Three months later, Huayang and Chen'er manufactured an even more sophisticated crossbow.

Moreover, twenty were produced in one go.

Just as everyone was racking their brains over the name of the crossbow, the emperor had already come up with a plan: he wanted to name it after Chen'er and Huayang.

Chen'er, however, was unwilling to take credit.

In his view, the successful development of the crossbow was all thanks to Huayang.

Therefore, it was proposed to name this crossbow "Huayang Crossbow".

Both Gu Jiangli and the emperor liked the name very much.

Unable to refuse Huayang's kind invitation, I felt I couldn't very well turn down the offer.

But she didn't want to take all the credit, so every crossbow she made afterward had a star engraved on its side.

It means: the North Star in celestial feng shui.

That is the origin of the elder brother's name "Beichen".

She wanted to show the world that the Huayang crossbow was not made by her alone, but was made under the guidance of her brother's blueprints.

From then on, the star on the side of the crossbow became the symbol of the Huayang crossbow.

Despite numerous improvements made to the Huayang crossbow over the years, the star on the side of the crossbow remained unchanged.

The Huayang crossbow had been in mass production for three years after its invention.

It wasn't just the imperial city that possessed a large number of Huayang crossbows.

The Huayang crossbow was put to immediate use at the border.

When a neighboring country invaded, the soldiers were routed before they even reached the city walls.

In just three months, the neighboring country surrendered, thwarting their ambition to acquire the Huayang crossbow.

Chen'er and Huayang did not stop just because the Huayang crossbow was successfully manufactured.

In just five years, Chen'er has successively reformed the border defense deployment, making the border defense even more airtight.

Huayang, on the other hand, was obsessed with making tools. In addition to the ever-improving Huayang crossbow, there were also various types of throwing devices.

With the help of his elder brother Beichen, he built a moat bridge specifically for defending the city.

In the eyes of everyone in the world, Da Jiang is an invincible and unconquerable force.

In five years, Da Jiang had brought almost all of its neighboring countries under his control.

With the threat of war completely eliminated from Da Jiang, the emperor directly passed the throne to Bei Chen.

Beichen ascended the throne at the age of twenty-one.

The reign title was changed to "Shuntian".

The change to this reign title was precisely the suggestion of Beichen's father.

He wanted everyone to know that Beichen's ascension to the throne was not his own idea, but rather in accordance with the will of Heaven.

Huayang became the eldest princess of the Great Jiang, and in the hearts of the people, this princess was as respected as the Shuntian Emperor.

Gu Jiangli sat on the swing in Yunguang Palace, with her lover beside her.

Watching the clouds drift and gather in the sky, life feels pleasant and carefree.

A gentle, soothing male voice came from beside her, "You've seen the changing seasons in the palace dozens of times already, doesn't Li'er find it boring?"

Gu Jiangli said calmly:

"How could I be?" She nestled comfortably in his arms. "With Your Majesty by my side, how could I be bored?"

The man chuckled: "Li'er, didn't I tell you? I'm the Emperor Emeritus now, you don't need to call me Your Majesty."

Gu Jiangli then realized what was happening.

Their son, Chen'er, has been on the throne for half a year.

Since this man abdicated, he has not wanted others to address him as "Your Majesty".

He said this was used to address Chen'er.

And I specifically told her that.

When the two of them were present, Gu Jiangli could call him by his name directly.

However, Gu Jiangli had gotten used to calling him "Your Majesty" over the years and always subconsciously called him that.

At this moment, she retrieved the emperor's name from her memory.

Helian Linzhang.

She called out softly, as if trying to etch the name into her heart.

"Linzhang, let's go see the scenery outside."

She has seen many mountains and rivers, all thanks to her experience in various worlds and the different scenery they offer.

But Linzhang is different.

He has lived in the palace since birth.

For decades, he has never truly stepped out of the imperial city.

He was the emperor of Da Jiang, but he never actually saw the Da Jiang that he possessed.

Now that he no longer holds the title of emperor, he is free to go out and see the world.

In other words, it wasn't Gu Jiangli who felt bored, but Lin Zhang.

The man smiled slightly.

It carries endless tenderness.

"OK."

The two traveled light, without many guards or fancy clothes, and slowly drove away from the palace in a simple carriage.

The moment the carriage drove out of the palace, Lin Zhang lifted the carriage curtain and gazed deeply at the red gate of the palace.

He had a strange feeling in his heart; this might be the last time he saw his palace.

He should have died amidst nature, not in the palace.

Gu Jiangli was also behind him, following his gaze.

The palace was getting smaller and smaller in front of them, which meant they were getting further and further away from this magnificent palace.

Lin Zhang lowered the curtain, grasped Gu Jiangli's hand tightly, and said, "Li'er, let's head south first. I've heard that the winters there are warmer than in the palace."

Gu Jiangli found a comfortable position for herself. "We're heading there just in time for winter. It turns out Linzhang had already made arrangements."

Lin Zhang smiled but didn't say anything.

The carriage traveled along the quiet official road, the hustle and bustle of the imperial city fading into the distance, while tranquility drew ever closer.

The sunny days in the south always feel warm.

Gu Jiangli didn't know how long they had lived in the south.

Perhaps for about half a year, because once the weather got hot, they set off again.

The Jiangnan region boasts mountains and rivers, while the Northwest is home to vast deserts.

She and Linzhang went from one place to another, never separated for a moment.

On the road, you'll often encounter some talkative commoners who will share what they've heard about the current emperor and the eldest princess.

Emperor Shuntian married one empress, and he only had one empress.

Like the retired emperor, he stopped selecting concubines after establishing his empress, and the two were deeply in love and lived in harmony.

The eldest princess has not yet chosen a suitable husband, although many men have expressed their love for her, but she has not taken a liking to any of them.

She prefers men who are stronger than her, and so far she hasn't found one she likes.

Gu Jiangli originally thought that the people would feel that Huayang's failure to get married was contrary to her status as a princess.

Unexpectedly, the people's opinions were surprisingly unanimous.

"The Princess is so capable, so it's fine if she doesn't want to get married. If my daughter had the Princess's talent and made such contributions to the Great Jiang, what's wrong with not getting married? I'd be willing to support her for the rest of my life!"

Gu Jiangli and Lin Zhang laughed out loud when they heard this.

The social customs have changed so much in just a few years, thanks in no small part to Chen'er's personal advocacy.

The first thing Chen'er did after taking the throne was to issue an order to abolish the custom of aristocratic families having maids as part of their dowry and to advocate monogamy among the common people.

It's an advocacy, not a command.

But this advocacy is more convincing than a command.

Because that's exactly what Chen'er did herself.

Even the emperor, who was high above all others, only had one wife. How could ordinary people not do the same?