She didn't really want Gu Yanfei to answer, so she immediately answered herself: "Pretend!"
"They are so 'pretentious'!"
"We are all human beings, with our feet on the ground, but we have to pretend to be celestial beings who are not affected by worldly affairs."
Wei Jiaoniang snorted disapprovingly and tossed the shuttlecock again.
"That makes sense!" Gu Yanfei thought what Wei Jiaoniang said was really interesting. He smiled with a pair of shallow dimples, and his smile was as beautiful as a flower.
Yan Fei is so beautiful, like a flower! Wei Jiaoniang sighed in her heart, patted Gu Yanfei's shoulder generously, smiled slyly, pointed at herself with her thumb and said, "Look at me."
She will help Yan Fei!
Wei Jiaoniang's eyes were bright and shining like morning stars.
Gu Yanfei felt that she understood, but also seemed to not understand a little bit.
But seeing how happy Wei Jiaoniang was, she must be talking about good things! "Yeah." Gu Yanfei smiled and nodded again, "It's up to you!"
Wei Jiaoniang seemed to have been fed some panacea. She became more energetic and happier. She went back happily with Gu Yanfei.
A sad and graceful sound of the piano sounded faintly in the mountains and forests, like weeping and complaining, lingering and moving...
Wei Jiaoniang's eyes rolled around, and she suggested excitedly, "Lu Qin, let's play pass the flower!"
She winked her right eye playfully.
Lu Qin and Wei Jiaoniang had been close friends for many years. When Wei Jiaoniang started to show off her skills, Lu Qin knew what she was up to and said, "There are no drums here. Let's go get a gong."
Lu Qin's face broke into an unusually bright smile, and she was eager to try.
"The gong is great." Wei Jiaoniang snapped her fingers happily.
She wanted to see whether the sound of the piano or the gong was louder.
The two girls were full of energy and started working immediately. After a short while, they really found a gong.
Gu Yanfei and several other girls were a little confused at first, but gradually, they figured out what was going on and vaguely guessed that Wei Jiaoniang was competing with those girls from aristocratic families.
Interesting! Gu Yanfei also became interested and felt that it was great to do something with everyone.
She laughed even more happily, shook the shuttlecock in her hand, and said with a smile: "How about we use this shuttlecock as a bouquet?"
Gu Yanfei's proposal was unanimously approved by others.
The girls quickly formed a big circle, and in the first round, Wei Jiaoniang turned her back and was responsible for striking the gong.
"clang!"
A deafening gong sounded throughout the forest, followed by a second sound, and a third sound...
The sound of the gong easily drowned out the sound of the piano, and the original sad and gentle artistic conception disappeared completely.
The several ladies from aristocratic families who were surrounding the piano table couldn't help but frown and glanced at Wei Jiaoniang and the others with displeasure.
“Hurry, hurry, hurry…”
"Pass it faster!"
Lu Qin and others shouted and passed the shuttlecock quickly.
The shuttlecock became a hot potato, passed from Gu Yanfei to Lu Qin, and then to her cousin, one by one, faster and faster...
At the same time, the sound of gongs continued to clang, and Wei Jiaoniang beat the gongs more and more vigorously, and the rhythm of the gongs became faster and faster.
Even the person playing the piano was affected. The melody and rhythm were changed by her. The piano became faster and faster, and more and more anxious...
“Zheng——”
The hand playing the piano shook and a string suddenly broke.
The sound of the piano stopped abruptly, and only the few remaining strings on the piano were still humming softly.
Broken string, really unknown! Several girls from noble families looked gloomy.
The sound of the gong not far away also stopped at this time, and someone shouted happily: "The shuttlecock has fallen into Lu Qin's hands! Come on, Lu Qin, do a spinning spiral kick!"
Another round of laughter and booing was heard, and the girl playing the piano was so angry that her hands were shaking slightly.
"Sister Zeng, is your hand okay?" Yu Chaoyun gently checked her hand and stroked it a few times, "I also brought a zither..."
She just raised her hand to call for the maid, but she froze again, looking in a certain direction, and murmured: "...The eldest prince is looking at her."
Yu Chaoyun's voice was very low, but it was just loud enough for all the girls around to hear clearly.
As soon as these words were spoken, all the other girls from noble families looked towards the shed where Chu Yi was, including Miss Zeng who had just played the piano, their eyes slightly fixed.
really--
Chu Yi, who was sitting behind the wine table, was quietly looking in the direction of Gu Yanfei with a smile on his lips.
The girls from the noble families followed his gaze and looked at Gu Yanfei, only to see that Gu Yanfei had just thrown the shuttlecock he had just acquired out quickly...
Miss Zeng's face looked even worse. She bit her lower lip with her jade teeth until it turned white, and whispered, "Crazy."
"A woman should be gentle and kind, as quiet as a lotus..."
Wei Jiaoniang grabbed the drumstick and started beating the gong again.
What a scoundrel! Miss Zeng was so angry that her chest was heaving. She couldn't help but look at Chu Yi again, still holding a glimmer of hope in her heart, hoping to see displeasure on his face.
