For the remainder of the day, Chen Wu accompanied Count of Provence to the capital's gasworks, where they toured the operation of the gas streetlamp system. They also visited the printing house that produced the court gazettes before finally concluding the day's itinerary.
The next day, however, the count did not ask Chen Wu to accompany him again. Instead, he let Chen Wu go read the Martial Canon. This made Chen Wu regard the count even more favorably; he felt the man truly knew how to put himself in another's shoes.
Thus, early the next morning, Chen Wu went to the Imperial Clan Court.
This time, the Grand Patriarch caused no trouble. He opened the doors and allowed Chen Wu inside to read.
Still, Chen Wu was not one of the meritorious nobles or imperial clansmen, and his admission this time had been secured under an ambiguous pretext. The Grand Patriarch therefore arranged for someone to stand guard at the entrance, lest Chen Wu smuggle out any secret manuals.
Chen Wu had no objection. The instant he entered, he headed straight for Emperor Taizong's concluding remarks.
That volume was enshrined atop a square table in the very center, covered by a glass case. Chen Wu opened the case and carefully removed the booklet.
Yet the moment it touched his hands, Chen Wu sensed that something was wrong!
He hastily shoved the booklet back, then hurried up to the second floor and took out one of the volumes there for a look.
Sure enough, there was a problem!
While the guard remained downstairs, Chen Wu's concentrated spirit rose and swept over the second-floor booklets.
Within Chen Wu's concentrated spirit, the booklets seemed alive. The writing upon them flowed like moving meridians, while the turning pages seemed to pulse with breath.
This