If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
______________________________
(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
The heavy rustle of his Mianfu robes echoed through the silent hall as he walked down the central aisle, passing the groveling forms of the most powerful men in the continent. He did not look back as he crossed the threshold and left the Grand Court Hall.
The moment the heavy, golden lacquered doors closed behind him, sealing him away from the suffocating scrutiny of the bureaucracy, Lie Fan let out a long, heavy exhale that ruffled his mustache.
He stopped in the center of the private corridor, rolling his broad shoulders with a loud, satisfying crack. He stretched his arms high above his head, twisting his torso until his spine popped in protest.
Sitting perfectly rigid upon the Dragon Throne for hours on end, maintaining the flawless, intimidating posture of a living deity while wearing twenty pounds of embroidered silk and a heavy jade beaded crown, was a physical ordeal that rivaled a prolonged melee combat.
"Even absolute power comes with a stiff neck," Lie Fan muttered to himself with a wry chuckle, removing the heavy Mian'guan crown from his head and handing it to a waiting eunuch, who accepted it as if handling a fragile explosive.
At that precise moment, the Chief of the Imperial Maids, a highly organized and impeccably dressed older woman named Madam Xue, stepped forward from the shadows of the corridor. She bowed gracefully, her hands clasped at her waist.
"Your Imperial Majesty, if I may interrupt your rest," Madam Xue spoke softly, her voice soothing and deferential. "Your itinerary demands your attention. The Minister of Works, Lord Liu Ye, has sent a runner. He is currently heading and will be waiting for you at the Imperial Workshop and Research Compound, several kilometers northeast of the capital. He is accompanied by Master Huang Chengyan and his daughter, Lady Huang Yue Ying."
Lie Fan stopped stretching, his eyebrows raising in pleasant surprise. The heavy, morbid thoughts of Cao Cao's impending execution were instantly swept away by the prospect of engineering and innovation.
"Ah, the Imperial Workshop," Lie Fan smiled, rolling his shoulders one last time. "Excellent. I have been eager to see what Liu Ye and his eccentric friends have been building while I was away breaking walls."
"However," he added, looking down at his incredibly ornate, dragging ceremonial robes, "I refuse to inspect a coal fired forge while dressed like a walking temple. I need to get out of these heavy ceremonial robes first and change into something much more practical."
"Your private chambers are prepared, Your Majesty. Fresh garments await," Madam Xue bowed.
A short time later, Lie Fan emerged from his quarters looking entirely different. The stifling imperial silks had been replaced by a tailored, highly practical riding outfit of dark grey linen, reinforced with light, flexible leather armor at the chest and bracers. He looked less like an untouchable god and more like the rugged, pragmatic commander who had originally forged the empire.
He strode out into the sunlit central courtyard of the palace, where his personal carriage was already waiting. It was a massive, heavily reinforced vehicle, pulled by four magnificent, jet black warhorses.
Standing beside the carriage, summoned by imperial runners while Lie Fan was changing, were four of his most crucial inner circle advisors, Grand Commandant Xun You, Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu, Minister of Personnel Zhuge Liang, and Chancellor Jia Xu.
Lie Fan had specifically requested their presence, knowing that whatever Liu Ye was about to unveil at the research compound would undoubtedly require immediate military, financial, logistical, and security assessments.
"Climb in, my lords," Lie Fan gestured casually toward the carriage doors. "Let us leave the politics in the throne room and see what the future of Hengyuan looks like."
As the advisors piled into the luxurious, spacious interior of the carriage, Lie Fan took his seat at the head. Outside, the courtyard was a flurry of disciplined martial activity. Hundreds of elite Imperial Guards, their armor gleaming silver in the midday sun, formed a tight, impenetrable security cordon around the carriage.
Because the legendary Yellow Ghost Bodyguards were currently enjoying their well deserved, highly unusual holiday with their families, the security detail was being commanded by three men who had just earned massive promotions in the court session moments prior.
Chao Bo, Chao Bai, and Huang Chao, all newly elevated to higher ranks of generals, sat tall and proud upon their warhorses. The promotion had clearly injected a fresh, fanatical fire into their blood, they scanned the perimeters with the terrifying intensity of starving hawks.
