Chapter 55
Inner hall.
Zhao Guo was a little nervous and even a little embarrassed. This was his first time in Chang'an, and also his first time meeting an important person. The highest official he had ever seen before was only a village head, and he had only seen the county magistrate from afar.
But now the person standing in front of him is the crown prince, the heir apparent of a country. How can he not be excited and terrified?
Just as he was at a loss as to what to do, Liu Ju came in from outside. Zhao Guo immediately stood up. Before he could salute, Liu Ju waved his hand and said, "Take your farm tools and follow me."
After saying that, he took the lead and turned to leave.
Zhao Guo was completely bewildered, completely confused as to what was happening. It was only when Bai Shan kindly reminded him to "hurry up" that he managed to catch up, carrying his things.
The group boarded a carriage and passed through the outskirts of the city, arriving at a stretch of farmland. This was the royal domain, vast and expansive. As far as the eye could see, it was all covered in crops, all owned by the royal family. Much of the annual harvest went to the palace, and the farmers who tended the land were also royal servants.
Liu Ju stood at the edge of the field, watching Zhao Guo struggling to hold the "big thing" as if protecting a "priceless treasure." He smiled and said, "You said this is a farm tool. What kind of farm tool is it?"
"Your Highness, this farm implement can be used for both plowing and sowing," Zhao Guo said. Then, fearing he might have misinterpreted his words, he added, "Preferably for sowing."
Liu Ju smiled and said, "Please introduce it in detail."
Zhao Guoben was feeling a bit nervous, but seeing Liu Ju's easygoing attitude, simple words, and constant smile, his uneasiness was largely dispelled. Now, when he was asked about something he had made himself, something he was good at, he instantly dropped his previous reserved demeanor and began to talk freely.
He pointed out each part of the implement one by one: "Your Highness, please look. This is the traction frame, used for pulling the implement forward. This is the handrail, which you can hold to push the implement forward. This is the funnel. Under the funnel is the funnel tube, which is connected to the funnel foot. The bottom of the funnel foot is embedded with the plow blade, which can be used for plowing and digging furrows."
Liu Ju nodded.
Over the past year, he has been nurtured with all kinds of knowledge and wandering in the vast ocean of books. He has a rough understanding of mechanical manufacturing and design. He is not an ordinary ignorant child. Moreover, because he knows too little about "agriculture" in his mind, he has tried to use information to improve it himself and has consulted people about the existing agricultural tool structure.
So, as soon as Zhao Guo said that, he understood and thought, "I've seen a wooden plow before. Your thing is similar to the wooden plow's structural principle. But ordinary wooden plows usually have only one leg. You have three legs. Do you want to have three ridges running in parallel?"
Three ridges running in parallel, these four simple words reveal the key.
Zhao Guo had not expected that he actually understood this. He was extremely excited, his face full of joy: "Your Highness is right, that's exactly what you said."
The idea is good, but whether it can be used and whether it can achieve the desired effect is another matter.
"Let's try it first." Liu Ju pointed to the farmland beside him, "The crops in this field have been harvested and it's empty now, perfect for you to show it to.
"I know it's not the right time to plant, but it's just for display, so it's not a big deal. But do you need animal power? Donkeys, cows, or horses?"
Zhao Guo replied: "It's all possible. Human labor is also possible, but it's a bit laborious."
Liu Ju winked at Feng He, and Feng He left. Soon, a farm servant came over with a yellow cow and handed a bag of seeds to Zhao Guo.
Zhao Guo didn't waste any time and immediately got to work. He tied the traction frame to the cow with a rope, fixed it firmly, drove the cow to the field, asked the servants to help pull the cow in front, and he walked forward holding the handrail from behind.
The seeds were put into the funnel and entered the funnel through the hole at the bottom, and then flowed down along the funnel foot. At the same time, the plow blades at the bottom of the funnel foot turned over the soil and opened furrows during the advancement process, and the seeds fell into the furrows.
