Chapter 227: Chapter 138: I’m Determined to Show Off in Front of the Emperor

"Speak, my dear minister!"

"The land under my jurisdiction had a great harvest last year. The corn yield was double that of previous years!"

"Excellent!"

...

After the morning court session, Gu Gaoxu wanted to slip away and find Lu Yuan.

Gu Gaochi quickly grabbed his younger brother. "Second Brother, we are here in the Imperial Capital on Father’s orders to visit His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress. You can’t just run off without even saying hello!"

"First Brother, are you dense? You know what that old man the Emperor is like. Last time I came to the city to study, he wanted to grab me and teach me a harsh lesson. I’m just here for a quick visit this time." Gu Gaoxu had no desire to get dragged into this mess.

"Sigh, Second Brother, if the Emperor finds out you’re here and you don’t show your face, I’m afraid you’ll never be allowed back in the Imperial Capital," Gu Gaochi reasoned.

"I don’t want to come to this godforsaken place anyway!" Gu Gaoxu retorted decisively.

"Then aren’t you afraid that if our father finds out, he won’t even let you into Yandu anymore?"

"First Brother, oh, First Brother, I was just kidding. How could you take me seriously?" Gu Gaoxu’s tone immediately changed, and he put on an apologetic smile.

Gu Gaoxu could live with never coming to the Imperial Capital again, but he couldn’t bear being barred from Yandu.

He was counting on the large factory he had worked so hard to establish to earn him some private spending money.

As the saying goes, the heavens are high and the emperor is far away.

As long as he wanted to, Gu Gaoxu could avoid the old man Emperor.

But he couldn’t avoid his own old man.

...

"Your Majesty, the two Crown Princes of Yan request an audience." A eunuch tiptoed into the study, approached the Emperor, and spoke softly.

"Let them in," the Emperor said, putting down his brush.

Gu Gaochi and Gu Gaoxu walked into the Emperor’s study.

Upon entering the study, Gu Gaoxu’s eyes were immediately drawn to the calligraphy on the desk, written by the old man Emperor: "The nation prosperous, the people at peace."

’Heh, this old man Emperor’s calligraphy is really terrible. It’s all crooked and ugly! Even I write with more style and flair!’ Gu Gaoxu thought to himself.

The Emperor held up the calligraphy from his desk and asked, "Take a look. What do you think of my writing?"

Gu Gaochi replied with the utmost respect, "Your Majesty, the calligraphy is excellent. The words ’the nation prosperous, the people at peace’ capture the thriving prosperity and vibrant life of the Divine Ling Empire."

"Your Majesty is in your prime, full of vigor. Under the Emperor’s protection, the Divine Ling Empire will surely become unprecedentedly powerful..."

Gu Gaoxu coughed to cover up the laugh that had almost escaped him.

Gu Gaoxu thought, ’Holy crap. First Brother is laying on the flattery so thick, a swirling rainbow of creamy bullshit. If my will wasn’t so strong, that torrent of ass-kissing would have made my head spin.’

Beyond his surprise, Gu Gaoxu also felt a strange sense of crisis.

’This whole ass-kissing thing really is a profound art. It’s something you have to start learning from childhood. I’m clearly at a disadvantage for not starting sooner.’

Our old man has doted on First Brother since he was a child, always keeping him by his side to read and practice calligraphy.

Of course, with First Brother’s chubby figure, Gu Gaoxu couldn’t imagine what else he could possibly do besides reading and writing.

Gu Gaoxu, on the other hand, had never liked studying or dabbling in literature since he was a kid. He preferred to play with swords and spears.

When King Yan led the army to defend against the Northern Beast Race, he more often brought Gu Gaoxu and Gu Gaosui with him.

That was why the Gu Gaoxu of today preferred the army and the thrill of battle!

"Gu Gaoxu!" the Emperor’s sharp shout cut through Gu Gaoxu’s coughing.

"Your Majesty!" Gu Gaoxu feigned surprise and took a step back.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Emperor demanded, seeing Gu Gaoxu’s earlier behavior.

"Your Majesty! I unfortunately caught a cold on the way here. I’ve only just started to recover these past few days and still have a bit of a cough," Gu Gaoxu blurted out.

The Emperor didn’t press the matter. He knew perfectly well what kind of grandson he had.

The Emperor also decided not to bring up the last incident.

The Emperor pulled the topic back. "A prosperous nation and peaceful people depend on the collective efforts of millions. Last year, the weather was favorable, leading to a bumper corn harvest. Every household is busy threshing the corn and putting it into storage."

