Chapter 34

Livestock enclosure.

A chopping board, a pig, a bloody castration.

The piglet was forcibly held down, whimpering and groaning, struggling in vain. The butcher stood at the end of the chopping board, his knife moving with quick, decisive movements.

Beside them, Wei Chang Zhu Yi tilted his head slightly, Shi Yi covered his eyes and couldn't bear it, only Liu Ju enjoyed it.

When Liu Che rushed over, this was the scene he saw.

He had such a precious son, but he actually castrated a pig and watched it with great interest.

So delicious!

Not only that, but Liu Ju's tone was filled with a hint of joy: "It's done already? So quickly? So we can castrate all these piglets soon? Quick, pull another one up. Let's try to finish it quickly."

With a wave of his hand, one pig was put down and the other one was brought up.

The pig slaughtering continues.

Liu Che: ...stunned.

Look at the situation, he not only wants to castrate the pigs, but also castrate the whole litter!

Liu Che was shocked, horrified, and in disbelief. His expression changed several times, becoming more and more complicated and subtle.

Shi Yi was equally subtle, and he tugged at Liu Ju, "You said you brought us here to see something strange. Is this the kind of thing you're talking about? Haha, forget it. I saw them crying so miserably, so pathetically. What did the little piglet do wrong, that you treat it like this?"

"They're only a few days old. This is too cruel. Even if they've offended you, you can just roast them like a suckling pig and kill them. Why torture them like this?"

Liu Ju's expression was even more subtle than hers. Question marks filled his face, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I just slaughtered a pig, and you wanted to kill it and make a roast suckling pig. How dare you call me cruel? Who is crueler between us?"

Shiyi:!!!

She jumped up and pointed at the struggling and whimpering piglet, "Who's cruel? Look at what you've done. Take a good look. The people in the piggery said these piglets were only a few days old. Just a few days old, don't you understand? They wouldn't even pick a suckling pig this small for roasting."

"Is that really how I'm being cruel? And I said I was roasting the suckling pig because I wanted it to die quickly and not suffer. Butchers all know it's best to kill it with one blow to spare it the pain."

Liu Ju rolled his eyes and said, "I've already said that what I do is called pig slaughtering. It's to make the pigs grow faster, make the meat more tender, and make the texture more delicate. It can also remove the fishy and muttony smells, and reduce the risk of disease.

"As for the pigs being just a few days old, that's exactly what's best. They grow and develop quickly and have strong recovery abilities. It's the best time to slaughter them.

"What's cruel or not? If you pity them so much, why don't you just stop eating pork? Humph, if you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. If you're ignorant, read more books!"

Shiyi: ???

Call her uneducated and uneducated?

"What does this have to do with studying?"

"Why doesn't it matter? Pig slaughtering is what's mentioned in the book."

Shi Yi was stunned, Wei Chang Zhu Yi was stunned, and even Liu Che was stunned, subconsciously wondering which book had mentioned it.

Liu Ju raised his chin slightly and said, "The Book of Changes says: 'The teeth of a pig are auspicious.' This means that after being castrated, the pig's character will become docile."

"The Book of Rites also records this: In sacrifices, a pig is called a "gang liae" (lie, fourth tone), and a pig is called a "tu, second tone," meaning "feet." A pig is an uncastrated pig, with thick skin and coarse hair; a pig is a castrated pig, with plump fat and a full buttocks.

He snorted coldly and stared at Shi Yi with his big black eyes, as if saying: You don’t even know this, it’s because you haven’t read any books!

Shiyi: ...

She pouted and said, "I haven't studied the Book of Changes or the Book of Rites. Who knows if you just made it up?"

Fabrication? Doesn't that mean he made it up? Liu Ju was furious and was about to explode when Liu Che came over with a smile and said, "This is not a fabrication."

Everyone was slightly stunned and stepped forward to salute.

"Father!"

Liu Ju ran over happily and reached out to hug him out of habit.

Liu Che subconsciously took two steps back.

Liu Ju: ???

The guard chuckled and pulled him back: "You were so close to the piglet just now, and you have the smell on you. Don't let it get on your father."

Liu Ju curled his lips and didn't move forward. He thought to himself, it's just a little taste, what's the big deal? My father actually despises me.

Feeling depressed.

