Chapter 2 Infrastructure System
When Qi Chengming first transmigrated into this novel about vying for the throne, he felt utterly hopeless. The situation was urgent, and he couldn't afford to think too much; he could only rack his brains to avoid the crisis and gain an advantage for himself.
Now that he saw the "infrastructure system" come up, Qi Chengming's eyes lit up and his mood improved immediately.
—Great, here comes the cheat code!
Now the future isn't so dark and hopeless.
He didn't say a word, walking briskly and quickly exploring the entire control panel.
It is known that only he can see the infrastructure system at present, and the eunuch behind him has not reacted at all.
The panel contains several sections: [Personal Information], [Territory], [Shop], [Quests], and [Achievements], with several grayed-out, unlocked sections at the back. The description reads:
"The infrastructure system provides players with high-quality guidance and assistance services, enhancing the gaming experience and creating a joyful life!"
Qi Chengming clicked on each one and looked at them one by one.
The personal information states:
[Name: Qi Chengming]
Gender: Male
Age: Thirteen
Identity: Prince (Prince of Hucheng)
fiefdom: Liuzhou
Health: 7 (healthy peers have an immunity level of 10)
Reputation: 358
Talented individuals under his command:
Xiao Dezi.
Xiao Chengzi.
...
Qi Chengming felt a headache coming on just looking at the list of names of eunuchs and palace maids.
So, is the Second Prince an orphan? Is there absolutely no one else available besides the palace servants who cared for him? No birth mother? No adoptive mother either? Surely there must be a concubine or high-ranking official who fostered him? Or did he live alone in the prince's quarters at such a young age?
What about his maternal family? Surely his birth mother couldn't have been born from a rock, could she?
Let's look at the territory:
The panel displayed a complex 3D topographic map of Liuzhou, with densely packed numbers and symbols marking the terrain, climate disasters, suitable crops, rare products, mineral distribution, and population settlement of this pot-shaped territory.
The current prefect, magistrate, county magistrate, vice prefect, magistrate, and registrar of Liuzhou are all listed in detail, and the entire administrative system of Liuzhou Prefecture, from large to small and from civil to military, is displayed in front of you.
'This saves us so much trouble in the subsequent governance!' Qi Chengming couldn't help but admire in his heart.
Even though we haven't seen the infrastructure part yet.
Before his transmigration, Qi Chengming had never been a powerful leader; at most, he had only managed a few dozen people. Now, he was in charge of an entire prefecture. Since he had some ideas in mind… he naturally had to humbly learn from scratch how to manage a large-scale operation. The infrastructure system's support was a huge help.
The shop and achievements aren't very interesting.
One sells everything, including finished products and technologies that are beyond the technological progress of this world—but it requires an exorbitant amount of points. Qi Chengming decided not to look at it for now. After all, he was a science student who had read countless time-travel novels, and he might be able to figure out the basic tricks.
The other one is completely empty; the page is blank.
To be precise, only the first achievement has been completed so far: "Owning a fiefdom".
You have earned ten valuable points.
Qi Chengming focused all his attention on the final "task".
[Infrastructure Task: First, recruit a reliable infrastructure team!]
Require:
The team has more than 100 people.
Overall performance was satisfactory.
Two design and command experts.
One general manager and one logistics manager.
(Task pending, no time limit for completion)
Abandoning the task will not incur penalty; completion will earn rewards: "Regulations on Military Supplies," "Annotated Edition of Sun Tzu's Art of War: The Marching Chapter," and "New Annotated Edition of the Record of Trades," totaling 100 points.
Daily Task: Understand Your Own Faction
Require:
Knowing his core supporters, he selected the subordinates and their belongings to take to their fiefdoms.
(Task pending, no time limit for completion)
No penalty for abandoning the task; completion rewards: antidiarrheal formula, antipyretic decoction, mosquito repellent herb formula, and 20 points.
Qi Chengming seemed to be deep in thought: "..."
