The tenth year of Chongzhen.
High summer.
July.
The heat descended like a punishment from the heavens.
Luoyang baked beneath a merciless sun. The city walls shimmered. The stone streets radiated heat. Even the air itself seemed to ripple and distort, rising in wavering currents as if the entire world were slowly melting.
Commoners hid beneath roof eaves, fanning themselves with broad cattail fans. Some lowered buckets into wells again and again just to splash cool water onto their faces. Life did not stop, but it slowed, heavy and exhausted.
Most people endured.
But there was one man who suffered more than most.
Zhu Changxun, Prince of Fu.
For a man weighing three hundred catties, summer was not a season.
It was a trial.
Inside his residence, curtains were drawn. Windows were opened. Servants fanned him from every direction.
It was useless.
The air felt thick. Suffocating. Even the shade seemed hot.
Maids stood on either side of him, waving fans desperately. Sweat ran down their faces. Their arms trembled from exhaustion. The breeze they produced was pitiful.
The Prince of Fu wiped his forehead again and again, sweat soaking his robes.
"Can no one bring me something to cool this prince down?" he groaned miserably. "Anything at all. I will grant a great reward!"
At his side, his trusted eunuch, Eunuch Zheng, leaned closer.
"Your Highness, at Xiaolangdi dock, the seafood merchants store large blocks of ice to preserve their catch. Perhaps we could purchase some?"
The Prince of Fu immediately shook his head so vigorously that his cheeks quivered.
"No. Absolutely not. That is celestial ice, a gift from Dao Xuan Tianzun. I dare not touch it. His Venerable Self may still be angry with this prince. Last time, he nearly swept me up to heaven like a locust. I have not forgotten."
The servants exchanged uneasy glances.
The Prince of Fu feared death more than anything. When rebels approached, he would surround himself with layers of guards. He had even hired mercenary fighters to protect him.
But if Dao Xuan Tianzun truly wished to act, what good were guards?
Thus, the Prince of Fu had resolved to avoid any object directly associated with Dao Xuan Tianzun unless he received unmistakable proof of forgiveness.
At that moment, a young eunuch rushed in.
"Your Highness! A young man from Gao Family Village has arrived. He claims to have something novel to present."
The Prince of Fu froze.
"From Gao Family Village?"
His tone changed instantly.
"We must not offend him. Invite him in at once."
Soon, Mo Li entered the hall.
Behind him, two assistants carried a large wooden box.
Mo Li bowed calmly. "I am Mo Li, a graduate student from Gao Family Village."
The Prince of Fu actually struggled to his feet in respect.
"Master Mo," he said hurriedly, bowing slightly. "This humble prince greets you. What brings you here? Do you have instructions from Gao Family Village?"
Standing alone already caused sweat to pour down his face.
Mo Li glanced at him with a faint smile.
"Your Highness seems rather warm."
The Prince of Fu nearly wept. "Every summer, this humble prince suffers greatly."
Mo Li nodded.
"Then perhaps Your Highness would like to examine my latest invention. It may make your summers more tolerable."
Curiosity overcame discomfort.
"What is it?" the Prince asked eagerly.
Mo Li opened the box.
He lifted out an electric fan.
The Prince of Fu stared at it blankly.
"What… is this contraption?"
Mo Li asked, "Is your residence connected to electricity?"
"Of course!" the Prince replied quickly. "This humble prince spent a fortune hiring Blue Hats from Gao Family Village to install wiring from the market. I have many electric lamps. There is one above us now, though it is not lit because of the sun."
"Excellent," Mo Li said. "Where is the socket?"
Eunuch Zheng hurried to show him.
Mo Li unplugged the electric lamp and inserted the fan's plug. He adjusted the angle carefully, directing it toward the Prince of Fu.
Click.
The switch flipped.
The blades began to spin.
A steady hum filled the hall.
Then came the wind.
A strong, continuous gust rushed forward, lifting the Prince's beard and fluttering his sleeves wildly.
He blinked.
Then his eyes widened.
"It blows wind!" he cried in disbelief. "Such a strong wind! Far stronger than what my maids produce!"
The maids silently stopped fanning and stared.
Mo Li smiled.
"In weather like this, forcing maids to fan you all day exhausts them terribly. It could give Your Highness a reputation for oppressing your servants. If Dao Xuan Tianzun heard of such behavior, he might be displeased."
The Prince of Fu nearly choked.
"Displeased?"
Mo Li maintained a perfectly serious expression.
"However, this electric fan requires no exhausted servants. Simply press this switch for wind. Press again to stop."
He demonstrated again.
The Prince's hair and beard danced wildly in the artificial breeze.
For the first time that day, relief spread across his face.
"Convenient?" he exclaimed. "It is beyond convenient! This humble prince has never felt such comfort in summer! What is this called?"
Mo Li gestured to the base.
"It is the first electric fan in the world. I have named it the Breezy One. You will find the name inscribed here. Later fans will not carry individual names. Nor will they have the same collectible value."
The Prince narrowed his eyes.
"So it is expensive?"
Then he hesitated.
"This device uses the celestial power provided by Dao Xuan Tianzun. If this humble prince uses it… will that displease him? I once offended His Venerable Self. I do not know whether his anger has faded."
Mo Li spoke confidently.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun encourages the spread of advanced technology. The more people use it, the more profit it generates. The more profit, the greater motivation for scientists to innovate further. His Venerable Self calls this a positive feedback loop. A virtuous cycle. If Your Highness uses this fan, you contribute to scientific progress. He will surely be pleased."
The Prince's anxiety transformed instantly into urgency.
"How much?"
"Five hundred taels of silver."
"I will buy it!"
He turned sharply toward Eunuch Zheng.
"Fetch the silver at once."
Eunuch Zheng moved faster than anyone had ever seen him move. Years earlier, in his terror of Dao Xuan Tianzun, he had even broken his own arm in a desperate attempt to show repentance. Now, hearing that this purchase would bring pleasure rather than anger, he dashed to the treasury and returned with five hundred taels.
The silver was weighed.
The Breezy One remained.
Both parties were extremely satisfied.
That very evening, Mo Li returned to Gao Family Village by train, carrying the heavy silver.
He went straight to report to the factory's financial director.
Hou Lan.
"The prototype sold," he announced proudly. "Five hundred taels."
Hou Lan's face bloomed like a flower.
"My husband is truly remarkable."
In the warm night air of Gao Family Village, electric lights glowed softly.
And somewhere in Luoyang, beneath the steady hum of the Breezy One, the Prince of Fu slept peacefully for the first time in many summers.