Half a Spoiler Chapter 183

Year 2491.

On the exterior screen of a commercial high-rise, a news ticker scrolled past:
“New discoveries recently found at the Jianping Site.”

Generally speaking, the Jianping Site refers to the capital of the Great Zhou. Many emperors once resided there, but the one most worth mentioning is undoubtedly Emperor Xiaoming, Shizu of the Later Zhou.

Before long, related posts began appearing online. Some people speculated that what had been uncovered this time was Emperor Xiaoming’s imperial mausoleum – Heling.

In modern times, many imperial tombs have been discovered one after another. However, Heling – due to their smaller scale and fewer grave goods – remain largely elusive, with their exact locations still unknown to this day.

On a university forum, a new thread quickly popped up:

“Stop guessing – it’s not the Heling, it’s Jingyuan.”

[Even if it’s not the Heling, it’s still pretty significant. After all, Jingyuan was an important research hub during Shizu’s reign – many inventions and innovations originated there.]
[I don’t know why, but the phrase “research hub” in an ancient context sounds a bit strange…]
[If it sounds strange, just look at the phrase “during Shizu’s reign” – then everything will make sense.]

Netizens didn’t chat for long, because news soon came in: some sheets bearing written text had been found, and they were suspected to be in Shizu’s own handwriting. After examination, the experts decided to make one of them public.

The entire unveiling was carried out with a strong sense of ceremony. First, a history professor introduced Shizu’s life and the importance of Jingyuan. Only after the atmosphere had been fully built up did they shift the spotlight onto the long-anticipated sheet of paper.

“…”

On the yellowed page were only three characters, their strokes vigorous and forceful. Even after more than two thousand years, one could still sense the imperial bearing of the writer. As for the content, it was strikingly simple and direct – yet uncannily relatable:

“Want to retire.”

After the text was revealed, the livestream comments went blank for a moment. Then the screen was flooded with ellipses, interspersed with reasonable doubts like, “Are we sure that isn’t the handwriting of Minister Huang from the Ministry of Works?”

Still, netizens could understand. After all, someone who had been emperor for seventy years wanting to call it quits was perfectly reasonable.

Smiling, one of the experts added, “Judging from other written materials discovered alongside it, Shizu likely wrote these three characters around the thirtieth year of the Zhaoming era. Across both the Former Zhou and Later Zhou, there were only five emperors who reigned for more than thirty years. For Shizu to be thinking about retirement at that point was entirely natural. Clearly, when Emperor Xiaoming wrote this, she had no idea that she would still have to continue working for Great Zhou for another forty years.”

After revealing the text, the experts moved on to their usual analysis. In the 30th year of the Zhaoming era, Great Zhou was in a period of prosperity and rapid social development. For most emperors, this would have been a good opportunity to slack off a little – but Zhou Shizu was different. According to the official historians, this ruler remained diligent for decades on end. Not only did she devote herself to state affairs, she also never relaxed her efforts in advancing science, laying the groundwork for the sheer thickness of later generations’ school textbooks.

There’s even a widely accepted view among students of both the humanities and sciences: if all the syllabus content related to Emperor Xiaoming were removed, their textbooks would be reduced by more than half.

Students at a certain university watched the expert commentary while posting on their forum at the same time –

[Modern netizens: “Want to retire” (then immediately start slacking off).
Emperor Xiaoming: “Want to retire” (then continues to work diligently for Great Zhou for another forty years).
What is contrast? This is contrast. [leans back tactically].jpg]

[According to later research, Emperor Xiaoming was neglected for a long time during childhood, so when dealing with people of lower status, she possessed a sense of compassion that other royals of the same era did not have. Her childhood residence was very remote, and she had few attendants by her side – many things she had to do herself. This laid the foundation for her perseverance and humility after ascending the throne, as well as her willingness to respect and employ capable individuals.]

[Oh right, I saw a repost analyzing exactly this – link’s below.]

The netizen posted the link, and when everyone clicked into it, they found the title was “On Power Tactics.” They immediately understood why they hadn’t bothered to open it before – if you want to grab attention, you should at least put Emperor Xiaoming’s name in the title.

“On Power Tactics” mainly analyzes the reasons behind Emperor Xiaoming’s successful accession to the throne.

[Although historical records state that Emperor Xiaoming’s succession involved a considerable degree of luck, I believe her successful enthronement was the result of years of careful planning and strategy.

In the beginning, Shizu watched coldly as her siblings fought for the throne, while deliberately keeping a low profile herself. She avoided forming ties with aristocratic officials of the outer court, and instead quietly established connections with the powerless Tianfu Palace, as well as certain palace eunuchs. From subsequent developments, it can be seen that these two factions had already come under Shizu’s control early on.