The mission largely simulated what he wanted to do, and the rewards were all things he could use later. Wasn't the infrastructure team the hundred-man Imperial Guard he was going to ask the Imperial Clan Court for?
but……
Qi Chengming steeled himself and took a deep breath.
He could almost foresee that he would have to secretly and intensively catch up on his studies for the next period of time. The sources of these books, including the fact that he was completely unfamiliar with the dynasties, writing systems, and history of this world, all required intensive learning—
At least the basics need to be covered before setting off!
It's just three books! With the same spirit and perseverance he had when he was preparing for the college entrance exam, he can do it!!
...
"Your Highness, we have arrived at the Imperial Clan Court."
Xiao Dezi spoke up at the right moment, lowering his head and stopping in his tracks.
Throughout the journey, he sensed that the Second Prince was preoccupied, and he had taken the wrong path several times. Xiao Dezi hesitated, then quietly led the way. He was struggling to contain himself, yet he understood why his Highness was so distracted:
Oh dear, that's Liuzhou! One wrong move and you could lose your life. It's amazing that His Highness can remain so calm, even though his emotions are a little suppressed...
"Oh, isn't this His Highness the Second Prince? Perfect timing, I must go back to report now." After announcing the imperial decree, the chief eunuch Zhao Fuman smiled amiably. He was very well-maintained, like a plump, white steamed bun, and turned to look at them from the courtyard.
Even though the Second Prince was now visibly down on his luck, and it was uncertain whether he would ever be able to return to the capital, the old eunuch showed no sign of distress and remained polite.
Standing before Eunuch Fuman to receive the decree was a small, hunched old man with a white beard. He was dressed quite imposingly, but his gaze was somewhat ambivalent.
"Liuzhou? It's good to be enfeoffed in another place." The old man comforted him, his tone somewhat weary. But since Eunuch Fuman hadn't gone far, his tone quickly returned to indifferent, and he said no more. "Second Prince, let's go find the leader of the Northern Imperial Guard to bring your people. This is all I can do."
Qi Chengming didn't recognize the old man and didn't know any manners. He was feeling uneasy, unsure of how to address him.
He listened to the old man's stern, elder-like tone, and heard his veiled words of advice as he reappeared at the Imperial Clan Court. The young man, seized by a sudden inspiration, boldly bowed as a form of greeting.
"Thank you... Uncle."
The old man immediately lost his composure, jumping up and down and shouting, "You still know I'm your great-uncle? Why don't you call me grandpa at a time like this?!"
Qi Chengming: "...?"
Huh? Huh??
Wait, what does that mean? Is it your great-uncle or your maternal grandfather?
He needs to sort out his seniority and relationships—?!
Uncle, if I remember correctly, is my grandfather's brother, that is, the previous generation of the royal family of my father. The person who can manage the Imperial Clan Court should be a highly respected member of the paternal lineage. That's why Qi Chengming dared to make a guess just now, and it doesn't sound wrong.
But what the heck is "grandfather"?
Isn't the maternal grandfather the mother's father? These two titles are completely unrelated. Why would he call the person who could appear in the Imperial Clan Court to receive the imperial decree and be in charge of his enfeoffment process "maternal grandfather"?
...I really want to find some free time soon and find an opportunity to find out about the Second Prince's situation!
I'm internally screaming.
Qi Chengming was sweating slightly on his back, but he remained calm on his face, and shyly managed to squeeze out a sentence: "...Now, things are different."
The Chinese language is profound and extensive.
You can only guess at the specific differences; he doesn't know either.
"Trying to sever ties with us now? Too late."
The old man gave a cold laugh and put his hands behind his back. "You're just too scheming. The Emperor's anger won't reach me. Since I've been entrusted by your maternal grandfather to take care of you and your child... I didn't have the chance before, but this time I should do my best."
When he said "mother and child," his voice became muffled and weak, but then returned to calm: "Let's go. The head of the Imperial Guard has some connections with that old man. He has the ability to pick a few soldiers for you. I'm not asking for much, just enough to keep my life safe outside."