Liu Che coughed lightly to cover it up, and looked at him with some surprise: "I remember that you are still studying Gongyang, and I haven't heard your teacher say that you have started to learn Yijing and Liji."

Liu Ju's eyes flickered, and he felt a little guilty: "Indeed, I didn't. I just flipped through a little bit."

In fact, I heard some comments in the barrage a while ago, and remembered that I seemed to have seen a similar explanation of pig slaughtering in my mind, so I took it out and read it carefully, and then found a book to verify the content of the video.

Liu Che's smile grew even wider. "After completing your daily homework, you can take the initiative to learn other knowledge and study it diligently. That's great."

Liu Ju: ...Is he like that?

This beautiful misunderstanding made me feel a little embarrassed and lowered my head in shame.

Liu Che reached out to pat his head, but the scent of his body drew back, and he turned back to answer Shi Yi: "These two sentences are indeed recorded in the Book of Changes and the Book of Rites."

Although there are records, before he ascended the throne, Confucianism was not given much importance from the Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty. Moreover, even if the works were all Confucian, there were differences in their importance.

Works like "Book of Songs" and "Spring and Autumn Annals" were the most widely promoted; "Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius" also had doctoral degrees in classics during the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing; but the doctoral positions for "Book of Changes" and "Book of Rites" were not added until after he came to power.

This does not mean that their value is less than others, but that they are less popular than others, have fewer fans than others, and therefore fewer people study and specialize in them.

Especially the saying "boar's tusks are auspicious", which apparently refers to pigs, but is actually a metaphor for the way a monarch governs his people.

"A pig is called Ganglie, and a dove is called Guofei." The whole article is about sacrifices, and this sentence is just mentioned in passing.

Who would pick out these insignificant details in a piece of writing, set aside the deeper metaphors, think about the surface meaning of the words, and put them into practice? I am afraid that this is rare in the world.

This ability delighted Liu Che. He looked at Liu Ju, his eyes gleaming, but afterglow he caught sight of the butcher still castrating the pig, and the pig pinned down on the chopping board. Recalling Liu Ju's previous expression, he took a deep breath.

Even though Liu Ju quoted from classics and was good at thinking and doing, this scene still made him feel somewhat disillusioned.

And over there another piglet was taken away, and all the piglets in the litter had been slaughtered.

Liu Ju applauded and said, "Put them all in separate pens and feed them separately. In a few months, we'll know if what the book says is true and if this method is effective."

The eunuchs all agreed. Someone else came to report, "The chicken coop is finished. As Your Highness requested, it's been made into a dark room. Baffles have been installed at the windows. When the baffles are lowered, sunlight cannot enter. Black and white curtains have also been installed. When the baffles are opened and the curtains are lowered, light can enter."

Liu Che: ???

It’s fine if they’re slaughtering pigs, but why are there chickens too?

Shi Yi snorted, "A dark room? You said that slaughtering pigs was mentioned in the book. But you built a house for chickens and kept them in a small dark room. Isn't that also mentioned in the book?"

Liu Ju raised his eyebrows: "It's not mentioned in the book, can't you think about it yourself?"

Shiyi:!!!

God damn it, why is she thinking about these things?

Liu Che was also puzzled: "Will this also make the chicken fatter and plump up, and the meat better?"

"I'm afraid the meat won't be as tender and delicious as before."

Liu Ju shook his head in denial. Free-range pheasants exercise regularly, have less fat, and their meat is firm and chewy, unlike those kept in captivity. Furthermore, his captive breeding system means they move less. So, naturally, he can't compare in this respect.

But he remembered a line from a TV series: Only when quantity meets life's needs can we pursue quality. Otherwise, quality must give way to quantity.

He was a prince, so naturally he was not bad. But what about the common people?

He sighed softly, "You have to give to gain. At least this way I should be able to grow fatter and faster."

Shi Yi tilted his head: "Why?"

Can you grow fatter and faster by moving to a dark room?

Liu Ju chuckled: "Think about it, if you were asked to eat every day and not exercise, would you gain weight?"

Shi Yi: ...Just say what you want to say, why use me as an example?

"If humans are like this, so are poultry and livestock. Furthermore, chickens are not as smart as cats and dogs. Cats and dogs can still have their own simple thoughts. They can't.

"Their only understanding of day and night is light, and they move around accordingly. They move around during the day and rest at night. Moving around consumes a lot of energy, while resting makes them gain weight. So, we just need to artificially create the desired day and night environment. They can then eat and sleep, sleep and eat, and naturally gain weight.

