On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The Imperial Academy, the "Investigation Workshop." Morning light streams through the high windows onto the spacious workbench, illuminating the neatly arranged tools and materials.

The air was filled with the fragrance of new wood and tung oil.

More than twenty schoolchildren in indigo-blue Confucian robes sat around the workbench, staring intently at the podium.

Lin Zhen was dressed in a dark casual suit, with an upright posture. Chu Xiling stood quietly beside him, her indigo gauze jacket making her look as cool as the moon.

On the podium were several peculiar objects: an exquisite brass balance scale, a smooth hardwood crowbar, a set of pulleys with brackets, and several stones of different sizes.

"Today we're talking about levers." Lin Zhen's voice was steady, piercing the silence of the workshop. He picked up the hardwood crowbar and placed it on the table. "This thing is called a crowbar. It can pry heavy objects."

The schoolchildren held their breath.

"Leverage has three points." Lin Zhen pointed at the crowbar with his fingertips. "The fulcrum, the force point, the weight."

He took a fist-sized rock and pressed it against one end of the crowbar (the key point). He placed his fingers on the other end of the crowbar (the force point). A small wooden block was placed in the center of the crowbar (the fulcrum).

"The force point is the focal point of the force, supported by the fulcrum," Lin Zhen explained. "The farther the force point is from the fulcrum, the less effort it will take. If it's closer, it will require more effort."

He pressed down lightly with his fingers, and the heavy stone was lifted up easily.

"Wow!" The schoolchildren let out suppressed exclamations, their eyes wide open.

"Li Hu, come and try." Lin Zhen said.

Li Hu excitedly ran forward and, imitating Lin Zhen's movements, pressed down with his fingers. The stone remained motionless.

"Use harder." Lin Zhen said.

Li Hu's face turned red, and he used all his strength to make the stone shake slightly.

"Why is it so easy for me while you have to work hard?" Lin Zhen asked.

"Your Highness is very strong." Li Hu scratched his head.

"No." Lin Zhen shook his head, "It depends on the fulcrum position."

He signaled Li Hu to move the fulcrum block half a foot closer to the key direction.

"Try again." Lin Zhen said.

Li Hu pressed down again, this time using only half the strength as before, and the stone was pried up.

"Hey! It really saves effort!" Li Hu said in surprise.

"Does Wang Rui know why?" Lin Zhen asked.

Wang Rui's eyes lit up: "The force point is far away from the fulcrum. The force arm is longer. Therefore, it saves effort."

"Good." Lin Zhen nodded. "The longer the lever arm, the less effort is required. This is the principle of lever-saving effort."

The students suddenly understood and nodded.

"Now, divide into groups and practice," Lin Zhen said. "Each group will have a crowbar, a fulcrum, and a large rock. The goal is to pry up the rock with the least effort."

The students immediately divided into groups. Li Hu, Wang Rui, Zhao Wan'er, and Zhou Ping were in one group. They were given a crowbar, a heavy bluestone, and a movable fulcrum.

"Quick! Move the fulcrum farther away!" Li Hu gave the order impatiently.

"Wait." Wang Rui stopped him. "If you move the fulcrum farther, the lever arm will be longer, but the crowbar may not be able to reach the rock. We need to find the right fulcrum first."

"Right." Zhao Wan'er nodded and pointed to the bottom of the bluestone. "The fulcrum should be placed on the edge of the stone."

Zhou Ping quickly stuffed the fulcrum wood under the edge of the bluestone.

"I'll do it!" Li Hu rushed to grab the end of the crowbar (the point of force) and pressed down hard. The bluestone swayed slightly, but it didn't lift.

"No, it's too heavy." Li Hu panted.

"Move the fulcrum a little further out." Wang Rui observed, "The lever arm is not long enough."

Zhou Ping moved the fulcrum wood outward half an inch.

"Try again." Wang Rui said.

Li Hu exerted force again, and the bluestone was pried up at a small angle.

"It's moving!" Zhao Wan'er clapped her hands.

"It's not high enough." Wang Rui frowned, "Move the fulcrum again."

The fulcrum moved outward another half inch. This time, Li Hu applied a little force and easily pried the bluestone up to a noticeable angle.

"Success!" the four cheered.

Other groups also succeeded, and the workshop was filled with cheers and the thud of crowbars hitting the ground. The children excitedly compared whose stone was bigger and whose had used less force, marveling at the magical power of levers.

