Chapter 133 The Fearful Sword Test, Another Sword Test

"Wushuang greets Your Majesty." Wushuang raised the sword high, "I respectfully request Your Majesty to examine the sword."

"The swordsman of the inner circle, unparalleled." Mu You seemed to be attracted by her, "Raise your head."

Wushuang raised her head, her face partially obscured by the veil. Mu You stared at her for a moment, "Why are you wearing a veil? Is your face... unable to be seen?"

Wu Shuangcheng replied, "Your Majesty, I caught a cold yesterday, which is why I covered my face with a face covering to prevent passing the cold on to Your Majesty and the princes. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Wushuang's answer was impeccable. Mu You softened his tone, looked at the sword in her hand, and said in a low voice, "This Xuan Tie sword looks ordinary at first glance, but is there anything extraordinary about it? Chen Bi, you appraise the sword for me."

Mu Chenbi gripped the sword hilt, turning it over to examine it. He occasionally flicked his knuckles to make a sound, and frowned as he said, "Wushuang, this is the Xuan Tie sword commonly used in the army. Its size and weight are almost identical. You brought this sword into the palace under the guise of a superior weapon. Are you trying to deceive the emperor?"

"Brother, don't frighten Wushuang," Mu Lexiu interjected. "The inner palace has its own rules and regulations. Let Wushuang continue."

Curious, Guan Ye couldn't help but peek at the Xuan Tie sword in Mu Chenbi's hand. The sword gleamed with a bluish light, clearly forged from extremely pure Xuan Tie. Its tip gleamed coldly, and the blade had a substantial feel; it was a decent weapon. But Mu Chenbi was right; at first glance, this sword looked like the most common Xuan Tie sword in the army, using the guise of improving skills… Had Wushuang dared to deceive the emperor? Guan Ye knew Wushuang must have ulterior motives.

His eyes remained expressionless as he calmly asked, "I have long heard that Your Highness is extremely knowledgeable about weapons and various iron materials. May I ask Your Highness, how much would it cost to forge a Xuan Tie sword in the Imperial Workshop?"

Mu Chenbi replied almost without hesitation, “The Xuan Tie sword weighs six and a half catties. Ten catties of iron stone yields six catties of Xuan Tie. Adding the ingredients such as brass and tin, and considering the manpower and resources of the inner workshop... roughly speaking, a Xuan Tie sword costs five taels of silver.”

Guan Ye fiddled with her fingers, also pondering Wu Shuang's problem. Mu Chenbi's calculations were pretty accurate; if she encountered someone with greasy hands, five taels of silver would be too little.

Wushuang smiled faintly, "Five taels of silver per weapon, five hundred taels for a hundred weapons, and fifty thousand taels for ten thousand weapons. Weapons are easily damaged if used frequently, and worn out if not used. Replacing them often is expensive, so it's quite a considerable expense." Then she looked at Guan Ye, who seemed to be deep in thought, "Guan Ye, how much silver does it cost to forge a single Flowing Gold Sword from Xingguo Workshop?"

Guan Ye secretly thought to herself that she was in trouble. She still hadn't caught up with Wu Shuang's thinking. The roundabout way of saying that she was calculating the cost with Xingguo Workshop was not to be fooled by her. Guan Ye raised her head and said, "The Flowing Gold Sword is made of diamond sand and black iron. How can it be compared to the Black Iron Sword in terms of cost? Miss Wu Shuang, these are two different swords. It's a bit unreasonable to compare them like this."

Wushuang smiled and said, "You're overthinking it. I didn't mean to compete with you. I was just curious. Perhaps... His Majesty and the two princes also want to know?"

Mu Lexiu nodded. "Guan Ye, tell me."

Guan Ye pondered for a moment and said, "A single gold-plated sword costs ten taels..."

"Ten taels?" Mu Lexiu exclaimed, "A single sword from the Eagle Guard costs ten taels of silver? A hundred or even a thousand taels would be more. Your Majesty, you are truly generous."

“But,” Guan Ye couldn’t help but retort, “these are completely different swords…”

"What a joke." Mu Lexiu interrupted with a sneer, "It's just a weapon. What's wrong with any weapon that can cut and kill? Does it need to cost twice as much?"

Mu Chenbi's face darkened. "Don't frighten Guan Ye. Why don't you listen to what she has to say?"

Mu Chenbi snorted, turned away and stopped looking at Guan Ye. Mu Youcang's eyes were half closed. He held the Flowing Gold Sword in one hand and took the Xuan Tie Sword in the other. The two swords crossed, their blue and gold colors shining. "Guan Ye, continue."

