Chương 642: Visiting the Campus

"That's the good thing about Wang Hui—he's very efficient," Liu Ce nodded.

"When I said the canteen should be well-fed, he stayed in the kitchen for three days straight, just to make sure the cooks didn't cut corners. With him in charge of the daily operations, it's worry-free. Unlike some people who just talk the talk but don't walk the walk."

As they were talking, the carriage arrived at the university gate.

Liu Ce lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. He saw that the street was twice as wide as it had been two years ago, and there were many bookstores, pen and ink shops, and food stalls along the roadside, all of which were located around the university.

The once dilapidated south of the city is now bustling like the city center. Students come and go on the streets, carrying books and discussing something, while others play chess by the roadside.

The plaque above the school gate that reads "Luoyang Royal University" was inscribed by him personally.

At the school gate, Vice President Wang Huizao was already waiting with the deans of various colleges.

Wang Hui was in his early forties, wearing a faded blue long gown, clutching a thick roster in his hand, his back ramrod straight.

Standing beside him were six deans: Dean Zhang of the School of Engineering had oil on his hands and black grime under his fingernails, clearly having just come from the workshop...

Dean Li of the Agricultural College had mud on his trousers and dirt all over his shoes...

Dean Sun of the medical school had a faint smell of medicine about him...

The remaining deans of the School of Economics, School of Law, and School of Economics were all dressed neatly and craned their necks to look towards the main road.

"They're here! They're here!" Dean Zhang, with his sharp eyes, pointed at the carriage and shouted, wiping his hands on his clothes.

Everyone immediately straightened their clothes and stood in a row, as if welcoming an inspection.

Once the carriage came to a stop, Liu Ce jumped down first, then turned around and helped Cai Yong up.

"Your humble servant Wang Hui, along with all the faculty and staff of the Royal University, respectfully welcomes Your Majesty's visit!" Wang Hui led everyone in a salutation, his voice booming. Several students passing by stopped to look and whispered among themselves, "Is that His Majesty?"

"He looks quite different from the portrait; he looks much younger."

"Alright, alright, stop with the formalities." Liu Ce waved his hand.

"We're all from the same school, no need for formalities. Come on, show me around and let me see what you've done to my school these past few years. As the principal, it's time for me to take a good look at my own school."

Wang Hui quickly followed, introducing the items as they walked, almost like reciting numbers:

"Your Majesty, this is the teaching area, with a total of six teaching buildings..."

That's the experimental area. The College of Engineering has a foundry and a steam engine laboratory, the College of Agriculture has hundreds of acres of experimental fields and three greenhouses, and the College of Medicine has an affiliated clinic that provides free minor medical care to the local residents..."

Liu Ce listened and nodded, occasionally interjecting with a few more questions, asking even more detailed inquiries than Wang Hui:

"How many prototype steam engines does the engineering school's steam engine lab have now? Are there enough parts? How long do students have to wait in line?"

"Your Majesty, we have three full-size machines and five smaller ones. The parts were allocated by the Ministry of Industry's Research Institute, which is sufficient for the time being. However, there are many students, so we have to wait in line, sometimes until midnight."

"How much higher is the yield per acre of the newly cultivated wheat variety in the agricultural college's experimental fields compared to other varieties? Is it drought-resistant? Can it be promoted to ordinary farmers?"

"About 10% higher! With the new fertilization method devised by Dean Li and his team, plus the selection of seeds, this year's wheat harvest is expected to increase even further. The drought resistance is decent; this year's drought didn't significantly reduce the yield. Dean Li has already promoted it in nearby villages, and several farmers have tried planting it with good results."

"Does the medical school clinic charge for consultations? How many patients does it see per day? What are the public's opinions of it?"

"We don't charge for minor illnesses, and we only charge the cost price for medicine. We see at least a hundred or two hundred people a day. Local residents like to come here because they say our school's doctors are thorough and more reliable than clinics outside, and the medicine is also cheaper."

Wang Hui was secretly surprised. This emperor hadn't come many times in eight years, but his questions were all spot on. He knew even the smallest details, such as "Are there enough parts?" and "How much higher is the yield per mu?" He didn't seem like a hands-off manager at all, but rather like someone who kept a close eye on things every day.

As I walked, I arrived at the entrance of the School of Engineering and saw a group of students squatting on the ground tinkering with a small steam engine model.

The student at the very front, named Li Mo, had a face covered in soot, looking like a little kitten. He was gripping a wrench, tightening screws, his brows furrowed, and muttering to himself:

"That's not right... The pressure is definitely enough, so why isn't it turning? The valves aren't blocked... Could it be a cylinder leak? No, I've checked the cylinder..."

Several students nearby also gathered around, pondering the issue, each offering their own opinions, but none of them could find anything wrong with it.

"Could the piston be stuck?"

"Kashka, it's just been oiled."

"What happened?"

"How about we take it apart and reassemble it?"

Liu Ce tiptoed over, glanced at the intake valve, and casually said:

"Try adjusting the intake valve angle by two degrees. The valve plate is stuck halfway, preventing air from entering."

The student didn't even look up, and retorted, "What do you know? This angle is strictly according to the blueprints. If you adjust it too much, it will leak—wait a minute..."

As he was speaking, he looked up, and after seeing the person's face clearly, the wrench in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," and he froze, his mouth agape as if he could fit an egg in it.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Never mind Your Majesty, pick up the wrench first." Liu Ce smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Blueprints are static, but people are dynamic. This is a scaled-down model with a smaller cylinder bore, so the intake angle needs to be fine-tuned, otherwise the air won't push the piston. Let's adjust it by two degrees and see."

Li Mo hurriedly picked up the wrench, adjusted the valve angle with trembling hands, and restarted the engine.

With a few "putt-putt-putt" sounds, the steam engine started turning smoothly. The flywheel spun more and more steadily, and there was no more noise. The piston moved back and forth as steadily as a heartbeat.

The surrounding students were collectively petrified. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock, thinking, "Holy crap, His Majesty is really awesome!" Some of them couldn't close their mouths for a long time.

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Wang Hui and said:

"This student is good; he's very persistent. Make a note of it and recommend him for a position at the Ministry of Industry's Research Institute after graduation, with Song Yingxing personally mentoring him. To be able to think this far at his age is a sign of a promising talent."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have noted it down." Wang Hui quickly took out his notebook, scribbled it down in two quick notes, and even drew a circle around it.

Li Mo was still standing there, stunned, until a classmate nudged him. He then snapped out of it and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you... thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Principal!"

"Get up, study hard." Liu Ce waved his hand and led the group forward. Behind them, they could still hear the students excitedly whispering:

"Holy crap! His Majesty actually knows about steam engines! That's amazing! How does he know how to fix that?"

"Are you stupid? The steam engine blueprints were drawn by His Majesty himself!"

"No wonder......"

The group continued their tour, visiting the agricultural college's greenhouse, where off-season vegetables were grown. The vegetables were lush and green, with cucumbers still bearing flowers and thorns, and tomatoes that were bright red.

Dean Li explained that this building was constructed according to the blueprints provided by His Majesty, and that vegetables can be grown even in winter. People from the surrounding area have come to learn how to build it.