Chapter 79
Chu Huan: [There are more benefits to this.]
The system was shocked: [More?]
Chu Hua: [Effort and reward are always equal. I've given the court so many good things, but I haven't received much in return. They're so stingy with me even when it comes to an official position, suppressing me in every way. Aren't you also feeling that I'm not worthy?]
They also think this way. Even though some people think I'm not worth it, they're still worried that I might withhold something good from the court in the future. So, even if they're unhappy about something they wouldn't agree to, they might still agree.
The system reacted: [Is it Nangong Ling? ]
[I was wondering why you didn't do anything when you knew what Nangong Ling had gone through. It turns out you were just waiting here.]
Not really.
Chu Huan did not expect General Xuanwei's arrival, nor did she expect General Xuanwei to reveal the information about quinine to her.
She was just waiting for the right opportunity, and she just happened to wait for this moment.
At this time, the afternoon classes were over, and Chu Huan and the Fifth Prince were in the study completing the homework left by the old tutor.
Chu Huan suddenly asked, "Your Highness, wouldn't it be a bit lonely to have only one study partner?"
The Fifth Prince, who was writing furiously, looked up from the endless sea of questions and met Chu Huan's face, which looked kind but was actually dangerous.
The young boy, who had just turned ten, shuddered for some reason - it was the feeling of being plotted against.
He quickly realized, "Who do you want to ask to be your study partner?"
As for whether she was his study partner or Chu Huan's study partner, there is no need to mention such sad things.
Chu Hua: "Your Highness, have you heard of Nangong Ling, one of the Four Heroes of the Capital?"
It has been several days since the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival, and the affair between Ximen Jie and Nangong Ling has caused a sensation throughout the capital. How could the Fifth Prince not have heard of it?
While others were still curious about who had such powerful intelligence gathering capabilities, the Fifth Prince knew that the culprit was the person next to him.
"I've heard of her. She's a woman of remarkable literary talent." As soon as Chu Huan mentioned her gender, the Fifth Prince understood what she meant. "You want her to be your study partner? Would the Grand Tutor agree?"
Earlier, the old tutor gave up accepting Nangong Ling as a student because she was a girl. Now it may not be so easy - some concepts are not easy to change.
Chu Huan reminded him: "That's your study partner."
The Grand Tutor had no right to decide who the prince's companion should be, beyond the emperor's control. At most, he could only make a suggestion, and whether it was adopted depended on the emperor's opinion. In many cases, as long as the prince insisted and there was a benefit, the emperor would agree.
Each prince had two study companions. The fifth prince also had one, but his teachers were replaced by the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor. After he came to live in the Chu family, the two study companions were sent back.
Many people were vying for the remaining companion spot, but the fifth prince was the one the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor brought in to teach Chu Huan, and the teaching location was at the Chu family. How could the emperor have the nerve to squeeze in another one?
But if Chu Huan took the initiative to ask for an increase, then it would be different.
The Fifth Prince can help, but… "What good can I do for you?"
Chu Hua: "What do you want?"
The Fifth Prince really didn't want anything. He had everything he needed. If he had to ask... "Can I go see your laboratory?"
He has been curious about the laboratory that can produce penicillin for a long time!
Chu Huan thought this scheming person would come up with some difficult conditions, but when she heard such a simple request, she was stunned for a moment and said, "Okay."
There were no sophisticated instruments in the laboratory, and no projects that needed to be kept confidential. The production of artemisinin failed again and again, and nothing mattered.
"There's a similar laboratory in the Imperial Hospital. Haven't you visited it?"
The Fifth Prince: “…No.”
He didn't tell her the reason, and Chu Huan didn't ask any more questions. After finishing her homework for the day, she took the Fifth Prince for a tour of the laboratory.
In the Fifth Prince's imagination, this laboratory that can produce life-saving drugs is like the national treasury, full of various dangerous mechanisms, secret rooms, real and fake laboratories, and one needs to pass many levels before finally entering the treasure house.
