Chapter 327: Child Labor

The Great King's carriage was pulled by four strong Black Wind Horses; the carriage frame was tall, its decorations exquisite and noble, more luxurious than any he had seen before, as if even the black wheels had an extra row compared to before. Zhou Huang had no time to examine it closely, and under Tong Chen's urging he climbed directly onto the carriage.

The interior of the Great King's carriage was also spacious, looking even more luxurious than the outside. When he entered, he ran his hand over the metallic‑shimmering door, thinking the Great King's cabin must be arrow‑proof.

What is the Great King up to? After finishing his talk with Xie Yuan, he let the curtain fall, immediately flung himself onto the rear couch, pulled out a Rubik's Cube and started playing— the kid could never sit still.

Tong Chen bent over and lifted another layer of shimmering gauze curtain; the first thing Zhou Huang saw upon entering was the Great King lounging there with his legs crossed, his foot swaying back and forth…

He instantly relaxed; the Northern Border King who had swept across the northern borders was back to his familiar self.

He grinned, kneeling in the outermost area to pay respects to the Great King, who likewise grinned and called him over to sit nearby and catch up.

Zhou Huang rose, but before he could carefully examine the interior decorations of the Northern Border King's carriage, the Great King's remark hit him like a slap.

"How has your older brother been behaving lately?"

Zhou Huang: ……

Recently he had gained some insights from his studies, and the top‑scoring student at the Imperial Academy was left speechless by the question.

"I suppose… maybe, he's behaving?"

"Sigh…"

The Great King felt great regret: "He got off lucky. He signed a rather impressive guarantee with me; if he dares to neglect his cousin, well… to be honest, I'm actually looking forward to it."

Zhou Huang wiped a sweat for his unfortunate cousin and said, "You shouldn't just go signing your name recklessly!"

The Great King is easy to get along with! Don't let his cute crossed‑leg pose fool you.

He moved to the side seat and sat upright, not daring to be presumptuous. The Great King enthusiastically patted the cushion beside his reclining couch and said, "Why sit so far away? We're relatives—come over, I won't bite!"

Zhou Huang: ……You'd be better off biting me!

Only the unknown is truly frightening.

"In front of Your Highness, a student dare not act rashly."

"Tsk!"

The Great King sat up, scrutinized Zhou Huang closely, and soon grew a bit annoyed: "How can this person change his environment in such a short time and still grow up?"

Zhou Huang had shot up a notch, already taking on an adult air; sitting upright there, he bore the poise of a refined young gentleman.

The Great King sized up Zhou Huang, rubbed his own smooth little chin, and thought, "If Xie Yuan were here, he'd probably have to warn his beloved disciple to flee."

Even now, Zhou Huang's face lit up with the joy of seeing his idol.

Whether on campaign or returning victorious, the Great King always went outside the city to see off and welcome troops. As a child raised in a border town, Zhou Huang's view of the Great King was filtered through an eight‑inch‑thick lens. The Great King had swept across the lands beyond Yumen Pass, pacifying the three kingdoms of the Western Regions at lightning speed and unifying the northern borders.

This is the literal reincarnation of Taibai as the Northern Border King!

At just ten years old he already has these achievements; he can't even imagine what the world will become once the Great King reaches adulthood.

You say the legends about Taibai are superstition?

Then the diligent student Zhou Huang would be the first to jump out and declare that, a fact acknowledged by scholars—how could that be superstition?

Looking at him now, he feels the Great King shines brightly!

Coincidentally, the Great King thinks the same.

Even if there's a shortage of labor, child labor is still labor.

Besides, this isn't ordinary child labor—it's a child prodigy from Changzhou.

"I really do believe you're a child prodigy now," the Great King said, hearing from his senior brothers that your grades are excellent and that Mr. Xie thinks highly of you. Keep it up, and be sure to perform well—don't embarrass me." This person, at least, is a connection of the Great King.

Zhou Huang really does study; hearing this, he relaxed and said, "From my earliest education, the one thing I've consistently stuck with is studying—it's the only thing I'm good at."

"Don't be modest among your own people; I heard you're top in natural philosophy at the Imperial Academy."

Zhou Huang bashfully replied, "I do quite enjoy natural philosophy."

"Good!"

The Great King clapped his hands and said, "Since you're good at natural philosophy, you should understand that the path of natural philosophy isn't about dead‑book studying—you need to experiment!"

The Great King shifted toward Zhou Huang and asked, "Do you know why I organized this study tour? It's to broaden your horizons! The world is vast—certainly more than what we see before us. Studying behind closed doors at the Imperial Academy, if it isn't applied to life, it pushes neither livelihood nor the military—what use is such learning? Don't tell me ideological theories are important; I know that too. But our current goal is to fill our stomachs, bring peace to the world, and end chaotic times, right?"

Zhou Huang thought, "People can twist both positive and negative talk into something refined—what am I supposed to say?"

The Great King's words surely had more to come, and he nodded, nodded, and nodded again.

Sure enough, the Great King continued, "You're my relative, after all—if there's any good fortune, I'll definitely be thinking of you!"

Zhou Huang felt dazed by his idol's words—"Just now, because I couldn't straighten out my brother's regrettable state, is this kinship a bit fragile?"

Before he could dwell on it, the Great King launched his persuasion tactic: "Look, I've just dismissed a Junior Minister of the Directorate of Manufacture, and the Northern Border Office of Works is a brand‑new agency. Since you're one of our own and excel at natural philosophy, I intend to send you there for training. The Office of Works is a great place— the Imperial Academy doesn't have that kind of funding for experiments, but the Office of Works does!" The Great King's coaxing was relentless—could he possibly not know whether the academy had been granted silver?

Zhou Huang's heart was truly moved; he genuinely loved delving into scholarship, and was far easier to persuade than Xie Yuan.

From Zhou Huang's expression the Great King could already tell seven‑eighths of the story, and said, "Let's settle it like this: once you produce some results, I'll appoint you as a Secretary—a rank higher than your grandfather's office."

"But my home is in Changzhou; I have to return once my studies are finished, and my mother is waiting for me…" The top student only wanted to pursue learning, never considering the issue of working here.

"How could studies ever be completed? Haven't you heard that learning knows no bounds?"

As for going home, the Wei family is also in Changzhou—aren't Wei Shen and Wei Ke already here?

The Great King's imperial highway has already reached Yi Prefecture, so your travel time home will be cut in half. Besides, the Great Jin is unsettled; perhaps your family will have to relocate to the northern borders someday. For now, only the Great King's northern borders are the most stable— the Marquis of Hanshou and the King of Jiangxia have already carved out their own territories in a frenzy, while Chang'an has begun moving to suppress them, and how chaotic they are! Could you study peacefully if you went back? Does anyone there understand natural philosophy?

The Great King patted his unimpressive little chest and painted a big pie: "If you have the Wei family at home, you'll be fine; as for you, just stay here and pursue scholarship—only I can guarantee stability within my realm."

Amazingly, Zhou Huang now trusted him completely.

The Great King saw the look in his eyes and grew more confident; in his heart he gave himself a thumbs‑up— all set!

★

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I said that comment yesterday, in the early hours! It was saying today's Sunday update would be normal…

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