Chapter 162: Send That Little Brat Huhai to the Army

Dishes were served on the table, exuding rich aromas and presenting a feast for the eyes and the palate, instantly whetting anyone's appetite.

In the kitchen, Su Daji was attentively simmering a pot of soup.

A-Shan walked over curiously, and seeing how Daji treated the pot like some precious treasure, she couldn't help asking, "Sister Daji, what kind of soup are you brewing? It looks so delicious. Can I have a taste?"

"Ah... No, you can't," Su Daji said, stopping her in a panic.

"Why not?" A-Shan asked innocently. "There are so many herbs in this soup, like goji berries and Cistanche, and is that... kidney? Uh..."

Such a rich broth didn't seem like the kind of thing young maidens should drink.

A-Shan seemed to realize something in an instant, and she continued to look with a strange expression at Su Daji, whose face was turning slightly red. "Sister Daji, isn't this soup meant for the Mister?"

Su Daji's face turned even redder, as if her innermost thoughts had been exposed. She lowered her voice and said, "Mm, this soup was indeed brewed for the Mister."

"Heehee! I understand. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else about the secrets between you and the Mister."

"Wow... It smells so good! Sister Daji, what are you cooking in there?"

Fatty Niu popped out like a foodie eyeing a fish, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

A-Shan immediately glared at the foodie Fatty Niu. "Sister Daji said this was brewed for the Mister. A brat like you isn't allowed to drink it."

"Oh, so it's brewed for the Mister? Is it to nourish a man's body? I get it."

A-Shan and Fatty Niu exchanged a knowing smile, which only made Su Daji feel even more embarrassed.

In truth, the Mister's physique was as robust as an ox, and he had no need for tonics at all; brewing this soup was merely driven by her own selfish little desires.

At dinnertime, as luck would have it, another Gate of Immortality opened right on schedule, and Ying Zheng and Meng Tian appeared in the courtyard.

King Zhou couldn't help teasing them, "Hey, I must say, are you two timing your arrival by the clock? How do you manage to hit the exact minute every time? You really something else."

"Ah... Haha, King Zhou jokes," Ying Zheng said, scratching the back of his head with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

The problem was that when that bizarre Gate of Immortality opened, purple mist would only seem to rise around evening time, and the doors would swing open shortly after.

It was simply impossible to open at other times of the day.

"Since you're both here, join us for a casual meal."

"A-Shan, go set two more bowls and pairs of chopsticks for them."

"You got it!"

"Thank you, Mister!"

Catching the fragrant scent of the food, it wasn't just Meng Tian who was silently swallowing his saliva—Ying Zheng was doing the exact same thing.

Even as a supreme ruler sitting upon the highest throne with his own exclusive imperial chefs, delicacies like these were simply beyond what any imperial kitchen could whip up.

Once seated, everyone picked up their chopsticks.

At first, Ying Zheng and Meng Tian tried to maintain their composure, but in the blink of an eye, both men began devouring their food like starving ghosts being reincarnated, fighting and snatching for every bite.

And so, the entire table of people was left watching the absurd spectacle of these two men grabbing food from one another.

Was Ying Zheng really an emperor?

Why did he look more like a beggar on the street, entirely devoid of any imperial dignity?

"Mister... Your culinary skills are truly exceptional. This is so delicious..."

With his mouth glistening with oil, Ying Zheng didn't forget to offer a word of praise.

Su Daji and A-Shan had already left the table earlier and were now enjoying a fruit salad for dessert.

Various fruits were mixed together, topped with a luscious white layer of milk, and finished with a dusting of sweet essence, making it look intensely appetizing.

Ying Zheng and Meng Tian felt the urge to eat some too.

However, asking two young ladies for food felt beneath the dignity of these two grown men, so they could only look on with envy.

"Mister, as you instructed, I have already executed that eunuch, Zhao Gao."

Ying Zheng dropped a bombshell, instantly silencing the lively atmosphere.

"You really killed him?"

"I really killed him!"

"Good! Well killed!"

The casual exchange between Chu Xiaoyu and Ying Zheng made executing a man sound as simple and ordinary as slaughtering a chicken.

King Zhou was somewhat puzzled by this. "Ahem... Who is this Zhao Gao? You guys seem exceptionally interested in him."

"Hmph, that Zhao Gao was nothing more than a eunuch. But this eunuch... he was adept at forming cliques for personal gain, and his methods and wits were extraordinary. Had he applied those talents to the battlefield, he might have achieved great things in the future."

After hanging the eunuch Zhao Gao and conducting a subsequent investigation, Ying Zheng discovered that the detestable eunuch possessed heaven-defying methods for accumulating wealth.

He was merely a eunuch, yet the final tally of his confiscated assets was astronomical—amounting to nearly one-third of their entire national treasury.

What a terrifying figure.

A eunuch was actually far wealthier than the emperor himself, which showed just how frantic Zhao Gao's wealth accumulation and faction-building had been over the years.

That eunuch dog deserved to die!

"As for that Li Si, I also followed your wishes, Mister, and demoted him to the rank of one of the Nine Ministers."

"However, my young son Huhai... the child remains incorrigible and difficult to teach to this day. I am currently at my wit's end and have no idea what to do with him."

He wanted to kill him, but couldn't bring himself to do it, yet keeping him around would only spell disaster in the future.

Ying Zheng was genuinely troubled by Huhai.

"Your problem is very easy to solve. Just send that brat to join the army," Chu Xiaoyu suggested. "Military life is harsh and can temper a person's willpower. If you prune and guide a sapling, the mature tree will surely grow straight; the principles of guiding a person are just the same."

"Join the army? That's a brilliant suggestion, Mister," Meng Tian agreed heartily.

Many unruly children of wealthy families, once their parents hardened their hearts and threw them into military camps, turned out reformed and capable after a year or two of grueling tempering.

Meng Tian had seen plenty of such examples.

Ying Zheng pondered for a moment before speaking, "Very well, let us follow the Mister's suggestion and send that unfilial son to the army. Meng Tian, take charge of this matter personally once we return."

"This subordinate obeys your command."

The monarch and his minister reached an agreement.

"Mister, do you have a moment?"

Having settled the issue of the troublesome brat, Meng Tian wore the expression of a student eager to humbly seek guidance from Chu Xiaoyu.

Without needing to guess, it was undoubtedly regarding the crossbows.

"Speak. Is it about the Mysterious Mechanism Crossbow? Tell me, what obstacles and difficulties have you run into?"

"Mister, you are truly brilliant! I hadn't even explained yet, and you already saw right through it."

Meng Tian spoke with great excitement, "Here is the situation: we've hit a bottleneck recently. Our craftsmen have tried several different designs for the crossbow's gear mechanism, but we are unsatisfied with every single finished product."

"Every version has its flaws. Either the gears jam completely, or they snap during rapid fire. The other issues... are mostly similar: when the crossbow is supposed to fire continuously, it fails to do so, requiring manual reloading."

A crossbow that required manual reloading was no longer a continuous-firing Mysterious Mechanism Crossbow; it was a failed product unworthy of being showcased.

"Mister, these are the difficulties we are currently facing. Do you happen to have any good solutions?"

After finishing his question, Meng Tian looked at Chu Xiaoyu with deep anticipation.