Chapter 229: Chapter 139: You’re Not Thinking of Killing Me, Are You?

Seeing Gu Gaoxu’s confident expression, Lu Yuan naturally believed him.

After all, Gu Gaoxu was the Crown Prince of Yan.

Other than Lu Yuan, who had ignored him when they first met, who would dare to treat Gu Gaoxu in such a way?

Over this period, the two had long since gotten used to each other.

Perhaps this was just the unspoken understanding between men.

"That’s good, then," Lu Yuan replied calmly.

"So, Brother Lu, there’s no time like the present. How about tonight?" Gu Gaoxu leaned in, covering his mouth as he whispered into Lu Yuan’s ear.

"Tonight for what?" Lu Yuan asked, completely bewildered, as he gently pushed Gu Gaoxu away.

’Men need to keep some distance from each other.’

’I’m a perfectly straight man, not bent in the slightest!’

"The Hongxing Building, of course! To thank Brother Lu for his tremendous help," Gu Gaoxu said, clasping his fists together.

’Seriously?! So much for the unspoken understanding between men.’

’One of us is thinking about getting the equipment into production as soon as possible, and the other is thinking about drinking with courtesans at the Hongxing Building.’

"No, no. I’ll pass," Lu Yuan declined.

"Brother Lu, don’t tell me you’ve been holding it in lately? I can see you’ve got a lot of pimples breaking out!" Gu Gaoxu teased.

"Oh, get lost." With that, Lu Yuan went back to his room.

Gu Gaoxu rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "Hm? Am I wrong?"

After Gu Gaoxu left, Su Liyan walked into the room, pressed herself against Lu Yuan’s chest, and sat down on his lap.

She asked softly, "I heard the Crown Prince say you two are going to some place called the Xinghua Building?"

"Darling, don’t listen to his nonsense. How could I possibly go to a place like that?" Lu Yuan explained frantically.

"It’s fine. Men are men, and I know young men are full of passion. But it’s still best if you don’t go to places like that, you know?" Su Liyan said coquettishly, her big eyes blinking as she stared straight at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan swallowed hard. ’This wife of mine is getting more and more playful,’ he thought.

Just then, a call came in from Zhao Qiao’Er in Taiping City.

Lu Yuan answered the call. Zhao Qiao’Er asked how he’d been these past few days, if he was eating and sleeping well—the same old chatter.

Su Liyan, leaning in close, teased, "Someone was just saying our man has broken out in pimples from holding it all in!"

When Zhao Qiao’Er heard this, she cackled with laughter.

To think that after leaving Taiping City, Lu Yuan no longer enjoyed the kind of life he had there.

Back in Taiping City, Lu Yuan could, to put it bluntly, screw whoever he wanted. If he wanted to hear a donkey’s bray, he heard a donkey’s bray. If he wanted to hear an oriole’s song, he got an oriole’s song. If he wanted to hear the sound of crashing waves, there were crashing waves.

It didn’t matter if it was under a table, on a vanity, in the bedroom, in his factory office, or on a carriage...

Whenever the mood struck him, Lu Yuan could do whatever he pleased.

But not anymore. Now he only had Su Liyan with him, and he couldn’t go at it with her every single night.

She was pregnant, after all, so he had to be somewhat careful.

Even though Su Liyan was of the Half-demon Race and had a strong constitution, he couldn’t just mess around recklessly.

Zhao Qiao’Er teased, "My sweet treasure, how about this? I’ll make a few sounds for you, and you can have Su Liyan give you a hand to let off some of that steam, hmm?"

Before Lu Yuan could even open his mouth to refuse, Zhao Qiao’Er had already started moaning on the other end of the line.

Without Lu Yuan there to do the deed for real, Zhao Qiao’Er’s cries were no longer like a donkey’s bray.

The sounds weren’t loud, as she was afraid of being overheard by others in the residence. With Lu Yuan not at home, it was better to be discreet about such things.

Otherwise, that donkey’s bray would be a little hard for any normal person to accept.

As for a man like Lu Yuan, whether he had a particular taste for that sound, only he himself knew.

Of course, Su Liyan, who was right there with Lu Yuan, wasn’t just sitting idly by.

She had to play along to see this little show to its conclusion.

As the audience, Lu Yuan slowly got into the spirit of it and started to enjoy himself.

...

Later, Gu Gaoxu sent men to move the two machines, along with components for dozens of additional sets.

