Chapter 113 Chapter 113 is the only genuine version...

Gu Zhizhuo and Xie Yingchen were married by imperial decree, and Xie Yingchen was a member of the royal family and a prince. Logically, the Ministry of Rites only needed to send the engagement letter.

The lady had not expected that Xie Yingchen would be so thoughtful and even specially invite Prime Minister Song to propose marriage, giving their daughter Zhuo enough face.

This made him so happy that not only was the whole family rewarded, but he also agreed very readily and happily presented Gu Zhizhuo with a letter of engagement.

"Thank you, Madam, for allowing the marriage."

As the saying goes, one must bow his head to marry a wife. Prime Minister Song was extremely humble. He took the engagement letter with both hands, his face beaming with joy. "When I get back, I'll go to Taiqing Temple and ask Qingping Zhenren to arrange a marriage."

"They are so well-matched, it must be fate."

The lady loves to hear this.

Gu Baibai personally escorted Prime Minister Song out.

Firecrackers were set off from the front gate all the way to Ronghe Hall. The entire Zhenguo Mansion was filled with joy, and Prime Minister Song also smiled a little more.

The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion attaches so much importance to Miss Gu's marriage. Does this marriage mean that the Gu family will stand behind Master Chen with all their strength in the future?

When this thought came to his mind, Prime Minister Song was no longer as worried as before, but instead became more thoughtful.

He did not go to the yamen. The carriage took him directly back to the mansion. When he heard that Xie Yingchen had arrived, he paused for a moment and then walked into the main hall where guests were received.

"Young Master."

Prime Minister Song smiled and bowed to him, saying, "Thank you for fulfilling your mission."

Xie Yingchen looked at the red engagement letter, unable to conceal the tenderness in his eyes.

"Thank you, Prime Minister, for arranging this." Xie Yingchen bowed slightly. "I won't bother you two masters with this matter. I'll also need to trouble you with the marriage and the betrothal."

Prime Minister Song quickly stood up to return the greeting, repeatedly promising that everything would be done to perfection, before sitting down again.

He sat down below Xie Yingchen, and it felt like there were nails on his butt, so he kept moving left and right.

He was afraid that Xie Yingchen would ask him what he thought, but he was also looking forward to Xie Yingchen asking him, and he was extremely conflicted.

There is a feeling of being restless.

Xie Yingchen picked up the tea bowl, gently skimmed off the foam on it, and said with a smile: "Prime Minister, this tea is good."

Prime Minister Song's shoulders were tense. He raised his hand and sent the servants away, leaving no one even in the corridor.

He only mentioned tea: "This is specially sent by my son from Jiangnan."

"Lord Song has been serving as the Left Minister of Jiangnan Province for eight years now."

"Yes." Speaking of his eldest son, Prime Minister Song showed a smug look on his face. This was his most outstanding son. At the age of forty, he had already participated in provincial politics from the third rank.

Xie Yingchen took a sip of tea and spoke slowly, "Lord Zuo Zhiguang has reached retirement age. Lord Song should be able to take on the post of Jiangnan Governor."

Zuo Zhiguang was the then Governor of Jiangnan.

Prime Minister Song's heart skipped a beat.

He was the Prime Minister and had reached the pinnacle of officialdom in the Great Qi Dynasty. He would not lose his composure for a provincial governor.

What astonished him was that Xie Yingchen could easily lead and appoint a high-ranking official, a position as important as Jiangnan?!

Xie Yingchen smiled faintly, not caring about the impact his words would have on the Prime Minister.

"Since arriving in Jiangnan, Lord Song has received excellent performance ratings year after year. He has served in Jiangnan for eight years and is well-versed in all matters there. His promotion to the position of Jiangnan Governor is only natural and reasonable."

This undisguised praise softened Prime Minister Song's expression.

Xie Yingchen put down the tea bowl. He had no intention of using the position of Jiangnan Governor to blackmail Prime Minister Song.

He was just telling Prime Minister Song that Jiangnan was under his control.

Seeing that Prime Minister Song was lost in thought, he continued, "However, if Lord Song does not wish to remain in Jiangnan, he can also go to Minzhou." Xie Yingchen smiled, but every word he said shocked the Prime Minister. "Prime Minister Song may not know that Jiang Youyi, the general of Minzhou, is an old subordinate of my father."

