Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

"Eh?" Shangluo suddenly remembered, "Where did they get so much money? I remember they were extremely poor."

"I was wondering, too, how much they've spent. They even asked me to donate 540 million taels to charity. I was wondering if it was stolen money, and he was just trying to get rid of it. But when I checked the accounts, I found out he sold the building—holy crap, how did he get the information? He sold it the day before we went to clean up the mess, and even after paying you back, he still had a ton of money left. I wonder what expert he got the advice from, Shangluo. Could it be you?"

Lu Huaiyang held back this question for a long time. He was just too busy today to ask. He had brought Shangluo to him because he wanted to ask if he had anything to do with this matter. After all, this matter was quite strange. There were some lucky people in the Jinyiwei, but it was hard not to notice that they had made such a big fuss by relying on fortune-telling.

Shangluo nodded:

"Indeed, I calculated it for him."

Shangluo didn't intend to hide it. It was obvious that he couldn't hide it. Wen Yuan had communicated with Maya a lot, and he had discovered it long ago.

"Then why don't you count yourself?"

"I figured it out. When I left, I got a fortune telling, which said I wouldn't owe the court any money. But when I was arrested, I kept getting bad fortune. I used to have pretty good luck. Even when I was kidnapped, you guys would come to my rescue. I'd often find two toppings in my instant noodles. But those two days were also incredibly bad. I got caught making an elixir, got food stuck in my teeth, and nearly had an accident on my plane."

"The plane almost had an accident?" Lu Huaiyang was shocked. He was sitting in the back and had no idea.

"It's okay, it's okay. I've ruled it out. It's not a big problem."

"You really are... you really have some mysterious reputation." He stared at Shangluo meaningfully for a while:

"The Taoist Patriarch wants to choose an auspicious day to meet you, which is the day after tomorrow. If you have nothing to do tomorrow, why don't you come to my house for a meal? We live quite close, so if you need anything in the future, just come to me. Our two families are old friends, so I'll take good care of you while your father is away."

"I do have something I need to ask Captain Lu for a favor. I haven't contacted anyone about going back to school yet."

"No problem. I've already arranged that for you. You just need to fill out some paperwork. I'll go to the school for you tomorrow morning and pick up the paperwork for you. You can fill it out after lunch."

"Oh, that's not necessary. I can get it myself."

"It's okay. I'm just on my way to pick up my daughter. Your two schools are next to each other. Besides."

His gaze slowly turned to the other side:

"Wen Yuan, you must come tomorrow too."

"No, no, no, no." Wen Yuan shook her head violently, "I haven't finished writing my report yet. I don't dare go to your house."

"She hasn't eaten the carrot yet, so she can't kick you."

"I didn't dare to go because she couldn't kick me. When she could kick me, it wouldn't be a big deal to let her kick me a few times. I'm tough anyway. But now."

"Okay." Lu Huaiyang didn't want to discuss this issue in depth. "Then come back after dinner? You have to come tomorrow anyway."

"Very good, I must see you in person. Also, Shangluo, I heard that you don't seem to have any true energy?"

"I seem to have it, but I also seem not to. I seem to be able to feel the true Qi, but many people say that there is no true Qi flowing in my body."

"We have professional instruments in the capital that can measure this, and we'll know what the problem is then. You seem like a promising candidate for cultivation, so perhaps there's still a way. But if you ultimately can't achieve immortality, you'll have to be mentally prepared. After all, your father is a formidable Qigong master and clock maker. You may have heard that Qigong masters can't pass on their talents when they pass down their talents. Therefore, children of Qigong masters will most likely encounter some inexplicable obstacles on their path."

Shangluo had also heard Captain Lin talk about this aboard the Ninghe. It truly was Heaven's way to take from the excess and replenish the deficiency. If there ever came a day when no new Qigong practitioners awakened, the remaining Qigong practitioners would lose their Qigong talents within two generations and return to being ordinary people.