Guan Ye glanced at Mu Chenbi, whose palm reached for the twin swords at his waist. His fingertips pressed silently against the double sword imprints. Guan Ye calmed herself and bit her lip. "The 'Sword Forging Manual' records that in the art of sword forging, neither hardness nor sharpness can be achieved perfectly. Nothing is perfect, and weapons are no exception. One must choose one of the two advantages. The Xuan Tie sword is thick and hard. Soldiers on the battlefield wear armor, and Xuan Tie is good at heavy blows and slashing, so the Xuan Tie sword is also called the Sword of Terror. The Liu Jin sword, forged from pure diamond sand, has a sharp and thin blade that can cut a hair with a breath. It is good at close-range assassination and has been called the Ghost Sword since ancient times."

Mu You listened intently, forgetting to ask a question for a moment. Mu Chenbi stroked his sword sheath and asked, "The Black Hawk Guard's Golden Sword is made from a mixture of diamond sand and black iron. What are your thoughts on that?"

Speaking of her expertise, Guan Ye's expression became more composed, and she unconsciously gestured with her hands, "The black iron is solid and strong, and the diamond sand is tough and unbreakable. The two are mixed in a 3:7 ratio, and the sword is sharp yet fierce. It is lightweight and easy for the Eagle Guards to carry close to their bodies. It is not suitable for battlefield combat, but... it is the best choice for the Eagle Guards."

"Besides..." Guan Ye hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

"Go on," Mu You said in a booming voice, his presence imposing even without anger.

Guan Ye mustered her courage, "The Flowing Gold Sword shines brilliantly, its hilt carved with dragon scales. It's the sword that protects the Emperor, and it can also display... the Emperor's majesty, can't it..."

"Hahahaha." Mu You laughed and relaxed his brows, looking at Guan Ye with more appreciation in his eyes. "Although this sword is expensive to make, the Black Eagle Guard also displays its majesty. Guan Ye, Guan Ye, you have elevated me so much that I cannot say a word against your sword. Black Eagle Guard, listen to my command."

"Your subordinate is here." Luo Yichen knelt down and bowed his head.

Mu You handed over the Golden Sword in his hand, "I have already inspected the swords from Xingguo Warehouse. The Black Eagle Guard can take them all. In six months, all the weapons of the Eagle Guard Battalion will be replaced with Golden Swords from Xingguo Warehouse."

"Your subordinate obeys the order." Luo Yichen accepted the golden sword with both hands, letting out a sigh of relief.

Mu You shifted his gaze to Wushuang and said in a hoarse voice, "It is true that the Xuan Tie sword is good for combat, but it is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive to make. Ordinary soldiers in the Great Jin army use miscellaneous copper swords, and only generals of the Iron Cavalry and above are equipped with Xuan Tie swords. You have made these hundred Xuan Tie swords, so just put them in the inner treasury for now, to be used by others."

"Your Majesty, I haven't finished speaking yet." Wushuang raised her eyebrows, her eyes bright and fearless.

Her face… Mu You gazed intently at the veil covering Wu Shuang’s face, only able to glimpse a blurry outline through the gaps. Her raised eyebrows and eyes were as calm as a deep pool, possessing a certainty beyond her years. Under such gazes, even Mu You, with a heart of stone, would be moved by her.

Seeing that no one spoke, Wushuang calmly said, "The Crown Prince just calculated the cost of the Xuan Tie sword. Each one costs at least five taels of silver. With hundreds of thousands of troops in the Great Jin, the task of replacing weapons is arduous and long-term. If all of them were replaced with Xuan Tie swords, the cost would be difficult to estimate. But... if my Xuan Tie sword only costs half the price, or even less."

Mu Youcang's eyes lit up, "Less than half?"

Wu Shuang exuded confidence, "Mysterious iron is so hard it's difficult to melt. Even the Heavenly Furnace in Xingguo Ward takes seven or eight days to make, and nearly half of the five taels cost is for charcoal. If..." As she spoke, sparks flew in Wu Shuang's cool eyes, "...if we use a combustion-aiding method to shorten the seven days to one day, wouldn't the cost be greatly reduced? Besides charcoal, there's also the manpower and resources of each workshop..."

"That's not all." Wushuang observed the expressions on everyone's faces.

"Not just that?" Mu Lexiu was utterly awestruck by Wushuang. He had never felt so comfortable in front of his elder brother before.

“Guan Ye.” Wushuang’s eyes held a provocative glint. “The Pei family’s power to revitalize the nation rests on your shoulders. Even the people in the inner quarters call you Master Guan. It’s more demanding to acknowledge a woman as a teacher than a man. We need to be stronger to silence them. Guan Ye, what I’m saying goes… You must have thought of that too.”

