Chapter 102
Ming Yu rubbed his sore knees as he stood up, then broke into a smile. Shamelessly, he moved closer with a cheerful grin and said, “Father is the best. Your son thanks you.”
The emperor gave him a helpless glare. He had no idea who had taught Ming Yu to be this shameless.
Picking up the crossbow from the table, the emperor asked, “What is this?” He had already examined it. Despite its small size, it was highly lethal. According to reports from the inspectors, this weapon could kill with a single shot—the guard had been slain by the short bolt fired from it.
Ming Yu knew he couldn’t hide the truth. “This is called a crossbow. It was made by the craftsmen from the Workshop—uh, the ones I requested from Father before I left the capital. It’s meant for self-defense.”
Seeing that the emperor still didn’t quite understand, Ming Yu decided to explain its use directly. “This thing is much easier to use than a bow. Archery requires precision, strength, and years of training to master. But with this, all you need is a simple pull of the trigger. I’ve never trained in archery, yet I can use it effortlessly. And despite its small size, it’s incredibly powerful—the range is no less than that of a bow.” He paused for a moment, gesturing animatedly before dropping an explosive piece of information. “Actually, if this were made on a larger scale, it could be used for sieging cities or defending them. It would be incredibly effective. However, it’s still in the experimental phase and hasn’t been mass-produced yet.”
“Oh?” The emperor’s interest was piqued. This sounded highly feasible. If true, it could serve as an additional layer of defense for the border regions.
Sensing an opportunity, Ming Yu grinned and said, “Father, you see, there are far too few craftsmen in the borderlands. The ones we have now are already overwhelmed with work. So… what do you think?”
No one understood their child better than a father. How could the emperor not know what Ming Yu was up to? Clearly, he was trying to coax more people out of him. But this wasn’t a big deal. With a wave of his sleeve, the emperor said, “Fine. If you have time, go ask for them yourself. However many you can convince to follow you is up to your own ability—I won’t help.”
“Thank you, Father!” Ming Yu was overjoyed. As long as his father gave permission, this wouldn’t be a problem. The more craftsmen, the better—his entire plan for building up his territory depended on them.
The craftsmen at the Workshop weren’t many to begin with. As they settled in Liangcheng, they had started innovating and inventing new things. The rapid development of Liangzhou relied heavily on their creations—each invention was crucial to the city’s future.
After the last incident with spies infiltrating the Workshop, Ming Yu no longer dared to openly recruit craftsmen in Liangcheng. He had already decided that the craftsmen he brought from the capital would be the core team. Their research had to be kept confidential—no leaks could be allowed. However, these trusted craftsmen were too few in number, and the shortage of skilled hands was his biggest headache.
This trip to the capital was the perfect opportunity to gather more people. Only craftsmen from the capital were trustworthy enough for him.
What the emperor didn’t expect was that his casual remark that day would later lead the Minister of Works to come forward with complaints. After receiving an imperial decree, Duan Wang took the opportunity to take away more than half of the capital’s craftsmen. As a result, there was now a severe labor shortage in the capital’s construction projects, and many would have to be delayed.
This left the emperor both amused and exasperated. That rascal, Old Fourteen, really showed no restraint! But a ruler’s word was as good as gold—since he had already spoken, what else could he do? He would just have to find replacements from elsewhere.
The emperor nodded, examining the crossbow in his hands once more. It was indeed light and handy. “Do you always carry this with you?”
Here’s the complete translation of your text with natural flow while preserving the original meaning:
“It was supposed to be ready long ago, and I would have carried it with me at all times. Unfortunately, when I got into trouble last time, it wasn’t finished yet. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have suffered so much,” Ming Yu said honestly.
“Carrying it with you is a good idea,” the Emperor agreed, thinking of the complicated situation at the border. Taking precautions was the right thing to do to avoid such incidents from happening again.
Ming Yu grinned and flattered him, “If Father likes it, I can offer it to you as a token of my filial piety.”
“Filial piety? It’d be enough if you don’t anger me,” the Emperor tapped his head lightly before shaking his own. “Just keep it with you. What use would I have for it in the palace?”