"So the so-called dark room isn't always a dark room. I had black curtains set up, which allow light to pass through, but the light is weak. When the chicks grow up a bit, I can replace them with white curtains, which will allow for better light transmission than black curtains.

"The desired effect can be achieved by properly using baffles, black curtains and white curtains, and supplementing them with other measures."

Everyone: ...

Liu Che thought: "It sounds reasonable."

Liu Ju grew more excited as he spoke. "Of course it makes sense. This way, everything they eat is used to grow fat, and other things are less expended. This shortens feeding time and reduces costs. It's perfect."

Hearing him say this, Liu Che became serious: "If this method is really effective, it can be promoted among the people."

Liu Ju nodded: "It's just for the people to test. I don't need it."

Liu Che paused and looked down at him: "If you don't need it, why did you think of doing this?"

Neither pig slaughtering nor chicken farming were things Liu Ju would encounter. How could he have thought of them if he had never encountered them and had no knowledge of them?

Not to mention the unique idea of ​​raising chickens in a dark room, even for the purpose of slaughtering pigs, why did Liu Ju suddenly consult the "Book of Changes" and "Book of Rites"? Was it really a coincidence?

Did someone else tell him, or was there another opportunity?

Liu Che's eyes flashed and his pupils were deep.

"It just...it just came to me suddenly. It just flashed on me, and I thought of it. I just thought of it and gave it a try."

Liu Ju rolled his eyes and spoke vaguely, and it was obvious that he was being perfunctory.

Liu Che looked at him without saying anything.

"Hey, who made me so smart!" Liu Ju raised his head proudly with a smug look on his face.

Liu Che raised his eyebrows. Oh, he has learned to pretend and avoid the important issues.

But Liu Ju changed the subject: "But this is also thanks to my father. He is smart, so he gave birth to such a smart child like me. And over the years, my father has invited famous teachers to teach me.

"Without these, there would be no me today, nor would I have all those wonderful ideas. So no matter what I do, it all comes down to my father."

Even flattery and currying of favor were used.

Liu Che almost sneered, but after some thought, he didn't expose him on the spot. He sighed softly, "You are quite good at talking."

"What do you mean by being able to speak? I am telling the truth. It is all from the bottom of my heart."

Wei Chang and others couldn't help laughing.

Liu Che chuckled. "Is the matter finished? If you have any ideas, just let the subordinates know. Why do you have to come here in person? Look at how stinky you are. Why don't you go back and wash and change?"

After saying that, he winked at Yu Sui Sheng Gu who was following behind him.

Yu Sui Shenggu immediately understood and nodded quietly.

Liu Ju curled his lips and had no choice but to go back to wash up, thinking to himself: My father really despises me.

Everyone: ...You just realized it. The way you desperately pushed forward, wanting to stab the piglet yourself, was too shocking. Who could easily accept it?

******

Xuanshi Palace.

There was a bamboo slip on the table, on which were listed row after row: Kongming lanterns, compasses, cakes and snacks, horse harnesses, chairs, polo balls, training plans for personal guards, and so on.

Liu Che watched quietly, listening to Baishan's report below, and added two more items at the end with a pen dipped in ink: slaughtering pigs and raising chickens in a dark room.

Putting down his brush, Liu Che tapped the bamboo slips lightly with his fingers, once, once, and again. Tap, tap, tap.

After Bai Shan finished speaking, Liu Che's eyes gradually darkened.

According to Baishan, although he made the items, the ideas were all from Juer. However, Juer wasn't always able to clearly explain the production methods and principles behind each item. Often, he only had a vague understanding of the key points and never mentioned how he came up with them.

Liu Che always felt that matters like the Caiqin and Qi family cases required Liu Ju's own sharpness and intelligence; but although these things on the bamboo slips also required intelligence, they could not be obtained by intelligence alone.

If it were just one or two of them, it could be said to be a flash of inspiration, but with so many, and most of them being things Liu Ju had never come into contact with, it was unlikely.

This situation seemed more like something Liu Ju had seen somewhere before, or had heard someone mention it.

Liu Che originally thought that there was an expert guiding Liu Ju behind the scenes, but now he hesitated.

