Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

A sudden exclamation broke the elegance of the two people.

Zhang Jingwei shouted in astonishment, "Hey! You can actually see me! Where are you!?"

Then, that ethereal voice, as if from another world, came slowly, "Where I am doesn't depend on me, but entirely on your heart. In other words, wherever you think and imagine in your heart, that's where I am!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but roll his eyes and muttered, "What nonsense!" Then he began to look around and carefully examine his surroundings.

After some observation, he was surprised to find that there were many hollow tubes hidden in this room. Previously, he was only paying attention to the scriptures on the table and had never noticed that these cabinets, chairs and bed legs were also covered with such hollow tubes.

Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but think to himself: The end of these hollow tubes must be connected to the place where a certain master is. It is through these tubes that the master can see through everything that happens in the house and communicate with him.

Thinking of this, he became more curious and began to explore these hollow tubes one by one.

Sure enough, not long after, Zhang Jingwei made a discovery - among the many hollow tubes, one stood out from the rest.

It is composed of several right-angle elbows cleverly connected to form a winding tube. At each elbow, a mirror-like lens is embedded. Thanks to the reflection of these lenses, people can clearly see the upright image at the beginning of the tube from the end, just like the simple toys we bought at the elementary school gate as children.

Just as Zhang Jingwei walked forward happily and wanted to take a closer look, the mysterious voice disappeared without a trace, and no trace of it could be found.

……

At noon, sunlight streamed through the window into the Zen room. Qian Ming slowly opened his eyes, gradually regaining consciousness. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, only then realizing that he was lying on the bed in the Zen room. He looked around in confusion, his gaze finally landing on the once tidy desk.

The desk was a mess, with papers and books piled up in a chaotic manner, as if it had been through a storm. Standing beside the desk was Zhang Jingwei, looking excited.

Qian Ming frowned and said, "Master, what's wrong with me?"

Zhang Jingwei decided to keep the incident a secret, so he said, "You must be too tired after your night patrol and fell asleep! It looks like it's already noon."

Qian Ming scratched his head and laughed innocently, "We night patrollers are all like this. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, young master."

Qian Ming shook his head helplessly, got out of bed, and walked to the desk. When he saw the books scattered on the table, his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "This... This is Master Zhuo Wu's commentary on the scriptures! These are all banned books, young master, where did you find them?"

Zhang Jingwei shrugged disapprovingly and replied casually, "It's just on the table! I flipped through it and found it quite interesting."

Qian Ming carefully picked up a scripture, gently stroking the words on the cover, and sighed, "But after all, these are all precious books. If they were sold on the market, they would be worth a lot of money! Especially for young men like you, who love to read these strange and bizarre things."

Zhang Jingwei nodded at first, then suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "Wait, what master did you just say?"

Qian Ming quickly explained, "Master Zhuo Wu! Back in the day, he was a very popular figure around the emperor. But later on, because he repeatedly taught banned books, he is now wanted by the court. I heard that he also founded some kind of academy."

Zhang Jingwei murmured to himself: "Xinxue Academy...Zhuo Wu..." His eyes were red and his hands were shaking.

Li Zhuowu, in the real world, is Zhang Jingwei's workshop director and the master who taught him skills. He even introduced his own name at the dinner table. He is an ancient educator and thinker.

Zhang Jingwei had no interest in history, nor did he know much about it. Anyway, he knew that his master was a different kind of person, arrogant, arbitrary, and daring to innovate. Even at his age, he was like an angry young man, always dissatisfied with this and that.

Zhang Jingwei smiled bitterly in his chair for a while, then said with a relaxed look, "Let's go back!"

Qian Ming, who was standing nearby, looked puzzled and asked hesitantly, "Master, you...are not going to be a monk anymore?"

Zhang Jingwei smiled slightly, took off his hat, and revealed his short hair. He said proudly, "It's out. If you don't believe me, just look!"

Qian Ming stared at Zhang Jingwei's hairstyle for a while, and couldn't help but frown and complain: "Which Zen master shaved your hair like that? This is... too ugly!"

Zhang Jingwei was not happy when he heard this. He retorted with wide eyes, "You know nothing. Such a beautiful slicked-back hair, you guys with no taste can't appreciate it at all."

Qian Ming quickly nodded and bowed in agreement, "As long as Master thinks it looks good, I dare not object. But since Master has already become a monk, why are you going back?"

Zhang Jingwei rolled his eyes helplessly and said unhappily, "You really don't know how to joke! I'm just teasing you!"

Hearing this, Qian Ming suddenly realized something. He scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, "Uh... I'm a little stupid... I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Zhang Jingwei patted Qian Ming on the shoulder and solemnly instructed, "Go back and complete the discharge procedures quickly, then report to the Marquis' Mansion! There must be no mistakes!"

Qian Ming immediately straightened up, clasped his hands together, gave a standard military salute, and answered loudly: "Yes!"

Then he followed Zhang Jingwei on the return journey.

I don't know why, but he seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, and even the misunderstanding caused by his name and surname disappeared from his mind.

……

After returning to Yunzhou City, the two parted ways.

When Zhang Jingwei reached the gate of the mansion, he was in a dilemma. He wondered, "How should I explain this to her? Should I lie and say I was drunk and said it carelessly? Or should I tell her the truth?"

Let God decide!

He took out a coin and said if it was heads he would tell her the truth, but if it was tails he would be lying.

"Ding!" The coin was bounced into the sky, and then he caught it steadily in his palm.

The currency of the Celestial Empire has the words "Tianchao Tongbao" printed on the front and the words "Qiankun" on the back, representing heaven and earth.

Zhang Jingwei raised his hand and took a look.

"Four words! Alas, God's will cannot be violated!"

So he walked into the Marquis' Mansion with confident steps.