It turns out that Xiao Qingzi was on good terms with a palace maid in Xihua Garden before he died. The palace maid's name was Lan'er.
The two were from the same hometown and grew up together, so they were childhood sweethearts.
Lan'er's family was poor, and her parents sold her into the palace. Xiao Qingzi entered the palace as a eunuch in order to find her.
The two met in the palace a few years ago, but few people know about it.
I heard that Lan'er has been frequently looking for Xiao Qingzi lately.
Xiao Mochen immediately ordered someone to interrogate Lan'er, but it was too late; Lan'er had already committed suicide by jumping into a well.
With these two dead, there's no way to verify the story.
However, Lan'er is from Xihua Garden, and Consort Yu is the birth mother of the First Prince. The First Prince had sent his secret guards to intercept and kill Yan Qingqing.
Therefore, Xiao Mochen deduced that it must have been done by Consort Yu and the First Prince.
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Mo Chen, let's leave it at that."
Since they dared to make a move, they must have been fully prepared. Fortunately, my aunt didn't suffer any losses.
Xiao Mochen disagreed, saying, "How can we let this go like this, Aunt? I will avenge you sooner or later."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Okay, Auntie believes in Mo Chen. However, you have been back in the capital for less than a year. Although you have the Emperor's favor, your foundation is still shallow. It is already quite good that you have achieved the current situation."
Therefore, one must act with caution and not be hasty.
Xiao Mochen is intelligent and capable.
However, the late empress did not support him, and he had no foundation in the court or outside the court before.
Consort Yu and her son were quite different. Consort Yu was previously a Noble Consort, managing the harem and having many spies.
The eldest prince was not only the eldest son, but he was also raised under the empress's name, and he had many supporters in the court.
It's impossible for Xiao Mochen to defeat them with just one or two minor incidents.
Xiao Mochen, being young and proud, couldn't help but complain when he heard Yan Qingqing say this: "Aunt, knowing who my enemy is but not being able to do anything about it is truly frustrating."
Before I returned to Beijing, you kept telling me not to rush things, but how can I not be anxious when others are already coming to my door?
Yan Qingqing comforted him, saying, "Mo Chen, you can't think like that. We didn't come away empty-handed this time."
Didn't your uncle get the position of commander of the Imperial Guards?
With this position, you've essentially taken control of the palace, making it much harder for anyone to cause trouble there in the future.
Moreover, you can be informed of any disturbances or changes within the palace immediately.
You have to eat your food one bite at a time, and walk your path one step at a time.
Xiao Mochen smiled slightly after hearing Yan Qingqing's words.
However, the thought that her uncle's position as commander of the Imperial Guards was obtained at the cost of her aunt's safety caused her smile to fade.
It's all his fault for being incompetent.
Yan Qingqing has already comforted him. To be a qualified emperor, one must have the mindset, vision, and resilience. It remains to be seen how Xiao Mochen will handle it.
Yan Qingqing quickly changed the subject.
She took a small box from the box on her dressing table and handed it to Xiao Mochen.
Xiao Mochen glanced at Yan Qingqing, somewhat puzzled.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "If you want to compete for that position, there will inevitably be a bloody battle in the future. Although your aunt can't help you a lot, she still has to give you some leverage."
This is a method of refining iron. The weapons produced from it, while not exactly capable of cutting through iron like mud, will certainly be much stronger than those we have now.
Here's another design for a hand crossbow that can fire three arrows simultaneously, saving time and effort while being incredibly powerful. I reckon you'll find it useful.
Yan Qingqing didn't know much about weapons, but she was very interested in shooting when she was learning Taekwondo. Somehow, the topic of crossbows came up, and she and everyone studied them together for a while. In the end, everyone agreed that the strongest crossbow was the Eight-Ox Crossbow from the Song Dynasty.
Yan Qingqing spoke casually, but Xiao Mochen was shocked. Putting aside the method of refining fine iron, what kind of crossbow could fire three arrows at the same time?
The weapons of the entire Great Yan Dynasty were relatively backward. In peacetime, they fought with broadswords and spears, and the two armies fought head-on with real swords and spears.
The people of Beiliang had hand crossbows, but they were single-barreled crossbows. Although they were cumbersome to operate, they were still very powerful.
How could Xiao Mochen not be shocked that the crossbow Yan Qingqing gave him could fire three arrows at the same time?
He quickly unfolded the paper and looked at it. It contained a picture of a crossbow and detailed production steps. Xiao Mochen's face visibly lit up with excitement.
Finally, she carefully tucked the drawing into her bosom, then looked at Yan Qingqing with admiration and asked, "Auntie, what is this...?"
Yan Qingqing knew what he wanted to ask, so she smiled and replied, "I got this by chance, but it's absolutely reliable."
This type of crossbow is called the Eight-Ox Crossbow, also known as the Three-Bow Bed Crossbow. Of course, you can also call it the One-Shot-Three-Sword-Arrow. Its maximum range can reach 1,500 meters.
It is extremely lethal, especially when attacking cities and seizing territory, as it can shoot arrows directly into the city walls.
If it were combined with gunpowder, its power would be unmatched.
In this age of cold weapons, the Eight-Ox Crossbow dared to be called the strongest crossbow in history, which shows how powerful it was.
Of course, Yan Qingqing wouldn't take out the bomb unless absolutely necessary, as it was far too destructive. She couldn't afford the consequences.
Xiao Mochen didn't dwell on the gunpowder Yan Qingqing mentioned. His aunt had already given him enough; he wasn't greedy. He believed that when the time was right, his aunt wouldn't be stingy with the gunpowder.
Xiao Mochen wanted to get up immediately and find someone to study these things.
But Yan Qingqing called him back and took out two hundred thousand taels of silver notes from another box and gave them to him.
Upon seeing so many silver notes, Xiao Mochen declined, saying, "Aunt, you already gave me 50,000 taels last time, I can't accept this money."
Yan Qingqing laughed upon hearing this, "Why are you being so polite with your aunt? Your aunt believes you have political acumen and the talent of an emperor, but when it comes to making money, I'm afraid you're still lacking."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mochen's face flushed slightly.
He was indeed short of money recently, after all, he was still supporting a private army, which was very expensive, and the little money he had was almost all gone.
If it weren't for the 50,000 taels of silver notes his aunt gave him last time, he would have had to find a way to earn money.
Xiao Mochen finally stammered, "Auntie, my second cousin earned this money through hard work. How can I take so much?"
Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "You underestimate your second cousin. He will only be more motivated when the money he earns has a greater purpose."
Besides, if you treat him like an older brother, how could he not treat you like a younger brother?
It's only natural for an older brother to earn money for his younger brother to spend.
Besides, this money was won by your aunt through gambling, so you can take it without worry.
These silver notes were indeed won by Yan Qingqing through gambling. In order to put Xiao Mochen at ease, she told the truth, while also trying to win over Li Xiang'an.
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