"Yes, Your Majesty. On our way here, we saw the common folk busy along the official roads. It is indeed a year of great harvest," Gu Gaochi replied.

Gu Gaoxu’s expression showed his complete lack of interest in the conversation. ’I don’t want to deal with any of you.’

The Emperor sighed. "I heard a report on this from a minister today, and I also learned from the steward of the Court’s granaries—that is, the Grain Official—that the work of threshing the corn for the Court’s granaries is less than a quarter complete."

This was a matter that concerned whether the Court’s grain could be stored in time, which was crucial for its food security.

When Gu Gaoxu saw the old man Emperor looking so worried, he realized his chance to shine had arrived!

’Heavens above, this is a golden opportunity to make a name for myself! I have to seize it!’

’Let’s see how I can one-up First Brother.’

"Your Majesty, I have a method that can guarantee all the fully-dried corn kernels are stored on time."

Gu Gaoxu said with immense confidence, puffing out his chest with great pride.

The Emperor was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself, ’What nonsense is this unreliable brat spouting now?’

Seeing the disbelief all over the old man Emperor’s face, Gu Gaoxu felt a surge of irritation.

In a fit of pique, he declared, "If I can’t complete this task, I’ll twist my own head off and give it to Your Majesty to use as a chamber pot!"

Gu Gaochi heard this and knew it was too late to stop him.

’My second brother isn’t a bad person.’

’He just has no filter and dares to say whatever nonsense comes to mind.’

Still, Gu Gaochi tried to admonish him, "Don’t be impertinent! Stop making such wild boasts!"

The Emperor, snapping out of his surprise, raised a hand to stop Gu Gaochi and asked, "Are you serious?"

"If I go back on my word, I’ll accept any punishment." The prideful Gu Gaoxu, eager to be in the limelight, threw all caution to the wind, his motto being to dare to speak and dare to be held to it.

"Enough, enough. Stop your foolish talk, boy."

The Emperor chuckled to himself. ’I must be getting old and senile.’

’For a moment there, the thought of actually believing this rascal of a grandson crossed my mind.’

So much for that.

Gu Gaoxu had wanted to show off big time.

But all he got was a cold shoulder for his warm enthusiasm—and if that cold shoulder had any warmth, it was the hot air coming out of its asshole.

’No, I’m going to see this boast through, no matter what.’

Having been thoroughly rebuffed by the Emperor, Gu Gaoxu went to find Lu Yuan’s residence that very day.

He immediately launched into a tirade of complaints and pleas at Lu Yuan. "Brother Lu, you have to help me this time!"

"I made a huge boast to the old man Emperor! You have to help me no matter what!"

"A few days ago, didn’t you say you could make some kind of manual corn sheller and an automatic corn sheller? The kind of machine that could increase work efficiency several times over."

Seeing Lu Yuan’s calm expression, Gu Gaoxu decided to play his trump card.

Gu Gaoxu lowered his voice, afraid Su Liyan might overhear, and said, "If you help me, I’ll take you to the Hongxing Building, the biggest brothel in the Imperial Capital. We’ll drink with the ladies, heh heh, I’ll even let you grab some big, soft, fluffy ’buns’."

Lu Yuan looked at Gu Gaoxu, a Crown Prince of Yan who should have been high and mighty, now humbling himself and begging him.

He truly felt "bad" for him. After spending this period of time together,

Lu Yuan believed Gu Gaoxu was a person worth befriending, so he decided to help him this once.

Of course, he was helping him because he valued Gu Gaoxu as a friend, and definitely not for the promise of a night out at a brothel.

Lu Yuan decided to agree. "I can help you this time," he said, "but I have a condition."

Before Lu Yuan could finish, Gu Gaoxu interrupted, "Brother Lu, just name it."

"It’s this: I’ll only be responsible for manufacturing the components for the machines."

"I’ll assemble one manual corn sheller and one automatic corn sheller for you as a reference. You’ll have to arrange for your own people to mass-assemble the rest."

"And most importantly, you can’t tell the Emperor! I really don’t want to get too close to him."

’You have to have a strong fate to survive working under the Emperor.’

Gu Gaoxu nodded repeatedly, agreeing to the terms.

’Brother Lu’s conditions are exactly what I wanted anyway.’

Even though the Emperor didn’t believe the boast Gu Gaoxu had made in a moment of hot-headedness, he was a proud man. How could he not keep his word?

Having secured Lu Yuan’s promise, the great stone hanging over Gu Gaoxu’s heart finally fell.

Gu Gaoxu bid farewell to Lu Yuan and walked out of his residence, humming a tune.

On his way, Gu Gaoxu thought, ’I am definitely going to pull this off!’