"Bang bang bang!"
In a courtyard within the palace, a knocking sound suddenly rang out.
"Lord Li, are you ready to bathe? His Majesty has prepared a banquet in the side hall and is waiting for you!"
"Cough cough, so fast?"
Li Lin, who was in the bathtub at the moment, had not yet washed himself. The back and forth had left him covered in sweat, so he had to slowly wash himself.
Of course, the most important thing is that this bath is so comfortable.
It was more comfortable than the red-light district where he used to bathe in his later life.
The water temperature was just right, and the fresh flower petals and precious Chinese herbs that had been sprinkled in it beforehand gave it a wonderfully fragrant aroma.
He was soaked until his whole body felt weak and limp, like a lump of mud, and he could fall asleep as soon as he had a pillow.
Unexpected.
His Majesty would urge him so urgently.
This forced him to speed up his washing and grooming process.
[This His Majesty, I don't know what urgent matter he has to be in such a hurry. I just went on a business trip, and before I even sat down, I was tied up and brought back. It's really too much!]
He shook his head and sighed helplessly.
The First Emperor was truly a terrible person, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.
After a short while, he finally put on the extremely luxurious robes that His Majesty had prepared for him, and lazily pushed open the gate of the mansion, led by the eunuch in front of him.
They went to a side hall of the imperial kitchen.
This was where the First Emperor usually ate, and it was also where he had private talks with his ministers.
You could say that.
Those who could enter this gate were all trusted confidants of the First Emperor.
This is equivalent to the First Emperor treating you as one of his own.
It has an indispensable sense of honor.
Of course, Li Lin was unaware of all this. He followed behind the eunuch, merely glancing at the surrounding scenery in a cursory and superficial manner.
Therefore, he did not show any strange expression, neither surprised nor happy, and his face was like that of an ordinary person.
However, this caused quite a shock to the eunuchs who were leading him: it was the first time they had seen such a young man summoned by His Majesty without showing any joy. Just how deep was this man's cunning?
Just as they were lost in their thoughts...
We have arrived at the entrance of the side hall.
They knocked on the door and told the First Emperor inside that Li Lin had arrived.
The First Emperor immediately realized what was happening.
With a creak, the door opened very quickly.
Before Li Lin could even stick his head inside, he saw the First Emperor's figure already in front of him.
"His Majesty!"
"Li Lin, you rascal, you've finally returned! Do you know how long you've kept this from me!"
"ah?"
This time, Ying Zheng's first words left Li Lin completely dumbfounded.
"What does Your Majesty mean by this? Could it be that he knows all my secrets? No way! Impossible! I haven't even told my elder brother my secrets, how could he know? There must be a trap. No matter what he asks, I'll deny everything and say I don't know!"
"You may all leave now!"
"promise!"
The First Emperor did not continue speaking to Li Lin. Instead, he dismissed the eunuchs around him, closed the door, and then turned back to look at Li Lin, saying solemnly, "Sit opposite me. I have prepared your favorite dishes there!"
"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this? What has happened that you are in such a hurry to send me back from Mount Li?"
"Li Lin, sit down and have something to eat. I'll have a proper talk with you then!"
"Your humble servant obeys!"
At this point, Li Lin had completely lost track of what the First Emperor meant.
From his initial bewilderment to now sitting in his seat, ready to dig in the delicious food, it's fair to say that his emotions have completely stabilized.
I'm no longer as restrained and timid as before.
When he had almost finished eating.
The First Emperor then slowly smiled and took out a bamboo slip from his side, handing it to him and looking at him expectantly, saying, "You rascal, I never expected you to have such talent, actually designing four such heaven-defying items!"
Li Lin initially didn't think much of it, but then he unfolded the bamboo slip and took a look.
He was immediately terrified and his face changed drastically.
But he quickly regained his composure on the surface, though his heart was already in turmoil.
【This...this...how did the First Emperor get his hands on this? Wasn't it a sketch I made casually when I first arrived in Qin to practice calligraphy? How did he find out about it? I remember losing it when I was living in my hometown. How did it end up in the First Emperor's hands? This isn't an ordinary item; it's one of the Four Great Inventions—papermaking, gunpowder, the compass, and printing—all epoch-making inventions...】
Looking at the First Emperor's eyes, which seemed to yearn for the Four Great Inventions written on the bamboo slips.
Li Lin suddenly understood everything.
Unless one is an emperor with ten incomplete flaws, anyone who sees something that transcends the boundaries of its time would yearn for it.
When the Qing Dynasty's incomplete old man showed the British a model of a steam engine during their diplomatic mission.
He, however, was disdainful, believing that this great invention was nothing more than a clever trick, which made the upper echelons of the Qing Dynasty increasingly arrogant and complacent, to the point that decades later they were utterly defeated and forced to pay countless indemnities.
So later a scholar said he was an old bastard.
This title is quite fitting.
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