However, the real laboratory only has one door, and when you push it open you can see all kinds of bottles and jars inside.
Agency? It doesn't exist.
Chamber of Secrets? LOL, there isn't one.
At that moment, the mysterious filter of the laboratory and the expectations of the fifth prince were shattered.
The young boy had a blank look in his eyes and was clumsy with his hands and feet.
Is this the legendary laboratory? Well, it's pretty good. At least it has a door and windows and isn't open to the open air.
Since everything had been agreed to, the Fifth Prince didn't want to drag it out any further. He rushed to the palace after leaving Qianhuaju and conveyed Chu Huan's request to the emperor.
"Before the Lantern Festival, Chu Huan and Nangong Ling had no friendship, and she didn't show any concern for Nangong Ling during their conversation that day. This request was a bit unexpected, but considering her help to other women, it's not so surprising."
Whether it was bringing the second prince's family members to the Ministry of Revenue, or helping Jiang, the daughter of the Minister of Justice, to lose weight scientifically, or caring about Nie Shui who was ostracized and suppressed by military officers, or even worrying that Chu Shu, who she was not easy to get along with, would be deceived by a scumbag, all of them showed her care for women.
"She has a strange protective desire for women. When she sees women who are hurt or oppressed, she always wants to protect them and help them."
At this time, the Fifth Prince was speaking eloquently in front of the Emperor, and his every move was full of confidence. He was completely different from the ignorant young boy in front of Chu Huan.
"Chu Huan helped Nangong Ling because she's a woman, and she couldn't bear to see Nangong Ling's talents being unable to be fully utilized." As he spoke, the Fifth Prince's tone became a little sour, and his voice changed. "If it was a man who felt his talent was not appreciated today, this wouldn't have happened."
The emperor had no doubt about the fifth prince's observation ability. This kid always liked to act like someone else, and the premise of acting was observation and imitation. Four months of being classmates was enough for the fifth prince to understand Chu Huan.
"What would she do if she were a man?"
The Fifth Prince said without hesitation, "There's a 99% chance that I'll ignore it."
Emperor: "The remaining one?"
The Fifth Prince: "He must have the face, figure, and temperament of Shanglu."
Handsome men with unique temperament like Shanglu are rare, so the few that remain are equal to zero.
In other words: if the same dilemma happened to a man, Chu Huan would just ignore it.
As soon as the answer came out, all the men in the imperial study fell silent.
The old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor looked up at the sky silently: It wasn't us who taught her, she was born like this and there's no way to change it.
General Xuanwei turned his head silently: I just taught her a few days ago, it has nothing to do with me anyway, don't try to blame me.
The emperor looked at the three teachers who were quickly shifting the blame and laughed in his heart: You have come to this day too.
"It's just a study partner. If she wants it, give it to her."
The old Grand Tutor and the old Preceptor had no objection, and it was not convenient for others to interfere, so the matter of companion reading was settled.
The emperor summoned his ministers to discuss a more important matter at this time. The fifth prince was already there, and there was no intention of letting him leave midway, so he stayed and listened together.
"The telescopes made by Chu Huan and Meng Hang have been sent to the battlefield for some time. This time, the Crown Prince sent someone to deliver victory news. Recently, they have won several battles with the telescope, repelled several surprise attacks by the Northern Di, and even captured 500 Northern Di horses."
Speaking of this, the king and his ministers couldn't help but look at the senior who had robbed Bei Di Ma, with a hint of "the disciple is better than the master" in their eyes.
Beidi suffered a loss!
Five hundred free Beidi horses!
Prince Fu Rui was so happy that he was still a little dissatisfied no matter how they looked at it.
"Why only 500 horses? If I were young and had such good equipment, it would be a waste not to rob him of 7,000 or 8,000!"
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
Just brag!
The corners of his mouth are almost stretched to his ears, yet he still speaks so shamelessly.
