Chapter 113 [VIP]

Gu Zhizhuo and Xie Yingchen's marriage was arranged by imperial decree. Xie Yingchen was a member of the imperial family and a prince. In principle, all that was needed was for the Ministry of Rites to send out a betrothal letter.

The old lady never expected that Xie Yingchen would be so thoughtful, even going so far as to invite Grand Secretary Song to propose marriage, giving their Zhuo'er a lot of face.

Overjoyed, not only did the entire household bestow a generous reward, but they also readily agreed and happily presented Gu Zhizhuo's birth chart.

"Thank you for granting the marriage permission, Madam."

As the saying goes, one must bow one's head to marry a wife. Prime Minister Song adopted an extremely humble posture, accepting the marriage proposal with both hands and beaming with joy: "After I return, I will go to Taiqing Temple and ask Master Qingping to perform the marriage match."

"They are such a perfect match, it must be fate."

The old lady liked to hear that.

Gu Baibai personally saw Chief Minister Song out.

Firecrackers were set off from the front gate all the way to Ronghe Hall, filling the entire Zhenguo Duke's Mansion with a festive atmosphere, and Prime Minister Song's smile broadened.

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion attaches great importance to Miss Gu's marriage. Does this betrothal mean that the Gu family will do everything in their power to stand behind Young Master Chen in the future?

Once this thought arose, Chief Minister Song was no longer as worried as usual; instead, he pondered it even more.

He didn't go to the yamen; the carriage took him directly back to his residence. Upon hearing that Xie Yingchen had arrived, he only paused slightly before entering the main hall where guests were to be received.

"Young Master."

The chief minister, Song, smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I have not failed in my mission."

Xie Yingchen gazed at the red betrothal letter, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

"Thank you for your arrangements, Grand Secretary." Xie Yingchen bowed slightly. "It's best not to trouble two people with this matter, but the marriage and betrothal arrangements also require your assistance, Grand Secretary."

Chief Minister Song quickly stood up to return the greeting, repeatedly assuring everyone that he would do his best before sitting down again.

He sat down to Xie Yingchen's left, shifting his position as if nails were driven into his backside.

He was terrified that Xie Yingchen would ask him how he had decided, yet he was also somewhat looking forward to Xie Yingchen asking, he was extremely conflicted.

I felt rather restless.

Xie Yingchen picked up the teacup, gently skimmed off the foam on top, and said with a smile, "The Prime Minister's tea is quite good."

The chief minister's shoulders were tense. He raised his hand to dismiss the servants, leaving no one in the corridor.

He only mentioned the tea: "This was specially sent by my son from Jiangnan."

"Lord Song has been serving as the Left Vice Minister of Jiangnan Province for eight years now."

"Yes." When talking about his eldest son, Chief Minister Song looked proud. This was his most outstanding son, who, at the age of forty, had already become a provincial councilor of the third rank.

Xie Yingchen took a sip of tea and spoke slowly and deliberately: "Lord Zuo Zhiguang has reached the age of retirement. Lord Song should be able to take on the position of Governor of Jiangnan."

Zuo Zhiguang was the then-governor of Jiangnan.

Chief Minister Song's heart skipped a beat.

He was the Grand Secretary, having risen to the pinnacle of officialdom in the Great Qi Dynasty, and would not lose his composure over a mere regional official.

What astonished him was that Xie Yingchen could so easily control and appoint a high-ranking official, especially one in such an important position in Jiangnan!

Xie Yingchen smiled faintly, not caring what impact his words would have on the Grand Secretary.

“Since Lord Song went to Jiangnan, his performance evaluation has been excellent every year. He has served in Jiangnan for eight years and is very familiar with all matters in Jiangnan. It is reasonable for him to be promoted to the position of Jiangnan Inspector.”

This undisguised praise softened the expression on Prime Minister Song's face.

Xie Yingchen put down his teacup; he had no intention of using his position as the Governor of Jiangnan to coerce Prime Minister Song.

He was simply telling Chief Minister Song that Jiangnan was under his control.

Seeing that the chief minister was deep in thought, he continued, "However, if Lord Song does not wish to continue staying in Jiangnan, he can go to Minzhou." Xie Yingchen smiled, but every word he spoke startled the chief minister. "The chief minister may not know that the Minzhou garrison commander Jiang Youyi is one of my father's former subordinates."

