I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 38 General Tianlu
"It's my son, King Liu Hong of Qi."

After hearing Kong Jin's words, Liu Che pursed his slightly thin lips, showing an expression of "What's the big deal?" and smiled faintly.

"..."

However, Su Wen, who was standing behind him, keenly noticed some details.

When saying this, Liu Che's waist and chest straightened slightly but noticeably!

And his feet, which were resting on the table, swayed slightly several times...

The last time this happened.

It was when he was debating with Dong Zhongshu that Dong Zhongshu personally admitted that he was in harmony with the virtue of heaven, had made outstanding achievements, and could be compared with Huangdi.

So Su Wen knew it very well.

Liu Che is being reserved and modest, so you have to continue praising him at this time.

No, no, don't stop!
Sang Hongyang, who had been a palace servant since childhood and had once been Liu Che's study companion, was immediately shocked and stepped forward to salute and congratulate:

"If I remember correctly, the King of Qi is only twelve years old now..."

"Your Majesty has been blessed with great grace, so that all the princes and princesses are outstanding. This is a blessing for the Han Dynasty and the people of the Han Dynasty. Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Kong Jin also reacted immediately after hearing this, unwilling to be left behind, he said:
"That's right. I also think that this is Your Majesty's great grace and that the heavens are grateful for your blessing."

"As it is said in the Book of Zhou: 'The ability of an emperor is achieved without austerity; the time of heaven's blessing has arrived without planning.' If your majesty and the prince act like this, the Han Dynasty will surely prosper forever for thousands of years!"

At this point, Liu Che just smiled faintly and waved his hand:

"Alright, alright, these are the words I hate to hear."

"As long as you serve me loyally and think about the Han Dynasty wholeheartedly, that will be enough."

"I want to know now, what is this..."

At this point, Liu Che picked up the bamboo slips on the table and took a look at them. "...Double-acting piston bellows, this name is too difficult to pronounce. It seems that Liu Hong is still a little young and has little knowledge. He actually gave such a magical object such a meaningless name."

"Let's take the 'Tianlu' from 'The time of Tianlu has come, without planning'. From now on, let's call it the Tianlu Box."

"Sang Hongyang, you are good at mental arithmetic. Please calculate for me first. Can this Tianlu Box be promoted and completely replace the current iron smelting box?"

"promise."

Sang Hongyang nodded slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "Your Majesty, this is the second great feature of the Tianlu Box. Not only can it be promoted, but it will also quickly replace the Pai Tuo."

"Your Majesty also knows that animal skins are used to make Pai Tuo."

"A single piece of complete sheepskin, from being peeled off to being dried and tanned, and then to being ready for making a leather belt, costs at least 400 coins."

"And a large iron smelting raft would use at least 60 sheepskins."

"And each iron smelting blast furnace must be equipped with at least two large pumps."

"As for this Tianlu box, I have carefully observed it and found that it is made almost entirely of wood. The cost of making a Tianlu box of the same specifications as a large Pailu box is probably less than one twentieth of the cost, or even lower."

"A rare item with such low cost and such high efficacy..."

"If the iron smelting industry was not now state-run, the Tianlu Box would have caused a stir in the iron smelting industry as soon as it was released. Even if Your Majesty did not promote it, it would have been highly sought after."

"Mr. Kong is from an iron smelting family. He should agree with my calculations and expectations, right?"

Kong Jin took over the conversation after hearing this, stepped forward and nodded:

"What Minister Sang said is correct. It will be very easy to promote the Tianlu Box."

"I also thought that the official iron smelting camp could effectively control the Tianlu Box in the hands of the court and prevent it from being passed into the hands of foreign countries, so as to ensure the advantage of our Han ironware and defeat the enemy first!"

Liu Che immediately made the decision, picked up the blueprint and handed it to Su Wen, signaling him to give it to Kong Jin and Sang Hongyang:
"Okay, I'll do as you say. This matter is now in the hands of the two of you!" "Yes, I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

As the two men received the order, they retreated.

Liu Che just looked at Su Wen again and asked, "Regarding the etiquette and procedures of the Fengshan Ceremony, have any of the alchemists come up with a set of rules?"

Su Wen bowed slightly: "To reply to your majesty, not yet."

"What's the point of raising them?!"

Liu Che's face instantly turned cold. "Now that I have been chosen by heaven, I can turn misfortune into fortune. Hong'er has also been blessed by heaven and opened his spiritual wisdom. Everything is telling me that the auspicious day for the Fengshan ceremony is approaching!"

"At this point, they can't even explain the benefit process of the Fengshan Ceremony. Isn't this going to hinder my important work?"

Su Wen's mind moved, and he made a suggestion:
"Your Majesty, the Fengshan Ceremony has existed since ancient times. It is a grand event that is celebrated by all the people of the country, and it is not just the domain of the alchemists."

"Why not call all the officials and scholars together to discuss it? Maybe someone knows the answer..."

……

That afternoon.

The subjects of Chang'an City received another piece of heavy news:
Liu Che issued an edict, rewarding the King of Qi with ten thousand gold coins for his meritorious service in presenting the Tianlu Box, and making him the General Tianlu, and giving him a seal!

Although no one knows what this so-called "Tianlu Box" is.

But the title of "General Tianlu" is not simple.

In the past, although Emperor Liu Che had conferred many generals with miscellaneous titles, some of them were meritorious officials who had made military achievements, some were alchemists who sought help from the gods and ghosts for him, and there was even one person who held five general titles.

But this is the first time in history that a prince has been given the title of general.

In other words, looking at the entire history of the Han Dynasty, this is also the first time in history.

This naturally caused a lot of discussion. People soon realized a problem.

——Prince Liu Ju has definitely reached the end of his rope!
The King of Qi was summoned back to Chang'an to live permanently and was given a mansion. Then the King of Qi made great contributions and was rewarded and given the title of General Tianlu with a seal.

Liu Ju had just made a mistake and was still under house arrest in Bowang Garden.

If this wasn't a deliberate arrangement by Emperor Liu Che, no one would believe it.
"It's stable! It's completely stable!"

Even Liu Ju couldn't help but get excited.
"I didn't expect Liu Hong and Bu Shi to act so quickly. They are indeed reliable teammates. Choosing you two for a duo is absolutely the right decision!"

Just as he was applauding his own wit.

"Found it, hahahaha, I found it, I finally found it!"

Suddenly, a nearly crazy laugh came from the backyard, startling a flock of birds in Bowang Garden.

"What's the noise?"

Liu Ju himself was also shocked.

Guo Zhen, the prince's assistant who had just brought the "good news" to Liu Ju, still had a sad face and muttered absentmindedly:
"To answer your question, it is most likely Dong Zhongshu. He is the only one living in that courtyard recently."

"Let's go and see what he found."

Liu Ju walked towards the backyard.

These days, Dong Zhongshu has been hiding in the backyard reading books, and does not allow servants to disturb him except to bring him meals.

To the extent that Liu Ju almost forgot there was such a person in his mansion.

(End of this chapter)