Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 113 Liu Rengui's Method
This time, Liu Rengui stared at Liu Jianjun for a long while, his expression changing several times.

After a long silence, he sighed and said, "With the deaths of the two princes, everyone only thinks of fearing the Empress Dowager's power. Only Chief Secretary Liu is meticulous in his thinking. I admire him!"

Liu Jianjun chuckled twice: "Mr. Liu, please don't look at me like that, it's kind of creepy... I was just guessing randomly, but I still need your help right now..."

Liu Jianjun changed the subject and said, "Now we need to think of a way to paint Prince Pei's flagpole brightly colored, so it's eye-catching and conspicuous, to tell the whole world that the flag is currently planted in Chang'an and is not going anywhere else!"

Liu Rengui shook his head, seeing that Liu Jianjun didn't want to delve into the previous issue, so he smiled and said, "Isn't that simple?"

Liu Jianjun was taken aback: "This is simple?"

"Liu Changshi is wise beyond his years!" Liu Rengui laughed again, then looked at Li Xian and asked, "Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness, but may I ask... is the Princess still able to bear children?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jianjun suddenly slapped his thigh: "Holy crap! Damn it, why didn't I think of that!"

Then, Liu Jianjun looked at Li Xian and said, "Xianzi, haven't you been doing nothing lately? I'm giving you the most important task right now!"

Li Xian was stunned.

"Go and make a baby with your sister-in-law! The princess is pregnant, and you, the Prince of Pei, will definitely stay in Chang'an. It would be best if you could give birth to the little prince tomorrow!"

Liu Jianjun became more and more excited as he spoke, "Your mother must also be worried about how to solve your problem. If news suddenly spreads that you have a child, she will definitely help you spread the word and confirm that you are staying in Chang'an!"
"My sister-in-law doesn't look much older than me, so she'll definitely have no problem having children..."

Halfway through his sentence, Liu Jianjun looked at Li Xian suspiciously and asked, "Xianzi, logically speaking, your wife has been back for so long, and you two have been sleeping in the same room every day. There shouldn't be no sign of pregnancy... Could it be that it's you..."

Li Xian was furious: "You... what nonsense are you spouting? I... of course I have no problem!"

But Li Xian's reaction only made Liu Jianjun more suspicious. He pinched his chin and leaned closer to Li Xian, asking, "Xianzi, I'm not trying to criticize you, but your physique looks alright. Whether you can fight... uh, whether you can be used, we'll have to see the actual results!"
"This matter concerns our lives and livelihoods, you can't let us down! You must complete the task with high quality and quantity!"

Li Xian was so angry he wanted to kick him.

Liu Rengui, being mature and composed, suppressed his laughter, coughed twice, and steered the conversation back on track: "Although Chief Secretary Liu's words are crude, the reasoning is indeed sound. Your Highness, if the Princess Consort can become pregnant and even give birth to an heir, it would be a brilliant move in the present situation, better than any other scheme."

He suppressed his smile and analyzed seriously, "Just as Chief Secretary Liu said, Your Highness's heart is more at ease now that you have a son."

"As far as the Empress Dowager is concerned, a prince who is settled in Chang'an, continues the bloodline, and has no long-term ambitions is far more reassuring than a prince whose whereabouts are elusive and whose intentions are unclear. She is more inclined to believe that His Highness is content with the status quo."

"At that time, without us saying anything more, the Empress Dowager will take the initiative to spread the news of His Highness's birth of a son throughout the world, to show the harmony of the royal family and her loving and magnanimous nature."

Li Xian finally couldn't contain his shame and anger, and nodded repeatedly: "I know about this matter, and I will... I will expedite the handling of this matter later."

"Now... let's talk about something else!"

Although Li Xian was embarrassed, he had to admit that this seemingly absurd suggestion was indeed the most effective method at the moment.

With the Empress Dowager's suppression of the Li Tang imperial family so severe, my own situation is indeed delicate. A newborn baby might be able to divert attention and relieve pressure to some extent.

"Ahem." Liu Rengui coughed twice to end the topic, then asked, "By the way, didn't Your Highness invite this old minister here to see that so-called spinning wheel?"

"Right, right! Look at my brain, I was so focused on the important matter of having a baby that I almost forgot the real issue!" Liu Jianjun slapped his forehead. He stepped aside and gestured for him to come in: "Master Liu, please come in! Let me show you the newest treasure of our Prince Pei's Mansion, I guarantee it will broaden your horizons!"

As he spoke, he led Liu Rengui and Li Xian into the inner courtyard.

In fact, Li Xian was also a little curious. He trusted Liu Jianjun a lot, so he didn't ask much about Liu Jianjun's affairs. As a result, Liu Jianjun didn't even know that the spinning wheel had been invented, let alone have seen it.

The three of them walked into the courtyard, where there was an object that Li Xian had never seen before.

The object was made of wood and had a rather strange structure. It was quite different from the small spindles that women held in their hands and could only be turned by their fingers. It was about half a person tall, with a large wheel with a handle on one side and a small, vertical spindle with a hook on the other side. There seemed to be a leather rope connecting them in the middle.

The young girl from the Central Asian region, Aisha, was sitting on a small stool to the side, with one foot on a wooden footboard.

Upon seeing them enter, Aisha hurriedly stood up and bowed.

Liu Jianjun, however, couldn't wait any longer and rushed over, pointing at the object to Liu Rengui: "Master Liu, look! This is the treasure!"

Li Xian couldn't help but take a closer look.

This object looks rather bulky, far less intricate than the delicate looms in the silk weaving workshop, yet it possesses a rugged and practical feel.

He simply couldn't imagine how this lump of wood could turn the fluffy, soft cotton into strong yarn.

At this moment, Liu Jianjun had already called Aisha to demonstrate.

Aisha sat down as instructed, and when she stepped on the pedal, the wooden frame made a soft creaking sound.

Immediately afterwards, the large wheel started spinning rapidly, driven by the leather rope, producing a continuous and rhythmic humming sound.

At this moment, Liu Jianjun proudly introduced: "This thing was originally operated by hand, but I felt that it was too time-consuming and laborious, so I changed it to use a pedal to drive the leather rope to complete the simple operation of rotating the spindle."

"As long as you step on the pedal at a constant speed, the spindle will rotate at a speed similar to that of a hand, or even more precisely."

Li Xian didn't understand, but he watched Aisha operate the wooden frame.

Aisha took a small wad of combed cotton wool from the bamboo basket beside her and twisted one end of it onto the hook of the rapidly spinning spindle.

As she gently moved her fingers, the clump of cotton naturally and evenly extended and thinned, turning into a fine yarn in the blink of an eye, continuously winding around the spindle!

Throughout the process, Aisha's hands were mainly used for drawing the yarn and adding cotton.

Although Li Xian was not skilled in craftsmanship, he knew the difficulty of spinning yarn, which lay entirely in the word "twisting." It required constant twisting of the fingers to turn the loose fibers into a tough yarn, which was extremely time-consuming.

I've never seen such an effortless method before.
……

(End of this chapter)