Chief Minister Song: !

No one knows about this.

It should be said that if the emperor knew, no matter how many merits Jiang Youyi had made, the emperor would never have appointed him as the commander-in-chief of Minzhou.

"What does the Grand Secretary think? Should it be Jiangnan or Minzhou?"

He spoke with such ease, as if a single sentence could decide the matter.

Jiangnan, Minzhou, and the Northern Frontier. Even if Xie Yingchen didn't mention the Northern Frontier, the fact that he married Miss Gu meant that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would definitely be his support.

The Prime Minister Song hesitated for a moment, then instead of answering, asked, "The newly appointed General of the Western Frontier, Jiang Youzheng, who is he?"

Xie Yingchen didn't hide anything: "Jiang Youyi and I are brothers."

Jiang Youyi was adopted out when he was ten years old. Therefore, in the Ministry of War's records, Jiang Youyi and Jiang Youzheng were not from the same branch of the family.

The imperial court would not appoint brothers from the same branch of the same family as generals in two different regions at the same time. Xie Yingchen originally wanted to transfer someone else to the western frontier, but the Gu family preferred Jiang Youzheng, so he simply went along with it.

The Grand Secretary Song suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

As expected, Xie Yingchen was indeed behind the recall of the Prince of Jin's heir to the capital, or even orchestrated by him.

Xie Yingchen nodded, confirming his guess.

He took the initiative to say, "Three days ago, Jiang Youzheng led his troops to launch a fierce attack on the Liang Kingdom, which had ambushed them. After the Liang Kingdom suffered a setback, it retreated to the border."

Chief Minister Song was unaware of this news.

In other words, his sources of information in the Western Regions were faster than those of the imperial court, and the Western Regions were entirely under his control.

The chief minister took a sip of tea to calm his nerves and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

With the addition of the Western Frontier, Xie Yingchen now holds a third of the Great Qi Empire in his hands.

If he so desires, he can send troops to purge the court of corrupt officials at any time.

Prime Minister Song shifted his position; he hadn't felt this uneasy, pin-and-pin feeling in a long time.

His casual conversation made people feel uneasy.

I remember when the late emperor was still alive, it was the same; a single glance from him could make one feel suffocated. In comparison, the deposed crown prince was much kinder. He once remarked that the deposed crown prince would surely be a benevolent ruler. However, as it turns out, sitting on this high throne, surrounded by wolves, benevolence is actually the most deadly thing.

"Chief Minister Song." Xie Yingchen looked into his eyes, his voice suddenly turning cold. "Was the imperial edict truly the late emperor's will? Why did the late emperor leave only Prince Jin by his side when he passed away, and why did Prince Jin rise to prominence after the late emperor's death, going from a fallen member of the imperial family to a powerful figure in court, even leading to the formation of three factions? Chief Minister Song, have you never had any doubts?"

The chief minister sighed deeply.

Xie Yingchen flicked his sleeves, composed and unhurried. The Prime Minister's gaze slowly fell upon his jade-like fingers.

This was something the late emperor cherished.

The late emperor's kindness in recognizing his talent and favor has never been forgotten by Chief Minister Song.

Xie Yingchen twirled the jade ring on his finger, curled the corners of his lips, and said meaningfully, "Back then, for the sake of the Great Qi, you couldn't touch Chief Minister Song. It's better to make the best of a bad situation than to fall apart and let the barbarians take the opportunity to invade the Central Plains."

"So, what can you do now for the sake of the Great Qi?"

His eyes were sharp, able to easily see into people's hearts: "If one's virtue is not commensurate with one's position, is it really necessary to gamble the fate of the nation and the country to move?"

Song, the chief minister, silently closed his eyes. After a few breaths, he slowly walked to Xie Yingchen and knelt down.

He stood ramrod straight, bent over, and touched the ground with his forehead.

"Your humble servant is willing to serve the Crown Prince as his master and will never betray him."

That head was kowtowed very firmly.

Xie Yingchen stood up from the chair and helped him up with both hands.

"The Grand Secretary need not be so polite."

Their eyes met, and everything was understood without a word.

Xie Yingchen personally helped him sit down, glanced at the marriage certificate on the coffee table, and said with a smile, "Let's go to Taiqing Temple for the marriage compatibility analysis."

