Chapter 150

Feng Yin came to the Ministry of Works' residence for the purpose of Xue Jin'an's visit to "Jili" tomorrow. The Minister of Works, Zuo Mengchang, has always had a complex about his works that is difficult for ordinary people to understand. Not only does he pursue perfection, but he also does not allow anyone to destroy his "perfection". Using this before the shop is officially opened for business is obviously not in line with his aesthetic ideas.

In fact, Minister Zuo originally wanted to set the opening date for next year. It wasn't that he felt the work wasn't perfect enough; on the contrary, he felt it was too perfect. Every inch of it was meticulously crafted by him, and to him it was already a work of art. He wanted to collect and appreciate it properly, and didn't want it to be damaged in the slightest.

—After all, when he took over this project, he already had a full understanding of what PUBG was. Such intense battles would inevitably cause wear and tear on the various machines inside, which was undoubtedly a painful blow to Minister Zuo's heart.

Minister Zuo argued his case forcefully, even going so far as to smear himself by claiming that the building might have quality problems. However, the cunning Minister Feng saw through his ruse immediately. Subsequently, Minister Feng, together with Minister of War Xu Pingchuan, used their combined military and political skills to force Minister Zuo to agree to the opening date, which was the tenth of next month.

Minister Feng felt that it was still too late. He wished he could open the business the day after the project was completed to recoup some money, but he had no choice. The Ministry of Revenue was already in a tight budget. Since the project was decided, Minister Feng had devoted almost all his energy to it. The hidden costs had made him have to calculate every single day.

Minister Feng had anticipated that this massive project would be extremely time-consuming and a "money-devouring beast," but he hadn't expected it to take so long and consume so much money. This land was like a bottomless pit. Every day before flipping through the accounts, he would first put a ginseng nourishing pill under his tongue, and then his hands would tremble as he looked at the increasingly outrageous figures. Every time he calculated the accounts, he felt fortunate that he had cleverly brought in the Ministry of Works to share the burden.

Now that the project is finally completed and profitable, Minister Feng is counting down the days, but he is also starting to worry about whether the store's customer traffic and profits will be enough to break even.

The shop was one-third larger than initially planned, and the investment costs were naturally higher. This also meant that the profit margin it needed to achieve was higher. If even one venue was not used, it would be a complete disaster for Minister Feng.

Therefore, when Xu Pingchuan approached him and placed an order for a three-month trial period, Minister Feng was very tempted. When Xu Pingchuan said that this was only the trial fee for two hundred people, and that if the results were good, the Imperial Guards would be given a place to use it, Minister Feng nodded and agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Don't agree so quickly." Xu Pingchuan crossed his arms, making no attempt to hide his schadenfreude. "Let me remind you, the usage period I've set starts tomorrow, which is before the official opening."

Minister Feng counted the silver notes in his hand, and without looking up, solemnly promised: "No problem!"

“You’re fine, but what about Lao Zuo? With Lao Zuo’s personality, he’ll be furious if he finds out we’re going to use it ahead of time.” Xu Pingchuan tapped the table, and seeing that Minister Feng was still immersed in the joy of counting the money, he reached out to snatch it, but the latter nimbly dodged it and received a wary look in return.

Xu Pingchuan didn't care. He withdrew his hand and said, "If I were leading the group, Lao Zuo would have made a fuss. I wouldn't have held it against him because we've been colleagues for so many years. Unfortunately, I'm not the one going there tomorrow. If something goes wrong with him, I can't guarantee he'll survive."

Minister Feng had a bad feeling: "Could it be that the people they're taking tomorrow—"

"It's that guy. Otherwise, why do you think I went to all the trouble of bringing you the money?" Xu Pingchuan said, pointing upwards and making a seven with his fingers, confirming Feng Yinshou's ominous suspicion.

Xu Pingchuan and Feng Yinshou had been locked in a battle of wits over military expenses for many years, and Xu was already a seasoned veteran. He was fully capable of using the military equipment without paying for it, and then mortgaging the replaced equipment to the Ministry of Revenue to balance the books.

“That guy doesn’t have a good temper. If you really offend him, even the imperial relatives will be cut down. There are precedents for this.” Xu Pingchuan reminded him, “You’ve already taken the money, so you’d better do a good job. Old Zuo’s life is in your hands.”

Feng Yinshou: "..." The silver note in his hand suddenly felt hot.