"Move out!" Huang Chao bellowed, his massive voice echoing off the palace walls.
The procession surged forward, the heavy wheels of the carriage rumbling over the cobblestones as they departed the Imperial Palace and headed northeast, navigating the bustling, vibrant streets of Xiapi before breaking out into the open, rolling countryside.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was relaxed but intellectually charged. The five men engaged in a wide ranging conversation about the state of the world, their minds constantly analyzing the shifting tides of power not just within their borders, but far beyond them.
"It is fascinating to consider the scope of our new reality," Lie Fan mused, looking out the carriage window at the passing farmland. "We have pacified the east, conquered the center, and soon our fleets will strike the Yamatai. But even the foreign merchants from the far west speak of shifting tides in lands we have never seen."
"A profound thought, Your Majesty," Xun You nodded slowly. "It reminds us that while our empire is vast, we are but one piece of a much larger puzzle. It is why our infrastructural advancements must outpace our enemies."
"Speaking of infrastructural advancements," Mi Zhu chimed in, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I am deeply curious to see what Liu Ye has been draining my treasury for. The Imperial Workshop has consumed a small mountain of iron and timber over the last year."
"We are about to find out," Lie Fan smiled as the carriage began to slow.
They had arrived at the Imperial Workshop and Research Compound. It was not merely a blacksmith's forge; it was a sprawling, walled industrial city in its own right. Massive brick chimneys belched white smoke into the sky, the rhythmic, deafening clang of massive water-powered trip-hammers shook the earth, and the smell of sulfur, hot iron, and burning coal was thick in the air.
As the carriage rolled to a halt and the Imperial Guards established a secure perimeter, Lie Fan stepped out into the industrial din.
Waiting for him near the entrance of a massive, barn-like structure were three figures. The Minister of Works, Liu Ye, stood proudly, his robes dusted with a fine layer of soot. Beside him stood Master Huang Chengyan, the eccentric, brilliant inventor and scholar from Jing Province, looking as delightfully disheveled as ever. And standing just a half step behind her father was Madam Huang Yue Ying.
As the Emperor approached, followed by his four highest ministers, Liu Ye, Huang Chengyan, and Yue Ying immediately dropped to their knees in the dirt, bowing deeply.
"We welcome His Imperial Majesty!" they chorused respectfully.
Lie Fan smiled warmly, reaching out to grasp Liu Ye's shoulder and pulling him up. "Rise, rise, all of you. We are not in the court. Stand up."
As Huang Chengyan dusted off his knees, Lie Fan turned his attention to the young woman standing beside the older inventor. He had heard rumors of her intellect, but seeing her in person was a different matter entirely.
Lie Fan let out a booming, delighted laugh, clapping his hands together. "Master Huang! You sly old fox! You never told me you had such a brilliant daughter working in my forges! I didn't expect you to have a child this sharp. She is beautiful, and I am told she possesses an intellect that rivals your own, wishing to contribute her life's work to the Dynasty! I am a very lucky Emperor to have the Huang family in my service!"
Huang Chengyan let out a dry, wry smile, scratching his beard nervously. "I beg Your Majesty, please do not praise her any further. She is already utterly convinced she knows more about gear ratios than I do. If the Emperor inflates her ego, she will become even more stubborn, and she simply won't listen to a single word her poor old father says anymore."
A sharp, entirely un ladylike elbow suddenly dug into Huang Chengyan's ribs. The old inventor gasped slightly, shooting a scowling glance at his daughter.
Huang Yue Ying stepped forward smoothly, seemingly oblivious to her father's discomfort. She did not possess the frail, delicate, doll like beauty prized by the capital's nobility. She was strikingly unique, her skin held a healthy, sun kissed warmth from days spent in the courtyards, and her eyes burned with an intense, captivating, and fierce intelligence that refused to be dimmed.
