I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Zhou Fu led two eunuchs to carry the stretcher out of the Qianyuan Hall.

Lu Cheng lay on it, howling at the top of his lungs all the way. His voice carried far from the entrance of the palace until it disappeared around the corner of the screen wall.

The palace doors closed.

Only three people remained in the vast Qianyuan Hall.

Lu Cangqiong sat back down behind the dragon throne, picked up the vermilion pen, and began to review the memorials as if to continue.

But after holding the pen for a long time without writing a single word, his gaze moved over the tip of the pen and fixed on Lu Yuan.

"Speak."

Lu Yuan didn't rush to speak.

He first turned his head to make sure the palace door was closed tightly, then glanced at Zhou Fu.

Lu Cangqiong understood what he meant and tilted his head at Zhou Fu: "You should also step outside."

Just as Zhou Fu was about to take a step, Lu Yuan waved his hand instead.

"No need, Eunuch Zhou is no outsider."

He cleared his throat, his playful grin vanished, replaced by a mysterious expression.

"Father, before I speak, you must grant me one request."

"You're still trying to negotiate with me?"

"It's not about making conditions."

Lu Yuan said solemnly, "What I am about to say may sound a bit outrageous, but I swear on my life that every word is true."

"If Father does not believe me then, I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Don't even mention thirty strokes, sixty strokes are fine, beat them to death."

Lu Cangqiong's brows furrowed into a knot.

This kid usually blames everything on others, even the smallest things, but today he actually took the initiative to escalate the situation?

"If you dare to spout nonsense, your punishment will be doubled."

"become."

Lu Yuan responded, took two steps forward, and lowered his voice.

"Father, this story begins a month ago. One night, I fell asleep in the manor and had a dream."

"Dream?"

"This is not an ordinary dream."

Lu Yuan raised his hand and gestured, "In my dream, an old man with a white beard appeared. He claimed to be the Old Immortal of Nanhua and said he had a method to pass on to his son."

Lu Cangqiong placed the vermilion brush on the brush holder, leaned back in his chair, and stared at Lu Yuan for a full five breaths.

"Lu Yuan".

"What are you doing?"

"Do you even know what crime it is to deceive the emperor?"

"I know, it'll cost me my head."

Lu Yuan nodded, his expression unchanged. "But your son did not deceive the emperor. That old immortal said that the Great Yong Dynasty is a dynasty ordained by Heaven and will last for ten thousand generations without decline."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cangqiong's expression, which was about to erupt, froze for a moment.

The imperial dynasty, ordained by Heaven, shall endure for ten thousand generations.

Which emperor wouldn't be tempted by these words?

"The old sage also said that the royal family's fortune is closely related to the continuation of their lineage."

Lu Yuan straightened his posture, his tone unusually serious, "As long as a member of the royal family has children and consummates his marriage with a woman for the first time, he will receive a reward from the gods."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cangqiong's lips twitched.

He stared at Lu Yuan's face, trying to find even the slightest trace of guilt.

There was no result.

Lu Yuan stood there, his gaze open and his expression solemn, as if he were a different person.

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old?" Lu Cangqiong's tone turned serious.

"How could my son dare?"

Lu Yuan spread his hands, "If Father doesn't believe me, there's nothing I can do. That's what the old sage said anyway, believe it or not."

Seeing him rolling his knife around, Lu Cangqiong immediately let out a cold laugh.

"According to you, one can receive a divine reward upon first engaging in sexual relations with a woman."

"Now that you've had sex with Su Yuling, shouldn't the gods reward you?"

Lu Yuan was taken aback, then nodded seriously, "The old immortal did indeed give my son something."

Lu Cangqiong did not respond.

But he didn't lash out, nor did he have anyone drag Lu Yuan out.

This shows that he was wavering.

After a moment, Lu Cangqiong asked in an unusually serious tone, "What is it?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In his past life, he was a top student at a prestigious 985 university in science and engineering. He transmigrated to this wretched place, with no way to use his vast knowledge and skills.

I used to want to be a salted fish, too lazy to bother.

Now that I've been forced to the card table, I can easily impress these ancient people by pulling out any random item.

However, you need to choose a suitable one.

Salt? No way! Salt and iron are monopolies; to touch them is treason.

Sugar? The technology for purifying white sugar is not difficult, but it is too slow to produce results and not impressive enough.

Paper? Improving papermaking techniques would be fine, but the project is too large and can't be completed in a short time.

Wine? Distilled spirits are simple, but in the emperor's eyes, wine is at most a pleasure, and it cannot yet support the title of "Heavenly Mandate Dynasty".

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed in Lu Yuan's mind.

Got it!

"Call it horseshoe."

Lu Yuan said, "There is also a set of saddle design drawings."

"What kind of iron?"

"horseshoe."

Lu Yuan repeated, "It's the iron shoes nailed to the horses' hooves, paired with improved saddles, that can increase the cavalry's combat power several times over."

Lu Cangqiong frowned, clearly not understanding.

"Father, please step aside."

Lu Cangqiong was stunned.

"You want me to move aside?"

"You'll only understand if your son draws it out."

Lu Yuan took two steps toward the imperial desk. "It's not easy for me to draw while standing. Let me sit there and I'll draw you a picture. You'll understand after you see it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Fu took a breath.

"Your Highness, that's the dragon throne, you can't sit on it..."

Lu Cangqiong's face also darkened.

He stared at Lu Yuan, his eyes practically spitting fire.

That's the dragon throne; only the emperor can sit on it.

Is this rebellious son plotting a rebellion?

However… he thought about it again… if this kid really received the divine teachings and could ensure the eternal prosperity of the Great Yong Dynasty, what harm would there be in letting him sit on the dragon throne?

"snort."

Lu Cangqiong snorted coldly, then stood up and reluctantly walked to the side.

Lu Yuan casually walked around the imperial desk and plopped down on the dragon throne.

The chair was harder than he expected, the backrest was lumbar and the seat cushion wasn't thick.

"This lousy chair, doesn't it hurt your butt to sit on it!"

"You..." Lu Cangqiong got anxious and reached out to teach Lu Yuan a lesson.

Zhou Fu reached out and stopped him.

He whispered, "Your Majesty, the treasure is more important, the treasure is more important!"

Lu Cangqiong took a breath and forced it back down.

I'll endure it, I'll keep enduring it!

Lu Yuan didn't have time to pay attention to him. He casually took a brush from the brush holder, tore off a blank sheet of Xuan paper, dipped it in ink, and began to paint.

"Your Majesty, look how seriously His Highness drew it; it doesn't seem like he was just making it up."

Lu Cangqiong didn't speak, but his heart began to waver.

Could it be that this rebellious son has truly received divine favor?

If what he said is true, then the Great Yong Dynasty will truly be prosperous for all eternity!

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lu Yuan stood up from the dragon throne.

"The drawing is finished. Father, please take a look."

Lu Cangqiong walked over and picked up the paper.

He looked for three breaths.

Then his face turned green.

"After all that work, this is what you drew?"

"A piece of metal, a broken frame."

Lu Cangqiong slammed the paper on the table, his voice icy cold, "You call this a treasure bestowed by the gods?"

"Lu Yuan, you unfilial son, I think you're tired of living."