However, Chu Yi was smiling.
The smile was like the warm sunshine, which couldn't stop overflowing from his eyes and spreading across his handsome face.
Chu You, who was on the hunting platform not far away, was also looking at Chu Yi with a gaze as sinister as an owl.
Ever since Chu Yi returned to China, everything has gone wrong for him.
These setbacks reminded him again and again that he was too careless before and let Chu Yi return to the capital alive.
“Ding! Ding! Ding!”
The loud gong sounds had a brisk rhythm, hitting Chu You's heart like a hammer.
Chu You became even more irritated, his brows furrowed as he looked down at the group of girls laughing and playing below.
"Your Highness, it's cold in the mountains. You're wearing so little. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Yuan Zhe's concerned voice came from behind.
Yuan Zhe walked slowly up the high hunting platform. The wind was very strong on the hunting platform, and the strong mountain wind blew his cloak into a puffy shape.
He wanted to put a cloak on Chu You, but Chu You raised his hand to refuse.
"I am not cold." Chu You said lightly.
Not only was he not cold, he felt hot, as if there was a fire running wildly through his body with nowhere to vent.
Yuan Zhe did not force it, and walked to Chu You's side, and asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, do you really not know that the flintlock rifle has been improved?"
As he spoke, his complicated gaze accurately directed towards where Chu Yi was below. A faint light flashed in his eyes, and his thoughts raced rapidly.
If the previous emperor had improved the flintlock rifle during his reign, he would not have failed to tell King Kang. Then, the only possibility left is that it was the current emperor who managed to improve the flintlock rifle.
What puzzled Yuan Zhe was that the emperor had been on the throne for less than a year and had never been in charge of any duties related to firearms before taking the throne.
The late emperor has always been wary of the present emperor, and it is impossible for him to hand over such a crucial task to the present emperor.
“…” Chu You remained silent, equally confused in his heart. A heavy cloud of darkness surged over his forehead.
To be honest, even he himself felt that it was nonsense to say that he had no idea.
But he really knew nothing! Chu You's face darkened even more, his eyes grim.
Zhikang Wangru Yuanzhe got the answer from his gloomy and ugly expression, and sighed silently in his heart.
There were only the two of them on the wide hunting platform. It was empty and silent, and a stiff atmosphere spread silently.
Without the shelter of trees, the mountain wind grew stronger, like a dragon's roar, ruffling the two men's robes.
Yuan Zhe pursed his lips, his mind working quickly.
He did not challenge Chu You's temper again, and said bluntly: "If even the prince does not know, then could it be that the emperor has obtained the letter from Emperor Taizu?"
"I once heard from the Empress Dowager that part of Taizu's handwritten notes was lost..."
Chu You was absent-minded at first, but when he heard that, his slender body shook violently and he turned to look at Yuan Zhe who was three steps away.
The two cousins looked at each other with serious expressions.
"A part of my royal grandfather's notes is indeed lost..." Chu You said softly, frowning and thinking deeply.
Emperor Taizu was a man of great talent and strategy, omnipotent, like a god sent from heaven. He commanded the support of hundreds of people. He not only established the Dajing Dynasty, but also developed and improved many things that benefited the country and the people.
In the minds of the people of Dajing, Emperor Taizu is a figure who can be ranked alongside Confucius, and his fame will last forever and be recorded in history.
Emperor Taizu was Chu You's great-grandfather. When he passed away, Chu You was not yet born, so naturally he had never seen Emperor Taizu.
His understanding of Emperor Taizu came either from Emperor Taizu's "Daily Records" or from the previous emperor, Empress Dowager Yuan, the Grand Tutor, and court officials.
Chu You paced back and forth on the hunting platform thoughtfully. His originally fluctuating mind gradually settled down and his gaze looked far away towards the east, in the direction of the capital.
"I have heard my father talk about my great grandfather." Chu You searched for past memories in his mind and sorted out his thoughts. "My great grandfather developed far more than just the mercury mirrors, windmills, pocket watches, etc. In his later years, he created some amazing creations, including new firearms, but they are kept secret."
Yuan Zhe stared at Chu You closely, waiting for him to continue speaking.
"My father said that a few years before my grandfather passed away, he became very anxious. He would lock himself in the imperial study from time to time and write a lot of notes. But when he got angry, he would tear up the notes and mutter to himself that the technology tree would be crooked if he clicked on the wrong one."
"No one could understand those weird words. At that time, my father almost thought he was..." crazy.
Chu You pursed his lips and swallowed the last two words. His eyes darkened and his memory went back to several years ago.
All he knew was what he accidentally heard the late emperor say when he was drunk a few years ago.
That day was the anniversary of Emperor Taizu’s death. The late emperor was in a bad mood and drank a lot of wine. He cried drunkenly and complained that Emperor Taizu always disliked his sons for being incompetent and useless. He said that before his death, Emperor Taizu even grumbled that it was a waste to leave good things like steam engines and textile machines to them. He also complained that even his grandchildren were mediocre in talent and learning. He didn’t want him to have to wait for his great-grandchildren…
(End of this chapter)
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