Chapter 1146 - 1088. Zhuge Liang Replace Huang Chengyan In The Project
If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead and more, be sure to check out my P-Tang12!!!
______________________________
(A/N: Don’t forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
...
"I have weathered worse winds than this, my brilliant girl," Huang Chengyan chuckled warmly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He looked at Liu Ye, his expression turning slightly more formal. "I have come to speak with both of you regarding the future structure of this project."
Liu Ye stood at attention, always eager for the old master’s insight. "Your guidance is always a beacon, Master Huang Chengyan. What are your thoughts on the western gradient?"
"My thoughts are not on the gradient, Minister Liu Ye. My thoughts are on my own position," Huang Chengyan stated plainly, his voice carrying a gentle but unyielding finality. "I have watched the two of you work. I have seen the incredible, standardized progress you are making. And I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to step down from my active, supervisory role in the wagonway deployment."
The statement hit the two of them like a physical blow. The suddenness of it left them entirely stunned.
Liu Ye’s eyes widened in genuine panic. He stepped forward, raising his hands in a gesture of deep, respectful protest. "Master Huang Chengyan, Honorable State Teacher Huang, please! I ask you respectfully not to do this! We are standing on the precipice of a revolution, but the foundation is still being laid. Your decades of experience, your unparalleled intuition for mechanical stress... you are still desperately needed here! The project relies on the wisdom of the three of us!"
Yue Ying was equally appalled, her stubborn nature flaring up instantly. She crossed her arms over her chest, a smudge of charcoal stark against her skin. "I do not agree with this at all, Father! You are speaking as if you are a crippled old man. Your mind is as sharp as a newly forged blade! Age does not stop intellect. We need your insight when the soil testing fails. You cannot simply abandon the forge when the iron is finally getting hot!"
Huang Chengyan looked at his daughter, his heart swelling with affection at her fierce defense of his capabilities. He reached out and gently placed a weathered hand on her shoulder, his touch calming her immediate outrage.
"No, Yue Ying, my daughter," Huang Chengyan said, his voice soft but incredibly firm, carrying the serene peace of a man who knew his own limits perfectly. "I need to do this. I am not abandoning the forge, I am simply moving to a different fire. The physical toll of managing this site, the endless, frantic pace of these new industrial methods... it is a young person’s game. My ideas are the roots, but you and Minister Liu Ye are the branches reaching for the sun. I cannot catch up to the sheer speed of your innovations anymore, and I refuse to become an anchor that slows you down."