The three ridges are planted in parallel, and the seeds fall on all three ridges, without any bias, and each ridge is in good condition.
Liu Ju's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he suddenly couldn't stand still. He didn't care that the field was covered with mud. He stepped forward and followed Zhao Guo, observing as he walked forward. After walking around, the light in his eyes became brighter and brighter. He said happily, "The speed is not slow either. On the contrary, it is faster than the one-legged wooden plow?"
Zhao Guo paused. He never thought that he not only understood the structure of farm tools and knew the key points, but could also see such details so accurately.
In the past, when he was in the village, he had heard so much jokes from others that everyone thought he was daydreaming. They believed that even if there was a way to improve farm tools, it would not be something that people like him could do. So they just joked with him and never even took a serious look at his farm tools, let alone asked about their background.
Apart from his wife who has always supported him, this was the first person to seriously understand his farm tools and to identify the key points at a glance.
Zhao Guo's blood was boiling, his heart pounding. He looked at Liu Ju with an increasingly fiery gaze. "Yes. I've made some improvements to the plow blades at the bottom, making it smoother to push forward and dig furrows. So even if we have to dig three ridges at once, we can still do it faster than before."
Liu Ju nodded, but frowned slightly: "The sowing is indeed useful, but the plowing seems to be a little lacking."
Zhao Guo lowered his head. "Yes. The plow blade can be pushed forward to create furrows, so it can be used to plow the land. But it's fine for shallow plowing, but not so suitable for deep plowing."
That's why he just said that it is more inclined towards sowing, because it is essentially a sowing tool. As for plowing, it can only be done under limited conditions.
Liu Ju wasn't annoyed. Being able to sow seeds was already good enough. He looked up at Zhao Guo and asked, "How much improvement have you made compared to using a one-legged wooden plow and an ordinary hoe?"
At this point, Zhao Guo's eyes lit up. "I've tried it on my own fields. Using this plow to sow seeds is four times more efficient than using a single-legged wooden plow, and even more efficient than using a hoe to plow the soil."
Liu Ju was overjoyed and narrowed his eyes.
Aaaaa, he knew that the craftsmanship competition, offering generous rewards, and promoting it from street to street with drums and gongs would definitely be useful!
Look, the talents are here!
Liu Ju pointed at the farm implement and asked, "You made this. Does it have a name?"
"It hasn't been officially named yet. I and I call it the Three-legged Plow, and sometimes we call it the Plow Cart."
Plow...plow cart?
Liu Ju was stunned. He remembered that the comment mentioned the plow cart and that the inventor of the plow cart was...
He took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Guo: "What's your name?"
"Commoner Zhao Guo."
Zhao Guo? Zhao Guo!
It turned out to be the Zhao Guo mentioned in the barrage!
Liu Ju's eyes widened. Shit, the commentary misled him! What the hell, he wasn't born yet or was still a child at this point! If you don't know someone's birth and death years, can't you just say you don't know? Why are you talking nonsense?
Damn, it turns out that we can’t completely disbelieve the barrage, after all, there is still some valid information; but we can’t believe them blindly either, this group of people are too unreliable, and we will be led astray.
Fortunately, he was smart enough to come up with the craftsmanship competition, otherwise we would have missed it.
Liu Ju grinned, his eyes eager: "Then do you know the Daitian method?"
What kind of fields are you talking about? What kind of fields are you talking about?
Zhao Guo was bewildered and confused, and asked tentatively: "Your Highness, what exactly do you mean? Can you tell me in detail?"
Liu Ju: ...If I knew, why would I ask you? I just know a name.
Damn this damn barrage. A lot of nonsense that I don't want to hear, but no real useful stuff is mentioned.
Liu Ju secretly gritted his teeth, cursed the barrage a hundred times in his heart, and sighed deeply, feeling a little regretful, but not discouraged. After all, he had found Zhao Guo, so how could Dai Tianfa be far behind?
