Chapter 105 Seeking Help from Prince Chun
Dali Temple.
Temple government office.
Li Xuanjing sat behind the desk, flipping through a case file in his hand.
The young man in black stood in front of the desk and said, "The three provinces quickly passed a resolution these past two days. From now on, all major academies will recruit students who have passed the spring exam. Outside of the spring exam, they can no longer recruit students on an exceptional basis, and students cannot donate money to attend school..."
Li Xuanjing turned a page of the file in his hand, and the young man in black continued, "This time, the powerful people headed by Yongshou Marquis and Lantian Marquis secretly bribed more than ten officials from three provinces through various means. Did they go to such great lengths just to prevent you from entering the academy?"
Li Xuanjing drew an "X" on the cover of the file with a red pen and put it aside.
He took out another file from another pile and said, "It's not entirely for this reason. They have been pushing for this proposal for quite some time. They are just taking the opportunity to bring it forward."
The young man in black continued, "Unfortunately, the officials in the three provinces are mostly above the fourth rank, so we can't intervene directly. In addition, the powerful people acted in a covert way, so it's not easy to bring them down with these."
The Dali Temple and court officials have been fighting for so long that now when corrupt officials accept bribes, they no longer just accept money directly.
In other words, those officials who were bold enough to accept money directly have been eliminated.
The lowest level method is to give some worthless antiques, calligraphy and paintings as gifts and then find an opportunity to let a third party buy them from corrupt officials at a high price.
To put it more obscurely, opening a pawnshop and redeeming the goods at a high price is reasonable and legal.
A more advanced option is to allow relatives to open a brothel or music house in Chang'an openly.
Matters between men and women should be based on mutual consent.
Whether it is losing money or wasting money, the court has no control over it.
Even if an ugly woman offered 12,000 taels of silver for one night, as long as someone was willing to pay and pay taxes normally afterwards, the Dali Temple had no right to intervene.
Li Xuanjing just smiled faintly and said, "No one is unbeatable. Everything is done according to the situation. If the timing is not right, even if there is sufficient evidence, it will be useless. If the timing is right, even if there is no evidence, we can still create evidence... Save these files for now, they will be used sooner or later."
The young man in black showed regret on his face and said, "After this resolution is implemented, you will not be able to participate in this imperial examination. You will have to wait another four years for the next one."
Li Xuanjing turned a page of the file in his hand and said calmly: "That may not be the case..."
The two didn't say anything else.
The yamen returned to peace, only the piles of files on the table were decreasing one by one.
at the same time.
On a street somewhere in Chang'an, Li Nuo jumped off the carriage and once again stood in front of the tall door lintel of Prince Chun's Mansion.
This time when he came to Prince Chun's Mansion, Li Nuo brought Mu'er with him.
When she woke up in the morning, she heard that the two men went horseback riding without her, and she was very unhappy about it.
This time, Li Nuo had no choice but to take her with him.
When they came to Prince Chun's mansion again, the housekeeper of the mansion was very enthusiastic. While welcoming them in, he said, "The prince is not in the mansion now, he should be back soon, please wait in the mansion for a while..."
Li Nuo, holding Mu'er's hand, and under the guidance of the palace's steward, passed by an open square and saw a noble young man standing there.
It was Prince Chun’s son, Li Yun.
He had his back to Li Nuo and the others, fiddling with something in his hand.
Li Nuo walked closer and saw that what he was holding in his hand was a bird the size of a palm.
This bird is not a real bird, but is made of wood and painted with colorful paint all over, making it look like a real one.
Li Yun twisted the bird's tail a few times and then let go. The wooden bird flapped its wings a few times like a real bird, flew a circle in the air, and then flew back into his hand.
Song Muer opened her eyes wide, stunned by this magical scene.
Li Nuo was also a little surprised. He didn't expect that the Prince of Chun was actually a member of the Mohist school.
This wooden kite looks only the size of a palm, but its movements of circling and flying in the air are no different from those of a real bird.
It is not difficult to imagine that its internal structure must be extremely precise and complex.
Only the Mohist school, who delved into the art of mechanical devices, could have such attainments.
