The Scum Gong’s Redemption Manual (Quick Transmigration) 70

Chapter 70

Even though Wei Yan knew that this trip would be a surprise, he didn’t expect that during breakfast, Lu’s mother not only did not have the arrogant look she had before, but instead showed a smile that could barely be called gentle, and served him food. “You… you try it. The cook’s dish is not bad.”

Wei Yan glanced at the fresh bamboo shoots in his bowl. If it weren’t for Lu Ze being here, and knowing that she wouldn’t do anything stupid, he would have suspected that this dish was poisoned.

Seeing that Wei Yan didn’t move his chopsticks for a long time, Lu’s mother gritted her teeth, and then met her son’s urging gaze. She took a deep breath, and finally said, word by word, “About what happened before… it was my fault. You and Ze’er have only been married for a few months. How can you be so anxious to take a concubine… You mustn’t take my words to heart.”

Wei Yan’s brows twitched. He had never expected to hear these words. He subconsciously looked sideways at Lu Ze on the side, and saw him raise an eyebrow at him. He then remembered that he had told him to be a little more firm, and a smile unconsciously dyed his eyes. But on the surface, he still had a cold and indifferent look. He picked at the food in his bowl with his chopsticks, but did not eat.

In Lu’s mother’s eyes, this attitude was still not satisfactory. She almost gritted her teeth, but she still had to swallow her anger and said, “This matter was my fault. I apologize to you here. You and Ze’er are husband and wife. You must get along well in the future, and you must not hold a grudge.”

Since Lu’s mother had said so much, Wei Yan thought that it was enough, so he let out a light and indifferent hum in agreement, but then he brought up Xu Yun, who was not here. “Then that young miss cousin…”

Lu’s mother quickly smiled. “I brought Yun’er here to the capital, and I also asked for her parents’ opinion. I was thinking of choosing a good husband for her in the capital. I’m not familiar with this place, so I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you, Marquis…”

Wei Yan glanced at Lu Ze, but he understood in his heart. His face was unchanged. “Since it’s my cousin’s marriage, I will naturally take it to heart.”

The smile on Lu’s mother’s face finally deepened a little, and she added, “My niece has suffered a lot since she was a child. She also likes scholars. I wonder if the Marquis knows any unmarried masters…”

Wei Yan’s action paused. Seeing that Lu Ze had imperceptibly shaken his head at him, he said, “Most of those in high positions already have a wife. I do know a master who has lost his wife. He is a fifth-rank official, and he is now over forty. He is looking for a second wife. If my cousin is interested, I can introduce her.”

Lu’s mother hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “No, no, forty-something is too old…”

Hearing this, Wei Yan didn’t say anything more. The few of them had a relatively harmonious meal. After leaving the door, Wei Yan couldn’t help but tug on his sleeve and asked him curiously, “How did you do it?”

Lu Ze turned his head to look at him. “Want to know?”

Wei Yan nodded.

Lu Ze held his hand and walked out, and said with a smile, “I just told her that the luxurious clothes and food she enjoys now are all thanks to you, Marquis. If she still wants to live such a life, she should be honest and not cause trouble.”

Wei Yan frowned. “Why do I feel that your original words were not like this?”

“Ya.” Lu Ze feigned a cry of surprise. “You saw through me?”

“You, Lu Ze!” Wei Yan had a smile on his face and pounced on him. “Tell me, what bad things did you say about me!”

Lu Ze took the opportunity to carry him on his back and said with a smile, “Heaven and earth are my witness, what I said was all the truth!”

Wei Yan raised his hand and wrapped it around his neck, and said with a threatening tone, “Are you going to tell me or not…”

“No.” Lu Ze bounced the person on his back up and said with a smile, “What can you do to me?”

“I…” Wei Yan glanced around and was shocked to find that many maids and servants were passing by. They all looked at their noses and their noses at their hearts, and silently quickened their pace and walked past.

Wei Yan’s face instantly turned red, and he whispered in his ear, “Put me down!”

“No,” Lu Ze said.

Wei Yan patted his shoulder. “The servants are all watching!”

“Let them watch,” Lu Ze said nonchalantly. “I’m carrying my fulang. Who cares what they think?”

Wei Yan twisted and turned, but his face was always smiling…

***

The people from the Ministry of Works returned to the capital from Huainan. The water control was quite effective, and the emperor naturally rewarded them according to their merits.

