Helian Jue's words, "Don't disappoint me, and don't let me find any fault with you," were like two cold shackles around Su Nian's neck. She knew that while she seemed to have gained some freedom and authority, she had actually stepped into a more dangerous realm. The Craftsmen's Workshop, a place full of strength and sweat, was also a vortex of power and interests.
Ule's attitude towards her became extremely complicated. On one hand, he was grateful; Su Nian's idea had indeed solved his immediate problem, saving his position and even his life. On the other hand, he was wary; this Southern Xia woman was too clever and favored by the King (albeit with a warning), which made him uneasy. He arranged a corner workstation for Su Nian, along with two young apprentices to assist her, his attitude respectful yet distant.
Su Nian didn't care. What she needed was this platform, not Ule's friendship. She changed into a slightly better (but still plain) cotton dress and appeared at the craftsmen's workshop on time every day, immersing herself in drawing patterns, testing materials, and discussing with the craftsmen.
Her proposed "classification system" and several new arrowhead designs were quickly adopted and put into small-scale production. The results were remarkable; the penetrating power and lethality of the new arrowheads were recognized by the soldiers on the front lines. This gradually earned Su Nian some genuine respect among the artisans in the workshop, although some still harbored doubts about her identity and origins as a woman.
But Su Nian's ambitions didn't stop there. The arrow was just the beginning. She noticed that the swords used by the Jie warriors, while thick and sharp, lacked toughness and durability, making them prone to chipping or dulling, especially in intense combat. The problem also lay in the materials and craftsmanship.
She began to focus her attention on improving swords. This was far more complex than arrowheads, involving more demanding processes such as forging, quenching, and tempering. She dared not directly propose technologies that were ahead of their time, but instead guided the craftsmen to think about and improve existing techniques.
For example, she suggested trying different "clay tempering" methods to create areas of varying hardness on the sword, resulting in a hard edge and a flexible body. Alternatively, she proposed experimenting with different folding and forging techniques during the forging process to more evenly remove impurities.
These ideas are equally novel, but based on the existing technological framework, they make the artisans feel that "it seems worth a try," rather than a pipe dream.
However, just as Su Nian was focused on improving the technology, a cold arrow was already shot from the shadows.
That day, she was discussing a new formula for quenching medium for swords with several old craftsmen (trying to add certain animal bones or mineral powders) when the craftsman supervisor, Ule, walked over with a grim expression, followed by two expressionless guards.
“Su Nian,” Wule’s tone was filled with suppressed anger and impatience, “someone reported to the King that you were using the guise of improving military equipment to secretly record the design and craftsmanship of my Jie tribe’s weapons, with ulterior motives!”
Su Nian's heart sank. What was bound to happen had finally happened.
The guard stepped forward and said coldly, "By order of the King, we are searching your residence and workplace."
Su Nian did not resist, but simply nodded calmly: "Please go ahead."
Her composure surprised both Uller and the guards.
The search lasted for nearly an hour. Su Nian's courtyard and the workshop's workstations were turned upside down. Finally, in the corner of her workstation, at the bottom of an inconspicuous stone box used to store discarded drafts, the guards found a roll of rough parchment.
On the parchment, there are simple diagrams of several Jie ethnic weapons drawn with charcoal pencil, with some small symbols that seem to be written in Southern Xia script next to them!
The evidence is conclusive!
Ule gasped, his eyes filled with resentment and a hint of relief as he looked at Su Nian—see, it wasn't that I couldn't tolerate her, she just asked for it!
The guard, holding the parchment, looked at Su Nian with icy eyes: "What else do you have to say?"
All eyes in the craftsmen's workshop were on Su Nian, some gloating, some feeling sorry, and some indifferent.
Su Nian looked at the roll of parchment, but there was no panic on her face. She even smiled slightly, a faint smile that carried a strange mockery.
“My lord,” she said calmly, looking at the guard, “could you please present that drawing, along with the drafts of the designs I usually use, to the King?”