These things cover all aspects. A master can be proficient in one or two things. Is it possible for him to be proficient in everything?

If he can, what a great person he is; if he can’t, then what’s going on?

Liu Che was thinking, and the idea that had quietly emerged and then been interrupted and suppressed at the Shanglinyuan personal guard training ground that day came out again. Just a hint of it showed up, and Liu Che was already shocked.

He calmed himself down and dismissed Baishan. As soon as Baishan left, Yu Sui and Sheng Gu, who had been waiting for a long time, walked in.

"Your Majesty."

"Still haven't found any suspicious people around Juer?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Liu Che realized his throat was tightening. That conjecture, once formed, was like a seed buried deep in the soil, already sprouting and unable to return to its original state. It lingered in Liu Che's mind, unable to be shaken off.

"Your Majesty, we haven't found anything yet."

Liu Che took a deep breath. He had expected this result and was not surprised, but it was enough to frighten him.

What kind of expert could vanish without a trace amidst his heavy defenses? No, it couldn't be. Unless...

Liu Che's eyelids twitched, and he clenched his fists, continuing to ask, "What about Ju'er? Is there anything unusual about him?"

"There are no obvious abnormalities, but there are some other things that I don't know if they can be considered 'unusual'."

"explain."

"His Highness often stares blankly ahead, speechless. Sometimes he'll frown, sneer, or even be lost in thought. The elders who previously served him in Fenghe and Feixiang Palaces all said he never had this habit of daydreaming before, and it only started after the accident last year."

Yu Sui Sheng Gu didn't actually see any problem with this, but His Majesty had repeatedly reminded them that they always had to say something to get the job done. If His Majesty's behavior before the accident was "normal," then anything different from it could be considered "unusual."

After hearing this, Liu Che paused slightly. He seemed to have seen this situation before.

Yu Sui Sheng Gu secretly glanced at his expression and continued, "Speaking of that accident, when I first went to Feixiang Palace to serve His Highness, His Highness would occasionally have nightmares at night. He would wake up and say he couldn't remember what he dreamed about. But later on, this situation gradually became less and less common, and now it no longer occurs."

Liu Che also knew this, but he just thought that Liu Ju was frightened by the "death crisis".

"Your Highness always has some strange ideas and often speaks out of turn. I have asked Your Highness the reasons behind these things many times, and you have hesitated several times. It's as if you were about to say something, but changed your mind after opening your mouth and not saying it."

He hesitated to speak and changed his words?

As for the maids like Yu Sui and Sheng Gu, perhaps Liu Ju was just unwilling to talk about it. But what about himself? Liu Che suddenly remembered that when he asked Liu Ju about it a few times, Liu Ju had behaved in the same way.

Is there anything between them that cannot be said between father and son? No, it seems more like Ji Er wants to say it but can't.

I want to say it, but I can’t…

Thinking of this, Liu Che's pupils trembled.

After the accident last year, Ji'er was in a coma for a day and a night, with repeated high fever. After waking up from death, he screamed and kept calling him and Wei Zifu. He hugged him tightly, held his hand, opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't say it. His face was shocked and frightened, and in the end he could only burst into tears.

He coaxed her to sleep for a long time, but even after she fell asleep, she still clung to his sleeve and refused to let go. He still remembered the uneasiness, fear and helplessness she felt.

At that time, the attending physician said that he might have been frightened and was speechless for a while.

Because Liu Ju recovered quickly, he didn't think much about it. Now, thinking again, what if he wasn't frightened by the accident?

"There's one more thing. Perhaps because of the head injury, Your Highness seems to have forgotten some things, not just the details of the incident, but also other things. Also, I noticed Your Highness holding his forehead and pressing his head several times, as if he was feeling unwell. But when I asked him about it, he said he was fine."

Liu Che's face changed drastically. "Did Er develop a chronic illness that time? Why has no one ever told me?"

"Your Majesty, calm down. I've consulted the court physician several times, and he's always said Your Highness is healthy and has no symptoms. Your Highness said we were making a fuss, and that he was just rubbing his head out of habit. I think it's just a habit of Your Highness when he's thinking about something."

However, these words obviously did not reassure Liu Che. He ordered Wu Changshi to call the physician and ordered him to call all the people working in the Imperial Medical Bureau today. Then he stood up and hurried to Feixiang Palace.

