Looking at the mountain?
The emperor looked at Zhao Yuanrou suspiciously.
Wangshan is the aiming device on the bow and crossbow, which has existed for more than a hundred years.
Zhao Yuanrou smiled confidently and said, "The drawings have made improvements to Wangshan, you can tell at a glance."
The emperor opened the drawing nonchalantly and glanced at it casually at first, but soon his eyes widened and a fiery light burst out of them.
This is...
The drawing was a bit crude, and it showed a crossbow. This crossbow was no different from an ordinary crossbow, the only special thing was that there was a strangely shaped thing mounted on it. The drawing called it a sight, and said that it could be used to see far away and was used for aiming the crossbow.
The blueprint for this sight required two pieces of glass polished into a specific shape, placed in a long cylindrical object, so that one could see far away and “detect thieves whether they were near or far away”. If it was mounted on a crossbow trolley or a bed crossbow, “one could hit the target with every shot”. [1]
The crossbow cart and the bed crossbow are not as convenient to carry as the small bow and crossbow, but they are more powerful. The crossbow cart is mainly used for siege, while the bed crossbow is more used for defending the city. The range can reach a thousand steps and it is extremely powerful. However, its weakness is also very obvious, that is, its accuracy is poor. Trying to rely on it to shoot an accurate target a thousand steps away is simply a gamble.
The specific function of this thing cannot be seen from the drawings alone, but the phrase "hit the target every time" still moved the emperor. If it could really hit the target every time, the power of the bed crossbow could at least be increased several times.
His expression became more and more serious. When he looked at the drawing for the third time, he gently rubbed the tips of his thumb and index finger. Someone as close to the emperor as King Zhao Qin Wei could tell at a glance that he was moved and was thinking seriously.
Qin Wei was also honored. From the first time he saw Zhao Yuanrou, he knew that she was different from others, like the dazzling sun, shining brightly wherever she went.
Zhao Yuanrou was equally confident.
She believed that the emperor would be moved.
Throughout history, the innovation of weapons can tempt any ambitious monarch, especially since the emperor is now facing the serious threat of the Zhenbei Palace.
The corners of Zhao Yuanrou's lips curled up in a confident arc.
Although she is a woman, she is destined to be oppressed in this era of monarchy. However, she will let everyone see her value. She is definitely not comparable to Sheng Xiyan, a pedantic woman who only knows how to take care of her husband and children in the inner courtyard of the house.
Even if her background is not as good as Sheng Xiyan's, she wants everyone to know that she will be better than Sheng Xiyan.
Sheng Xiyan: “…”
She ate the walnut kernels that Chu Yuanchen had just peeled, with a somewhat subtle expression on her face.
In the previous life, Zhao Yuanrou always liked to look at her with pity. It was the same when she was reborn. Why is it that now the pity is gone and has turned into a kind of...arrogance? The kind of arrogance that wants to compete with her.
She smiled gently and was a little curious about the things in the drawing. Seeing the emperor's increasingly focused gaze, it was obviously a good thing.
By the way, Zhao Yuanrou always seems to come up with some weird things.
Finally, the emperor put down the drawing and nodded slowly.
Even though it's just a drawing and no physical object, the Ministry of Engineering has plenty of people, so they can make it and see for themselves.
"Wangshan?" Chu Yuanchen raised an eyebrow and spoke with interest.
Zhao Yuanrou raised her chin slightly, glanced at him, and said nothing.
The biggest flaw of the crossbow of this era is its poor accuracy. Once the accuracy can be improved, it will be possible to defeat the enemy.
She spent a lot of effort to draw this drawing, and originally intended to give it to Zhou Jingxun for promotion. Since Zhou Jingxun treated her like this, she would not give it to him.
It’s a pity that Chu Yuanchen couldn’t see the drawings, and the emperor wouldn’t give him this opportunity, otherwise, the number one general of the Great Rong Dynasty would definitely be tempted by it.
She couldn't help but go to Chu Yuanchen.
Logically speaking, since the emperor was so cautious after seeing the drawing, Chu Yuanchen, if he was not stupid, should have guessed the importance of this thing, or at least tried to test it a few times.
But what she saw was Chu Yuanchen still peeling walnuts seriously?! He put the peeled walnut kernels into a clean small plate in front of him and pushed it in front of Sheng Xiyan. The whole action was done skillfully and naturally.
Zhao Yuanrou: “…”
This is the Crown Prince of Zhenbei? !
The prince of Zhenbei who controls the life and death of the entire northern border and seizes power? !
