After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

The group left the hall and went their separate ways.

Zhang Sheng caught up with Liu Jian: "Lord Liu, please wait!"

Liu Jian stopped and asked, "Minister Zhang, what is it?"

Zhang Sheng said, "Lord Liu, for tomorrow's contract signing, please have someone from each of the six ministries go there!"

Liu Jian naturally understood what he meant.

The signing of this official document was dishonorable, and the Ministry of Rites did not want to take the blame alone.

He nodded and said, "Your considerations are not without merit. The officials of the Six Ministries should all be present at tomorrow's alliance meeting. However, the Minister of Personnel, Tu Yong, has been seriously ill and bedridden for a long time, and it seems he will retire soon. Who would be suitable for the Ministry of Personnel to send instead?"

Zhang Sheng thought for a moment and said, "The affairs of the Ministry of Personnel will be temporarily handled by the Left Vice Minister Wang Ao, but Vice Minister Wang was injured in an explosion some time ago and is still recuperating at home."

Liu Jian sighed, "Let him go! He'll just show his face; he doesn't need to do anything. After all, the Ministry of Personnel can't be without anyone present."

"That's all we can do."

The two looked at each other and saw a deep sense of helplessness in each other's eyes.

The mighty Celestial Empire has been driven to such a state by the Northern Yuan.

How ridiculous, how pathetic!

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The area outside the Honglu Temple was quiet, except for the passing watchman.

After the watchman had gone far away, a shadowy figure crept up to the courtyard wall, looked around, and seeing that no one was around, barked twice like a dog.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

There was an immediate response from inside the courtyard wall, two barks from dogs.

The figure pulled a roll of paper from his pocket, threw it forcefully, and the paper rolled up an arc before landing in the courtyard.

Soon, the scroll was picked up and handed to Turu.

Turu unfolded the scroll, examined it carefully under the oil lamp, and a look of ecstatic joy gradually appeared on his face.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, his hands trembling with excitement.

Akunda was startled awake. He put on his robe and got up, asking, "Your Highness, what makes you so happy?"

"Imperial Advisor, look quickly!"

Turu handed over the scroll: "Blueprints for a biogas digester! Complete blueprints!"

Akunda took the blueprints and examined them closely by candlelight, a look of shock appearing on his withered face.

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

As he looked around, he exclaimed in amazement, "I never imagined the Han people were so ingenious! They can even collect and utilize the foul fumes produced by fermenting manure, turning them into firewood! If we could bring this technology back to the northern desert, it would be ten times more beneficial than the trade market!"

Tulu exclaimed excitedly, "The northern desert is bitterly cold, with long winters, and firewood is the most scarce resource. Every year, snowstorms cause countless people and livestock to freeze to death. If we had this biogas digester, we could use manure to start a fire for warmth—it's unbelievable!"

Akunda examined it carefully, then frowned: "I understand the principle, but many details... I'm afraid they will be difficult to handle."

He pointed to the markings on the blueprint: "Look here, the sealing material is a mixture of glutinous rice, lime, and fine sand in a specific ratio. The northern desert is bitterly cold, and the winter temperature is extremely low. This mortar might freeze and crack. And this valve needs to be made of fine iron. The process is complicated. The grasslands have no shortage of soldiers, but they lack craftsmen the most."

Tulu scoffed, "I'll have Manager Ma investigate those details you mentioned. As for refined iron, Manager Ma has connections there too. As for craftsmen... we'll bribe a few with a hefty sum when we leave. If all else fails, we'll kidnap a few! Once we get to the northern desert, we can slowly train new craftsmen."

Akunda pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That's fine too!"

He was the great shaman of the grasslands, regarded as a messenger who communicated with the gods and spirits of heaven and earth.

But looking at the blueprint in his hand, he felt a sense of awe.

The principle behind this biogas digester may seem simple, but it actually embodies a profound understanding of the laws governing the operation of all things in the universe.

The wisdom of the Han people is truly unfathomable!

Tulu, however, couldn't wait any longer. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Grand Preceptor, shall we... give it a try first?"

Akunda was taken aback: "Try what?"

"Let's see if this biogas is really that amazing!"

Tulu's eyes gleamed with excitement: "Isn't there a latrine outside the yard? It stinks horribly, it must be full of excrement. Let's light a fire and see!"

Akunda's heart stirred.

Although he was a great shaman, he was essentially a scholar, full of curiosity about the unknown.

"Walk!"

The two exchanged a smile, quietly pushed open the door, and stealthily made their way out of the courtyard.

