Walking along the small path in the manor, Emperor Wei observed the surroundings while listening to He Yong’s detailed explanations.

“That’s the school over there. All the children of the manor study there. His Highness the Wise King said, children are the future—you can’t be stingy about education, no matter how poor you are…”

“That place is the cafeteria. Students studying at the school can eat there for free, two meals a day. Others have to pay if they want to eat there. But His Highness said, once there’s enough money, everyone in the manor will be able to eat there for free…”

“That’s the dormitory, where the students sleep. According to His Highness’s instructions, every dorm is the same, with bunk beds…”

He Yong couldn’t describe any part of the place without including the words “His Highness the Wise King.”

Although Emperor Wei had long known his son was capable, hearing all this now made him realize he had underestimated him.

This wasn’t ordinary competence—this was truly extraordinary!

Look how he arranged this manor. At first glance, it seemed chaotic, with nothing following conventional norms, but to be a ruler, norms were the least valuable thing.

Only the weak follow rules; the strong make them.

The Emperor looked at He Yong, who stood respectfully. “And how do the people here view the Wise King?”

He Yong smiled. “We’re just servants—how could we speak ill of the master… But everyone in the manor is deeply grateful and respectful toward His Highness.”

The Emperor nodded.

Yes, that’s exactly how it should be.

A ruler needs the support of the people.

With his hands behind his back, the Emperor looked quietly toward the school in the distance. After a while, he asked, “How many students are there?”

“Forty-eight. Most are from the tenant families in the manor, and a few are beggar children who had been wandering nearby. His Highness was kind enough to take them in and allowed them to study here.”

He Yong didn’t take credit for taking in the beggar children.

First, because it was customary in those times for a servant’s good deeds to be attributed to their master—He Yong truly believed those children were only here because of the Wise King’s kindness. Second, he wanted to show his master off in front of the Emperor.

His Highness was so wonderful—of course he should tell to everyone in Great Wei!

As the Son of Heaven, the Emperor felt it was his duty to ensure the people of the empire could live safe and happy lives.

He didn’t blame Wei Yu for taking in beggars or allowing them to study. If anything, it wasn’t some cynical ploy to win people over.

He already knew what the rascal had been doing on the manor—not in full detail, maybe, but he hadn’t been deliberately kept in the dark either.

It wasn’t like the boy lived here permanently—how could he possibly know every detail?

The Emperor understood.

He nodded and asked again, “How many teachers are there in the school? Do any have academic titles? What do they teach?”

This question made He Yong a little uneasy.

“Well, there’s only one teacher in the school. He’s… my cousin, named He An. He doesn’t hold any academic title. His Highness instructed him to teach the children for now—mainly reading and basic literacy. His Highness said he’ll bring in more scholars later! He wants to teach the children new knowledge. Oh, and one subject already has its teacher on-site.”

The Emperor’s brows furrowed, then slowly relaxed. Suddenly, he remembered the “alchemists” Wei Yu had once mentioned—were they studying chemistry?

Thinking of that gunpowder cannon, the Emperor’s spirits lifted. He immediately turned to He Yong. “Is that subject taught by a group of alchemists?”

He Yong was surprised. “Yes! Alchemists!”

The Emperor was overjoyed. “Quick, lead the way—take me to see it!”

—

Fusheng had recently been researching gunpowder.

Wei Yu had casually mentioned it in front of Yuan Qiuzi and Xuan Lingzi once, and the two had brought it up with their master. Fusheng had taken a strong interest.

He was a man who loved research, especially interested in understanding the principles behind violent reactions.

In modern times, he would’ve been a top-tier expert in chemistry and chemical engineering.

Because there had been quite a few small explosions during his research lately, and he didn’t want to disturb others, Fusheng moved out of the manor and set up a lab at the foot of a nearby mountain.

Thanks to Wei Yu’s standing order that he not be neglected, his experimental site was hastily assembled and completely non-secret. Fortunately, there weren’t many people nearby. The tenant farmers all knew the mountain was “thundering,” with loud bangs from time to time, so no one dared get close.

When the Emperor arrived, he happened to hear a loud bang.

“Boom—”

“Ah! Protect His Majesty! Be careful, my lord!”

Even though He Yong had warned them beforehand, everyone was still startled.

Li Cheng immediately jumped in front of the Emperor, frantically calling for the imperial guards to shield him.

“It’s fine. All of you, stand down.”

The Emperor was not as flustered as Li Cheng. After the initial shock, his eyes lit up with a kind of delighted astonishment.

That sound—could it be the very same explosion his ninth son had once described to him?

The Emperor was stirred. He couldn’t help but stride toward the foot of the mountain in a hurry. Even Li Cheng couldn’t stop him!

When the Emperor finally reached the site, he was just about to approach the low stone wall when an old man stumbled out and startled him.

Cough cough! Cough cough cough, cough!

The old man, coughing incessantly, leaned on the wall as he emerged. His face, clothes, and hair were covered in gray-black soot, as if he had been doused in dirt from head to toe.

The Emperor vaguely heard him muttering curses.

“Yuan… that disobedient brat! I said to use batch five… messed it up again, that chicken-brained fool… made me fail again…”

Despite his obvious age, the old man cursed fluently without repeating himself once.

The Emperor and his entourage fell silent.

Fusheng, after finishing his coughing fit and preparing to go back in and clean up the mess, finally noticed the group of people standing not far away.

His glasses were fogged up with explosion residue, making his vision blurry. He took them off, wiped them, and put them back on.

Oh, now he could see clearly.

Huh?

Why was Steward He standing in the back?

Who was that man in front?

Emperor Wei’s first meeting with Fusheng could only be described as undignified.

Once both sides confirmed each other’s identities, the Emperor finally entered the experimental site under Fusheng’s guidance.

The lab was extremely simple. Besides the chaotic array of equipment, the most striking feature was the four large craters in the corners.

Each pit and its surrounding area bore the obvious signs of past explosions.

With his guards around him, the Emperor stood at the edge of one pit, examining it closely.

“This was from a gunpowder explosion?”

Fusheng blushed. “No… I dug that one myself.”