Shi Lang held the letter of introduction in his hand, preparing to depart for Anqing Prefecture. Yet no matter how he thought about it, he felt he had received a great favor without giving anything in return, which left him uneasy.
Lowering his voice, he said, "Uncle, you have been incredibly kind. You guided me and even wrote this letter of introduction for me. I have benefited so much from you. I truly want to do something in return. How about I go beat up that madam?"
Zhu Piaoling's gloomy mood instantly lifted, and he burst into laughter.
"Don't act recklessly. As a man of my standing, do you really think I need a child like you to handle such matters for me? Hurry to Anqing Prefecture. Don't linger here."
Shi Lang glanced at the dozen guards standing behind Zhu Piaoling and thought to himself, Alright, Uncle really does not need a kid like me.
He bowed deeply and quickly set off toward Anqing Prefecture.
Once Shi Lang had left, only their own people remained.
Zhu Piaoling's expression finally darkened. He snorted coldly.
"I cannot reveal my identity here. So how am I supposed to make that brothel sell me all their girls?"
Bodyguard A spoke up. "We could stage a night raid. Kill the madam and the guards, then secretly take the girls away under cover of darkness."
Zhu Piaoling roared, "Are you trying to get the Dao Xuan Tianzun to slap this prince to death with a single palm?"
Bodyguard A immediately shut his mouth.
Bodyguard B hesitated for a moment before speaking. "My lord, in my humble opinion, why not… make use of the Emperor?"
Zhu Piaoling stared at him. "What?"
Bodyguard B explained carefully, "My lord could write a letter to His Majesty. Say that you are bored in Xi'an with nothing to do, that life feels unbearably empty. You heard that the Pear Garden in Suzhou has a group of famous courtesans skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and you wished to purchase them as concubines. You sent your subordinates to Suzhou to buy them, but the Pear Garden madam refused… You can write it dramatically, perhaps even shed a few tears. His Majesty will certainly intervene."
Zhu Piaoling's eyes widened.
"Oh? Oh, oh, oh? That is a brilliant idea!"
Crying to the Emperor for favors, or "fleecing the Emperor," was a time-honored skill among the princes of the realm. Even the most obscure princes could often obtain vast tracts of land and generous rewards simply by wailing pitifully for a while.
For Zhu Piaoling, the foremost prince of the entire empire, this was practically second nature.
After all, the Zhu imperial clan had always been exceptionally "benevolent" toward its own blood.
Zhu Piaoling grabbed a brush and immediately began writing, deliberately putting on an aggrieved expression as if tears were about to fall. He first described his unbearable boredom in Xi'an, claiming he was on the verge of losing all hope in life. Then he wrote about hearing of the beautiful women of Suzhou's Pear Garden, and how he wished to buy them to ease his loneliness.
He wrote that he had sent his head steward to Suzhou to redeem them, only to be humiliated by the Pear Garden madam. The dignity of the royal house had been trampled. The prestige of the Prince of Qin had been swept away. He begged the Emperor to uphold justice for him.
After finishing, he signed his full name, pressed his handprint onto the document, and even took out his personal seal from his bosom, stamping it heavily onto the paper. Finally, he sealed the letter with wax.
Once everything was ready, he handed the letter to Bodyguard B.
"Ride swiftly and deliver this to the capital. Remember, when you approach the capital, take a detour and pretend you are coming from Xi'an."
Bodyguard B accepted the order and immediately departed.
"Hmph," Zhu Piaoling snorted, his face filled with smug satisfaction.
"Let's see whose backing is stronger."
Gao Family Village, the main settlement.
Gao Yiye walked arm in arm with the mass-produced Dao Xuan Tianzun as they entered the research building of Thirty-Two Middle School.
As the number of graduate students continued to increase, the range of research departments expanded steadily.
The laboratories on the fifth floor of the old teaching building were no longer sufficient.
As a result, Gao Family Village allocated special funds to construct a brand-new research building.
The minimum qualification to work inside was a graduate degree.
Every room housed a different research project.
The entire building presented a surreal scene.
As Li Daoxuan and Gao Yiye walked inside, they saw a graduate student carrying a human skeleton model pass by. Upon spotting the Dao Xuan Tianzun and the Saintess, the student hurriedly bowed.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun, Saintess. Greetings."
He insisted on bowing at a perfect ninety-degree angle, and the human skeleton model strapped to his back also bent forward, bowing toward Li Daoxuan.
Gao Yiye let out a soft laugh.
"That's such a funny sight. What a pity we didn't record it. It would have made a great little news clip."
Li Daoxuan smiled as well, holding Gao Yiye's hand as they continued deeper into the building.
Before long, they arrived at Bai Gongzi's research laboratory.
As soon as they stepped inside, they heard a loud "woosh," the unmistakable sound of a steam engine. Gao Yiye focused her gaze and saw a massive steam engine standing in the center of the lab. A huge hammer was connected to the engine's crankshaft, rising and falling as the shaft rotated, striking downward with tremendous force.
A crowd had gathered around the machine, pointing and discussing animatedly. Bai Gongzi, Song Yingxing, Wang Zheng, and many other graduate students and senior technical engineers were all present.
Gao Yiye exclaimed, "Oh, I recognize this. This is the steam forging hammer invented by Chen Ergou, with assistance from Qi Cheng. I saw it on the news last time. Why has it been moved into the research lab?"
Hearing her voice, everyone in the laboratory turned at once. When they realized the Dao Xuan Tianzun and the Saintess had arrived, they hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Bai Gongzi replied, "The design of this steam forging hammer is still too crude. Chen Ergou invented it through pure practical experience, but his understanding of physics is limited. He cannot push it any further. So we moved it here, hoping to gather everyone's wisdom and make it more powerful."
Gao Yiye nodded.
"I see. That makes sense."
Li Daoxuan smiled.
"Indeed. Many scientific inventions follow this exact path. The initial inspiration often comes from workers on the front lines. But after they conceive an idea, their own limitations prevent them from elevating it further.
At that point, scientists step in, refining and innovating upon the original design, integrating a great deal of advanced theory and technology.
Then, once that advanced technology is applied in practice, it often reveals unexpected quirks, which prompts the workers to propose new improvements.
This is what we call the combination of fundamental science and applied science. They complement each other and jointly drive the spiral advancement of science and technology."
Li Daoxuan was quite pleased to see them progressing along this route.
"Bai Gongzi, I came today to discuss the matter of steamships."
"Hm?" Bai Gongzi turned his head. "Steamships?"
In truth, many years ago, Bai Gongzi had already designed a steamship. It had been built at the shipyard at Qichuan Ferry in Heyang County and put into operation on the route between Qichuan Port and Yongji Ancient Ferry Dock.
However, because shipping on the Yellow River was unreliable, the project stalled there and saw no further development.
Li Daoxuan said calmly, "The Wanli Sunshine has successfully traveled from the Yellow River out to sea. It is time for us to consider ocean-going vessels."