Feng Yinshou tried to argue: "His Majesty just said yesterday that he should be sent to the Imperial Guard. Why are you all so eager to have him lead troops? Shouldn't you have waited a few years and let him learn his lesson? Isn't this the tradition of your Imperial Guard?"

Xu Pingchuan didn't want to admit it, but he had no choice. His expression was like he'd swallowed a fly, his disgust plain to see. He spat out, "Pah! They're nothing but petty scoundrels. Do they even deserve to suppress the Seventh Prince?"

The so-called practice of "suppressing seniority for a few years before promotion" is not actually a written rule. It is a practice where veterans, who consider themselves seniors, exploit their juniors, embezzling military merits, misattributing them, and so on. The mid- to high-ranking officers are naturally aware of these practices, but they do not want to cause trouble or incur public anger, so they generally turn a blind eye. Over time, this has become the ecology of the entire military camp and an unspoken rule.

The only army without these rules is the Northwest Army. Under Helian Cheng's rule, the Northwest Army has always valued strength above all else. His personal guard even implements a bottom-ranking elimination system, where soldiers must work hard to improve their strength in order to avoid being kicked out.

Xu Pingchuan had considered learning from Helian Cheng's methods of training soldiers, but the Imperial Guard was simply too weak to handle. The environment inside was already rotten to the core. Without a thorough cleanup, any policy implemented would eventually become a means for the pampered soldiers to exploit the lower-ranking soldiers.

Xu Pingchuan tried every means possible, but the Imperial Guards only got worse and worse. In the end, he realized that the best thing he could do was to do nothing at all.

Fortunately, now there is the Seventh Prince, the emperor's most favored prince and the only legitimate son. He wants to see who dares to mess with the Seventh Prince. Thinking of this, Xu Pingchuan's negative emotions were driven out of his mind and turned into schadenfreude, as if he didn't care if things got out of hand.

Xu Pingchuan cheered himself up, and Feng Yinshou's constipated face transformed into his own.

"Zuo Mengchang is like a rock in a latrine, smelly and hard. Besides, I just had a fight with him. I really don't want to see his deadpan face..." Minister Feng pressed his brows, wanting to talk to Xu Pingchuan and get rid of this deadly task.

Xu Pingchuan didn't know him yet. He only heard half of it but guessed what kind of trick he was up to. He interrupted the spellcasting directly, "Fine, I'm not one to force people. If you don't go, give me back my money. I'll just spend money to hire some good martial arts masters to tie him up. No matter how much he's unhappy, he'll have to keep it to himself."

As he spoke, Xu Pingchuan reached out to grab the silver note.

Feng Yinshou quickly stuffed the money into his sleeve, then stood up and walked out. His back was hurried, and his voice was very righteous, "It's best if I handle this matter. This Zuo Mengchang is really lawless. We've spoiled him too much!"

That's how Minister Feng arrived at the Ministry of Works' residence.

"No, I disagree!" Before Feng Yinshou could finish speaking, the Minister of Works slammed his hand on the table with a deafening roar. His eyes were wide, and the mustache on either side of his mouth rose and fell with his words. "This place has cost me so much effort, it's not meant for princes to play with! It's utterly absurd!"

Minister Feng tried to calm things down, saying, "Aren't we discussing this? Let's talk things out calmly, why are you banging on the table?"

"Are you trying to talk to me nicely? We need the man tomorrow, and you're telling me this at this hour? Are you afraid I'll find out too early?" Minister Zuo was so angry that he almost poked Minister Feng in the face.

Minister Feng cried out that he was wronged, "It's not my fault. I only just found out about this and came to discuss it with you immediately. If you want to blame someone, blame Xu Pingchuan."

Minister Zuo ignored him and grabbed both of them, berating them for a quarter of an hour without uttering a single curse. His throat was dry from the scolding. Minister Feng, ever perceptive, immediately poured them a cup of tea and handed it to them.

Zuo Mengchang glared at him, took a sip of his tea, slammed the cup down, and sneered, "What's the use of playing innocent now? Who knows how much money you took from that brute? You all just assume I'm a hard worker who keeps to himself. You made all the decisions and then informed me at the last minute, just because you think I'm a laborer with no say and nothing you say matters?"