In the court, the accompanying official from the Ministry of Works came out and reported, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the water control this time was quite effective, and it was all thanks to Master Lu’s timely proposal to dredge the river, level the hills, and divert the water into the sea. Otherwise, I’m afraid the consequences would have been endless.”

The emperor was sitting high above. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but be surprised. “Oh? In that case, Lu Qing’s contribution is indispensable? I must reward you well!”

Lu Ze was also in the court on this trip. Hearing this, he came out and said, “This subject does not dare. I eat the emperor’s salary and am loyal to the emperor. This subject is just doing his duty.”

The emperor smiled. “To be effective in your work is to have merit, and you should be rewarded! Come, pass on my decree, and grant Lu Qing a hundred taels of silver, and a pair of jade ruyi…”

Lu Ze respectfully thanked him. The emperor did not forget the other meritorious officials in the water control and also rewarded them with some things.

After the court was dismissed, Lu Ze thanked his superior on this trip. After receiving his encouragement, he met the scrutinizing gazes of the various officials and waited for Wei Yan, who came out later, to walk with him.

He didn’t care what others thought.

Time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, two months had passed.

The Hanlin Academy was as leisurely as usual, and the Ministry of Works was also relaxed after the matter of Huainan was over. And since there were no wars on the border, Wei Yan stayed in the capital and also took on the official position of the commander of the military guard camp. In his spare time, Lu Ze would ask Wei Yan to take him to the military guard camp to have a look. He would go, but he wouldn’t watch the soldiers train, but instead would run to the armory.

Wei Yan had originally thought that he was interested in these things, so he hadn’t thought much of it. It wasn’t until he saw that Lu Ze was busy every day, writing and drawing in the study, often until the middle of the night, that Wei Yan couldn’t help but be curious.

It was already late at night, and it was hot in the summer. Wei Yan had only worn a thin undershirt after washing up. He pushed open the door of the study and saw Lu Ze sitting at the desk, writing and drawing. He couldn’t help but be a little unhappy at his obsession during this period.

He took two steps forward and lay on Lu Ze’s back, his head resting on his shoulder, and he muttered, “What are you busy with?”

As he spoke, he casually looked down and was stunned.

On the paper was a structural drawing of a crossbow, with densely packed characters on it, which Wei Yan couldn’t understand for a moment.

Lu Ze backhanded and patted his head, and asked, “You’re not asleep yet?”

Wei Yan shook his head, his gaze completely focused on the paper. “What is this?”

He unconsciously reached out to touch it. Lu Ze did not stop him and instead presented the paper better in front of Wei Yan.

The more Wei Yan looked, the more shocked he became. He couldn’t help but look up and ask eagerly, “Is what you wrote on this real? Can it really reach a range of more than double the current crossbow?”

Lu Ze nodded warmly. “If it can be made, it’s naturally real.”

Wei Yan looked at the paper and was simply unable to put it down. “This… this is simply…”

As a soldier, no one could understand the destructive power of a powerful weapon better than Wei Yan. A crossbow might not seem like much, but on the battlefield, it could take an enemy’s head from hundreds of steps away without anyone knowing.

He couldn’t help but ask, “This thing, if it’s to be made, how confident are you?”

Lu Ze said, “Eighty percent.”

Wei Yan’s pupils constricted, and the excitement in his heart was indescribable. Lu Ze pulled him to sit on his lap and, pointing at the densely packed small characters on the drawing, slowly said to him, “I’ve studied the weapons in the military guard camp and have a rough understanding of the range of the current crossbows. Although it’s already not bad, there are still some flaws. During this period, I’ve diligently read through ancient books and, after discussing with the soldiers of the military guard camp and some old craftsmen from the Ministry of Works, I’ve made this drawing.”

“If it can be as I imagined, then the range of this crossbow will not only be increased by at least double, but it can also…”

The more Wei Yan listened, the more shocked he became, and at the same time, there was a complex feeling that was hard to describe. He looked at Lu Ze and said softly, “Why did you suddenly think of developing these things?”

Lu Ze smiled. “Although the world is relatively peaceful now, war can break out at any time. You are a general, and it is inevitable that you will go to the battlefield. I can’t accompany you, but I also want to help you as much as possible.”

