The Empress’s Gigolo

“Be confident. Even though you are just students of this school and do not hold any official positions, you are already the pioneers of this world. Currently, you guys still aren’t able to visualize what this steam engine will bring in the future. However, when you all look back a decade later, your names will be engraved in the history of this world. Every one of you will be recorded in the history books by your successors. Your nobility will only be second to mine and my greatness second only to the empress!”

Ren Baqian gave a pep talk to the students. The carriages of the empress and the officials were only a cup of tea’s time away from the school. However, he noticed that the students became very nervous after all the excitement and were unsure if those big shots would appreciate this steam engine.

After all, this steam engine’s function was only to fetch water. Tong Lan would be able to fetch water much faster than this steam engine could.

However, Ren Baqian understood the significance and value of the steam engine much better than anyone else.

The industrial revolution happened on Earth only after the invention of the steam engine.

Even though the technologies of this world hadn’t reached that state yet and the steam engine was simply just a toy for those people at the school, the industrial revolution would certainly arrive one day due to his impetus.

Many students subconsciously stood up straight with confidence after hearing what Ren Baqian was saying, only to burst into laughter when he finished his last sentence.

“Even though you guys aren’t innately talented in the traditional sense of the aboriginals, so much that you have been categorized as trash, you must remember this: claypot-sized fists are in abundance and can be found anywhere, but there aren’t many who can use their brains. One who thinks with the mind will control people, whereas one who works with force will be controlled by people,” Ren Baqian added.

“Teacher, do you work with brains or force?” Shi Gan asked.

“What do you think? Brains, of course!” Ren Baqian gave him the side-eye before noticing the grin on his face.

“What about the empress?”

“Brains as well!”

“Then why are you the one being controlled?” Tong Lan asked with her eyes wide open. By the looks of the situation, if Ren Baqian were to give a bad answer, the students would begin to create a disturbance.

“Of course, it’s because the empress is… Both brave and wise!” Ren Baqian whimpered. He couldn’t possibly say that the crucial point was that the empress had larger fists. Regardless of location, brute force would definitely be useful.

The bunch of students started to laugh out loud after hearing this.

“How do we compare to the officials of Great Xia then?” one of the students asked. “What you taught us was different from them.”

Ren Baqian stroked his chin and answered as he thought about the officials of ancient China, “There are many different types of officials in Great Xia. Some are driven by lust, whereas others control their commoners and want to rule the world. However, you are the ones who will propel this world forward and make everyone’s eyes pop because they will see a different world every day when they wake up.”

Politics was one factor, and technology was another. Regardless of which angle one looked, Ren Baqian felt that the impact of technology was always slightly greater. Especially with a focus on the entire world, only technology could invoke changes.

“Sir Ren is so ambitious! I would really want to wake up every day and see what the new world looks like.” Tong Zhenye’s voice spread over the walls from far away.

He must have some special type of ears to be able to hear from so far away.

Ren Baqian waved his hands at the students as he walked over to the main door to welcome the visitors.

As he stood there, he only saw Tong Zhenye and Qin Chuan riding on their mounts and staring at each other with rather displeased looks. He didn’t understand what made these two, the Minister of Works and the Minister of War, detest each other so much. It was as if one had stolen the wife of the other.

Behind them was the empress’s imperial carriage, and the rest of the court officials were further behind. Xin Zhe and the bodyguards then followed far behind the others.

Thinking it over, why would these people require protection from others?

It would already be good if they didn’t go around collecting protection fees from others.

Apart from Li Fu, anyone would feel their scalps turn numb if they were to see such a group of paramount experts.

“What good stuff do you have to show us today?” Tong Zhenye winked at Ren Baqian from afar.

As a form of greeting, Qin Chuan nodded as well.

“Greetings, Your Majesty, and greetings to all officials.”

In a twitch of her body, the empress appeared in front of the steps of the school. She looked up at the school’s signboard and the surrounding walls as she very seldom came here. The last time she was here, the walls were still a layer of red bricks. At present, many green vines had crept up the walls, and the coupling of these two together made it quite pleasant looking.

“Let me see what you have achieved.” The empress walked hastily toward Ren Baqian. Even though she didn’t really understand the steam engine, she remembered Ren Baqian highlighting the importance of it during their normal chats and that it was said to be the start of Earth’s modern day industries.

As such, she was rather looking forward to this steam engine.

“This way please, Your Majesty, and all officials!” Ren Baqian glanced across the crowd and saw Shi Qing and the others. Many of the visitors had lowly regarded members of their families in the school, and they were looking forward to see what their younger generation had learned over these nine months in school.

This so-called school had always been a courtyard with a couple of houses, and this remained the same into the present.

Even though the layer of vines made the school look less crude and simple than before, it still looked like an elementary school in the mountains to Ren Baqian, which was the most crude and simple school that ever existed.

At this moment, the students in the school had vanished from sight. Ren Baqian led the crowd to a small pond in the backyard as more than 10 students stood next to a weird looking object.

The object was mainly made up of a huge metal barrel, a wooden barrel, a wooden box, a messy network of pipes and wooden poles, and a huge wheel.

“So, this is what you have produced after more than a month?” Tong Zhenye spoke softly as he inched closer to Ren Baqian. However, there wasn’t much difference between his soft voice and his yells, so everyone on the ground heard it.

Tong Lan’s face immediately turned black.

In any case, this was their entire month’s efforts, which unexpectedly got ridiculed by her old man.

“Not me, but them,” responded Ren Baqian, which turned everyone’s face even darker. Just a while ago, he said that the students were pioneers and would be recorded in history. Had he just discarded them aside so quickly?

He called them sweeties when everything was good just a moment ago, but now, they became madame cows? (TLC. Not sure about this term.)

“However, don’t belittle this steam engine. The existence of this steam engine here represents the start of a new age,” Ren Baqian said.

“Demonstrate it!” the empress said faintly.

“Let them experience it for themselves.” Ren Baqian looked over at Tong Lan and the rest.

The students had already got it prepared earlier and filled the metal barrel with water. When Ren Baqian gave the cue to begin, they started a fire beneath the barrel to boil the water, and the entire courtyard was immediately filled with smoke.

“Is this preparing for a bath?” Tong Zhenye grinned.

“I suggest you observe quietly first.” Ren Baqian shook his head.

The crowd also waited to see what sort of tricks the students could produce.

When the temperature of the water rose to a certain level, steam began to pass through the pipes to the gas cylinders and engine case. The pistons in the case started to actuate the tuning fork (TLC. Maybe something like crankshaft or connecting rod? A tuning fork is usually for stuff like musical instruments.) and linkage on the outside, which in turn rotated the flywheel at the front.