Chapter 100 It's Going to Snow in the Capital, Time for the Expedition
Why does Jin Suiqing treat him like this?
Huangfu Li was completely baffled, staring intently at Jin Suiqing's retreating figure.
She was clearly a figure from his dream. In his dream, she smiled at him, a smile so beautiful. Why did she treat him like this?
Huangfu Li glared and gritted his teeth, filled with malice.
He wanted to kill her.
Whether it's a person or a sulfur-burning machine, if he can't get it, no one else can either!
Before Huangfu Li could press down the hidden arrow, another gunshot rang out.
With a "whoosh," unlike the explosion of the wooden pillar earlier, it was a muffled sound that pierced through flesh.
"Thump," half of his arm fell to the ground.
After a long while, he clutched his severed arm and screamed, "Aaaaaaah!"
"Jin Suiqing, Jin Suiqing! How dare you! How dare you treat me like this!" Huangfu Li shouted, stumbling towards the two men, trying to leap onto the small boat, but tripped and fell straight into the lake.
The person sank into the water and fell silent, the crimson color gradually spreading from the bottom of the emerald green lake.
Jin Suiqing cried out and patted Jin Shiyu's shoulder, saying hurriedly, "The person can't die yet, pull him out."
Jin Shiyu frowned in displeasure: "Why? He clearly deserves to die."
“He deserves to die,” Jin Suiqing said, “but Ah Feng is going to war tomorrow, so he can’t die now.”
The Crown Prince's death, which is inextricably linked to the new firearms developed by the Faxie Sect, will surely be used by the Ministry of War to delay again and again. They can wait, but the soldiers and people of Dengzhou cannot.
The two looked at each other, and despite Jin Shiyu's reluctance, he still pulled Huangfu Li up.
*
That night.
The Eastern Palace was brightly lit, and imperial physicians carried precious medicinal herbs back and forth, almost wearing down the threshold of the Eastern Palace.
Huangfu Li was pale and bleeding profusely, and could not take any medicine. Huangfu Ying was very anxious and snatched the medicine from the imperial physician's hand, and personally fed Huangfu Li the medicine.
The imperial physicians tried to dissuade her, but the Empress said sternly, "Never mind me, treat him!"
The imperial physician pondered for a moment, then knelt and kowtowed, saying, "There is a way to stop His Highness's bleeding, but..."
Huangfu Ying: "But what?"
Huangfu Ying shouted sternly, "Use whatever method you can, it's crucial to save his life!"
The imperial physician obeyed the order and brought a charcoal brazier with a red-hot branding iron inserted in it. Huangfu Ying glanced at it, unable to bear to look any longer, and pulled the sweating Huangfu Li into her arms.
She hadn't shown any concern for Huangfu Li for a long time, and even her gentle coaxing and comforting voice had become dry and hard. Huangfu Ying said, "My son, just bear with it. Once the bleeding stops, you'll be able to save your life."
Several imperial physicians surrounded him. Two held Huangfu Li's severed arm in place, while the other used fire tongs to clamp Huangfu Li's severed arm tightly!
The wound was sizzling and steaming, emitting a pungent, burning smell from the flesh.
The unconscious Huangfu Li finally realized what was happening, cried out in pain, and kept writhing in Huangfu Ying's arms.
"It hurts... oh, it hurts so much..."
Huangfu Ying's eyes welled up with tears, and she pressed her cheek against Huangfu Li's forehead: "My son, just bear with it a little longer, just bear with it a little longer, saving your life is the most important thing."
But the Empress did not shed a tear.
As darkness fell and midnight approached, His Highness the Crown Prince finally managed to stop the bleeding.
Huangfu Ying slowly walked out of the bedchamber and saw three people kneeling on the ground.
From the moment Huangfu Li was brought back, Huangfu Feng, Jin Suiqing, and Jin Shiyu have been kneeling here.
Huangfu Li was injured and his life was in danger. The three of them were definitely involved. Huangfu Ying took a deep breath and tried her best to suppress her grief. She said coldly, "The Crown Prince is injured. Tell me the truth about what happened today."
Ye Zhufeng glanced at Jin Shiyu and Jin Suiqing beside him and stepped forward: "His Highness the Crown Prince was injured by his niece, and it has nothing to do with the two of them."
Huangfu Ying smoothed a strand of hair from her forehead. "You say there's no connection, but do you really mean there isn't? Don't take me for a fool who's easy to fool!"
"But the truth is hard to hear. If I tell the truth, will Your Majesty be willing to listen?"
