Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

After Shen Jiang left the palace, Qin Ji devoted himself to reviewing the memorials.

Before we knew it, it was lunchtime.

He put down his vermilion brush, pinched the bridge of his nose, and got up to have his meal in the East Warm Pavilion, served by Fu Lu.

Just then, a young eunuch entered and whispered, "Your Majesty, the attendant is requesting an audience."

Generally speaking, unless there is something extremely urgent, ministers would not be so tactless as to disturb Qin Ji while he is eating. Even if there is, they would usually wait until Qin Ji has finished his meal before being granted an audience.

However, the palace servants who served Qin Ji closely knew that there were two exceptions.

One was Bian Yushu, the emperor's tutor, and the other was Shang Jingming, the commander of the Five Cities Garrison.

These two individuals are favored by the Emperor, and His Majesty frequently summons them.

If these two people have something to ask for an audience, they should not be turned away; instead, their request should be communicated to His Majesty.

The young eunuch held his breath and concentrated.

As expected, His Majesty showed no displeasure and calmly ordered, "Let him in."

Having received permission, Bian Yushu entered the East Warm Pavilion with a swift movement.

Seeing his excited expression and shining eyes, Qin Ji dismissed the palace servants who were serving him, leaving only Fu Lu behind.

Fu Lu continued to serve food to His Majesty.

Bian Yushu bowed respectfully.

Qin Ji slightly raised his hand to signal him to stand up, then his gaze swept over Bian Yushu, "Just came from the workshop?"

Bian Yushu was taken aback upon hearing this, only then realizing that he had rushed over in high spirits, forgetting to tidy his appearance, and had come to see His Majesty looking disheveled.

To be honest, I was disrespectful in front of you.

He tucked the stained sleeve behind his back, his eyes still gleaming with excitement, his voice trembling with anticipation: "Your Majesty, the prototypes of the improved heavy ballista and catapult are complete!"

When Qin Ji saw him like this, he knew there was good news.

The improvement of heavy crossbows and catapults is related to his grand plan for military operations in western Sichuan. If good progress can be made, it will reduce casualties, lower the difficulty of attacking the mountains, shorten the war period, and reduce the pressure on food and supplies.

He put down his chopsticks and asked directly, "You've tried it? How was the result?"

Bian Yushu nodded vigorously, his eyes burning. "The range of the heavy ballista has been increased from 700 paces to 1,000 paces, and the accuracy has also been improved. It can still accurately penetrate the small window of the target tower at 300 paces."

"Can it go through walls?"

"It can penetrate more than half a foot through a rammed earth and brick wall." At this point, Bian Yushu paused slightly, looking a little embarrassed: "If it's a stone wall, it depends on the thickness and sturdiness of the wall."

According to the report submitted by the General of Western Sichuan in his previous post.

The watchtowers of the local chieftains in western Sichuan were mostly made of rammed earth. Stone watchtowers did exist, but they were few in number, concentrated in the strongholds of a few large tribes.

Even so, those few places will likely be tough nuts to crack, and Qin Ji will not underestimate them.

He pressed on, "What about the catapult?"

"The range of the catapult has been increased from two hundred paces to three hundred and fifty paces."

The terrain in western Sichuan is rugged, and the chieftains' watchtowers were built high on the mountains, so the catapults had to be fired from above, which reduced their range.

If catapults are to be put to use, they will probably have to be deployed on the nearby mountain ridges.

"The terrain in western Sichuan is complex, and the catapults are quite heavy. How was the transportation problem solved?" Qin Ji asked.

Bian Yushu excitedly pulled out a blueprint from his pocket, his eyes sparkling, as if a large tail was swaying behind him: "The base, pillars, and crossbars can all be disassembled and transported separately. Once they arrive at the destination, they can be assembled in two hours."

Qin Ji took the blueprints, his gaze lingering on them for a moment, and then instructed Fu Lu, who was standing beside him, "Have the three ministers from the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Revenue come here tomorrow morning."

Fu Lu bowed and said, "Yes."

