Chapter 11
Everyone returned to the palace, first to the Pepper Room. Wei Qing and Huo Qubing met the empress, stayed for dinner, and then left. Liu Ju found an opportunity to pester Liu Che and demand the release of someone.
Liu Che asked the same question as Huo Qubing, but added one more question: "What do you want to make?"
Liu Ju's eyes rolled around. "It's just a little thing. Father, could you please not ask? If I tell you now, there won't be any surprise."
"Besides, if I succeed, I will show it to you right away. If I don't succeed, it would be so embarrassing to tell you now. I don't care about face."
Liu Che: ...Oh, you still know how to save your face.
This is pure bullying. Don't children have any respect? We are all human beings. Why do you want it and I don't? Liu Ju complained in his heart.
Liu Che laughed, not knowing what he was thinking about. He glanced around him twice and said seriously, "The Gongshu family flourished during the Spring and Autumn Period and declined during the Qin Dynasty. Over the past few hundred years, wars have been frequent, the number of descendants has decreased, the books written have been damaged, and the inheritance has been lost. As a result, it is no longer what it used to be.
"Gongshu Xing is considered one of the most outstanding of this generation. He now works for me, improving the Wugang chariot and crossbow according to my orders. This is a matter of urgency, so I cannot give him to you.
"But the Gongshu family still has several sons in the capital. I heard from Gongshu Xing that they are quite capable in their studies. I asked him to pick a good one. If it suits you, you can use it. If not, you can replace it when the time comes."
Liu Ju was intrigued when he heard this: "Since you want to choose, why don't I choose it myself?"
Liu Che nodded: "Yes."
Liu Ju was delighted to receive the permission and slept soundly that night. The next day, he diligently recalled the video in his mind, watching it several times and carefully marking the key points and taking notes. On the third day, he left the palace with his maids and guards and headed for Gongshu's residence.
Gongshujia's residence was not in the city, but in Changling Town not far outside the city. It was a two-courtyard house. It didn't look too big from the outside, but it had an excellent location.
Changling County was home to many high-ranking officials and dignitaries, including many founding heroes and descendants of former Qi and Chu nobles. The Gongshu family's ability to establish themselves here, and to occupy a prime location, suggests that even though they may have declined, they were not completely lost.
Even a rotten boat still has three pounds of nails, not to mention a once-prosperous family, so it must have some wealth. Liu Ju was not surprised at all.
Upon learning that it was him, Gongshu Xing hurried over to greet him and led him in. Liu Ju then saw that the layout of the courtyard was very elegant, with small wooden carvings everywhere.
In the courtyard, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen was fiddling with a wooden bird in his hand. The bird flew out of his palm and danced around his body.
Liu Ju blinked, full of curiosity, and was about to ask when the young man seemed to suddenly notice them. He was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly saluted, bowed to Gongshu Xing, and left in a hurry holding the wooden bird.
Liu Ju: ???
Gongshu Xing explained, "This man's name is Baishan. He's a quiet, reserved man who often neglects the people around him while working. He didn't know Your Highness was coming, so please forgive me for being rude."
This was not abrupt at all. Liu Ju shook his head: "The wooden bird in his hand is very interesting."
Gongshu Xing smiled and said, "It's just a little toy. If Your Highness likes it, I'll give it to you."
Liu Ju said nothing, neither saying yes nor no. In just a few words, he had already arrived at the hall.
Gongshu Xing hurriedly asked his servants to call a few young men to come and meet him.
Unexpectedly, the servant hurried away and returned in a hurry, looking anxious: "Sir, Dalang is not here, he has gone to visit; Erlang drank with friends at noon and is drunk; Sanlang... Sanlang said he had a stomach upset and is not feeling well at the doctor's office."
Gongshu Xing's face darkened, but he couldn't lose his temper because Liu Ju was present, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Who else is here now?"
“Only Baishan.”
Gongshu Xing gritted his teeth and said, "Call Baishan."
Liu Ju sat at the top, eating his snacks leisurely. He listened to all these words without saying a word, and it was unclear whether he cared or not. Gongshu Xing could only be cautious.