Liu Ju took a nice nap after taking a bath. He had just turned over and was still half awake when Liu Che suddenly rushed in and hugged him tightly. "Ju'er, is your head still hurting? Are you feeling any discomfort anywhere else?"

Liu Ju, with sleepy eyes and a confused mind, said: ...???

Before he could react, a long line of doctors filed in. Liu Ju was carried to the doctors, stunned, and their pulse was felt. They examined his eyes, his tongue, his hands and feet... They examined him from head to toe, front to back, leaving no hair untouched.

After watching one, another one comes, and then the third and fourth...

Liu Ju's heart leaped, and he suddenly sobered up. Initial confusion gradually turned into nervousness, and he subconsciously grasped Liu Che tightly: "Father, what's wrong with me? Am I poisoned, or... or what?"

As he was talking, his nose felt sore and tears began to fall: "Am I going to die?"

Liu Che: ...

He paused for a long time before realizing that Liu Ju had misunderstood him, and hurried to comfort him: "Don't let your imagination run wild. How can you say such things so easily, such as life or death?"

But in such a situation, Liu Ju found it hard to believe his words. He just thought he was trying to fool himself. He was sure that there must be something seriously wrong with his body. He shrugged and his tears started to fall: "Father, don't lie to me. I'm almost dead, and you're still lying to me.

"You won't let me die with a clear mind. If I die like this, I will become a confused ghost. I don't want that. I don't want to die, and I don't want to be a confused ghost. Father, just tell me, what's wrong with me!"

Sob, sob, so sad.

He was so young and had a bright future ahead of him, so why did he become ill? He was clearly in good health, so why did he suddenly develop a problem?

Liu Ju couldn't accept it. The more he thought about it, the sadder he became. Tears streamed down his face as he tightly embraced Liu Che's arms, "Father, I can't bear to leave you, my mother, my elder sister, my cousin Qubing, my cousin Cao Xiang..."

"Wuwuwu... Tell me honestly, can I still be saved? If... If not, how much time do I have left?"

A pair of tear-filled eyes stared at the physician with earnest and sincere eyes.

Attendant doctor:...

They looked at Liu Ju and then at Liu Che, and felt that the father and son might be ill, but not physically, but with their brains.

They couldn't say this, so they could only bow their heads and report seriously: "Your Highness is in good health and well."

Liu Ju: ???

Liu Che slapped his head and glared at him angrily: "I told you not to let your imagination run wild. I just heard you were always rubbing your forehead and pressing your head. I'm afraid you may have injured your head in the fall and left a root of illness."

Liu Ju knew the whole story, patted his chest and felt relieved.

Liu Che continued to ask the doctor, "Are you sure Ju'er is okay?"

"Your Majesty, we have all examined Your Highness and have found no illness."

Liu Che frowned: "Not at all? Not in the head, and not anywhere else?"

Liu Ju also frowned:...What do you mean, are you hoping for something bad to happen to me?

The attending physicians were very depressed: "Your Majesty, our medical skills are limited. With our medical skills, we have indeed not found any problems. If Your Majesty is worried, why not summon all the doctors in the world to examine Your Highness?"

Liu Che nodded: "Alright. You can leave first. I will issue an order when I get back."

Attendant doctor:? ? ?

We just made a casual suggestion, but you took it seriously.

Looking at Liu Che, then at Liu Ju, their expressions grew increasingly complicated. But what could they do? You are the emperor, you have the final say. So, one by one, they bowed their heads, agreed, and quickly left.

As soon as they left, Liu Che immediately dismissed his attendants: "Everyone, get out."

The emperor spoke, and naturally no one dared to disobey. Everyone dispersed, leaving only the father and son in the room.

Liu Che then met Liu Ju's gaze, his expression serious. "Ju'er, tell me the truth. Where did you get all those things you made—the Kongming lanterns, the compass, the horse harnesses... and so on?"

"Huh? That's... that's what I thought of. It just suddenly occurred to me..."

He was interrupted before he could finish his words. Liu Che looked at him with a burning gaze: "Really?"

“I…I…”

Liu Ju suddenly felt guilty, hesitating, avoiding eye contact, and subconsciously shrank back.

Liu Che sighed, how could his own son not understand.

When facing others, Liu Ju might be able to muster up some courage and "brave" to get away with it. But when facing himself, despite being close to him, Liu Ju was also somewhat afraid. Look, if I were to be even slightly colder, he would immediately show his fear.

