At first, they were a little reserved, but as they talked, they relaxed a lot. They felt that the eldest prince had a good temper and was just like the current emperor, a benevolent and kind ruler who treated wise and humble people with respect.
"Your Highness," a square-faced young man took a big step forward to the front and gestured with eagerness to try, "I just saw that the power of the new flintlock rifle has also been improved. One shot can penetrate the spine of a tiger."
"I'm so lucky today. If Lu Si hadn't called me to the winter hunt, I would have missed it."
“It’s really amazing!”
“…”
They talked excitedly, but Chu You's eyes became more and more gloomy. He felt like sitting on pins and needles, and his heart sank little by little.
If I allow Baili Yin to misunderstand me, then my alliance with Yue State will be...
If the people of Yue also sided with Chu Yi, the consequences would be disastrous.
Chu You's eyes narrowed, he put down his wine glass, looked up at Chu Yi, and said calmly: "This flintlock rifle is indeed powerful, even this king has never seen it before.
"Nephew, I guess this is something that my brother just had someone develop, right?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the studio turned their eyes to Chu You, and Yuan Zhe, who was sitting next to him, frowned slightly.
The surroundings fell into an eerie silence.
After a brief moment of daze, Chu You finally reacted and pursed his thin lips into a straight line.
He slipped his tongue.
He wanted to clarify some things to Baili Yin, but what he said would only make others think that he was not as powerful as before in the court. He didn't even know that the court had new weapons. These children of noble families would probably look down on him because of this.
"Hahaha." Baili Yin laughed out loud, breaking the silence.
He placed the wine glass in his hand on the wine table and said, "Master Yi, your country is really full of talents. This king has broadened his horizons today. This spear is really precious. May I borrow it to have a look?"
Chu Yi took another sip of tea slowly. When he put down the teacup, he looked at Chu You meaningfully and called softly, "Si Hai."
Sihai then retreated.
Lu Si and other sons of noble families all frowned and exchanged disapproving glances with each other, thinking that King Kang was really talking too much and gave the Yue people an opportunity to borrow guns.
The atmosphere in the studio suddenly became cold, and no one spoke for a long time.
After a while, Sihai brought over a rectangular wooden box and placed the box containing the flintlock on the wine table in front of Baili Yin.
Baili Yin still had that cynical look on his face, but the light that flashed in his eyes the moment he saw the flintlock rifle could not be hidden at all.
He picked up the heavy gun and played with it casually, over and over again.
This flintlock rifle looked no different from the others he had seen before, except for a strange pattern painted in cinnabar on the handle and a mark that looked like a cat's paw print next to it.
Could it be that this "cat's paw print" is some kind of mechanism?
Baili Yin's fingers gently stroked the cat's paw prints, deliberately lingering for a moment longer.
Then I found it funny. How could this be possible? It was too ridiculous.
He held the barrel in one hand and the handle in the other, and played with the flintlock some more, but still could not see through it.
The young man who had served in the Shenji Camp patted Lu's arm and winked at him.
He could tell at a glance that the third prince of Nanyue was someone who had played with a flintlock rifle. He could tell this from his gestures and movements.
After a while, Baili Yin finally put the flintlock back into the wooden box reluctantly.
He couldn't open it now, so he had to return the gun.
Besides, he knew that even if he took it apart, he probably wouldn't be able to find out anything.
“Bang!”
Baili Yin slammed his hand on the table, and with a bright but somewhat frivolous smile, he sighed: "Today, I got this rare white tiger, and saw your country's flintlock rifle. It was really worth the trip!"
"This prince offers a toast to Master Yi!"
Baili Yin raised the glass with one hand, drank it all in one gulp, and then poured himself some wine.
Amid the sound of wine being poured, he suddenly sighed again and said with some regret, "It's a pity that I can't give away the prize I prepared today."
Lu Si and the others were startled, and their eyes turned to the scimitar on Baili Yin's waist. They remembered that before today's hunting began, Baili Yin had said in public that he would reward his scimitar to the one who hunted the tiger today.
But now...
"Nephew, of course, doesn't need this prize." Chu You suddenly interrupted, his voice calm.
Baili Yin's giving a prize to everyone was a condescending reward, but now Chu Yi had hunted a tiger, and both of them were princes with equal status. If Baili Yin gave Chu Yi a prize, it would be like Chu Yi lowering his status.
Alas, this is such a bargain for the Third Prince of Nanyue. Lu Si sighed inwardly, staring at the jewel-studded scabbard on Baili Yin's waist with some reluctance, and then he heard Chu You's half-smiley voice again: "Why not...give this precious sword to the Second Miss Gu, what do you think, Third Prince Baili?"
What?! Lu Si came back to his senses, couldn't believe his ears, and looked at Chu You.
Amid the puzzled and curious gazes of the crowd, Chu You slowly added another half sentence: "For that miraculous skill..."