The guard frowned.
Su Nian continued, "Please also tell Your Majesty that I recorded these not to study the craftsmanship, but to find shortcomings so that I can improve them. The annotations next to them are not details of the craftsmanship, but some of my own thoughts that I use for memorization and comparison."
She paused, looked up in the direction of the royal court, and said clearly, "Your Majesty, if I truly intended to spy on secrets, why would I record them in such an obvious way in a place where they could be searched at any time?"
The guards presented Su Nian's words, along with the "evidence," to Helian Jue.
Helian Jue looked at the parchment scroll with simplified weapon diagrams, and then flipped through the thick stack of drafts that the guards had brought at the same time, which Su Nian had drawn with various arrows, sword and blade structural breakdowns, as well as various strange symbols and deduction processes.
The so-called "Southern Xia script" symbols are chaotic and disorganized, more like personal markings than records of specific processes. The weapon diagrams on the parchment are merely outlines, lacking crucial data such as dimensions and thickness.
More importantly, all the drafts were piled up in the open, with no intention of hiding them.
Helian Jue tapped his fingers lightly on the stack of drafts, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
The whistleblower letter was anonymous, but its target was very clear.
Was it Mrs. Lan? Or Alai? Or someone else who disliked her?
He recalled Su Nian's clear and calm eyes, her desperate warnings in the hunting grounds, and her methodical analysis of those who suffered losses in the study...
"Call her over," he ordered casually.
Su Nian stood in Helian Jue's study once again. This time, she was calmer than ever before. Because she knew that this frame-up, to some extent, was something she had orchestrated herself—she deliberately placed those seemingly suspicious drafts in the open to lure out the enemy lurking in the shadows, and also to… test Helian Jue's attitude once more.
“Someone reported you for stealing our technology,” Helian Jue said bluntly, throwing the parchment in front of her.
Su Nian glanced at it, then raised her head, her gaze frank: "Your Majesty is wise. If I were to steal anything, I would never be so clumsy. These diagrams and markings are for devising methods of improvement. For example, this scimitar," she pointed to a type of scimitar commonly used by the Jie people on the diagram, "its curvature is too large. When slashing heavy targets, it easily disperses the force. If the curvature could be slightly reduced and the weight of the front of the blade increased, the slashing effect might be better. The markings next to it are my calculations of the lever arm and point of force under different curvatures."
She spoke fluently and calmly, without the slightest hint of panic at being accused; rather, it was as if she were giving a technical presentation.
Helian Jue looked at her, at the focused light in her eyes, and at her face, which looked slightly haggard but exceptionally clear due to days of studying.
He suddenly realized that when she talked about iron and fire, there was something about her that was different from that of ordinary women, something radiant. It wasn't coquetry, nor was it weakness, but rather a kind of... a pure pursuit of strength and skill that was only found in men who fought on the battlefield.
This discovery seemed to crack a tiny fissure in something as hard as ice in his heart.
"It seems there's someone who can't stand to see you doing well." Helian Jue suddenly twitched the corners of his mouth, his smile carrying a cold undertone.
Su Nian's heart stirred slightly, and she lowered her head: "This servant does not know."
"You don't know?" Helian Jue stood up, strode over to her, his tall figure exuding an aura of oppression. "You're so smart, how could you not know?"
He reached out, pinched her chin, and forced her to lift her head. This time, his grip wasn't strong, but his scrutinizing gaze was even sharper.
"Are you using me to clear obstacles for you?" he asked in a low voice, his breath on her face carrying a dangerous scent.
Su Nian's heart skipped a beat. He saw it! He saw that she was deliberately luring the snake out of its hole!
She forced herself to meet his gaze, her eyes still clear, carrying a perfectly balanced hint of innocence and grievance: "This servant wouldn't dare. This servant just... doesn't want to die without knowing why."
Helian Jue stared at her for a long time, then suddenly released his hand and let out a low, ambiguous laugh.