They were handed over to the Manufacturing Office of the Court’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Gu Gaoxu didn’t understand any of it himself, so he simply arranged for the Manufacturing Office to study and assemble them.

They still had to give face to the Crown Prince of Yan, so several old craftsmen from the Manufacturing Office examined the two machines.

They marveled that the creator possessed such profound skill; for the moment, they were utterly unable to replicate the devices.

With no other choice, Gu Gaoxu went to find Lu Yuan again.

After Lu Yuan learned what had happened, he hastily scribbled down the manufacturing instructions with a brush and gave them to Gu Gaoxu.

Gu Gaoxu then had a messenger deliver them to the Manufacturing Office.

Once the Manufacturing Office received the instructions, they began replication in full swing.

A few days later, they had already replicated dozens of them.

This was the Court, after all; their efficiency was just that high.

Soon, these dozens of machines were put into operation.

Word of this soon reached the Emperor’s ears.

’Well now, that little rascal is really something else. I can’t believe he actually managed to pull it off,’ the Emperor thought to himself.

’I need to summon that little brat and ask him in person if he really created this thing himself, just as he claimed.’

Gu Gaoxu was summoned by the Emperor.

This wasn’t his first summons. The previous ones had felt more like he was a wanted fugitive.

On the way there, Gu Gaoxu began to worry, wondering if this summons was for good or ill.

Gu Gaoxu was led by one of the Emperor’s eunuchs to the imperial bedchamber.

It was midday, and Gu Gaoxu saw that the Emperor was having a meal.

Although the Emperor was at his meal, he hadn’t yet touched his chopsticks.

After entering, Gu Gaoxu offered a greeting.

The Emperor said to the eunuch beside him, "Go fetch another bowl and a pair of chopsticks."

The eunuch brought a bowl and chopsticks and placed them on the far side of the dining table, opposite the Emperor.

The Emperor gestured with his chopsticks toward the empty seat on the other side of the table. "What are you standing there gawking for? Sit down."

Gu Gaoxu was baffled by this series of events. ’What’s going on? The old man is acting weird today. And why wasn’t Father summoned along with me?’

Gu Gaoxu thought for a moment. Seeing no other choice, he simply sat down.

Gu Gaoxu picked up his bowl and chopsticks and looked at the "four dishes and one soup" on the table.

Hmph!

It was certainly a plain meal. The table was laid with stir-fried radish, stir-fried leeks, stir-fried greens, scrambled eggs, and a scallion and tofu soup.

After a glance, Gu Gaoxu thought to himself that it was all a bit too vegetarian. He didn’t think he could stomach it.

The ever-frugal Emperor saw that Gu Gaoxu had no intention of picking up his chopsticks and assumed he was just being formal.

"Grandson, this is just a simple family meal. No need to be so formal," the Emperor said kindly.

Was Gu Gaoxu the type to be formal? Obviously not. It was just... was this meal meant for feeding birds?

Not only was it plain, but the portions were also tiny.

Gu Gaoxu thought, ’Heh, this old man is in an awfully good mood today. I’m afraid there’s something fishy going on!’

The Emperor continued, "The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported to me that you built a corn thresher?"

Gu Gaoxu replied, "Yes."

Gu Gaoxu wore an extremely proud expression, thinking smugly to himself, ’What do you think of that? I said I was committed to this bluff, and not even the heavens can stop me.’

The Emperor watched Gu Gaoxu’s smug expression.

’Does this good-for-nothing brat before me, who only knows how to fight and kill, really possess such an ability?’

The Emperor had no evidence to prove that Gu Gaoxu hadn’t developed the corn thresher, so he couldn’t very well deny his claim outright.

Still, he had to test him. The Emperor clearly did not believe Gu Gaoxu’s words.

The Emperor thought one thing but said another. "Grandson, it seems your grandfather truly misjudged you in the past. I never expected you to be such a capable man."

As he spoke, the Emperor picked up some greens with his chopsticks and placed them in Gu Gaoxu’s bowl. "Eat," he continued.

Gu Gaoxu looked at the Emperor before him, completely perplexed.

Gu Gaoxu knew as clearly as if looking in a mirror how the Emperor usually behaved, and how he usually treated him.

And yet this time, he was even addressing him as ’Grandson.’

Gu Gaoxu’s heart sank. ’This is bad. He couldn’t have found out that I had Brother Lu help me build this thing, could he?’

’This can’t be my last meal, can it? I’ve heard this grandfather of mine is no saint.’

’He’s ruthless and cruel. He’s not thinking of having me killed, is he?’

...