When Yan Lide spoke with Di Renjie, there wasn’t so much fury. He took up his brush and wrote on paper: “Gunpowder is not to be feared, fire oil is not to be feared, sturdy ships are not to be feared. The spirit is seen in minute details. Building giant warships starts from small places, accumulating small steps to reach a thousand li—truly remarkable. This is the limit of Great Tang craftsmen’s ability.”

Di Renjie held Yan Lide’s written note with both hands and performed a grand bow of thanks for the Grand Master’s praise. Being able to receive even a few words of praise from this rigid Grand Master was extremely difficult. Old Yan himself was renowned throughout the Great Tang’s court and countryside for being earnest and meticulous.

“Di Renjie, seeing how your master spares no expense in promoting you, he must certainly regard you extremely highly. You should at least have some learning ability. Can you really not see that such a vital weapon has no way of being entrusted to others?”

After Li Er thoroughly understood the Great Emperor warship, he felt both pity and anger. The Great Emperor warship’s might was unmatched, its own capabilities perfectly matched its name—it truly was the monarch of the great seas. But such a giant warship, to whom could it be entrusted?

The deck beneath his feet had been scrubbed until the wood grain’s natural color showed through, golden yellow and appealing. Looking again at the magnificent and splendid decorations behind him, he questioned Di Renjie with exasperation.

“In response to Your Majesty, the Great Emperor warship was built according to Your Majesty’s will for it to be bigger, faster, and stronger. Now it has become reality. Only by traversing the great seas, cleaving through waves invincibly in all directions can it manifest Your Majesty’s august dignity and make the tributary nations of the four seas prostrate themselves before Your Majesty. To determine the design plan, my master went three days and nights without sleep or rest, truly exhausting himself completely. As for how to dispose of this warship, that is the authority of Your Majesty and the various elders. My master has always practiced doing his own work well—concerns that aren’t his own, he doesn’t worry about; matters that aren’t his to manage, he doesn’t manage. This student deeply agrees.”

Fang Xuanling, seeing the Emperor’s face about to darken, spoke out: “Di Renjie, you are a rare outstanding talent among the youth. It’s good to study your master’s learning well, but don’t learn his lazy temperament. The Great Emperor warship was built too well, excessively so. If the other sea vessels are grasshoppers, His Majesty hoped you could build an oriole. Now you master and disciple have clearly given His Majesty a giant elephant. No matter who it’s used against, it’s using an ox-cleaver to butcher a chicken. The three giant warships Chengqian, Qing Que, and Princess are already capable of being invincible throughout the realm. How should the Emperor warship, which is ten times stronger than these three giant warships, conduct itself?”

“To conquer unsubmissive lands, three giant warships named after His Highnesses are fully capable of the task. The Great Emperor warship is so enormous that its wasteful expenses must be staggering. Deploying it once results in losses outweighing gains. Battlefield situations change in an instant with hundreds of schemes emerging. If by chance it capsizes in a gutter, where would our Great Tang’s dignity be?”

After Fang Xuanling finished his questions, not only did Li Er stare at Di Renjie, but the other high ministers also stared at Di Renjie. The air on the ship seemed frozen. Di Renjie was ultimately young, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Li Tai wanted to speak out to help Di Renjie, but Li Er waved his hand to stop him. Fang Xuanling’s question of secretly substituting one thing for another was extremely tricky.

Di Renjie suddenly saw his master on the distant Princess vessel looking at him through a telescope, with Xiao Wu in her goose-yellow garments beside him, and immediately felt warmth in his heart.

“Your Majesty, you overestimate the Great Emperor warship. Currently it’s an invincible existence, but only currently. In a few years, when you look at the Great Emperor warship again, you’ll find it’s nothing but a chicken rib existence.”

“Our Great Tang is now changing with each passing day. Research results from Yushan Academy emerge in an endless stream, and craftsmen’s ingenious ideas often inspire applause. The Five-Tooth Great Warship has dominated the great rivers for fifty years and was hailed as the world’s greatest. Now before the Great Emperor warship, it’s like a young child. This kind of story will absolutely not happen only to the Five-Tooth Great Warship. In a few years, when physics makes even the slightest inch of progress, the Five-Tooth Great Warship’s today will inevitably be the Great Emperor warship’s tomorrow.”

“My master once said: Invincible? Invincible exists to be defeated. Master Li Tai already has some budding thoughts. When these thoughts are verified, what will the Great Emperor warship amount to?”

Li Er looked at Di Renjie and said, “Invincible exists to be defeated—that phrase has some interest. Qing Que, since Di Renjie has pulled you out, speak of your ideas. Let your father-emperor hear how the Great Emperor warship will be defeated by your ideas.”

Li Tai pulled two copper coins from his chest. With a release of his hand, those two copper coins dropped onto the deck. Seeing everyone was confused, he didn’t explain. Li Tai picked up the copper coins and threw one far out until the copper coin dropped into the water. Only then did he say to Li Er, “This is your son’s discovery. Its wonderful uses are infinite—it’s a great field of study. To explain it clearly would require no less than a million words to clarify its meaning. This is also your son’s main work content for the next ten years. Once your son clarifies the principles within, the Great Emperor warship will indeed be vulnerable to a single blow.”

Not explaining would have been better—after his explanation, Li Er and all the ministers became even more confused. Li Er couldn’t understand, but he didn’t ask. There have always been taboos in matters of learning. In any case, it was his own son’s learning, which meant it belonged to the Li family. He could have him explain in detail later. As for the ministers being confused, what did that matter? Profound learning is always like this.