Don't think we can't see how satisfied you are with the Crown Prince's actions!
Of course, they also selfishly felt that five hundred horses were a bit too few, and it would be even better if the number could be increased tenfold or eightfold.
The emperor warned himself not to be too greedy, as it would easily lead to failure.
"Over the years, Dasheng and Beidi have been fighting each other. The level of both sides is not much different, and the situation has always been stalemate. With the recent victory, Beidi must be suspicious. I'm afraid the telescope incident can't be concealed for much longer."
"That's not all." General Xuanwei used to guard the border between Dasheng and Beidi, and no one knew the ways of the Beidi better than him. "Within three months, the Beidi will also have telescopes."
As to whether Dasheng's telescope fell into the hands of Beidi, or Beidi began to imitate it after hearing that Dasheng had a telescope, we will have to wait and see to know.
The Minister of Revenue looked at the Minister of Works and asked, "Didn't they say that the telescopes sent to the border were specially treated so that they would activate their self-destruct mechanism once disassembled, making them difficult to copy?"
The Minister of Works had participated in the mass production of telescopes and was very familiar with their structure and tricks.
"It's not difficult to make a telescope. Chu Huan and Meng Hang have done their best to camouflage it, but the principle behind it is not difficult. Even if we can't dismantle it completely, we can still observe it from the outside. As long as we can see some of the materials, we can imitate it."
"We asked other officials from the Ministry of Industry to try to dismantle and imitate it. The version they eventually produced wasn't as clear or as far-sighted as the original, but it was still able to see at a closer distance. Over time, we were able to understand the principles and build a better telescope."
This is also the reason why the Ministry of Industry quickly sends the finished products to the front line for use after producing them in small batches.
Since it is destined not to be hidden for long, it is better to use it earlier and win more battles.
Telescopes can observe movements in the distance. As long as you have the advantage of a high platform and good field of view, you can avoid being ambushed to a large extent and even launch a surprise attack on the enemy in return.
Victory news came one after another from the borders of Dasheng, Xirong and Beidi, and many battles had been won.
The Minister of Revenue asked, "Can you make a more powerful telescope?"
"Yes." The Minister of Works nodded. "I heard Meng Hang mention it before. Chu Huan mentioned it when they were making a telescope together. He said there is another kind of astronomical telescope. It's very difficult to make, but if it can be made, Shanglu will be able to see real stars."
"Meng Hang was very curious at the time and asked a few more questions, but Chu Huan didn't tell him. After asking more, Chu Huan said that the gift was the real gift for Shang Lu, but it couldn't be made at the moment."
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
So this is what the deposit for a telescope means.
I have to say, they are so sour!
Why does only Shanglu have gifts?
The telescope is, and the sweet potato is too. Why did Chu Huan give the good things to Shanglu?
Is it just because of his face?
The king and his ministers looked at each other. Most of the people present were over 40 or 50 years old, and they were indeed no match for Shang Lu's youth and beauty.
The ignored Second Prince: "..."
He wanted to say that he was not bad looking, but he had no close relationship with Chu Huan. If anything really happened, it would be faster for the Second Prince's wife and Concubine Wu to take action.
——After getting the sweet potatoes, Chu Huan sent some to the Second Prince’s residence.
The Fifth Prince was so jealous that he almost lost his shape. He sighed regretfully, "If I had known she had such a good thing, I wouldn't have asked her to show me the lab, but would have asked her for a gift instead."
In an instant, everyone turned to look at him in disbelief.
It's fine if they didn't have a chance, but you let something so good slip away when you had one! When can't you see the lab? Why waste an opportunity?!
The fifth prince blinked his big innocent eyes and said, "But I don't know what she has. I can't just ask for everything, right?"
It is not impossible for the emperor and his officials to look up at the sky silently.
The fifth prince almost rolled his eyes. Of course you can do it, but if he says that, Chu Huan will beat him to death.
