Wan Jinlan took the letter from Li Dazhuang, opened it, and smiled. She handed the letter to Wan Zhijing, "Brother, read this."
After many experiments, Old Man Lu made the cannon. After being ignited, one shot could destroy a small hill. The range was 200 steps, and the power was amazing.
Wan Zhijing was also beaming, "The Firearms Workshop is of utmost importance. Do you want to go back?"
Wan Jinlan nodded, "Of course I have to go back."
The brother and sister talked for a while, and then Wan Jinlan went to find Anyang.
When they reached the gate, Wan Jinlan asked, "Which direction did the princess go?"
"Madam, when we got to Changyuan, I asked two guards to follow us." Li Dazhuang replied seriously. When he saw Chuntao glaring at him, he started to touch his head and grin foolishly again.
Wan Jinlan found it interesting and glanced at Chuntao. Seeing her blush, she wanted to laugh even more.
"You don't have to follow. Go and get some rest."
Li Dazhuang agreed and looked at Chuntao reluctantly before walking down.
Guo Ming's house is on the mountain, and the soldiers' barracks are in a valley.
"You're not young anymore, do you have someone you like? I'll definitely prepare a generous dowry for you so you can marry in style."
Chuntao and she grew up together as children. If she delays any longer, she will grow up into a big girl.
"Master, what are you talking about? Now is a critical moment. Although I am of no use, I can always serve you well when you come back. Master, you want to send me away because you dislike me."
"My dear Chuntao, you are really good at turning the tables. I saw you and Li Dazhuang flirting with each other, so I had this idea. Since you don't want to get married, I will find him another good match."
Chuntao's face flushed red, and after a while she said, "His name is too rustic. Master, can't you let him change his name?" Otherwise, it would be shameful to marry him. The name Dazhuang is embarrassing to tell others.
Wan Jinlan was convinced. Was Li Dazhuang's name rustic? "Have you seen Li Mazi, who follows the prince? What's his name like?"
Chuntao said "eh" in disgust, "Why are the names of these ruffians so random!" Compared with Li Mazi, Li Dazhuang's name is more acceptable.
The master and servant went up to Changyuan. The sun was shining brightly. Anyang lay on the wall with a calm expression, looking at the vast world.
"Cousin, I'm sorry for you." Anyang said with difficulty.
"Just because Xiao Nian Shen said a few words, you're already blaming yourself? What on earth do these things have to do with you? I've already killed his mother. Now that the revenge has been taken, you're not allowed to blame yourself anymore."
Anyang's eyes were blank, "I just feel that I am useless." She was used as a pawn in marriage by her own father. Her value used to be three thousand grassland horses, but this time it was worth the entire Beiyuan. However, she did not feel happy. Why couldn't her father love her as much as he loved his sister Zhou?
Wan Jinlan turned her face in front of him and rubbed it vigorously. "There is a hot spring in the mountains. Do you want to go and soak in it? You must not have relaxed during this journey."
Seeing that Anyang hadn't recovered yet, Wan Jinlan hugged her and said, "Cousin Anyang, none of us has ever blamed you, and we shouldn't have blamed you. Don't let Xiao Nianshen influence you. He did it on purpose."
Anyang burst into tears.
Since the death of her uncle and her mother, her status in the palace has plummeted. It is common for palace people to flatter the powerful and bully the weak. She was hoping to live a comfortable life in the princess's mansion after getting married, but she didn't expect that after being engaged, she would be sent to marry a foreign prince by her father.
Her mother contacted Prince Su to stop her from marrying, but she angered Princess Pei. Her uncle, who had always protected her, died in a conspiracy in the inner house.
How could Anyang not blame himself for this?
She resented her father, but also hated her own incompetence. If she could do something for the mansion, she would definitely do it without hesitation.
Her fiancé's inaction made her feel horrified, and her father's ruthlessness made her feel cold, but her cousins still treated her as a family member. Anyang cried even louder.
After calming down, Anyang wiped his eyes and forced a smile, "I'm hungry. Let's go to the hot springs after dinner."
She thought that since her value was now equal to Beiyuan's, there would always be a time when she could help Uncle Wang and Jinlan.
Wan Jinlan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she seemed to have really come to terms with it.
Five days later, Xiao Feng sent back a military report that Jiang Shan had died, and the small country of Jiamo, which had been eager to provide assistance to Jiang Shan, was frightened by the artillery and had surrendered to Xiao Feng.
