Chapter 45

PS: Thank you to the generous reader 150830184618159 for the 1888 Qidian coins, Xijing Sishao for the 110 Qidian coins, Qitianzhi Shu for the 130 Qidian coins, I Call Baidu for the 100 Qidian coins, and Cuohen Tian for the 10 Qidian coins. I bow in gratitude! Also, thank you to all the brothers and sisters who have been supporting me with your votes. I am deeply grateful!

Standing at the entrance of the hall, Li Er could not help but sigh loudly and close his eyes in disappointment upon hearing Zhao Chen's words.

Seeing Li Er's disappointed expression, the ministers from the Heavenly Strategy Mansion, including Fang Xuanling, all felt uncomfortable. Cheng Yaojin even glared at Zhao Chen, who was so frustrated that he almost fainted on the spot.

He thought, "It was you who told me not to speak, and now that I don't, you blame me. Is there such a thing in this world?"

The entire hall suddenly fell silent, with all the officials sitting in silence, frowning as they tried to think of a solution. Unfortunately, after a long time, no one could come up with a good plan.

Zhao Chen stood there awkwardly, the scene feeling strangely odd. He did not belong in the court, so naturally, he had no place there. All the officials were seated on both sides, leaving Zhao Chen alone in the center of the hall.

Perhaps because snow had gotten into his boots when he arrived, his feet felt uncomfortable. Zhao Chen lowered his head and rubbed his feet on the ground. At that moment, a white-haired old man suddenly stood up and said loudly, "The so-called principle of investigation is nothing but a false reputation!"

Who is this? Zhao Chen immediately raised his head, dissatisfied. He thought, "You read so much that your head has become square, and you can't even solve such a small problem. How can you say that the principle of investigation is a false reputation?"

"Is there something wrong with what I said?" The old man's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw Zhao Chen's dissatisfaction and asked with a cold smile.

Zhao Chen shook his head, not knowing who this old man was. On the other side, Lao Qin and Cheng Yaojin both looked at Zhao Chen with tension, afraid that he might say something rash in anger.

"Hmph!" The old man, seeing Zhao Chen shake his head, immediately flicked his sleeves and bowed to Li Er, saying, "For such a major matter, how can Your Majesty place hope in a mere child? In my opinion, Your Majesty should immediately dispatch the army to enter the Qinling Mountains to cut wood!"

Zhao Chen almost fainted when he heard the old man's words. It was one thing to call him a child, but to suggest sending the army to the Qinling Mountains to cut wood!

Heaven! Do you think the Qinling Mountains are your backyard? With just a few words, you expect thousands of soldiers to risk their lives in the icy cold to cross the mountains and cut wood. How can you say such a thing?

Sure enough, before Li Er could respond, a group of generals were already angry. Cheng Yaojin was the first to stand up. Just a moment ago, he was afraid that Zhao Chen would offend the old man, but now he was the one who was furious and loudly questioned.

"Send the army to the Qinling Mountains? Do you expect the army to fly there or dig through the ground? Is Secretary Yan suggesting that the soldiers are living too comfortably? The roads in Chang'an are already blocked by snow, let alone the Qinling Mountains!"

Cheng Yaojin's voice was already loud, and now, filled with anger, it almost made people's ears ring. As he became more agitated, Cheng Yaojin waved his staff, almost ready to hit the old man.

Zhao Chen quietly took two steps back. Given his status, he had no right to intervene in such a high-level dispute. The wisest course of action was to stay far away and avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

Li Er's face was already very dark, his eyes blazing as he looked at the loudly shouting Cheng Yaojin. The pearls on his imperial cap were trembling, a sign of his impending anger.

Seeing this, Qin Shubao and others quickly pulled Cheng Yaojin back.

Yan Shigu's face turned white with anger, his sparse goatee trembling. He pointed at Cheng Yaojin, so angry that he could not speak.

Zhao Chen stared at Yan Shigu with wide eyes. In ancient times, people would often be so angry that they would spit blood. He wanted to see if Yan Shigu would be so angry that he would spit blood on the spot.

However, before Yan Shigu could spit blood, another supporter appeared. Zhao Chen did not recognize this person, but from his position, which was even higher than Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, he could guess who it was.

Pei Ji! The man who had encouraged Li Yuan to rise up and had always assisted him in achieving his dominance. He was a true loyalist to Li Yuan, but unfortunately, with a new emperor, his time in the court was limited.