Liu Che could only relax his expression and soften his tone: "Father knows that Er'er is a good child and is not deliberately deceiving you. Er'er didn't say it, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't say it, couldn't say it, right?"

Liu Ju opened his eyes wide and stood there in shock: "How did the emperor know?"

A word came out of his mouth, directly confirming Liu Che's guess.

Liu Che felt helpless and amused. Even if he was smart, he was still a child after all. What could he do with such a clever trick?

"Since Er'er can't speak, then let Father speak. Er'er just needs to listen. Answer what you can, and keep silent if you can't. Okay?"

Liu Ju nodded, somewhat impatiently. It was so hard for him to carry such a big secret alone.

He had long wanted someone to understand him, to help him. But he couldn't say a word. But now it wasn't him who said it, it was his father who guessed it, so it should be okay, right?

Liu Ju was a little hesitant, thinking that maybe he could give it a try.

Across from him, Liu Che had already organized his words and started talking: "Zi'er, you suddenly know so many things. Did someone teach you?"

Liu Ju thought about it and shook his head.

Liu Che rolled his eyes and asked, "Did Ji'er have a fortuitous encounter?"

Liu Ju blinked and said nothing.

Liu Che took a deep breath. That was it. With a slight tremor, he asked, "Is it... is it a god?"

Liu Ju was a little confused. Was it a god? He opened his mouth tentatively: "It could also be a monster."

After saying this, I was surprised to find that he actually spoke out loud. He actually said it out loud. Was it because my father had already guessed it, so the restrictions were not so strict, or was it because his words did not reveal any key information and were within the scope of what could be said?

Liu Ju was doubtful, but Liu Che was shocked, surprised and delighted, and said firmly: "No, it must be a god."

Liu Ju: ???

Liu Che's face trembled slightly. "My son, don't talk nonsense. Don't be disrespectful to the gods. It must be from the gods. How could a demon know these things? Even if it did, how could it reveal them to us so that we can use them to strengthen the Han Dynasty?"

Liu Ju: ...looking up at the sky in silence.

In fact, combining the various information currently known, he already understood something. To the barrage, he and the Han Dynasty might be a certain period of history in their cognition.

They look at him as if he were looking at a figure from the Spring and Autumn Period or the Qin Dynasty. Well, to be more precise. Stories are based on these historical figures. Hence the terms historical drama, historical adaptation, and true history.

But they seemed to be unaware of the specific situation on his side, they didn't know that he really existed, they didn't know that he could see the barrage, and especially they knew nothing about the barrage and the system.

So even if we figure out who is behind the barrage, there are still many mysteries that remain unsolved.

But Liu Ju did not think it was the work of God.

Liu Che, however, had already grasped Liu Ju's arms with joy: "Ju'er, what did the gods teach you?"

Liu Ju frowned and closed his lips tightly.

Liu Che immediately understood: "I forgot, the secrets of heaven cannot be revealed. You can't even tell me the existence of gods, how can you say these things?"

Liu Ju's brows furrowed even more, and he pinched Liu Che's hand. Liu Che finally realized, "Ju'er, you mean, there is no divine professor?"

Liu Ju breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that his father had finally stopped being so stubborn about gods.

Liu Che was very puzzled: "How did Juer learn all this?"

Liu Ju opened his mouth, tried to speak but failed, tried another way of saying it but failed again, tried another way of saying it again, and finally managed to utter a few words: "It was a coincidence."

Liu Che understood and said, "So, it seems that no immortal taught you anything. You simply happened to enter the fairyland by chance and secretly saw or heard something, or perhaps learned it through some other means?"

Liu Ju: ...

What's wrong with you? Why are you back to the gods? Where did I mention gods or fairyland? What did you come up with? You're really imaginative. But other than the fairyland, the rest of your guesses are pretty close.

So he pursed his lips, thought about it and said nothing more.

Liu Che immediately restored the "facts".

"It turns out that due to the accident last year, when I was on the verge of death, my soul left my body and by chance I went to a fairyland. I saw some things in the fairyland and learned a lot from them.

"Because of this opportunity, after waking up, Juer occasionally recalls this fairyland memory in his dreams. However, because he is a mortal soul, he will be discovered and rejected in the fairyland, causing physical discomfort, manifesting nightmare characteristics, and leaving behind headaches, correct?"