Prime Minister Song:!

No one knows about this.

It should be said that if the emperor knew about this, no matter how many contributions Jiang Youyi had made, he would never have appointed him as the general of Minzhou.

"What do you think, Prime Minister? Jiangnan or Minzhou?"

He spoke very lightly, as if the matter could be settled with just one sentence.

Jiangnan, Minzhou, and Northern Xinjiang. Even if Xie Yingchen didn't mention Northern Xinjiang, if he married Miss Gu, the Zhenguogong Mansion would definitely be his backing.

Prime Minister Song hesitated for a moment, then asked, "The new commander-in-chief of Western Xinjiang, Jiang Youzheng, who is he?"

Xie Yingchen did not hide it: "Jiang Youyi and I are brothers."

Jiang Youyi was adopted out when he was ten years old. Therefore, in the military department's records, Jiang Youyi and Jiang Youzheng were not from the same branch.

The imperial court would not appoint brothers from the same clan as generals in two different places. Xie Yingchen originally wanted to transfer another person to the Western Frontier, but the Gu family preferred Jiang Youzheng, so he simply went along with it.

Prime Minister Song suddenly felt his scalp tingling.

Sure enough, the transfer of the Prince of Jin back to the capital was indeed the work of Xie Yingchen, and it was even the result of his own planning.

Xie Yingchen nodded, confirming his guess.

He volunteered, "Three days ago, Jiang Youzheng led his troops to launch a fierce attack on the Liang Kingdom, which was ambushed nearby. After being defeated, the Liang Kingdom retreated beyond the border."

Prime Minister Song was still unaware of this news.

In other words, his sources of information in Western Xinjiang were faster than those of the imperial court, and Western Xinjiang was completely under his control.

Prime Minister Song took a sip of tea to calm himself down and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Including Western Xinjiang, Xie Yingchen already holds one-third of the Daqi Kingdom.

If he wanted to, he could send troops to purge the court at any time.

Prime Minister Song moved his buttocks. He hadn't felt this uncomfortable for a long time.

While chatting and laughing, people feel like they are being stabbed in the back.

He remembered that when the late emperor was still alive, he was also like this; a single glance could make one breathless. In comparison, the deposed crown prince was much kinder. He had once lamented that the deposed crown prince would surely be a benevolent ruler. However, facts had proven that when one sits in such a high position, surrounded by vicious wolves, benevolence is actually the most deadly.

"Prime Minister Song." Xie Yingchen looked him in the eyes, his voice suddenly cold. "Was the will truly the late emperor's original intention? Why was the late emperor left with only the Prince of Jin by his side when he passed away? And after the late emperor's death, the Prince of Jin rose to prominence, from a member of the royal family who had fallen on hard times to a firm foothold in the court, even leading to the division of three factions. Prime Minister Song, have you never doubted it?"

Prime Minister Song sighed deeply.

Xie Yingchen flicked his sleeves lightly, unhurried. Prime Minister Song's gaze slowly fell on his jade finger.

This is the favorite of the late emperor.

Prime Minister Song never forgot the late emperor's kindness to him.

Xie Yingchen twirled his jade fingertips, raised the corner of his lips, and said meaningfully, "Back then, for the sake of Daqi, Prime Minister Song couldn't move. It's better to make the best of a bad situation than to let the barbarians take advantage of the opportunity to enter the Central Plains."

"So, now, what can you do for Daqi?"

His gaze was sharp, able to easily see through someone's heart: "You are unworthy of your position, yet you insist on risking the fate of your country to move?"

Prime Minister Song closed his eyes silently, and after a few breaths, he slowly walked to Xie Yingchen and knelt down.

He straightened his back, leaned forward, and touched his forehead to the ground.

"Your humble servant is willing to serve the Crown Prince as your Lord and will never betray him."

The knock on his head was very hard. Xie Yingchen stood up from his chair and helped him up with both hands.

"No need to be so polite, Prime Minister."

The glances between them expressed everything without words.

Xie Yingchen personally helped him sit down, looked at the engagement letter on the coffee table, and said with a smile: "Let's go to Taiqing Temple for the marriage compatibility."