Guan Ye looked at Wu Shuang. Although she couldn't see what kind of face was under the veil, her words carried an expectation for Guan Ye. It seemed that she hoped Guan Ye could speak for her.

“A mixed copper sword,” Guan Ye blurted out.

"A mixed copper sword, yes!" Mu Chenbi suddenly realized.

Guan Ye continued, "Most of the old weapons in the army are cheap copper swords. We can recycle them to extract brass, which is valuable and controlled by the court. Other old weapons are not waste either, and can always be put to good use. In this way, we can promote the Xuan Tie sword to the whole army at the lowest cost. When soldiers use Xuan Tie swords, their combat power will be greatly improved."

Mu You's usually expressionless face was filled with shock. The two beautiful young women in front of the hall, one after the other, pointed out the direction for the Jin Dynasty's military equipment: replacing the old with the new, using swords to nourish swords. After decades of decline, could the Jin Dynasty's military equipment be reborn in the hands of Guan Ye and Wushou?

Mu Chenbi inwardly praised him. He had never liked Wushuang's pretentious mystification, but what Wushuang had just said struck a chord with him. Mu Chenbi had long wanted to improve Jin's military equipment and enhance its combat power, but he was troubled by deeply entrenched problems and enormous costs, unsure of where to begin. Mu Lexiu said: "Wushuang is a treasure bestowed upon the Great Jin by Heaven." For the first time, Mu Chenbi acknowledged his brother's words.

Guan Ye, who braved the winds and waves to arrive in Rongdu, is also a treasure bestowed upon the Great Jin Dynasty by heaven, and even more so, the most precious treasure in Mu Chenbi's heart.

"A method to aid combustion?" Cui Jin, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly broke the silence. "What is a method to aid combustion?"

Upon hearing this, Wushuang looked at Cui Jin, her eyes showing no fear of his sinister appearance. "This is a secret technique I created myself. The Xuan Tie sword I brought today was forged using the combustion-assisted method to melt the stone. Your Majesty can compare it with the Xuan Tie sword of the Eagle Guard. The superiority of one will be clear in a single comparison."

"A secret technique you created yourself?" Cui Jin scoffed. "So, you don't plan to tell anyone?"

Wushuang met his single eye head-on without backing down, "Grand Preceptor Cui, can you perhaps persuade Xingguo Ward to hand over the Heavenly Furnace and bring it under state control?"

That mouth… Guan Ye clicked her tongue. She often blurted out the wrong thing, but Wu Shuang’s mouth was like a dagger to the heavens. Only Wu Shuang would dare to speak so bluntly to Cui Jin. For a moment, Guan Ye felt a sense of kinship with Wu Shuang, but she quickly suppressed it. Did you forget how Wu Shuang used the Kunwu Stone to trick Xingguo Fang and almost drove Lou Cangyu to his death?

"Your Majesty," Cui Jin said with an awkward smile, "Miss Wushuang's words are just as arrogant as Xuan Tiejian's."

"The younger generation surpasses the older generation, and women are more capable than men." Mu You seemed to see scenes from the past flashing before his eyes. "Those with great abilities also have the right to be arrogant."

Cui Jin closed his one eye for a moment, then suddenly opened it and said, "How about we have another sword test today? What does Your Majesty think?"

"Testing the sword?" Guan Ye and Mu Chenbi said in unison, and as soon as they finished speaking, they looked at each other urgently.

Cui Jin fluttered his wide robe in the wind, stepped forward half a step and said, "It saves time by helping to ignite the fire, but will it diminish the power of the Xuan Tie Sword? This concerns military equipment, which is no small matter. We must test it head-on to convince everyone."

"How do we test our swordsmanship?" Mu Lexiu became interested, looking at Guan Ye and Wushuang from left to right. "Wushuang is a swordsman, Guan Ye... are you?"

Me? Guan Ye got angry. It didn't say that blacksmiths had to know how to use swords. Guan Ye shook her head.

Mu Lexiu frowned: "If she doesn't know swordsmanship, then Xingguofang will need to find another swordsman."

"I have a good idea," Cui Jin said confidently. "Guan Ye said that soldiers on the battlefield wear armor, and Xuan Tie (a type of iron sword) is good at heavy blows and slashes, so the Xuan Tie sword is also called the Sword of Terror, Guan Ye." Cui Jin suddenly exclaimed, "Did you say that?"

Guan Ye looked up and said without thinking, "That's right, I said it."

Cui Jin laughed triumphantly, "Since they are swords of terror, why not simulate a battlefield and have swordsmen wield these black iron swords in combat? This way, we can test which of the two black iron swords is superior. What do you all think?"

— Testing the sword, yet another testing the sword.