Bide your time and build up your strength

In the following year, Guan Xing felt extremely busy.

The palace issued orders that could catch up with the previous year in a single day. Liu Shimin would hold onto Guan Xing every evening and refuse to let him leave. When he was in the mood, he would even send someone to invite Prime Minister Zhuge, regardless of the hour.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, advancements in grain storage techniques, improvements in catapult technology, and the strategy of developing Liangzhou, raising horses madly, and training cavalry were indispensable. Each of these advancements originated from Chengdu, significantly elevating the military-industrial system of Shu Han.

For the past few months, Zhuge Liang had been busy yet relaxed. Even if he worked late, Liu Shimin would pull him along for drinks. With the charm of Kongming, he could even get slightly intoxicated. He would lean back and say with a smile, "I truly feel as if I'm still in a dream, as if the late emperor is still alive..."

Liu Shimin calmly replied, "The late emperor didn't possess as much ability as I do."

Zhuge Liang laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty, you must uphold the principles of loyalty and filial piety."

Liu Shimin also laughed. Sometimes, he would drink more than Zhuge Liang and become more carefree. During the day, he would want to take Zhuge Liang hunting and in the evenings, he would drag him out of the palace to climb onto the rooftops of ordinary people's houses and drink.

Without the bustling city lights, they could only hear the laughter of a few commoners nearby.

Liu Shimin said, "Besides good news and Wei Zheng's incessant criticism, what puts my mind at ease is the laughter of these commoners."

Zhuge Liang asked, "Who is Wei Zheng?"

Liu Shimin, slightly intoxicated, chuckled and said, "Wei Zheng is Wei Zheng, that annoying fellow. If you think it's too hot in summer and want to build a palace, he will come out to argue with you. If you think there are too few soldiers and want to lower the conscription age, bringing in young men, he will come out to argue with you, saying you constantly change your decrees and lack the solemn appearance of a trustworthy ruler. If you find him bothersome, he will argue with you, saying you originally wanted to be a wise monarch. You used to be happy when I argued with you, but now you dare to put on a sullen face."

Liu Shimin suddenly fell silent for a moment and lowered his head with a faint smile. "I kind of miss Wei Zheng."

Under the moonlight and clear breeze, Zhuge Liang didn't ponder on matters of destiny and the supernatural. He simply took a sip of wine and turned his gaze to Liu Shimin, saying, "Although I am not talented, I can also be your Wei Zheng, Your Majesty."

Liu Shimin was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, saying that if Wei Zheng heard you say that, he would be so excited that he would rise from his grave!

Zhuge Liang: ???

The laughter was too loud, and the people beneath the rooftops couldn't bear it. They complained, "Who is making such noise? It's late at night, and we can't sleep!"

The slightly intoxicated emperor shrank his neck and waved embarrassedly, pulling the bewildered prime minister with him as they hurried back into the palace.

The laughter was too loud, and the people beneath the rooftops couldn't bear it. They complained, "Who is making such noise? It's late at night, and we can't sleep!"

The slightly intoxicated emperor shrank his neck and waved embarrassedly, pulling the bewildered prime minister with him as they hurried back into the palace.

The nearly intoxicated Emperor, with a shrunken neck, waved his hand in a dejected manner and pulled the bewildered Prime Minister towards the palace, fleeing inside.

Halfway through their escape, the wind blew against Liu Shimin's face, intensifying his drunken state. Suddenly, he held up Zhuge Liang's face and chuckled, "Heh heh, heh heh heh. I wanted to say this since the day I returned from Meicheng. Finally, I've seen the real person! Prime Minister, you look much better than in the portraits!"

Zhuge Liang: ????

Zhuge Liang took Liu Shimin's hand and sighed, "Your Majesty, you should drink less in the future."

Liu Shimin raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm not drunk. I still remember why I came to find you. Haven't you made many improvements to the salt wells and handled numerous governmental affairs? In the end, these things still require people to act. Don't you also think there are too many aristocrats among the officials?"

