The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 142 Deposit
Xiao Yi looked down and saw Shi Dechong wiping the snow stains off the tips of his boots with his sleeve.

The movements were pitifully practiced.

Xiao Yi kicked him away and said, "This is the last time I'll save you. From now on, I'll show you no mercy."

"Yes, yes, from now on you will be my husband and I will be your servant. I will definitely repay your kindness with my life."

"Once you see His Majesty, sever all ties with him. From now on, you will only be a subject of the Emperor. Don't let me hear the words 'former member of the Shi family' again."

"I understand that today's events have nothing to do with the Imperial Guards; it was just a moment of impulsiveness on my part."

"Take it, don't drop it."

Xiao Yi handed over the telescope and said, "You present it to His Majesty and say that you made this. It can see far into the distance and will be of great benefit to the battlefield."

Shi Dechong carefully accepted it and asked, "Such a great achievement, you're actually giving it to me, young master?"

Xiao Yi made a final calculation. Giving it directly to Guo Wei might earn him some appreciation, and he could be given an official position in the Ministry of Works or the Directorate of Works. However, there was Wang Jun in the court who "looked down on all the empresses." There was no patent protection at the time, so the technology would inevitably have to be handed over. To maximize the benefits, he would have to keep it in his own hands. But if a child were to carry gold in the market, he would need to raise a big banner. That was all the Shi family had to offer. If it were discovered, it would be that Shi Dechong had no relatives or friends and was entrusting his business to the person he trusted most.

"You can negotiate a deal with His Majesty: eighty strings of cash per piece. If the army wants to purchase them, they can pay a deposit and you will be in charge of manufacturing them."

"What if His Majesty is displeased?"

"Do you want to live off His Majesty's kindness towards the Shi family for the rest of your life?"

"My lord, I know what to do."

"Hmm, a smart man. Go, sever all ties with Zhang Mantun and Li Chongju, and take the blame for the murder all by yourself."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi watched Shi Dechong get up, his face showing flattery and his attitude humble. Recalling the past, he sighed slightly.

As I stepped outside, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that my boots were spotless.

By the time these matters were settled, it was already late at night.

Thinking that Li Zhaoning probably wouldn't go to sleep if he didn't tell her, Xiao Yi rode his horse to the Li residence again to pick up Lao Pan and Hua Nong.

In the hall, Hua Nong was asking Li Fang a question.

Li Fang held a book in his hand, occasionally answering a question casually, then looking up and complaining.

"So long."

"Something came up, so I went out to deal with it."

"Take them away, I'm sleepy."

Xiao Yi then realized that Li Zhaoning had not told Li Fang anything and was keeping her mouth shut.

"Brother Mingyuan, why don't you advise me to just hand over the telescope?"

"Hmm?" Li Fang didn't even look up, and said, "You said you wanted to do business."

"Brother Mingyuan, haven't you considered the possibility of getting promoted by offering a treasure?"

"You two, get out." Li Fang dismissed Lao Pan and Hua Nong, smiled faintly, and said, "Even the emperor changes frequently, so what's an official position worth? What's more real is what you get in your hands."

"You sent them away just to say this?"

"Hey, you made one right bet at the casino and thought you'd be rich for life. But the game isn't over yet. Don't gamble away all your money. That's all I have to say. I'm leaving you here."

Xiao Yi understood.

Li Fang, a man of many experiences, did not believe that the emperor would remain unchanged and reminded him that he should be cautious.

After leaving the hall, Li Zhaoning came over with a lantern and said, "I was just about to ask my cousin if he wanted to rest."

"Hehe, thank you for your concern. Please help me see the guest out."

"Yes."

"Goodbye."

"Has everything been resolved?"

"If all goes well, I will send over the money I owe Brother Mingyuan in a few days."

"Then I'll prepare some dishes."

"I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant."

"Going out to eat? It's a matter of courtesy and reciprocity; that's the mark of a true gentleman."

They ended up having two meals together.

Seeing that Li Fang was still willing to associate with him after he mentioned taking concubines, Xiao Yi still made things clear beforehand to avoid hurting his feelings for Li Fang.

“I’m not a gentleman, I’m a scoundrel. Su Dexiang has some gentlemanly qualities, but I can’t learn them.”

"Oh? How are you different?"

Li Zhaoning unexpectedly retorted.

If it were someone who couldn't hold back, they might praise one thing and criticize another, reveal their thoughts, make demands, try to please or put pressure on her, but she was different; she turned the passive situation into the active one.