Fortunately, there was no trouble in Baishan and they arrived quickly.
Liu Ju stood up and waved him over. "Why did you run away just now? I was just about to ask you, what's going on with that wooden bird? It's really interesting. Can I take a look?"
Bai Shan was a little reserved. He handed the wooden bird over respectfully and pointed to the groove on the bottom. He said, "Press here and the bird will fly."
Liu Ju did as he was told, and the wooden bird really flew up.
Liu Ju was surprised: "How did you do that?"
"It's equipped with a magnet. Magnets attract and repel each other. The wooden bird uses this magnet as a force to propel itself into flight."
Liu Ju's eyes lit up. Magnet? A compass also needs a magnet.
His mind turned and he gave a thumbs up: "That's amazing."
Bai Shan was very embarrassed and lowered his head in shame: "My skills are not very good, so I can only do this. I can't fly high or far, and I can't fly for long.
"I heard that the wooden magpie made by Master Ban could fly out of the eaves and stay aloft for three days and three nights. I've tried many methods, but none have been able to reach the master's level."
He spoke modestly, but Liu Ju felt that it was quite good to have achieved this. He returned the wooden bird to him and asked, "Your name is Baishan, right? What is your rank in the Gongshu family?"
Bai Shan shook his head: "Your Highness has misunderstood. I am Gongshu, but I am not a descendant of the Gongshu family. My ancestor is Taishan."
Liu Ju was stunned: "Taishan? The Taishan who can't recognize Taishan?"
"Exactly."
Liu Ju: ...
There is another story here.
Taishan learned his art from Lu Ban, a powerful martial arts school with many students. To maintain the school's reputation, Lu Ban implemented a regular inspection system, eliminating and expelling those who failed.
Taishan was clumsy in speaking and doing things, and made little progress, so he was naturally eliminated and kicked out.
A few years later, Lu Ban was surprised to see many well-made and lifelike furniture on the street. He asked who made them and found out that it was Taishan, whom he had expelled. He sighed and said, "It turns out that I didn't recognize Taishan."
Liu Ju looked at Baishan and then at Gongshu Xing. He had heard this rumor before, but he had never heard that Mount Tai had returned to Banmen.
Gongshu Xing explained: "It is true that Taishan never returned to the sect in those days, but he received guidance from his ancestors twice and had some interactions with Banmen.
"However, the Taishan lineage has few descendants, and now only Baishan remains. Baishan lost his parents at a young age and had no one to teach him, so he came to Chang'an to find me. I accepted him as my disciple."
Liu Ju nodded to show that he understood, and then asked Bai Shan, "Are you willing to follow me and work for me?"
Bai Shan was very excited and knelt down hurriedly: "I am willing."
Liu Ju said, "Let's choose him."
The decision was final, and Gongshu Xing had no choice but to agree.
Liu Ju spoke to Baishan for a few more words and gave him two days to rest before reporting back. After giving him his instructions, he stood up and left.
As soon as he left, Gongshu Xing's face fell. He dismissed Baishan casually and ordered his servants to bring Dalang, Erlang, and Sanlang back. Not long after, the three drunken and unwell visitors appeared in the hall, each of them trembling with guilt and shrinking.
Gongshu Xing shouted, "How dare you! The Highness comes to select someone, and you avoid him!"
The three of them stammered and tried to explain: "It's not intentional, it's just that Your Highness came at an unfortunate time. We didn't lie to Your Highness, it's true..."
Gongshu Xing snorted coldly, "You did go out to visit people, and you were drunk and unwell. But I don't believe that after you got the news, you really couldn't rush back to see me.
"I wouldn't say this was entirely intentional, but I doubt it was completely unintentional. Do you really think I don't know your little tricks? It seems you didn't listen to anything I told you before."
Dalang lowered his head to listen to the lecture, and wisely chose not to talk back and add fuel to the fire.
Erlang was very unconvinced: "You only said that His Highness would come, but you didn't say when. Who knew His Highness would suddenly come today?"
Gongshu Xing scowled at them, "So you all found excuses to get away, and even lured Baishan into the courtyard?"