-----------------

Outside the Honglu Temple, a small sedan chair made of blue cloth slowly came to a stop.

Wang Ao was helped out of the sedan chair by two servants.

He was pale, with a white cloth wrapped around his forehead, and walked with a limp, clearly still recovering from his injuries.

"Sir, please slow down."

The servants carefully supported him, afraid that he might fall.

Wang Ao waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "I'm getting old and useless. After a little injury, my body feels like it's falling apart."

He really didn't want to come to today's signing ceremony.

Yesterday, someone from the palace came to deliver a message, requesting that all six ministries send representatives to the scene.

With Minister of Personnel Tu Yong seriously ill and bedridden, he, as the Left Vice Minister, had to make an appearance no matter what.

Unable to refuse, Wang Ao had no choice but to come despite his illness.

He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and a warm flow between his thighs.

broken!

Wang Ao's expression changed, and he subconsciously squeezed his legs together.

I don't know if it's because the weather is getting cooler, but my stomach started acting up as soon as I left home this morning.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

The servant noticed something was wrong and quickly asked.

Wang Ao gritted his teeth and whispered, "Quick...quickly help me back to the sedan chair! The chamber pot...the chamber pot is in the sedan chair..."

A servant quickly said, "Hold on, we'll help you back right away!"

Wang Ao's face turned pale: "I'm afraid... I'm afraid it's too late."

The impulse grew stronger and stronger, to the point of collapse.

He looked around and suddenly saw a simple outhouse not far from the street corner.

"There... there!"

He pointed to the outhouse, his voice trembling.

The two servants exchanged a glance, both seeing worry in each other's eyes.

My husband is said to have offended the god of latrines by messing with the toilet, and has already been punished twice.

But the situation is urgent, and we can't worry about anything else right now.

The two men, one on each side, helped Wang Ao and walked quickly toward the outhouse.

As Wang Ao walked, he silently prayed in his heart.

May the Eternal Heaven protect us, may Lao Tzu protect us, may the Buddha protect us...

Please, please don't let it explode again this time!

-----------------

Behind the latrine, Turu and Akunda had already crept up.

This outhouse was located in a secluded corner of the street, and it hadn't been cleaned in a long time, so it reeked of a foul stench.

"This is it!"

Turu was somewhat excited, lowering his voice to say, "This smells really strong; there must have been a lot of accumulated manure fumes!"

Akunda leaned closer and took a sniff; sure enough, a strong stench assaulted his nostrils.

He nodded: "According to Manager Ma, this stench indicates that the feces are fermenting, and there must be a lot of fecal gas."

Tulu took out a tinderbox from his pocket, blew on it, and lit a small spark.

Suddenly, Akunda stopped him: "Wait! Check if anyone's inside!"

Turu was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Who came here so early in the morning?"

Even so, he still peeked into the outhouse.

It was pitch black inside, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

But it seems... there's been no movement.

Without further hesitation, Tulu stuffed the burning tinder into the crack in the bluestone slab.

The two men took a few steps back at the same time, held their breath, and stared intently at the cesspool.

After waiting for a while, nothing happened.

Turu was somewhat disappointed: "Is it because there's not enough fecal gas?"

Akunda frowned as well: "This shouldn't be happening, this stench..."

Before the words were finished—

boom!!

A deafening explosion!

The entire latrine seemed to have been overturned, with bluestone slabs shooting skyward.

The blast of air, carrying a foul stench, violently knocked Turu and Akunda to the ground.

The two fell and were completely disoriented, their faces and heads covered in excrement, looking utterly disheveled.

But at this moment, they couldn't care less about showing disdain.

The sight before them left them speechless with shock.

"It...it really exploded..."

Turu muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Akunda struggled to his feet, ignoring the filth covering his body, and knelt down with a thud.

He looked up at the sky, raised his hands high, and shouted in Mongolian, "The Eternal Heaven has manifested its power! The Eternal Heaven has taken pity on the suffering people of the northern desert and bestowed upon us such divine skill! This is a miracle! A miracle indeed!"

Turu also realized what was happening, and knelt down, bowing repeatedly towards the east.

Just as the two were getting excited, a faint groan suddenly came from the ruins of the latrine.

"Help...help me..."

Turu and Akunda exchanged a glance and froze at the same time.

"Didn't you say there was no one there?"

"It was pitch black, I didn't see clearly..."

"Run!"

Ignoring their filth, the two scrambled away from the scene.