"I also have a share in this shop, and I can make the decisions! My Zuo family may not be as powerful as your Feng family in climbing up to the Crown Prince, so we're practically half-royal relatives, but I, Zuo Mengchang, am not someone you, Feng Zhilan, can just dismiss!" Zhilan was Feng Yinshou's courtesy name. Normally, Zuo Mengchang would address him by his official title, but now he was calling him by his given name, which clearly showed how angry he was, leading him to speak without thinking.

When Feng Yinshou heard him mention the marriage to the eldest prince, his smiling lips instantly drooped, and his expression darkened. The fact that he had lost his daughter and ended up on a treacherous ship because of his unfilial son was a sore spot for Minister Feng recently. Whenever it was mentioned, he felt an itch to take out a whip and give the unfilial son a good thrashing.

The moment Zuo Mengchang spoke, he realized it was inappropriate, but since he had already said it, there was no reason to take it back. He turned his head away, cleared his throat, and regained his composure, but his voice still sounded weak, "Anyway, I don't agree to this, there's no room for discussion."

"You disagree? Who do you think you are to disagree?" Feng Yinshou retorted coldly, "It's the Seventh Prince who wants to use this place. Do you know that Jiu Tian Yi is the Seventh Prince's property? Cui Zui is just a gatekeeper for him, and the Ten Perfections Master is just a front for him!"

Anyone who knows Cui Zui's background can easily deduce that Xue Qi Gongzi is the Seventh Prince by finding a way to access relevant official documents. The only one who is truly perplexing is the mysterious Shi Quan Gongzi. Everyone has different opinions on the relationship between Shi Quan Gongzi and Jiu Tian Yi. Feng Yin Shou, a cunning old fox in officialdom, tends to be more conspiratorial and believes that Shi Quan Gongzi is one of the Seventh Prince's men.

"This idea originally belonged to them, why can't they use it? Just because you're the craftsman who built this building? Open your eyes and look carefully, it's written in black and white, they've already given you a share of the profits, and neither of you can interfere with the other!" Feng Yinshou waved his sleeves, his tone fierce.

Zuo Mengchang, however, calmed down.

Previously, he had focused his attention on the construction of Jili and hadn't paid much attention to the situation of Jiutianyi. Anyway, people like Feng Yinshou couldn't be fooled by ordinary people. Since he had joined the group, it meant that there was no scam involved. Therefore, Zuo Mengchang did not conduct an in-depth investigation into Jiutianyi and only knew the information that was being circulated publicly.

Hearing Feng Yinshou mention the Seventh Prince in his words, he couldn't help but frown. His first thought was, "You're already tied to the First Prince, but now you're working for the Seventh Prince. If he finds out, things will probably get out of hand."

"What's there to be afraid of? The thing I did for the Seventh Prince was something he interfered with." Feng Yinshou took a sip of his tea, seemingly unconcerned.

Zuo Mengchang directly exposed him, "If you were really not afraid, you wouldn't act like you've stepped on someone's tail whenever the topic of marriage comes up."

"Don't you know that you can see through things but don't say it? You've been an official for nothing all these years." Minister Feng mocked. "It's no wonder you've been stuck in the Ministry of Works for so many years, unable to get into the cabinet."

The Left Minister retorted sarcastically, "The way you say that makes it sound like you've already joined the cabinet."

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly changed the subject.

Feng Yinshou finished his tea and said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. The Seventh Prince is different from the other princes. He has no attachments and will act without hesitation, showing no mercy to anyone."

Minister Zuo was still worried: "The Seventh Prince is still young and has the protection of Consort Zhen and Empress Zhaoren. In a few years, there will be new favorite concubines and new favorite princes in the palace. How will he deal with that? His current recklessness will eventually become a disaster in the future."

Upon hearing this, Minister Feng not only remained calm but also looked at him with amusement: "My Lord Zuo, you don't really think that the Seventh Prince can do whatever he wants now just because he has His Majesty's favor? If that were the case, how could the harem, which was fighting like chickens before, be so peaceful now? And how could those ladies tolerate him?"

While the emperor's favoritism is advantageous, it is also dangerous. Anyone in the harem who intends to advance further will not allow this favor to continue. Consort Zhen, Zhou Yuting, is a prime example of this.

"The waters behind him are deeper than you imagine." Feng Yinshou's words were brief and to the point, his expression quite meaningful.

Zuo Mengchang understood the implied meaning in his words and said incredulously, "You mean that the one in Cining Palace—what exactly is she trying to do?"