Since the Emperor had spoken, Ming Yu had no choice but to put it away. With that, their conversation came to an end. It was already late at night, and the Emperor, knowing that Ming Yu had just returned and hadn’t rested much, gave him a few more words of advice before letting him leave.
After leaving Prime Minister Wen’s residence, the sky had already darkened. Xie Yixiu glanced in the direction of the palace, wondering what Ming Yu was doing at that moment. It had only been half a day since they parted, yet he was already starting to miss him. How was he faring in the palace? How were his siblings treating him? Would there be any scheming or covetous intentions aimed at him?
Over time, Xie Yixiu had gradually uncovered Ming Yu’s past, and the more he learned, the more it pained him. In that ruthless environment where people only flattered the strong and trampled the weak, how had Ming Yu survived when he was gravely ill and considered a fool?
It was said that before he was granted his title, everyone in the palace despised him. If not for the Emperor’s protection, Ming Yu might not have survived to adulthood. Otherwise, why would there have been that incident where he fell into the water? A prince who understood nothing and lived in his own world—how could he have wandered near the water’s edge for no reason? And how could he have fallen in by accident?
Now, the truth of the past had long been buried, leaving no traces for others to uncover. But fortunately, the heavens had been kind. What was once a disaster turned into a blessing—after falling into the water, Ming Yu’s mind gradually cleared, and only then did he become the brilliant person he was today.
Xie Yixiu could imagine the constant power struggles within the palace, which only made him worry even more about Ming Yu’s situation. He knew he shouldn’t be meddling in these matters, yet he couldn’t help but feel anxious for him.
Ming Yu, however, had long since put aside all concerns and was sleeping soundly. After days of travel, a fight upon returning, and an exhausting day, he was utterly drained.
By the next day, news had already spread. Among the three princes involved, two had been punished, while only Ming Yu was spared. This made everyone reevaluate Ming Yu’s status. Just because the Emperor had sent him to the border didn’t mean he had fallen out of favor. One only had to look at the Emperor’s attitude to see that Ming Yu still held an important place in his heart.
The following morning, after court was dismissed, the Grand Chancellor remained behind with a solemn expression. After reporting his presence, he was granted an audience with the Emperor in Yude Palace.
As usual, Prime Minister Wen performed a formal bow. The Emperor, lifting his head from the mountain of memorials before him, waved his hand with a smile. “I’ve told you before, in private, there’s no need for such formality between us.”
Prime Minister Wen, however, still completed the full ceremony before replying, “Your Majesty, the proper etiquette between ruler and subject must not be discarded.”
Seeing his unwavering seriousness, the Emperor couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’ve always been one to put rules above all else. Fine, fine, do as you wish.”
At those words, both of them paused for a moment. The Emperor then quickly regained his composure and signaled for a seat to be given.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Prime Minister Wen expressed his gratitude before sitting down properly.
“What brings you here today?” the Emperor asked, getting straight to the point.
Naturally, Prime Minister Wen wouldn’t have come without reason. After much deliberation over Xie Yixiu’s proposal from the previous night, he realized that the plan would benefit both the country and the people while preserving national dignity. The matter of the Western Qi Corridor needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Though he had no idea how Duan Wang intended to develop the corridor without spending a single coin from the national treasury, he had decided to take the risk and give it a try. If he was going to support the initiative, he first needed to gauge the Emperor’s stance. He didn’t believe that Duan Wang would go forward with such a major project without informing the Emperor. The only question was—what did the Emperor think of it?
Prime Minister Wen recounted the events of Xie Yixiu’s visit yesterday in full detail before finally asking, “Your Majesty, do you know about this matter? What are your thoughts on it? I have pondered over it repeatedly but still cannot fathom what kind of solution Duan Wang might have.”
The emperor listened and then chuckled. “That old Fourteenth still knows how to call upon allies.”
He stood up and took a couple of steps. “Even if you hadn’t come today, I would have sent someone to summon you. Ming Yu already spoke to me about this yesterday, only asking for my support—he said he would take care of the rest himself.”