Li Yun turned around and saw Li Nuo standing behind him. After a moment of hesitation, a smile appeared on his face: "My dear brother, you are here. Father is not at home now. I will take you to visit the palace..."
Seeing Mu'er looking eagerly at the wooden kite in Li Yun's hand, Li Nuo smiled and said, "No need to look around. Brother Shi, can you lend me the wooden kite in your hand?"
Li Yun smiled and handed the wooden kite over, and asked, "Brother, are you also interested in mechanical engineering?"
Li Nuo took the wooden kite and turned the mechanism at its tail. After he let go of the kite, the wooden kite flapped its wings and took off into the sky. After flying a circle at a low altitude, it flew back to Li Nuo's hands.
Li Nuo looked at the palm-sized gadget in his hand and exclaimed: "The Mohist craftsmanship is indeed well-deserved."
Song Muer gently tugged at Li Nuo's sleeve and said pitifully, "Brother Li Nuo, I want to play too."
Li Nuo handed her the wooden kite and taught her how to use it. Then Song Muer had a lot of fun playing with it by herself.
Seeing how much she liked it, Li Yun said, "If you like it, little sister, I'll give you this wooden kite."
Song Muer said happily: "Thank you, big brother!"
Li Nuo felt a little headache when he saw this. He didn't know whether Prince Mu Yuan had a second one exactly like him. Otherwise, when he returned later, the Song family would surely be in turmoil again.
Li Yun was delighted to see that someone liked his little machine. He ran to a hall next to the square and moved out more things.
Song Muer's mouth was so surprised that she never closed it.
Li Nuo was also amazed at the Mohist mechanical techniques.
Li Yun not only has a mechanical bird, but also a mechanical dog, a mechanical horse, and a mechanical cat.
These mechanical objects are not just cold dead things, they can run and jump. After being decorated, it is impossible to tell the real from the fake if you are at a distance.
He also built several mechanical vehicles.
For example, there were horse-drawn carriages that were powered by human power instead of horses, two-wheeled vehicles that were the prototypes of later bicycles, and even flying machines that imitated birds and could fly to heights of several feet with the help of human power.
Of course, if the Mohist School had only this ability, it would not have been possible for it to become one of the many schools of thought.
Ordinary people can only make their lives more convenient by using Mohist mechanisms.
The Mohist mechanism can only exert its true power when combined with the Mohist Qi.
After Li Yun installed a mechanical arm on himself, he was able to smash a thick stone slab with one punch. This is a power that at least a warrior in the True Qi realm can possess.
And the pair of mechanical wings he built for himself are even more powerful.
Not only can it fly hundreds of feet into the sky, but the iron feathers on its wings can also shoot out like sharp swords.
The key point is that the shot feather arrow can actually be retrieved.
His cultivation level is not even at the fourth level, but even warriors at the fourth level cannot do anything to him.
Flying objects consumes a lot of internal energy. Although warriors at the fourth level can fly for a short period of time, it is not sustainable and they cannot fly that high.
However, Mohist Qi, with the help of mechanical devices, can achieve long-term flight and has extremely strong endurance.
Li Yun landed from the sky, very satisfied with the expression on Li Nuo's face, and said proudly: "Wait a minute, I'll show you another good thing."
He left here briefly and came back soon, followed by a woman.
The woman was of outstanding appearance and tall figure. She bowed to Li Nuoying.
Li Yun looked at her and smiled, "Dance for my brother."
As soon as he finished speaking, the woman lifted up her skirt and began to dance gracefully.
The woman's dance was very graceful, but Li Nuo still noticed something wrong.
Her body was very flexible, but her expression was somewhat stiff. Not stiff, but her expression did not change at all. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, not like a real person.
Li Nuo was surprised and asked, "Is this a mechanical man?"
Li Yun nodded and said, "It looks like it, but I can't give it to you. This is my masterpiece. You can pick any other things you want. Just consider it as my wedding gift to you..."
Li Nuo looked at the woman who had stopped dancing and was standing behind Li Yun and asked, "Can I touch you?"
Li Yun showed a hint of hesitation, but still nodded and said, "Of course you can, but you have to be gentle..."
