Chapter 12

Baishan arrived earlier than Liu Ju had expected. He didn't use the two days Liu Ju had given him to rest and recuperate. The next day, he had Gongshu Xing bring him into the palace. Since he was so enthusiastic, Liu Ju naturally had no objections. With the manpower in place, he immediately began research.

The target this time is the compass.

For this kind of guiding tool, making a compass is not difficult. The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches engraved on it are optional. Even if they need to be engraved, it is easy and not difficult.

The difficulty lies in the magnetic needle in the middle, which needs to be polished to the right size and maintain long-lasting magnetic force.

The video says you can rub a needle against a magnet, but this method only temporarily gives the needle a magnetic effect, which is far from the "long-lasting" effect they want. If you want a long-term effect, you need to polish it with a magnet.

This made Liu Ju think of another solution mentioned in the video - the compass fish. This fish is carved from wood into the size of a fingertip and then embedded with a natural magnet.

Liu Ju thought about it and told Bai Shan both options. He knew nothing about magnets, and the so-called polishing and internalization were probably not something that could be done in a few steps.

It looks simple, but it is not so easy to do. This kind of tool always requires precision and fineness.

So Liu Ju left the matter to Baishan with peace of mind and did not interfere, but he did not completely become a hands-off boss. He still came every day and watched quietly by the side, mainly to keep him company.

Of course, he also intended to observe the entire process, to see how Baishan thought, designed, and produced, and then silently memorize it in his mind. He felt that this method would gain more than what he could get from watching a few minutes of brief explanation in the video.

Baishan did not disappoint his expectations. In less than ten days, he made both the compass fish and the compass, and even made two copies of each.

Liu Ju happily ran to the Xuanshi Hall with the things in his arms. As soon as he entered, he couldn't wait to run to Liu Che and said, "Father, Father, I did it!"

Liu Che held his forehead helplessly and asked: "What did you accomplish?"

“A tool for guidance.”

"A guiding tool? Si Nan?"

"This is much better than the compass we have now." Liu Ju took out the objects in his arms, placed them on the table one by one, and introduced them one by one. "This is the compass fish, which needs to be used with water."

As he spoke, he asked his attendant to bring him a bowl of clean water and placed the compass fish into the water. He said, "Look, that's it. The direction the fish's head points to is south, and the direction the fish's tail points to is north."

Liu Che was shocked and quickly ordered someone to bring the Si Nan spoon. When they compared the two, they found that they were pointing in the same direction.

Liu Ju held his head high, chest puffed out, and continued with a hint of pride, "This is a south-pointing compass. It has a groove in the middle, and in that groove sits a magnetic needle polished with a magnet. One end of the needle is dyed red for identification. The direction the red end points to is south, and the other end is north."

He blinked and continued, "The magnetic needle is stuck in the groove and will only rotate within the groove. It won't fall out normally, but if an accident happens, it's hard to say. So we made an additional design.

"A cover is placed at the mouth of the groove, made of light-colored amber, polished into a thin sheet and fitted into the compass. This way, the amber protects the magnetic needle inside from being damaged by bumps. Furthermore, the amber is clear and highly transparent, so it does not hinder viewing or use of the magnetic needle inside."

At this point, Liu Ju pursed his lips and sighed softly: "It's a pity that amber is not easy to come by. Bai Shan said that it is not suitable to use amber for this."

Liu Che: ...

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Haha, you are the only one who plays with amber like this.

"So this is the compass with an amber cover. Baishan came up with another idea: a movable cover made of wood that can be opened and closed at any time. You don't need to close the slot cover on weekdays, you can open it when needed."

Liu Che nodded. This was the universal method. His eyes darted back and forth between the compass and the south-pointing fish, his eyes filled with surprise. "You did all this?"

Liu Ju raised his head, his eyebrows raised, and he looked proud: "Yes. Bai Shan and I. The two of us!"

He said this with complete confidence, without a trace of guilt. Even though he only moved his mouth and didn't do anything, who says moving your mouth isn't important? So it was him and Baishan who did it, no problem.

Liu Ju shook his head proudly and continued, "The compass fish is small, so you can just put it in your arms or sleeves, making it very convenient to carry. If you want to hide it from others, you can even hide it in your hair. The only drawback is that you need to have water ready when using it."

Liu Che's mouth twitched again: ...Hide it in the hair? Who would hide the Si Nan in the hair!

Liu Ju scoffed. Who knows? In TV dramas, aren't things hidden in shoe soles and hair? But that wasn't the point. Liu Ju changed the subject.

"The compass is a bit larger, and we can't grind the magnetic needle down too small yet, so we can't overcome this for now. But it's also portable and more convenient to use than the compass fish, and even more so than the Sinan spoon compass chariot. And..."

Liu Ju tapped the compass gently. "Actually, if it's only used for direction, all these carvings on the compass can be omitted. Just keep the magnetic needle. Make it into a round box that's half the size of an adult man's palm. Connect one side of the box with a buckle on the other. Click to open, snap to close. Very convenient."

It looks like a pocket watch, which he got inspiration from a TV series.

