Chapter 199

I Truly Am Not a Wise King!

Daily Fragment 1.

One day.

Approaching the autumn harvest.

Qu Dubian and Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) were packing their clothes. The uncle and nephew had just finished practicing Tai Chi together and were preparing to go to the imperial estate managed by the Ministry of Agriculture in the suburbs.

This was the four-year-old Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake)'s first time preparing to do farm work.

Ever since he learned that his emperor uncle would allow him to go to the Ministry of Agriculture this year, he started making plans that very night. He knew quite a few characters, but his handwriting was atrocious. His plan was laid out neatly but looked terribly ugly.

Qu Dubian highly praised his plan and complimented that his handwriting was just as handsome as his own when he was a child.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) blushed from the praise. He was secretly happy that he was useful and could help his emperor uncle, while simultaneously worrying about what his emperor uncle would do without him in the future.

Qu Dubian had no idea the little cub's inner thoughts were so rich. After packing up, they headed to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Director Wang of the Ministry of Agriculture was already waiting by the fields early on. Your Majesty! Your Majesty came at this time again this year. How punctual.

Qu Dubian smiled and asked, How did the wheat seeds I gave you last time turn out?

Speaking of this, Director Wang's eyes lit up as he replied, Extremely well! The average grain yield per mu has increased by between fifteen and twenty percent. Once it stabilizes, we can distribute the wheat seeds and seedlings to the commoners.

That is good.

He had spent quite a bit of his lifespan exchanging for them in the simulator—a breedable wheat seed capable of increasing yield.

It wasn't an absurdly heaven-defying doubled yield, but rather required planting and then selective breeding through the second and third generations to achieve a stable yield per mu.

Currently, the staple food for the commoners was still somewhat lacking. Qu Dubian somewhat missed sweet potatoes.

However, sweet potatoes were introduced to the land of Huaxia from the Americas.

Over the past two years, Lingbei was about to open inland navigation routes, but ocean voyages overseas still needed to be taken slowly and steadily.

Qu Dubian turned back and waved his hand. Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake), come to Uncle.

He was standing on a field ridge, and the path was not easy to walk. Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) wobbled over, making Director Wang watch with fear and trepidation. Your Majesty, how about I go and carry the Little Heir over...

Qu Dubian shook his head. No need. He can make it over.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) almost tripped halfway. After a few seconds of panic, his little face turned serious, and he quickly steadied his body. Eventually, he grew more and more stable until he stood firmly in front of Qu Dubian.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) is here.

Only then did Qu Dubian take his hand. Great job.

Were you scared just now, walking on that difficult path all by yourself?

Not scared.

Not even scared of falling?

Not scared. Uncle is right in front.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) tilted his head up to look at the person holding his hand.

Many people had told him that his uncle was the most formidable person in the world. He went to war at sixteen, and in just a year, together with Uncle Xia, he fought all the way through the Northern Frontier and brought back his mother who had been sent away for a political marriage.

At eighteen, he became the emperor, and at twenty-one, he united the world.

Uncle was omnipotent!

Qu Dubian stopped walking. What if one day, Uncle is no longer here?

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake): Eh? Then I will just go find Uncle.

Qu Dubian laughed heartily. You won't be able to find me. Come, he tied up the child's clothes and carried a sickle into the field himself. Since it's your first year, don't go too deep inside. Just follow behind Uncle and pick up the wheat.

Because he was still a child, the focus was on the experience, so Qu Dubian gave him a small bucket.

Whatever you pick up will be ground into flour for you. The amount you pick up is the amount you get to eat for dinner.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) replied seriously, Yes, Uncle.

He stuck his bottom in the air as he picked up wheat from behind, not letting a single grain slip by.

After picking for a while, he looked at the sweat on his emperor uncle's arms. Remembering Ye Banban's instructions, he called out, Uncle, don't get too tired, or you'll get sick again.

Qu Dubian: I know.

Not far away.

Yi Shier brought over a young boy who looked to be in his early teens.

He pointed at Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake): From now on, the person you will protect is him. You are to obey only his commands.

This young boy was named Bing Five, a guard trained by the dark network.

Yi Shier had selected the most outstanding one from the youngest batch and given him to Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake).

Bing Five asked, Then will I still listen to you, Chief, in the future?

Yi Shier: You only need to listen to His Majesty and the Little Heir. Of course, His Majesty's orders are the highest principle.

Bing Five nodded.

He walked up to Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake), Hello.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) looked up.

