Xi'an Prefecture, North Railway Station.
Zhu Cunji, heir to the Prince of Qin, stood at the station entrance with a smile so wide it nearly split his face.
Behind him, his guards unfurled a massive banner bearing bold characters:
"Warmly Celebrating the Full Opening of the West Yan Railway!"
This was Zhu Cunji's masterpiece.
For over a year, he had poured staggering amounts of silver into building this railway. It stretched from Xi'an in the south all the way to Yan'an in the north, linking two prefectural cities, passing through countless counties, and spanning river after river. More than five hundred li of steel and stone. At last, the West Yan Railway was complete.
A radiant confidence shone from Zhu Cunji's face, something he had never possessed in his entire life.
He was already forty years old. An heir who had never inherited. In his own words, half buried in the earth. For decades, he had achieved nothing worth remembering. Nothing worth boasting about. Nothing that might ever be written into history.
He had long believed his fate was to be a useless prince in waiting, eating, drinking, and quietly waiting for death.
Yet now, at this late age, he finally had something.
Something he could hold his head high for.
Something that let him look down upon the world.
Before, he obsessed over inheriting the Prince of Qin's title.
But now?
What was that title worth, really?
A name. A seal. Empty air.
Officials still despised him. Civil and military alike looked down on him. The common people cursed him behind his back. He was nothing.
But today, everything had changed.
Zhu Cunji spread his arms wide toward the sea of people gathered below and burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
His consort leaned closer and whispered sharply, "Stop laughing. You sound like an idiot."
Zhu Cunji shot back, "I will laugh! Hahahaha! Who dares call me an idiot now?"
He laughed for a long while until a guard finally leaned in and whispered, "Your Highness, the auspicious hour has arrived."
Only then did Zhu Cunji straighten himself.
He raised his voice and proclaimed, "I, the heir apparent, hereby announce the official opening of the West Yan Railway!"
Boom!
Boom!
Two massive firecrackers detonated.
At the same time, a storm of colorful paper rained down from the sky.
High above, several hot air balloons hovered. Zhu Cunji had paid dearly to rent them from Gao Family Village, timing the release of paper flowers perfectly for this moment.
White doves were released, wings flapping as they soared through the falling colors.
Zhu Cunji stood on the platform with arms outstretched, bathed in cheers.
"The Heir!"
"The Heir!"
The shouts were deafening.
These were the same people who once cursed him daily.
Zhu Cunji's pride surged to its absolute peak.
Being respected truly felt better than anything else in the world.
Suddenly, a guard pointed toward Xi'an City and shouted, "Your Highness, look! Look!"
Zhu Cunji frowned. "What is it now?"
The guard stammered, "The colossal golden Dao Xuan Tianzun statue!"
Zhu Cunji turned sharply.
Inside the newly built Dao Xuan Tianzun Grotto within the city stood a golden statue as tall as a seven-story pagoda. And at this very moment, it was raising its arm and waving toward the North Railway Station.
It was clearly offering congratulations for the opening of the West Yan Railway.
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted again.
"Even the Dao Xuan Tianzun has blessed it!"
Zhu Cunji hurriedly bowed toward the statue, then grabbed a metal megaphone and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I feel like my life has reached its absolute peak!"
The crowd groaned in unison.
"Stop singing!"
"My ears!"
Just then, a sharp whistle echoed through the station.
The Cunji train, which had been waiting impatiently, released a long cry. The doors opened, the gates lifted, and boarding began.
Passengers rushed forward.
"We're going to Yan'an!"
"I heard the New Village Bookstore there is huge, elegant, and incredibly modern!"
"Traveling to Yan'an used to be such a pain. Now it's nothing! Hahahaha!"
As passengers poured into the carriages, activity surged at the rear of the train.
Two freight cars were being loaded.
Their cargo was no ordinary merchandise.
They were newly produced Light Armored Cars from the Chang'an Automobile Factory.
This batch would be transported to Yan'an, handed over to the Cavalry Battalion, and then driven by trained armored cavalry deep into northern Shaanxi.
Zhu Cunji stared at the armored vehicles with naked envy.
"I want them," he muttered. "I really, really want them."
His consort yanked his sleeve. "Absolutely not! If the Jinyiwei hears of this, they will accuse the Prince of Qin's Residence of hoarding strange weapons with intent to rebel."
Zhu Cunji whined, "But I want them! I don't care about the Jinyiwei!"
His consort rubbed her temples. "You are forty years old. Stop acting like a child. Do you think rebellion accusations are a joke? That means stripping your fief, revoking your title, and execution."
Zhu Cunji thought for a moment. "If it's just losing the title and fief, I might accept that. Hmph. I have the railway anyway. Whoever wants the Prince of Qin title can take it. I'll live off railway profits, drive a Kulinan across the world, and rent a hot air balloon to drift all the way to the ocean and fish giant kun!"
Cold sweat poured down his consort's back.
She truly wanted to kick him.
"Don't be stupid. Our family holds the most prominent fief in the realm. If we rebel, it will absolutely mean decapitation. Otherwise, how would they kill the chicken to scare the monkeys?"
Zhu Cunji froze. "Well… uh…"
Fine.
Some dreams were destined to remain dreams.
Meanwhile, in Wenshui County.
Chen Yuanbo, top graduate of Gao Family Village's first middle school class, sat in the county yamen hall, diligently handling official affairs.
A group of junior classmates acted as clerks, though in truth they were his disciples, assisting him with documents.
Suddenly, a messenger rushed in.
"Sir Chen! Great news!"
"Oh?" Chen Yuanbo looked up. "What news?"
The messenger announced excitedly, "The court praises Sir Chen's governance as exemplary. Your achievements are outstanding. You've been promoted from County Magistrate to Prefect!"
Chen Yuanbo blinked.
"Huh?"
What kind of nonsense was this?
His post in Wenshui had been personally assigned by Dao Xuan Tianzun. If the court transferred him elsewhere at will, how could he continue handling Dao Xuan Tianzun's arrangements?
Chen Yuanbo nearly overturned his desk. "Prefect of where?"
The messenger answered, "Daizhou."
Chen Yuanbo froze. "What did you say?"
"Daizhou."
Chen Yuanbo's expression instantly transformed from outrage to delight.
"Daizhou is excellent! Hahaha! Daizhou is truly excellent!"
Daizhou was Sun Chuanting's hometown.
During the last Manchu invasion, the previous Daizhou Prefect had leapt from a building to his death. The post had remained vacant ever since. No one wanted it.
And so, the high officials of the court remembered Chen Yuanbo once again.
They sent him exactly where no one else dared to go.