Chapter 115: Slag Cement

Grand Eunuch Zhou stared intently at the Refined Salt on the table, lost in deep thought.

The young eunuchs beside him dared not speak or ask anything, standing respectfully to the side.

"Good stuff, truly good stuff!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou's eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled, his fingertips tracing over the fine salt as gently as if he were caressing a lover.

Several young eunuchs nearby scrambled to speak: "Old Ancestor, whose is this? They don't even know to come pay their respects to you, Old Ancestor?"

"Exactly, this is just too improper!"

"For such a thing to flow into the Capital without us knowing, we are being far too derelict in our duties!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou chuckled: "What do you think?"

Just then, a young eunuch came crawling back from outside the door, drenched in sweat: "Old Ancestor, your son has found out clearly. This Refined Salt is selling for twenty taels of silver per liter in the Capital! It was first brought to the Capital from the Prince of Lu's estate in Pingzhou!"

"Oh? The Prince of Lu?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou narrowed his eyes.

The young eunuchs nearby exchanged glances, and one tentatively said: "Old Ancestor, speaking of the salt transport business, that is surely a head-lopping offense! But this Prince of Lu is the Emperor's own brother. If you say he hasn't spoken a word, wouldn't it be overstepping our bounds to report it to the Emperor? Besides, why bother the Emperor with such a trivial matter?"

"Rest assured, Old Ancestor, your son will head to the Prince of Lu's estate immediately!"

"I will certainly get to the bottom of this!"

The few of them laughed craftily.

If they could get a cut of this, would the Supervision Courtyard be short of benefits? As for whether heads would roll, if the Emperor didn't know, who would dare blab? The Emperor hadn't held court for months; the entire civil and military officialdom had to obtain the Supervision Courtyard's permission and pass through various screenings just to see the Emperor. This meant the Supervision Courtyard could currently intercept any information regarding this matter! What did they have to fear?

Grand Eunuch Zhou laughed with satisfaction: "Good, good, my sons truly know my heart. Go, go."

"The Secret Guard has arrived!"

Just then, a person in black walked in.

Looking at the Secret Guard—dressed all in black, face covered by a black mask, and gender indistinguishable—the young eunuchs all shivered and hid to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Grand Eunuch Zhou, however, greeted them with a smile: "Secret Guard, please, sit, sit."

The person in black shook their head: "What instructions does Grand Eunuch Zhou have?"

That rooster-like voice!

Grand Eunuch Zhou muttered to himself, then laughed dryly: "Secret Guard, this matter is confidential. I fear it requires you to make the trip yourself."

The Secret Guard said nothing, waiting quietly for the rest.

Grand Eunuch Zhou said with a serious face: "This matter concerns the national economy and the people's livelihood. The contents here require your help to investigate, but to avoid alerting the enemy, you must go yourself and report only to me!"

"Understood!"

The Secret Guard was, after all, under the command of the Inner Court. The person in black cupped their hands in acknowledgment, took the bag of Refined Salt, and turned to leave.

Once the person in black was far away, the young eunuchs shuddered and muttered: "Old Ancestor, that fellow is too disrespectful to you, isn't he?"

"Exactly, who does he think he is!"

"If Old Ancestor wants him dead, he has to die!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou barked: "Shut your mouths!"

The young eunuchs were as silent as cicadas in winter.

Grand Eunuch Zhou said slowly: "The Secret Guard is something I have only just taken over. Previously, the Secret Guard reported directly to the Emperor, understand? Now the Emperor has no time for such trifles, but what about later? No matter who ascends the throne, the first thing they will do is take back control of the Secret Guard. Must we not be a little cautious?"

The eunuchs' expressions changed drastically.

The amount of information in those words was immense...

Didn't this mean that Grand Eunuch Zhou, who accompanied the Emperor every day, was revealing that the Emperor did not have much time left?

Of course, this was no secret.

Before the year was out, this matter had been in an uproar. Hadn't the Empress Zheng Fu ignored the Imperial Edict and rushed back to the Capital from Liangzhou overnight, fearing that if the Emperor passed away, she would be too late to fight for power? For months, the Capital had been filled with dark clouds and complex situations; everyone was busy picking sides, and the infighting among the princes had already reached a fever pitch.

Under these circumstances, their Supervision Courtyard had become a hot commodity, with every faction trying to win them over.

But Grand Eunuch Zhou was quite cunning; he listened to no one and relied on no one.

This allowed the Supervision Courtyard to reap countless benefits from all sides. A "change of dynasty" was imminent; as the saying goes, a new emperor brings new courtiers. If the current Emperor passed away, no matter who ascended to the high position, would this bunch of fellows in the Supervision Courtyard still be able to rake in money?

Therefore, they had to grab as much as they could while they still could.

"Prince of Lu, Prince of Lu..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou chuckled.

"Prince of Lu?"

The person in black, having just walked out of the Imperial Palace, was also muttering to themselves.

This Prince of Lu was the current Emperor's own brother. Since ancient times, every new emperor of the Longyan Dynasty had to go through a process of deceit and mutual destruction; only the one who survived to the end became the next emperor. Generally, the reigning emperor would not leave any brothers alive... but this Prince of Lu was an exception. It was precisely because, back when the Prince of Lu was competing for the throne, all the other princes were eyeing it covetously, while he played the fool in his fief of Pingzhou. When the new emperor ascended, he looked and saw a fool who posed no threat to his throne, so he let him be and even gave him various rewards.

As it turned out, not long after, the Prince of Lu was "cured."

