"Your Majesty wishes to calculate the nation's destiny?"
Renqiu had a complicated expression and secretly glanced at Lord Lu.
Lord Lu's face was filled with sorrow and he felt helpless.
He tried every possible way to persuade Emperor Wende, but to no avail.
Emperor Wende was willful and capricious, and once his temper got out of control, even ten oxen couldn't pull him back.
Lord Lu could only give Renqiu a helpless look.
"My dear, don't you want to share my worries?"
Emperor Wende stared at Renqiu with a serious expression, as if he would order his men to drag Renqiu out and behead him if he dared to disobey the imperial order.
Renqiu was not panicked.
There are very few things that can make him panic.
He looked around and pointed at the carriage, "Your Majesty, I dare to ask for your property. I am worried about this."
Emperor Wende's face was expressionless. "My dear minister, do not worry about what I am worried about. Just focus on calculating the fate of the country."
Renqiu said boldly: "Your Majesty, I cannot predict the fate of the country."
Emperor Wende narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze like a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity, ready to bite at any time.
Ren Qiu was not afraid at all and spoke eloquently, "The fate of a country is not something a mortal like me can predict. The fate of a country changes because of millions of people. To calculate the fate of a country is to calculate the fate of millions of people. I am not capable of doing this, Your Majesty, please seek other experts."
"How outrageous!" Emperor Wende shouted harshly.
Renqiu bowed slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.
Bang!
Emperor Wende kicked over the small stool.
He angrily scolded Renqiu, "I asked you to calculate the fate of the country, but you refused to do so. Aren't you afraid that I will punish you for deceiving the emperor?"
Renqiu said in a resounding voice: "I have not deceived the emperor. I am only telling the truth. If I agree to calculate the fate of the country, will your majesty dare to believe the results of my calculations?
What is national destiny? It is related to the conversation between Your Majesty and me at this moment, to the Northwest Grand Commandery's preparations for war, to the Marquis of Lu, to the Northwest Army, to Beirong and Xiliang, and to every single one of you in this court. I have the audacity to ask Your Majesty, "I, your Majesty, dare to believe my unknowing and rash predictions about national destiny."
Emperor Wende's chest heaved and he gasped violently.
He was shocked and angry, and his expression kept changing.
Lord Lu frequently winked at Renqiu, asking him to speak more subtly.
Renqiu pretended not to see it and refused to make eye contact with Lord Lu from the beginning.
Emperor Wende used all his strength to control his rage and did not order Renqiu to be dragged away and beheaded.
His face turned pale as he questioned, "My dear, you have said so much, but what you are implying is that nothing counts?"
Renqiu looked at Emperor Wende's face and remained silent.
Emperor Wende frowned, "My dear minister, feel free to speak your mind. I will not punish you."
Ren Qiu hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I cannot predict the fate of a nation, but I do know a little about physiognomy."
Emperor Wende frowned, "My dear, do you mean that you were reading my face just now?"
Ren Qiu nodded and admitted frankly, "I deserve to die for reading your majesty's face without your permission."
"No problem! Just tell me first, what did you see from my face?"
Ren Qiu pondered for a moment, "The last time I saw Your Majesty, you seemed to be blessed with good health and a long life. Seeing you today, could there be something wrong with your health?"
Emperor Wende's heart skipped a beat.
He stood still like a mountain, his expression normal, "I am in good health!"
Ren Qiu shook his head. "I am not a skilled practitioner, and I only know the basics of face reading. Perhaps I am mistaken. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Emperor Wende said, "No problem. Tell me everything you saw. I will make the final decision on whether it is true or not."
Renqiu looked hesitant, as if he couldn't make up his mind.
Lord Lu reminded him, "You must do whatever His Majesty tells you to do."
Then Lord Lu reminded Emperor Wende, "Your Majesty, the art of face reading is nonsense. Just listen to it and don't take it seriously."
Emperor Wende snorted coldly, "Lord Lu, don't worry. I have my own ideas. Lord Ren, haven't you decided what to say yet?"
Renqiu scratched his head, looking distressed. "I'm truly unskilled. I can only see that Your Majesty seems unwell and that another woman is hindering Your Majesty, affecting His health. Beyond that, I can't see anything else. Your Majesty's destiny is closely tied to the fate of the nation. How can I, a mere mortal, predict Your Majesty's fate?"
Emperor Wende's heart was in turmoil, but his face remained as calm as a mountain.
"My dear Ren, there is no need to be so modest. I have asked you to calculate the fate of our nation, which is indeed difficult for you. If you are willing to tell me the truth, I will not bother with you because of your sincerity."
Ren Qiu immediately laughed, his face full of sincerity and honesty. "Thank you very much for your understanding, Your Majesty. I was so frightened that I broke out in three cold sweats."
Emperor Wende laughed heartily. "You dare to say anything. Please step aside. I, Lord Lu, and I still have matters to discuss."
"I will take my leave."
Renqiu turned around and prepared to leave the hall.
His eyes turned to the carriage parked in the corner.
Because he looked at it a few more times, it attracted the attention of Emperor Wende.
So Emperor Wende asked him, "What do you think of the four-wheeled carriage, Mr. Ren?"
Ren Qiu said excitedly, "This is a divine weapon."
Emperor Wende raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think this is a divine artifact? It's just a carriage with two more wheels."