…]

The top-liked reply under “On Power Tactics” read:

[“The Thirteen-Year-Old Sovereign: A Genius Emperor Masters the Court”]

Although the title had a somewhat bizarre, clickbait style, it somehow fit Emperor Xiaoming’s life story perfectly.

[Reason tells me a child couldn’t possibly accomplish all that – but this is Emperor Xiaoming we’re talking about…]

[“I’ll quietly ascend the throne, then amaze everyone.” .jpg]

[I mean, the probability of a pre-teen prodigy secretly maneuvering behind the scenes, winning over palace factions, and securing succession rights is low – but not zero.]

[I used to think web novel protagonists were ridiculously overpowered, but in comparison, the most overpowered character settings really do come from reality!]

[Mastery of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; astronomy and divination; civil and military strategy – knows everything, excels at everything – and only thirteen, basically just out of primary school. Yeah, totally reasonable.]

[On a serious note, OP’s analysis actually makes a lot of sense. I remember New Book of Zhou mentioning: “When Shizu resided at Tongtai, she secretly conspired with palace attendants; upon ascending the throne, Yi and Luo immediately served at her side and were especially favored.” Isn’t that exactly about her privately building ties with palace insiders?]

[But New Book of Zhou was written by people from a later dynasty – doesn’t that make it a bit unreliable?]

[Maybe unreliable when describing others, but its account of Shizu is actually pretty trustworthy – there’s basically no attempt to smear her.]

[I suspect it’s not that they didn’t want to criticize her – they just couldn’t find anything to criticize. This is Zhou Shizu we’re talking about: governance, military achievements, science, culture – pick any one area and she outclasses the emperors who came after.]

[To be fair, while New Book of Zhou has plenty of biased content, that particular line is pretty grounded. If there hadn’t been prior contact, why would Chi Yi and Zhang Luo have “immediately served at her side”? Later Zhou History describes this period in a very similar way – just days after ascending the throne, Shizu promoted several previously obscure palace attendants to positions close to her and entrusted them with important responsibilities. Judging from later developments, Chi and Zhang played a crucial role in stabilizing her rule.]

[I suspect that while she was at Tongtai, Shizu not only quietly brought palace attendants and Tianfu Palace under her influence, but also began some early scientific research.]

[Agreed. According to research, the cotton topping technique originated with Shizu. It appeared either in the first or second year of Zhaoming. If she hadn’t already been studying it while at Tongtai, there wouldn’t have been enough time to promote it later.]

[Last year, experts discovered some of Shizu’s scientific manuscripts at the Taikang site. They describe how removing a plant’s apical bud affects the growth of lateral buds. There are even notes suggesting that the apical bud produces some kind of substance that promotes plant growth and is transmitted downward.]

[Isn’t that basically auxin?!]

[Heavens above – so Zhou Shizu actually understood this stuff? I always thought she just happened to pinch off cotton tops and accidentally discovered it increased yield! So scientific thinking can be innate?]

[Could Shizu have been a transmigrator?]

[Umm… honestly, even if you dropped a modern person into Great Zhou, they might not achieve what Shizu did.]

[That’s very generous of you – the phrase “might not” is quite understated…]

[The manuscripts found at Taikang are different from those at Jianping – they also record some of Shizu’s unrealized ideas, some of which were later included in Miscellaneous Records of Zhaoming.]

Miscellaneous Records of Zhaoming was a work personally compiled and edited by Zhou Shizu, Wen Yanran. Although the title sounds like a diary or travelogue, anyone who has read it knows it is, in fact, a thoroughly scientific text – many of its contents still firmly remain part of modern examination syllabi.

[I saw experts online saying that the manuscripts recently discovered at the Jianping site will be gradually released together with those found at Taikang last year.]

[That’s great news!]

[Don’t celebrate too early – sure, it’s good news, but will this end up adding more material to the exams?]

[…]

[Hey, don’t say something that terrifying!]

[Look on the bright side – even if the syllabus changes, it’ll take years. That’s enough time for us to graduate…]

[Even if they change it now, I’m not worried – I’ve already graduated.]

[Same here, already graduated +1.]

It was summer break, so although most of the people chatting on the campus forum were current students, quite a few alumni also dropped by from time to time to take a look.

[Miscellaneous Records of Zhaoming contains descriptions of airplanes and televisions. Supposedly, those newly discovered manuscripts also include many previously unreleased ideas. With our current technology, we should be able to help bring some of them to life.]

[Good news for the person above – another sheet has just been released. Judging from its contents, what Shizu was describing is… a holographic game.]

[So it turns out I share the same dream as Zhou Shizu!]

[The one who said we could help realize it – come out and walk the talk.]

[…Let’s realize it in a different direction. I’m sure Shizu had more than just this one dream.]