Before Zhuge Liang could respond, Liu Shimin patted his shoulder forcefully and said, "Not just too many, they're practically all of them! You don't know, Father Prime Minister, it's incredibly difficult to compete with the aristocrats in the shadows."

Zhuge Liang: ...

Zhuge Liang asked, "What can Your Majesty do about it?"

Liu Shimin swayed unsteadily and said, "Just directly establish an examination system for selecting officials. What do you think?"

After pondering for a moment, Zhuge Liang said, "Even if we were to establish an examination system now, it would still have to be conducted within these so-called aristocratic families. After all, aside from the aristocrats, the commoners and peasants haven't had the opportunity to study many books."

Furrowing his brow, Liu Shimin said, "Can't we let the common people study too?"

Zhuge Liang replied, "Using bamboo slips or silk to make books is too expensive. Ordinary people can't afford them."

Liu Shimin furrowed his brow even more, saying, "I can't remember clearly, but I recall there being paper, right? Paper can be made from wood, and as long as the characters are printed on it, can't it be widely promoted?"

Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, considering how to print characters on paper, and suddenly thought of the art of printing and dyeing, abruptly stopping in the middle of the street.

While Liu Shimin continued walking forward, he kept rambling, "I can't remember clearly either, but I remember some military affairs. When Xuanzang returned, he printed many scriptures and Buddha statues on paper. Ask him later how he did it..."

In a daze, Liu Shimin stumbled, realizing that Zhuge Liang hadn't caught up with him.

With a crisp sound, Liu Shimin turned around and saw Zhuge Liang clapping his hands, his eyes shining like stars. He smiled brightly, saying, "By using the method of seals and combining it with the art of printing and dyeing, we can affix the written manuscript onto a wooden board, then shave off the sections without characters, allowing us to print books with ink!"

Liu Shimin: Ah?

Zhuge Liang laughed and said, "Your Majesty truly is a gifted individual!"

Liu Shimin blinked his eyes, feeling confused. "What the hell? I didn't remember anything. You're the gifted one!"

And so, the technique of woodblock printing emerged in Chengdu, centuries ahead of its time.

The noble families of Jingzhou and Yizhou found their lives increasingly difficult.

Li Yan, who also served as a regent, was in Jiangzhou, submitting multiple requests to be transferred back, but all were rejected by Liu Shimin. He didn't have time for these political struggles.

After a year of intense military preparations, although there were several gestures of goodwill from Dong Wu, they showed no signs of launching a Northern Expedition.

Even without Eastern Wu as an ally, Liu Shimin could still garner support from other forces.

"The Xianbei people?"

"Yes, didn't you have interactions with Ke Bi Neng?"

Zhuge Liang: ????

Every inch of Zhuge Liang's body expressed refusal. He said, "Your Majesty, I have always maintained personal integrity. How could I collude with foreign tribes?"

Liu Shimin: ...

After a moment, Liu Shimin realized the situation. The contact between Zhuge Liang and Ke Bi Neng happened many years later. Since the first failed Northern Expedition, the Prime Minister must have resorted to various means and eventually found Ke Bi Neng.

Liu Shimin sighed and patted Zhuge Liang's shoulder, saying, "Father Prime Minister, you've been through a lot."

Zhuge Liang had grown accustomed to Liu Shimin's occasional peculiar reflections. He dutifully advised, "Your Majesty, even for the sake of restoring the Han dynasty, we still need to consider our actions carefully."

Liu Shimin smiled and said, "It's alright. They are just Xianbei people. After we conquer Cao Wei and Dong Wu, within two years, I'll let them sing and dance."

Zhuge Liang: ...

Sometimes, Zhuge Liang wondered why His Majesty was so proficient, whether it was in military affairs or governance, in appeasing the noble families or winning over external tribes. It seemed as if he had gone through this process before.

After pondering, Zhuge Liang decided not to dwell on it too deeply.

He busied himself with gathering provisions and supplies. Once Liu Shimin established contact with Ke Bi Neng, they would launch an expedition into the Central Plains.