"Your Majesty, Great Khan Möngke, we uphold science."
Gu Qingqing heard her words echo in the golden tent, as if carrying a reverberation, her shadow on the tent growing darker and more intense with each echo.
The other, even darker shadows turned to look at her; they had never heard of this new sect, "science."
Great Khan Möngke didn't speak, but gestured, presumably indicating that Gu Qingqing, a proponent of science, should explain her doctrine to the public.
Gu Qingqing wasn't in a hurry to speak; words were inadequate at this moment, especially since she was facing eloquent and persuasive missionaries. Her words couldn't possibly convince them.
Even today, with science leading the world, these sects still possessed absolutely loyal followers.
Gu Qingqing's gaze fell on a copper basin beside the table, presumably for washing hands, filled with clean water.
Gu Qingqing glanced at the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table. "Great Khan," she said, "as a believer in science, I can make this basin of water speak."
The whispering followers fell silent, their shadows sitting still, seemingly waiting for something.
The Great Khan spoke, his voice like an ancient Mongolian ballad: "I also want to know what this basin of water has to say."
So, Gu Qingqing decided to use what she had to demonstrate a scientific experiment.
She had done this experiment in elementary school; it wasn't complicated.
Gu Qingqing placed the copper basin of water on the table, dipped her finger in the inkstone, and dabbed it on the surface of the water. The dot quickly expanded into a small circular ink stain. Gu Qingqing then added six or seven more dots nearby.
Before the ink stains could spread, Gu Qingqing quickly removed the headband from her head. This pure cotton headband, which had been tied to the silver lion's front paw, was now being used again by its owner. Gu Qingqing rubbed one end of the headband against her hair roots a few times.
The shadowy figures stared, breathless and motionless.
Wu You, watching from the side, already knew which experiment Gu Qingqing was about to conduct.
Gu Qingqing placed one end of the rubbed hairband onto the ink stain on the water's surface. Almost instantly, the solid black ink blob transformed into a circle. Gu Qingqing then dotted the center of several surrounding ink stains a few times, magically creating five or six circles on the water's surface.
Gu Qingqing picked up a piece of Xuan paper and gently covered the water's surface with it. Seeing the ink seep into the paper, she slowly lifted it up. The paper displayed the exact same pattern as the one in the basin of water—irregularly sized rings, some still bearing traces of water ripples.
But on the paper, it became a magical painting.
The shadows on the tent sat up straight, seemingly staring in their direction, but unfortunately, their expressions were unreadable.
"Your Majesty, this is what the water wants to say."
"What does it say? May this priest tell us?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I am of limited knowledge, and scientific doctrines do not need to be proclaimed."
"Then how do you believers preach?"
"We are born with two hands and one mouth, so we should do more and talk less. We, who admire science, often learn about the world through experimentation and practice," Gu Qingqing said courageously.
Some of the shadowy figures began to whisper among themselves.
Wu You thought for a moment, then mustered his courage and said, "Great Khan, the doctrines of many sects present cannot be directly stated. Take Zen meditation in Buddhism, for example; it is 'unspeakable.'" Wu You picked up the Xuan paper stained with circular ink marks and respectfully presented it to the table in front of the Great Khan Möngke's throne. "We simply believe that everyone can have their own faith. This copper basin, as an 'existence,' holds a basin of water, and this basin of water, also as an 'existence,' wants to speak, so we find a way to make it speak. Our doctrine is that simple."
The Xuan paper seemed to be picked up by someone, floating lightly into the air, as if to show the patterns on it to everyone.
The Great Khan Möngke said, "I find the water in this basin quite interesting. The number of these circles is exactly the same as the number of priests present. They are round and self-sufficient, solid and self-protective, each peaceful and undisturbed by the others."
Wu You secretly glanced at Gu Qingqing: Was this how you designed it? So farsighted!
Gu Qingqing: No, that's how my teacher did experiments with us when I was little. We made several circles back then. It seems our science teacher, Mr. Sun, was farsighted.
Some of the shadows remained silent, while others seemed to sigh.
"Today's debate is over. Everyone, go back and rest," said Khan Möngke.
It's over already? So quickly.
The shadows stood up and were led out by the guards, with Gu Qingqing and Wu You following behind.
After leaving the golden tent, Wu You suddenly noticed that her shadow was exceptionally dark in the sunlight. She turned to Gu Qingqing: "Qingqing, I... I can't see you clearly!"
Gu Qingqing had almost become semi-transparent, just like Wu You. She was also a little anxious, her dark shadow hovering aimlessly.
It was already afternoon, and all the shadows were no longer the black dots of midday, but a group of short, stout figures with heads and limbs.
A guard's shadow walked over, pointed in a direction, and after pointing for a moment, the shadow turned and left.
"Can we go now?" Wu You glanced at the departing guard's shadow, which had disappeared into the distance along with the other shadows. "Was he giving us directions? Will we get out if we go that way?"
"Let's try." Gu Qingqing took Wu You's hand, but found that his hand was no longer real; both of them were slowly fading into nothingness.
The two of them quickened their pace simultaneously, jogging in that direction.
"I still don't understand why we entered this Khan's palace. What's the point of this trip?" Wu You said as he ran. "I looked at everything in the palace just now, and nothing emitted that kind of light."
That kind of light—the dazzling, multicolored light that the two of them had emitted the first time they saw the golden hourglass.
"I don't know either. Maybe we've taken the wrong path, but it seems like this is a necessary stop," Gu Qingqing said, slightly out of breath as she jogged. "We came into this world under that silver tree, and now we're in the Mongol palace, being driven by the Shadow Guards. We were bound to come here."