The Emperor saw that this fellow had been faking it, but it didn't matter; the regime had already transitioned smoothly.

And the Prince of Lu's fief, Pingzhou.

It was located northwest of Jinghua and northeast of Liangzhou, the three cities forming a triangle.

"Pingzhou?"

The person in black stopped thinking about it and mounted their horse to leave the city.

Another half-month journey.

Despite having the experience of crossing the desert last time, they still encountered many unexpected changes and accidents during this crossing. The camel caravan of several hundred people still lost quite a few, and if not for Qin Zhangfeng protecting him, Liu Zheng would likely have been completely swallowed by a quicksand pit.

"We're back!"

"Finally out!"

The camel caravan finally saw that touch of green in the distance, and everyone cheered and jumped for joy.

Liu Zheng was also very happy, and he spurred his horse into a gallop.

Just a short distance out of the desert Gobi, he could already see many people waiting for Liu Zheng.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master!"

"My son!"

Jiang Xuan rode over, along with Qingyang Shuo in his wheelchair, Hu Xi'er pushing the wheelchair, as well as Liu Dahao, Liang Erfu, Wei Tiezhu, and even Shen Xing; they had all come.

"My son, my son, my son has grown thin!"

Liu Dahao, on the other hand, was getting fatter and fatter; with teary eyes, he threw himself onto Liu Zheng and began to choke with sobs.

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile: "Old Dad, Old Dad, are you trying to crush me to death?"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Liu Zheng looked over; in these two months, the young man Jiang Xuan had actually grown much stronger and more mature. Liu Zheng smiled with gratification: "How is Kezhou?"

Jiang Xuan replied with sincere admiration: "Young Master, one month after you left, Teacher completely took over Kezhou!"

Liu Zheng looked on in surprise.

Along the way, Jiang Xuan recounted the entire process of how Qingyang Shuo had taken Kezhou.

Liu Zheng was stunned as he listened, not to mention Zheng Yueru beside him.

He looked at the monster that was Qingyang Shuo in disbelief. This was buying low and selling high! And to directly buy out an entire city—what kind of concept was that?

If it weren't for the certainty that this Qingyang Shuo was undoubtedly a person of this world, Liu Zheng would have suspected that he, like himself, had transmigrated here!

"Sir is a great talent!"

Liu Zheng cupped his hands, admiring him with the utmost respect.

Qingyang Shuo also laughed and said: "It seems the Young Master has also had a bountiful harvest! We are both the same, neither of us is inferior to the other!"

The two looked at each other and laughed heartily.

The things Loulan sent to Liu Zheng this time were indeed numerous, and all of them were precious items! Various gold ornaments from Loulan, precious spices from the Arab lands, all sorts of gems, coral, and even things like caviar, which left people wide-eyed in astonishment.

Liu Dahao asked in surprise: "My son, did you go to fight a war?"

Amidst the laughter and talk, the group returned to Yintan City, and seeing the scale of Yintan City, Liu Zheng was also incredibly surprised. Having been away in Loulan for two months, both places had blossomed, which was naturally a cause for great joy. A banquet had long been prepared in Yintan City; at the banquet, Liu Zheng told everyone about his trip to Loulan. When he reached the thrilling parts, everyone was incredibly nervous, and later they would slap the table in applause, the atmosphere being exceptionally harmonious.

"Enlightenment reading materials?"

Hearing about Liu Zheng's enlightenment reading materials, Qingyang Shuo was once again shocked in his heart.

Liu Zheng smiled: "I intend to implement the same in Yinzhou territory."

Qingyang Shuo's expression changed slightly: "Young Master, have you ever thought that if Loulan implements this policy, their national strength will surely increase greatly, and by then, I fear..."

Liu Zheng thought to himself that Qingyang Shuo was truly worthy of being Qingyang Shuo, as he could consider this point immediately. He laughed and said: "That is why I requested the ownership of the desert this time..."

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "If the desert belongs to my Yinzhou, no matter how strong Loulan becomes, there is nothing to fear!"

Qingyang Shuo's spirits lifted: "Young Master, the desert winds are fierce, and the sand has no roots; how can it be managed?"

Liu Zheng said: "The earth has earth forests, the sand has sand trees; Loulan has Populus euphratica and red willow, which can resist drought and sandstorms. First, create vegetation to gather fertile soil. This is a century-long plan to be achieved gradually."

"The post stations, how can the Post House be made solid?"

Liu Zheng laughed heartily: "Wooden houses won't do, earthen houses won't do, and the people of the world can't do it! Only my Yinzhou can solidify these desert houses!"

Everyone was astonished.

Even Qingyang Shuo could not see through what medicine this Young Master was hiding in his gourd.

Liu Zheng smiled gently and said no more.

When everyone's curiosity had swelled to the limit, and after they were wined and dined, Liu Zheng stood up and led the group from Yintan City to the Fine Iron Workshop of his Shen Gong Workshop. Although the others were puzzled, they followed behind him.

Wei Tiezhu slapped his forehead: "Young Master, the furnace slag you had Tiezhu collect has already piled up into a small mountain. What on earth is it used for?"

Liu Zheng smiled: "Of course, it has a great use!"

Following Wei Tiezhu to the slag left over from steel refining, Liu Zheng exclaimed "Good fellow," as it was indeed the size of a small mountain. He beamed with joy: "This thing can solidify the desert houses!"

Everyone was curious.

Qingyang Shuo asked: "Young Master, what is this?"

"This thing can refine Cement that fears no fierce wind!"

"Cement?"

Several people were left completely bewildered.