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墨書 Inktalez
It was early morning, and the sun had not yet risen.
Seeing Lu Chen like this, Sun Zizhao knew something was definitely wrong. He put down what he was doing and entered the Inner Courtyard with Lu Chen, arriving at a living room.
At that moment, Prince Fu, Huangfu Qi, had just woken up and was yawning as he passed by the reception room. Upon seeing Lu Chen, he immediately lost all sleepiness and came over.
Since leaving the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, Prince Fu, Huangfu Qi, had been following Sun Zizhao around, eating and sleeping here.
The three of them sat down in the reception room, and Sun Zizhao called for someone to brew hot tea. After Lu Chen recounted everything that had happened, including capturing Yue Shaoting and the Shark-Slaying Eight Guards, both Sun Zizhao and Huangfu Qi frowned tightly, unsure of what to do.
First of all, this was Lu Chen's personal matter, and as outsiders, they felt it inappropriate to intervene. Moreover, no one could manage the situation with Yin Boqing; even if they wanted to help, they couldn't.
Lu Chen did not expect to find a solution from Sun Zizhao; he only wanted to stay for a while until it was time to return to the Five Element Sect.
Sun Zizhao nodded earnestly and said, "You can rest assured about this, Brother Lu Chen. I truly cannot interfere with your matters with Respected Master. However, regarding your accommodation, I will take care of everything. This residence covers six acres; choose any room you like."
Since Sun Zizhao could not help with Lu Chen's issues with Yin Boqing, he could only try to accommodate him in other ways as a show of support.
Afterward, Lu Chen mentioned the matter of the Demon-Slaying Sword to Sun Zizhao.
The Demon-Slaying Sword was involved with a fragment of Ye Nanzhai's spirit. Lu Chen was quite cautious about it and feared that carrying it with him might lead to unforeseen accidents.
He entrusted the Demon-Slaying Sword to Zuo Zixiong. This way, he could ensure its safety and also let Zuo Zixiong suppress those high-ranking members of the Ye Family to prevent them from causing trouble while Lu Chen was away.
In response to this, Sun Zizhao did not seem overly concerned; he did not regard a precious sword as significant but was more interested in the situation regarding Ye Nanzhai and asked several questions about it.
Lu Chen did not hold back and explained everything in detail.
Soon after, the conversation shifted to the issue of Silver and Gold. Of course, there was no other reason; the only purpose for Sun Zizhao's spending was for Chen Qilin's Mechanism Base.
Lu Chen sat nearby listening to Sun Zizhao. Although he was in Yuyang City, news from the Mechanism Base could be relayed directly, indicating that the Sun Family had a significant capability in intelligence transmission.
Initially, Sun Zizhao invested all his savings, over three million taels of Silver and Gold, along with the treasure obtained from destroying the maritime relay points between Giant Barbarian Island and Korea, which amounted to over twenty million taels in total.
It was precisely because of this sufficient financial support that Chen Qilin was able to get the base operational in such a short time.
Excluding the craftsmen's wages, just their daily expenses for food and drink were not something an ordinary person could afford.
Moreover, when it came to materials, various precious woods, stones, copper, iron, oil, glue, and special ingredients were like a bottomless pit; the costs were astronomical and hard to imagine.
This was only the initial phase. In the later stages, it would be even more demanding as Chen Qilin needed to equip cannons on the ships and would have to find another place to build a cannon base.
This required bringing in more specialized talent and using special tools, starting everything from scratch. This meant spending more money.
Twenty-three million in funds seemed like a lot but was hardly enough; by now, half of it had already been spent. This is why Sun Zizhao and Huangfu Qi often brought up this matter.
After returning from Yushan Kingdom's Naval Base, Sun Zizhao reported the situation to the higher-ups of the Sun Family. Undoubtedly, this matter faced opposition; none of the elders stood by Sun Zizhao's side and all held a unified opposing opinion.
Sun Zizhao felt disappointed but had no choice; with such a large family, he could not make decisions alone. The decision-makers were still those old-timers.
Unless Sun Zizhao could show them returns on this project in a short time, they would never agree to allocate even a single coin to support him.
At this point, Sun Zizhao found himself at a loss and locked himself in his Mansion to think of solutions.
The biggest challenge they faced was money. A vast amount of money was something an ordinary person could not bear; only large conglomerates or business tycoons could manage it.
As the three continued their conversation, the topic unexpectedly shifted to another matter that was also related to money.
Sun Zizhao gently sipped his hot tea and said, "Actually, when my great-grandfather withdrew from the palace, there was still a large amount of treasure in the treasury. This batch of treasure did not fall into the hands of the Rouran people but was plundered by a group of Steppe People who entered the capital first, and its whereabouts have been unknown ever since. It would be great if we could obtain this treasure."