Xiao Yi turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, unable to hide her interest in him, but with a mischievous smile.

She may have been attracted to him, but she remained composed, exploring and communicating with him on an equal footing.

"Let's assume Su Dexiang and I are both horses, and he is a gentle, fine steed..."

"What about you?"

"I am a wild horse, a spirited horse."

"Aren't you proud?"

"Ok?"

Li Zhaoning smiled and said, "Your eyes light up even more when you say you're a wild horse or a spirited steed; you must be very proud."

"Have it?"

"Yes, it longs to neigh twice and gallop away. You must be thinking, 'No one can ride a horse as fine as mine.'"

"You can ride it, as long as you don't tie it up."

"Hmph, I prefer taming wild horses."

What if I can't tame it?

"I'll accept it even if I fall."

Xiao Yi couldn't help but find it amusing.

Realizing he had misspoke, Li Zhaoning lowered his head and said, "I was talking about horses."

"I know."

"By the way, I'd like to visit Sister An at Taiping Palace, is that alright?"

"You can't get in. If you have time, I'll take you there."

"I'm afraid that busy people will forget that it would be too pitiful to leave her alone in Taiping Palace on the Lantern Festival."

"Okay, I'll take you to see her before the Lantern Festival."

"Then send someone ahead of time to let her know that I'll bring her some pastries. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"It will be all right."

Xiao Yi stopped.

Because we've already reached the door.

Li Zhaoning looked up at him again.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye." As he left the Li residence, he turned around and saw that Old Pan and Hua Nong were still at the wall in the front courtyard.

Why did you walk so far? Go back to camp.

"Here."

It's convenient not having to guard the palace gates; you can return to camp no matter how late it is.

……

After the Imperial Guard was established, the next step was to conduct drills and select new recruits for training.

The more Xiao Yizhi cared, the more elite soldiers he could select. While other commanders were still hungover, he had already followed the sergeant to select men from various units of the Imperial Guard.

Whenever he saw a promising young soldier who was energetic, strong, and had a focused and pure gaze, he would write down his name and have his men go and recruit him.

That afternoon, they encountered a burly man who looked extraordinary at the Imperial Guard's headquarters.

The man appeared to be in his thirties, strong and muscular, with exceptionally bright eyes. He wore ordinary civilian clothes, making his rank indiscernible. He watched as the sergeant flipped through the military register, showing great interest in the Palace Guard Command.

Xiao Yi then greeted him.

"May I ask your name, brother?"

"I dare not accept such praise. I am Murong Yanzhao, not Yanchao, but Yanzhao. I am from Taiyuan and a descendant of the Xianbei people."

Xiao Yi didn't hear the name clearly at first and almost didn't dare to say it.

Based on his name, he then asked, "What position does Brother Murong currently hold?"

"The Western Head Attendant is His Majesty's personal guard."

Xiao Yi then realized that Murong Yanzhao was there to fill the positions of Tang Jin, Guo Shouwen, and others, and that he could not be recruited.

"Your Majesty, what brings you here?"

"Oh, you've come to see General Xiao at the palace. His Majesty wishes to see you. I was distracted by the selection of soldiers for the Palace Guard and thus neglected my official duties. Please forgive me."

Murong Yanzhao was clearly more composed and low-key than Tang Jin. Not only was his attire inconspicuous, but he also did not reveal the reason for Guo Wei's summons on the way to the palace.

Xiao Yi knew that it must be related to Shi Dechong.

But it's unclear how things are progressing.

As we entered the palace, bypassing the Guangzheng Hall and entering the Zichen Hall, we found that the hall had been completely changed. All the luxurious decorations had been removed and replaced with screens, desks, maps, and other items.

It was transformed into a practical living room, quite suitable for the emperor and his ministers to hold court. Wang Jun even had a stool to sit on.

Shi Dechong was indeed there, with Li Chongjin and Zhang Yongde standing next to him, both looking unlucky.

Xiao Yi bowed, his gaze quickly sweeping over the telescope on Guo Wei's desk.

"I have met your Majesty."

"Tell me about last night's events. How could a murder have occurred right under the noses of my Imperial Guards?"

Since a confrontation was not possible at this point, and Xiao Yi did not know what Guo Wei had found out, he simply confessed.