He rubbed his hair. “I just hope that this thing can increase your chances of survival a little.”

Wei Yan looked at him for a long time before he shrank into his arms, his heart as sweet as if it had been filled with honey, but also a little sour and hard to describe.

Lu Ze kissed his forehead, a smile in his voice. “What’s wrong?”

Wei Yan opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. In the end, he just said in a muffled voice, “I will definitely come back alive from the battlefield every time in the future.”

They would definitely grow old together.

Lu Ze’s hand rubbing his hair paused, and his eyes were full of gentleness. “You have to come back alive.”

***

The matter of developing weapons naturally had to be reported to the emperor. The emperor looked at the drawing and, hearing the expected effect, his heart was also filled with a rush of blood.

He looked at Wei Yan for a long time, then finally walked down and patted his shoulder. “You’ve really found a treasure!”

Wei Yan had a smile on his face. “Then His Majesty agrees?”

“Naturally.” The emperor waved his hand, his brows full of spirit. “Let him do as he pleases. If he can really develop this thing, I will open a military armory for him in the future!”

Wei Yan said, “These are Your Majesty’s words. This subject has remembered them.”

The emperor couldn’t help but laugh and curse, “Scram, scram, hurry up and scram back. I can also see the things earlier!”

With the emperor’s words, the Ministry of Works also followed the order, and Lu Ze naturally did as he pleased with boldness and confidence.

The level of craftsmanship in ancient times was not as good as in the future, and a single mistake could lead to an error. Lu Ze led a group of people to record and study, and after repeated failures, one day a month later, they finally successfully developed the first perfect crossbow.

The people from the Ministry of Works quickly presented it to the imperial palace. The emperor was discussing matters with his ministers at this time. He was happy to receive the news and, no longer caring about those matters, he took those ministers to the training ground in the palace.

Lu Ze and Wei Yan were together, and Xiao Lingrui also came to join in the fun. The emperor called for the best archer in the palace and had him shoot at a target hundreds of steps away. Everyone was holding their breath. They saw the crossbow arrow fly over with an unstoppable force, straight through the bullseye, and hit a tree even further away. The surroundings were silent.

It wasn’t until a moment later that the emperor shouted, “Good!”

The ministers were also shocked by this power and kowtowed one after another. “Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty. With this weapon, the national strength of my Great Zhou can be raised to another level!”

Lu Ze and Wei Yan looked at each other, both with a smile in their eyes.

The weapon was made, and Lu Ze was the first to be credited. The emperor wanted to reward him according to his merits and wanted to promote him, but Lu Ze tactfully declined, saying that he only liked to study those weapons. If he were to really be in a high position, he would not know what to do. If His Majesty wanted to reward him, then he would ask the emperor to reward him with more money.

Hearing this, although the emperor was surprised, he understood after thinking about it and did not force it. Instead, he did as he wished and changed all the rewards to rare gold, silver, and jewelry, which filled a storeroom in the marquis’s mansion.

At that time, Lu Ze held Wei Yan’s hand and said, “See, your husband is also capable of supporting the family.”

It was rare for Wei Yan to see him like this, and he couldn’t help but smile and say, “Yes, my husband is the most amazing.”

Flowers bloomed and fell, and spring went and came again. Two years passed in a flash, and the Hanlin Academy’s graduation examination was also over. The emperor followed his wishes and officially assigned him to the Ministry of Works, appointing him as the Minister of the Ministry of Works, a fifth-rank official.

In fact, in the past two years, Lu Ze had made repeated achievements, from small things like agricultural tools that were beneficial to the reclamation and irrigation of farmland, to medium things like machinery that accelerated the shelling of rice and wheat, to large things like all kinds of military weapons. Each of them was enough for him to be promoted, instead of him always sitting in the position of Yuanwailang. But Lu Ze had said that he did not ask for an official title, and he really did not. The emperor had repeatedly wanted to promote him, but he had refused every time, at most asking for more rewards. This time, he was promoted to Minister, and it was because there was a vacancy in the Ministry of Works. The emperor felt that it would be unreasonable not to promote him, so he had forced it on him.