What Xiao Feng did not say was that the eldest princess Xiao Mingzhen, born to Emperor Jian'an's first empress Fang, proposed to Xiao Feng that she marry her daughter to Xiao Feng as a concubine.
Xiao Mingzhen was the eldest princess of Emperor Jian'an, eight years older than Xiao Feng. However, because she was disliked by Emperor Jian'an, she was sent to Jiamo without even a title, even though she was a legitimate princess. Now she is the eldest princess of Jiamo, and she has one daughter and two sons. The eldest daughter has now reached the age of marriage.
Xiao Feng was incredulous when he received the secret letter from his "eldest niece". Although Xiao Mingzhen was older than him in terms of seniority, he still had to call him the emperor's uncle, and the children she gave birth to were his grandchildren.
In the past, Xiao Mingzhen was such a respectful person, but after being married to Jiamo for many years, she became as unrefined as the people in the barbarian land.
Although Xiao Mingzhen was the eldest princess of Jiamo, she was not the king's favorite. She had to pave the way for her son and was at odds with Emperor Jian'an. Although Xiao Feng rejected the marriage proposal, he sent envoys to Jiamo's capital to deliver gifts to Xiao Mingzhen's children, a subtle gesture of respect to the king. Jiamo had witnessed the artillery and was intimidated, but with Xiao Mingzhen's connection, the relationship would be more stable.
Wan Jinlan was about to set off back to Hua County when Fan Du sent someone to deliver military intelligence from Linrong.
With the letter of credence stamped with the imperial seal by the young emperor, Beiyuan, as Anyang's "dowry", was to be returned to Beirong along with Anyang. But now that Anyang was robbed, the people of Beirong naturally had an excuse to wage war against the Wei Dynasty.
The Northern Rong army, following the foot of the Gula Mountains, arrived at the border of Yongzhou and, with a force of 50,000 men, demanded that Xiao Feng hand over Princess Anyang. Leading the troops was Tuoba Feng, the eldest prince of the Northern Rong.
"My Lord has already sent 20,000 more troops to Linrong. His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is in Liangzhou, and my Lord has also sent people to deliver a letter." Fan Du's personal guards followed Fan Du's orders to come to Yanyunjing to deliver a letter to the Princess of Qi. He thought that it was probably because Princess Anyang was also here now, otherwise there was really no need to tell the Princess of Qi such military intelligence.
Yanyun Pass is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and Emperor Jian'an does not have more troops to attack, so Wan Jinlan left with peace of mind.
Halfway along the way, they ran into Li Mazi, who had been sent by Xiao Feng to deliver the news. Li Mazi glanced at Princess Anyang, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Madam, General Wan, let's talk somewhere else."
Wan Jinlan and Wan Zhijing didn't know what he meant and walked a few dozen steps away.
"The Third Prince of Beirong has sent a letter, asking for cooperation with Your Highness to help him annihilate the First Prince's forces. He will help Your Highness contain Prince Su in the future. Once he ascends the throne of Beirong, he can sign a twenty-year non-invasion treaty with Your Highness. The prerequisite is that Princess Anyang must marry him."
Wan Jinlan said affirmatively: "The prince did not agree."
Li Mazi nodded. "The prince dismissed the generals and officials who knew the contents of the letter, saying it was unreliable and that we should be wary of falling into a trap set by the Northern Rong. He told you to take the princess back to Yanyun Pass. Once he has resolved the matter at Linrong, he will return to reunite with you."
"I can't even go to Liangzhou?"
Li Mazi said, "Many people know about this. The letter inexplicably appeared on the tree outside the tent, nailed to the tree by a flying knife. Your Highness is not the first person to have seen the letter. Your Highness is afraid that Princess Anyang will hear gossip, so it would be better for her to stay here and feel at ease."
"Madam, don't worry. When we returned to Hua County with the prince, Mr. Lu created another cannon. This thing is truly magical. With one shot, half of the mountaintop was destroyed. Jiamo's earthen wall and tower were instantly breached..."
When talking about artillery, Li Mazi was very excited and had great respect for this thing.
After everything was explained, Li Mazi led his men on their way without stopping.
Wan Zhijing sighed, "The prince is a man of temperament. The current one is far inferior to him."
Wan Jinlan raised his chin slightly, feeling proud, "Of course!"
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