Chapter 288 Dark Circles

Tiangongsi

Prince Rui's laboratory was brightly lit, and he was conducting experiments. Outside, several people stood under the moonlight, their faces showing hesitation.

It was already late afternoon; they had finished their work and could go home to rest. Their shifts at the Heavenly Crafts Bureau were different from other departments because they would lose track of time when they got busy.

But right now, their superior, Prince Rui, is still busy. Is it appropriate for them to leave work at this time?

Seeing the group hesitate, Prince Rui's attendant went into the laboratory, waited by his side for a while, and said, "Your Highness, the gentlemen are waiting outside."

Prince Rui was taken aback by his words, and after a moment's thought, he understood what he meant and said, "Let them finish their shifts and go home. They can go back after they finish their own business and don't need to worry about me."

After saying that, he got back to work. The servant wanted to persuade him to go back and rest, but seeing how focused he was, he didn't dare say anything. Although their prince was good-natured, he could be quite frightening when he was angry and had a cold expression.

The attendant walked out quietly and relayed Prince Rui's words to the group. The group exchanged glances for a moment, then bowed respectfully towards Prince Rui's laboratory before leaving. The attendant went to a nearby room to wait.

In the laboratory, Prince Rui weighed some gunpowder, placed it in an iron container, and then picked up a pen to record it...

Unlike Jiang Yu, he didn't dwell on Jiang Yu's plan to lure the enemy out. All schemes and plots are nothing in the face of true power. He believed that by creating powerful weapons, he could become her strongest support. Therefore, he had been researching day and night for the past few days, hoping to be able to help her when she needed it.

Prince An's Mansion

Prince An's study was brightly lit. He stood before a large map, his eyes fixed on the location of Lingnan. He had learned of Jiang Yu's plan to lure the enemy out from the emperor. The plan was good, but he always felt that even if it succeeded, the Prince of Lingnan would not sit idly by and wait for his doom.

So, what will he do then?

Prince An looked at the Lingnan region on the map. Lingnan was located in the southern part of Da Gan, bordering the Southern Yi. Not long after Da Gan was established, the Southern Yi wanted to take advantage of Da Gan's new establishment and the need for reconstruction to launch an attack and seize Lingnan.

As a result, they were defeated and killed by the then King of Lingnan, who is said to have almost slaughtered the entire Southern Yi royal family. The current emperor of Southern Yi is a descendant of the former Southern Yi royal family.

It can be said that the King of Lingnan and the royal family of the Southern Barbarians had a blood feud. Therefore, even though the King of Lingnan had harbored disloyal intentions all these years, the court never suspected him of colluding with the Southern Barbarians.

But is it really impossible for them to collude? Prince An felt it wasn't impossible. First, the enmity between the King of Lingnan and the Southern Barbarian royal family was nearly 200 years old. The King of Lingnan had changed hands several times, and so had the Southern Barbarian royal family. Even the deepest hatred would have faded considerably. Furthermore, as long as the benefits are great enough, even deep-seated hatred can lead to cooperation.

If he were the King of Lingnan, and if the Southern Barbarian Emperor agreed to cooperate, he would certainly cooperate.

Thinking of this, Prince An's hands unconsciously clenched tightly together, his blood seemingly boiling. In truth, he had always harbored a desire to expand his territory. The Great Han Dynasty had been established for over two hundred years, and in terms of both wealth and military strength, it was far superior to its neighboring countries; it was long ago time to begin outward expansion.

For so many years, Da Gan has developed steadily without any desire for expansion. Or perhaps, previous emperors did consider territorial expansion, but always felt that Da Gan's national strength was not yet strong enough and wanted to accumulate more wealth.

Regardless of what the previous emperor thought, Prince An thought to himself that the King of Lingnan had colluded with the Southern Barbarians, which would give them a reason to start a war.

After a brief moment of excitement, Prince An's mind returned to reality. He was not the emperor, and he knew that, given his father's personality, the possibility of starting a war with the Southern Barbarians was slim.

With a long sigh, Prince An placed his hand on the border between Lingnan and the Southern Barbarians. He decided to put aside thoughts of war and focus on how to deal with the possibility of the King of Lingnan colluding with the Southern Barbarians.

He felt that this matter should be discussed with Jiang Yu first, and then reported to the emperor. After all, the strategy of luring the snake out of its hole was devised by Jiang Yu.

...

Although Jiang Yu went to bed late last night, she was still quite energetic when she got up this morning. The weather was much warmer today, and Dong Shuang brought her some lighter clothes to wear. After a simple breakfast, Jiang Yu took a sedan chair to the government office.

Upon arrival, I first heard a report from several assistants about the people exchanging silver notes. Overall, things were proceeding smoothly without any major problems. Furthermore, Jufeng Money Exchange had seen a large influx of silver in the past few days, and they were considering expanding the treasury. The Ministry of War had also dispatched additional soldiers to guard the premises…

Listening to these reports, Jiang Yu thought to herself that once the reform of the money shops was over, she would need to consider issuing paper money. She had been thinking about it these past few days, and given the current booming economic situation, the amount of paper money to be issued could be determined by using the reserves of gold and silver as an anchor.

After everyone finished reporting and signing the necessary documents, Jiang Yu planned to visit Prince Rui. But just as she stood up, Xia He came to report that Prince An had invited her to a teahouse.

Jiang Yu thought for a moment, figuring that Prince An was probably also talking to him about the Prince of Lingnan, so he asked Xia He to tell the Imperial Guard who came to deliver the message that she was going to visit Prince Rui and invite Prince An to come along.

Xia He had already found out that Prince Rui had been working at the Tiangongsi (Heavenly Crafts Bureau) office all night and hadn't returned to his residence. Jiang Yu then took Xia He to the Tiangongsi.

When they arrived, they encountered Yan Fengju. She was dressed in a dark green robe, her hair was styled in a simple single bun with only a jade hairpin, her body was straight, and she walked with a graceful air, looking elegant and crisp, as if she were a completely different person from before.

"Greetings, Duke of Chu." Yan Fengju smiled and bowed to Jiang Yu, using a cupped-hand salute rather than the curtsy typical of women in the inner quarters.

Jiang Yu was pleased to see her so energetic and told her to dispense with formalities before asking, "How have you been lately?"

“Excellent, never before has it been better. I live in hope every day now.” Yan Fengju said gratefully to Jiang Yu, “Thank you, Duke of Chu. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "You have the potential and the ability. You should be most grateful to yourself."

She spoke very sincerely. Opportunities are only seized by those who are prepared; otherwise, even if they fall into your lap, you won't know what to do with them.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Jiang Yu headed towards Prince Rui's study. Prince Rui, who had just woken up and learned of Jiang Yu's arrival, hurriedly washed and dressed. As the maidservant styled his hair, he saw himself in the mirror, or rather, he saw his heavy dark circles under his eyes.

"What should we do?" Prince Rui asked the maid with a frown.

The maid was stunned, unsure how to answer. Although Prince Rui was undeniably handsome, he had never cared about his appearance. He often spent all night researching and woke up with dark circles under his eyes, but he never paid any attention. Why was he suddenly asking today?