Chapter 665 A Dream of Youth 197

She had originally come to the horse farm today with the intention of encouraging these ladies and young women to participate in the imperial examinations, but she did not expect to encounter assassins, which caused a delay.

However, there was also an unexpected surprise.

Xu Hongying is highly skilled in martial arts and is a very good candidate. If she can participate in the martial arts examination, the effect will definitely be better than if she participates alone.

However, military strategy is indeed a problem. Although Xie Ning has some skills, she has not studied military strategy in either her previous life or now, since she is already busy enough with her studies in mechanics and medicine.

She also had to find time to study literature and politics, and she knew from the beginning that she would not pass the military examination, which was included in the examination scope.

After all, there really isn't enough time to study.

So she planned to fail the exam and then take it again.

She only hopes that more and more people will take over the positions she has set. Xie Ning has been working hard for this. Awakening consciousness and promoting social progress can never be accomplished by one person alone.

The ladies glanced at the prey, a hint of shock flashing in their eyes. "Wow, so much? Miss Xie, you're really something!"

"And there are roe deer too!"

I just don't know if it was actually typed by the person in question.

"Thank you, young master. Prince Duan invites you."

Taking this opportunity, Xie Ning managed to escape instantly.

Prince Duan sought out Xie Ning mainly to check on the assassins, lest they die so quickly. As for the assassins who fell at the scene, none of them survived; those remaining were the newly captured assassins.

After finishing all that, Xie Ning climbed into her family's carriage to go home, but she fell asleep after only a short while.

She is already young, and she has exerted so much energy today. In a reassuring environment, it is easy for her to feel sleepy when she suddenly relaxes.

Chen Wanniang half-held Xie Ning, and when she opened Xie Ning's palm, she saw that it was covered with scratches. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes. "Zhang Mama, bring out Xiao Geli's medicine."

Then she carefully applied the medicine to Xie Ning, and by the time the carriage returned to the inner city, the moon was already high in the sky.

The sound of galloping hooves came from outside the carriage. Chen Wanniang lifted the curtain and saw Xie Wangzhi already standing protectively beside the carriage.

Xie Wangzhi also saw the sleeping Xie Ning and nodded reassuringly. He had already learned about the events of the day from the guards before coming to pick her up.

His fingers, gripping the reins, turned white, and he felt a lingering fear.

The night was still and deep, with shimmering light. The wheels of the carriage passed over the bluestone slabs and entered the Xie Mansion. Inside, the lights were on, and the servants moved with utmost care.

Xie Qi didn't say anything. Only after Xie Wangzhi carried Xie Ning into the room and came out did he obediently follow him to the study.

"I think there's something off about the assassins' appearances." Xie Qi silently knelt down on the ground.

"How so?"

Xie Wangzhi stood by the window, one hand behind his back and the other hand resting on the crescent table, his index finger lightly tapping, indicating that he was suppressing his anger.

"One of the assassins had a rather deep facial feature, and seemed to be from the Northern Jin Dynasty." Xie Qi was referring to the assassin leader who had died at Xie Ning's hands.

"His skills are the best, and the knives they use are also very sophisticated. Although they are similar to our knives, they are more curved and also resemble the style of the Northern Jin Dynasty."

And... the rest of the people were the opposite. They used very fine knives, not much different in design from ours, but they weren't official knives; in fact, they had no official style.

The laws governing civilian weapons in the Great Zhou Dynasty largely followed those of the previous dynasty, prohibiting bows, arrows, knives, wooden shields, and short spears. However, even for non-prohibited weapons such as bows, arrows, knives, and spears, their manufacture and sale were subject to strict supervision by the imperial court.

The criminal law states that "anyone who manufactures bows and arrows, swords, and saddles for sale shall, according to official specifications, inscribe the name and signature of the manufacturer," so that local officials can "investigate their misconduct."

The Great Zhou Dynasty had a more detailed and stringent system for controlling weapons.

Ordinary people are not allowed to carry weapons, especially residents of the capital, but the restrictions are more lenient at the border.

In some places, such as horse farms and schools, the use of bows and arrows and swords requires approval from the government. Private use also requires registration and approval.

The assassins' knives lacked official markings, clearly indicating they were privately forged. However, the Great Zhou Dynasty maintained strict control over weapon-making workshops.

There is virtually no possibility of private workshops, because the technology cannot be transferred out.

Therefore, Xie Qi suspected that the weapons manufactured by the government had been leaked out, but without official samples, it was difficult to trace their origin.

This reveals two problems: corruption in arms management and involvement in treason and collusion with the enemy...