Judging from Zhao Guo’s expression, he probably hasn’t figured it out yet, but he is young and has unlimited potential, so it will be sooner or later!
"Forget it, it doesn't matter if you don't understand. At least if you have other ideas in the future, whether it's about farm tools, farmland, or anything else, just tell me, okay?" Liu Ju smiled.
"Yes." Zhao Guo nodded in confusion, but he was still thinking about the competition. He hesitated and said, "Your Highness, then...did my work pass the preliminary round?"
"Yes, of course."
Liu Ju nodded in affirmation. After all, he held the competition to find creative and innovative people. If Zhao Guo didn't count, then no one else could.
Zhao Guo was overjoyed and knelt down immediately: "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness!"
Liu Ju asked him to stand up and accidentally glanced at his shoes. The soles had fallen off, exposing his toes, and even visible were the red, swollen, and bloody scabs on them. He must have hurried all the way to Chang'an.
Looking at his clothes again, they were dusty, wrinkled, and had holes in some places.
Liu Ju's mood was a little complicated for a moment. He restrained his gaze and asked, "You just arrived in Chang'an and haven't found a place to stay yet. Why not stay in the villa?"
"Ah? Your Highness, this... this is unacceptable. How can you let a commoner stay in your villa? I can find an inn or other place to stay on my own."
Liu Ju waved his hand. "Although this is my villa, I don't live here. It was built specifically for the competition. There are many side rooms inside. I told you all along that if any outsiders have trouble staying here, they can apply for a room inside the courtyard. Besides, the semi-finals will be in three days, and they will be closed. All participants will need to stay here. Why not?"
If that's the case, then of course it's fine.
Zhao Guo no longer refused and just kowtowed a few more times to express his gratitude.
Liu Ju ordered someone to send him back in a carriage, and specifically instructed Baishan to give him a set of clothes and shoes in private, and also ordered that the food in the courtyard must not be neglected.
What a talent! Although he hasn't finished the semi-finals yet and I don't know how he performed in the semi-finals, but just the three-legged plow is worth a generous reward!
Liu Ju returned to the palace happily, but instead of going back to his residence, he went straight to the Greenhouse Palace.
Now that the hot summer has passed, Liu Che moved again, from the Qingliang Palace to the Greenhouse Palace. But the so-called move actually meant that all kinds of items were still available on both sides. Liu Che just changed his sleeping place. The two "nests" were next to each other, which was quite convenient.
Liu Ju smiled all the way, and his eyes were still smiling when he entered the hall, but soon he stopped.
Besides Liu Che, there was someone else in the palace, a woman dressed like a concubine. But he had never seen her in the harem before. Could she be his father's new beauty?
The beauty bowed and greeted him. Liu Ju didn't know her rank, so he couldn't address her by name. He simply nodded as a polite response. Liu Che had no intention of introducing her, so he waved his hand casually and let the beauty leave.
After all, a beauty is not as important as a son. When a son is here, what's the point of a beauty? Liu Ju watched the beauty leave the hall and couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, tilting his head with a confused look. This beauty was very beautiful, but the doubt on his face was not because of this, but because he felt that she looked familiar.
Liu Ju muttered softly: "Why do I feel like I've seen this somewhere before?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Che faltered for a moment, his eyes flickering guiltily for a second before returning to normal. He smiled and said, "Why bother with her? Today is the deadline for the preliminary round of your craftsmanship competition, right? You're so happy, but do you have any good works?"
When asked this, Liu Ju thought of his purpose of coming here, and instantly forgot about the beauty and happily talked about the three-legged plow.
Liu Che's expression gradually became serious: "Is it really that useful?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, it can plow three ridges at once. It's really useful. And judging by his demonstration, he said it's four times more efficient than a single-leg plow, which seems to be true. Even if it's not exactly accurate, it's pretty close."