How much wealth would be needed to fill the treasury? It should be enough to cover most of the expenses for plugging this huge hole in the Mechanism Base.
Sun Zizhao's great-grandfather was the Han Wei Emperor. However, during his retreat, feeling deeply humiliated, he and a group of old ministers committed suicide by jumping into the river.
After the Han Wei Emperor drowned, he prevented the Xiongnu from pursuing the descendants of the Sun Family, signifying not only the fall of one dynasty but also the rise of another.
It was precisely because the Han Wei Emperor sacrificed himself that he preserved the bloodline of a former royal family, which is now known as the Sun Family.
The Xiongnu were the predecessors of what is now the Great Zhou Royal Family. Before that, Rouran was merely a nation referred to by outsiders as the Rouran people.
When the capital of the Han Dynasty fell, it was not primarily due to an advance by the Xiongnu. The army that captured the Han Dynasty at that time belonged to an Alliance Army composed of various factions and ethnicities.
The first to enter the capital were a group of Steppe People who were also part of the allied forces. They took advantage of Rouran leading the alliance against the Han Dynasty to breach the capital first, committing numerous atrocities against concubines and palace maids while plundering the treasury.
Later, when the Rouran allied forces leveled the Han Dynasty, those Steppe People realized their crimes were unforgivable and that death awaited them sooner or later. Thus, they fled with the treasures they had looted from the Han treasury.
Lu Chen blinked and sat quietly in his chair, listening to Sun Zizhao's account.
Sun Zizhao had mentioned this matter once before, but it hadn't attracted much attention at that time due to the hurried circumstances.
Hearing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but think that since it involved a group of Steppe People, could it be related to Prairie King Murzaha from the northwest?
Su Wutong had reincarnated as Murzaha's only daughter and cherished jewel; this was already well-known.
Lu Chen considered this point but kept it to himself. Even if those Steppe People who plundered the Han Dynasty treasury were related to Murzaha, he had no way to address it.
Murzaha has a fiery temper. If anyone dares to rush into his tent to inquire about that batch of Treasure, they are likely to be torn to pieces.
Moreover, the grassland is so vast that it might not even belong to Murzaha's faction. Further northwest from the grassland lies the endless Gobi Desert, which nominally also belongs to the grassland. In such matters, no one can be certain.
At this moment, Lu Chen, Huangfu Qi, and Sun Zizhao fell silent in the reception hall.
It was evident that Sun Zizhao was very interested in that batch of Treasure, but the rumors surrounding it were too elusive. Pursuing it would undoubtedly not be an easy task, leaving anyone at a loss.
However, Lu Chen had a hunch; he sensed that Sun Zizhao had secretly dispatched people to track the batch of Treasure within the Han Dynasty Court's Treasury.
The reason Sun Zizhao was not coming forward could very well be that he had not made any progress yet. Bringing up this matter without any advancement would be meaningless.
Neither Lu Chen nor Huangfu Qi pressed for details on this.
Afterward, the three of them chatted about some inconsequential topics before dispersing.
In the following days, Lu Chen settled comfortably in Sun Zizhao's Mansion.
Sun Zizhao arranged for him a relatively spacious room located in the Inner Courtyard.
This residence was already quite secluded, and with plainclothes guards present, no idle individuals could approach even a step.
The room where Lu Chen stayed was within the Inner Courtyard, making it even more tranquil; he could hardly hear any sounds at all.
To facilitate Lu Chen's daily needs, Sun Zizhao assigned him two personal maids to serve tea, fetch water, and wash clothes.
Lu Chen felt this was unnecessary; he did not require such assistance. Once he entered the Fasting phase, he didn't even need to eat—he could survive on Clear Water alone.
However, with Sun Zizhao's good intentions, he found it difficult to refuse. Moreover, Sun Zizhao wanted him to come here and enjoy himself.
Indeed, it was a complete enjoyment!
As long as Lu Chen did not think about Yin Boqing and some tedious matters, living here felt entirely pressure-free. Life was simple and incredibly pleasant, filled with joy.
However, Lu Chen had not reached the point of indulgence. No matter how comfortable life was, he did not forget his own responsibilities.
Daily practice was essential, along with the cultivation of Imperial Aura and the Four Symbols Thunder Scripture. One was a legacy from the Red Robe Sect, while the other came from the Eastern Overseas Xuanhuang Sect, King Jun's renowned technique.
At this stage, both techniques were still beyond Lu Chen's grasp; he had only scratched the surface.
Now that he was in such a suitable environment for cultivation, he naturally needed to seize the opportunity to train diligently and not become complacent.
He had been staying at Sun Zizhao's Mansion for three days without any issues.
Until the fourth morning, Lu Chen was sitting cross-legged on his bed practicing the Four Symbols Thunder Scripture. As his palms moved in and out, electric serpents elongated and contracted, producing a crackling sound.
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