My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

Chapter 121 The starry sky is not only a divine realm, but also a distant place.

The night in Xianyang is bathed in a warm orange glow from the lights of the electric age. But atop Mount Li, to avoid the city's "light pollution," the tranquility and darkness of a thousand years ago remain.

But tonight, this tranquility was broken by a heavy mechanical roar.

Zhao Gao felt that his back was going to break sooner or later at Wang Jianguo's hands.

"Slow down! Slow down! Hold onto that hydraulic arm on the left!" Zhao Gao brandished his whisk, his voice shrill like fingernails scraping against glass. "If this 'King of Glass' gets damaged, you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you sold your whole family!"

Before him, a steel structure resembling a prehistoric behemoth was slowly rising.

It was a reflecting astronomical telescope with an astonishing two-meter aperture. To grind the primary mirror, more than a hundred top craftsmen from the Daqin Optical Instrument Factory spent three whole years hand-grinding it day and night in a constant-temperature cellar. Wang Jianguo named it "Deep Space No. 1," but Zhao Gao privately called it "Gold-devouring Beast No. 2"—No. 1 being the ironclad warship still gathering dust in the dock.

"Lord of the Imperial Carriage Office," a young eunuch approached, holding a thermos filled with Zhao Gao's favorite goji berries and dried sea buckthorn, "what do you think His Majesty is thinking? Why leave the perfectly good Epang Palace to come to this desolate wilderness in the middle of the night to feed mosquitoes? Stargazing? What's so interesting about those stars? They're not even as bright as the neon signs of our Xianyang City that never sleeps."

Zhao Gao glared at him, took the thermos, and took a sip. "You know nothing. His Majesty's actions are called farsightedness. He's tired of everything on earth; trains have even reached the Western Regions, and airships have emptied bird nests. Now His Majesty wants to see what the gods in heaven are doing. That's called... political reconnaissance! What if the Jade Emperor also wants to start an industrial revolution? Shouldn't we be on guard?"

Although he said that, Zhao Gao was inwardly seething with bitterness. Ever since Wang Jianguo arrived, Qin's technological development had gone astray. Before, serving His Majesty meant serving tea and water; now, serving His Majesty required understanding hydraulic transmission, optical focal length, and memorizing that damned periodic table.

"They're here! The imperial procession has arrived!"

As the headlights of cars in the distance resembled a dragon, a convoy of modified off-road bulletproof Hongqi vehicles (of course, steam-powered and shock-absorbing versions) wound its way up the mountain road.

Zhao Gao quickly straightened his clothes, putting on the appearance of a loyal minister who was "slightly tired from overwork but still in high spirits," and jogged to meet him.

The car door opened, and Hu Hai was the first to jump out.

This once unruly prince is now the honorary dean, chief test pilot, and number one troublemaker of the Great Qin Empire Institute of Technology. He is wearing work pants stained with engine oil, a pair of windproof goggles around his neck, and a portable spectrometer in his hand.

"Old Zhao! Is the mirror set up yet?" Hu Hai asked excitedly, rushing up to pat Zhao Gao on the shoulder.

Zhao Gao nimbly dodged, looking with concern at Hu Hai's greasy hand: "My lord, which workshop did you just come from? This is a Shu brocade robe..."

"Stop talking nonsense," Hu Hai said, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the enormous telescope. "Teacher Wang said this thing has a magnification high enough to see the craters on the moon clearly. I just want to know, can we see the Moon Palace? If we can see Chang'e bathing, then I'll have the Imperial Household Department build an even bigger one and put it on my airship..."

"Ahem!"

A dignified cough interrupted Hu Hai's "scientific fantasy".

Ying Zheng slowly stepped down from the carriage. Time had etched a streak of white at his temples, and sixty years as emperor had imbued him with an oppressive aura that seemed to freeze the air. Yet his eyes were sharper than in his youth, burning with an inextinguishable flame.

Wang Jianguo followed behind Ying Zheng, holding a tablet computer (actually Xiao G's terminal display), and looked at Hu Hai with a helpless expression: "Young Master, the resolution of a telescope is limited by the diffraction limit. Even if you put your eyeballs on the eyepiece, you still wouldn't be able to see Chang'e. And I've emphasized this many times: there is no Guanghan Palace on the moon, only craters."

"Boring," Hu Hai scoffed. "All a trap? Was Wu Gang chopping down the tree a lie too? And the Jade Rabbit? Could you even eat it roasted?"

Ying Zheng ignored his son's nonsense and walked straight to the huge telescope, reaching out to touch the cold lens.

"Founding a nation," Ying Zheng's voice was deep and resonant, "is this the eye you spoke of that will allow me to see the end of time?"

"To be precise, it's seeing the past," Wang Jianguo corrected. "Light takes time to travel through the universe. The moon we see is from 1.3 seconds ago, the sun is from 8 minutes ago, and if we look at those distant stars, they might be from hundreds or thousands of years ago, or even before the Qin Dynasty was established."

