Volume 1, Chapter 23: Zhu Xiongying Establishes a Running Water System in the Ming Imperial Palace

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Zhu Biao’s heart condition and Zheng He’s hypoglycemia were nothing serious. Xia Jingtian planned to prescribe some medicine for them to rest quietly at the clinic. Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the palace to handle state affairs. Meanwhile, Empress Ma was tending to Zhu Biao, staying by his side even in sleep, fearful he might suffer a sudden death. “Big brother, you must stay well! If anything happens to you, how am I supposed to live?” Empress Ma murmured softly. At that moment, Zhu Biao fell into a deep sleep, having not rested so long in a very long time. As the crown prince, Zhu Biao had worked tirelessly for many years, rising early and retiring late every day... For safety’s sake, since they had already explored the marketplace thoroughly, it was best to return quickly to the sect. So, she hurriedly grabbed Lin Lin and headed back to the sect. Jiang Luo’an was only trying to persuade her grandfather then and couldn’t interfere much. But now, to make her act that way toward Su Chenyu was simply beyond her. A powerful repulsive force surged like a tidal wave, forming a large hemispherical shield that protected everyone inside. At this moment, sand began to fall from above onto the group. While frantically stuffing the gold and silver treasures into her magical weapon, an unusual noise came from the stone wall nearby—the sound of a mechanism opening and closing. Then, two sharp slaps rang out; two guards each received a slap, dealt by Kuang Long. There were conspiracy theories that the high-ranking official who wrote the complaint letter was a spy who had infiltrated Tianmi City years ago, secretly planted by other families as an undercover agent. Hmph, maybe last night’s handling wasn’t harsh enough, as he was acting arrogant again today. Do whatever you want, just don’t touch Madam Fang’s livelihood. Although Fang’s actions today annoyed him greatly...

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This man did not look treacherous; his features were square and upright, even somewhat righteous at first glance. Truly, he was like a beautiful jade shell with rotten core—a rebel who colluded with barbarians. Su Li had almost reached the door but stopped when he heard Mo Changkong order the bodyguards to take action. During the daytime training, One-Two-Three was clearly off form, sluggish—probably because they overate yesterday. Ning Shuangshuang was thoughtful; before leaving, she had prepared these newspapers so Chen Yi could piece together what had happened over the past few days. “Sis, you’re finally back! I was about to go crazy!” Upon seeing Song Guyan enter the office, Xi Yao felt as if she’d met a deity, nearly brought to tears, rushing over with watery eyes. Seeing the appearance of the Purple Pearl, I said calmly, “Just tell them, it’s not a secret anyway...” That’s what I said. Song Guyan didn’t want to provoke Hao Qiuping, so she removed the camera pinned to her chest and, when handing it over, deliberately passed it across the counter so the command center could see what was happening inside. After being shocked by high-voltage electricity, Xiong Qi’s body trembled violently, shivering uncontrollably. In truth, this level of shock wouldn’t cause such a strong physical reaction, but to appease his future mother-in-law, Xiong Qi had to comply theatrically. Zhang San knew these mystical types might really see something, so he said nothing; the group headed toward the princess’s mansion. “I brought it.” Anticipating that Song Jingcheng would bring money today, Lin Xiaoxiao had casually taken the household registration book before leaving. Since it was rarely used, after today’s use, as long as it was returned properly, her parents and grandmother wouldn’t notice. This meant, to avoid spoilers, he couldn’t even join online discussions about the comic’s plot. For a devoted fan, this was undoubtedly the most frustrating thing. Seeing Ding Dang’s face scribbled with words like “panic” and “bad luck,” Dantai Langtao was furious beyond words. “But aren’t you worried about yourself?” The flawless typist asked coolly. Tomorrow’s financial headlines might no longer be about the Ho family’s successful property sales, but rather the inexplicable antics of their CEO, completely shattering his usual indifferent facade. The next day, the Academy of Sciences seemed relieved as they publicly announced: So-and-so had been appointed as a lifetime honorary academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Is it him?” Upon seeing Yu Chen’s face, the crowd immediately gasped, but the information was scant—apart from some trivial introductions and Yu Chen’s title, there was little substantive news.

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“Because I want to open an internet café in Dan County! Planning to buy around 200 computers. Since the school lacks computers, I want to give back for the educational kindness. But when the time comes, I’ll ask the principal to introduce a few computer suppliers,” Chen Yidao smiled. Then, the master and disciple sat facing each other on the sofa, sipping tea and chatting. They spoke of Dongfang Luming’s upcoming trip to America. “Heh! Who would have thought that lazybones is seen this way by others? I think he’s just a big bear who’s lost his ‘fur’!” Wu Meiniang, never one to mince words, laughed upon hearing the high praise for Lu Zhishen, then launched into a vivid analogy. After the man left, Master Xuandu closed his eyes to cultivate, paying no attention to doctrines—truly the disciple of Laozi, his state of non-action surpassing the ordinary. Yun Guo’s arrival brought light and hope to Zhantian and the others. As long as their leader was on the battlefield, no war, however difficult, mattered. Any monster or demon would be defeated. “Very strong, he possesses the power of an invincible divine realm cultivator,” General Niutou said word by word, like Mount Tai pressing down, crushing the morale of the demonic generals. Not only others doubted, even he himself found it hard to believe. Gong Shaofu knew this time they had caused a major disaster. Moreover, the blood seeping from Zhou Yan’s body had not yet coagulated—the murderer had acted very recently. Lu Yu heard a sound, slowly ended his practice, and after several breaths, tightened the ropes binding the pine wood logs, then slung them over his back and headed down the mountain toward the noise. Since Su Fangcheng left, this was her first visit to his home; seeing the empty house with no sign of life made her uneasy. “No matter who you are! I want you dead!” Elder Ziyang roared like thunder from the ninth heaven, his voice shaking the entire Ziyang Peak. The letter was written and had lain on Xiao Ni’s bedside table for several days. On the weekend, when going to the military hospital, she planned to take the letter to the town post office to send it.