"What else can we do?" Feng Yinshou said calmly. "Now she's stuck in this position, unable and unwilling to back down. There's only one path left, which is to go down the same old path we've taken before."

What's the Empress Dowager's old trick? Supporting princes to ascend the throne! The late Emperor, the current Emperor, and now it's the Seventh Prince's turn.

Zuo Mengchang frowned deeply, looking worried.

"I'm not worried, so why are you?" Feng Yinshou asked curiously.

Zuo Mengchang moved his lips twice, and after the words circled on the tip of his tongue twice, he finally uttered them, "A few days ago, Consort Xian summoned my mother to the palace several times, and the Earl of Yongyi also sent a message, indicating that he wanted to form a marriage alliance."

Zuo Mengchang was over forty years old and had no sons, only two daughters. Because his eldest daughter was in poor health, both children were raised in their maternal grandparents' home in the Jiangnan water town and rarely appeared in the capital. Zuo Mengchang's wife's family was also a scholarly family, and his wife was the only daughter in the family. Therefore, the two daughters were raised like boys. The younger daughter was lively and unsettled, while the elder daughter was quiet and composed. She had been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood and now had some talent. The only thing that was criticized was that she was not in good health and was said to have difficulty having children, which made it difficult for her to get married.

Minister Zuo was quite easygoing and didn't think it was a big deal that his eldest daughter's marriage hadn't been arranged three years after she came of age. However, the elders in the family were very anxious and secretly arranged marriages with many women. In the end, no one knew how, but Consort Xian took a liking to her.

Minister Zuo was dissatisfied with the Third Prince, not because of the prince's lameness, but because the prince's reputation in the capital was too bad. He did not think he was a good match and had not made any move. However, Consort Xian and the Qian family were very sincere and even promised never to take a concubine. They were very humble. His mother was already tempted. She talked to him several times but he did not respond. She even sent a letter to Jiangnan to talk to her eldest daughter.

So Minister Zuo received a letter of advice from his eldest daughter, and he analyzed the pros and cons of the whole matter in his mind: the Third Prince is, after all, a member of the royal family. If he were to disregard everything and directly ask His Majesty for a marriage decree, she would have no choice but to marry him. Consort Xian did not take this step and showed enough sincerity. If the stalemate continues, it may lead to enmity...

At the end of the letter, the eldest daughter suggested that she wanted to go to the capital to see the third prince first. Regardless of whether the marriage would go through or not, it would be best to avoid making enemies, and at least it should not hinder her career.

When Minister Zuo spoke of the letter's contents, he almost burst into tears.

Feng Yinshou was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "This is not bad either. At least it saves face for both sides. It's better than being forced onto a pirate ship like me in the end."

Thinking of other people's children, and then thinking of the piece of char siu at home, Minister Feng couldn't help but look up and sigh, "With a daughter like this, what more could a husband ask for!"

These words immediately caused Zuo Mengchang's tears, which he had almost stopped, to surge again, soaking his sleeves. His face was full of grief. "It is my fault for being useless. I have let my child sacrifice himself like this. I have no face to meet my ancestors!"

Minister Feng was also moved to tears. The two looked at each other, their eyes blurry with tears. The atmosphere in the room was somber, and the two almost embraced each other in anguish.

Feng Yinshou calmed down and comforted him, "Maybe it's not that bad. I heard from Xu Pingchuan that the Third Prince will be staying in the Imperial Guard with the Seventh Prince. Things will get better."

Zuo Mengchang asked hopefully, "Third Prince, that brainless brute who kills people every now and then, will he really change for the better?"

"..." Feng Yinshou remained silent for a long time, but in the end he could not deceive himself. He patted Minister Zuo's shoulder sadly, "Ziwen, take it easy."

"Waaah—" Minister Zuo covered his face and let out a mournful cry.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Minister Feng offered his slanderous advice, lowering his voice as he said, "Ziwen, tomorrow is a good opportunity. I heard that the Third Prince is also going to Jili. You can take a good look at him..."

Minister Zuo immediately looked up, alertly interrupting, "No, I won't agree! Absolutely not!"

Feng Yinshou's expression immediately changed. "That's precisely why I didn't want to come and talk to you. Why can't I reason with you?"

He abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the room, suppressing his emotions as he tried to reason with Minister Zuo, "You know the original plan. Half of this shop was specifically allocated for the military. Xu Pingchuan even balanced military expenses with me for it, you know that... To put it another way, the Imperial Guard has 200,000 able-bodied men, they are all customers, they are profits! Why turn them away? Do you think you have too much money? Huh?"