"What's the point? Can what we just experienced be considered a clue?"
"I don't know what clues we'll find, but I think this trip won't be useless. It must have some meaning." Gu Qingqing looked at Wu You. Through Wu You's body, she could vaguely see the exquisite lush greenery of the Mongol palace. At this time, the Mongol Khan was the overlord of the grasslands and even the world. Naturally, he could make a Mongol palace possess the refinement of a garden in southern China, just like that silver tree that seemed to transcend the mortal world. Rather than a dream, it was more of a symbol of power.
"Qingqing, what do you think the Great Khan Möngke believed in?"
"I don't know. Before the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols were more inclined towards shamanism, and later some areas also adopted Buddhism."
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the Great Khan himself. What did he believe in? Not a religion, but the spirit in his heart." Wu You, despite his good stamina, was panting heavily from running, but he still insisted on saying, "It's like that song from Northeast China: 'Live a life that you can't live for yourself!' I think that's a kind of faith…"
"If that's the case, then what the Great Khan believed in was probably the sense of conquest from expanding his territory. But we have to admit that he had extraordinary wisdom and magnanimity…" Gu Qingqing couldn't run anymore and gradually slowed down, catching her breath before saying, "So, the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty wasn't that simple. Besides the bravery of the Mongol soldiers, having an excellent commander was even more important…"
Both of them stopped, too tired, and simply sat down on the ground.
"So, the Mongol Khan was more interested in expanding his territory, finding a prosperous place for his people to live in peace and prosperity, and that's how the Yuan Dynasty came about?" Wu You wiped the sweat from his brow, suddenly realizing that his "physical body" had returned. The touch of his hand on his forehead felt so familiar and real. Looking at his companion, Gu Qingqing had also returned to her original form. "Looks like our trip wasn't in vain."
Gu Qingqing pondered Wu You's words: "Established the Yuan Dynasty... Actually, when I first came to this world, I wondered, since we found the golden hourglass and then saw the silver tree, could it be that the leather pouch needed gold and silver?"
"You're right, gold and silver. Then why didn't we pick some leaves to take back?" Wu You regretted it a little.
"Don't rush," Gu Qingqing took out a thin, silver-carved leaf from her pocket. "I picked this up under that tree. It was with me all along, but after seeing those shadow guards, I had to secretly hide it."
Wu You looked at the exquisite silver leaf, opened the leather pouch on his chest, and tried to put the silver leaf inside. However, it was as if there was a barrier; the leaf simply wouldn't fit.
The place where the two were now was also shrouded in a silvery mist. As the mist gradually dissipated, they realized they had unknowingly left the Mongol palace. They found themselves in a bustling market, where the people were dressed in ancient attire, including both Han Chinese and other ethnic groups.
Gu Qingqing looked closely for a while, then revealed a look of surprise: "This is already the Yuan Dynasty."
"I don't know much about history. Who was that Möngke Khan just now? Was he from before the Yuan Dynasty?"
"Yes, he was Genghis Khan's grandson and Tolui's eldest son," Gu Qingqing said in a low voice, as there were many people around, and it was best not to attract attention by discussing court matters. "The one who established the Yuan Dynasty was Kublai Khan, the fourth brother of Möngke Khan. After Kublai Khan became emperor, he posthumously honored Möngke as Emperor Xianzong, with the posthumous title of Emperor Huansu."
"Oh, I see," Wu You also wanted to take the initiative, so he thought for a moment and said, "Qingqing, let me analyze it this way: the first treasure we found was that golden hourglass, which, according to its properties, is gold. Why use an hourglass to represent gold? Does it mean that time is as precious as gold?"
Gu Qingqing thought Wu You's explanation made sense, so she nodded and listened carefully.
Wu You continued, "The second treasure we're looking for is probably silver. So, silver must have some meaning, right? What does silver represent? In my mind, silver is just silver, it's money!"
"What did you say?"
"Silver is money! This isn't a modern saying; it was true in ancient times too. In period dramas, they always say 'silver, silver!' Those noble young men would go to a restaurant, put a huge silver ingot on the table, and it would blind the waiter."
Gu Qingqing's eyes sparkled as she looked at Wu You, making him a little uncomfortable. "Qingqing, what's wrong with you? Your eyes are brighter than silver!"
Gu Qingqing's voice rose slightly, tinged with excitement: "You're right, it's an ingot! What we're looking for might very well be an ingot!"
"That's not necessarily true. Look, we were just working on those silver leaves…"
Wu You's words were interrupted by Gu Qingqing before she could finish: "Wu You, do you know why ingots are called ingots? In the history of Chinese currency, do you know when ingots officially became a synonym for gold and silver?"
"Why is this a topic of monetary history…" Wu You felt like she had a weakness.
"It was the Yuan Dynasty! In the history of Chinese currency, it was the Yuan Dynasty that officially called gold and silver money 'ingots'!"
This was the first time Wu You had heard this: "Because it was the Yuan Dynasty, it was called ingots?"
"Yes, it also means 'treasure of the Yuan Dynasty'!" Gu Qingqing further explained, "Actually, ingots didn't originate in the Yuan Dynasty, but existed from the Tang Dynasty…"
"Let's not delve into history. Anyway, it was in the Yuan Dynasty that silver ingots were officially called 'ingots', right?"
Gu Qingqing nodded very firmly: "Yes."
"Then let's look for silver ingots, let's find them first!"