After finishing the practice, Lin Zhen walked to the pulley system.

"A lever can save effort and change direction." He pointed to the pulley system. "This is a fixed pulley and a movable pulley."

He demonstrated: Pass a rope through a fixed pulley, tie a weight to one end, and pull the other end. The weight rises, but the direction of the pulling force changes.

"The fixed pulley doesn't save effort, it just changes direction." Lin Zhen said.

He then passed the rope around the movable pulley, fixed one end and pulled the other end.

Pull the rope and the movable pulley will lift the weight up.

"A movable pulley can save about half the effort," Lin Zhen said, "because the load is shared between two ropes."

"What about using two pulleys?" Wang Rui asked sharply.

"It can be combined." Lin Zhen combined the fixed pulley and the movable pulley into a pulley system, and passed the rope around them in sequence. Pulling the rope, the heavy object rose easily.

"Wow! It saves a lot of effort!" the schoolchildren exclaimed.

"The more strands a pulley has, the less effort it requires," Lin Zhen concluded. "And the longer the rope, the farther it can pull."

"Save effort but increase distance." Wang Rui understood immediately.

"Good." Lin Zhen praised.

Finally, Lin Zhen walked to the balance scale.

"This is a balance," he said. "It's a special lever with equal arms and a fulcrum in the middle."

He placed a coin on each side of the scale. The scale was balanced.

"The weight at both ends is equal." Lin Zhen said.

"What about two?" Li Hu asked.

Lin Zhen added a copper coin to the left plate. The left plate sank.

"The left is heavy and the right is light." Zhao Wan'er said.

"How to balance?" Lin Zhen asked.

"Add one to the right plate." Zhou Ping said.

Lin Zhen added a copper coin to the right plate.

The scales are restored to balance.

"The weights on both ends are equal again," Lin Zhen said. "This is the fair balance of an equal-arm lever."

The students nodded in agreement, and gained a deeper understanding of the diverse applications of levers.

Just as the schoolchildren were immersed in the mystery of the lever, a slight commotion was heard at the workshop door.

The eunuch's voice rang out: "Your Majesty has arrived."

The students were startled and stood up immediately.

At the workshop door, Empress Murong Yan was seen wearing a bright yellow casual dress with a thin cloak of the same color on the outside. She was not wearing a phoenix crown. Her black hair was loosely tied up, with only a golden phoenix hairpin in her hair. She walked in slowly with a graceful demeanor and a faint smile on her face, accompanied by two palace maids.

"Your Majesty." Lin Zhen and Chu Xiling bowed.

"Your Majesty," the schoolchildren shouted in unison, their voices filled with tension and excitement.

"No need to be polite." Murong Yan's voice was clear and gentle. She glanced at the scene in the workshop with a hint of curiosity and approval in her eyes. "I was passing by the academy and heard that my husband was teaching here, so I came to see it."

She walked to Lin Zhen's side, her eyes falling on the levers, pulleys, and scales on the workbench: "What is this?"

"Your Majesty, this is a lever teaching aid," Lin Zhen said. "Today we will teach you the principles of levers."

"Oh." Murong Yan was interested. "What's the use of leverage?"

"Your Majesty, please watch." Lin Zhen picked up the crowbar and gestured to Li Hu, "Li Hu, demonstrate."

Li Hu walked forward nervously and excitedly. In front of Murong Yan, he skillfully placed the fulcrum wood, grasped the end of the crowbar, pressed hard, and the bluestone rose up.

"This saves effort," Lin Zhen explained.

"Interesting." Murong Yan nodded. "When I was young, I also saw palace maids using this to move rocks. But I didn't know the reason behind it."

"Leverage is the foundation of the study of things," Lin Zhen said. "Saving effort, changing direction, and making trade-offs all have their own logic."

"Your Majesty, please try the scales." Wang Rui said courageously.

Murong Yan smiled slightly: "Okay."

She walked over to the scales, and Wang Rui quickly handed over several specially crafted copper coin weights, engraved with the academy's logo. Murong Yan placed two on the left pan and one on the right. The left pan sank.

"How to balance?" Murong Yan asked.

"Add one to the right plate." Zhao Wan'er said softly.

Murong Yan added another one to the right plate. The scales were balanced.

"Equal weight at both ends." Murong Yan understood. "This thing is very good for weighing."

"That's right," Lin Zhen said, "the scales in the market also use levers."

