Lu Zifeng pondered her words carefully. He had also heard rumors from Ling Qing, and the stories about this Princess Ling were increasingly bizarre. If she was truly powerful, then with her help, there would be no need to worry about the throne.
Since the craftsmen in the palace have Zhong Muyu's weapons, we might as well go and look for them first.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Very well, I trust you. Draw a rough sketch of the weapon, and I will send someone to find it immediately."
This was not difficult. Yin Ruixin drew the picture according to her memory and handed it to him, not forgetting to remind him: "This thing is extremely dangerous. Once you get it, do not tamper with the mechanisms on it."
"I will give my instructions truthfully. Men, take her to a separate courtyard and take good care of her. Do not neglect her."
After Lu Zifeng finished speaking, several soldiers took Yin Ruixin away and provided her with two maids to serve her.
As soon as Yin Ruixin left, Lu Zifeng couldn't wait to send people to find those craftsmen.
The palace was heavily guarded, but the craftsmen were not strictly watched. After Lu Zifeng got those people out, he did find the weapon that Yin Ruixin had mentioned.
With an ordinary appearance and nothing particularly special about it, Lu Zifeng examined the craftsman kneeling on the ground and asked, "Have you thoroughly researched this thing?"
"Your Highness, we can make something based on a similar principle, but something like this... this humble subject is incapable."
"That's amazing? Why not dismantle it and study it?"
“We can’t put it back together exactly as it was if we take it apart, so we don’t dare to do it easily. If we want to truly understand its principles, we still need to find the people who made it and those who understand it.”
Now that you mention it, the matter comes back to Zhong Muyu.
Lu Zifeng fiddled with the thing, then suddenly had a whim: "Do you know how to use this? Teach me how to use it."
The craftsmen below looked at each other in bewilderment. They had tried it once when they first received it, and Lu Ziying had also tried it once. Shouldn't it be fine to let someone else try it as well?
They agreed, and Lu Zifeng led them to the shooting range. Following the craftsman's explanation, Lu Zifeng aimed at the bullseye. The moment the bullet flew out, the unexpected recoil made him stagger back several steps.
The black hole didn't land on the bullseye, but on the edge.
This thing can make a sound, but it's so fast that you can't see it at all!
He became interested and was determined to hit the bullseye, but after a few attempts, he could no longer hit it.
"What's going on?"
One of the craftsmen said, "It seems that all the usable materials inside have been used up."
As he spoke, he opened the magazine.
"Can't you make the things in here?"
"Your Highness, we've been working on it, but before we could finish,..."
The world has changed drastically.
Lu Zifeng waved for them to leave. Waiting for these craftsmen would take forever; it was better to ask Zhong Muyu.
Lu Ziying's method definitely won't work. If she refuses to help after being kidnapped, it's useless. Since that's the case, we can only try to get rid of Lu Ziyuan.
So, while things were at a stalemate in the capital, Lu Zifeng found a stand-in to oversee things and secretly led a group of people to Lingqing.
...
Inside Lingqing City, Lu Ziyuan was busy with reconstruction work. The city had not suffered any damage or been affected by the war. Since their return, everything had become prosperous again.
However, an uninvited guest arrived at this moment.
Lu Zifeng arrived late at night, and his arrival surprised everyone.
Lu Ziyuan was surprised by his boldness. After all, given the situation in the capital, if people found out he was not there, it would be a victory for King Wen.
This also demonstrates Lu Zifeng's sincerity and determination in seeking his help.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lu Zifeng got straight to the point: "Seventh Brother, you know why I'm here today. With your help, I'm sure I'll be able to ascend the throne. I promise I won't treat you unfairly then."
"Third brother, you and sixth brother have both sent people to invite me, but I have made it very clear that I only want to be a carefree prince in Lingqing. I don't care who the emperor is, and I will not favor anyone."
"Brother, I understand your current state of mind. However, I cannot live without you. When I ascend the throne, I will grant you the five most prosperous cities in Lingnan as your fiefdom, which you will govern under your unified rule. Your annual salary will be doubled, and your title will be hereditary. How about that?"
This offer was extremely tempting. Lu Zifeng gave Lu Ziyuan all the most prosperous areas of Yuanqi. It wasn't just about increasing the fiefdom; it meant that he firmly grasped the economic lifeline of Yuanqi.
For anyone else, it would be impossible to refuse.
Lu Ziyuan simply smiled calmly: "Your Majesty, there's no need for that. I don't need gold, silver, or land, and it doesn't matter if my title isn't hereditary. My descendants are capable of supporting themselves. This is fine as it is, Your Majesty, there's no need to say anything more."
Seeing that these conditions were not acceptable, Lu Zifeng became somewhat anxious: "You don't want any of these? Aren't you afraid that if I or my sixth brother were to take over, we would strip you of your titles?"
"That's fine. If I don't become a prince, I can do something else."
Lu Ziyuan wasn't afraid of this. Even without the royal estate and the prince's status, Zhong Muyu still had a private estate. They could be quite well-off as small-time merchants.
Moreover, he knew that these two were not as foolish as Lu Ziying, who, upon taking office, indiscriminately tried to kill him, causing public resentment to boil over. If they wanted to take action against him, they could take the opportunity to relinquish their titles, become wealthy merchants, and live a carefree life.
Even the identity of the Prince of Ling was being abandoned; Lu Zifeng was really starting to lose his composure.
"You dare to give up your title so readily because your queen has considerable power, right?"
"She does have some skills, but that has nothing to do with my brother, does it?"
Lu Zifeng chuckled, looking confident: "I'm afraid it's not as simple as just having some ability. She was able to escape from the heavily guarded palace all by herself, and then break through the encirclement of General Zheng's army of several thousand with only a few hundred people. If this isn't considered ability, then the whole world is full of mediocre people."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ziyuan guessed that he knew something. Indeed, Zhong Muyu's series of events were so unexpected and not something an ordinary person could do.
But Zhong Muyu's secret was never told to anyone. The guards in the manor were all his direct subordinates, loyal and devoted, so it wasn't easy to find out anything. Even if they knew that Zhong Muyu could repair machines and make glass, what did it matter? They never intended to hide these things in the first place.
Lu Ziyuan said, "At the time, I knew that Lu Ziying was plotting something wicked, so I specially arranged people to protect and assist her. Taking risks in Licheng was just to deceive others and preserve our strength. I didn't expect the story to spread so wildly that it has reached this point."
Seeing that Lu Ziyuan refused to admit it, Lu Zifeng lost interest in arguing with him and took out something, placing it on the table in front of Lu Ziyuan.
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