Liu Ju's eyes rolled, a glint flickering in them. "Ahhh, there are so many new and exciting things in TV dramas. It's a shame I don't know how to make them, and I can't find any information on them." "Oh, oh, oh, I want them so badly."

Never mind, let's put aside the things we can't get for now and get the things we can get first. Liu Ju stepped forward and grabbed Liu Che's sleeve: "Father, are you surprised?"

Liu Che nodded, not only surprised, but also astonished.

"Then, Father, are you planning to reward me with something? You rewarded my uncle and cousin for their contributions. Since I have made contributions, shouldn't I be rewarded as well?

"The Kongming Lantern was a merit, but you didn't reward me. Now, you can't refuse to reward me for the Compass Fish. I put so much thought and effort into it, it was really hard work."

His eyes were accusatory, pitiful, and aggrieved, as if Liu Che was so inhumane that he owed him millions of dollars and would not pay him back.

"I know that Father is also very hard-working, so I don't want anything else, as long as Father agrees to my small request."

Liu Che glanced sideways: "A small request?"

"Yes. I want to be able to go in and out of the palace as often as possible." Perhaps because she was afraid that Liu Che would not agree, she said anxiously, "I promise not to run around. If I go out, I will report to you or my mother and bring all my men with me, okay?

"This request is really not excessive. At least... at least compared to the contributions I have made, it is really very small. Father!"

She was using the pretext of her achievements and acting like a spoiled brat. Liu Che laughed out loud: "Do you really want to leave the palace?"

Liu Ju hung his head. "I've only been out of the palace a few times in my life. I heard there are a lot of things to do outside the palace. Acrobatics, puppets, wrestling, cuju, cockfighting, and beast fighting."

"It is said that young men from various mausoleums often organize group activities, where they gather together to compete."

"I heard? It's said?" Liu Che understood. "Did Qubing say that?"

Liu Ju's eyes rolled around and he hesitated. It was obvious that he had been guessed, but he didn't want to betray his cousin so he didn't want to admit it.

Liu Che sneered.

Liu Ju complained again: "Father, I have never seen him once. I really want to go there once."

Liu Che sneered: "Just once?"

What you just said was "often". You are trying to fool me.

After his thoughts were exposed, Liu Ju fell silent, looked dejected and listless, and looked extremely pitiful.

Liu Che's mouth twitched, and he finally sighed: "I promised you, why bother with such a gesture, quickly put it away for me."

Liu Ju's expression changed in an instant, and he jumped up and cheered, "Great! Long live father!"

Liu Che: ...I told you to put it away, but you don't have to put it away so quickly. Haha.

Although she rolled her eyes in disgust, she still felt a little happy when she saw her son's excited look, and a smile unconsciously appeared at the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.

After Liu Ju left, Liu Che put away the compass and the compass fish on the table. Suddenly he stopped and looked at the two things at hand in a daze.

If the Kongming lantern was a fluke, and the code book was a flash of inspiration, then what about these two things now? If we say they were clever, wouldn't that be a bit too clever?

It's not that there aren't geniuses and prodigies in the world, and he doesn't think his own son won't be one. If the prodigy can be someone else, why can't it be his son, Liu Che?

The problem is that I have never seen Juer have any interest or talent in craftsmanship before. How come he suddenly knows so much about it and has so many ideas?

Liu Che frowned, doubts rising in his heart.

Once he started thinking, he naturally discovered many details that he had overlooked in the past, and realized that his son was indeed different recently. But he was also very sure that Liu Ju was still the same Liu Ju, his son, without a doubt.

First, Liu Ju lived right under his nose, and he was confident that no one could replace him, but there was absolutely no chance or possibility of such a thing;

Secondly, Liu Ju's personality, habits, eating preferences, and the way he gets along with Wei Zifu and others are all the same as usual.

This was something that no one else could do. Even if they possessed all of Ji'er's memories and knew everything about their past, it would still be impossible for them to be flawless. This was especially true of the minute details of their father-son relationship and the feelings they gave each other.

So Juer is always Juer, but there is indeed something unusual about Juer. Why?

Could it be that there was a master who gave him advice? Er had been in the palace the entire time, so where did the master come from?

Thinking of this, Liu Che paused again. Could it be that Ruer's desire to leave the palace was not entirely due to his love of fun, but perhaps it had something to do with a master?

After thinking for a while, Liu Che called Wu Changshi over and said, "Tell Yu Sui and Sheng Gu to observe His Highness while taking care of him."

"Observe?" Wu Changshi was a little confused. What did he want to observe?

"Observe whether there is anything unusual about His Highness, or whether there are any unusual people or things around him."

Wu Changshi was even more confused. What did His Majesty mean by this? Was he suspicious of something? Was there something wrong with His Majesty?

He had doubts in his heart, but having served Liu Che for many years, he knew his temper well and understood that this was not something he could ask, guess, or interfere in, so he suppressed all his thoughts and just respectfully accepted the order.

Liu Che was very satisfied with his attitude and added: "Let them observe secretly. There is no need to alarm His Majesty, nor to tell anyone else. But any doubts or concerns they have should be recorded and reported to me."

After a moment's thought, he added emphatically, "Your Highness's safety is still paramount. All actions must not harm Your Highness."

Wu Changshi bowed and said, "Yes."