"It's great that my husband has taught me this study of the nature of things." Murong Yan looked at Lin Zhen with approval and tenderness in her eyes. "It will enlighten children and strengthen the foundation of the nation."

"Yan'er, you're too kind." Lin Zhen's voice was low and gentle.

"I also want to teach a lesson with my husband." Murong Yan suddenly said, with a hint of playfulness in her eyes.

"Oh. What lesson does Yan'er want to teach?" Lin Zhen raised his eyebrows.

"Give the leverage to govern the country." Murong Yan said.

Murong Yan walked to the center of the podium and picked up the balance scale.

"Governing a country is like this scale." Her voice was clear and melodious, carrying the majesty and wisdom of an emperor. "Both ends must be balanced."

She placed a copper coin in the left tray: "This end is for the people."

He placed another copper coin into the right plate and said, "This end represents the country."

The scales are balanced.

"When the people are safe, the country is peaceful." Murong Yan said, "When the people are prosperous, the country is strong."

She picked up another copper coin and said, "If taxes are added here," she put the copper coin into the right plate (country). The right plate sank.

"While the country grows, its people also lose," Murong Yan said, "there is an imbalance."

"How do we restore the balance?" she asked the students.

"Reduce taxes." Zhou Ping whispered.

"Or it may benefit the people." Wang Rui said, "If the people's income increases, the left plate will also increase and the balance can be restored."

"Good." Murong Yan praised, "This is to reduce taxes and levies to support the people."

She picked up another coin and said, "If foreign enemies invade, we will need to increase military spending." She placed the coin in the right plate (country). The right plate sank again.

"How do I restore the balance?" she asked.

"The people donate food and money to help the country." Li Hu said loudly.

"Or we could use commercial taxes to supplement military supplies," Zhao Wan'er said softly, "without harming the people."

"All are possible." Murong Yan nodded, "However, it is more important to use the power of the country to protect the people and ensure that they live and work in peace and contentment and voluntarily help the country. This is the unity of the monarch and his subjects, and the unity of the military and the people."

She placed a copper coin, symbolizing "protecting the people and maintaining peace," into the left pan (民). The scales slowly regained their balance.

"Governing a country is like holding a scale." Murong Yan glanced at the students. "You need to be discerning and weigh the pros and cons. You need to know where to add and where to subtract. You must ensure that both sides are at peace and that the country is forever stable."

The students seemed to understand what was being said, but their eyes were filled with admiration for the empress. Lin Zhen looked at Murong Yan, his deep eyes filled with approval and tenderness. Chu Xiling stood quietly to the side, a subtle glimmer in her cold eyes.

Classes ended, dusk fell, and the students, accompanied by their servants, reluctantly left the academy.

Only Lin Zhen, Murong Yan and Chu Xiling were left in the workshop.

"Yan'er spoke very well today." Lin Zhen said.

"My husband, you are too kind." Murong Yan smiled lightly. "I am just showing off my skills in front of an expert. My husband's teaching is to explain things in a simple and profound way, which is the fundamental principle."

"Ling'er provided great assistance." Lin Zhen looked at Chu Xiling.

"It's my job." Chu Xiling lowered her eyes.

"I'm very pleased to see these children today so intelligent and eager to learn." Murong Yan looked out the window at the darkening sky. "The pursuit of truth and the prosperity of the nation will ensure that there will be successors."

"Yes." Lin Zhen nodded.

The three of them walked out of the workshop side by side. The setting sun cast its afterglow across the academy's quaint corridors, lengthening their silhouettes. In the courtyard, ancient trees grew lush and green, and birds returned to their nests at dusk.

"Husband, please accompany me for a walk." Murong Yan said.

"Okay." Lin Zhen responded.

Chu Xiling bowed slightly and said, "I'll take my leave."

Murong Yan nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Chu Qing."

Chu Xiling turned, her cool figure disappearing into the twilight. Lin Zhen and Murong Yan walked slowly along the quiet path of the academy. The evening breeze blew by, bringing with it the fragrance of grass and trees.

"My husband, this academy is really great," Murong Yan said softly. "Listening to the children reading, arguing, and laughing is like seeing the future of Daqian."

"If Yan'er likes it, come often." Lin Zhen said.

"Yeah." Murong Yan nodded and gently placed her hand in Lin Zhen's palm.

The two walked hand in hand, their figures leaning against each other in the sunset.

In the academy, the evening bells ring melodiously, and the lingering sound remains.