Bing Five knelt on one knee: From now on, I am your man.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake): ...?

A tiny toddler, with massive confusion.

The two of them awkwardly interacted and began to get to know each other.

Qu Dubian went to rest in a nearby shaded pavilion. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but laugh.

Liuliu, don't you find this familiar?

Yi Shier's lips curved slightly, Mhm.

He had also said those exact words to His Majesty.

Qu Dubian washed his face with cold water. After wiping it clean, he handed a chilled bamboo tube of milk tea to Yi Shier: A new flavor.

Yi Shier's eyes brightened slightly. After taking a sip, he hesitated: It's not sweet.

Qu Dubian: I'm controlling your sugar intake.

He was twenty-six this year, and Liuliu was fourteen or fifteen years older than him. Although his appearance hadn't changed much due to practicing martial arts, with only a few scattered white hairs, he was ultimately an uncle in his forties. Yet, he still had no restraint when it came to drinking milk tea.

Yi Shier fell silent for a moment.

The one who needs to control his sugar intake is Grand Tutor Fang.

Qu Dubian felt a frustrated affection for him: You should start preparing early.

Yi Shier: ...

Isn't this a bit too early?

-

Daily Fragment 2.

The Eastern Depot.

The navigation routes from Lingbei to the inland had all been opened.

All the officials who committed crimes during this period were escorted to the capital.

Among those in the capital who had relatives or connections with these officials, some came to plead with Wen Xiaochun.

Director, it's not that we don't understand the rules. It's just that this younger generation in our family has only been in Lingbei for two years. He didn't intentionally occupy the treasure mountain... Besides, that treasure mountain doesn't even have a name, right?

After Lingbei connected with the inland, wild mountain treasures like the locally produced black ginseng became highly sought-after commodities in circulation. Under the temptation of immense wealth, some officials specifically pulled strings to get themselves transferred to Lingbei.

Then, relying on their official status, they occupied the mountains to search for treasures and acquire wealth.

One-third of this batch of offending officials sent here were brought in for this very reason.

Wen Xiaochun raised his eyes to look at the newly arrived capital official standing before him, bowing and scraping. Who did you say you relied on to come find me?

The official replied in a low voice, Lord Xi Zixing, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Hearing that I had nowhere to turn, he guided me to seek you out.

Wen Xiaochun slightly raised an eyebrow and didn't speak.

The official took out two palm-sized boxes, placed them in front of Wen Xiaochun, and said with a chuckle, Lingbei mountain treasures bought for you.

Wen Xiaochun opened them to take a look.

Gleaming yellow, they were entirely filled with gold.

Do you know who the Eastern Depot is under the jurisdiction of?

The official flattered him: Of course I know, His Majesty. But tell me, what does a person live for in this lifetime? Even though you are the noble Director, you still need to eat and dress, don't you? His bribery actions were practiced, clearly showing he was an old hand at this.

Wen Xiaochun closed the lids. Leave the things here.

The official was overjoyed: Thank you, Director! Let's interact more in the future.

He left happily, and Wen Xiaochun turned right around, carrying these small boxes of gold, and entered the imperial palace.

As soon as he entered the Zichen Palace, he saw His Majesty playing chess with Xi Zixing, talking and laughing.

Seeing him arrive, Qu Dujian raised an eyebrow and said, "How about it? You lost. Xiaochun arrived within the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

Xi Zixing: "Alright, alright, I lost."

Qu Dujian: "Then what about your piece of incense?"

Xi Zixing: "It belongs to Your Majesty now."

Wen Xiaochun said helplessly, "Vice Minister Xi, you should introduce fewer shady people to my side. This is the third one in the past two years, isn't it?"

He placed the collected gold to the side. "However, we now have enough gold for Your Majesty to use for red envelopes for the next three years."

Xi Zixing said slowly, "Director Wen is His Majesty's confidant, isn't dealing with these matters exactly your job? I'm just acting as a middleman to introduce them, to prevent corruption in the capital."

Qu Dujian: "Officials who have passed the merit evaluations should have some real skills. Verify his background and promotion path. Let minor flaws go, but if there are character issues, screen him out directly."

Water that is too clear has no fish.

Some local officials who get promoted indeed have the habit of giving gifts to their superiors. Sometimes, minor offenses need to be strictly dealt with, but other times, the net needs to be loosened a bit.

He glanced at Xi Zixing: "You are basically entrapping them."

The little kid Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake), who was practicing the principle of a true gentleman staying silent while watching a chess game, subconsciously blurted out, "Flies do not bite a seamless egg."