Liu Che's expression became serious: "If that's the case, I'll have to go and see for myself."
I turned my head and glanced at the sky outside the window. The sun was setting and it would be too late today.
Liu Ju chuckled, "It's not the time to sow seeds yet, so we won't need them for now, so don't worry, Father. The semi-finals of the Craftsmanship Competition are coming soon, so we can wait and see the results together."
Liu Che raised his eyebrows: "Are you so sure that the rematch will yield good results?"
"Father, you should believe that our Han Dynasty is rich in natural resources and has many talented people. The world is not without talents, but lacks the eyes to discover them." Liu Ju raised his head and said proudly, "I am those eyes!"
For example, if Zhao Guo had not organized the craftsmanship competition, he would have been trapped in the countryside and it would have taken an unknown amount of time for him to be discovered.
Seeing his smug expression, Liu Che couldn't help laughing.
"Okay, I'll listen to you and wait for the results of your craftsmanship competition."
Liu Ju wagged his tail, made a big promise in front of his father, and issued a "military order". He became more serious about the craftsmanship competition. After returning to the East Palace, he began to write down the test questions he had already prepared in his mind, and checked for omissions to see if there were any key points that he had forgotten.
Three days later, the rematch began.
The contestants gathered in the other courtyard. Liu Ju came on stage and gave some words of encouragement, and then Bai Shan announced the rules.
The rematch will last for five days, and all contestants must stay in the villa during these five days.
The villa has prepared rooms for each person, one for each person. All contestants are requested to complete their works in the rooms to prevent others from peeking, copying, or borrowing from them.
During the competition, all meals will be provided by the other courtyards, and the contestants will decide their own schedules.
If you need anything, whether it is tools for creation or daily necessities, you can ask the manager of the institute. The official will provide everyone with all the services they can provide within their capabilities.
During the competition, you are not allowed to leave the villa, but you can leave your room.
If you feel suffocated in the room for too long and your mind feels foggy and your thoughts are unclear, and you want to wake up, you can walk around freely in the other courtyard, but you cannot enter other players' rooms, quarrel or make trouble, or provoke trouble.
After the rules were explained, Liu Ju nodded, and Baishan had someone post the test questions and read them aloud.
Question 1: Straight-beam plow.
Features: It consists of a plowshare and an armrest. A short handle is set in the middle of the plow handle, which can be pushed forward by pedaling when in use.
Question 2: Curved plow.
Features: The straight shaft is changed to a curved shaft and a short shaft, and a plowshare is added, and a movable plow disc is available, so that the plow can rotate flexibly and can adapt to the different needs of deep plowing and shallow plowing.
Question 3: Water turns the car over.
Question 4: Keel overturned.
The last two items do not have any structural features described, only two simple drawings, followed by the purpose.
Water-powered wheel: Use the impact of water flow to drive the wheel to rotate, and lift water from low-level rivers to high levels to meet the needs of farmland.
Keel tipping cart: It can use human or animal power, hand crank or foot pedal, scraper type continuous water lifting, low water to high place, for irrigation.
There are four questions. Participants do not need to answer all of them; they only need to choose one. Design based on the description of features and functions. If the description is incomplete, participants are required to complete the structure to meet the design objectives.
After he finished speaking, the whole audience was in an uproar.
Most of the people were stunned on the spot, while the other half were screaming and whispering.
They had thought the prince's exam questions would be very difficult, but they never expected it to be this difficult.
They knew there were wooden plows, but what were straight-beam and curved-beam plows, or what were water-powered and keel-shaped tipping carts? They had never heard of them, never seen them.
Especially since the features are so concise and their functions are so simply summarized, very little information can be obtained from them. If there are drawings of the latter two, they are extremely crude and the outlines are unclear. There is no detailed information about the parts, mechanism design, etc., and it is impossible to know.
Zhao Guo and Gongshu Qing fell into deep thought, while Gongshu Ye, who thought he was superior to others, was stunned with a frown on his face.