Huangfu Ying: "Huangfu Feng! Don't think that just because you're going to march on Dengzhou tomorrow and I can't take you down, you can act so recklessly!"
"Your subject dares not, but I had no choice but to injure the Crown Prince today." Ye Zhufeng said to Huangfu Ying without being humble or arrogant, "If His Highness the Crown Prince's arm is not severed, the firearms developed by the Magic Weapon Sect will probably never be put into use again, and the battle of Dengzhou will only intensify."
How can that compare to the life of the Emperor!
Huangfu Ying had a splitting headache. As someone in a high position, he absolutely could not utter such words.
Ye Zhufeng observed her expression and asked incisively, "Does Your Majesty know how Baekje and the Japanese pirates obtained the advanced weapons and equipment of Kyushu?"
Huangfu Ying's face stiffened.
The imperial court was not an impenetrable wall; she could guess that it was either unwilling to believe it, or rather, unable to believe it.
When Huangfu Feng pointed it out to her face, Huangfu Ying suddenly felt a little guilty.
She ultimately harbored selfish motives, wanting to cover up this scandal and wait for Huangfu Feng's triumphant return, when the whole world was celebrating, to let the case of the leaked legal equipment go lightly and to spare Huangfu Li.
Ye Zhufeng continued, “His Majesty already had the answer in his heart, which is why he appointed me to Dengzhou. His Majesty cares about the world and is vigorously promoting the development of firearms by the Faxie Sect. Isn’t this because he hopes to expedite the war in Dengzhou and spare the people from the suffering of war? I know His Majesty’s good intentions, so I will not complain or make any excuses. I will only keep His Majesty’s hard work in mind and will certainly not fail in my mission to pacify Baekje and Japan.”
Huangfu Ying's voice weakened slightly, but remained authoritative: "I know you've had a hard time. What was the implication of your statement that the gun case couldn't proceed without Huangfu Li's arm being severed?"
Ye Zhufeng said loudly: "Because Huangfu Li loved but could not have him, he wanted to kill Jin Suiqing. And the actual mastermind behind the weapon case of the Magic Weapon Sect was Jin Suiqing."
The decision was final.
With the Wanxiang Divine Palace publicly forcing him into marriage, Huangfu Ying knew what Huangfu Li was thinking. However, half a year had passed, and he still hadn't settled down, still thinking about Jin Suiqing, who was already married.
However, given Jin Suiqing's status, the future design of firearms for the Magic Weapon Sect was indispensable to her, and she could not be blamed lightly.
Huangfu Feng's words were vague and to the point, already showing leniency by characterizing today's events as a romantic entanglement. But she knew Huangfu Li; simple emotions wouldn't justify such a foolish act, he likely had ulterior motives.
Huangfu Feng's words were half-hidden; the unspoken message was that if firearms could not reach Dengzhou, the war would be difficult to win. Therefore, for the sake of the overall situation, Jin Suiqing's life had to be saved.
Even without firearms, there are still muskets and French weapons. The Kyushu military has ample reserves and should be more than capable of dealing with the Baekje naval battle against Japan. How can you say that they cannot win?
Is someone trying to interfere with the military and delay the supply of weapons and supplies to Dengzhou?
Huangfu Ying was startled and abruptly turned to look at the East Palace. She staggered, and Shang Tingzhi quickly stepped forward to support her, preventing her from falling to the ground.
The son she desperately wanted to protect showed no restraint and even tried to use the military and her to drag Huangfu Feng to his death!
What is borrowed today, what will it be tomorrow?
Is it a feigned act of taking, or a blatant act of seizure?
In the end, they didn't even respect her as their mother; all they cared about was the throne she sat on.
With Huangfu Shao as her predecessor, she feared the conflict of bloodlines. After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to only one son, Huangfu Li. She chose to keep the son and remove the father, so as to avoid disputes when he ascended the throne in the future.
He couldn't stand Huangfu Feng, fine, but judging from his attitude, without Huangfu Feng, he probably wouldn't even be willing to tolerate her anymore.
Huangfu Ying said absentmindedly, "Your statement is one-sided and has no basis."
"Your Majesty has no proof. If you do not believe me, you may leave it to time. We shall see if the military supplies can arrive in Dengzhou on time when the war is at its most intense." Ye Zhufeng kowtowed again. "But no matter what, I hereby swear that I will not destroy the Baekje Japanese navy, and I am willing to atone for my sins with my death."
She kowtowed for a long time.
Huangfu Ying turned around and waved her hand, saying, "I understand. You may leave."