"Anyway, if Daozu hasn't made any arrangements, then regardless of your Qi level, you're welcome to join the Nanzhen Jinyiwei. If your Qi level is fine, you'll receive comprehensive assistance from the Heavenly Beings. As for that stone statue, General Bai Feng may have told you that it's truly a top-notch cauldron, showing signs of Dao-level integration. We're trying to find a way to open it and get the medicine for you. Perhaps your chance lies in that one pill. Why do you look so unnatural? Isn't that just an ordinary stone statue?"

"How about you wait until I get there before you start?"

"No problem, your pill is yours. Then wait until you get there to open it."

Chapter 58 Yujing

Entering the Holy Emperor's imperial domain, it seemed as if all bad luck and misfortune had been blocked by customs. The stable Silver Dragon crossed the stable Beijing-Shanghai line, and the cheap "interior cabin" made it impossible for him to see anything but the two people before him.

Lu Huaiyang sat there straight, his back barely touching the cushions, his eyes closed, resting. Wen Yuan was eagerly absorbing knowledge from a book—he'd been out for a while and hadn't kept up with the comics, so he was grinning foolishly at the last issue.

"Ah, I really can't keep up with the fashion of young people."

Yangzhou had one drawback: information exchange with the capital was always lagging behind. The only national publications in Yangzhou that could keep up with news from the capital were a few, like the Yingtian Daily. They were the only ones to send "urgent reports" via transoceanic telegraph lines at different times of the day.

As the name suggests, it excerpts crucial information and sends it across the ocean with expedited dispatch. While Yingtian Daily is a morning edition, Yangzhou receives the "Emergency Selection Evening Edition" of that morning's edition. While press releases are mostly kept, serial novels can only be sent from pre-written drafts, half of which are airlifted a week in advance. Advertisements are reserved for fixed slots.

This only delivers text, not images. Comic books are even later, as the schedules for comic publications are sometimes even tighter than newspapers, and the cartoonists' own work is unpredictable. Distribution in Yangzhou can't really be called "publishing," it's just airlifting the combined issues.

Throughout the empire, the only areas that could maintain sync with Kinei were the Lan Fang Company's jurisdiction, specifically the three cities of Pontianak, Singapore, and Java. Furthermore, Lan Fang maintained sync with Guangzhou Prefecture, not Yujing.

Shangluo remembered that he had a passion for comics as a child. But after moving to Yangzhou, he could only read the combined issues, and gradually lost interest in reading. Now that he had moved back, he planned to try reading again in a couple of days.

[By the way, I actually have a question I've been wanting to ask you. It was urgent before, so I didn't have time to ask.]

Seeing Lu Huaiyang dozing off, Apollonia popped up.

"You still have something to ask me? Can't you go check it out?"

I can only look up information, but I can only ask locals about concepts and understandings. I'd like to ask, what exactly does Yujing mean? What is the specific scope of Yujing? Your Ming Dynasty doesn't even have an administrative division called "Yujing," but many places are simply designated as Yujing. Is Yujing the same as Nanjing? Or Yingtian?

"Yujing refers to the Yujing super-city cluster, as the functions of a world capital require more than one city. Specifically, the cluster radiates from Yingtian Prefecture, extending all the way to the coastal Songjiang Prefecture. As for Nanjing, this is a historical concept rarely used these days. These days, when we talk about Nanjing, we generally mean Nanjing City, the urban area within the city walls. After all, the imperial palace wasn't located in Nanjing City."

[So the emperor doesn't live in Nanjing?]

"Have you forgotten what I said about the 'Palace Museum'? The old imperial palace has been converted into the Palace Museum. It seems that when the capital was moved back, it fell into disrepair, the ground subsided, and the three main halls collapsed. The new imperial palace was built on the southern foot of Purple Mountain. Later, the 108-meter-high Purple Palace was built on the top of Purple Mountain, modeled after the Wanxiang Temple in Luoyang."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I wanted to ask. That's too much. Why would you build such a huge wonder on the top of a mountain?"

