Duke of Zhenguan

Preparations for the Gewu Research Institute are proceeding smoothly.

Eight members of the Gongshu family eventually entered the Gewu Research Institute. Lin Chuan had already planned to create a separate group for the Gongshu family members, and have them first study bearings, gears, and levers, and then build a water-powered forging hammer!

Li San was in the palace helping Empress Zhangsun manage the Imperial Household Department. Li Shimin brought him into the Institute of Natural Sciences, which was a good fit for his profession.

After witnessing his abilities, Lin Chuan entrusted him with all the miscellaneous tasks of preparing for the Gewu Research Institute.

He himself had some free time again.

After a few days of leisure, Cheng Yaojin sent a letter saying that he would arrive in the capital soon.

On the evening of October 28th, Lin Chuan, along with Xu Laosan and the Cheng family's steward, left Fanglin Gate as the sun set and waited for Cheng Yaojin to arrive outside the city.

Outside the city gates came Lin Chuan and the Cheng family's steward, along with officials from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of Rites.

Compared to Lin Chuan's return to the capital, Cheng Yaojin's return was obviously much more grand.

Before long, several riders appeared on the road outside Fanglin Gate. They were obviously scouts from the army. Soon, the sound of chaotic hooves rang out, and squads of cavalry appeared at the end of the road, raising clouds of dust.

Another half hour passed before Cheng Yaojin, dressed in full armor, appeared in Lin Chuan's sight with dozens of personal guards.

After handing over his duties to the welcoming officials, Cheng Yaojin strode up to Lin Chuan, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a loud laugh:

"Haha, what brings you here, kid?"

Lin Chuan's shoulder ached from Cheng Yaojin's slap, but he could only endure it and said with a smile:

"Uncle Cheng is returning to Beijing, so of course I, your nephew, must come to welcome him!"

"You've made some progress; it seems you haven't been slacking off these past few days!"

Cheng Yaojin nodded, glanced at the military commander and the officers of the Right Guard who were handing over their duties, and smiled as he said to Lin Chuan:

"I'm going to the palace to meet the Emperor, and I'll be back in a bit. Go to Brother Qin's house first and invite him over. Then have Chu Mo invite Yu Chi Lao Hei and the others over. We'll drink until we drop!"

"yes!"

Lin Chuan replied with a smile.

Cheng Yaojin's visit to the palace to meet the emperor was merely a formality; the matters he needed to report had already been clearly stated before returning to the capital, and the handover was handled by his subordinates.

Li Shimin no longer needed to be polite to loyal generals like Cheng Yaojin. After catching up with Cheng Yaojin for a while, he let him leave.

So when Cheng Yaojin returned home, it was just getting dark, and the mansion was already bustling with activity.

In the main hall of the front courtyard sat Qin Qiong, Yuchi Jingde, Niu Jinda, Zhang Liang, Hou Junji...

Besides these generals, some of Cheng Yaojin's former subordinates were also sitting in a side hall drinking and chatting. Upon hearing that Cheng Yaojin was returning to the capital today, they all came to welcome him back.

Lin Chuan sat at a table with a group of generals, and Cheng Chumo was in charge of pouring wine for them.

After changing his clothes and hastily washing off the dust, Cheng Yaojin arrived at the main hall in a brocade robe, just as the banquet officially began.

At banquets in the homes of military generals, there is usually not much conversation and little emphasis is placed on etiquette. Apart from Cheng Yaojin saying a few words at the beginning, it is immediately time for a drinking contest.

As the eldest son, Cheng Chumo couldn't escape being forced to drink. Lin Chuan, on the other hand, was only familiar with Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde, and not very familiar with the other generals, so he wasn't forced to drink.

However, he eventually got drunk.

It's obviously impossible to walk out upright at such a banquet.

It wasn't until midnight that Lin Chuan, who was completely drunk, was carried to the east wing by the Cheng family's servants.