"I think so too."

Prime Minister Song nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Madam Tai seems quite happy today."

Even from an outsider's perspective, Xie Yingchen is handsome, has a good temper, and is of noble status. Especially the look in his eyes when he looks at the young lady is full of tenderness.

Even if it were him, having such a grandson-in-law would make the whole family celebrate for several days.

Prime Minister Song rarely acted as a matchmaker and was very concerned about it.

After seeing Xie Yingchen off, he immediately went to Shangqing Temple in person.

Originally, they were planning to ask Qingping to arrange the marriage, but unexpectedly, Qingping Zhenren's master was also there, and he took the initiative to take the engagement letter and arrange the marriage for the two of them.

It reports to the heavens above and to the underworld below.

Good luck in marriage, harmonious relationship, and a lifelong couple.

After the marriage documents were delivered to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, the lady-in-waiting happily rewarded the whole mansion again. The servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion received two waves of rewards in one month. They were all smiling and saying auspicious words one after another.

The reward given by the lady was very generous. Each silver ingot weighed one or two taels, and she gave two at a time.

"Where's the Zhuo girl?"

The lady read over the marriage documents again and again and said, "Send her over. We'll have to pay the engagement after the marriage is done. How come she's so busy all day that I can't even see her?"

"She's always out and about. Well, it's only because Chen'er has a good temper that she lets her do what she wants."

"Are you going out?"

The lady asked three times in a row, and Nanny Zhu replied, "The eldest lady didn't go out today."

"This looks pretty good!" The lady was satisfied. She was thinking of inviting the owner of Xiurongtang to take good care of Gu Zhizhuo's skin.

Nanny Zhu couldn't help but break her fantasy: "The eldest lady brought a few other girls and the prince to test the crossbow in the training ground."

Madam: “…try what?”

"crossbow."

"The training ground?" Her heart was pounding, and she asked in a trembling voice without any hope, "Did the second young lady go too?"

“Yes, yes.”

Except for the fourth young lady who stayed in the Duke of Anguo's Mansion and did not come back, and the third young master who was sent to the military camp by the prince, everyone else went.

Madam: “…”

Her beloved and sweet granddaughter was led astray again.

The old lady rubbed her forehead, stood up, and said angrily, "Come on, let's go and see why all of them, from the oldest to the youngest, insist on running to the parade grounds. In the heat of summer, is it that the ice basins aren't cool enough, or is it that the iced fruit juice isn't tasty enough?"

The lady rarely went out during the hottest days of summer. She was used to a life of luxury, and as soon as she left the hall where the ice basin was placed, she felt uncomfortable all over and regretted it before she even walked out of the hanging flower gate.

No matter how much you regret it, you have no choice but to go ahead with it.

They walked slowly all the way to the training ground. From a distance, the old lady saw several grandchildren gathered under the scorching sun, and no one knew what they were busy with.

"Grandma is here."

Gu Yican was the first to notice it.

Gu Zhizhuo looked back and saw that she had a stern face, was sweating profusely, and was on the verge of getting angry. She smiled sweetly, waved her hand, and called out, "Grandma."

The others also turned around and called out "Grandma". The lady's anger subsided, and she smiled and her voice became gentle: "What are you doing?"

Gu Zhizhuo: "Testing the crossbow, you've arrived just in time."

Gu Zhiwei helped the lady sit under the ceiling and said, "My eldest sister and second sister made a repeating crossbow and asked us to come out and try it out together! We were watching my second sister assemble it, and it was so interesting that it was put together so quickly."

The lady frowned and said, "You've gotten tanned too."

Gu Zhiwei pretended to be stupid and laughed with his hands covering his mouth.

Click.

Just as he finished speaking, the crisp sound of a mechanism closing was heard.

Gu Zhijiao inserted the quiver smoothly. She carefully examined it and said excitedly, "Big sister, look."

Gu Zhizhuo raised his hand to take it and examined it carefully.

This is the fourth in eight days, and the main problem with the first three is that they will still disintegrate.

It was not a structural problem with the crossbow, but the pivot broke because it could not withstand the force after continuous shooting.

