Glancing at Long Xuanmo and then at Chu Dieyi, Yang Mengchen’s eyes gradually moistened with emotion, her heart brimming with gratitude and happiness.
In this life, she was blessed with family and friends who cherished and protected her, with her deeply beloved Wende, and Ah Lan, who was like a sister to her; she felt both fortunate and content.
"With Prince’s words, Ah Yi and I can finally be at ease," Chu Dieyi nodded solemnly, "Ah Meng has always valued love and righteousness, willing to give up herself entirely for those she holds dear. I do not wish for Ah Meng to suffer any harm for love or righteousness again. I’m sure the Prince can understand what I mean."
Ah Yi has left with concerns not only for her but also for Ah Meng, repeatedly instructing her to take good care of herself and Ah Meng. Chu Dieyi was similarly worried about Ah Meng, knowing all too well the ruthlessness of the Imperial Household, especially the profound suspicions of the royal family members.
Prince Chen was known to be trustworthy and it was evident that he cherished Ah Meng deeply. They were reassured, yet if Prince Chen were ever to break his promise, they would not be afraid.
Long Xuanmo understood the implications of Chu Dieyi’s words and nodded intensely in agreement.
"According to what Ah Meng just described, the weapons from Xiliang are ’Fire Guns’. Although their lethality is strong, from what I can deduce, they must be quite rudimentary." When it came to military matters, Chu Dieyi transformed into a completely different person, her face serious and focused, "I will design a weapon of significantly greater power than the ’Fire Guns’, but it will require specialized smelting personnel to manufacture. Does the Prince have such talents available?"
Long Xuanmo thought for a moment, "There are indeed a few exceptional individuals in the Ministry of Industry and the Arms Bureau. Tomorrow, after discussing with the Emperor, I will have them assist you."
"Chengyu is conveniently with his wife in Yangliu village waiting for the birth of their child. I will send someone to invite Chengyu to The Capital later," Yang Mengchen interjected, "Chengyu is skillful in weapon forging, and Saber Rattling Villa has many capable hands. This could save us a lot of effort."
"Good." Saber Rattling Villa was known far and wide for its swords forging, and Yang Chengyu was a master in this area, so Long Xuanmo readily agreed.
With the help of experts, they were sure to achieve much more with less effort, and Chu Dieyi naturally had no objections.
At that moment, voices of Hai Tang and others came from outside the living room, "We pay respect to Grand Prince."
"Why are you all standing outside? Where are Momo and Jiujiu?" Grand Prince asked in confusion, "At this time, why haven’t Momo and Jiujiu had their dinner yet?"
Worried about disturbing Momo and Jiujiu, he usually waited for Jiujiu to send someone to invite him before joining them for meals. Tonight, no one informed him before the mealtime, leading him to believe that Momo and Jiujiu might be busy, so he waited while reading in the study. Seeing that it was nearing Midnight and still no activity, he decided to come and see for himself.
Hearing the sound, Chu Dieyi paused.
Seeing the hourglass beside her, Yang Mengchen realized how late it was and quickly stood up. She walked over to open the door to the living room while instructing Sister Jin and others to start serving dinner, and welcomed the Grand Prince inside, "I apologize, Imperial Uncle. We were discussing important matters and lost track of time."
"Important things come first," the Grand Prince waved his hand dismissively. He had a favorable impression of Chu Dieyi, and seeing her good relationship with Jiujiu, he told Chu Dieyi to dispense with formalities, "Have you encountered some difficulties? Speak up, and see if I can help solve it." If it wasn’t a tough situation, Momo and Jiujiu wouldn’t have forgotten about dinner.
After exchanging a glance with Long Xuanmo, Yang Mengchen smiled and said, "Let’s talk about it after dinner." It was a matter of great importance, and they had not intended to keep it from the Grand Prince.
The Grand Prince nodded.
After dinner, the four of them retired to the Inner Study Room, not resting until Midnight. Chu Dieyi stayed in the guest room.
The following day, Long Xuanmo and the Grand Prince went to the morning court session. When they returned to The Capital at noon, they informed Yang Mengchen and Chu Dieyi that the Emperor had approved their suggestion. The location for forging the new weapons would be on Sanqing Mountain, a place not too far yet secluded and hidden enough from The Capital to avoid attention.
Long Xuanmo arranged for Feng Lin and Chang Wu to lead craftsmen to build the base. Within a few days, the reassigned personnel would head to Sanqing Mountain. Chu Dieyi’s identity was very special (as the wife of a border defense commander, certainly someone many wished to curry favor with and draw in), and so although she, along with Yang Chengyu, were in charge of the main operations (which was Long Xuanmo’s wish, not known to the Emperor), she could only sneak in quietly every few days to prevent raising any suspicions.
Although Chu Dieyi was skilled in self-defense, Yang Mengchen still felt somewhat uneasy. He had Hai Tang arrange for four Elite Guards, two men and two women, to protect Chu Dieyi closely, and prepared a variety of medicines, repeatedly reminding her to always carry them when going out, in case of emergency.
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