Ying Zheng was slightly taken aback, then laughed: "Interesting. It seems that the starry sky is a history book hanging in the heavens. I want to see what's written in this history book."

Wang Jianguo personally adjusted the focus. With a loud grinding sound, the lens barrel slowly rotated, pointing towards the brightest star in the night sky—Jupiter.

"Your Majesty, please." Wang Jianguo gave up his observation position.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath and brought the goggles closer.

For a moment, his breath caught in his throat.

He envisioned countless scenes: perhaps a magnificent heavenly palace, perhaps a hideous ghost or god, or perhaps an ethereal cloud.

But what he saw was an "eye".

It was a colossal, suffocating planet, its surface crisscrossed with magnificent yet eerie stripes, like a brocade woven from countless storms. On the lower side of the planet, a massive red vortex, like a deep, unfathomable pupil, coldly gazed upon him, so small and insignificant.

Around that giant star, there were four small points of light, lined up like loyal guards.

"That's Jupiter's Great Red Spot," Little G's voice came through the bone conduction headphones at just the right moment. "A superstorm that lasted for hundreds of years, its diameter could fit three Earths inside."

"Three... Earths?" Ying Zheng's fingers gripped the edge of the lens barrel tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white. "You mean, my Great Qin, along with Rome, the Mauryan Empire, the Hunnic steppe... all combined, isn't enough to fill even a corner of this storm?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Little G's voice was flat, yet cruelly piercing. "Before Jupiter, Earth is as fragile as a glass ball. And before the Sun, Jupiter is nothing more than a large sesame seed. As for the Sun, among the two hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, it's as ordinary as a grain of sand in the cracks of the brick wall of Xianyang."

Ying Zheng remained silent.

He slowly straightened up and removed his goggles. The night wind blew his long robe, making it flutter loudly.

At that moment, he suddenly felt an unprecedented loneliness. It wasn't the loneliness of an emperor who felt "lonely at the top," but rather the insignificance and powerlessness that seeped from his very bones when facing the vast universe as a carbon-based life form.

He once thought that conquering the six states meant conquering the world; he once thought that the Qin Dynasty's railway reaching the sea meant reaching the end of the world.

But now, this telescope is telling him ruthlessly: his empire is not even a speck of dust in the universe.

"Your Majesty?" Li Si cautiously approached, holding an abacus and account books. "Well... since the gods didn't see anything, can we talk about next year's budget? The annual maintenance fee for this observatory is enough to re-equip three legions. I think that while stargazing is an elegant art, its cost-effectiveness..."

"Li Si," Ying Zheng interrupted him, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Your subject is here."

"What do you think is the reason I seek immortality?"

Li Si froze for a moment, sweat instantly beading on his forehead. This was a life-or-death question. He carefully chose his words: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and immortality is naturally for the protection of the Qin Dynasty's eternal foundation, so that the people may forever bask in Your Majesty's holy light..."

"Nonsense," Ying Zheng cursed, but his tone wasn't harsh. "I was indeed afraid of death before. I was afraid that if I died, the remnants of the six states would jump out again, the newly built railway would be torn down again, and the newly lit lights would go out again. I wanted to live, to keep an eye on this world, afraid that it would go astray."

He turned around and pointed to the dazzling Milky Way overhead.

"But today I understand. Even if I could live for ten thousand years, in the face of this thing, it would be nothing more than a blink of an eye. The storm on Jupiter has been raging for hundreds of years and hasn't stopped; the light of those stars took thousands of years to reach my eyes."

Ying Zheng paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present—the shrewd Li Si, the obsequious Zhao Gao, the mechanical-minded Hu Hai, and Wang Jianguo from the future.

"In the past, the alchemists deceived me, saying that there was a Penglai Island in the sea and immortals in the mountains. I believed them because I was greedy. Now that the founding emperor tells me that the sky is full of rocks and fireballs, and there are no immortals, I am actually more at ease."

"Why?" Hu Hai couldn't help but interject, "It's so boring without gods."

Ying Zheng laughed, a laugh tinged with a relieved arrogance: "Because there are no gods there, it means—that place is unclaimed! Since it's unclaimed, then it belongs to me!"

The entire room fell silent.

The thermos in Zhao Gao's hand fell to the ground with a clatter. Li Si stopped turning the beads on his abacus.

Wang Jianguo adjusted his glasses, a smile playing on his lips. Truly a great emperor of all time; this logical loop is impeccable.

"Issue my decree." Ying Zheng's voice echoed across the mountain peak.

"First, the Qin Observatory will be upgraded to the 'Qin Deep Space Observation Bureau,' a level equal to that of the Prime Minister's Office. Li Si, don't worry about the money; this money isn't for fun. It's for buying land for the future of Qin."

"Second, compile the 'Great Qin Star Map.' Number all the stars visible in the sky and name them after the Great Qin. This will help future generations find their way when they ascend to the heavens."

"Third..." Ying Zheng looked at Wang Jianguo, "You mean, that man named Wan Hu wants to ascend to heaven while sitting on a chair?"