Ren Qiu shook his head repeatedly, squatted down, and pointed at the wheel joints. "Your Majesty, you know that the four-wheeled carriage can turn and reverse flexibly thanks to the little device on it. This is a remarkable advancement! I have traveled all over the country, and I can say that this small four-wheeled carriage is absolutely the best in the world. No country or tribe can ever dream of building a four-wheeled carriage like this. With the four-wheeled carriage, the Great Zhou is at the forefront of transportation."
"oh!"
Emperor Wende remained noncommittal and asked, "Does it seem to you, my dear, that a four-wheeled carriage has no flaws?"
"How could such a fine object have defects?"
Renqiu's face flushed with excitement. "Wheels are made of refined iron, and a large number of four-wheeled carriages require a large amount of iron ore. When the iron ore supply in the Great Zhou is insufficient to meet the demand, iron ore merchants will take the initiative to travel to the Western Regions and overseas to search for iron ore. This is equivalent to the vanguard of the Great Zhou's expansion of territory!"
The vastness of the universe far surpasses people's imagination. The Western Regions are perhaps as vast as ten Great Zhous. There are abundant mineral resources there. And overseas, countless islands, surely containing minerals. When there's enough profit, without the imperial court's concern, merchants from the Great Zhou will spread across the Western Regions and overseas, plundering the local mineral resources.
What a magnificent future this is! Your Majesty, imagine this: when the Western Regions and overseas become the territory that the Great Zhou can freely claim, and the local people bow down to the Great Zhou army wherever it points, how inspiring it will be.
Renqiu's eyes were sparkling with stars.
He was so excited that he danced with excitement, almost offending Emperor Wende by grabbing his hand and dancing with him.
Fortunately, Lord Lu was quick-witted and stopped Ren Qiu.
Emperor Wende had a complicated expression and his eyes were blank for a moment.
"Overseas?"
Renqiu nodded repeatedly.
He stroked the wheel of the carriage with an expression and a movement as if he was caressing his beloved lover.
He liked the carriage so much that he called it a divine tool.
Emperor Wende pointed at the four-wheeled carriage and said, "It's just a small four-wheeled carriage with two extra wheels. Is it as powerful as you say? Can it be taken anywhere in the world?"
Ren Qiu nodded repeatedly and said affirmatively, "Merchants are profit-driven. As long as there's enough profit, they'll take risks. They're not afraid at home, so why would they be afraid in the Western Regions and overseas? In the wild lands, as long as they hire enough guards to protect them, they can dominate overseas and plunder at will.
Large quantities of supplies were transported into the Great Zhou, allowing the Ministry of Revenue and the Maritime Customs to collect high taxes. With sufficient tax revenue, they could dispatch armies to the Western Regions and expand their territory. The entire world would belong to the Great Zhou. Your Majesty, this is a prosperous age!
Renqiu excitedly encouraged Emperor Wende.
Emperor Wende is not so easy to fool.
He waved his hand and said, "Please step back, my dear. I will make the final decision on this matter."
Renqiu left Xingqing Palace reluctantly.
There was only one four-wheeled carriage, but it was placed in Xingqing Palace as a decoration. It was such a waste of resources.
…
Emperor Wende's face flushed as he paced back and forth in the hall.
He kept looking at the four-wheeled carriage, various voices fighting in his mind, and the inner contradictions made him want to tear himself in half.
"It destroyed the carriage. It's a monster! We must never allow such a thing to appear in the world."
"How could we destroy the four-wheeled carriage? Didn't you hear what Minister Ren said? As long as the court regulates iron ore mining, merchants will go abroad and find ways to mine iron ore. This is the opportunity for the Great Zhou to dominate the world, how can we miss it?"
"Nonsense, all empty talk! Dominating the world? We haven't even settled down at home. Don't forget there are hundreds of thousands of refugees waiting for food outside the city. Besides, the Western Regions are desolate, a wild and barren land overseas. What's the use of such a barren land? It's just a burden!"
"This is absurd! Every inch of land, whether barren or fertile, should not be abandoned. This is the responsibility of a ruler. We must take a long-term view."
"I have a long-term vision, but where does the money come from? It's naive to expect that the money earned from the four-wheeled carriage will allow us to conquer overseas. In short, the four-wheeled carriage must be destroyed."
Emperor Wende’s brain was about to explode.
His expression was twisted and painful.
There are too many voices in my head that I can’t get rid of.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"
Lord Lu called out several times, and Emperor Wende finally came to his senses, but his face was as pale as snow.
Lord Lu looked worried. "Your Majesty, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Please take care of yourself. I'll send for the imperial physician right away."
"Need not!"
Emperor Wende waved his hand to stop him, "I'm fine. I just overexerted myself."
Lord Lu became more and more worried.
Emperor Wende stood in front of the four-wheeled carriage with a complicated expression.
"Lord Lu, what do you think of what Lord Ren said?"
"Unrealistic." Lord Lu said concisely.
Emperor Wende turned around and looked at him. "Do you think all this is just Mr. Ren's fantasy?"
Lord Lu said thoughtfully, "Perhaps a hundred years from now, what Lord Ren said might happen. But right now, the most important thing for the court is to defeat Beirong and settle the refugees!"
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－
There are too many things to do in the three-dimensional world, and I am busy and tired on weekends, so I have no time to write at all.
Sorry for the late update on Monday.
Crying!
The first update is here.
There will be a second and third update.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