Bai Shanyan said, "If you have any questions, you can ask them now."
Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Someone mustered up the courage to ask, "There's really too little information here. Could you explain the characteristics and structure of these objects more clearly?"
Bai Shan looked at Liu Ju, who glared at him and said, "If I knew all this information, what else would I need you for?"
Everyone: ...
"Then... could you please give me a few more suggestions? Just two sentences will do, or just one will be fine. With all this information right now, it's really... really hard to know where to start."
Liu Ju curled his lips slightly: "If it's easy to do, what do I need you for?"
What else can these two do for you? They left everyone speechless.
Everyone retreated, and Gongshu Ye had no choice but to step forward and say, "Your Highness, five days is too short. If you can't provide more information, could you extend the deadline?"
Liu Ju thought about it and felt that asking someone to complete one of them in five days was indeed a bit too much to ask.
He thought for a moment and said, "Seven days, then. If I gain anything after the competition, I still have a lot of things to do. It will be New Year's Day any later."
“However, considering the difficulty of the test questions is indeed quite high, it would be best if you can make a real thing.
"If you can't do it, don't force it. You can draw a design drawing first. If the design drawing can't be completed in time, as long as you have ideas and thoughts in your mind, it counts.
"Whether it's a drawing or an idea, it can be considered your 'work' and will be reviewed and scored based on its feasibility to determine your performance ranking."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If that was the case, although it was still difficult, they could give it a try.
Gongshu Ye opened his mouth to argue again, but Liu Ju looked at him fiercely: "Do you think this looks like a vegetable market? Do I look like a vegetable vendor?"
Gong Shuye:? ? ?
Liu Ju chuckled: "Stop bargaining with me!"
Gong Shuye:......
"Alright, the test questions have been given, and the competition begins now. Take your wooden signs and have the servants take you to the wing rooms according to the numbers on your signs. I will come back in seven days to review your creations."
After saying this, Liu Ju flicked his sleeves and left.
Everyone was left with bitter faces, carrying wooden signs and heading to the backyard, shaking their heads and lamenting: Sure enough, this opportunity to soar to the sky is not so easy to come by.
But having come this far, who would be willing to give up?
Never mind, let’s give it a try.
Only two people remained motionless, looking at the test questions posted on the wall, standing there for a long time, lost in thought.
No one bothered them until the sun was high in the sky and the servants in the courtyard began to deliver lunch to the contestants. The two men finally came to their senses and suddenly realized each other's presence. They were both startled, then nodded politely and turned to leave.
On the first day, everything was calm and the contestants were all thinking hard in the house.
The next day, same as above.
On the third day, the deadline was almost halfway through, but there was no design idea at all. Some people began to get anxious, but there was nothing they could do but scratch their heads.
On the fourth day, Gongshu Ye put down his pen and frowned as he looked at the scattered records of his thoughts on the bamboo slips.
He had some inspiration, but it wasn't much. He couldn't even draw a blueprint. Seven days was too short. If he had more time, he would definitely be able to create not only the blueprint but also the actual product.
However, time was far from enough, so he could only settle for the second best. He was thinking about where to start to improve his ideas when he suddenly heard a cough outside the window. He looked up and saw his third brother Gongshu Ming standing not far away, winking at him.
Gongshu Ye was speechless. He put away the bamboo slips and walked out of the room, pretending to be strolling in the breeze. He came to Gongshu Ming's side, and the two of them whispered softly, one in front and one behind. The princes were forbidden to visit each other, but they were not forbidden to meet and talk in the courtyard.
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
Gongshu Ming asked, "Second brother, do you have any ideas?"
"A little."
Gongshu Ye's tone was relatively relaxed, because although his thoughts were incomplete and he didn't have many ideas, at least he had gained something. What about others?
These days he heard wailing sounds all around him, which shows that what he can't do may not be something that others can do.
So even just a few ideas might be enough for him to win.
