Princess Rong'an glanced at the things in the wooden box and covered her mouth and nose in disgust, as if she had seen something dirty.
The ladies and girls present were talking about it. They said it didn't look like a valuable thing at all and the gift was too sloppy.
Xia Mengyao casually picked up a shiny piece of hardware and was furious. "Ji Yunhuan! What else do you have to say? You are clearly teasing my grandmother and humiliating the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. What on earth do you want to do?"
"Yao'er! Don't be rude! This is a crossbow!"
Old Madam Xia took the parts from her granddaughter's hand. Her hands were covered with wrinkles, her skin was rough and full of calluses. Years of pampered life still could not erase the marks left by the wind and sand.
It had been so long since she had gotten used to it, so long that she had almost forgotten that she had once ridden a horse with a sword in hand, galloped a thousand miles with a bow and crossbow on her back, and taken the enemy's head in one fell swoop.
Old Madam Xia's hands were trembling. Some memories were engraved in her body. Almost in an instant, she assembled the crossbow.
The crossbow is pitch black and made of the finest black iron. It is connected entirely by mechanisms, and every component fits perfectly. In Old Madam Xia's eyes, this crossbow is extremely beautiful, surpassing countless gorgeous clothes and jade.
Ten sharp arrows are lined up at the bottom of the wooden box, and the arrow tips are polished to a shine. This is not a collection displayed in the house, but a real magic weapon!
Old Madam Xia felt the familiar mark on the crossbow and almost burst into tears.
"It's the work of our master. It can fire ten crossbow arrows in a row and can even penetrate the strongest armor!"
"My master gave me a set of black iron bows. He said I had a difficult life. First, my husband died, and then my eldest son passed away. A woman going to the battlefield will always be physically inferior to a man, but a woman also has her own ingenuity and adaptability. I am the only one who can use this black iron bow best."
"It's a pity that the battlefield was so dangerous that the crossbow was lost. I couldn't even keep the wreckage. Black iron is rare to begin with. I thought I would never see a black iron bow again in my lifetime."
Old Madam Xia stroked the black iron bow as if she were stroking her own child, gently and tenderly, and simply couldn't let it go.
Xizi patted Ji Yunhuan's chest with his cat paw, and there seemed to be a sense of pride in his blue eyes.
Ji Yunhuan reached out and high-fived Xizi, then leaned over to Xizi's ear and kissed his round cheek, saying softly, "Alright, I know you're amazing. The gift you chose is the best."
She is now the housekeeper of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Her mother doesn't care about choosing gifts at all, and is not afraid that she will mess it up.
When she went to the warehouse to choose a gift for Old Madam Xia, Xizi saw this set of bows and crossbows from somewhere. He was so excited that his eyes lit up and he meowed at her to give it to him.
Later she found out that the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion had actually fought in the battlefield when she was young!
Ji Yunhuan put Xizi down, stood up and walked to Old Madam Xia, took out a black iron arrow and handed it to Old Madam Xia.
"Would you like to give it a try, old lady?"
Old Madam Xia looked at the bustling crowd in the courtyard. Princess Rong'an's expression became even uglier. She finally put down her crossbow and shook her head, saying, "I'm old now. How can I stand the whirlwind of swords and clubs? Let's just forget it."
Ji Yunhuan stuffed the iron arrow into Old Lady Xia's hand. Old Lady Xia almost subconsciously loaded the iron arrow into the crossbow, as skillfully as if it were as easy as eating and drinking water.
"I see the old lady is very energetic, not old at all. It's true that we can't show off here. Why don't we go to the stables? There's more space there, perfect for trying out this crossbow. I was born too late, so I didn't get to see the old lady's heroic figure. I wonder if we could all open our eyes today?"
Most of the people present were wives and daughters of military generals. They were quite curious about this novel bow and crossbow. Moreover, it was Old Lady Xia’s birthday party, so naturally they wanted to make her happy.
Everyone urged Old Madam Xia to give it a try.
Seeing the princess's kindness, a lively lady smiled and said, "Princess, everyone wants to see the power of this crossbow. It's said to have a very long range. Back then, Old Madam Xia used it to take the enemy's head. Princess, why don't you move to the horse farm and let's go and take a look together?"
Princess Rong'an was drinking tea from a enamel cup made in the official kiln. Upon hearing this, she put the cup down heavily with an unhappy look on her face.
"It's a good eightieth birthday, so why not send some auspicious things that wish you longevity and happiness? Instead, you send these disgusting things. I wonder what the meaning is?"
"Women should be demure and gentle as virtues. Shooting arrows with this... bow and arrow is simply unbecoming! Only the lowest craftsmen would touch this kind of artifact. Even looking at it for a second makes me feel like I'm dirtying my eyes."
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