“You see, the imperial family is just this difficult to serve. His Majesty spoke clearly and plainly on the East China Sea—his Great Emperor warship must first be big enough, second be formidable enough, and third be luxurious enough. Now, the Great Emperor warship has perfectly interpreted His Majesty’s requirements, yet it has become this nephew’s crime.”
Yun Ye, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and Niu Jinda watched Empress Zhangsun leave the Princess vessel and couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.
“Enough. There are no outsiders here. Speak up—what are your plans? The Great Emperor warship has already become His Majesty’s great joke. This old man doesn’t believe you didn’t think of this when building the ship.” Cheng Yaojin had never eaten a banana. He twisted a green one off the banana tree, examined it, at least knew to peel it, took a bite, and had his mouth and teeth numbed by the astringency. He asked Yun Ye with irritation.
Everyone has a habit of venting anger on others. Yun Ye sighed and cut down a bunch of ripe ones from the banana tree, distributed them to the three old commanders to eat, and only spoke after seeing them eat with satisfaction.
“Deterrence. A nation must have deterrent power, and this deterrent power must be something visible and tangible. Giant warships have always been a symbol of a nation’s technology and financial resources. As long as the Great Emperor warship exists for one day, neighboring maritime nations won’t dare act rashly, even if it’s placed in Qujiang Pool as a pleasure boat—it’s still real, solid power.”
“In a few more years, when you gentlemen are even older, you’ll also become the Great Tang’s deterrent force. Even without leading troops, your reputations have long spread beyond our borders. Living one more year gives the Great Tang one more portion of deterrent power. So you must pay attention to your health. Uncle Qin’s body these past years has not only ceased weakening but has actually become much more robust. This is the blessing of us younger generation.”
Old Qin leaped up onto the wooden barrel, reached out to pick several lychees and tossed them to Old Cheng and Old Niu, peeled one himself and put it in his mouth, saying happily, “These past years I’ve eaten more medicine than food. Never expected my body would actually slowly recover. The Qin family is different from the Cheng and Niu families—my descendants are unambitious. Even scolding them doesn’t make them improve. As parents, we have no choice but to personally take action ourselves, just hoping to build up a thicker family foundation for them and eat a few more years.”
“Chumo is now already a general. Chuliang has been studying under Master Yuanzhang and clearly has a promising future. Although Jianhu injured his foot, he’s now the Taizhou Prefect. The Ministry of Personnel’s evaluation shows both excellent reputation and achievements. After two more years of tempering, he can return to the capital for an appointment. Huaiyu has a naturally weak temperament and doesn’t resemble a general’s son at all. There’s no help for it—this old man still doesn’t dare die.”
“Why speak such inauspicious words? Little Ye, Chumo, and Jianhu—these three children have risen up. Would they really abandon Huaiying and leave him aside? They’re all brothers with broken bones still connected by sinew. When they have a mouthful to eat, the Qin family’s bowl won’t be empty. Those with lively temperaments have one way of living, those with gentle temperaments have another way of living. Just support him and move forward together.”
Every time Old Qin spoke these words, Cheng Yaojin was very dissatisfied. The old brothers had only enjoyed these comfortable years together—what was the point of constantly talking about death?
Niu Jinda laughed heartily as he looked around the rear hold, touching the banana trees, patting the lychee tree. When he came to the shark tank, he was startled badly. Pointing at that enormous circular tank, he asked Yun Ye, “Why did you bring this killer back? And such a large one too. It’s rare for it to still be so lively and vigorous after being transported several thousand li.”
“Uncle Niu doesn’t know—sharks will die if they stop moving. You rarely go to sea, so you don’t understand sharks’ nature. If a shark doesn’t swim, it will literally drown. That’s why I specially made a circular water tank to let it continuously swim so it could survive until now.”
“Fish can also drown? This is the first I’ve heard of it. Little Ye, why did you go to such great effort to bring this fish back?” Old Cheng and Old Qin also gathered around to look at the shark.
Yun Ye said with a smile, “Shark fin is naturally a good thing to offer as tribute to the three uncles. As for the fish liver, it’s to be given to that old fellow Wei Zheng. Shark fin soup is incomparably delicious, but the shark’s liver is an extremely poisonous substance. Eating one or two liang will pretty much cost you your life.”
Qin Qiong was greatly alarmed and said repeatedly, “Improper, improper! Although Wei Zheng’s political views differ from yours, there’s no personal grudge. He attacks you in many ways in the court, yet privately praises you effusively. No matter how he attacks you in court, he’s never thought of putting you to death. He only wants to force you to honestly teach at Yushan. He’s absolutely not a greatly evil person.”
Not only was Old Qin shocked, Old Cheng and Old Niu also repeatedly said it couldn’t be done. Poisoning a high minister, regardless of what reason, would not be forgiven by the Emperor. This was truly a crime warranting family extermination. Not a single person in the court would stand up to speak for you, because this had already exceeded the bottom line that all the meritorious nobles could bear.
Yun Ye looked at the shark swimming in circles in the tank and said, “The fish liver is indeed an extremely poisonous substance, but properly prepared, it’s an excellent medicine for removing cataracts and brightening eyes. Wei Zheng’s eyes are now mostly covered with white cataracts. The day of blindness is not far off. This shark’s liver is just like arsenic—it’s both extreme poison and excellent medicine. If Wei Zheng wants his eyes to regain clarity and sight, shark liver is indispensable.”