Li Nuo lifted the woman's hand and found that every joint of hers could move freely and her skin was soft and delicate, but it was obviously not the touch of the human body. It should be some kind of material similar to silicone.
Li Yun loved her so much, but Li Nuo only touched her lightly.
At this time, a powerful voice came from behind them.
"You're fiddling with your broken wood again?" Prince Chun strode over and said to Li Yun unhappily, "What's the point of fiddling with those broken wood all day long? There are so many beauties in Chang'an for you to choose from, but you don't like any of them. Can this wooden woman sleep with you or have children with you? Why don't you learn from your nephew Li Nuo and marry a beautiful woman and live a good life..."
Li Yun shook his head and said, "Father, you don't understand..."
Prince Chun waved his hand and said, "I don't care about your affairs. You can marry or not, have children or not..."
After saying that, he looked at Li Nuo and said with a smile: "Don't worry about him, let's go, let's go inside and talk..."
He held Li Nuo's hand and came to a hall. He found that Li Nuo's lips were pale and his steps were a little unsteady. He asked with concern: "What's wrong? Are you still not well?"
Li Nuo nodded and said, "The doctor said that my body is seriously overdrawn and I need a month of rest."
"A month?"
Prince Chun frowned and said, "No, a month is too long..."
He waved his hand toward the door and said, "Hey, you, take this king's badge and go to the Imperial Hospital to call the Imperial Physician. The true qi of these doctors is more nourishing than any other medicine..."
A moment later, at Prince Chun's Mansion.
Ningxin Palace.
Li Nuo was lying on the soft couch in the main seat. A white-haired old man was sitting next to him, holding his wrist with a helpless expression.
Prince Chun glanced at him and said unhappily, "Liu Taiyi Ling, what's with that expression on your face? Doctors are kindhearted. Aren't you doctors here to heal the world and save lives? I asked you to save someone, and you're not happy about it..."
The old man was transferring Qi into the body of the young man on the couch, and he said, "Your Highness misunderstood. I just thought of something else."
He sighed in his heart.
If Prince Chun had not been the regent this month and could mobilize all the officials, he would not have come to Prince Chun's mansion at all.
Doctors do cure illnesses and save lives, but they don’t owe anyone anything.
It is their freedom to punish whomever they want and whoever they don’t want to punish.
Even if it is to cure a disease or save a life, there is no need to use your own true energy.
Who would be in a good mood to waste one's own energy to treat a person who has no relatives or friends?
Unfortunately, since he was in the imperial court, he could not be as free as he was when he was a traveling doctor.
As the doctor in charge of Daxia, he held power but also lost some of his freedom.
As time passed, the old man's lips gradually turned pale.
Li Nuo's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After a moment, he let go of Li Nuo's wrist, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said to Prince Chun: "Your Highness, it's done."
Prince Chun said: "Since you are here, why don't you stay here for a while longer?"
The old man said helplessly: "Your Highness, the weak cannot be nourished. Everything is excessive or insufficient. If you nourish too much, it will be harmful to the health of this young master."
Prince Chun thought about it and could only say, "Well, come, go to the account office and withdraw 1,000 taels of silver and send it to Doctor Liu's house."
The old man quickly declined: "Your Highness, there is no need to do this. This is my duty and I do not deserve any reward."
Prince Chun waved his hand and said, "You imperial doctors have to pay for consultations, so don't refuse. Imperial Doctor Liu, you must have worked hard on this trip. I will have someone take you back to the palace."
The old man did not refuse any more. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reward, Your Highness."
Although Prince Chun is unreasonable, he is still very particular about what he does.
When the imperial physician stood up, his body swayed and he had to hold on to the bed frame to keep his balance.
The true energy consumed this time cannot be replenished without half a month of recuperation.
He sighed in his heart, bowed to Prince Chun, and slowly walked out of the hall.
Li Nuo sat up from the bed, feeling full of strength.
In just a moment, his overdrawn body seemed to be fully replenished.
Not only that, he felt better than before he was overdrawn.
It is worthy of being called the true Qi of the medical school, and the teachings of various philosophers all have their own characteristics.