Minister Zuo, with his neck stiff, said, "We agreed to open for business on the tenth of next month, so we can't show favoritism. Business must be based on integrity."

The two engaged in another heated debate, neither able to convince the other. The more they talked, the angrier they became. In the end, Feng Yinshou completely shed his amiable facade, revealing his scoundrel nature, ready to defy heaven, earth, and even the emperor.

"Zuo Mengchang, Zuo Ziwen, I'm putting this out there today. If you agree, fine. If not, I'll submit a petition and have all the workshops and artisans under your Ministry of Works reclaimed by the Ministry of Revenue! Also, your Ministry of Works can expect to be investigated. I'll make sure you're not finished even if you're short by a single copper coin!" Feng Yinshou threatened, narrowing his eyes.

Zuo Mengchang was also angered, "You are being unreasonable!"

“I’ve been an official for twenty years, when have I ever been reasonable? I’m speaking to you politely, and you just give me attitude. I’ve spoiled you! You don’t want to make this money? Fine, you can give it to me and I’ll split it with Xu Pingchuan. Your Ministry of Works can be as high and mighty as you want!” Feng Yinshou pointed at him with his finger, his voice softening a bit, but his words were still sharp. “Ziwen, you know me. I’ll do anything for money.”

"Don't say you weren't warned." Feng Yinshou turned and left.

Enraged, Minister Zuo kicked over the chair he had been sitting on, spun around twice, his mind filled with replays of his argument with Feng Yinshou. He felt he hadn't performed well enough and longed to pull Feng back and have another fight.

After a while, Minister Zuo calmed down, picked up the lonely, fallen chair, and couldn't help but kick it again. With a creak as the chair slid sideways, he muttered under his breath, "You damned money-grubber!"

The next day was a day off, and Minister Zuo went out with a long face, finally giving in.

As soon as he came out, he saw a person squatting on the steps. Upon seeing him, the person immediately stood up, bowed and greeted him, "This humble one, Feng Da, greets Lord Zuo."

Zuo Mengchang recognized him as one of Feng Yinshou's men, specifically responsible for debt collection. Every year at the end of the year, when accounts were settled, Feng Yinshou would send out a debt collection team led by this man to various officials' residences to collect money and settle accounts, and they were almost always successful.

This person looks all smiles, but he's actually a shameless scoundrel who's incredibly persistent.

Sending someone like this over is clearly to monitor Zuo Mengchang and prevent him from doing anything underhanded.

"Feng Lanzhi!" Zuo Mengchang was so angry that his nose was crooked, and he turned around to go back.

Feng Da didn't stop him, but bowed and smiled from behind, "Lord Zuo, my master asked me to pass on a message to you: whether the Ministry of Works will have food to eat or nothing to eat next year depends entirely on you."

Last night, Feng Yinshou's threatening words flashed through his mind. Zuo Mengchang gritted his teeth and turned back, his smile twisted: "Fine, fine, so you're taking revenge for personal reasons? Feng Lanzhi is really something, I'll remember this!"

Did Feng Yinshou think this would make him compromise? Dream on! Zuo Mengchang will take anything but threats! Just wait, you insist on entering Jili? He'll make sure they can't even get into Jili! Zuo Mengchang angrily headed towards Jili.

Feng Da's lingering voice rang out again behind him: "Lord Zuo, my master has another message for you. You'd better not think about changing the locks or using any mechanisms to lock the Seventh Prince out. He doesn't want to collect your body. Coffins are too expensive now, and you're not worthy of them—these are my master's exact words."

"What? Is he planning to kill me outright?" Zuo Mengchang asked with a mocking expression.

Feng Da quickly shook his head, "No, no, Lord Zuo, you misunderstand. This is a friendly reminder from my master. The Seventh Prince is quite wicked. No one who opposes him will have a good end. They are easily killed by him, or even ruined in the process."

"The incense offerings at Wanfu Temple have declined significantly in recent years; the trend of worshipping Buddha in Beijing has faded," Feng Da said in a low, tactful tone. "You understand, right?"

In the past, after Chu Wenwan died, her body was cremated. Because no relics were found in the cremation, she was accused of being insincere. All her scheming throughout her life was in vain, and she left nothing behind. As a result, the Chu family fell into ruin. The first thing the noblewomen who witnessed this execution of being reduced to ashes did upon returning home was to "cover the Buddha statues in their mansions with dust."