Since the marriage was arranged, Lin Chuan has never stayed in the guest room when staying at the Cheng family home. Instead, he has always stayed in the east wing where Cheng Chumo and his brothers, Cheng Chuliang, live.

The next morning, Cheng Chumo woke me up, and after washing my face, we went to the training ground in the front yard. Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong were already warming up on the training ground.

Lin Chuan and Cheng Chumo were naturally mocked and scolded by Cheng Yaojin a few more times, and then they began to practice martial arts.

Lin Chuan is still in the foundational stage, practicing stances alongside Qin Qiong, while Cheng Chumo and Cheng Yaojin have already mounted their horses, and the father and son are exchanging techniques on the training ground.

Having been away from home for so long, Cheng Yaojin was determined to test his son to see if he had been slacking off. He showed no mercy, and his horse spear, which had no spearhead attached, struck Cheng Chumo repeatedly, making Lin Chuan tremble with fear.

"Chu Mo has been learning martial arts from Zhi Jie since he was a child. Although he looks dangerous, Zhi Jie knows his limits, so there's no need to worry!"

"Besides, you started learning martial arts a little late, and your natural talent is lacking. No matter how hard you try, you'll never reach Chu Mo's current level. You won't even be qualified to spar with Zhi Jie. Don't worry!" Qin Qiong said with a smile from the side.

Lin Chuan gave an awkward laugh.

Qin Qiong glanced at him and jokingly said with a smile:

"But you'd better watch out, kid. Zhijie is very stingy. If Churou suffers any grievances at your house in the future, Zhijie won't be polite to you!"

"I would never let Chu Rou suffer any injustice!" Lin Chuan said somewhat guiltily.

"That's good, otherwise it would be difficult for me to be the matchmaker!" Qin Qiong said with a smile.

Cheng Yaojin, who hadn't slacked off and had stretched his muscles, was in a good mood. During breakfast, he dragged Qin Qiong to drink again, insisting on strong liquor, and Lin Chuan didn't try to avoid it either.

However, since I had to go to the palace soon, I didn't drink much.

Lin Chuan naturally had to go to the palace with Cheng Yaojin. Although he returned early, Lin Chuan's name was listed first on the military merit book that Cheng Yaojin handed over to the Ministry of War.

Lin Chuan followed Cheng Yaojin to the palace, where the court assembly had already ended.

Li Shimin summoned the main officials of the Three Departments and Six Ministries to a side hall and held a small court meeting specifically for Cheng Yaojin's trip to Longyou.

Cheng Yaojin employed both kindness and force during his trip to Longyou. Starting from Liangzhou, he passed through Lingzhou, Xiazhou, Qingzhou, and so on, almost clearing out the entire Longyou region.

Disobedient Hu tribes, bandits of all sizes, and local evil clans are all within the scope of the cleanup.

With detailed intelligence gathered in advance by the Hundred Cavalry Division, the cleanup was carried out very quickly.

For Cheng Yaojin and the imperial court, the merit was certainly there, but not that great; any general could have done it.

The truly important thing was the salt mines in Liangzhou.

Refined salt continues to be transported to Guanzhong, and now it has even begun to be transported to Hedong. As far as Lin Chuan knows, people from the Ministry of Works have gone to Jiangnan to prepare to build salt fields in suitable locations.

The reason why those powerful clans in Hedong suffered such a huge setback this time was because of the salt transported back from Liangzhou.

So the discussion in the side hall was still about how to reward Lin Chuan for his contributions.

A title will definitely be granted. It would be unreasonable not to grant a title to someone who has made such a great contribution. No one in the court is mentioning the matter of killing Pei Xu anymore, so there will be virtually no resistance in the court to grant Lin Chuan a title.

Previously, Li Shimin had already granted Lin Chuan the title of viscount, but this time, with a wave of his hand, he directly promoted Lin Chuan to earl.

Lin Chuan had no chance to speak in the side hall until the very end, when he finally had the opportunity to come out and thank Li Shimin.