Priceless Treasure

If Lily Evans had always been just a village woman, powerless to resist, perhaps she would have done nothing at all.

But now, as Princess Lily Hayes of the Jin Dynasty, she refuses to leave her descendants a nation that is humiliated and trampled by foreign powers.

Wu Cawei and Zhang Mu looked around, utterly baffled by these strange objects. Wu Cawei frowned and argued, "Why bring back all these odd machines and piles of books? They take up so much space and cost us extra. If we used that money and room for spices instead, we could make a much bigger profit!"

Edward then led Lily and the group to inspect the other seven ships still docked at the harbor.

Wu Cawei was still puzzled. "A-Li, what do you mean by suffering humiliation and invasion? Didn’t the Chu State already lose to us and is now negotiating peace?"

Edward then led Lily and the others to see the remaining seven ships.

Wu Cawei shrugged, dismissive. "France is so far away—how could they possibly come here to fight us? Besides, our Jin Dynasty has strong soldiers and powerful horses; why should we fear those foreign barbarians? We’re the Celestial Empire. Others should fear us, not the other way around."

All of these machines were basic equipment and chemical agents for various industries, purchased by Edward according to Lily’s instructions.

All of these machines—basic equipment and chemical agents for various industries—were purchased by Edward on Lily’s instructions.

For example, textile machinery, ore smelting equipment, and more—if Edward could find it, he brought it back.

“Wow, so many books! Are these for the academy?” Cynthia Wu stuck out her tongue and flipped through one, only to find the text was all in a Western language—she couldn’t read a word.

“Maybe someday, the academy will need them.” Lily smiled, running her fingers over the books.

Books are the carriers of knowledge and the cornerstone of human civilization.

Lily instructed Edward to purchase a complete set of current French school textbooks—from elementary to high school—and every university-level professional book he could find, as well as hundreds of industry-specific manuals and technical guides. Thousands upon thousands of books filled the entire ship’s hold.

Wu Cawei and Zhang Mu looked at Lily, still confused. Wu Cawei pressed, "A-Li, why bring back all these strange machines and so many books? They take up space and cost money. If we spent all that on spices, we’d earn far more!"

Lily Evans laughed, “Books are far more valuable than spices. These are priceless treasures.”

Lily smiled gently at their confusion. "That half-ship of spices is our immediate profit; but these books and machines are priceless treasures. They will bring us prosperity, strength, and civilization, ensuring our descendants will never suffer humiliation or invasion."

Lily Evans looked at him seriously. “Books carry the wisdom of a civilization. Without knowledge, how can we ever hope to compete with the rest of the world?”

Lily sighed and shook her head. "Arrogance and stagnation only lead to falling behind. When you lag behind, you get beaten. You think our sabers are sharp and our soldiers strong, that we can sweep away all opposition? But you don't realize that in this world, there are things more powerful than sabers and spears—things that can, with just a tenth of our numbers, shatter our armies. If we keep clinging to the idea of being the Celestial Empire, someday, our children and grandchildren will be trampled underfoot by unimaginable enemies."

If we stagnate, others will surpass us. And when that happens, humiliation and suffering will be inevitable.