Chapter 205 The story: This battle was perilous, yet we had no choice but to go.

Ajiu sat down, her robes fluttering. Through the crack in the window, she could vaguely see Luo Yichen pacing nervously and Chang Lu's anxious old eyes. Where was Cui Jin? In some corner of the deep palace, Cui Jin had already received news of Mu Chenbi's return. He must be wondering if it was really Crown Prince Chenbi who had returned. The secret everyone wanted to uncover was a game they could never fathom.

"Your subject has a story he wishes to tell your father," Ajiu said, pouring hot tea for Mu You.

Mu You half-closed his sunken eyes, picked up his teacup and gently swirled it, "I love listening to stories. Tell me, and I'll listen."

"It's just a story. If it's not told well, Father, just treat it as a joke," Ajiu smiled.

Mu You sighed softly, leaning against the cushion to get into a comfortable position. "What Chen Bi told must have been a good story. If I fall asleep while listening, it's not because your story is bad, but because... I'm old and tired."

"Of the three thousand swordsmen of Jin, the swordsmanship of Chaoge was first and foremost. At the tender age of twenty, a single sword dance astonished Huating."

Mu You heard the familiar verses again. These were the verses he had spontaneously recited when he first met Lu Chaoge, unable to contain his emotions. Lu Chaoge, who was practicing her swordplay, noticed someone behind her. Her swordplay came to an abrupt halt. The anger Lu Chaoge felt at being disturbed vanished the moment the newcomer turned around. Her upturned eyes surveyed the visiting stranger, her gaze shimmering with a passionate light, burning like a flame that scorched Mu You's heart, making him willing to give everything.

"Who are you, and what brings you to Tianhu Workshop?"

"I have heard that Tianhu Workshop can forge the best swords in the world and also has the best swordsmen in the Great Jin Dynasty. I, Mu You, have come here to ask about swordsmanship in Chaoge."

—I am Mu You, and I seek the sword in Chaoge.

Mu You sighed with melancholy. Time flies by like a white horse galloping past a crack. Back then, he was young and full of ambition, drinking wine by the river and speaking with great confidence. More than twenty years have passed, and he is now nearing the end of his life. He is no longer as heroic as he once was, but Lu Chaoge, whom he still remembers, is as dazzling and incomparable as she was back then.

How wonderful it would be if people could never grow old or die, or even... die in the prime of their lives, leaving behind a beautiful and mysterious legend for posterity. That would be better than living in constant fear of being cursed after death, wishing to erase everything and leave only a pure and wise legacy for posterity.

"Before Father was made Crown Prince, he was the most inconspicuous prince under the late Emperor. You are talented in both literature and martial arts, but your elder brother's family is prominent and your younger brother is deeply favored. You are caught in the middle, cautious and timid, and you try your best in everything, but you have never been able to get the late Emperor's special attention. If this continues, when your elder brother ascends the throne, you will most likely be given a remote fiefdom and live a life of leisure like a wild crane."

"The southeast is rich and prosperous, the northwest is magnificent, Sichuan has spectacular scenery, and the desert is vast. You can live happily anywhere." Lu Chaoge's eyes were bright and her spirits were high. The joy she showed when talking about these places was not fake. She was willing to go anywhere, as long as she could be with the people she loved.

"Are you willing to give up Tianhufang?"

"With Father and Xiaoyun here at Tianhufang, what is there to be reluctant about? Besides, no one has tied my legs. If I miss them, I can just ride back on horseback." Lu Chaoge climbed onto her beloved man's shoulder, tilting her head to look at his expressionless face. "Where do you want to go?"

"—Me." Mu You lowered her eyebrows slightly. "If you could stay in Rongdu, you wouldn't have to leave home. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

—Lu Chaoge smiled and said, “The princes are about to be enfeoffed, so it’s impossible for them to stay in the capital. You might as well choose a good place sooner. I’ve long wanted to spread the skills of Tianhu Workshop throughout the world. Wherever I go, I will open another weapons workshop. If your heart is bound, you’ll be confined to a circle. If your heart is open, you can make the world your home.”

"The Mu family of the Great Jin Dynasty has an ancestral rule that when a new emperor ascends the throne, the other princes must go to their fiefdoms and cannot remain in the capital. The late emperor was in poor health, and the princes do not have much time left. Father Emperor does not want to leave Rongdu. Yes, Rongdu is prosperous and magnificent, and it is the place that people yearn for. Having experienced everything in Rongdu, who would want to leave? But... once the imperial decree is issued, whether the princes are willing or not, they must leave and go far away. In this life... they may not return without an imperial edict."

