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

The next day at dawn, Lin Yanzhou woke up earlier than usual. Xiaolan was already up and boiling water in the porch. The water in the copper kettle had been boiling for a while, and the white steam coming out of the spout was spreading in the morning light.

Xiaoyu was folding blankets inside the house, his movements very quiet. He got dressed and walked to the yard, standing in the center of the open space. He turned his head to make sure there were no outsiders in the yard, then raised his left hand, a thought flashing through his mind.

A dark gray pickup truck appeared at the foot of the courtyard wall. The metal body of the truck body gleamed with a uniform dark light in the morning light. The windshield reflected the sunlight in a short arc. The rubber tires pressed against the ground, and the metal edges of the wheel rims were brighter than the surrounding blue bricks.

The courtyard was quiet for about ten seconds. Xiaolan came out from under the porch with a kettle in her hand and stopped on the steps. She looked at the vehicle, her gaze moving from the front to the back and back again. She put down the kettle, walked down the steps, and reached out to touch the side panel of the truck bed. Her fingertips traced the seams of the metal, as if she were measuring the hardness and temperature of the metal in her own way.

Xiaoyu came out of the house and stood on the porch without getting close. Her gaze followed the curve of the car body, from the edge of the headlights to the bulge of the rear wheel arch, and then looked away, as if she was reserving a place for this outline in her memory with her eyes.

Lin Yanzhou opened the hood to check the engine oil and coolant, then went around to the back of the car, opened the fuel tank cap, and drew fuel from his ring space to fill the tank. As he closed the hood, he glanced sideways in the direction of the palace gate: "Get in."

The carriage drove along the palace wall toward a side hall. The servants along the way stopped what they were doing one by one.

Someone was bending down to sweep the floor. Hearing the sound, they looked up, and the broom stopped in mid-air.

Someone was squatting by the wall sorting through herbs when they saw the dark gray, metal-shelled monster drive by under the eaves. They stood up, and a few herbs slipped from their fingers.

The imperial guards stood at the palace gate, their hands on the hilts of their swords, not drawing them, but their knuckles forming a tight grip on the surface. The engine of the carriage emitted a low, continuous sound, which was particularly noticeable on the quiet palace road.

When the car stopped at the foot of the courtyard wall, the morning light had just slanted down from above the eaves, illuminating the surface of the metal car body with a uniform sheen. The Imperial Guards were the first to spot it.

The two guards standing inside the palace gate heard a sound they had never heard before: a continuous, low, rhythmic rumble, as if it were coming from underground, or as if it were coming from something approaching itself.

A guard turned his head, his halberd still in his hand, and his gaze swept in the direction of the sound, landing on the dark gray, metal-clad monster. His first reaction was to take a half step back, the hilt of his halberd resting on the ground, but he didn't draw his sword.

The other guard had already turned to the side, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles clenched, but he didn't pull it out, because the metal monster was just standing there, neither moving forward nor backward, gradually coming to a stop in a slow, natural way, and then ceasing to move forward.

When the chief eunuch strode over from under the corridor, his pace was twice as fast as usual, and the soles of his shoes made a continuous rubbing sound on the blue brick floor.

He stopped about ten paces away from the carriage, not moving any further, because he didn't know if the thing would continue moving, or if it would move again after stopping. He stood there for about five breaths, then turned and walked quickly towards the side hall.

When Zhao Yan arrived, a crowd had already gathered in the open space in front of the side hall. The imperial guards stood on the outermost layer, their hands on the hilts of their swords but not drawing them, as if they were carrying out a rapid, tiered security deployment in their own way. The eunuchs and servants stood further away, some holding brooms and dustpans, others carrying copper basins. No one put down what they were holding, as if afraid of missing something if they did.

As Zhao Yan walked through the crowd, he didn't slow down. Those blocking his way automatically parted to the sides to make way for him. He stopped in front of the car.

He didn't back down. He stood there for a while, first looking at the front of the car: the two flat, slightly raised iron plates looked like a worn-out shield, with two transparent lampshades embedded in the edges, and you could see the gap between the metal reflective layer and the glass cover inside the lampshades.

He took two steps to the side, turned his head to look at the side of the car, and saw that the arc extending from the front wheel arch to the taillights formed a continuous curved surface in the morning light, with the sheet metal surface covered with a uniform dark gray coating.

He paused as he walked around to the back of the truck, glancing at the metal edges of the reinforced sideboard and the shape of the taillights. Then he turned back to the front of the truck, stopping about two steps away, and asked in a low voice, "Sir, what's this thing called?"

Lin Yanzhou stood beside the car, turned his head to look at him, and said, "Your Majesty, this is called a car in the Immortal Realm."

Zhao Yan didn't reply immediately. He stood in front of the car for a while, his gaze tracing the lines of the hood, then reached out and stopped about an inch from the car's surface, without touching it immediately.

After two or three seconds, he slowly placed his palm on the surface of the hood, his fingertips touching the metal, feeling its coolness and hardness. He pressed down to confirm it was indeed hard, not porous, then withdrew his hand, looking down at his palm as if he were memorizing the sensation with his skin: "This thing can move by itself?"

"Not only can it walk, it can also run, faster than the fastest horse, and it never gets tired, haha."

Zhao Yan watched for a while longer, then turned his head to look at the several ministers standing in the open space. The Vice Minister of Revenue stood at the front of the crowd, his gaze shifting back and forth between the cart bed and tires, estimating its weight and cargo capacity.

The official from the Ministry of Rites stood beside him, examining the two transparent lampshades. His gaze moved back and forth between the glass surface and the metal reflective layer, trying to determine if they belonged to a craft he had never seen before.

The Vice Minister of Works squatted on the side of the rear of the carriage, looking at the exhaust pipe. He was measuring the curvature and thickness of the iron pipe with his eyes. He did not get close, but mentally dissected it into parts that he recognized.

A military officer stepped forward and bent down to look at the wheel. He reached out and touched the rubber sidewall of the tire. When he pressed down with his fingertip, he felt the unique elasticity of the material. The elasticity made him pull his hand back, then reach out and press it again to confirm that it was indeed inflated and not solid. Then he straightened up without saying a word.

Zhao Yan stood in front of the car: "Sir, are you going to drive this thing out?"

"We need to drive out first, spread out the goods, and then let others know where these goods came from."

Zhao Yan was silent for a moment, then reached out and touched the edge of the hood again, his fingertips slowly tracing the ridge: "When you go out, will anyone be afraid along the way?"

"It will be okay at first. But you'll get used to it after a few trips."

Zhao Yan withdrew his hand: "Then, sir, please take care on your journey."

He stepped aside to make way, glanced at the supplies stacked in the back compartment, and lingered on the outlines covered with old cloth: "When you return, I'll hear from you how the people in those places view these things."

Lin Yanzhou opened the car door, got into the driver's seat, and started the engine. When that continuous, low rumble resumed, some people on the outer edge of the crowd took a half-step back.

The dark gray, metal-shelled vehicle began to move forward, not fast, its tires making short, screeching sounds as they rolled across the blue brick pavement. Zhao Yan stood still, watching the vehicle drive out of the palace gate.