"Well, actually, it's due to political reasons. You'll hardly see it in public publications, but we all know it—the reason is that all buildings are regulated. The Fengtian Hall is the highest-ranking building. It stands 35 meters tall, including the Sumeru pedestal. In theory, no other building can be taller than it. Although there are tall buildings like Yueyang Tower and Yellow Crane Tower, they weren't government-built structures, and they weren't in front of the court, so we can just ignore them."

"But as time went on, land in Yingtian Prefecture became increasingly scarce, and the construction of skyscrapers became imperative. Wouldn't a skyscraper taller than the Fengtian Hall be considered excessive? So, after conferring, the six ministries decided to simply build a larger one themselves! So, atop Purple Gold Mountain, at an altitude of 449 meters, the 108-meter-tall Ziwei Hall was built. Including the Sumeru pedestal, it reached nearly meters. Now, no one could be taller than the imperial palace, and a skyscraper wouldn't be considered excessive."

[This trick is really good. Can I see it when I get off the car? ]

"I really can't see it. Actually, you can see it from the train, but this is the interior cabin, so you can't see outside at all. When you arrive at the station, you have to transfer inside. My home is in Nanjing City, and there are no trams in the city, only subways, so it's right in front of my house. If you don't take a detour, I don't think you can see it. The buildings around are very dense. But I'm going to meet the Taoist Ancestor soon, so I have to go to the Jinyiwei. Then I can see it up close."

Shangluo drank some ice water. Although he hadn't explored other areas of the train, the built-in ice machine was a real plus. Once the Great Western Railway reached Rome, he wouldn't mind taking this "land cruise" all the way to Constantinople.

As he was speaking, he suddenly felt a push from his back.

"We've arrived." Lu Huaiyang opened his eyes.

"Are we there? Are we at Yingtian?" After calculating the time, it seemed like we should be there. "But won't we stop at other stations along the way?"

"Of course not. The Beijing-Shanghai main line runs directly from Songjiang to Yingtian, without stopping in between. A steam engine running at 200 kilometers per hour is a stretch; accelerating to that speed would take at least half an hour. If there were stops along the way, the average speed would be just over kilometers per hour, not much different from regular speed. I heard the Railway Bureau is researching the use of high-speed internal combustion engines coupled with electric transmissions to increase speeds, so they'll probably be ready soon. They already figured out marine internal combustion engines last year, so they can just bring submarine internal combustion engines up there."

"Hey, Captain Lu, if we run so fast, will we get into trouble?"

"Time waits for no one, and it's a good thing that so many Qigong practitioners are willing to take risks and rush forward one after another. It's better than all Qigong practitioners hiding in the mountains to cultivate immortality. We practice Taoism, but we participate in the world rather than avoid it. Longevity is for long-term vision, for a good look at the world - Oh, and speaking of this, did Captain Lin mention Lan Fang's lunar cannon to you? It's Lan Fang's latest big move."

"So you knew that?"

"Of course we know. They've cut down all the mountains in Borneo. Everyone knows that. And the previous generation of Guoxing actually reported this to the court, but we just thought they were conducting a feasibility study. But after this generation of Guoxing inherited the title of Marquis of Yanping, he seems to be much more radical than his predecessors. Did he ask you to go to Southeast Asia to take a look? I heard their plan isn't going well. They even blew up a mountain a few days ago."

"That's what he said."

Lu Huaiyang glanced at the table and thought for a while. "I'm busy with a case right now, and you'll be busy with your graduation these next few months. After we're done, the Imperial Guards will have to go inspect them. If you want to go, come with us. Exploring cutting-edge areas is a virtue, and we should lend a hand."

Chapter 59 Mansion

After many years, Shangluo once again returned to his home, which is his family's home in Nanjing.

Is this your home?

"Correct."

[Your family actually owns a single-family house in Yujing! Are you a Roman senator?!]

"I know what you want to say, but the situation is different."