He turned to Gongshu Ming and asked, "What about you?"
“A little bit.”
Gongshu Ye nodded, not surprised. After all, the children of the Gongshu family were not bad. He asked again, "How is it going, big brother?"
Gongshu Ming shook his head. "I don't know. My elder brother hasn't been out these past few days. I went near his quarters and deliberately made some noise, but he was so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn't even notice me. This is the Crown Prince's compound, so I couldn't make any big moves, so I just gave up."
Gongshu Ye understood: "Brother, you should have an idea. Go back. Now that you have an idea, write it down. You still have three days to think it over carefully. Let's have a competition now, brothers."
Gongshu Ming did not move, his expression was hesitant, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Gongshu Ye frowned: "What's wrong?"
"Brother, I saw Zhao go to the back to find the blacksmith. He must have a complete design and asked the blacksmith to cooperate with him to make the iron parts."
Gongshu Ye froze. The prince had stationed several blacksmiths in the courtyard to cater to their needs.
His heart tightened. How could this be possible? How could someone come up with a complete design in just a few days? And the thing that puzzled him most was, who was Zhao Guo?
Gongshu Ye was filled with confusion. They were brothers after all. Gongshu Ming understood his intentions immediately and explained, "Second brother, do you still remember the person who rushed to submit his work with us on the deadline that day?"
Is it him?
Gongshu Ye's expression turned even uglier. They had just happened to run into each other that day, and afterward he heard that the other person had also made it to the semi-finals, so he specifically asked someone about it.
It is said that he was a farmer in the countryside and had no master. He knew very little about the craftsmanship, let alone being proficient in it. He relied entirely on his own to figure out the bits and pieces.
He hadn't taken it seriously at first, but now he was told that the other party was so amazing, had a complete concept and design, and had already started production. But he was still groping for ideas. What a huge gap!
Gongshu Ye hadn't considered that he might not be able to take first place. Not only was his elder brother's skills superior to his own, but the world was so vast, was there no other talented people? The Mohist school was once so prosperous, so who could say for sure that there would be no one left?
But he could accept losing to his own brothers, he could accept losing to the Mohists, he could accept losing to other famous families, but it had to be Zhao Guo, why was he such a lowly person!
It’s not enough that Baishan stepped on his head and became his chief examiner, why should there be another one!
Gongshu Ye's eyes were red, his hands clenched into fists, and he was filled with anger: "Did you see what he was going to do?"
"No. The blacksmiths received instructions from the prince to keep the matters and people they were asked to cooperate with confidential. It is not convenient for me to pry into the matter. But..." Gongshu Ming glanced at him, lowered his head, not knowing whether to say it or not.
Gongshu Ye said angrily, "Speak!"
"I... I pretended to stroll around in the breeze and slipped over to his side room. Although he had been living in the other courtyard for the previous two days due to his family's poverty, for the sake of fairness and justice, the distribution of rooms after the competition began was determined by drawing lots that day.
"He was unlucky. The wing he was given was located in a corner, with little sunlight. This was a temporary building built by the Crown Prince for the tournament, and since he didn't use it, it had no windows. To make the room bright enough, he opened all the windows and moved closer to the window to let in the sunlight.
"When I arrived, he was concentrating on making the farm tool he was working on. It looked like a plow, and most likely a curved-beam plow, which is more difficult to make than a straight-beam plow. The blacksmith would only help with the smelting of the iron, and we had to do the rest ourselves.
"He was sculpting wood while he consulted the blueprint, and he had already finished most of it. Because bamboo slips are difficult to carve, he used silk to draw the picture. Just then, a gust of wind happened to pick up the silk and blew it out the window, not far from me, so I saw it.
"The painting on the silk isn't very good; he must have never learned to draw, but at least he's captured the key points of the design. My second brother also knows that we've been learning this since we were young, so we understand it better than anyone else."