When Shakyamuni held a flower in his hand and twirled it back and forth, others couldn’t understand the meaning. Only Mahakashyapa broke into a smile, and Shakyamuni said, “I possess the True Dharma Eye Treasury, the Wondrous Mind of Nirvana, the True Form of the Formless, the Subtle Dharma Gate, which does not rely on words but is a special transmission outside the teachings, which I entrust to Mahakashyapa.” As long as someone understands, that’s enough. At least Di Renjie was standing there grinning with laughter.

Fang Xuanling bowed his hands in shame and said, “Your Highness’s learning grows increasingly profound day by day. This old minister gained nothing at all from your wonderful metaphor just now. Truly shameful. But I wonder—of this field of study, how many can comprehend it?”

Li Tai said resentfully, “In Lingnan, when Yun Ye saw me throwing stones, he knew I had gained insight. When Hypatia encountered obstacles researching her own studies and saw my actions, she also understood thirty percent. This foolishly smiling fellow learned from his master, and his not-yet-married little wife probably understands too. Yun Ye never knows how to respect others’ achievements.”

Du Ruhui said with a smile, “Not relying on words, special transmission outside teachings—that still requires sufficient wisdom to comprehend. That Marquis Yun could penetrate the meaning in an instant can be called having an exquisitely perceptive heart. That Hypatia, a mere woman, could self-realize three parts is already rare. As for Di Renjie and that Xiao Wu, they studied under a famous master—having such fortune is as it should be.”

“Since someone can comprehend it, this old minister believes Your Highness wouldn’t fake his own learning to exonerate Yun Ye. Di Renjie, I won’t ask about the learning. I only ask—after penetrating this field of study, what kind of ability will there be? This old minister is fully aware of the Great Emperor warship’s might. The learning is still only a thought up to now.”

Di Renjie looked at Li Tai with difficulty. Li Tai nodded at him, indicating he could speak. So Di Renjie cupped his hands and said, “In response to Chancellor Du, after penetrating this field of study, people will be able to fly!”

Li Er abruptly stood up from his seat, grasped Li Tai’s hand, and asked urgently, “Qing Que, is it truly so?”

Li Tai said with a bitter smile, “Father-Emperor, what Di Renjie spoke of is Yun Ye’s prediction. In between are still countless difficulties waiting for your son to solve one by one. When your son spoke of a ten-year agreement, that was only the most optimistic estimate. As for when we can truly fly, your son cannot determine when that will be. However, in between, other fields of study will certainly emerge. As long as these studies are utilized well, the Great Emperor warship is truly vulnerable to a single blow. Learning has never existed in isolation. They are linked ring by ring. Losing in the east and gaining in the west is even more common.”

Li Er slowly sat down, patted Li Tai’s hand, and said, “You just concentrate on your studies. Whatever help you need, just tell your father-emperor. Your father-emperor will help you solve it.” Li Tai answered with a smile.

To discuss the Great Emperor warship further at this time would be pointless. Empress Zhangsun always appeared at just the right moment. As the Great Emperor warship surged forward through the waves, she had female attendants set up tables and cases on the deck. Various pastries and fresh fruits just obtained from the Princess vessel filled a table, inviting the Emperor and the various high ministers to taste them together.

“Many thanks for Your Majesty’s gracious hospitality. This old minister has only heard the name of these bananas but doesn’t recognize the object. Lychees I’ve only seen in classical texts. Chang’an has had some dried products these past few years. The Great Tang’s territory is vast and rich, with different flavors in each region. How did Your Majesty transport these Lingnan fine fruits from thousands of li away? This old minister observes these fruit products are all extremely fresh—how were they preserved?”

Wei Zheng opened his half-clouded eyes and took a banana to examine carefully before his eyes. Empress Zhangsun said with a smile, “You cannot place the hat of extravagance on this palace’s head. Yun Ye has all kinds of methods. He loaded the fruit trees onto ships and transported them back. So these fresh fruits were picked by this palace personally on the Princess vessel—naturally incomparably fresh.”

Wei Zheng peeled open the banana, ate a bite, sighed, and said, “Truly rare fine fruit in the human world. Yun Ye’s reputation for loving food has spread throughout the realm. Chang’an even has the saying that Yun Family’s small dishes surpass state banquets. Bananas must certainly not be rare objects in Lingnan, but borrowing military vessels and consuming countless labor along the way—is it just to satisfy his personal appetite? This old minister still has a silver coin in his chest—let it count as the cost of this banana.” Having finished speaking, he fumbled in his chest for a long time, pulled out a silver coin and placed it on the table, eating the banana clean and dry. With him doing this, who could still eat comfortably? They were already eating the people’s fat and blood—who could feel at ease?

Empress Zhangsun took a banana and had a female attendant hold it out to Wei Zheng, saying, “Eat at ease. It doesn’t count as the people’s fat and blood. Yun Ye said he gave the Lingnan farmers money for the trees, also gave wages to the gardeners who tended these fruit trees along the way, and paid the porters and trackers their wages. The Princess vessel hasn’t yet been incorporated into the Lingnan naval fleet—it counts as his family’s ship. What things he transports on his own family’s ship, others can’t control. He also said Chang’an’s meritorious nobles have all become foolish, only knowing to earn money but not knowing to spend it—their whole lives are paupers’ destinies.”

After hearing Empress Zhangsun’s words, Di Renjie’s face immediately darkened. Also darkening were Li Tai’s. The Emperor, however, tasted the lychees with detached calm, unmoved. Matters concerning extravagance versus frugality were the Empress’s proper duty to manage—he didn’t worry about it. On this matter, even if Yun Ye was blasted into a sieve by the spittle of meritorious nobles, he wouldn’t intervene.

Very clearly, the Empress was also dissatisfied with Yun Ye making jokes with two hundred thousand silver coins. Suffering some deserved hardship was within reason.