The old man led him to the drill ground where the Imperial Guards trained. After saying something, the armored leader turned and looked in their direction, then read out a list without nitpicking. Soon, a team of a hundred men stepped forward.
Although they didn't appear to be the most robust and strong elite soldiers in the Imperial Guard, they were at least not old, weak, sick, or disabled, nor were they emaciated. They were at least of the physique of ordinary soldiers capable of enduring long journeys.
This is already a great favor.
The leader readily replied, "Your Highness, these people will continue training with the Imperial Guards. They need to find time to go home and say goodbye. You can come and pick them up on the day of departure."
— In other words, the expenses incurred by this team before its departure were returned to the palace, and they took care of everything else.
Qi Chengming had prepared for a tough battle within the Imperial Guards, but he arrived and left without incident.
He vaguely understood.
The relationship between the old man from the Imperial Clan Court and his maternal grandfather must have been very deep, so deep that the Second Prince, when he was young and didn't know any better, would call the old man "Grandpa" indiscriminately. Moreover, his maternal grandfather should have had some connections in the military, which is why the fake maternal grandfather was able to use his connections to secure him a decent unit.
But why was there no mention of the Second Prince's relationships in the original story? In the succession struggle novel, the Second Prince was just a pitiful background character.
...Could this be another story of people leaving and then being forgotten?
After a long and complicated journey, Qi Chengming returned to the prince's quarters and sat in silence for a while. He then vaguely instructed his personal eunuch, Xiao Dezi—he now knew the name because the other palace maids addressed him as "Eunuch De" in a flattering manner—to investigate.
"The news that I'm going to take up my fiefdom should have spread by now. Go and inquire about Grandpa..."
The implication behind his words was self-evident.
The Chinese language is truly profound. Even though the words were somewhat vague, Xiao Dezi understood perfectly, knowing what his Highness was worried about: "I understand."
He quickly added, reassuring his master: "Your Highness, rest assured, Lord Weiyong's condition has stabilized recently, and the Imperial Clan Court Minister should also relay the news out of the palace, so the old master won't be too worried."
“But once I leave, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. Sigh, Grandpa is alright, but…” Qi Chengming held his forehead and sighed worriedly.
Another close eunuch, Xiao Chengzi, reacted quickly and comforted him, "Although His Highness's cousin is young, the old master intends for him to also develop in the army. His uncles and elders should be able to take care of him, so he won't be bullied."
“Yes, yes,” Xiao Dezi echoed.
The two eunuchs spent the afternoon racking their brains to comfort the Second Prince.
They didn't look at each other until evening, and both breathed a sigh of relief.
...Today's blow was still too great. His Highness has been acting strangely, his reactions are always slow, and he seems absent-minded.
Thanks to their repeated persuasion and their attempts to distract the prince by showing him the luggage he was preparing to take and the list of palace servants, things calmed down considerably.
Your Highness has had a tough time!
...
On the same day.
Wang Shuo, the youngest and most valiant general of the new dynasty who inherited the titles of his father and elder brother, but whose body is now only ten years old, opened his eyes.
Amidst the servants' chaotic attempts to stop him, he rushed out, anxiously demanding to increase his training intensity for the day: "Let me do a few more! I'm too weak right now!"
Wang Shuo was anxious, but he didn't say anything.
When my cousin was sent to his fiefdom to live a hard life, he was too young. Even if he had known beforehand, he couldn't have helped at all.
Fortunately, they were able to meet one last time before setting off.
Everything else could be ignored, but there was one thing that was extremely important. He was determined that when the time came, he would grab his cousin's hand and earnestly, with tears in his eyes, earnestly make his cousin realize the importance of that matter:
—Your Majesty, you must take good care of your health!
A note from the author:
----------------------
Mini-theater:
Wang Shuo's small frame cried out under his grandfather's training:
Ugh! After being beaten up for over a decade, I finally turned the tables, but now I can't beat them again!
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