“So even if his painting was crude and simple, and I only took a quick glance at it and he picked it up, I still understood it.”
Gongshu Ye was stunned by this and rolled his eyes: "Can you replicate it?"
"I can draw better and more detailed than him." Gongshu Ming sighed and looked down at the tip of his shoe, struggling internally: "Second brother, I'm unwilling to lose to him. But I also know that after all, his ingenuity is not ours, so we can't use it."
"It's useless..."
Gongshu Ye murmured these three words, his expression flickering.
Gongshu Ming's brows jumped. "Second brother, don't be like this. I just feel uncomfortable and want to find someone to talk to. I also want to give you some peace of mind. Don't underestimate the enemy, and don't think that you can win with just a few ideas.
"This courtyard is full of hidden talents. I happened to see Zhao looking for a blacksmith, but how could I know that after him, no one else would look for a blacksmith, or that no one else had a better and more complete idea?
"So, second brother, just as uncle and eldest brother said, we must not be careless. We still have three days left, and we still have a chance."
Fearing he might misinterpret the idea, Gongshu Ming added, "This is a competition personally supervised by the Crown Prince. If anyone plagiarizes someone else's ideas, the Crown Prince will certainly not forgive them lightly. Furthermore, Zhao Guo has found a blacksmith to work with, so he must have discussed what he needs with him and perhaps even shown him the blueprints. Perhaps he can testify for him."
Maybe, that is to say, not necessarily.
The farm tools Zhao Guo made were mostly made of wood, with few requiring iron. It's likely that Zhao Guo only explained the structure of the iron parts to the blacksmith, and the blacksmith might not have known the full structure.
Gongshu Ye's mind shifted slightly. Just as the thought flashed through his mind, the words "I will definitely not let him off easily" echoed in his ears. His heart trembled, and he quickly shook the thought from his mind. No, the risk was too great.
He couldn't afford to ruin his reputation with just one wrong move.
But he was extremely reluctant to accept the reality and admit defeat to a pariah.
what to do?
Gongshu was thinking about this and suddenly came up with a great idea.
Yes, if that were the case, it might not only destroy Zhao Guo, but also many competitors, and even...
If such a mess happened at the event he was in charge of, wouldn't Baishan, as the chief examiner, be blamed? He couldn't escape the blame for his poor performance and lax supervision, right?
The more Gongshu Ye thought about it, the more excited he became, and he felt extremely happy inside.
He ordered Gongshu Mingdao: "Draw what you see for me."
Gongshu Ming frowned, and Gongshu Ye said, "Don't worry, I won't steal it. I just want to see if I can get inspiration from his ideas and improve my own."
Gongshu Ming pursed his lips and immediately agreed: "Okay."
As time was of the essence, Gongshu Ming worked quickly and drew the blueprints that same day and handed them to Gongshu Ye. Gongshu Ye took them and secretly began his own plan.
In the palace.
Liu Ju was practicing martial arts in the training grounds. That's right, he had officially begun training. I say "formal" because he had occasionally practiced the basics before, but never systematically.
Now, watching his sisters practice so often, Liu Ju felt a little itchy. Once the idea came to him, he could not suppress it and ran to talk to Emperor Wu of Han. Emperor Wu of Han agreed directly and readily appointed Huo Qubing as his master, Cao Xiang as his sparring partner, and ordered Wei Qing to give him guidance whenever he was free.
Forget Cao Xiang. A great general and Marquis of Guanjun, what kind of person was he to teach a child like him? When the barrage of comments learned about this, they immediately flooded the screen with complaints, with phrases like "a great talent for a small job", "killing a chicken with a butcher knife", and "using a cannon to kill a mosquito" appearing one after another.
Liu Ju could imagine how sour they looked across time and space, as if they had eaten a hundred lemons.
But so what! What's wrong with the great general Guanjun Hou? He is still the crown prince. What's more, one of them is his uncle and the other is his cousin. Even if the emperor didn't point them out, could they still ignore him?