After a moment of contemplation, he continued, “Although I don’t know what plan he has in mind, I have indeed been considering the matter of the Western Qi Corridor. If what Ming Yu says is true, then perhaps the decades-old situation at the border may finally see some improvement.”
Prime Minister Wen nodded. That was precisely why he had agreed to this matter—the border was a deep-rooted issue. The emperor had been preoccupied with it for decades. Back then, he had insisted on going to war against Suixi, even at the cost of exhausting the nation’s resources, because the Suixi Kingdom had grown increasingly arrogant. If they had not struck back decisively, Suixi would have continued to see Great Yan as weak and easy to exploit. Endlessly tolerating their provocations would have only encouraged them to push further.
The emperor’s decision back then had thrown the entire court into chaos. Some supported it, but there were even more voices of opposition. The officials had grown accustomed to a life of peace and stability—recklessly waging war against Suixi would only shatter the fragile surface-level tranquility they enjoyed.
But that so-called peace had been bought with the women sent to marry into Suixi and vast amounts of wealth from Great Yan. While the empire paid the price in blood and sacrifice, those in power indulged in their extravagant lifestyles, continuing to live in decadence under the shadow of these shameful transactions.
The young emperor had been filled with passion back then—his sole desire was to resolve the Suixi problem once and for all. The only way to achieve that was through war. He wanted to make the barbarians understand that the people of Great Yan were not made of clay—they had blood, courage, and strength. Yet, once the war began, it never truly ended. Year after year, the border was engulfed in flames of battle, and the cost in both manpower and resources became an astronomical burden. In recent years, the nation’s finances had grown increasingly strained, to the point where they were barely making ends meet.
Now, within the imperial court, voices calling for peace negotiations were beginning to emerge once more. There were even whispers in private, claiming that the emperor’s decision all those years ago had been a grave mistake.
The once high-spirited young ruler had aged, and now the years weighed heavily upon him. Back then, they had all sworn to serve the country and its people, to strive together for a peaceful and prosperous era. But fate had not been kind. As time passed, how much of their original resolve still remained? The emperor was only human—there were limits to what he could bear.
Now, looking at Xie Yixiu and Duan Wang, he saw glimpses of his younger self. That lingering ember of passion within him flickered once more—there were still young men willing to shoulder this responsibility, to forge a future of peace for generations to come.
“Yes, I no longer dare to hope for too much. I only wish for lasting peace at the borders and a stable empire. At this moment, it seems that everything rests on Duan Wang.” Prime Minister Wen sighed with emotion.
His words stirred a complex mix of emotions within the emperor. Over the years, there had been moments of regret, but once he had set Great Yan’s immense wheels in motion, he could no longer halt their progress. The only thing he could do was grasp the reins tightly and ensure they moved forward steadily.
“Ming Yu is a fine young man,” the emperor murmured with a faint sigh, a trace of comfort in his voice. “Yuhua’s children… they are all excellent. If Yuhua’s spirit still lingers in the heavens, she would surely be pleased.”
A flicker of unreadable emotion passed through Prime Minister Wen’s eyes. He nodded, but a bitter feeling rose in his heart. She had been truly remarkable—so much so that she was unforgettable. In their youthful days, the three of them had once ridden in fine robes upon white horses, discussing the grand ambitions of ruling the land. How glorious those times had been. But now… there was no going back.
The emperor turned to look at Prime Minister Wen and saw the sorrow in his gaze. An inexplicable ache stirred in his chest, so he quickly changed the subject. “Let’s proceed with Ming Yu’s plan. No matter how much trouble he stirs up, as long as he doesn’t end up dragging himself into disaster, let him be.”
His meaning could not have been clearer—Ming Yu could do as he pleased. As long as the emperor was there to support him, no one would dare to object.
Prime Minister Wen understood. He nodded. Since that was the case, there would be no further obstacles in court regarding this matter. He would do his best to secure support for them within the imperial court.
After taking his leave, Prime Minister Wen walked away, his tall and refined figure gradually fading into the distance. The emperor watched him go, raising his hand slightly, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to grasp something—but in the end, he caught nothing. His hand slowly lowered, and he let out a long, melancholic sigh.
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