He had seen Constantinople's cityscape in newspapers. Everything within the Theodosian Walls remained much as it had been in 1453, even more so. There weren't a single skyscraper in the city, and almost no residential buildings. The senators' residences filled the old city, leaving only a few thousand permanent "citizens." The Romans' urban planning prowess was truly impressive, as they were able to squeeze in over two thousand mansions.

It's said that even today, there's no public transportation within the Theodosian Walls, as the Roman senators, living in their mansions, simply didn't need or want noisy buses packed with passengers running right outside their doors. Trams were even less viable, and subways were out of the question, as they would destroy the sacred blessing of New Rome's "City of Seven Hills." Modern urban areas have been located outside the Theodosian Walls.

Yujing is a completely different situation. The Shangluo family's house is a very typical residential house.

The towering gate wall stretches three stories, effectively utilizing the mere 80 square meters of land. The building's exterior is also quite restrained, fitting neatly into the neighboring homes on either side. There's only a palm-width gap between the two houses, forcing even large rats to squeeze through.

The eaves on the upper floors are also separated by gables, strictly distinguishing the use of space on both sides. On the street side, only a small door lintel protrudes, which can only ensure that the door will not be wetted by rain when opened, but it cannot be extended further.

The entire street, including the entire block of houses, are all like this, square boxes with white walls and black tiles, occupying every inch of the land.

This is the embodiment of traditional Jiangnan residential buildings in Yujing, and can be seen in many places in Huizhou, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. Compared to ancient times, these houses have remained largely square-box in appearance. This is because only square boxes can maximize the use of building space, and most houses in Yujing are built in this manner.

Seen from above, these blocks resemble a vast, connected black and white chessboard. Each building is nearly identical in size, occupying a single square. Occasionally, some extend beyond one square, occupying four, while others occupy two, three, and so on. They are neatly stacked like Tetris pieces.

Narrow alleys stretched like capillaries into the chessboard, some so narrow that two people couldn't even walk side by side. When meeting, one had to smile at the other and then walk sideways.

It's crowded here, everywhere. But this is the only way to ensure everyone has their own single-family home; otherwise, there's simply no room. This isn't just the case in Nanjing; many areas of Suzhou and Hangzhou are like this, too. Many neighborhoods have been like this since the Wanli era. This is how Yujing's 1 million permanent residents were squeezed in.

Therefore, the decision to build a skyscraper was indeed a pressing one; otherwise, given Yujing's commercial scale, the land would simply not be enough to accommodate it. Building a skyscraper is better than building a skyscraper.

There is a big problem with this approach: private cars cannot be used. There is no place to park or drive. There is no way around it. Many neighborhoods have a history of more than 300 years. It is impossible to imagine that space would be reserved for private cars hundreds of years later.

So, while private cars are affordable, commuting within Yujing still relies primarily on public transportation. Those below the fifth rank have to take the subway. This is why switching from coal to electricity in the subway is so urgent; it's truly crucial. Yujing residents spend an hour or two on the subway every day, so making it smoke-free is a pressing need.

However, not everyone needs to take the subway, as most people don't need to commute more than a few stops. For example, the Shangluo family doesn't need to. They come from a family of craftsmen from the Wugong Left Guard, and the land in this entire neighborhood is owned by various major factories. The Wugong Left Guard's territory is located nearby, at the "Tianzi No. 16 Factory" on the west side of Qingliang Mountain. It's only a kilometer away, easily accessible by bike.

A truly crowded place like Mount Wutai doesn't actually have many households. The land outside Nanjing is much more spacious, and the imperial palace and court have moved outside, so the outer city areas also need to be updated.

However, although it is very crowded here, this place is ours after all, and I wouldn't trade it for a county magistrate.

Shangluo opened the door. The lock was new, and the floor inside had just been swept. The room was dark and unlit, but moonlight and the lights outside shone through the courtyard, illuminating the ground in the center.

When he stepped into the door, he felt a heavy sensation under his feet, and the black stone bricks under his feet were patinaed.