“Very good.” He turned and walked back to the throne. “You have proven your worth, and you have also proven… that you are more cunning than I thought.”
He sat down, his gaze turning cold and authoritative once again: "Issue the order: anyone in the workshop who speaks ill of others or makes false accusations against them, once verified, shall be severely punished with fifty lashes and demoted to hard labor."
He didn't name names, but this order was undoubtedly a stern warning to the mastermind behind the scenes, and also a form of indirect protection for Su Nian.
“As for you,” he looked at Su Nian, “continue to do what you should do.”
"Don't let these...trivial matters interfere with important business."
Su Nian left the study, her back once again soaked with cold sweat. Every confrontation with Helian Jue felt like dancing on a knife's edge, draining her immense mental energy.
Back at the artisans' workshop, the atmosphere was noticeably different. Ule looked at her with genuine reverence, and the artisans were more convinced. The king's attitude spoke volumes.
In the days that followed, Su Nian devoted herself even more to the task. She not only improved the design and local heat treatment processes of several swords, but also began to experiment with using water power to design a simple blower to improve the temperature and stability of the smelting furnace. Although these improvements were slow, they steadily enhanced the quality of the Jie tribe's weaponry.
Helian Jue would occasionally come to inspect the craftsmen's workshop in person. He rarely spoke, but just watched silently, watching Su Nian's focused profile as she discussed with the craftsmen, watching her eyes, which were covered in coal dust but shone brightly, watching her carve out her own world in that masculine world.
He found himself habitually paying attention to her every move. What new ideas had she come up with today? Which craftsman had she been arguing with so heatedly? Had her finger injury healed yet?
This attention is silent yet subtly influential.
However, peaceful days are always short-lived.
That day, Batu brought news: the investigation into the previous assassination attempt and the issue of the military accounts had yielded preliminary results. The clues vaguely pointed to a group of traditional noble forces led by Lady Lan's brother, Kumoti. They were dissatisfied with Helian Jue's policies in recent years, which favored those of slave origin or meritorious generals and weakened the power of these old noble families. They attempted to shake Helian Jue's rule by creating chaos and hindering military buildup.
Kumoti was placed under strict guard by Helian Jue, awaiting final interrogation.
The news spread, causing a stir in the royal court.
That evening, Su Nian received a "gift" in her courtyard.
It was an exquisite food box containing several expensive-looking pastries and a soft fox fur vest.
The maid who brought the food box said demurely, "This is from Madam Lan, who is grateful for Miss Su's hard work. She specially asked me to deliver it."
Su Nian looked at the food box but didn't touch it.
Is Madam Lan... offering goodwill? Or a warning? Or perhaps a deeper trap?
She picked up a pastry, smelled it carefully, and then looked at the fox fur vest.
[Host! Trace amounts of neurotoxin detected in the snacks! A drug that can cause skin redness and ulceration has been sewn into the lining of the fox fur vest!] 088 suddenly issued a sharp alarm!
Su Nian's eyes instantly turned as cold as ice.
She put down the pastries and gave the maid a flawless, gentle smile:
"Please thank Madam Lan for her kindness on my behalf."
"But this servant is of lowly status and cannot afford such a valuable item. Please take it back as is."
The maid was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Su Nian to refuse, and was about to say something more.
Su Nian had already suppressed her smile, her gaze calm yet carrying an undeniable strength:
"Also, please pass on this message to Madam Lan."
"Some roads, once you take the wrong path, there's no turning back."
The maid's expression changed slightly. She dared not say anything more, picked up the food box, and hurriedly left.
Su Nian watched her retreating figure and let out a soft breath.
She knew that a direct conflict with Madam Lan, or rather with those traditional aristocratic forces, was inevitable.
She had no choice but to stand on Helian Jue's side.
She can only live if he wins.
Only if he wins will she have the chance to achieve that seemingly unattainable task of "ending tyranny and obtaining the crown."
(End of Chapter 106)
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