“No matter how unaccomplished this nephew is, I would never use such lowly methods to eliminate a political opponent. Moreover, Wei Zheng’s existence brings us many benefits. It’s precisely because a political enemy exists that the imperial family has added trust in the Yun Family. If we had no political enemies and all the meritorious nobles in court praised the Yun Family’s virtues, the days of the Yun Family’s decline would probably not be far off. So Wei Zheng still cannot withdraw from court. Even if the old fellow himself wants to hide away in peace, this nephew absolutely won’t allow such a thing to happen. If his eyes go blind, we’ll cure them for him. If the King of Hell hooks him away, we’ll also snatch him back from hell. Without Wei Zheng, what would the Yun Family do? He must live well and be the Yun Family’s political enemy!”
Yun Ye’s words made Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and Niu Jinda break out in sweat. Being Wei Zheng’s political enemy was so vexing! Everyone says court politics is like a chess game, but Wei Zheng, this chess piece, didn’t even have the qualification to roll off the board. At this moment, various flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty—all surged into the hearts of the three men.
Thinking about Wei Zheng’s lifetime of walking between life and death, always able to retreat unscathed—even when he advised the Crown Prince to eliminate the current Emperor, such a great crime couldn’t do anything to him. Instead, he lived like a fish in water under the Emperor’s command, was enfeoffed as Duke of Zheng, and served as Remonstrance Official and Left Imperial Bodyguard, almost about to enter the chancellorship. Yet now, in the younger generation’s eyes, he was merely a shield to ward off disasters.
Old Cheng grabbed Yun Ye’s head and examined it carefully from all sides, then sighed and said to Qin Qiong, “This old man never imagined that the boy Chumo picked up from the wilderness would become such a monster. At only twenty-seven years old, he’s already toying with old foxes in the palm of his hand. The court is precisely prepared for people like him. We’d better stay at home and be the deterrent force he speaks of. If one day we’re overthrown by some unknown youngster, that would be truly embarrassing.”
“This nephew has no plans to mix in court politics. After returning to Chang’an, I’ll just hang the title of Lingnan Naval Commander and go teach at the academy. Master Li Gang sent word saying he can no longer hold on. Now he’s clear-minded for half the day and unconscious the other half. He’s probably finished. He wants me to hurry back to the academy—perhaps I can still attend his funeral. If I’m late, he won’t be able to wait. Thinking of this, this nephew’s heart feels as if cut by knives, worried sick with anxiety, wishing only to fly back to Chang’an on wings.”
Birth, aging, illness, and death are inevitable. Li Gang is now already eighty-four years old. The old saying goes well: seventy-three, eighty-four—the King of Hell doesn’t call, but you come yourself. This saying actually has reason behind it. People are like trees—they all have physiological cycles. When vital force is vigorous, a hundred diseases cannot invade. When vital force is weak, a small illness can be fatal. Seventy-three and eighty-four happen to fall at low points of vital force.
The Great Emperor warship was blowing its horn again. The four men walked onto the deck and saw the Great Emperor warship raising sails and weighing anchor. Yun Ye took out his telescope for a look and saw Li Er in full armor sitting in a chair. Di Renjie stood to one side, pointing at a group of burly men moving the capstan to weigh anchor, explaining something. Zhang Liang stood at the bow holding flags, constantly issuing orders. They were leaving already?
“No, this old man must hurry to shore. The Left Militant Guard is nominally still under this old man’s command. I must rush over. What kind of general would I be without my subordinates? Old Niu, you also have duties. Let’s go together!”
Cheng Yaojin chattered away and was about to leave with Niu Jinda. Old Qin held a sinecure position and stood with his hands clasped behind his back on the deck enjoying the breeze, his attitude leisurely. Standing on the Princess vessel, the watery scenery and mountain colors on both banks were all within view—inexpressibly pleasant.
Di Renjie wore a set of the academy’s blue robes, chest out and head high, spirits soaring. The battle with Han Zhe taught him composure. Following his master’s tutelage taught him detachment. Presiding over a massive workshop at eighteen with ten thousand craftsmen under his command gave him confidence. Today was his master’s final examination of him.
The Emperor asked about the Great Emperor warship in great detail—from the entire warship’s design to its layout, then to personnel allocation, use of materials, determination of routes, and difficulties encountered—he asked about everything.
Not only was the Emperor asking—Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, and Li Xiaogong were all asking what the core content of this invincible warship built with two hundred thousand silver coins was.
“Mechanical intelligence! Grand Master, the most precious aspect of the Emperor warship lies not in the eighty thousand jin of ironwood cladding on the ship’s exterior, nor in the expensively built eight-ox crossbows, but in its mechanical intelligence. Eight years of the Yushan Academy’s Civil Engineering Division’s painstaking effort have been most fully embodied in this giant warship. Please look.”
When Di Renjie was explaining the Great Emperor warship to Yan Lide, he very thoughtfully stood on the windward side, blocking the river wind for Yan Lide. This subtle action immediately won the favorable impression of the assembled great men. Compared to his scoundrel master, Di Renjie possessed even more of a gentleman’s bearing.
Di Renjie turned a massive handle, and immediately the deck at the ship’s side slowly separated to both sides. A wooden house with wooden planks on the outside and iron plate lining on the inside slowly rose. As the wooden house rose, the creaking sound of the eight-ox crossbow automatically drawing its string came out. When the wooden house was fixed in position at the notched slots, Di Renjie inserted two thick bolts into the fixing holes, then helped Yan Lide up and pointed at the wooden house, saying to him, “Grand Master, when the wooden house rises, the eight-ox crossbow has already prepared for attack. In war, as long as you seize that instant advantage, you might be able to lock in victory!”