Wang Jianguo nodded: "Yes, although he failed."

"That's because his gunpowder ratio is wrong, and it lacks aerodynamic support." Ying Zheng waved his hand. "Have the Gongshu family and the Mo family join forces to carry out a 'Flying to the Sky Project.' Huhai, didn't you want to see Chang'e? I'll give you a task: build a ship that can fly out of the atmosphere. You don't need to cut down trees; go and plant the Qin Dynasty's Black Dragon Banner in the biggest crater on the moon!"

Hu Hai froze for three seconds, then let out a strange cry, so excited he almost jumped off the cliff: "Father is wise! I'll go draw up the blueprints right now! I want to install twelve turbochargers! I want to use liquid oxygen and kerosene!"

Li Si looked at Hu Hai, who was dancing with excitement, and then at Ying Zheng, who was full of pride. He sighed silently and closed the account book in his hand.

As the steward of the Qin Dynasty, he instinctively resisted this seemingly unrealistic and enormous investment. Building roads could generate tolls, manufacturing guns and cannons could seize territory, so what could he possibly gain from stargazing?

But he couldn't help but look up and follow the direction of the telescope.

That starry sky was indeed beautiful.

"Prime Minister," Wang Jianguo approached him unnoticed, offering him a cigarette (a special edition from the Qin Dynasty Tobacco Bureau), "Feeling cheated?"

Li Si took the cigarette, lit it with the windproof lighter in Wang Jianguo's hand, and took a deep drag: "Jianguo, you know. The Qin Dynasty is expanding too much. The rubber plantations in the south need money, the windbreak forests in the north need money, and the railway maintenance in the west is a bottomless pit. Now His Majesty wants to launch some deep space program... The rats in the national treasury are about to starve to death."

"Lord Li, have you ever heard the saying?" Wang Jianguo exhaled a smoke ring, watching it dissipate in the night wind.

"What did you say?"

"In this universe, if you don't look up, you'll be buried in the ground sooner or later." Wang Jianguo pointed to the ground beneath his feet. "Dinosaurs... oh, you know, those ancient behemoths. They ruled the earth for a hundred million years, much longer than the Qin Dynasty. But they didn't look at the stars, so when a meteorite fell, they went extinct. Not even a single fossil was left."

Li Si's hand trembled, and cigarette ash fell onto his silk sleeve.

"You mean, His Majesty is buying...insurance for the Great Qin?"

"It's not just about insurance," Wang Jianguo smiled. "When we start looking up at the stars, we're no longer ants struggling to survive, but intelligent beings trying to understand this world. This kind of perspective is priceless."

Li Si remained silent for a long time. He was a pragmatist, a Legalist, who valued agriculture and warfare, and practical results. But tonight, atop Mount Li, under the giant eye with a diameter of two meters, even his calculating mind seemed to have been cracked open.

"Fine." Li Si took a deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out, and said, "It's just money, right? At worst, I'll just fleece some more investors in the stock market... oh no, I mean, issue another round of 'Starry Sky Construction Bonds.' That old bastard Liu Bang has been making a fortune in the Western Regions lately; it's time to make him bleed a little."

It's almost dawn.

On the eastern horizon, the morning star (Venus) is shining with a cool, clear light.

Ying Zheng stood on the edge of the cliff, his back to the crowd, looking down at the sleeping city of Xianyang. The streetlights, like golden rivers, outlined the veins of the empire's heart.

"Nation-building".

"Your subject is here."

"You mean, that Roman Marcus said that in their mythology, Venus is the goddess of love?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. In the Qin Dynasty, we call it Venus, the planet of war and destruction."

Ying Zheng smiled and straightened his collar, which had been ruffled by the morning breeze: "Love or war, one day I will let the people of Qin know that it is not just a point of light, but a piece of land, a mine, a new Qin land where people can farm, build houses, and raise children."

He turned around, and the morning light illuminated his face, which was no longer young but still exuded a domineering aura.

"Let's go back to the palace. I have an important announcement to make at the morning court session today."

"Your Majesty, is it about the deep space program?"

"No." Ying Zheng strode towards the convoy. "I have decided that, starting today, a new subject will be added to elementary school textbooks: Astronomy. Anyone who continues to say that the earth is flat and the sky is round will be made to clean the lenses of a telescope until they admit that the earth is round."

Zhao Gao quickly opened the carriage door, his face full of obsequiousness: "Your Majesty is wise! This servant will arrange it right away, and I guarantee those Confucian scholars will be craning their necks to the limit!"

The convoy slowly descended the mountain, leaving the enormous telescope behind.

It stands quietly in the morning light, its huge mirror reflecting the rising sun, like a newly opened eye, greedily and curiously gazing at the boundless universe.

On its base, a line of crooked characters that Hu Hai had secretly carved with a Swiss Army knife were clearly visible in the sunlight:

"The Great Qin Empire, I was here. — Qin Er Shi (crossed out) Qin Science and Engineering Man Hu Hai"