Emperor Yuan'an closed another memorial before casually glancing up at his son. "Why do you look so dejected? Did you upset your tutor and get punished? Or are you dissatisfied with something and full of complaints, hoping I'll stand up for you?""Neither!" Yunzuo mustered his courage, raised his head, and looked directly at Emperor Yuan'an, his eyes brimming with curiosity. "It's just that I have many doubts in my heart, with nowhere to ask. I thought that since Emperor Father is wise and mighty, undefeated in battle, you should… should be able to resolve my questions, so…""Oh?" Emperor Yuan'an was somewhat surprised and secretly pleased. Over the years, he had been constantly campaigning north and south, completely neglecting his family. His children were born one after another; often, he would just hear that he had another child, bestow a name, barely catch a glimpse of them, and in the blink of an eye, the child would be grown.People often say that a father's failure to teach is his fault, but he had never had the chance to educate his children. Looking back, he had completely failed in his duties as a father!Unexpectedly, among these sons, there was one so bold—with doubts in his heart, he actually remembered that his father could also be a source of guidance? Emperor Yuan'an immediately grew interested. "What doubts do you have? Tell me."Yunzuo then said, "I practice archery and horsemanship diligently every day, always hoping to emulate even a fraction of Emperor Father's prowess, so as not to disgrace being your son. But today, my study companion, the grandson of the late Duke Jing and the legitimate son of Jingbei Marquis, Fu Yuchen, told me that one day, swords, spears, bows, and arrows will surely be entirely replaced by fire lances. By then, practicing archery and horsemanship will be useless. As far as I understand, fire lances have many flaws—how could they replace all weapons?""But Yuchen spoke with such confidence, his words filled with certainty. I thought, as the son of a military family, he has been immersed in such matters since childhood and seems to have an in-depth understanding of fire lances. He casually mentioned many suggestions for improvement. Could it be that he actually has a point?""I also thought, firearms have been used in warfare for nearly a century. Emperor Father even specially established the Firearms Battalion in the army. Although I haven't heard of the Firearms Battalion achieving any remarkable feats—instead, problems frequently arise—among firearms, there are cannons with immense power and long range. They can allow our army to defend cities and keep the northern cavalry outside the passes. The effectiveness of cannons against cavalry is evident.""Emperor Father, with your wise judgment, can fire lances truly be improved step by step until perfected, allowing a single person to possess the sharpness to kill with a single shot? One day, will fire lances completely replace swords, spears, bows, and arrows, equipping our entire army?"After asking all this in one breath, Yunzuo looked expectantly at Emperor Yuan'an.Emperor Yuan'an's first thought was, "Completely replace swords, spears, bows, and arrows? How is that possible?" But after a moment's reflection, he chose not to state his opinion directly. Instead, he adopted a gentle, instructive approach, smiling and encouraging as he asked in return, "Then what do you think, my son?"Yunzuo looked confused. "I don't know. I feel that it's not impossible for fire lances to completely replace swords, spears, bows, and arrows in the future. But at the same time, it seems there are many problems, very difficult ones, that may be impossible to resolve…"Emperor Yuan'an smiled, "Very well! As the saying goes: 'Knowledge from books is shallow; only through practice can one grasp its essence.' Another proverb states: 'Hearing is not as reliable as seeing.' Tomorrow at this time, bring your study companion here. I will grant you the title of probationary clerk in the Ministry of Works. After your daily studies, you may personally go to the Ministry of Works to review firearm documents and visit the firearms bureau to witness the manufacturing of fire lances. Return to me in half a month, and by then, you should have the answers you seek."Yunzuo was momentarily stunned before quickly expressing his gratitude, "Thank you, Emperor Father!""Mm, you may leave now!" Emperor Yuan'an nodded, watching his son depart with a hint of pride. He felt his skills as a father were quite advanced, making him a rare and wise parent. Previously, he simply hadn't had the opportunity to demonstrate this. In half a month, this method of teaching his son would undoubtedly yield remarkable results.Meanwhile, Fu Xuechen had no idea that the Sixth Prince had inexplicably dragged her into this. In high spirits, she returned to the estate.Upon entering the Green Courtyard again, the treatment this time was entirely different. Two types of pastries were already laid out on the table, and before the maids withdrew from the room, they left a pot of hot tea for Fu Xuechen.Fu Yuchen grinned, "These pastries are from Honey Fragrance Pavilion. Brother specially had someone buy them for you. Try them."Was he being this kind? Fu Xuechen glanced suspiciously at Fu Yuchen, cradling the teacup in her hands to warm them. She wasn't in a hurry to eat the pastries but instead proceeded with her usual routine, saying, "Alright! Let me first tell you about today's experiences. Today at Mingde Hall, Master Ji…""No rush, no rush!" Fu Yuchen waved his hand to stop her."Look, with my injuries to muscles and bones, it'll take a hundred days to recover fully. Accompanying studies at the palace is still far off for me. You don't need to recount every detail to me daily; just give me a general summary every few days. Today, I don't want to hear about any of that."Fu Xuechen also disliked narrating her daily experiences like reading a diary. Hearing this, she asked, "Then what do you want to do?"Fu Yuchen turned and retrieved a thin booklet with a blue cover from beside his pillow, tossing it to Fu Xuechen at the table. "Take a look at this.""What is it?" Fu Xuechen asked, setting down her teacup and opening the booklet. She was immediately astonished. Inside, the pages were neatly filled with tiny, meticulous calligraphy. The slightly larger characters at the beginning read: "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio: The Judge Lu."Fu Yuchen proudly explained, "This is the story you told me yesterday. I spent a day recording it and bound it into a booklet!"Fu Xuechen widened her eyes and silently read the text in the booklet: "Scholar Zhu Erdan of Lingyang was bold and unrestrained by nature, dull in his studies, yet fond of literary gatherings. He often gathered with others to drink and play games. One day, during another drinking feast, when they were half-drunk under the moonlight, a friend among them jokingly said: 'Master Zhu is known for his boldness. If you can go to the Ten Kings Hall tonight and bring back the judge, we will all pool money for a feast, sparing you any expense…'""This…" Fu Xuechen's mind was momentarily thrown into confusion by Fu Yuchen. She never expected that this guy, this guy, had actually recreated the story of Judge Lu from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio! And in a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese, it was almost like the original text!Of course, it wasn't exactly the same as the full original, and the literary style was far inferior to Pu Songling's, but the story remained the same, and the narrative structure was correct."Why did you copy this story? What do you intend to do?" Fu Xuechen asked warily, holding the booklet.Fu Yuchen waved impatiently, "I ask you, do you have the original script of this story? Do you know who the author is?"Fu Xuechen wanted to say the original author was Pu Songling, but this era had no Qing Dynasty, much less Pu Songling. Opening his mouth only to choke back the words, he could only shake his head.Fu Yuchen felt a surge of delight and quickly said, "That’s perfect then! I don’t know where you got this story, but as far as I know, I can confirm there’s no such storybook in any bookstore, and I haven’t even heard of it in the Imperial Academy. Look, how about we partner up and sell this new storybook?"
Chapter 18
The Prince Does Not Compete for the Throne