Chapter 18 Leaving on the Wedding Day
Prince Duan suspected that his second brother had been poisoned by a Gu curse.
A love potion that moves people and makes them unable to control themselves.
With half of his political affairs settled and the banquet time fast approaching, he insisted on personally making a trip to the Ordnance Bureau.
"Second brother, wait for me, I'll go with you."
Prince Duan, of course, wouldn't miss such an interesting thing, and hurriedly followed after him.
Since returning to the capital to assume regency, Zhou Chuanxing has always chosen to travel by sedan chair unless there are special circumstances.
He wanted to completely abandon the style of a military officer and fully integrate himself into the atmosphere of a high-ranking court official, making every move resemble that of a regent.
But today, he chose to ride a horse without hesitation.
Prince Duan naturally mounted his tall horse as well.
"Second brother, I always feel that this matter is too mysterious. How could a young girl who never leaves the house possibly draw up a usable weapon diagram?"
The Duke of Wei and the Crown Prince of Chu will be arriving soon; let's go straight to Babaozhai.
Zhou Chuanxing paused for a moment, then said, "Go to Babaozhai first and tell them I'll be there for the party tonight."
Prince Duan felt there was still enough time. "I'll go to the Ordnance Bureau with you first, and we'll go there when the banquet is about to start."
The group soon arrived at the Ordnance Bureau.
The ninth-rank ambassador, the head of the Ordnance Bureau, was packing his things to go home when he saw the two princes arrive and hurriedly went to greet them.
"Long live the Regent! Long live the Prince Duan!"
"Get up," Zhou Chuanxing said without further ado, tossing his long robe as he sat down in the armchair and handed the blueprints to Ambassador Liu.
"Take a look at this and see if you can make it."
Ambassador Liu is in his thirties and has been with the Ordnance Bureau for eight years.
Eight years ago, he was a ninth-rank official; now he is still a ninth-rank official.
This was the first time he had spoken to the Regent at such close range, and his legs were trembling uncontrollably.
With trembling hands, he took the blueprints and opened them little by little.
It turned out to be the blueprints drawn by my master back then.
"this……"
Zhou Chuanxing frowned: "Can we do it?"
Ambassador Liu shook his head: "These drawings were done by my master. It took him several years to complete back then, and now..."
Zhou Chuanxing's voice was low and his face was expressionless. "Take a closer look at the ink stains."
Ambassador Liu looked at the blueprints several times, a strange expression on his face.
"This...is not drawn by my master?"
Zhou Chuanxing didn't mention Tang Xinuan's name, only saying, "This has been improved, take another look."
Ambassador Liu did indeed find several differences based on his memory.
Moreover, he was so afraid that he didn't carefully check the dimensions marked on the drawing.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that all dimensions had been reduced in size.
The finished product is no bigger than a fist.
"Your Highness, I can give it a try; perhaps I can make it."
Zhou Chuanxing said seriously, "If you encounter any trouble, inform me immediately. During this period, I will grant you special privileges; you may come to the palace to see me at any time."
Ambassador Liu was extremely humbled and said, "Your Highness, I thank you."
Zhou Chuanxing then asked, "How long?"
Ambassador Liu said it was hard to say: "If things go quickly, it'll take a month; if not..."
Zhou Chuanxing understood that such sophisticated weapons were not easy to forge.
A month goes by very quickly.
"Okay, I'll leave this to you."
Zhou Chuanxing got up to leave, but Ambassador Liu remembered something and called him back. “Your Majesty, I suddenly remembered the situation when my master made this weapon. Our Ordnance Bureau has all the materials that can be used, but if we want the finished product to be good enough, I’m afraid ordinary steel won’t be enough.”
Zhou Chuanxing just wanted to get the product made. "Then what should we use?"
Ambassador Liu: "Meteorite iron is hard enough and has good ductility. However, meteorite iron is hard to find. Our Ordnance Bureau originally had some, but it was used by someone else some time ago."
After a moment's thought, Zhou Chuanxing said, "Come with me to the Prince's Mansion."
Coincidentally, there was one in his warehouse.
Next, Prince Duan went to Babaozhai to deal with the situation, while Zhou Chuanxing returned to his residence to retrieve the meteorite iron for Ambassador Liu.
Xiaoqian was still shaken when she returned to the Green Bamboo Garden.
"Miss, I was terrified! I saw the young master on the road just now, and he almost spotted me."
Tang Xinuan also became nervous, "And then what happened?"
Xiaoqian explained, "It was a coincidence. Just then, the person who bought our jewelry yesterday suddenly appeared and blocked my way with his cloak."
Tang Xinuan clasped her hands together and said, "Thank God, we've met a good person. By the way, who is he? Shouldn't we thank him properly?"
The other party's status was too distinguished, so Xiaoqian didn't dare to ask.
"It seems she lives in the Duan Prince's mansion. She told me to go to the Duan Prince's mansion to find him if I need anything."
Tang Xinuan couldn't think about too many things.
That concludes the discussion.
"Can you make my weapon?"
When this was mentioned, Xiaoqian felt like her legs weren't her own anymore.
“I asked almost every weapons shop in the city, but no one could make it. Then I met that gentleman and gave him the blueprints. He said he would give me news the next day.”
Tang Xinuan knew that this matter couldn't be rushed.
Besides, she had already decided to escape from the Marquis's mansion, and whether or not she had weapons would not change her mind.
"No rush."
Xiaoqian couldn't help but worry, "Miss, when do we leave?"
When asked the key question, Tang Xinuan's fair face scrunched up.
"Go out and find out how your cousin's wedding is going."
Xiaoqian had the same idea. "After dinner, I'll go and pay my respects to the Third Miss and chat with the ladies in her room for a while."
Tang Xinuan is not good at mundane affairs, but she is still trying to analyze her situation.
“There are many guards in the Green Bamboo Garden every day, how can I get out?”
Xiaoqian thought of the Third Miss, "Why don't you ask the Third Miss for help? She should have a solution."
Tang Xinuan shook her head: "My cousin will blame her if he finds out."
Xiaoqian was completely at a loss.
Tang Xinuan sighed, her eyes inexplicably reddening.
"Perhaps it will be possible when my cousin gets married."
Xiaoqian's eyes lit up. "Miss, you're so clever! The young master is getting married, and the manor will be incredibly busy. Who will even notice us? We can easily slip out by changing our clothes."
Tang Xinuan: "I wonder when my cousin's wedding will be held."
Xiaoqian wasn't sure either. "I'll go out and ask around in a bit and I'll find out."
When Chu Yannuo arrived at Babaozhai, only the Duke of Wei and his men were there.
Unable to fathom why the regent had summoned him, he could only improvise.
"This humble official greets the Duke of Wei," he said politely and respectfully, bowing.
The Duke of Wei was nearing sixty, dressed in a dark blue robe with four-clawed pythons, exuding both majesty and nobility.
He also appeared dignified and noble.
"You're welcome."
Chu Yannuo sent someone to propose marriage, but the Duke of Wei refused.
He was just looking for an opportunity to show off, and the regent orchestrated this whole thing.
Since he hadn't seen the Regent yet, he naturally had to be more attentive, hoping to make a good impression on the Duke of Wei and change his mind.
How could the Duke of Wei not see it?
Among the unmarried young people in the capital, Chu Yannuo stands out as exceptional.
But he valued the regent, who held absolute power, even more.
After all, the emperor has no son and is seriously ill, so the Great Zhou Dynasty will eventually belong to the regent.
Who would give up being the emperor's father-in-law to become a marquis's father-in-law?
A note from the author:
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Duke of Wei: I'd rather be the Regent's father-in-law.
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