Chapter 82

"Really that easy?" Upon hearing this, Li Chenggan, who had been frowning, immediately filled with hope. However, being a child of the royal family, his mind quickly turned, and he asked with a suspicious look.

"Of course it's easy!" Zhao Chen moved a chair and sat opposite Li Chenggan, looking at him and saying, "Our Institute of Natural Philosophy will create many strange and wonderful things in the future, like the glass you know. Isn't glass valuable?"

Li Chenggan's face turned red when Zhao Chen mentioned glass. He knew that his mother had tricked him into giving it away, and he didn't understand why Zhao Chen had to bring it up. He could only nod with a red face.

"In the future, the Institute of Natural Philosophy will have things even more profitable than glass!" Zhao Chen smiled at Li Chenggan's red face and said, "Once these things appear, they won't be comparable to just one piece of glass!"

"Really?" Li Chenggan's eyes widened in disbelief. Glass was already as valuable as gold. Could there be something even more valuable?

Not just Li Chenggan, but Hu Lu beside him also stared with wide eyes, looking at Zhao Chen in disbelief.

Zhao Chen nodded with a smile at Li Chenggan's slightly excited face and said, "Yes! And it will ensure that the Institute of Natural Philosophy earns so much money that it can live off it without working!"

"But!" Zhao Chen's tone suddenly changed, and he looked at Li Chenggan, "Your Highness should know the situation of our Institute of Natural Philosophy. To put it bluntly, it's dispensable and no one takes it seriously!"

Zhao Chen sighed and said, "When the Institute of Natural Philosophy was first established, we went to the Ministry of Works for funds, but they not only refused to give us any but almost kicked us out. So, it's very difficult to do these things!"

Seeing Li Chenggan's puzzled look, Zhao Chen continued to sigh, "Your Highness, think about it! To do these things, we need to negotiate with all sorts of people. But once we negotiate with them, they will demand a price, or it won't get done!"

Li Chenggan's eyes turned red at Zhao Chen's words, just like his father. Anything in his possession could only be given by him; anyone who tried to take it by force would face a terrible end!

"I am now the director of the Institute of Natural Philosophy. I want to see who dares to make things difficult for us!" Li Chenggan's eyes widened, and even at his young age, a murderous look appeared in his eyes, showing that he had inherited his father's blood.

Zhao Chen was delighted inside. He had gone to great lengths to get this assurance from Li Chenggan. However, this wasn't perfect yet. If they were going to do it, they had to do it thoroughly to avoid any future problems.

"Your Highness, words are not enough!" Zhao Chen looked at Li Chenggan and gently guided him, "Do you want to personally come and argue every time someone causes trouble?"

"What should we do then?" Li Chenggan frowned at Zhao Chen, his mind now filled with the grand plans Zhao Chen had painted, and he was most afraid of someone stealing his money.

"Yes, it is indeed troublesome!" Zhao Chen said, winking at Hu Lu, signaling him to give a hint. Unfortunately, Hu Lu, who was usually smart, disappointed Zhao Chen this time.

"Without rules, there can be no order!" With no other choice, Zhao Chen had to give Li Chenggan a hint himself.

"Right!" Li Chenggan, who was not stupid, immediately slapped his thigh in excitement, "I can write a document for the Institute of Natural Philosophy. From now on, anyone who tries to make things difficult or extort the Institute can come to me directly!"

"Brilliant!" Zhao Chen immediately gave Li Chenggan a thumbs up, praising him, "Your Highness is truly wise. This will solve many future problems!"

Of course, this would also shut Changsun's mouth. Even if he coveted the Institute of Natural Philosophy's resources, he would have to think twice about asking his son for them.

Zhao Chen was so excited that he wanted to laugh out loud, but he kept a calm face, urging Hu Lu to quickly find writing materials. This had to be done immediately to avoid Changsun finding out and ruining everything!

Hu Lu quickly brought the paper and pen, eagerly grinding ink for Li Chenggan. Zhao Chen was annoyed by Hu Lu's sycophantic behavior; he had never ground ink for him before!

A document was quickly written by Li Chenggan. Zhao Chen, looking at the ink still wet on the paper, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Li Chenggan, not understanding, thought Zhao Chen was genuinely excited about solving the Institute's problems and joined in the laughter.