Liu Ju: ...stunned!!!

Father, you have such a big imagination. You should become a screenwriter. It would be a pity if you don’t.

"Does your son still have a headache now?"

Liu Ju shook his head: "It's okay, it doesn't hurt much."

Watching the comments didn't give him a headache. What gave him the headache was what was going on in his head.

These things are too vast and too complex, like a stairway to heaven with no end in sight, and many "shredded paper pages" scattered all over the stairway.

He climbed up, level by level, picking up pieces at each step. But the scraps he picked up on one level might be about person A, the next about person B, and the next about person C. The information was too fragmented to piece together. To compile a complete picture of the same thing, he had to keep climbing.

However, you don’t know at which level the information about this thing will appear, or at which level it can be collected. It may be the hundredth level, the two hundredth level, the one thousandth level, or even higher.

Just like climbing a mountain or stairs will make you tired, he would get a headache if he climbed too much. He would pick up the scraps of paper from the places he climbed, sort them, and do it a little at a time. It would be fine if he did it for a short time, but if he did it for a long time, it would cause pain no matter how much he consumed.

But as he became more and more proficient in searching and organizing, and paid attention to time allocation, the headaches became less and less frequent.

But Liu Che didn't think so. Just because it didn't hurt much meant it was still painful. It seemed like summoning doctors from all over the world to come and see him was indeed necessary.

His daughter, who bore all of this and endured all of this alone, still tried to comfort him and not let him worry.

Liu Che hugged him distressedly: "So this is why you suddenly forget some things?"

Liu Ju tilted his head. He was right to assume the system had forgotten some things. He guessed that perhaps the sheer size of the data had washed away some of his memories.

"Talk to the emperor, you don't remember anything?"

"I don't remember how Caiqin tricked me away; I don't remember the promise I made to Fourth Sister; I don't remember some unimportant people; um..." Liu Ju thought for a moment, "I don't know the rest. I don't remember. Maybe I'll know only when I meet her."

I don't know, I'll know when I meet you...

Liu Che felt more and more distressed.

"It's Father's fault. Father should have noticed your abnormalities long ago, but Father ignored them. Father remembers that you once said to Shi Yi in a casual chat: If you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.

"How can a place like a fairyland be visited by mortals like us? Although you have this opportunity, it comes at a price. Even those who are given a great mission by heaven must first go through hardships."

Seeing that he had been referring to gods and fairyland since he had guessed part of it, Liu Ju couldn't help but remind him again: "Father, it may not be gods or fairyland."

Seeing Liu Che about to retort, Liu Ju quickly added: "They are still scolding you."

The system is like dead, I can't curse it. But there are a lot of curses in the barrage, I really don't wish the Liu family any good.

Liu Ju blinked and tried to signal with his eyes: "So, Father, you understand, don't you? You are the Son of Heaven, the Son of Heaven. If you were truly a god, how could I possibly scold you? Father, don't dwell on this."

Liu Che paused: "Scold me? What did you curse me for?"

Liu Ju shook his head. This involved leaking information from the barrage, so he couldn't tell anyone about it.

Liu Che didn't know what was going on in his head, but he immediately came to his senses: "It must be that I, as the Emperor, haven't done a good enough job to satisfy the gods. I must continue to work hard."

Liu Ju's mouth twitched: "They are still scolding me."

The hidden message: Father, wake up! Even if you might not be doing well enough, what about me? I'm just a child, how can I not do well? I'm only a child, what do I need to do?

Unfortunately, Liu Che was completely out of sync with him and didn't receive his signal at all. Instead, he slapped him on the shoulder and said, "It seems that not only I have high hopes for you, but the gods also have high hopes for you, which is why they have high expectations of you."

Liu Ju: …???

What did you say? Do you want to listen to what you said?

Liu Che was extremely confident: "This is to encourage you, and of course it is also to encourage me. From now on, we father and son will work hard together, do better together, and make the Han Dynasty stronger. Yes, it must be like this!"

His tone was excited, his expression was joyful, and his blood was boiling.

Liu Ju: ...numb, he really is numb. I finally understand firsthand what it means to never wake someone who's pretending to be asleep.

Okay, think whatever you want, I don’t care.

But Father, please, can you please not take me with you? I think I've done well enough, and I don't need to do any better!

fall!