Others are trying to improve themselves, but only doctors are willing to sacrifice themselves for others.
The true qi of a low-level doctor can make him immune to all diseases and strengthen his body.
The true qi of a high-level doctor can help heal others' injuries or even prolong their lives, but the cost is the loss of his own true qi and even his lifespan.
However, it is very difficult for doctors to reach a high level.
Doctors at the fifth level are extremely rare across the entire continent. The chief physician of Daxia is only at the fourth level.
Prince Chun asked with concern: "How are you, do you feel better?"
Li Nuo clenched his fist and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chun Wang. I feel much better now."
"That's good. That's good."
Prince Chun smiled and then asked, "You just said that you wanted to enter Qingfeng Academy. This is a small matter. I just need to issue an imperial decree."
Seeing that he seemed to be unaware of the incident, Li Nuo briefly described to him the new laws promulgated by the three provinces.
Upon hearing this, Prince Chun frowned slightly, "Is this really true?"
He really didn't know about this.
The imperial edicts of the three provinces do not need to be explained to the prince who is the regent.
He stroked his short beard and said, "If it was a month ago, this matter would be easier to handle, but the new law just passed by the three provinces cannot be openly violated even by me, otherwise the laws of the court will lose their majesty..."
Li Nuo sighed, feeling helpless.
A month ago, he was revising the law in the Chang'an County Government.
If the powerful and wealthy had not interrupted his path of spiritual practice, he would not have thought of taking the imperial examination.
Within the rules of the law, he had no way out of his own.
This matter does not involve criminal law, and my father cannot interfere.
So he came to Prince Chun for help.
Since even Prince Chun was helpless about this matter, he could only take a long-term view.
Just when Li Nuo was feeling a little disappointed, Prince Chun changed the subject and said, "Don't worry, we can just change the law if it's violated."
Li Nuo was slightly stunned and asked, "How to change it?"
Prince Chun said: "Since the new law cannot be violated, I will amend or abolish it, so that you can go to the academy to study openly. Fortunately, there are still three days in this month, and I will hold a court meeting tomorrow..."
Li Nuo was surprised and asked, "Is this okay?"
He was still thinking about what he should change, but he didn't expect that Prince Chun was talking about changing the laws.
Prince Chun said nonchalantly: "What's wrong with this? If we change this law, we won't be breaking the law. Don't worry, uncle can still do this little thing. Otherwise, what's the point of having this regent seal..."
Not long.
Li Nuo walked out of Ningxin Palace.
Uncle Prince Chun is indeed an elder, and his perspective on issues is far beyond his reach.
They had to have dinner in the palace soon. When he walked out of the hall, he saw Mu'er having a lot of fun in the square not far away.
Li Yun has a lot of mechanical toys, such as a wooden kite that can fly back by itself, a wooden horse that will circle within a certain range after riding, and wooden figures that can fight by themselves...
To her, these were rare things.
Compared with Confucianism, military science, legalism, agriculture, etc., the number of Mohists is much smaller.
It’s not because Mohism is difficult to practice, but because Mohism has requirements for the disciples’ talents.
Anyone can practice Confucianism and Legalism.
But to practice Mohism, one not only needs to have strong hands-on skills, but also a certain level of calculation ability and imagination.
Li Nuo was not very interested in those gadgets, but Li Yun's mechanical dancer did make him curious.
It is hard to imagine what her internal structure is like that allows her to perform such complex movements.
The Mohist school in this world does have something of its own.
At this moment, Li Yun was squatting on the ground, with a pile of mechanical parts that he had dismantled into pieces beside him.
He held two tiny wooden gears in his hands and frowned, "Why is it broken again..."
Although wooden mechanisms are indeed more easily damaged than iron ones, the parts of this mechanical cat are obviously more easily damaged, which is abnormal.
But he couldn't find the problem.
Li Nuo came over and asked, "Brother Shi, are you practicing Mohism?"
Li Yun stood up, rubbed his sore waist, and said with a smile: "Don't call me Prince or Brother. I'm only a few months older than you. We can just call each other by our first names..."
He stretched out his hand and pointed, and the wooden kite on the ground flapped its wings and circled in the low sky.