Jin Suiqing was weak and her legs were sore from kneeling all night. Jin Shiyu and Ye Zhufeng helped her up, one on each side. Before leaving the East Palace, Jin Suiqing turned her head to look at Huangfu Ying's back.
She hunched over, and with Shang Tingzhi's help, moved into the hall.
In just one night, the empress, who was once awe-inspiring throughout the land, seemed to have aged decades.
*
The next day, at the largest Kuilong Post Station in the capital.
For nearly half a month, Kuilong has ceased operations due to the transfer of troops and supplies.
Boxes of weapons and supplies were delivered to Kuilong, and the soldiers who were about to go to the front line were saying goodbye to their families.
Jin Suiqing, her eyes red, pulled Ye Zhufeng and said, "Ye... Feng, bullets have no eyes, you must be careful... Also, if you run out of ammunition or have any problems with the gun, you must let me know, understand? Also, you must record the gun data in a timely manner. One person can't record it all. With sufficient data, the future calibration will be more accurate."
Ye Zhufeng was both amused and exasperated: "Jin Suiqing, do you care about me, or about your guns?"
Jin Suiqing wiped away her tears: "I care about everything, is that not allowed?"
Jin Shiyu didn't reply, but handed Jin Suiqing a handkerchief, afraid that the cold wind would damage her face.
Seeing her like that, Ye Zhufeng's lips twitched. It was only thanks to that lunatic Huangfu Li causing trouble until midnight that the two of them returned to the Jin residence so late, allowing Jin Suiqing to come and see her off. Ye Zhufeng forcefully pulled Jin Suiqing close and whispered, "Take care of yourself, do you hear me?"
Jin Suiqing nodded blankly, wanting to give a few more instructions, but before she could speak, she was interrupted by Yin Rushi, who ran over from a distance.
"Oh my, I finally made it."
Yin Rushi was dressed in a striking, fitted outfit with tapered cuffs, looking incredibly sharp. She carried several bags, filled with everything she needed for food, clothing, and daily necessities. Ye Zhufeng, assuming they were for her, reached out to take them, but Yin Rushi dodged him, saying, "Take what? They're not for you."
Ye Zhufeng glared: "If you don't give it to me, who else are you going to give it to?"
Yin Rushi said happily, "Of course I'll use it myself."
Ye Zhufeng looked confused.
Jin Suiqing was startled and remained silent, eating melon seeds on the side.
Yin Ru said, "Aren't you going to Dengzhou? Dengzhou is so far away, and I don't know how long it will take. Of course, I need to prepare some daily necessities in case of emergency."
Ye Zhufeng finally realized what was happening, pointed at Yin Rushi, then at himself, and asked, "Are you coming to Dengzhou with me?"
“Otherwise,” Yin Rushi casually patted Jin Suiqing’s head, then turned and pushed Ye Zhufeng toward the Kui Dragon. “Oh dear, Your Highness, let’s go. Don’t disturb the young couple’s sweet nothings. They’re so lovey-dovey right now. Aren’t you ashamed to be blocking their way every day?”
Before Ye Zhufeng could retort, Yin Rushi pulled out two red bean buns from somewhere and stuffed them into her mouth. "You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? I've prepared everything for you to eat on the way, and there's more..."
And so, Ye Zhufeng was pushed onto Kuilong by Yin Rushi.
On one side, military supplies were unloaded one after another, and soldiers boarded the Kui Dragons. One Kui Dragon after another took off and flew towards Dengzhou.
Jin Suiqing sniffed sadly and nudged Jin Shiyu's ribs with her elbow: "Did you call Sister Yin here?"
She and Ye Zhufeng had agreed to keep it a secret from Yin Rushi, so who leaked the information?
Jin Shiyu shifted her gaze, changing the subject: "You came without having breakfast, are you hungry?"
Just then, Jin Suiqing's belly began to pound with hunger.
Kim Shi-ok patiently asked, "Would you like to eat at home, or eat out?"
Jin Suiqing pondered for a moment, "Let's eat out. In another two days, we probably won't be able to leave the manor. Let's stay home and focus on researching the sulfur combustion engine. We'll talk about it when Ah Feng comes back."
Jin Shiyu was taken aback, a sinister glint in his eyes: "What my sister means is..."
Forced into this predicament, and knowing that she was innovating the sulfur combustion engine, how could Huangfu Li let it go?
Jin Suiqing leaned on Jin Shiyu's shoulder, looked at the gloomy sky, and said dejectedly, "Afeng's battlefield is in Dengzhou, while my battlefield is in the capital."
It looks like it's going to snow in the capital.
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