. Talented people are always respected, especially someone with such extraordinary talent.

This man not only possessed the wisdom to govern a country, but also the ingenuity to manufacture things. The things he created made the Qin Dynasty stronger. Putting aside other matters, it is said that the cannons were related to him. Cannons are amazing weapons that can change the course of war.

Having witnessed the power of artillery firsthand on the battlefield, Touman and others knew the profound impact artillery could have on war, and that war was often closely related to the rise and fall of nations.

It's truly astonishing how someone so young could possess such talent. In the legends of the Qin people, some believe he is a deity descended to earth, while others think he is a disciple of a deity...

Regardless of the version of events, everyone agrees that this person is extraordinary. Some Qin people regard him as a sage of their time, who will achieve accomplishments no less than those of previous sages and will assist His Majesty in becoming the greatest sage emperor of all time.

This clearly demonstrates the high reputation this person enjoyed among the Qin people, the deep respect they held for him, and the great expectations they had for him!
However, as the Chanyu and chieftain of the Xiongnu, the Qin people were more virtuous than the Xiongnu. Naturally, they did not want to see this person shine in Qin. Qin was already very strong, and they were unwilling to see him become even stronger under his influence.

Upon seeing Li Nian, Touman and the others had that same thought again: Heaven is unfair, why does it favor the Qin people so much? If such a talented person had been born in Qin, instead of in their Xiongnu territory!

Touman sincerely said, "When we were on the grasslands, we had long heard of your virtuous reputation. Today, having met you, we can see that you are indeed as extraordinary as the rumors say!"

Li Nian looked at the first Xiongnu Chanyu. Although he already knew from intelligence that the man was plump, he still had a strange feeling when he saw him in person.

After all, this person's current state is largely due to him. If he hadn't changed the relationship between the Qin Dynasty and the Xiongnu, and hadn't treated Touman and his ilk like pigs, they wouldn't have become so pot-bellied and fat.

Because of him, although Touman was raised as a pig by the Qin Dynasty, he was also able to avoid the fate of being killed by Modu. It is hard to say whether this was a good thing or a bad thing for Touman.

'The Xiongnu Chanyu and his leaders are so fat and robust; one wonders how much of the Xiongnu people's hard-earned money they received to grow so large.'

While inwardly marveling, Li Nian politely replied to the chieftain, "Your Majesty flatters me. It is Your Majesty and all the chieftains who truly possess extraordinary bearing, clearly distinguished from ordinary people. It is my good fortune to meet Your Majesty and the chieftains today, and to receive Your Majesty's praise is an even greater blessing."

Touman felt very comfortable with Li Nian's words. Regardless of whether the praise was genuine or not, the words were pleasant to hear and made him feel good, especially since they came from this very person.

Among the important Qin figures that the Xiongnu considered to need close attention, Li Nian was second only to the First Emperor, ranking higher than Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and others. The Xiongnu leadership, including Touman, believed that Li Nian would have a significant impact on their Xiongnu.

Moreover, this person is still young. As long as the Qin Emperor continues to trust and value him, and the Qin Emperor who succeeds him also trusts and values ​​him, this person can still hold great power in the Qin Dynasty for many years. This means that this person will be able to influence the relationship between the Xiongnu and the Qin Dynasty for many years.

Seeing that Li Nian and Touman were about to praise each other, the First Emperor said, "If you want to talk to this lad Li Nian, it's not too late to talk after the banquet. If we delay any longer, the food will get cold!"

Upon hearing this, Li Nian hurriedly apologized to the First Emperor: "Your Majesty, I hit it off immediately with the Chanyu and almost delayed the banquet. Please punish me!" Touman also added his apology, but how could the First Emperor truly blame or punish the two? After the two were seated, the banquet officially began.

This banquet was a state banquet. The First Emperor sat at a separate table, while Touman sat at a table with several important Xiongnu chieftains and high-ranking officials such as Fusu and Wang Wan. Li Nian sat with the other princes.

The dishes were served, which were state banquet dishes selected by Li Nian and the First Emperor. Some of them were dishes that Li Nian created based on the conditions of the Qin Dynasty at that time. The ingredients and tableware used were also quite exquisite, which made Touman and others marvel once again at the strength of the Qin Dynasty, the elder brother.

During the banquet, Touman and his entourage praised the dishes highly and inquired about how they were prepared. The First Emperor immediately stated that when Touman and his entourage left Xianyang, he would specially dispatch several chefs to accompany them to the Xiongnu.

The Qin Dynasty was not afraid of Touman and his ilk being greedy for food, drink and pleasure; what it feared was that they were not greedy. As "pigs" raised by the Qin Dynasty, in order to make them willing to continue to maintain their "pig" form, their food and drink could not be lacking.

The banquet was a great success, and after the meal, everyone drank tea to aid digestion and chatted. Touman asked Li Nian, "We have heard that you are a man of great learning and knowledgeable about all things in the world. We have some questions we would like to ask you. Is that alright?"