This is the answer to Li Nuo’s question just now.
The Mohist school possesses the power to control mechanisms, and only disciples of the Mohist school can do this.
Although the fourth level of martial arts can also control objects remotely, it is far from as smooth as the Mohist school.
As for Li Nuo, with the strength of the first level of the Legalist school, the art of confinement can make an object from moving to still, but it cannot make a dead object move.
He looked at the wooden gear with broken teeth in Li Yun's hand, thought for a moment, and said, "You can try to change the number of teeth on these two wooden gears. Maybe they will not be so easily damaged."
Li Yun was slightly stunned and asked, "What?"
Li Nuo doesn't understand mechanical engineering, but he happens to know a little about mathematics.
When studying prime numbers, the teacher once gave an example of the application of prime numbers.
During the transmission process, the number of teeth on the gear is selected as a prime number, which helps to reduce gear wear and keep the transmission smooth.
This is because the numbers of teeth of two mutually prime teeth cannot form a common divisor. Each tooth of the gear has the opportunity to contact every tooth on the opposite side, which can disperse and average the damage caused by defects to the maximum extent, thereby extending the service life.
He just counted the two gears in Li Yun's hand, one had ten teeth and the other had thirty teeth.
Not only is it not in line with engineering, it is not in line with mathematics either.
The development of Mohism is inseparable from the support of mathematics.
In this world's mathematics, there is no research on prime numbers, let alone linking them with engineering.
After listening to Li Nuo's explanation, Li Yun's face showed enlightenment, and he murmured: "That makes sense, why didn't I think of it!"
After muttering to himself for a few sentences, he ignored Li Nuo and the others and ran away. He was not seen until dinner time.
At the dinner table, Li Yun's seat was empty. Prince Chun waved his hand and said, "He must be studying that pile of broken wood again. Let's eat our food and ignore him..."
Mu'er, who is loved by everyone, is naturally also loved by Prince Chun.
After the meal, she also received a lot of rewards from Prince Chun.
Most of them were girls' clothes and accessories. Prince Chun said that these were originally prepared for Li Yun.
When Princess Chun was pregnant, she liked to eat spicy food. Prince Chun thought she was pregnant with a girl, so he prepared many things that a girl could use in advance.
Unexpectedly, the princess gave birth to a prince, so all these things were prepared in vain.
This time it was a good deal for Mu'er.
The things prepared by the palace are naturally high-quality goods. Even after so much time has passed, they are still as good as new.
When leaving the palace, the carriage was almost filled with gifts sent by Prince Chun, and Li Nuoren could hardly squeeze in.
Every time he comes to the palace, it's like he's shopping, so he'll feel embarrassed to come next time.
Song Muer returned with a full load and was obviously in a good mood. She held the wooden kite given by Li Yun in her hand and hummed happily along the way.
Li Nuo remained silent, thinking about other things.
Those powerful people were obviously determined to fight him to the end.
Although it has long been known that the path of legalist practice is extremely difficult, and that many difficulties and obstacles will be encountered along the way.
But that is at least what happens after reaching the fourth realm...
In the first three realms of the Legalists, there is actually no need to offend the powerful and wealthy, and practicing step by step is enough.
Only after reaching the fourth realm, one needs to kill more important figures to stimulate cultivation.
Block his way through imperial legislation.
He was only at the first level, and he was targeted like this...
Even if you are targeting someone, you can't do that.
Song Muer was holding a bunch of gifts and humming a happy tune. As she was humming, she noticed that brother Li Nuo was lowering his head and didn't seem very happy.
She thought about it and asked tentatively: "Brother Li Nuo, are you angry?"
Li Nuo came back to his senses and was stunned: "What are you angry about?"
Song Muer said cautiously: "That big brother gave me something, you won't be unhappy, right?"
Li Nuo rubbed her head and said, "How come?"
Is he such a stingy person?
Uh... Although he is a little stingy sometimes, he is not that stingy.
Song Muer put down the wooden kite, held Li Nuo's hand tightly, and said with a smile: "Don't be angry, although that big brother can make a lot of fun things, you and I will always be the best in the world..."
(End of this chapter)
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