Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

"hey-hey!"

With his little scheme exposed, Li Yu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I do have a small request..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Er revealed an expression that said, "I knew it!": "You dare to make demands of me? I think you're asking for trouble!"

Li Yu was long immune to Li Er's empty threats, so he chuckled and said, "This nephew is doing this for the sake of the Tang Dynasty..."

"That sounds nice, but tell me, what are your demands?" Li Er sneered.

Seeing that Li Er had relented, Li Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately replied, "I merely wish to open a school in the court to teach some students mathematics and physics. What do you think..."

"Don't even think about it," Li Er interrupted. "The Empress and I have been here for half a day, listening to you brag all you want. I haven't witnessed a single one of the wonders of physics you speak of. Who knows if salt production and smoke bombs are just the tip of the iceberg?"

"How dare I boast in front of you and Auntie?" Li Yu said with a wry smile.

"Heh." Li Er scoffed, "If you want to run a school, run it yourself. Don't try to use the name of the court and waste national funds."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu became somewhat anxious.

In this world, Confucianism reigns supreme. If I were to establish a school under the banner of Mohism, which contradicts Confucian thought, I would naturally face opposition from the Confucian scholars of the Imperial Academy. You must understand, those people dare to smash even the pillars of the main hall; what wouldn't they do?

However, if one were to establish their own school of thought and spread new ideas, their fate would only be more tragic. Throughout history, few such people have met with a good end, such as Shang Yang, Han Fei, and Chao Cuo. Although their ideas were passed down, one was torn apart by five horses and his family was exterminated, another was forced to commit suicide by poison in prison, and the last one also met a gruesome end, being cut in half at the waist in the marketplace.

Li Yu was not the kind of person who would sacrifice his life for the sake of spreading new ideas. He had elderly parents to care for, and he couldn't just endure being ostracized by other schools of thought for the sake of righteousness, only to be executed by Li Er in tears at the West Market.

Li Er knew this, and also knew that Li Yu was not the kind of person who could sacrifice his life for righteousness. So when he saw Li Yu's anxious appearance, he couldn't help but chuckle for a moment.

"Alright, alright!" Li Er forced a laugh and waved his hand. "Since you say it's beneficial to the Tang Dynasty, then I might as well grant your request. But the condition is that you must let me witness the power of physics; otherwise, forget about opening a school!"

When Li Er suddenly agreed, Li Yu was first stunned, and then became extremely excited.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "That's no problem at all. May I ask what Your Majesty would like to see?"

"Oh?" Li Er paused for a moment, then laughed, "You want me to make the request? Very well."

As he spoke, Li Er looked around and noticed a rockery in the courtyard. He then pointed at it with one hand and said, "See that rock at the foot of the rockery? It weighs only a thousand catties. If you can move it by yourself, I will grant your request. What do you say?"

After saying that, he looked at Li Yu with a look of anticipation, waiting for him to beg him to retract his decision so that he could propose a way to prove his point.

To his surprise, Li Yu's eyes lit up as he asked him for confirmation, "Is what you say true, Uncle?"

This piqued his curiosity, and he wanted to see what abilities Li Yu had that made him agree so quickly. So he said decisively, "Of course, a king's word is law."

.........

Because of Li Er's arrival, Li Yu's math class today ended hastily after only one hour, when the sun was at its zenith.

He made an appointment with Li Er three days later, in front of all the civil and military officials, to lift the stone.

That's not difficult, it's just that the necessary materials are relatively harder to find...

Lai Fu had been guarding the gate, chatting animatedly with the eunuch Gou Da, who was in a similar situation. So when he saw His Majesty and the Empress leaving, laughing and talking, he immediately returned to the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw his lord staring blankly at a huge rock. When he saw him, the lord waved to him.

"Laifu, you're strong, do you think you could move this stone?"

"Your Highness, you jest. This stone looks to weigh a thousand pounds. I am but flesh and blood; how could I possibly move it?"

Lai Fu smiled awkwardly, wondering to himself if his lord had been scolded into a daze by His Majesty.

"Then how do you think Xiang Yu managed to lift the thousand-pound cauldron over his head?" Li Yu's words sounded more like a murmur to himself.

"This..." Laifu didn't know how to answer for a moment.

At this moment, Wen Yu, the registrar of the Imperial Workshop, walked in. His arrival immediately drew the attention of Li Yu and Wen Yu.

"Your Highness... Sir, the Junior Supervisor has sent a student to inquire whether the afternoon's classes will proceed as scheduled..." Wen Yu bowed and said.

"No more classes. Tell Supervisor Yan that classes will be suspended for the next three days," Li Yu instructed.

"Yes."

"By the way," Li Yu called out to Wen Yu, who was about to take his leave, and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, "Could your Imperial Workshop make this?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu curiously took the blueprints, then his brows relaxed: "Pulley? Your Highness, we already have one in the Imperial Workshop!"

"Is that really true?" Li Yu exclaimed in delight. "Take me to see it quickly!"

.........

Before long, Li Yu arrived at the workshop of the Imperial Workshop under Wen Yu's guidance, accompanied by Lai Fu.

"Your Highness, this is the pulley you requested." Wen Yu said, lifting a foot-wide pulley in front of Li Yu.

"Put it down." Li Yu nodded, then squatted down and examined the pulley, asking, "Is this thing sturdy?"

"Your Highness, this pulley is made of jujube wood; it is exceptionally sturdy!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu, who had been examining the pulleys for a while, shook his head: "No, it's still too small."

Then, he turned to Wen Yu and asked, "I wonder if your craftsmen could make one that's even larger?"

"Of course, even students can make this!" Wen Yu said proudly.

"You have this skill?" Li Yu looked at him incredulously.

Seeing that Li Yu did not believe her, Wen Yu said somewhat aggrievedly, "Teacher, actually everyone has misunderstood me."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"I have been fond of crafts and art since childhood. Although my ancestor once served as the Prefect of Yongzhou, I was selected for this position as Registrar through a rigorous performance evaluation by the Ministry of Personnel."

"Oh? I misunderstood you." Li Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Could you make a few identical ones based on my blueprints?"

As he spoke, Li Yu handed over the blueprints again.

This time, after receiving the blueprints, Wen Yu didn't examine them further, but instead asked, "May I ask what dimensions you intend to use for the construction, sir?"

"Two feet wide, preferably surrounded by a ring of iron plates."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yu patted his chest and said, "No problem, you can rest assured that I'll take care of this!"

.........