"That's what I think too."

Grand Secretary Song readily agreed, and said with a smile, "The Dowager Madam seems to be having a very pleasant day."

Even from an outsider's perspective, Xie Yingchen was handsome, good-tempered, and of noble status, especially the way he looked at Miss Gu, which was full of tenderness.

Even if it were him, he would celebrate for days with such a grandson-in-law.

It was rare for Chief Minister Song to act as a matchmaker, and he took it very seriously.

After seeing Xie Yingchen off, he immediately went to Shangqing Temple in person.

Originally, the plan was to consult Qingping for a marriage compatibility analysis, but unexpectedly, Qingping's master was also there and even took the birth chart to perform the compatibility analysis for the two.

It reports to the Heavenly Court above and to the Underworld below.

The marriage is auspicious, the union is harmonious, and the couple will be together for life.

After the marriage certificate was delivered to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the Dowager Madam was overjoyed and the whole household was rewarded once again. The servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion received two rounds of rewards in one month, and they were all beaming with joy, saying auspicious words one after another.

The Grand Madam's rewards were very generous; each silver ingot weighed an ounce, and she gave two at a time.

"Where is Zhuo Yatou?"

The old lady looked at the marriage certificate again and again: "Have her come over. After the marriage is approved, the betrothal will be conducted. Why are you so busy every day that I can't even see her?"

"She's always running off, sigh, only Chen'er has a good temper and lets her have her way."

"Have you gone out?"

The old lady asked three questions in a row, and Granny Zhu replied from the side, "The eldest young lady did not go out today."

"This is more like it!" The old lady was satisfied. She was thinking of inviting the manager of Xiu Rong Tang to give Gu Zhizhuo a good skin care treatment.

Granny Zhu couldn't help but shatter her illusion: "The eldest young lady, along with several other young ladies and the young master, were testing crossbows at the training ground."

Madam: "...Try what?"

"crossbow."

"The drill ground?" Her heart clenched, and she asked in a trembling voice, without much hope, "Did the Second Miss go too?"

Yes, yes.

Except for the Fourth Miss who didn't return from the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and the Third Young Master who was sent to the military camp by the Heir Apparent, everyone else went.

Madam: "..."

Her beloved granddaughter has been led astray again.

The old lady rubbed her forehead, jumped up, and said angrily, "Come on, let's go see why everyone, from the old to the young, insists on running to the drill ground. In the sweltering heat, is it that ice basins aren't cool enough, or that chilled fruit syrup isn't tasty enough?"

The Dowager rarely went out during the hottest days of summer. She was used to a life of luxury, and as soon as she left the hall with the ice basin, she felt unbearably hot. She regretted it before she even stepped out of the hanging flower gate.

Regret is regret, but there's nothing I can do but bite the bullet and go for it.

They dawdled their way to the drill ground. From afar, the old lady saw several of her grandchildren gathered under the blazing sun, seemingly busy with something.

"Grandma is here."

Gu Yican was the first to notice it.

Gu Zhizhuo turned around and saw her with a stern face, covered in sweat, on the verge of exploding. She smiled sweetly, waved, and called out, "Grandmother."

The others also turned around, calling out "Grandmother!" which instantly calmed the old lady's anger. She smiled and her voice softened: "What are you doing?"

Gu Zhizhuo: "You've come at just the right time to test the crossbow."

Gu Zhiwei helped the old lady to sit under the canopy and said, "Eldest sister and second sister made a repeating crossbow and asked us to come out and test it together! We were watching second sister assemble it, and it was assembled in no time. It was very interesting."

The old lady frowned: "You've gotten a tan too."

Gu Zhiwei pretended to be stupid, covering her mouth and laughing.

Click.

Just as he finished speaking, the crisp sound of the mechanism closing rang out.

Gu Zhijiao successfully inserted the arrow box. After carefully inspecting it, she excitedly exclaimed, "Big sister, look!"

Gu Zhizhuo reached out and took it, then examined it carefully.

This is the fourth game in eight days; the main problem in the first three games is still that the team will break down.

It wasn't a structural problem with the repeating crossbow, but rather that the pivot broke after continuous firing because it couldn't withstand the force.

After much deliberation, Gu Zhizhuo and Gu Zhijiao decided to reduce the stress on the pivot.