His Majesty will likely summon the three ministers to discuss the feasibility. After that, if there are no problems, preparations for mass production will begin in earnest.

I heard that the new batch of curved plows improved by Young Master Bian have been tested and are performing well at several farms in the suburbs of Beijing.

Young Master Bian has repeatedly made great contributions; it seems that once he takes flight, he will soar to the heavens.

"Gurgle."

After sharing the results with His Majesty, Bian Yushu's stomach rumbled at just the right moment.

Qin Ji casually handed the blueprint to Fu Lu, telling him to put it away. Then, glancing sideways at Yu Shu, he met a pair of eyes that seemed to say, "Please praise me."

Fu Lu said with a smile, "I've been busy all morning, rushing to report the good news to His Majesty and make him happy. Young Master Bian must not have had a meal yet."

Bian Yushu was a little embarrassed by his words. "I was rude, please forgive me, teacher."

After saying that, he looked at Qin Ji expectantly.

Qin Ji found it somewhat amusing, tapped his finger on the imperial table, and commented with interest: "It is quite impolite, disheveled, covered in dust, with a rumbling stomach, a breach of etiquette before the emperor."

Bian Yushu never expected that the accusation would come before the praise. His smile froze on his face, and his expression was as if the sky had fallen.

Qin Ji remained expressionless and tapped the table with his fingers: "Fu Lu, take Young Master Bian away."

Why go down there?

Are we really going to punish him for disrespecting the emperor?

Bian Yushu took a step back, his hand barely touching his back, as if struck by lightning.

Fu Lu suppressed a laugh: "Young Master Bian, please follow me."

Bian Yushu, like a wilted cabbage, followed Fu Luwai, looking back every few steps.

Qin Ji didn't even look at him, and chuckled lightly, "Looking directly at the Emperor's face is an even greater crime."

Bian Yushu shuddered, shrank back, and dared not look any further.

With Bian Yushu, who looked like a dehydrated cabbage, leading him to the door of the side room of the side hall, Fu Lu said with a smile, "Young Master Bian, please come in."

Bian Yushu felt as if his feet were rooted to the spot. Having made full mental preparations, he stepped inside with a tragic expression.

He looked around but didn't see a bench. Just as he was about to ask where to lie down, he saw Fulu take the tray handed to him by the eunuch and bring it to him.

When Bian Yushu saw the clothes on the tray, she finally realized what was going on. The mournful expression on her face vanished instantly, and her eyes lit up like stars.

Fu Lu stepped forward and gently helped Bian Yushu change her clothes, saying with a smile, "How can you dine with His Majesty without changing into clean clothes?"

"Young Master Bian, please hurry, don't keep His Majesty waiting."

After happily changing his clothes, Bian Yushu was led back to the East Warm Pavilion, where a new set of bowls and chopsticks was placed on the imperial table.

Before Bian Yushu could even bow, Qin Ji gestured to the stool beside him and said, "Sit."

Bian Yushu eagerly took a seat next to His Majesty.

Before he could even sit down properly, a piece of delicacies was added to his bowl.

Bian Yushu was flattered and looked at the emperor who was serving him food.

Qin Ji couldn't help but chuckle: "Well done, you've made another contribution. You truly deserve to be my first disciple."

Bian Yushu sat up straight, her eyes sparkling: "It's my duty to share the teacher's burdens!"

"The task I've given you isn't over yet." Qin Ji paused slightly. "Next, you'll need to work with Shang Jingming to train a group of elite soldiers who can assemble catapults and skillfully operate the new catapults and heavy crossbows."

Although it meant cooperating with his mortal enemy, Bian Yushu dared not neglect this task assigned by His Majesty and quickly replied, "Yes!"

Having covered most of the important matters, Qin Ji placed another piece of food on Bian Yushu's plate, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "Besides fulfilling your duties to me, if you have any spare energy, how about making me a little trinket?"

...

An event is coming! An event is coming!

As before, reaching 1500 "love-generated" posts per day will trigger a double update. Whether or not there is a double update depends on everyone!