Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 226: The Forest of Illusions: The First Awakening from a Great Dream

Days passed one after another.

Su Ming began to truly study the court's political situation, research water conservancy and grain transport, and study how to use a single memorial to delight the emperor.

Su Ming discovered he actually had quite a talent in this area. For many complex and intricate government affairs, he could always see the crucial points at a glance and propose insights that hit the nail on the head.

Su Ming recalled those obscure runes and those complicated spiritual energy circuits less and less.

Only occasionally late at night, in the deep quiet, when weary from reviewing official documents, he would subconsciously use his fingertip to trace a few simple, meaningless patterns on the desktop—the opening strokes of the "Gathering" and "Solidify" character runes he had practiced countless times.

Then he would freeze, shake his head with a self-deprecating smile, feeling he was probably just tired and confused.

The Yongchang Marquis Manor held a birthday banquet.

The Yongchang Marquis, who had once been high above, wanting to crush him like an ant, personally sent an invitation.

At the banquet, the Yongchang Marquis, holding a wine cup, walked up to Su Ming, a warm smile on his face: "Lord Su, there were some misunderstandings in the past. In the future at court, I will need to rely heavily on you, Lord Su, to put in a good word for me before His Majesty."

Su Ming looked at that face which had once filled him with fear, now brimming with attempts to win him over.He smiled slightly, raising his cup in return: "You flatter me, Marquis."

At that moment, Su Ming felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

This was the feeling of controlling fate.

Not by hiding, not by scheming, but by standing upright at the pinnacle of power, making all former enemies bow their heads.

This feeling was too intoxicating.

Su Ming began to grow accustomed to this life.

He grew accustomed to the smooth, silky touch of the official robe on his body, accustomed to the subtle fragrance of top-grade Huizhou ink wafting in his study, accustomed to returning to his manor after court and receiving his parents' concerned inquiries.

Memories of cultivating immortality began to blur, like an absurd, nonsensical dream.

Until that day.

The heavy snow had just cleared.

Su Ming was summoned to the palace.

Study, the underfloor heating burned fiercely, making it as warm as

elderly emperor put down the vermilion brush in his hand, raised his head, and looked with gentle eyes at Su

The emperor's

here." Su Ming bowed in

memorial from the desk. "Especially the strategy for managing grain transport you proposed earlier. After its implementation, the national treasury has been enriched, and the people live in

fortune. Your servant dare not claim

the memorial in his hand. "I have another major matter here, concerning the state and the livelihood of the people. After much thought, I feel only by entrusting it to you can I be at

the

weighty, its cover embroidered with dragon patterns in

the national treasury." The emperor said gently. "I heard this new paper method originates from

lowered his

systematically listing the various wonders of the new paper and the methods

followed

very carefully, as if

settled on those few lines describing the core formula of the "Su Family

ratios, steaming and boiling time, pounding frequency, paper-forming

a single

and Second Brother had determined after repeated

But...

Something was missing.

an ingredient, not a step in the

But a mark.

Second Brother knew about, utterly useless in practice, purely a joke between

taught his barely literate Second Brother how to draw a simple stick-figure smiling face in the corner

a long time, drawing it crooked and wobbly, but he

our family produces will have this smiling face." Second Brother grinned.

was laughably childish, it was a secret belonging to the two of

formula, the most reasonable promotion strategy, the tax revenue numbers most likely to

wobbly

standardized, vermilion

slowly closed the

feel his heart

Study was as warm as spring,

emperor's breathing was

outside the window filtered through the transparent

Everything felt very "real."

felt an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible chill creeping up