People still worship Buddha, but they don't dare to be too blatant in public, so the incense at Wanfu Temple is not as prosperous.

Chu Wenwan was someone the Seventh Prince personally killed, and all she got in return was a house arrest. But Chu Wenwan was just the beginning; those who went against the Seventh Prince never had a good ending.

"Lord Zuo, my master asked me to ask you, you don't want to be the next one, do you?" Feng Da looked up at him with his curved eyes, appearing respectful.

"..." Zuo Mengchang's steps froze.

*

When Xue Jin'an arrived at Jili, Lord Zuo and Feng Da had already been there for a while. His gaze swept over their faces but did not linger before landing on the building named Jili.

To be precise, this is a complex of buildings. After entering the majestic gate, you will see a row of houses with their own unique characteristics. Each house occupies a considerable area and is hollow like a nest. In the central courtyard area, there is a small replica model that replicates the internal structure of each house one-to-one, as well as the topography and reference information for each room.

In addition, the central courtyard also features a weapon wall displaying all sorts of weapons, both familiar and unfamiliar. Almost no martial artist could bear to look away, and some even wanted to try their hand at them.

"Don't touch it," Zuo Mengchang said coldly. "These are the fruits of the Ministry of Works' tireless research day and night; they cannot be handled casually."

The Third Prince had disliked him since he came in, and upon hearing this, he scoffed, "Weapons are meant to be used; what's the point of leaving them unused?"

As he spoke, he took a bow from above and casually drew it to its full extent, frowning and complaining, "Too light."

Minister Zuo was nearly driven mad with anger. He said sternly, "Who told you to move it? Don't you know that drawing a bow without firing it will damage it?"

"It's just a bow." The Third Prince didn't find it anything special.

Minister Zuo's eyes were practically spitting fire: "Just a bow? Do you know how much time the craftsmen spent developing this adjustable bow? You—"

"What? That's it? Isn't this just a composite bow from a sandbox game? This is practically a half-finished product." The Third Prince was even more dismissive.

Minister Zuo choked, but had no way to refute it, because the bow was indeed based on the sand table game that had once appeared briefly, just as the Third Prince had said. Even many of the new weapons on this wall were copied from memory by the craftsmen.

Most craftsmen only heard about these things after the sandbox games disappeared. They were amazed and delighted by the design concepts of these weapons and asked many people to try to replicate them. However, since they were just hearing about it, most of them only made a half-finished product.

"How do I adjust the bowstring? What's the maximum draw?" The Third Prince could currently only draw the three-stone bow halfway; one-stone was too easy for him.

"Don't touch it, don't break it!" Just as Minister Zuo was about to go up and adjust the bow, he saw the Seventh Prince reach out and take it. He seemed to only glance at it before skillfully starting to adjust the mechanisms on it, and neatly adjusted it. He then explained to him how to use the bow, as well as the fact that its current maximum function was that it could only shoot one arrow before it would be ruined.

Minister Zuo paused, looking at the Seventh Prince with a strange expression. In an instant, Feng Yinshou's words from last night came back to mind: the Seventh Prince has the Empress Dowager backing him up.

The Seventh Prince's excessive skill with the bow prompted Zuo Mengchang to immediately begin brainstorming: which person did the Empress Dowager have planted in the Ministry of Works?

As for the absence of spies, the Seventh Prince's familiarity with the information stemmed from the possibility that it originated from his database. Zuo Mengchang had never considered this possibility before, but soon he was forced to think about it.

After hearing the entire description of the bow, the Third Prince made no attempt to hide his disdain. He casually pulled the bowstring, and although it was said to have a maximum strength of three stones, it was much easier to draw than he had imagined, requiring at most two and a half stones of force.

His interest in the bow vanished instantly. "I'd have a hard time shooting a rabbit with a weapon like this. The composite bow in the sandbox game is nothing like this. The Ministry of Works must have made a mistake!"

Zuo Mengchang glared at the third prince who had spoken so rudely. He had already made up his mind that he would never let his daughter marry such a good-for-nothing brute. Even if it meant defying the imperial decree, he would never accept this marriage!

“There’s no mistake.” Xue Jin’an said. Zuo Mengchang’s gratified gaze had just swept over, thinking, “There’s still someone knowledgeable here,” when he heard Xue Jin’an’s next sentence: “Because this isn’t a half-finished product, it’s a failure.”