In the past two years, the territory of the Great Zhou was generally peaceful. The fifth prince of the Western Qin had successfully ascended to the throne and had signed a hundred-year non-aggression treaty with the Great Zhou. The border trade had also gradually gotten on the right track, and the people on the border finally no longer had to be on tenterhooks and could slowly live a good life. In addition, although there were occasional turmoil within the Great Zhou, such as droughts and floods, they were all resolved without any danger. In addition, with a wise ruler, the entire country was showing a prosperous scene.

But the emperor’s eyes and ears could not reach all four corners. Even under a wise ruler, it was difficult to escape from corruption.

Three hundred li away from the capital, a group of mountain bandits in Yingzhou were causing trouble, robbing the passing people. In the end, they even laid their hands on the official merchants. The emperor was furious and ordered Wei Yan to lead troops to suppress them.

At first, Lu Ze didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking that he would be back soon. But when Wei Yan went this time, he found that there was another reason why those bandits had become bandits. After several investigations, he found that the local magistrate was exploiting the people and treating their lives as if they were nothing. He had secretly colluded with the local tyrants and accepted bribes, which made the people so poor that they had no place to stand, but they dared not speak out.

The reason why they had become mountain bandits this time was because of the drought a while ago, and the people’s crops had all withered. Although the court had sent relief grain, more than half of it had been embezzled by the magistrate. Not only that, but he had also increased taxes and exploited them layer by layer. The people really couldn’t live anymore, so they had no choice but to become bandits.

As soon as this matter came out, the emperor was furious and ordered Wei Yan to find out the truth before returning.

After more than half a month, the evidence of the Yingzhou magistrate’s embezzlement was conclusive. Wei Yan was under imperial orders and beheaded the dog official on the spot. He left his deputy to deal with the aftermath and returned to the capital first to report.

It was already the middle of the night, and the night was dark. Lu Ze was lying on the bed, his consciousness drowsy, but he was not sleeping soundly.

It wasn’t until a small noise suddenly sounded in his ear, as if someone had stretched out a finger to touch him, that Lu Ze grabbed his hand with a force, turned over and pressed down, and saw the person’s face clearly in the moonlight from outside the window.

Wei Yan was obviously surprised. “You’re not asleep yet?”

His face was tired from the long journey, and his body had a faint smell of blood. Lu Ze’s nose twitched, and his voice was slightly dark. “Are you injured?”

Wei Yan shook his head. “No, I just got it on me when I was killing people.”

Only then did Lu Ze feel at ease. He turned over and placed him on top of himself, and asked, “Why are you in such a hurry to come back?”

Wei Yan pursed his lips and said in a small voice, “I missed you.”

Lu Ze looked at him and was about to go and kiss him, but Wei Yan covered his mouth, his eyes bright, and he shook his head. “No, my body is dirty.”

Lu Ze said in a hoarse voice, “I don’t mind.”

But Wei Yan still refused. “I mind. It smells so bad.”

His body was covered in dust, and there was a faint smell of blood. Wei Yan only felt uncomfortable when he smelled it.

He tapped his nose and said, “Wait until I’ve washed up.”

As he spoke, he got up and lit a candle. Lu Ze half-sat up and watched him walk behind the bathroom, his eyes gentle. He picked up a book from the side of the bed and slowly read it.

At first, the two of them were talking on and off. Wei Yan was talking about what he had done in Yingzhou, and Lu Ze would chime in from time to time. It wasn’t until later that Wei Yan’s voice gradually disappeared. Lu Ze called him twice, but there was no response. Only then did he feel that something was wrong. He got up and went over, but he saw that he had fallen asleep by the side of the bathtub at some point.

Lu Ze paused, then was helpless. He pulled him out of the bathtub, wrapped him in a towel, and placed him on the bed, and carefully wiped the water from his body.

Wei Yan woke up for a moment in the middle of it, his eyes half-open, and he said drowsily, “How did I fall asleep…”

Lu Ze said helplessly, “I was about to ask you. How many days have you not slept? Why are you in such a hurry to come back?”

“No.” Wei Yan burrowed into his arms, his face pressed against his lower abdomen, and his voice was muffled. “I’ve slept for a few hours, but I don’t know why, I’ve been feeling sleepy these days…”

His voice slowly grew lower. Lu Ze looked down and saw that he had already fallen into a deep sleep.

He was both heartbroken and helpless. He settled him down, covered him with a blanket, and only then did he hold him and fall asleep peacefully.