Li Nian shook his head and said, "I am just an ordinary person. How could I know everything? Yet, because of this rumor, I have transformed into a person who is 'learned and knows everything about heaven and earth.' This is the harm of rumors misleading people. Even the Chanyu has been misled by this rumor!"

Li Nian first clarified the rumors about himself, and then changed the subject, saying, "If the Chanyu has any questions, just ask directly. Why ask for advice? As long as the Chanyu doesn't mind that I am not wise enough, that's fine."

Touman said, "Young master is too modest. If even someone as talented as you is considered to have shallow wisdom and limited intelligence, how many people in the world can be said to be both talented and wise? The first question I want to ask you is about the great sun in the sky."

"This is a question I've been pondering since I was a child. I don't mean to embarrass you, but I genuinely want to know: The sun hangs in the sky, day after day, year after year, countless times away from us. I've wanted to know this since I was a child. Could you perhaps answer my question?"

When they heard Touman's question, many people looked strange and asked if this question was also "not meant to be difficult." Wasn't this just deliberately trying to annoy and embarrass him?

Fusu's expression was slightly strange. Touman's question reminded him of himself. He had once thought of using a similar question to embarrass Li Nian. But whether Touman really wanted to ask the question or wanted to use it to make things difficult for Li Nian and break her image of being "learned and knowledgeable in all things", it was destined to fail.

Because his brother-in-law was not from this era at all, but came from a distant future more than two thousand years later. In that era, the answers to whether the sky was round or square, how vast the earth was, and whether the sun was closer to people at sunrise or midday had already been given.

When Li Nian heard that Touman wanted to ask him for advice, he knew that Touman might take an unconventional approach and ask some questions that were difficult for people of this era to answer. He smiled and said, "As for this question, I happen to know the answer..."

Upon hearing Li Nian's words, the ministers who were unaware that Li Nian came from the future were somewhat surprised. Could it be that this person knew even such a question, or was he just making it up?

"The sun is 300 million miles away from us. If a person walks 20 miles in an hour without eating, drinking or resting, it would take more than 1.2 million days, nearly 3,425 years."

Before Touman could speak, a Xiongnu chieftain said, "It's that far? If it's that far, how did you know the distance, young master?"

Li Nian smiled and said, "The reason for this is something that you would find difficult to understand even if I told you. You can see the great sunlight shining on all things, but do you know that the great sunlight is not something that we can see as soon as it is emitted? Rather, it takes a certain amount of time for it to reach us and be seen by us after it is emitted."

Li Nian never expected that he would be giving a popular science lecture to the Xiongnu Chanyu and chieftains in the Great Qin. The history of the world should record this scene: On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, Prince Li Nian of the Great Qin talked about the distance of the sun with the Xiongnu Chanyu Touman and several Xiongnu chieftains.

"If we could know the speed at which the sun's light shines, and also know the time it takes for the sun's light to reach us, we could calculate the distance between the sun and us."

The man then asked, "But how does the young master know the speed of the sun's light and the time it takes for it to reach us?"

Li Nian, regardless of whether these people could understand or not, explained with a smile: "Light seems to arrive in an instant to us, but in fact, light is like flowing water. If the speed of flowing water can be measured, the speed of light can also be measured. Moreover, light has some very unique properties. For example, when it shines on an object, it will undergo reflection, refraction, and other phenomena. These can be used to measure its speed."

The man wanted to ask more questions, but Touman knew that there was no point in dwelling on the matter. Li Nian might not be able to prove what he said was true, and they might not be able to prove what Li Nian said was false.

Touman said to the chieftain, "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, young master. You are truly learned and talented, even able to answer the questions I had when I was a child. My second question is, to the north of my Xiongnu, there is a large area of ​​land. Do you know what that land looks like?"

Li Nian said, "The further north you go, the colder it gets. In certain areas, in addition to the cold, there are all sorts of strange phenomena, such as polar night and polar day. Polar night means that there is no sunlight for a whole day, while polar day means that it is daytime all day long. In the far north, there are six months of continuous polar day and six months of polar night in a year."

Touman exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that a place where half the year is day and the other half is night? Is there really such a magical place in the world?"

As for the officials of the Great Qin, when Li Nian first attended court, he mentioned the situation in the North Pole. They were not too surprised, but they still found it very novel. The world is full of wonders!

Li Nian smiled and said, "The far north is covered by ice and snow all year round, but there are also creatures that live there, such as a peculiar white bear. It is all white, taller than a person, longer than a person, and bigger than a tiger or wolf."

This amazed Touman and the others. They wondered how this person knew about the far north. Had he been there himself, or had he heard about it from others?

It's unlikely that someone so young would have actually been there; they probably heard about it from someone else, or perhaps they made it up.

After Li Nian answered the two questions, Touman and the others became even more interested and continued to ask Li Nian some strange questions. It was not out of an intention to make things difficult for Li Nian, but out of curiosity about what was going on.

After the state banquet, the officials of the Qin and Xiongnu did not discuss economic cooperation or military alliances. Instead, they chatted about strange and unusual things, but the guests and hosts still had a good time.

(End of this chapter)