A failed product...a failed product! A complete failure!

Minister Zuo, the string in your brain snapped instantly. Veins bulged on your forehead, and your fists clenched so tightly they cracked. You no longer wanted to think about the consequences of offending the Seventh Prince; you just wanted to kick these ignorant fools out!

"You—" His words were cut off by the Seventh Prince's calm voice.

“The structure here is wrong, the stress here is unreasonable, it should be like this…” Xue Jin’an manually adjusted the position of the support frame and handed it to the Third Prince. “Now it has three stones of force, so it’s a bit difficult to pull open. You try it.”

The third prince tried it out and, sure enough, only managed to pull it halfway open. He said with satisfaction, "Not bad, this is what a three-stone bow should look like."

"Take a look and see where else needs adjusting, and get it done all at once," the Third Prince urged impatiently, showing renewed interest.

Xue Jin'an adjusted a few more things that could be adjusted, so that the bow was no longer a weapon that could be scrapped in one go. The Third Prince tried to shoot two arrows. Although the accuracy was lost due to the problem with the bow itself, the range was indeed farther than that of an ordinary bow, reaching half the strength of the genuine composite bow.

The Third Prince wanted Xue Jin'an to adjust it, but Xue Jin'an shook his head: "It can't be adjusted, it can only be dismantled and remade."

"Yes, Your Highness, I'll get the materials over right away. Do as you wish." Minister Zuo squeezed in with a bright smile, then turned to Feng Da and ordered, "You, go to the Ministry of Works immediately and tell them to prepare the materials and send them over. Also, have all your men come over. Don't leave anyone out, understand?"

Although today is a day off, the artisans of the Ministry of Works never work day or night. When they get busy, they forget about time. Moreover, weapons are the foundation of war and are highly confidential. Many artisans go in and never come out even when they are old. So, while there may not be people in other parts of the Six Ministries, there are definitely people in the Ministry of Works.

As he spoke, Minister Zuo held tightly to the Seventh Prince's sleeve, as if afraid he would run away.

"Come, come, Your Highness, what else would you like to see or play? Tell me, and I'll get it for you." Zuo Mengchang's smile was very obsequious.

Before Xue Jin'an could speak, the Third Prince had already reached out to pry the Left Minister's fingers off, "We're here to train, not to save face for your failed attempt. Get off my Seventh Brother right now!"

“You all continue your training. A genius like the Seventh Prince should be in our Ministry of Works. Third Prince, you can be a brute yourself, but don’t come here and corrupt our Seventh Prince.” Zuo Mengchang exerted all his strength, his face turning red, and he refused to let go.

The Third Prince was getting impatient and wanted to break his finger, but Minister Zuo was also cunning. He grabbed the Third Prince's wrist and pinched his tendons. Both of them exerted force, and veins bulged on their faces and bloodshot eyes.

However, no matter how much pain they endured, the two refused to let go, even at the cost of their lives.

The two were momentarily frozen in place, their eyes practically spitting fire as they stared at each other.

Xue Jin'an silently watched the hem of the garment, which had become a battleground, but for a moment he couldn't find an opportunity to intervene. Seeing that the garment, which had been badly ravaged, was about to suffer the consequences, Xue Jin'an finally decided to take action.

Before making his move, he still intended to issue a friendly warning: "Third Brother, Lord Zuo—"

"Don't call me Lord Zuo, Your Highness is being too formal." Zuo Mengchang turned around and immediately forced a smile, his voice filled with flattery, and said, "If you're willing to come to our Ministry of Works, you can just call me Little Zuo."

"Is this how you play it?" The Third Prince's eyes widened, and then he sneered. At this moment, he had no thoughts in his mind except for one thing: he absolutely could not let that old scoundrel Zuo Mengchang win.

So he turned to Xue Jin'an and said firmly, "Seventh Brother, from now on you will be of the same generation as my mother, and you will call me Huan'er!"

The code-driven world simply cannot comprehend this inexplicable competitive spirit of humankind.

Xue Jin'an chose to throw them both out, freeing his own clothes and rolling up his sleeves to reveal the crossbow strapped to his wrist. The gleaming arrowheads were within range of them, and once the arrows were released, they would pierce their hearts together.

"Please allow me to refuse," Xue Jin'an asked politely. "Besides, you're all a bit annoying. Could I ask you to shut up?"