Gu Zhizhuo thought about it and discussed with Gu Zhijiao and decided to reduce the force on the pivot.

"This one has two gears added to the connection point between the pivot and the quiver, and the quiver is shorter," Gu Zhizhuo explained to the Madam, showing off. "Look, both the arrow shaft and the quiver were polished by Jiaojiao himself. There's not a single burr. The crossbow string is twisted from three strands of beef tendon. My third brother spent several days kneading it."

The length of the quiver was reduced, and accordingly, the dimensions of the entire crossbow had to be modified. Gu Zhizhuo spent several days calculating. Now, this repeating crossbow was very different from the one on the blueprint, lighter and more compact.

The trouble was that the iron arrows commonly used in the army were unusable and needed to be remade. The Qianji Camp worked day and night, but only managed to fire 1,500 arrows.

Madam: “…”

She was dizzy and only understood one thing: the old iron arrows were no longer usable.

She waved her hand and said cheerfully, "Grandma will buy you new ones." Her attitude was just like saying that the old cosmetics were useless and it was time to buy new ones.

Gu Zhizhuo smiled and responded happily.

Gu Zhijiao was a little nervous: "But, I haven't tried it yet, I don't know if it works well."

Gu Zhizhuo was full of confidence: "I think this will definitely work."

"I think so too." Gu Yican touched his chin and nodded.

He waved his hand and shouted, "Come here, prepare the targets, ten at a hundred paces first."

"yes!"

The servants in the training ground obeyed the order and went to move the target.

"You try it."

Gu Zhizhuo called out to Gu Zhijiao and handed her the crossbow.

This was their fourth time trying out the crossbow. Gu Zhijiao skillfully picked up the crossbow and placed it on his arm.

Her arms were slender, but still able to bear the weight of the crossbow.

Gu Zhiwei held her arm and said, "Grandma, look, my second sister is going to test the crossbow!"

The lady's hands were sweating from nervousness. Her body leaned forward slightly, her eyes were unblinking, and her cheeks were tense.

Bang!

Gu Zhijiao pulled the trigger, and ten iron arrows flew out of the quiver at the same time.

Bang bang bang!

At the same time, it hit the target a hundred steps away.

"good!"

The lady praised loudly and applauded repeatedly.

Gu Zhijiao's cheeks flushed slightly, and she felt a little shy. This crossbow had a sight bar, which made it easier to aim. Even she, who had never practiced archery before, could use it easily.

"Two hundred steps."

Gu Yican made a gesture and asked someone to adjust the distance to the target.

This time, five of the ten arrows hit the target, and five were scattered around the target.

Seeing that the lady had stood up nervously, Gu Yican grinned and said, "Grandma, do you want to try it?"

"I?"

The lady had touched all kinds of gold and jade in her life, but she had never touched weapons.

Gu Zhizhuo's eyes lit up, and he said repeatedly, "Yes, yes. Let Grandma try too. Weiwei, drag Grandma over here."

"Wait, wait! Stop it."

The lady wanted to say no, but her legs were more honest than her mouth, and she was half-heartedly pulled over by Gu Zhiwei.

Gu Zhijiao handed her the crossbow. The lady was mentally prepared, but when she took it, she said, "Huh, not heavy?"

"Yes." Gu Zhijiao said obediently, "It's much lighter than the bow used by big brother. Hold it like this."

She was very patient and imitated the lady's crossbow-holding technique. She then pointed carefully at Wangshan and said, "Hold the crossbow level with your shoulders and use this to aim at the target."

Gu Yican shouted, “Three hundred steps!”

The target quickly retreated again, and the lady was startled: "It's too far."

"Grandma, I believe you!"

Gu Yican gave her a thumbs up.

"Grandma, once you aim, just press the trigger here."

"grandmother!"

A crying boy interrupted Gu Zhijiao's words. Gu Yan ran into the training ground and ran towards the lady, shouting, "My mother is sick. She has a lot of red rashes on her body. She is dying..."

"Release the arrow."

As soon as Gu Zhizhuo spoke, the lady subconsciously pressed the trigger.

Bang!

The iron arrow shot towards the target, and the huge noise scared Gu Yan so much that he fell to the ground.