With this protective document, Zhao Chen's mood improved significantly. He patiently answered all of Li Chenggan's questions, speaking freely and without reservation.

However, as they talked, even Zhao Chen was surprised by the amount of work he had planned for the spring. He hadn't carefully considered it before, but now, he sighed deeply.

There was so much to do that he wouldn't have a moment's rest after the New Year!

After the Turks looted the imperial treasury, only a large pile of silk remained. These were things the Turks didn't want, so Emperor Li Erh used them to reward his officials on New Year's Eve.

Emperor Li Erh was in a good mood, and almost everyone in the court received a reward, from the most to the least, even Zhao Chen, a low-ranking official, received a bolt of silk.

Unfortunately, Zhao Chen looked at the colorful silk and his lips twitched. It was clearly meant for women's clothing, and he, being single, had no use for it except to sell it.

The other members of the Institute of Natural Philosophy received no rewards, but that was expected. No problem, if Emperor Li Erh didn't reward them, he would give them a bonus!

There were only a dozen or so people, and Zhao Chen took out two strings of coins, giving each person 100 coins. Hu Lu and He San were so happy that their mouths stretched to their ears.

Before the hour of Shen, Emperor Li Erh issued an edict for a collective holiday. Everyone, except the Qian Niu Guard and necessary personnel, was allowed to go home for the New Year.

Zhao Chen said goodbye to Hu Lu and others, carrying the silk out of the imperial city. He saw lanterns hanging high on the streets of Chang'an, the air filled with the smell of New Year's Eve dinner, and the sound of firecrackers from the neighborhoods.

In the Tang Dynasty, there were no Spring Festival couplets, but every household hung large red lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere.

Returning to Xinghua Fang, he saw Zhang Lu and others waiting at the gate, eagerly looking out. They became excited when they saw Zhao Chen carrying the silk.

There were rules about hanging lanterns. As the head of the household, Zhao Chen had to be present for the lanterns to be hung. Once he returned, no outsiders were allowed to enter.

"Happy New Year!" As soon as Zhao Chen reached the gate, he handed the silk to a servant and announced loudly to Zhang Lu and others.

"Happy New Year!" Zhang Lu and others echoed.

The firecrackers were already piled up. Zhao Chen personally hung the lanterns and then took a torch from Zhang Lu, throwing it into the pile of firecrackers. They immediately burst into a loud "popping" sound.

The children in the household stood far away in the courtyard, covering their ears and watching the firecrackers with excited faces, reminding Zhao Chen of his own childhood.

"Brother Ma, Happy New Year!" After hanging the lanterns, he went inside, washed up, and changed into new clothes. As he came out, he saw Ma Zhou and greeted him with a bow.

"Director, Happy New Year!" Ma Zhou, who had been standing in a daze, quickly snapped out of it and returned the greeting.

Ma Zhou was also wearing new clothes, as were all the household members, thanks to Zhao Chen's generosity. It was the New Year, and everyone should celebrate together; he wasn't short of a few coins.

As they were greeting each other, Zhang Lu approached with a troubled look. It was New Year's Eve, and they needed to perform the ancestral rites, but Zhao Chen's situation was special, and Zhang Lu didn't know how to bring it up.

"Ancestral rites!" Zhao Chen, hearing Zhang Lu's hesitant explanation, immediately waved his hand. Ancestral rites were a matter of course; everyone had ancestors, so there was no need to ask.

Pleased with Zhao Chen's response, Zhang Lu quickly prepared for the ancestral rites. A small altar was set up in the courtyard with various offerings, and he respectfully called Zhao Chen to light three incense sticks, inviting the ancestors home.

After the ancestral rites, Zhao Chen sat in a large chair at the entrance of the hall, and all the household servants gathered below, bowing to the head of the household to wish him a happy New Year.

Seeing the crowd below, Zhao Chen was amazed. They usually went about their own business and rarely gathered like this. He hadn't realized there were so many people in the household!

He had only been in the Tang Dynasty for three months, and from being alone to having a large household, it felt like a dream, almost unbelievable!

The night was filled with joy. Zhao Chen announced that everyone could eat and drink freely, and the entire Zhao household was filled with cheers, which continued throughout the night.