Liu Ju wanted to select people, so someone had to go up. They didn't want to go up, so they had to lead Baishan to the top.
Sanlang was a bit clever and approached with a smile, "We know what uncle is thinking. He is the great prince after all. If we can gain his favor, we can have a bright future and the Gongshu family will have another great figure."
"But His Highness is still young, are we learning all these skills just to play with him?
"Especially children, who often act on impulse. Now he says he wants to pick someone to make something for him, but who knows what will happen in the future? Will he still want to do it? Will there be other things to do? Or maybe he won't care about it anymore after this, and then where will we go from here?
"Didn't my uncle always say that if the Gongshu family wanted to prosper again, they needed to be down-to-earth and focus on their craft. Only this way would they be able to achieve long-term success?"
Gongshu Xing was speechless. He had indeed preferred Liu Ju's choice of his own sons and nephews rather than Baishan, but that didn't mean he wanted them to curry Liu Ju's favor and become his "favored ministers." That wasn't the character of a Gongshu family. He had this consideration because he knew Liu Ju had created the Kongming lantern.
But this matter was still confidential, and he couldn't talk about it. And then he thought, did Liu Ju really understand the art of craftsmanship? Was the Kongming lantern a coincidence, or... Judging by Liu Ju's behavior when he released the Kongming lantern in the suburbs that day, it seemed more like the former.
Gongshu Xing hesitated.
Sanlang gave his two brothers a look, and they all stepped forward to persuade him, "Uncle is researching and improving the Wugang cart and crossbow. We also have some ideas that may help uncle.
"Besides, if such a big thing is to succeed, it will require a lot of help. Uncle, don't you think that finding an opportunity for us to participate in it would be safer than following His Highness?"
It must be said that this made sense. Moreover, at this point, Liu Ju had already chosen his people, so what else could he do? Gongshu Xing had no choice but to reprimand him a few more times before finally compromising.
********
In the carriage, Feng He looked unhappy: "Your Highness, those three young masters of the Gongshu family might be trying to avoid us, are you going to..."
Liu Ju raised his hand to interrupt her and shook his head gently: "No need. I just came here suddenly. It's normal for others to have their own things to do."
"But Your Majesty had already mentioned to Gongshu Xing that His Highness would come to select candidates."
"Even so, I can't let anyone wait for me all the time and not do my own thing." Liu Ju blinked, "And why do you think I came here so suddenly?"
Fenghe was stunned.
"My father said he couldn't give Gongshu Xing to me. He meant give, not lend. This means he wants me to have someone on my side who can always do things for me, rather than having to go to him for everything I need.
"So the people I choose are not just there to do it for me this time, but they need to follow me for a long time."
If it's just a one-time job, then Gongshu Xing has a mission, so what? Can't he spare some time? Didn't he improve the Kongming lanterns he made before? This must be because his father wanted him to train the people he wanted, so he said he wanted to choose himself.
Liu Ju continued to explain: "If I want someone to follow me forever, of course I have to choose someone I like.
"If I had set a time in advance and informed Gongshu Xing, he would have definitely pressured the children of the Gongshu family to behave properly, and might even have taught them to make something exquisite to show off their skills and please me.
"Then I won't be able to see what they are like normally.
"For someone to stay by my side for a long time and be used by me, besides having the ability, they must also behave properly and have the right personality. Whether they did it intentionally or not, what happened today was not what I wanted.
"Everyone has their own aspirations. I've already chosen the people I want. Now that my goal has been achieved, why should I criticize them? Isn't it better for everyone to get along and get what they need?"
Fenghe: ...
His Highness was truly too kind. If it were anyone else, this would be a matter of humility, and they would have to be punished. The three young men of the Gongshu family were not guilty of serious crimes, but they would have been punished. Only His Highness was kind and easy to talk to.
But she was also present when His Highness asked the Emperor for Gongshuxing. How did His Highness understand His Majesty's intention? She was really too stupid to understand at all. Oh, His Highness is still smart. Their Highness is the best!
Liu Ju held the freshly squeezed juice in his hand and said calmly: Yes, I am so smart, great!
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