"If only I could stay in Rongdu."

"Perhaps it was because the will you left behind was too strong, even the heavens were on your side. In the eighty-fourth year of the Great Jin Dynasty, the seventy percent of Xiguan colluded with the Western Regions to rebel. The rebel army came with overwhelming force and swept through the enemy. In just a few months, they lost several cities. Your most capable younger brother led the army to resist the enemy, but was killed by the rebels. Buye City surrendered to the enemy. The rebels went straight to Rongdu's last barrier - Eagle Ridge Road. When the news came to Rongdu, the late emperor fainted on the spot."

Eagle's Ridge Pass was a natural fortress, built between canyons, forming a natural defensive barrier. However, the rebels' morale was high, and no one in the army was confident they could stop them. If Eagle's Ridge Pass fell, the hundreds of miles of open road ahead would be in grave danger for Rongdu, leading to the city's collapse and the fall of the kingdom. At this critical moment of life and death, my father stepped forward and volunteered to lead the army to resist the enemy.

"You're going to lead troops to Eagle Ridge?" Lu Chaoge's eyes showed surprise, but then a glint appeared in them.

"This battle is dangerous, but we have no choice but to go."

"I'm glad you're willing to fight for the country." Lu Chaoge suddenly stood up. "When are you leaving?"

"Ten days later, the Eagle Ridge Road is the most advantageous place for crossbows due to its steep terrain. The Ministry of War is short of crossbows and needs Tianhu Workshop to rush to make a batch of crossbows for the court."

"How much do you want?"

"At least three thousand." Mu You held up three fingers. "Three thousand in ten days, can you do that?"

—Lu Chaoge smiled confidently, “Can’t do it? Don’t forget, Rongdu is not just Tianhufang, but all five major workshops in Rongdu can contribute their skills to the country. I’ll take care of it in ten days or three days.”

"Excellent!" Mu You clapped his hands. "Ten days from now, once the crossbows are ready, I will lead my troops into battle."

"In the Battle of Eagle Ridge, crossbows are indispensable. The heavy responsibility of producing crossbows fell to the five major workshops, with Tianhu Workshop as the leader. Lu Chaoge of Tianhu Workshop has the best forging skills in the world and can command a large following in the weapons industry. With her there, crossbows will not be a problem. As the deadline approached, she not only produced crossbows as agreed, but also personally forged a sword and gave it to the person she cherished, the person she hoped would return victorious and reunite with her as soon as possible."

Ajiu looked at the Chaoge sword beside her. Though her beloved was gone, the sword remained unchanged. Through the vicissitudes of time, the words "Chaoge" were engraved on it, etched in people's hearts.

"If the world is at peace, we will forge swords and spread our skills, aiming high; if the prosperous age is about to collapse and the abyss is approaching, we will do our best to protect the country, even at the cost of our lives. This sword will stay by your side in my place, and when you return in triumph, I will have the five wards of Rongdu waiting for you at the city gate."

"Chaoge... Chaoge..." Mu You murmured on the bed, whether calling for the Chaoge sword or reminiscing about the woman named Chaoge.

"The Five Great Workshops are experienced in forging weapons, and with Lu Chaoge overseeing the work, why would all three thousand crossbows break at once? Given the craftsmanship of the Five Great Workshops, at most one out of three thousand crossbows should survive; it is impossible for all three thousand to break. The only possibility is that someone colluded with the rebels and tampered with the crossbows in an attempt to overthrow the Great Jin. Only the people of the Five Great Workshops could accomplish this in one go, and the culprit among them... could only be the Tianhu Workshop."

“Yes,” Mu You murmured, “I’ve thought about this for many years too. How…how did they do it? Shen Bi, have you figured it out?”

"It's just a guess," Ajiu continued. "Father, listen for now. If you find it absurd, just ignore it and forget about it."

"Back then, the five major workshops gathered at Tianhu Workshop to rush the work, and the Ministry of War also inspected and supervised the work. It was impossible to tamper with the work piece by piece. The only opportunity was to work on the materials. All things have different properties. Some are tough, some are hard, some are soft, and some are brittle. Brass is brittle. It is suitable for decoration but not for casting weapons. If you cast weapons with brass, they will break with one blow. If you go to the battlefield, it will be no different from suicide."

“Although brass is strictly controlled by the imperial court,” Mu You interrupted, “Tianhu Workshop is an arms workshop, and it has brass allocated by the Salt and Iron Bureau. It wouldn’t be difficult to spare some from it.”

Ajiu glanced at Mu You, "Since it's strictly controlled and the required quantity is registered, it's not difficult to squeeze out a small amount, but if it's several hundred catties... I'm afraid it won't be easy. Brass is not only used for weapon decoration, but it's also an important material needed for minting coins. The Salt and Iron Bureau allocates it precisely to the tael... Of course, if someone really has treasonous intentions, they will do anything, no matter how difficult. The weapon workshop has limited brass, but there is one place where brass is... readily available."

"The mint." Ajiu took out a copper coin from her bosom, tossed it high into the air, and caught it steadily in her palm. "What does Father think?"

“That’s interesting.” Mu You stroked his beard. “Go on.”

"It's quite a coincidence that not long after the Blood Crossbow Case, another case emerged in Rongdu: the Counterfeit Copper Coin Case. For several months, numerous counterfeit copper coins appeared in Rongdu's markets, containing 10% less brass. Before the three judicial departments could investigate, Mei Junhe of Gongcheng Money Shop exposed the Ma family's mint. The head of the family, Ma Yi, surrendered and confessed, and was beheaded shortly afterward, thus ending the case. However, although the case was closed, a mystery remained unsolved—where did the missing brass go?"

"Yes, where did it go?" Mu You asked. "Chen Bi, do you know where the brass is? You first mentioned the blood crossbow, then the copper coins. Could it be that the missing copper coins... were added to the crossbow by Tianhu Workshop?"

Ajiu was silent for a moment, "This matter was originally done flawlessly. The curved crossbows in the Blood Crossbow Case have disappeared without a trace. Neither the Ministry of War nor the Imperial Workshops have kept any of them. No one cares how the Blood Crossbow Case was actually done. Everyone believes that only the Five Great Workshops could have done it. All the craftsmen and laborers who participated in the production of the curved crossbows had a share, and no one could escape it."

“This is not a miscarriage of justice.” Mu You suddenly interjected, “In the copper coin case, Mayi confessed everything. In the blood crossbow case, the five shop owners, led by Lu Nian, the owner of Tianhu Shop, also signed their confessions. There was no torture or forced confession; they all confessed willingly.”

“Of course they have to confess.” A-Jiu raised his head, his black hair perfectly concealing the scar on his brow bone. In the dim candlelight, his skin had a light wheat-colored sheen. His brows were calm, and his expression was resolute, making him no longer look like a lowly swordsman from an abandoned background. Tonight, he was Prince Chen Bi. “Because… they were the ones who committed this crime. They cannot deny it, they cannot renege on it, they can only confess.”

Mu You's aged face revealed a sense of relief. "As expected of my most valued son, Shen Bi, you must always stand with me. With our hearts as father and son, the Great Jin Dynasty will surely last for thousands of years."

"It's just a pity about the swordsmith. She gave you this sword, hoping day and night to reunite with you, but... what awaited her was a sudden change of the world, and a separation of life and death." Ajiu drew the blade of the Chaoge sword. Time flies, and the years leave various marks on all things, but the two characters "Chaoge" remain as new as ever. Seeing it again today, Ajiu couldn't help but sigh, "What a fine sword this is."

"I..." Mu You reached out to touch the Chaoge sword, "I really like her."

"After the Blood Crossbow Incident, news traveled south to the imperial court. The Five Great Wards held a prominent position in the Jin Kingdom, and in Rongdu, they were even more united and steadfast. To capture them all in one fell swoop, it was necessary to block the news and seize the opportunity to make arrests. However, no matter how much the news was blocked, it would always leak out. Most of the people from the Five Great Wards were arrested and brought to justice, but some still managed to escape Rongdu before the city was sealed off, and their whereabouts are unknown..."

“Even the most meticulous plans can have some slip-ups, and no one can be blamed for this,” Mu You said. “Once you leave Rongdu, the world is vast, and who knows where they might go.”

"Does Father want her to be captured?" Ajiu pressed.

"What do you think?" Mu You's eyes were unfathomable, as if a wrong answer would lead to the person's utter destruction.