No matter who is his master, these two will give him guidance!
Therefore, Liu Ju disagreed with what was said in the barrage, and instead felt that his father was "treacherous". In this way, he saved the trouble of having a serious teacher.
snort.
Liu Ju grumbled as he began to practice martial arts, having long since put aside his temper towards Huo Qubing, who he called a "scumbag." After all, he knew very well that it was all his sister's unrequited love and had nothing to do with his cousin.
He was only upset because Huo Qubing's words that day happened to hit a sore spot for him. It was okay to be childish for a while, but if he really blamed his cousin for it or did something excessive, then he would be wrong. He was not that kind of person.
Huo Qubing, on the other hand, didn't take it to heart. Cousins often joked with each other, but who would hold a grudge over such a small matter?
So, one of them accepted the "new job" very calmly, and the other accepted the "new master" very calmly.
After Liu Ju finished performing a set of punches in a very professional manner, he saw Yan Sui waiting beside him.
Liu Ju asked directly: "What happened?"
Yan Sui truthfully told Gongshu Ye about all the little actions he had done in secret.
Cao Xiang opened his eyes wide, his expression as if he had discovered a "big idiot", it was hard to describe.
Huo Qubing mocked him directly: "You are still a descendant of Gongshu family, but you are only capable of this. You can't win, let alone lose. Your brain is not working well, you are just too smart."
Looking at Liu Ju again, his eyes were rolling around. He didn't look angry, but rather a little excited.
Huo Qubing: ...???
He looked suspicious. "You let him into the semi-finals, didn't you do it on purpose? Did you know he would cause trouble?"
Liu Ju rolled his eyes at him and said, "How is that possible? I'm not a god who can predict the future. I let him into the semi-finals because his work meets the standards of the semi-finals.
"Secondly, having two more Gongshu disciples will put more pressure on the other contestants and stimulate their potential. As for the rest, I don't know, and it doesn't matter."
Liu Ju shrugged: "If he behaves himself, that's fine. If he doesn't, I just need a chicken to kill to scare the monkeys."
Killing a chicken to scare the monkeys? Huo Qubing raised an eyebrow.
Liu Ju narrowed his eyes. "The prizes for the competition are generous, and you can become my disciple, or even my trusted minister. The greater the benefits, the more likely it is that people will harbor evil intentions."
"I want to intimidate all the evil spirits and monsters, making the Institute of Gewu a pure land, so that they can focus on researching the needs of Gewu. It would be best to show my methods from the beginning so that some people will give up."
Huo Qubing blinked. The little guy was thinking very deeply and had some ideas.
Cao Xiang nodded in agreement.
Yan Sui asked tentatively, "Your Highness, are you going to stop him now?"
"No, let him be." Liu Ju rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth curled up, "It's too early to act now, the effect will be limited. Besides, if I don't let him do it, how can I show the importance of my careful arrangements earlier?"
Thinking of his arrangements in the other courtyard, Liu Ju smiled like a fox: "I was so foresighted."
He brags about himself, with an expression on his face that says, "I'm so smart, I'm so great, I'm the best in the world," and he's not ashamed at all.
Huo Qubing was speechless and Cao Xiang couldn't help laughing.
Liu Ju's eyes flickered and his face was full of excitement and anticipation.
Let him see who will fall for Gongshu Ye’s “trap”.
When he wanted to recruit people, he looked not only at their talent but also their character. Gongshu Ye's move was a good one. Not only did it automatically put them in the cage and become his "chicken," but it also helped him do a rough screening, eliminating those who had good talent but unsuitable character.
Look, there are so many benefits, why stop it? Take advantage of the situation, sit firmly on the fish platform, observe everyone's behavior, and then take it down at the last moment, showing off your majesty, isn't it good?
So Gongshu Ye came at the perfect time. It was like someone offering a pillow just when he was about to take a nap.
What a nice person!
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