"This one has two gears added to the connection point between the pivot and the quiver, and the length of the quiver has been reduced." Gu Zhizhuo explained to the Grand Madam, showing off, "Look, the arrows and the quiver were all hand-polished by Jiaojiao, there isn't even a single burr. The crossbow string is made of three strands of ox tendon twisted together, which my third brother spent several days twisting."

With the arrow magazine shortened, the overall size of the crossbow also had to be modified, a calculation Gu Zhizhuo spent several days working on. The resulting crossbow is now significantly different from the one on the blueprints; it's lighter and more compact.

The problem was that the iron arrows commonly used in the army were unusable and needed to be remade. The Thousand Machine Battalion worked day and night, but only managed to produce 1,500 arrows.

Madam: "..."

She was dizzy and confused, and only understood one thing: the old iron arrows were no longer usable.

With a wave of her hand, she readily said, "Grandma will buy you new ones." Her attitude was as if to say that the old cosmetics were useless and that new ones would be just as good.

Gu Zhizhu smiled and happily agreed.

Gu Zhijiao was a little apprehensive: "However, I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know if it's any good."

Gu Zhizhuo was full of confidence: "I think we'll definitely win this round."

“I think it’s a good idea too.” Gu Yican stroked his chin and nodded.

He waved his hand and shouted, "Men, prepare the targets. Ten of them, each one hundred paces away."

"yes!"

The servants at the drill ground obeyed the order and went to move the targets.

"You give it a try."

Gu Zhizhuo beckoned to Gu Zhijiao and handed her the repeating crossbow.

This was their fourth time testing the crossbow. Gu Zhijiao skillfully picked up the repeating crossbow and rested it on his arm.

Her arms were slender, yet they were still able to support the weight of the repeating crossbow.

Gu Zhiwei took her arm and said, "Grandma, Grandma, look! Second Sister is going to test her crossbow!"

The old lady was so nervous that her hands were sweating profusely. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes were fixed on her face, and her cheeks were taut.

Bang!

Gu Zhijiao pulled the trigger, and ten iron arrows flew out of the quiver at the same time.

Bang bang bang!

At the same time, it hits the target 100 paces away.

"good!"

The old lady praised loudly and clapped repeatedly.

Gu Zhijiao blushed slightly, feeling a little shy. The crossbow had been fitted with a sight, making it easier to aim, and even someone like her who had never practiced archery could use it easily.

Two hundred steps.

Gu Yican made a hand gesture, instructing someone to adjust the target distance.

This time, five out of ten arrows hit the target, and the remaining five arrows were scattered around the target.

Seeing that the Grand Madam had stood up nervously, Gu Yican grinned and said, "Grandmother, would you like to give it a try?"

"I?"

The old lady had touched all kinds of gold and jade in her life, but she had never touched a weapon.

Gu Zhizhuo's eyes lit up, and he said repeatedly, "Yes, yes. Grandmother should try too. Weiwei, drag Grandmother over here."

"Wait, wait! Stop fooling around."

The old lady wanted to say no, but her legs were more honest than her mouth, and she was half-heartedly pulled over by Gu Zhiwei.

Gu Zhijiao handed her the repeating crossbow. The old lady was mentally prepared, but when she took it, she exclaimed, "Huh, it's not heavy?"

"Yes," Gu Zhijiao said obediently, "It's much lighter than the bow that big brother uses. You can hold it like this."

She was patient and meticulously adjusted the Grand Madam's crossbow-holding posture, then carefully pointed to Wangshan and said, "Hold the crossbow level with your shoulders and use this to aim at the target."

Gu Yican shouted, "Three hundred steps!"

The target retreated rapidly again, startling the old lady: "It's too far!"

"Grandmother, I believe you!"

Gu Yican gave her a thumbs up.

"Grandma, once you've aimed, just press the trigger here."

"grandmother!"

A boy's voice, trembling with sobs, interrupted Gu Zhijiao. Gu Yan ran into the training ground and towards the Grand Madam, shouting as he ran, "My mother is sick! She's covered in red rashes, she's dying..."

"Release the arrows."

As soon as Gu Zhizhuo spoke, the old lady subconsciously pressed the trigger.

Bang!

The iron arrow shot rapidly toward the target, and the huge noise startled Gu Yan so much that he fell to the ground with a thud.

A note from the author: