The thing that the Fourth Prince feared most still happened. It is estimated that by this time, the foreign people had already manufactured crossbows.

Since the people of the foreign lands already had an advantage in making bows and arrows, the crossbows they produced would likely have an even more pronounced advantage.

The Fourth Prince immediately interrogated Ma Sibei, who admitted that the information was provided to him by an official from the Ministry of War.

This official had a good relationship with Ma Sibei. Ma Sibei said that his father liked hunting and wanted him to get him some crossbows. Of course, Ma Sibei's promises to him were also generous.

Faced with the prospect of personal gain, this official lost his way. Although he couldn't provide a complete crossbow, providing some crossbow parts was not a problem.

After a period of preparation, the official collected some parts for making crossbows and gave them to Ma Sibei so that he could assemble them himself.

After obtaining these components, Ma Sibei immediately handed them over to Wu Qing, who then transported them to the foreign country.

The Emperor was furious about this incident, which exposed serious problems within the court.

The court was in chaos, officials pursued pleasure, and many systems were rendered ineffective.

Take the crossbow as an example. Officials all knew its strategic significance. The imperial court regarded it as a powerful national weapon and had strict regulations on its production and use.

However, some officials still act recklessly, disregarding the interests of the country and taking risks, which is entirely aimed at destroying their country.

This undercover investigation of the teahouse, spearheaded by Li Xue, has sparked a spy scandal that has shocked the government and the public, becoming a hot topic of discussion in the streets and alleys.

The public was abuzz with discussion, some gritting their teeth in anger, others applauding with delight.

Some people took to the streets and petitioned in front of the Ministry of Justice, demanding that the court severely punish corrupt officials.

The will of the people cannot be defied. The Emperor decided to take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate and severely punish the officials involved.

Some officials, though not involved in the case, were still terrified. If Ma Sibei had tried to win them over, they might have been tempted by the benefits and taken the bait.

After this storm, the atmosphere in the court did improve somewhat, but the fundamental problems were not solved, and some prominent issues were only alleviated.

Lord Yao's contribution to destroying the spies of the foreign kingdom in the Northern Dynasty is invaluable, and the court has rewarded him.

Although he remained the Grand Minister of Agriculture, his official rank was raised to the first grade, and he continued to manage the country's agriculture. Lady Yao was also granted the title of Imperial Lady by the court.

That day, the Emperor summoned Li Xue to his study. Upon seeing Li Xue, the Emperor was filled with emotion.

"In this incident, it can be said that Xue'er saved the Great Northern Dynasty; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

I know in my heart that Xue'er deserves the most credit in this incident.

I want to reward you, but I don't know what to give you. Tell me what you want, and I will grant it to you.

"The Emperor wants to reward Xue'er, did I hear that right?" Li Xue was overjoyed.

"Xue'er has done many great things for the court during this period, and you should have been rewarded long ago, but the Fourth Prince did not allow it, so I gave up."

Since the Fourth Prince isn't here today, Xue'er, please speak up boldly.

Li Xue thought for a moment and then spoke:

"Xue'er doesn't lack anything. If Your Majesty really wants to reward her, then please bestow upon her a yellow riding jacket."

Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately burst into laughter.

"A yellow riding jacket will be awarded to Princess Li Xue."

Li Xue immediately knelt down to express her gratitude.

Soon, the young eunuch brought over a tray with a yellow jacket on it.

Li Xue put on the yellow jacket and asked the Emperor if it looked good.

"Xue'er is so beautiful. Wearing the yellow jacket will not only make her look good, but also make her look majestic. From now on, when Xue'er wears the yellow jacket, it will be as if I am personally present, and I can exercise the power of temporary decision-making."

This is such a great power, better than any reward. Li Xue kowtowed again to express her gratitude.

"Does Xue'er have any other requests?" the Emperor asked.

Li Xue thought for a moment and said, "Zhao Shaofu of Shuixian Village played a crucial role in Qing'an Prefecture's capture of Nashi Bai. He recognized Nashi Bai the first time he entered Shuixian Village."

Zhao Shaofu immediately informed Prefect Shen about the matter, which led to what happened next.

The imperial court has completely eradicated the spies planted by the foreign kingdoms in the Northern Dynasty, and Zhao Shaofu played a crucial role in this. Shouldn't Your Majesty reward Zhao Shaofu?

The Emperor nodded and said:

"All those who have made contributions this time will be rewarded, and Zhao Shaofu is no exception. He will be promoted from a sixth-rank official to a fifth-rank official, and no messenger will be sent to Shuixian Village this time."

I have now drafted the imperial edict. Whenever Xue'er goes to Narcissus Village, she should take the edict with her and deliver it on her behalf.

"It's so interesting to go to Narcissus Village to deliver the imperial decree myself!" Li Xue was overjoyed.

She wanted to know what kind of expression Zhao Xian had when he knelt down to receive the imperial edict.

As time goes by and the weather gets hotter, the pavilions and a boardwalk built by the lake are basically completed and the project is now in its final stages.

A stone-paved road planned for the village is also being built to the lakeside. In another two or three days, all the projects here will be completed.

A gentle breeze carries a fragrant aroma – the unique scent of lotus flowers.

At this moment, the lotus leaves on the lake are layered upon layered, and among the lotus leaves, a large number of lotus flowers are blooming in competition.

In the lake water beneath the lotus leaves, beautiful koi carp swim happily, filling the entire lake area with boundless vitality.

The beautiful scenery also attracted a large number of waterbirds, some of which soared and flew above the lake, while others danced gracefully in the air.

Meng Yaoyao linked arms with Li Guang as they strolled along the lakeside boardwalk, captivated by the beautiful scenery before them.

The second phase of the village's construction is underway, and after nearly three months, the shops are almost finished.

The next step is to renovate these shops.

At this time, the village head was not most concerned about the shops, nor the construction of roads and bridges in the village, but rather the construction of the inn.

After Nasba was arrested, the inn naturally became the village's property.

During this time, the village head was all smiles, sometimes even waking up laughing to himself. The village not only received the eight thousand taels of silver from Nashibai, but also got this inn for free.

From now on, this inn will be the village's treasure trove, providing a continuous source of funding for the village's development.

The village head was deeply grateful to Nashibai, who had made a tremendous contribution to the village's development.

On the other side of the wasteland, the villa has been topped out and is currently undergoing renovations.

Once the villa is renovated, Zhao Xiaosheng and Chen Xiaoxiao's wedding will be held immediately.

At this time, the workshop also began construction. This was the construction plan that Zhao Xian revised several times and finally determined. It was estimated that it would take another month to complete.

Once the workshop is built, more than ten industries planned by Zhao Xian will gradually go into production, thereby promoting the commercial development of the village.

Zhao Xian calculated that he had been in this dynasty for exactly one year and one month.