Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

Lin Yanzhou spent a day and a half preparing for the modern-day events.

First, there was a new pickup truck. He had asked Hu Dahai to help him contact the supplier; it was a Toyota, dark gray, with a reinforced sideboard in the rear bed. When he picked it up, it didn't have license plates yet; a temporary license plate was clipped inside the windshield. The fuel tank was empty, so he drove to a gas station and told them the amount he needed—20,000 tons of gasoline couldn't be poured directly into the tank. He stood in the open space behind the gas station and, when no one was looking, transferred the gasoline into his ring space. The fuel was stored in fixed small units according to standard capacity, taking up a considerable area of ​​the ring space.

For safety reasons, I need to prepare a handgun, just in case.

He didn't contact Hu Dahai about the gun; he contacted the National Security Bureau directly. When explaining its purpose, he only said four words: "For work purposes." The other party didn't ask any further questions. The next day, he received a black metal box containing a Type 92 pistol with ten bullets in the magazine. Next to it was a sealed plastic bag containing ninety spare rounds, packaged in a brass-colored cardboard box.

He checked the serial number and magazine status, and after confirming that there were no problems, he put the metal box into the ring's storage space, placing it in a separate area, some distance away from other supplies.

On the night he returned to Xuan Shuo, he sat in the study until the very end before setting off. He checked the distribution of supplies in his ring space, making sure everything was in its place, then closed his eyes and waited for that familiar feeling of weightlessness to envelop him.

When I opened my eyes, the light in the side hall was still on. The oil in the copper lamp had been added, the wick had been trimmed, and a clean white porcelain cup sat on the windowsill. The floor had been swept, and the scrolls beside the bookshelf were neatly stacked, just as Xiaolan had done.

He stood up and pushed open the door. A breeze from the porch rushed in, warmer than when he left, carrying the earthy smell of the courtyard and the scent of grass. The servants were drying herbs at the base of the wall, several bamboo trays lined up, filled with dark brown grass stems, their surfaces already beginning to shrink and curl.

He walked along the corridor to the study door, where Xiaolan was sitting at her desk flipping through a stack of books. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and exclaimed, "Grand Tutor, ah, my husband is back!"

"How has the court been lately?"

"His Majesty holds court on the first and fifteenth of each month, and spends the rest of the time reviewing memorials. The memorials from the Six Ministries are categorized and submitted, and His Majesty reviews and returns them on the same day." Xiaolan opened the top register. "I've held onto those water conservancy applications from the Ministry of Revenue for a few days, waiting for your return to make a decision. The Ministry of Personnel submitted a list of personnel transfers, which His Majesty approved after one look, without delay. The allocation of military rations from the Ministry of War has also been approved, and the receipt records from various garrisons have been archived within the filing period."

She then pulled another document from the corner of the desk and placed it on the table. "The Ministry of Rites submitted a document regarding the autumn sacrifice ceremony. His Majesty circled a few points and said to proceed according to the old practice, without raising any further objections. The Ministry of Works' application for funding for river works has also been approved. Half will be allocated first, and the remainder will be paid after the autumn harvest."

Lin Yanzhou took the document and flipped through it. The handwriting in the annotations was much steadyer than before, and the writing speed hadn't slowed down, as if he were dealing with something he was already very familiar with: "Has anyone from the Six Ministries submitted a document with objections?"

"Two documents were submitted. The one from the Ministry of Works concerning funding was approved by His Majesty, and the Ministry of Works did not submit a new one. The Ministry of Rites received the reply but did not mention it again."

Xiaolan closed the book. "Last month, a military report came from the border. His Majesty approved it with two words: 'Agreed to move according to plan,' without delaying until the next day."

After leaving his study, Lin Yanzhou went to the outskirts of the city. The wheat ears in the fields were beginning to turn yellow, and the entire field was transitioning from green to golden gray, as if someone was using the same brush to push the ground row by row.

The agricultural official strode over from the other side of the field, his trousers rolled up above his knees, his notebook flipped to the most recent page: "Grand Preceptor, this batch of wheat is ripening faster than expected. The stalks are thicker and the grains are fuller than previously estimated, the grain-filling period is also much longer than in previous years, and the grain weight is generally much higher than last year. If the weather is stable during drying, the yield can be increased even further."

He squatted down and gently lifted a stalk of wheat so that Lin Yanzhou could see the arrangement of the grains. "Grand Preceptor, look, the density of the grains in this batch of wheat is significantly higher than the average of previous years. If the autumn sowing can keep up this year, the yield next year can at least triple."

Lin Yanzhou squatted down and pinched a grain of wheat at the tip of an ear that was not yet completely dry. After rubbing it open, he revealed the tight starch layer inside: "After harvesting, separate the seed-saving and ration-saving grains. If the plumpness of this batch of wheat is indeed stable, the same seed-saving ratio can be used in the following batches without needing to readjust it."

The agricultural official nodded, tucked the record book under his arm, and stood up. "The amount of topdressing fertilizer needs to be determined based on the specific time of autumn sowing. We'll make a judgment based on the recovery of soil fertility then." After he finished speaking, he turned and walked back to the end of the field ridge, squatted down, and opened the record book for the next plot of land.

In the afternoon, Lin Yanzhou took the supplies out of his ring. The seeds, fertilizer, and farm tools were placed in several batches on the open ground of the side hall. Zhao Yan squatted down to look at them, then stood up: "The yield data from the experimental field has been reported. If we start promoting it next year, how many steps should we take?"

"We'll expand to three states first, allowing time for feedback. Once the planting data from various regions is compiled, we'll gradually expand to other areas. Supplies will be delivered in batches, not all at once."

Zhao Yan reached out and touched the edge of the first batch of supplies crates to make sure they were securely placed, then withdrew his hand. "Then let's proceed at this pace. Before the autumn harvest, I will have the Six Ministries finalize the specific plan. With these magical artifacts, our people will no longer have to worry about food and clothing."

He turned and walked back to his desk, sat down, picked up a pen, and opened a new folding book, as if he had already confirmed the next steps in his mind.

After Lin Yanzhou emerged from the side hall, he walked through the corridor. The door to the east wing was ajar, and the light inside was dimmer than in the corridor. He stood at the door for a moment, and Zhao Lingxi came out from the inner room. She was wearing a loose-fitting dress, the sash at her waist slightly loosened, revealing several new folds along the edge of her abdomen beneath the fabric. She stepped aside to let him in, saying, "I thought you wouldn't arrive for a few more days."

"I'll be back once I've finished my business."

"I have great news to tell you, you're going to be a father! I'm carrying your child..."

"Oh? That's great! I'm going to be a dad?! Hahaha..."

Zhao Lingxi sat down on the edge of the bed, placed her hand on her abdomen, and looked down at the obvious gap between her belt and her clothes: "You noticed too. I'm pregnant. The imperial physician said I'm over six months along."

She looked up at him. "I'm exactly twenty this year. My child will be born in a few months. What you spend a year in the Immortal Realm will be decades here."

She turned her gaze back to her palm. "By then, this child will be older than you, and I will be older than you. Every time you come back, you'll probably find that I've changed a bit. What I'm thinking about now is, have you ever thought about this?"

Lin Yanzhou stood inside the door, sunlight filtering through the half-open crack, casting a thin, long streak of light in front of his feet: "Damn, I almost overlooked this bug. What if my son is older than me? Wouldn't that be against human ethics?" At that moment, the scene of the protagonist in Interstellar being older than him suddenly flashed into his mind.

"What does 'Ba Ge' mean? I don't understand, honey. Is it the name of some deity?"

"No, no, it's not a name, it's a kind of... I can't explain it to you, I'll think of a way."

After a moment, Lin Yanzhou said, "I can't solve the time difference issue all at once, but I won't let it stay like this forever. I will deal with this matter specifically after my Eastern Expedition is over."

She paused for a moment, then spoke again in a lower voice, but her tone remained unchanged: "Then hurry. I don't want my child to call someone who looks younger than him 'Dad' in the future."

Lin Yanzhou stood at the edge of the bright mark on the inside of the door: "No way."

Zhao Lingxi didn't press further. She lowered her head, her hand still resting on her abdomen: "Then I'll wait for you."