In theory, this was the ancestral home, but the land was not. For generations, the Shang family had served as military artisans for the garrisons, but they could choose not to be. After the Taichang era, household registration was untied. Whether to become a military household or an artisan household was a personal choice, and it was solely up to the individual. Once they had chosen, their children and grandchildren would have to choose again. They could take over the work or become independent civilian households to pursue other livelihoods. The number of military households and artisan households remained largely unchanged from that time on, with each household occupying its own niche.

Generally, at least one person in a family would inherit the military household registration or the artisan household registration. It was not always necessary to inherit the household registration, but the military household registration and the artisan household registration were also tied to other things. For example, admission to the Wutaishan Training School or the Teaching School, or this piece of land.

This piece of land actually belonged to the Wugong Left Guard. Although they had lived here for countless years, the land in the garrison could not be bought or sold, and it would be reclaimed if they stopped working there. On the other hand, as long as the family survived, as long as the Ming Dynasty survived, they could live on this land as long as they wanted. They also had a guaranteed job, and the basic salary was enough to keep them going. If they could work hard and pass the exam to become a senior fitter, they could earn a considerable salary.

And judging by today's land prices, even if it could be sold, his family couldn't afford it. A monthly salary of 50 taels is still too little for this prime location. Shangluo couldn't even calculate how expensive this land was. Companies everywhere are building skyscrapers, department stores are building skyscrapers, and the subway underground is almost eighteen stories high, yet here, nothing is built. The garrison's attitude is: "Let's do whatever we want. Even a small job has its advantages."

Although the land belonged to the garrison, the house was still theirs. Shangluo vaguely remembered Old Shang saying that the house had been renovated during his grandfather's time, and had been slightly altered a few years ago when the electrical wiring was installed. The Imperial Guard had also come to clean it before.

[My goodness, are these Jinyiwei doing housekeeping? Why is the floor clean as a mirror? They even left a note for you on the table?]

"I heard that this is what they do in the inner court. Go to sleep first, we'll start working tomorrow. My room, I remember it's here. My goodness, they even made the bed, how did they know which room I was staying in? They even made tea."

Chapter 60 Commuting

The sun shone through the patio, and sparrows and partridges were stepping about on the roof.

After many years, Shangluo woke up from his own bed for the first time. Although the Jinyiwei had cleaned the room and made the bed, they had not expected one thing - the child's bed was too small.

"My foot..." He turned over, his foot aching. It felt like half of it had been hanging out yesterday.

【Good morning!】

"Ah, why are you so energetic? You are always energetic when the Jinyiwei are not around."

"Because today is my first day in Yujing, I've been wanting to come here for a long time. To fight those sinister creatures, I'm traveling the world in search of help. Ah! You're the right person to come to! If I'm lucky enough to meet Daozu, I'll definitely ask him to take care of those bad guys."

"Ah," Shangluo yawned, "Then you can talk about it when you see him tomorrow. But no one else has seen the Taoist Patriarch."

He put on his slippers, which seemed to be a size too small, but that was no big deal.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Is anyone there? Fuwei Express! Your delivery has arrived!"

"So early? Did I order anything?" On the first day back, Shangluo remembered that he had not made any phone calls to order any goods.

【Luggage, your luggage.】

"Oh, I almost forgot." The preparations along the way were so thorough that Shangluo forgot that he came back empty-handed and did not even have his luggage with him.

"You said it so quickly? It's here in one night. Here it comes! Right here!"

He came down from the second floor by the stairs. The stairs were right next to the door, and he unbolted the door and opened it halfway.

"Hello, are you Mr. Shangluo?" The courier wearing a small hat stood at the door with a cardboard box next to him.

"Yes, it's me. You need a stamp, right? But my stamp is in the package."

"You can sign or put your name on it. Here's the pen. Okay, I'll send it to you." After confirming, he handed the carton to Shangluo.

"And this." After saying that, the courier tried to move something sideways.

"Wow! Why is it so heavy?" the courier asked in surprise. "I remember it wasn't this heavy just now."

"Do I have any other luggage? That's all I remember. Clothes and a suitcase and stuff, and some books."