"Your Majesty, the fault lies with me. I instigated the generals to confront him. In retrospect, I should not have done so. Your Majesty founded the Great Zhou Dynasty and established laws and regulations. The affairs of historians should be handled by the relevant authorities. The Palace Guard has no right to interfere."

Guo Wei said, "You're used to being a brute, yet you know these things."

Li Chongjin quickly said, "Uncle, it's my fault. It was clearly me who instigated it..."

"I didn't ask you whose fault it was."

Xiao Yi roughly guessed what Guo Wei meant.

Shi Fu is unimportant; Guo Wei will surely see the value of the telescope. It would be better to gracefully dismiss Shi Dechong's killing of his uncle without making the Imperial Guard feel that they have been condoned.

"Your Majesty, Shi Dalang did not intend to kill Shi Fu. It was a misunderstanding, and he accidentally caused the accident."

“Father-in-law, I see it more clearly. Shi Fu committed suicide.”

"Brother Xiufeng, I plan to bestow upon Brother Huayuan the title of Prince of Zheng, what do you think?"

Wang Jun was clearly about to object, saying, "Your Majesty..."

Shi Dechong suddenly burst into tears, knelt down on the ground, and said, "Your Majesty is so kind as to remember that my father was from Zhengzhou."

Wang Jun said, "Your Majesty, the achievements of Shi Hongzhao are more than enough for the Prince of Xingyang."

Xiao Yi lowered his head slightly, thinking that Wang Jun had his own selfish motives, but his words were still fair. Shi Hongzhao had both gains and losses. He had already been promoted to the rank of Prince. There were many people with greater historical achievements who were not posthumously granted the title of Prince.

However, Guo Wei did have a strong sense of loyalty to Shi Hongzhao and was quite persistent in his support.

He didn't care about these things. After waiting for a while, Guo Wei picked up the binoculars.

"Xiao Yi, have you ever seen this before?"

Xiao Yi's heart skipped a beat. Unsure of Guo Wei's intentions, he thought for a moment and replied, "I have met you."

Where have I seen this before?

“Shi Dalang once told me about this.”

After responding, Xiao Yi waited patiently for a while. He had a feeling of "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger," not because Guo Wei had suddenly become very shrewd, but because the emperor had the power of life and death.

Guo Wei spoke again, asking, "Why wasn't this mentioned to me?"

Xiao Yi, worried about being exposed, said, "I tried to make one. I bought crystals in the East Market and even made a crystal mirror, but I couldn't make a telescope. I was planning to tell His Majesty after I finished it."

"You can make that too?"

Guo Wei's words finally revealed his true feelings.

Xiao Yi felt relieved, knowing that today's questioning before the emperor was all for the purpose of saving money, so he said, "No."

"So, how much do you think this telescope would cost?"

"I believe it should be one hundred strings of cash?"

Guo Wei snorted unhappily, looked at Shi Dechong, and said nothing.

Seeing Shi Dechong trembling, Xiao Yi couldn't help but worry that he wouldn't be able to hold on.

After a while, Wang Jun began to apply pressure.

"Your Majesty has shown Shi Hongzhao great kindness and friendship, but Shi Dechong is greedy for personal gain and unwilling to repay Your Majesty. In that case, will Your Majesty still posthumously confer the title of Prince of Zheng?!"

"Your Majesty, I dare not," Shi Dechong said in a trembling voice, "but... the cost is indeed eighty strings of cash."

Zhang Yongde said, "Brother Shi, how about this? You tell us how to make this telescope, and the imperial court will make it without you having to pay for it."

Shi Dehong shuddered again.

Xiao Yi knew he couldn't hold on any longer. If he knew about the creation of the magic, he would definitely offer it up now. Unfortunately, he didn't know, and telling the truth now would be a crime of deceiving the emperor.

Even if you can't hold on, you have to.

At the critical moment, Li Chongjin spoke up, shouting, "What are you trembling about? Your uncle isn't robbing you! Speak!"

Shi Dechong burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Alright, stop crying." Guo Wei waved his hand and said, "I am not an unfeeling person. I remember your contributions and don't want to cut off your livelihood, so let's make a hundred for now."

Xiao Yi breathed a long sigh of relief.

Finally got the money, now we can get things moving.

However, Wang Jun spoke up again.

"Your Majesty, making twenty will suffice."

Xiao Yi was slightly taken aback, realizing that even a hundred, let alone twenty, would be far from enough. That old scoundrel Wang Jun was unwilling to part with his money and intended to produce imitations.

(End of this chapter)