boyutpedia Chapter 465 Li You Awakens
Chapter 465 Li You Awakens
Under the blazing sun, news arrived from the third squad. Wang Li spurred his horse at full gallop, its hooves splashing through the damp sand, kicking up strings of water droplets. In the distance, the squad was surrounding a dark figure, with a medic crouching nearby examining him. Upon closer inspection, a man lay on the sand, his official robes tattered and soaking wet. Beneath his disheveled hair, his face, pale as paper, was none other than Li You.
"Quick! Get ginger soup! Summon the army doctor!" Wang Li squatted down, his fingertips touching the faint pulse on Li You's neck, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for many days, eased slightly. Li You's back was covered with shocking wounds; soaked in seawater, the flesh had rolled back, revealing the stark white bones.
On the return journey, Wang Li stayed by Li You's bedside, watching the military doctor carefully clean his wounds. The sails fluttered in the wind, but he had no heart to appreciate the sea view.
Inside the Xianyang Palace, the flames on the gilded candlesticks flickered in the night wind, casting a distorted shadow of King Ying Zheng of Qin onto the dragon-carved pillar, making him appear like a ferocious beast. Clutching the secret report of Li You's rescue, he suddenly spoke: "Go and summon Jia Yang."
The young eunuch under the eaves trembled and quickly bowed to accept the order. He trotted through the many palace chambers, his boots making a soft, crunching sound as they stepped on the cold bluestone bricks. The night was as dark as ink, with only the copper bells on the eaves swaying gently in the wind, telling of the desolation of the deep palace.
At this moment, Ying Wuyou was hunched over her desk, sketching an intricate model of a ship's rudder on the paper. The candlelight cast her long shadow, which swayed slightly on the wall. When she heard the summons, she casually grabbed a cloak and draped it over herself, leaving behind several unfinished scrolls of blueprints as she rose.
Stepping into the side hall of Zhangtai Palace, a strong scent of sandalwood wafted over. The King of Qin leaned against the jade couch, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. Only Li You's secret report on the desk fluttered gently in the night breeze, as if recounting the thrilling rescue.
"Greetings, Father." Ying Wuyou bowed, the jade hairpin in her hair gleaming warmly in the candlelight.
"Get up." The King of Qin waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over her ink-stained fingertips. "Li You has been found; he's out of danger for now."
Ying Wuyou straightened up, lowered her eyes, and replied, "That's good." Her voice was filled with joy.
The King of Qin stroked the jade pendant with dragon patterns at his waist and suddenly spoke: "I heard you've been researching ships lately?" His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, piercing through the darkness and landing on his daughter.
“Yes.” Ying Wuyou stepped forward, her wide robe sleeves brushing against the table, stirring up some candle ash. “Now the ships of the Great Qin are too small and not suitable for long voyages.” Her voice was clear and bright, like a leaping flame hidden within, exceptionally clear in the silent hall.
The King of Qin frowned. "A long voyage? Is the world bigger than this? Is there land beyond the ocean?" His tone carried a hint of doubt, but also a barely perceptible expectation.
“Of course.” Ying Wuyou answered crisply, his eyes gleaming with certainty. “Our Central Plains region is only a very small part of the earth.”
As the words fell, the hall fell into a deathly silence. Only the dripping of the water clock continued, striking the silent passage of time. The King of Qin's pupils contracted sharply; the word "Earth" struck him like a heavy hammer blow into the depths of his memory.
A year ago, he had overheard Ying Wuyou's inner thoughts. She said then that the earth beneath their feet was a giant sphere, upon which countless nations resided, and that the Qin Dynasty was but a drop in the ocean. The shock and worry he felt then had gradually faded with the Qin Dynasty's growing strength brought about by a series of reforms. Now, with the old story resurfacing, those forgotten memories suddenly surged back.
"How do you know?" The King of Qin sat up straight, his eyes sharp as knives. "Is it the sorcerer's wicked words, or...?"
"It was my daughter who saw it with her own eyes." Ying Wuyou calmly presented a huge sheet of paper. As the paper unfolded, a world map unlike any seen before was slowly revealed in the candlelight. Continents and oceans intertwined, marked with unfamiliar countries and cities, along with many strange symbols and characters.
“In my dreams, my daughter has set foot in these places.” Her fingertip traced an area circled in red on the map. “There are cities paved with gold, iron carts that can travel a thousand miles a day, and buildings more magnificent than the Xianyang Palace.”
The King of Qin abruptly rose, walked over, and peered closely at the candlelight. The strange characters flickered in the light, as if telling distant secrets. All these years, his pursuit of immortality had been nothing less than a quest to explore the ends of the earth. Yet this map before him so clearly revealed the unknown he had so desperately craved.
“Father,” Ying Wuyou’s voice carried a seductive power, “if Great Qin can build ocean-going giant ships that can traverse the four seas, why should we worry about not being able to unify the world?” Her gaze was intense as she met the King of Qin’s eyes, her own eyes burning with the same ambition.
A sudden rumble of thunder sounded outside the hall, and a chilly wind swept into the room, causing the candlelight to flicker. Ying Zheng gazed at the map in his hand, then at his enigmatic daughter before him, his heart pounding. The thought of conquering this "Earth" and becoming the true ruler of all under heaven—this idea burned fiercely within him like a spark.
"Three days later, provide me with a detailed report." The emperor placed the map neatly on the table, his eyes flashing with the same ambition as Ying Wuyou. "If we can truly conquer this 'Earth,' we will be truly unprecedented and unparalleled."
Three days later, in the Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng unfolded the memorial presented by Ying Wuyou. The structural diagram of the ship drawn on the paper came into view. The double decks were interwoven like a spider web, and the giant, rotating sails were woven from silk and hemp thread. The bottom of the ship was even marked with the words "watertight compartments." The last page was covered with dense calculations, from the load-bearing capacity of the timber to wind force calculations, so detailed that even the emperor, who had read through all the memorials, was secretly astonished.
"These watertight compartments..." Ying Zheng pointed to the blueprints, "...even if the hull is damaged, can they still keep the compartments from sinking?"
“Exactly.” Ying Wuyou knelt on the jade floor tiles, the edges of the nautical chart spread out on the table worn smooth from her constant rubbing. “I will first have a scaled-down model built to test it. If it proves that even if we cut through the two cabins, it can still sail smoothly, then it won’t be too late to start building the full ship.”
Ying Zheng nodded slightly, his eyes full of admiration. "Excellent! If this ship is completed, Great Qin will surely be able to dominate the world."
At this moment, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and a guard rushed in, kneeling on one knee. "Your Majesty, Lord Li You has awakened." Ying Zheng was overjoyed. "Good, good, good!" Then, the King of Qin's laughter rang out.
In Li Si's residence, Li You lay on the bed, his face pale, but he seemed to be in good spirits. Seeing his father, Li Si, enter, Li You struggled to rise and bow, but Li Si quickly stopped him. "Take good care of yourself. It's a miracle you returned safely this time."
Li You's gaze was fixed on Li Si, filled with a deep filial affection, as if his father was the only person he could rely on in his world. His voice trembled slightly as he asked, "Father, I heard you have been demoted?"