She offered a flawless, respectful bow, her voice clear and highly articulate. "I am Huang Yue Ying, Your Imperial Majesty. My father exaggerates his grievances to hide his own forgetfulness. It is the greatest honor of my life to serve the Hengyuan Dynasty. I assure you, my mind belongs to the empire's progress."
Lie Fan nodded his head, deeply impressed by her poise and the undeniable fire of genius in her eyes. "The empire welcomes your mind, Madam Yue Ying."
Behind Lie Fan, Zhuge Liang had suddenly gone entirely still.
The brilliant Minister of Personnel, a man who regularly navigated the most treacherous political waters without his pulse ever quickening, felt his heart perform a strange, sudden stutter in his chest.
He stared at Huang Yue Ying. He was undeniably stunned by her unique, mesmerizing beauty, which stood in stark contrast to the painted, fragile ladies of the court. But it was not just her appearance that rooted him to the spot; it was the sheer, magnetic force of her intellect.
Zhuge Liang had heard whispers of Master Huang's daughter, rumors that she could design automated wooden mechanisms and solve mathematical equations that baffled seasoned engineers.
Looking at the fierce, unapologetic intelligence burning in her eyes as she addressed the Emperor, Zhuge Liang felt an intense, overwhelming wave of intrigue wash over him. In a world populated by politicians and warlords, he had suddenly found a mind that felt like a mirror to his own. He desperately wanted to know more about her.
Oblivious to the sudden, historical spark of romance igniting behind him, Lie Fan enthusiastically clapped his hands together.
"Well then!" Lie Fan declared, looking eagerly at Liu Ye. "You have drained my treasury, blackened the skies northeast of my capital, and dragged my highest ministers out of their comfortable offices. Show me what you have built. How is the wagonway progressing?"
The 'wagonway' was a project Lie Fan had conceptualized based on fragmented memories of his past life, a primitive, pre industrial precursor to the railway, utilizing smooth tracks to drastically reduce friction for horse drawn heavy transport.
Liu Ye's face lit up with the fanatical joy of an engineer who had just achieved a breakthrough. He bowed, gesturing toward the massive barn like structure behind him.
"I invited Your Majesty here today to witness the final result," Liu Ye said, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Our final trials have been an absolute, unequivocal success. Please, follow me."
Lie Fan brought everyone inside, the heavy wooden doors swinging open to reveal a massive, elongated testing warehouse.
Running down the absolute center of the warehouse, stretching for hundreds of yards, were two parallel tracks. They were constructed of thick, heavily treated timber, but the top surface of the wooden rails had been plated with smooth, continuous strips of forged iron.
Sitting upon these tracks was a massive, heavily reinforced wooden transport wagon, its wheels specially flanged, cast with a protruding inner lip, to lock them securely onto the iron plated rails.
Harnessed to the front of this massive wagon was a single, sturdy draft horse.
"Observe, Your Majesty," Liu Ye said, signaling to a worker standing near the horse.
The worker clicked his tongue, gently snapping the reins. The draft horse leaned into the harness. To the absolute astonishment of Xun You, Jia Xu, and Zhuge Liang, the massive wagon, which Liu Ye proudly announced was loaded with four tons of solid iron ingots, began to glide forward smoothly along the tracks.
A single horse was effortlessly pulling a load that would normally require a team of eight oxen struggling through deep mud.
Mi Zhu's jaw physically dropped. As the Minister of Revenue, his mind instantly calculated the economic implications. The cost of transporting grain, timber, and ore across the empire would plummet. Supply lines for the military could move ten times the volume at twice the speed. It was not just an invention; it was an economic revolution.
"By the heavens," Mi Zhu whispered, his eyes wide. "This will change the world."
Lie Fan watched the wagon glide down the tracks, nodding his head in profound, absolute satisfaction. The physical manifestation of his modern knowledge, executed by the brilliant minds of this era, was finally coming to fruition.
"It is a masterpiece, Liu Ye. Master Huang Chengyan, Lady Huang Yue Ying... your work is extraordinary," Lie Fan praised them, walking up to run a hand along the smooth, iron plated rail. He turned back to his advisors, his mind already leaping ten steps into the future.
______________________________
Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0