Duke of Zhenguan

For Lin Chuan, marrying the eldest daughter of the Cui family was not as simple as just marrying a woman.

Marrying a woman from the Cui family meant binding himself tightly to the Cui family.

If Li Shimin were to be bound to the Cui family, could he still hold onto their coattails securely?

The choice between Li Shimin and the Cui family is not difficult.

Besides, Lin Chuan had no choice. Cheng Yaojin was no pushover. If he dared to break off the engagement now, Cheng Yaojin would break three of his legs, if not kill him.

So Lin Chuan awkwardly cupped his hands towards Cui Guinian and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Cui, but my marriage is already arranged! I am truly sorry!"

"..."

Cui Guinian, who was full of confidence, was somewhat surprised by Lin Chuan's refusal. His expression became a little unnatural. After pausing for a moment, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Lin Chuan.

"Young Master Lin, you flatter me!"

After speaking, his expression quickly returned to normal. He didn't mention the matter of winning him over again. He chatted with Lin Chuan for a few words with a smile before getting up to take his leave.

Lin Chuan saw Cui Guinian to the door, not taking the matter to heart, and went back to continue eating.

That evening, a message reached Zhang Anan, the commander of the Hundred Cavalry Division.

Zhang Anan looked at the note for a moment, then put it in his pocket. The next morning, he handed the note to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin had just finished breakfast, served by Empress Zhangsun. He took the note, glanced at it, and sighed with a smile:

"These people have good taste!"

Empress Zhangsun glanced at it from the side and asked with a smile:

"The Cui family's visit to the Lin family is nothing more than an attempt to win over Lin Chuan. Isn't Your Majesty worried?"

"What's there to worry about? This kid is a smart man! He won't make a foolish mistake!" Li Shimin said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, Lin Chuan has done many things that have benefited the court, yet he doesn't even have a title. I'm afraid this is a bit unfair..." Empress Zhangsun said softly.

"I'm considering it! Besides the title, what I'm struggling with is what official position to bestow upon him."

"A mere assistant minister in the Ministry of Works is a waste of his talents! But if the position is too high, it might not be a good thing for him!" Li Shimin said.

Empress Zhangsun nodded, then suddenly said:

"Why doesn't Your Majesty ask Lin Chuan himself?"

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, nodded, and instructed Zhang Anan beside him:

"After the court assembly, send someone to summon Lin Chuan to the palace!"

"yes!"

After breakfast, Lin Chuan returned to the east wing and sat in the courtyard to cool off.

He was thinking about his next move. Li Shimin would not treat his own people badly, not to mention that Lin Chuan had Cheng Yaojin's help. He was sure to be the one to make the greatest contribution to the salt shortage caused by the powerful families, and he would definitely be rewarded.

Lin Chuan had little desire to take a regular post in one of the Six Ministries.

Becoming a county magistrate is an option, but not a good one. Being far from the capital means being far from the center of power, which is not conducive to his work.

What he most wanted to do was to establish an academy or research institute to plant the seeds of modern knowledge in the Tang Dynasty.

But building an academy was a huge undertaking, and even if Li Shimin was willing to support it, he wasn't very confident.

Around noon, Lin Chuan, who was feeling drowsy from the sun, was woken up by Mei Xiang:

"My lord, someone from the palace has arrived!"

Lin Chuan immediately came to his senses. He had been thinking of asking Yan Xiangshi to help him get an audience with Li Shimin. What a coincidence!

After washing his face and changing into clean clothes, Lin Chuan led Xu Laosan toward the palace.

Upon arriving at the palace, the familiar body search was conducted, and then I followed the eunuch to a side hall of the Xiande Hall.

Upon entering the side hall, Lin Chuan bowed respectfully to Li Shimin, who was seated behind the throne.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"No need for formalities!"

Li Shimin waved his hand and then instructed the eunuch beside him:

"Please take a seat!"

The eunuch brought Lin Chuan a brocade stool, and Lin Chuan sat down obediently. Then he heard Li Shimin ask with a smile:

"I heard the Cui family came to see you? What benefits did they promise you?"

There was no doubt in his tone, only pure curiosity.

"They said they were betrothing their eldest daughter to me!" Lin Chuan replied.

"Haha, they must have miscalculated! With Cheng Yaojin's temperament, you wouldn't dare to back out of the engagement!" Li Shimin laughed heartily.

"Your Majesty is right. If they had offered me some money, I might have agreed. But they chose something I dared not accept!" Lin Chuan echoed with a smile.

"When Lady Zhijie brought in the ice, she praised you highly to the Empress. This morning, the Empress even told me that she had treated you poorly."

The refined salt you produced has benefited the nation, and your title will be returned to you when Zhijie returns!

"Besides, it's not right for you to just stay at home doing nothing all the time. I'd like you to take a position in the Ministry of War or the Ministry of Civil Affairs. I'd like to ask for your opinion!" Li Shimin said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, I will follow your arrangements!" Lin Chuan replied awkwardly.

"Just say it!" Li Shimin said irritably.

The opportunity was rare, so Lin Chuan no longer held back, cupped his hands in greeting to Li Shimin, and said:

"Your Majesty, I am well aware of my own limitations and know that I lack the ability to serve as an official! I wish to establish an academy for the study of natural phenomena, and also an academy!"

"An academy?" Li Shimin stared at Lin Chuan with his mouth agape, hardly believing his ears.

You're a fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid, and you want to build an academy?

As for the Institute of Gewu, he didn't know what it meant.

"His Majesty?"

Lin Chuan asked nervously.

"What is the purpose of this Institute of Natural Sciences?" Li Shimin asked.

"Your Majesty, the Institute of Gewu is to find highly skilled craftsmen to research tools or methods that are more conducive to their work!"

"Just like the forging of weapons today, I think it's too slow and can be improved!" Seeing that Li Shimin didn't ask about the academy, Lin Chuan was somewhat disappointed and explained awkwardly.

"Lin Chuan, do you know how the master craftsmen in the Imperial Workshop will react if your words reach their ears?" Li Shimin raised an eyebrow and asked, somewhat speechless.

"Your Majesty, since I dare to speak out, I naturally have a way to improve it! Just take forging as an example. Your Majesty still remembers the waterwheel I made at the beginning of the year, right? In fact, as long as the waterwheel is slightly modified, it can be used for forging with water power!" Lin Chuan said, cupping his hands.

Li Shimin paused for a moment, then quickly grasped the crux of the matter. His gaze towards Lin Chuan became more serious, and he asked again:

"Anything else?"

"There is also iron smelting. I believe that iron smelting is a matter of national importance. Whether it is the farm tools and utensils in people's homes or the armor and weapons used in the army, they are all inseparable from iron smelting. I think there is still room for improvement in the current iron smelting methods!"

As for fertilizer, I think the current fertilizers are too monotonous. I would like to find some people to try other fertilizers. If they can be made, they can increase grain production!

... "

Now that he had started speaking, Lin Chuan no longer held back and told his thoughts in their entirety, focusing on the things he felt were the most urgent.

As an ambitious emperor, Li Shimin valued what Lin Chuan had just said even more than Lin Chuan had anticipated.

His gaze towards Lin Chuan became more serious than ever before, and he asked in a deep voice:

"What about the academy?"

"Your Majesty, the academy is precisely for cultivating talent for these purposes!"