Qu Dujian: "..."

Xi Zixing: "..."

Who is the fly?

He smiled and said, "Xiaobing, later when I finish playing chess with His Majesty, I will do a spot check on your schoolwork."

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake): "But Teacher, you just assigned it."

Xi Zixing: "Xiaobing must have remembered wrong."

"..."

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) sighed in his heart.

Adults really have a strong desire for revenge.

He got down from the kang and honestly bowed, "Yes, Xiaobing remembered wrong. I will go study right now."

After he left, Qu Dujian smiled and teased, "Teacher Xi, what an imposing manner."

"Come Xiaochun, set up a board here too, you play with Banban."

Wen Xiaochun leaned closer, "Okay."

Ye Xiaoyuan set up the chess pieces, and the two played against each other.

A leisurely afternoon passed.

-

Daily Fragment 3.

Qu Dujian spent his lifespan points to exchange for things beneficial to the development of the Great Zhou, such as seeds, blueprints, and the like.

This caused his lifespan points to shrink drastically.

Over the past two years, he adjusted the frequency of the simulations, going from occasionally falling ill to getting sick every now and then.

He was used to drinking bitter medicine and really wanted to cooperate with Imperial Physician Yang, allowing him to continue delving into medical skills. He heard that Imperial Physician Yang was recently writing a medical book. If his body's reaction to the medicine could provide Imperial Physician Yang with some ideas and help, that would be for the best.

But occasionally, there were some strange flavors that were neither salty nor sweet, which he truly could not stomach.

He would secretly pour them away.

His skill at pouring away medicine became increasingly brilliant. Avoiding Ye Xiaoyuan was a piece of cake, and as for Liuliu, he had distance sensing, so it was even less of a problem.

A dignified emperor, living like a thief.

Until one time, he strolled over to a pavilion in the imperial garden to pour away his medicine. Just as he finished pouring, he looked down and saw a pair of large, serious eyes peeking out from the flowers below the pavilion.

Qu Dujian: "..."

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) closed his book, "Uncle, what are you doing?"

Qu Dujian laughed dryly: "What are you doing here?"

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake): "Reading outside is more efficient."

He glanced at his uncle, whose face still carried a slight pale sickly look, pointed at the bowl of medicinal juice that was almost poured onto his head, closed the book in his hand, and tensed his little face.

"Xiaobing knows, you are trying to avoid drinking your medicine."

Why did this child's tone of voice sound a bit like Xi Zixing? Although he had taken him as a teacher, he shouldn't have learned his tone of voice too!

Qu Dujian: "Don't wrong your uncle. Uncle is treating the flowers and plants here. By watering them with medicine, they will get better."

"Uncle, I am not a little fool."

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake)'s small brows were tightly furrowed, and he gripped his book tightly.

"You are not being good!"

"..."

From that day on, Qu Dujian, who had been caught red-handed by his nephew, gained a clingy little shadow dedicated to watching him drink his medicine.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) never slept in. After taking on this new task, he specifically listed this item on his daily schedule and even drew an emphasis mark next to it.

From then on, exactly on time every day, he would accurately bring the medicine bowl and report in front of Qu Dujian according to the time given by Imperial Physician Yang.

He even automatically asked about and learned the techniques of how children coax adults to take medicine—

Qu Dujian later learned this from Ye Xiaoyuan and Zhiyi.

But where was there any experience of children coaxing adults to learn from? Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) couldn't get an answer, so he just broadly imitated the way Qu Dujian and the others usually took care of him to take care of his own uncle.

He did it with a fair amount of style. Every time Qu Dujian obediently finished his medicine, he would receive a compliment and a uniquely ingenious little gift.

Sometimes it was a small piece of folded paper, sometimes a small candy, and sometimes a beautifully shaped leaf.

Qu Dujian collected all of these together, planning to make a scrapbook out of them in the future.

It was obviously him who was supposed to take care of his little nephew, but now it had become his little nephew taking care of him.

Who was the child here, anyway?

Little did he know.

Next door.

Qu Xiaobing (Little Pancake) frowned in deep thought.

He also had his own things to worry about.

The words to praise his uncle were just the same few sentences back and forth; his uncle would definitely get tired of hearing them.

He needed to go find Uncle Xia Fuyang to learn a bit, so he would know how to praise people in the future.

However, this matter had to be done secretly. Teacher Xi couldn't find out, otherwise, the two of them would definitely argue again.

Sigh...

The world of adults is truly complicated.