[I know one – Shizu was very knowledgeable in medicine. She probably also pursued immortality, right? Didn’t alchemy flourish during the Zhaoming era, and weren’t there “alchemists” and “pharmacists” in state-run schools?]

[Let me clarify for the person above: it’s true that alchemists were considered a precursor to early physicians. As for “pharmacists”… what they actually studied was explosives.]

[Back then, Xuanyangzi didn’t die far away. No matter how persuasive he was, he definitely wasn’t better than Shizu at “sending people off.”]

[…Emperor Xiaoming truly embodied martial prowess.]

[With so many famous generals under her command, she had to. With that many capable figures at her disposal, you could pick any one of them, give them a front-line perspective, and that entire region would end up belonging to Great Zhou.]

[It’s not just that she had many great generals – she herself was incredibly formidable in combat! Usually, her military record is compared alongside founding emperors.]

[Isn’t it said that many of Shi Zhuhe’s military theories originated from Shizu? He even wrote a military treatise mentioning this in several places.]

[You mean Master Shi’s Art of War, the one that opens with “I know little about military strategy”?]

[Do these people have any self-awareness at all?!]

[What Shi Zhuhe said might not actually be false. When he was writing his book, he may well have been using the reigning emperor as his benchmark the entire time – and when you compare yourself to a powerhouse like that, of course you’ll feel lacking…]

[If you think about it, it makes sense. Not long after ascending the throne, Shizu personally led a military campaign. Later generations can come up with countless arguments proving the necessity and correctness of that decision, but at the time, it would have faced enormous resistance. For Shizu to pull it off, both vision and sheer boldness were indispensable.]

[And at the time, many people believed Great Zhou was on the verge of collapse.]

[Not exactly wrong – who could have predicted someone as beyond imagination as Shizu? That’s basically playing with cheat codes.]

[It looks like “cheating” to us, but from the perspective of people back then, Shizu actually had it pretty rough. Her mother died early, leaving her without a reliable maternal family; her father was indifferent; her unreliable brothers only caused trouble; her somewhat more capable sisters were sharpening their knives, ready to strike; and just about every region looked on the brink of rebellion. One wrong move and she could’ve ended up a short-lived puppet emperor… Her life before ascending the throne was basically the definition of miserable.]

[It wasn’t chaos everywhere, though. Supposedly the north was relatively stable. The one in charge there was an imperial uncle, Wen Hong, not particularly close to the throne. He backed Emperor Xiaoming early on – whatever the central court needed, he provided without resistance. His attitude toward Shizu was even more compliant than his attitude had been toward Emperor Li.]

[I’ve read in historical records that under Wen Hong there was a strategist named Zhang Bingshan. Shizu once praised him for his outstanding intelligence, saying he was almost comparable to Grand Tutor Yuan Yanshi.]

[…I don’t want to discourage you, but looking at it this way, Zhang Bingshan’s “outstanding intelligence” might not have been that impressive.]

[Why?]

[Some experts have argued that although Shizu consistently valued Yuan Yanshi and was willing to provide him with excellent treatment, she was unwilling to adopt his advice. The Grand Tutor’s role was basically to help Shizu eliminate one wrong answer.]

[Then if you add Zhang Bingshan into the mix, wouldn’t that mean eliminating two wrong answers?]

[…No wonder Shizu couldn’t help but praise him.]

[To be fair, Shizu did accept Yuan Yanshi’s advice at least once – early in her reign. Yuan Yanshi requested a demotion due to poor performance; Shizu tried repeatedly to persuade him to stay, but in the end reluctantly agreed.]

[The word “reluctantly” is doing a lot of work there.]

[Yuan Yanshi represented the old-school scholar-official class. Shizu allowing such figures to gradually and peacefully exit the historical stage was also a form of imperial magnanimity.]

[Emperor Xiaoming, you’re so gentle.]

[Gentle, yes – but also a bit mischievous.]

[…And also very real in increasing our study pressure.]

[Look on the bright side – what Shizu left to later generations isn’t just academic pressure, but also everyday conveniences. Many inventions originating from her are still widely used today – especially by us.]

[Are you talking about glass or electric lighting? Telephones count too, right? Even though Shizu didn’t create a modern telephone, she did design a prototype.]

[Heh, actually, that’s not what I meant.]

This netizen posted a link. After clicking it, the others found a webpage describing Emperor Xiaoming’s contributions to education. At the very bottom, it read:

“In the 24th year of the Zhaoming era, Zhou Shizu Wen Yanran visited the Southern School. In order to better encourage students’ progress, she suggested that the academy’s scholars assign additional coursework and conduct regular assessments. Thus, Zhou Shizu can also be considered the inventor of homework and monthly exams.”

[Then if you add Zhang Bingshan into the mix, wouldn’t that mean eliminating two wrong answers?]