All the officials were heartbroken and gasped for breath after missing out on such a good thing.
"It's still the fault of the intelligence asymmetry."
"No, I have to find someone to talk to."
"We need to know how many good things she has in her hands first."
“Otherwise, when the opportunity arises, we won’t know what to order.”
The fifth prince asked a soul-searching question: "But you are unwilling to even give her an official position."
Even he thought it was too much.
Officials: "..."
"She's not stupid. She knows that the things she gives you will never come back, but she still gives them to you again and again."
It was precisely because the Fifth Prince understood Chu Huan and knew she had given so much without complaining that he felt aggrieved for her. "All the credit for this should go to Chu Qin. He's already a third-rank official now, right?"
Officials: "..."
The emperor and the second prince exchanged a glance, noticing the smile in each other's eyes: "Well done, Xiaowu! More!"
The exciting scene of the Fifth Prince's quarrel was relayed to Chu Huan in detail by the excited system.
Chu Huan was learning stargazing at Shang Lu's house and almost laughed out loud.
It seems that Xiao Fuhei has a very high liking for her and even helps her to confront others.
Because of this incident, the system's favorability towards the Fifth Prince was also very high: [Little Five is awesome! ]
[Given his relationship with you and his favorable impression of you, if one day the princes were to fight for the throne, I would definitely support him!]
What’s the point of your support?
Do you want to give him flowers and applause as spiritual encouragement in the system interface?
Chu Huan secretly shook her head and continued studying.
Because the system was in a good mood, it turned over and went to look for melons.
[Huh?]
Chu Hua: [What's wrong?]
The system reminded Chu Huan and switched to sharing mode: [Sister Huan, I have a Ximen Jie melon here, would you like some?]
Chu Huan:?
【Why did you go to eat his melon? 】
System: [The news of Ximen Jie buying poems has spread throughout the capital. I wonder what will happen to him.]
Shang Lu, Jia Yi, and Cai Gang immediately became nervous. Could the system know about this?
System: [Those people heard that Ximen Jie had a very sharp eye and would not accept anything that wasn't good. Some people brought their work to him to review, just to see what the quality of their work was and whether Ximen Jie could spend money on it.]
Some people even showed Ximen Jie their collection of poems, songs, and essays, all of which they had accumulated over the years, hoping that he would buy them later so they could have money to spend on other things. Ximen Jie actually received quite a few good essays.
Chu Huan: “…”
Shang Lu and others: "..."
It's outrageous!
The system switched to private chat mode and complained: [I ate a melon and ended up advertising for Ximen Jie. He owes me advertising money!]
Then they switched back to sharing mode, chatting in a group: [Simon Jie's story has reached his father's ears. No matter how you look at it, this is worth a meal of stir-fried pork and bamboo shoots, right?]
[It turns out his father was so fascinated by good articles that, instead of scolding him, he took all the articles Ximen Jie had collected and read them. He then gave Ximen Jie a lot of money, asking him to collect more good articles and to ask his father for more if he didn't have enough. Don't you think this is absurd?]
Chu Huan: […This is outrageous!]
Shang Lu and others: "..."
The system's tone became inexplicably excited: [And then, something even more outrageous happened!]
Ximen Jie's story spread like wildfire, and many writers were proud to have their writings purchased by Ximen Jie. Rumors spread, such as "Ximen Jie doesn't even look down on your writing!" He was essentially being used as a standard for judgment.
Everyone was just taking it as gossip, finding it amusing and giving it a few laughs, but then the emperor heard about it and wrote a poem, secretly sending it to Ximen Jie.
The emperor was so confident. He thought, "With my level, it must be worth at least a hundred taels, right?" However, Ximen Jie wasn't interested at all and even complained to his servant, "It's even worse than mine. How can you have the nerve to sell it for money?"
Chu Hua: [Poof!]
Shang Lu and others: Hahaha!
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