Chu You stopped there and didn't explain further, but instead aroused the curiosity of Lu Si and others, and they felt like their hearts were being scratched by a cat.
Chu You's proposal was exactly what Baili Yin wanted.
"That's great!" Baili Yin's eyes lit up and clapped his hands heavily in agreement.
While speaking, he glanced at Chu Yi above him inadvertently, with the corners of his lips raised.
There was a gentle smile on Chu Yi's handsome face, and his eyes were calm and deep.
Baili Yin raised his hand and snapped his fingers. His follower immediately understood, and walked out of the shed holding the scimitar, striding towards the shed where Gu Yanfei and the others were.
Now, even other people outside noticed the movement here.
Everyone's eyes surged like a tide, all staring at the middle-aged Yue man holding the scimitar, watching him come to Gu Yanfei.
"Second Miss Gu," the middle-aged Yue man held the scimitar in both hands and handed it to Gu Yanfei. His movements looked serious, but there was a hint of contempt in his smile. "This precious sword was given to you by our Highness."
These words echoed clearly throughout the venue.
When the others heard this, their eyes suddenly became very strange. They looked Gu Yanfei up and down, and then went to check the prey around her.
Seeing that the hunting basket next to her was empty, everyone knew what was going on.
This Miss Gu Er probably got nothing in the hunting ground.
Then, how did she become the leader today, and how did she get this precious sword?! For a moment, Gu Yanfei almost became the target of everyone's criticism, and every look stabbed at her like a knife.
Although some people were definitely dissatisfied, no one dared to step forward and question Gu Yanfei.
After word of mouth spread about the conflict between Gu Yanfei and Yu Chaoyun, at least 70% to 80% of the people present knew about it.
The second Miss Gu from the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion has a hot temper! There was silence all around, and those who were joking fell silent at the same time.
Those noble sons didn't care at all, it was just a sword. The noble generals had won their titles by following the Emperor Taizu in battles, so they had no shortage of precious swords. Today, Gu Yanfei taught those noble girls a lesson and earned face for the nobles, so even if he got ten precious swords, he deserved it.
Most of the children of generals are carefree, but there are also some people with delicate thoughts.
The Yue people said "gift", not "lucky draw"! "Chaoyun," a pink-dressed girl whispered to Yu Chaoyun, "The Baili clan, the royal family of Nanyue, is from the Baitong tribe. The Baitong tribe has a tradition that when a man gives a woman a precious sword, it means to plunder and possess her."
"Before the establishment of Nanyue, the Baitong tribe was a southern barbarian tribe. They used to carry knives and simply rob women and run away... They were very barbaric."
She knew all this because her great-grandmother was from the Xu family in Jiangnan. Sixty years ago, due to the war, the Xu family moved to Jiangbei.
Yu Chaoyun pursed his lips thoughtfully and wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief.
"Ah." The pink-dressed girl sighed softly, and said with a half-smile, "Who told her to show off?"
If Gu Yanfei hadn't been so ostentatious, how could he have provoked someone he shouldn't have provoked!
Yu Chaoyun was playing with his handkerchief absentmindedly, his eyes still looking ahead.
Under the gaze of everyone, Gu Yanfei leisurely played with the colorful rope in his hand and did not take the scimitar.
The middle-aged Yue man looked deeply at Gu Yanfei, moved the scimitar an inch towards her, and raised his voice with a smile on his face, "This is a gift from our Highness."
When these words were spoken, even those who did not understand South Vietnamese traditions heard something different in the meaning, and the atmosphere became subtly tense.
Chu You raised his thin lips slightly, holding the wine glass in his right hand, but his eyes were watching Chu Yi's every move.
Seeing him raise his right hand, Chu You said again: "My nephew, it is also a good story to give such a rare Persian scimitar to Miss Gu Er."
Chu You did not hide the provocation in his expression, and his eyes were fierce.
Chu Yi's expression remained calm, his eyes fixed on Gu Yanfei without blinking, his eyes rippling slightly, as gentle as a spring breeze.
He smiled lightly, then opened his mouth:
“No hurry.”
“No rush!”
Chu You was confused for a moment, not knowing who said these two words.
"There are still two hours until sunset, and it's still unknown who will get the 'prize'." Gu Yanfei's voice, as clear as a wind chime, was particularly clear in this quiet environment and was carried into everyone's ears by the wind.
"..." Baili Yin raised his sword-like eyebrows sideways, but his smile deepened, and his eyebrows and eyes curved in a frivolous arc.
The women he knew, whether in the palace or outside, liked to be the center of attention, and they would never refuse to be the object of others' envy.
This little beauty always does things unexpectedly.
Baili Yin smiled again, without showing any anger at being rejected in public. Instead, his eyes became more and more blazing, and he asked in a clear voice, "Does Miss Gu look down on me?"
(End of this chapter)
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