Pei Ji stepped forward, holding his staff and bowing respectfully to Li Er, saying, "This old minister also believes that the most urgent matter is to dispatch the army to the Qinling Mountains. Since General Cheng cares for the soldiers, perhaps General Qin should lead the army, as he is familiar with the Qinling Mountains."

As Pei Ji finished speaking, several others stood up, holding their staffs and loudly agreeing. For a moment, the hall was filled with voices of agreement.

Zhao Chen was so angry that his whole body trembled. It was one thing for Pei Ji and others to insist on sending the army to the Qinling Mountains, but to involve Lao Qin, who had a chronic illness and could not withstand the cold, was simply cruel. Pei Ji and others, as fellow ministers, could not be unaware of this.

Cheng Yaojin, who had just calmed down, was so angry at Pei Ji's words that he was about to stand up and shout, but Qin Shubao grabbed his sleeve and forced him to sit back down.

Zhao Chen saw that Lao Qin's face was pale, his fists clenched on his bent knees, his eyes half-closed, clearly waiting for Li Er's decision.

Li Er sat behind the imperial desk, his eyes coldly watching Pei Ji and the others, lost in thought for a long time.

Seeing this, Zhao Chen suddenly took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have something to say!"

Zhao Chen sneered inwardly. He had been temporarily holding back out of respect for the other officials, planning to discuss the solution with Lao Qin and Cheng Yaojin after the court session. But these people were so shameless, knowing about Lao Qin's illness and still pushing him into the cold. Since they had no shame, why should he give them any face?

"Speak!" Li Er, seeing the anger on Zhao Chen's face, immediately straightened his expression and looked at him.

Zhao Chen bowed slightly to Li Er and then, ignoring Pei Ji and Yan Shigu, said loudly, "I said earlier that in this cold weather, I cannot build a thousand houses. However, I was thinking, if we cannot build houses above ground, why not try underground?"

As soon as Zhao Chen finished speaking, a cold laugh came from the side. A man stepped forward, pointing at Zhao Chen and sneering, "Indeed, you are a mere child. Your naivety is truly laughable. The ground is frozen solid; how can you dig underground? It's truly ridiculous!"

"Does the old man mean it's impossible to dig?" Zhao Chen, not recognizing the old man, but not caring to guess, saw the old man's contemptuous face and asked with a smile.

"Is there any doubt?" The old man sneered, looking at Zhao Chen as if he were an idiot. "Even a three-year-old knows that in this weather, not only is it impossible to dig, but even making a small hole is difficult!"

Zhao Chen laughed. He was now certain that this old man had read so much that his head had become square, or perhaps he was so accustomed to a life of luxury that he had forgotten basic common sense.

"If I say I can dig, and even dig a pit large enough for a family of five, what would the old man say?" Zhao Chen looked at the old man with a harmless smile and asked.

"Hmph!" The old man coldly snorted and said, "Do you mean to send a few strong men to dig? If so, it might be possible, but for ten thousand people, that's not enough!"

"Of course, we don't need strong men. The method I suggest can be done even by a three-year-old!" Zhao Chen smiled and shook his head, looking at the old man with confidence.

As soon as Zhao Chen finished speaking, all the officials in the hall were stunned. How could this be possible? Outside, it was freezing, and the ground was frozen solid. Even strong men would struggle to dig, let alone a three-year-old!

Li Er, who had been sitting with a dark face, suddenly smiled when he heard Zhao Chen's words. He knew this young man's abilities better than anyone else!

The gold-seeking technique, the steel-making technique, the pinhole camera that appeared in the palace a few days ago, and the medical skills that could bring the dead back to life—each one had surprised him.

Li Er looked curiously at the confident Zhao Chen, suddenly eager to see what surprise this young man would bring him this time!

Cheng Yaojin and Qin Shubao, on the other side, also looked at Zhao Chen with surprise, their brows furrowed. They could not understand how it was possible to dig a large pit in such cold weather, and from the sound of it, it seemed to be a very simple task.

It was incomprehensible! All the officials in the hall racked their brains, trying to figure out how to dig a large pit in such cold weather, especially one that a three-year-old could easily dig!

"Alright!" The old man, after thinking for a long time and concluding that it was impossible, suddenly looked at Zhao Chen coldly and said, "If you can really dig enough pits, I will resign and never step into this court again!"

Before Zhao Chen could respond, the old man coldly asked, "If you can't, what then?"