Zhao Yuanrou was shocked and couldn't believe her eyes. Zhou Jingxun had never treated her this well. He had been condescending to her for a few days before, and she was getting impatient. Even when his mother openly wanted to take a concubine for him, she never came to explain to her. She thought that in this era, all men were the same...
She twisted her fingers, her eyes were dark and unfathomable, and she said with a smile on her face: "Prince Chu, Wangshan is Wangshan. Although it has the name of Wangshan, it is the same as Wangshan but also different."
Zhao Yuanrou deliberately paused here and looked at him.
Chu Yuanchen took another small plate, without looking up, as if nothing could compare to the small walnut in his hand. He said nonchalantly, "Is it a long-range sight? It can see far away?"
The emperor immediately crumpled up a corner of the drawing.
Zhao Yuanrou widened her eyes in shock, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Chu Yuanchen said casually: "Wangshan is a sight. If we can improve Wangshan, we can only improve its applicable distance. And this drawing is for the bed crossbow."
Zhao Yuanrou: “…”
She didn't expect Chu Yuanchen to be so sharp!
Since he had guessed it, why was he still peeling the walnut so seriously? Zhao Yuanrou's eyes became even darker.
The marriage was arranged by the Queen Mother, and it was a blind marriage. He and Sheng Xiyan had only met a few times. How could they have such deep feelings for each other?! She couldn't help but look at him a few more times, and she felt that this man's actions were simply inexplicable.
The emperor frowned unhappily and smiled: "Achen, you are right."
He did not explain in detail, nor did he let him see the blueprint. Instead, he asked Zhao Yuanrou, "Where did you get this thing from?"
Zhao Yuanrou came back to her senses, smiled slightly, and said, "I thought of it myself."
"What do you think?" The emperor was somewhat skeptical.
Zhao Yuanrou nodded affirmatively.
The emperor nodded, not wanting to ask any more questions. He put the drawing away himself and asked again, "Do you want to cancel your engagement with Zhou Jingxun?"
"Yes." Zhao Yuanrou said affirmatively, "I want to cancel the engagement."
The emperor pondered and said, "I'll think about it."
Qin Wei's eyes lit up.
The emperor is a man of few words. If the emperor agrees to consider it, it means that he will most likely agree. If I can help to plead for mercy, there will be no problem. He quickly winked at Zhao Yuanrou, signaling her not to worry. Qin Wei was so happy that he didn't notice the emperor's eyes full of inquiry.
The emperor only believed half of what Zhao Yuanrou said was her own idea. If it was really what she thought, the sight should at least have a finished product. Wouldn't it be better to show him the finished product?
It was just a drawing, it couldn't be something she suddenly dreamed of.
Of course, it is also possible that she hid the finished product, or it may just be a fantasy. But if the Ministry of Industry can prove the value of this drawing, then Zhao Yuanrou's value is obviously more important than the drawing.
If she can have one, maybe she will have a second, a third... Even if there is only a tiny possibility, we can't let it go.
Only by keeping such a person by his side can the emperor feel at ease.
"Eat this." Chu Yuanchen pushed the small plate to Sheng Xiyan, took the one she had finished, and asked with a smile, "Do you want some pine nuts?"
Sheng Xiyan smiled with her eyes curved and nodded happily, and Chu Yuanchen started peeling pine nuts happily again.
When Zhao Yuanrou saw Qin Wei's gaze, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him gratefully.
Her smile was so beautiful that Qin Wei was almost stunned, as if doing anything for her was his duty.
If only he could marry her, it would be great. He was willing to be with her for the rest of his life, without any other choice.
The emperor was already somewhat absent-minded after receiving the drawing. No matter how graceful the actresses on the stage were or how melodious their singing was, they could not attract his attention. All he could think about was the drawing and the phrase "never miss a target".
There are also some details that the emperor wants to ask more carefully, and he wants to let people from the Ministry of Works listen as well, but it is really inconvenient here.
Besides Chu Yuanchen, the emperor was also worried about Yelu Qi. Even though Yelu Qi hadn't said anything, he must have heard a lot.
Before the play was over, the emperor could no longer sit still and said, "It's getting late, we should go back."
It was just past noon and the sun was shining brightly, but if the emperor said it was late, then it definitely was late.
As soon as the emperor stood up, no matter how reluctant Qin Wei was, he had to follow him back. Fortunately, the emperor said, "Miss Zhao, you should also go back with me...back."
To Qin Wei, this was like the sound of nature.
Zhao Yuanrou responded generously: "Yes".
Sheng Xiyan stood up and saw them off respectfully, and immediately noticed the purse on Chu Yuanchen's waist.
She embroiders so well!
The corners of her mouth curled up high, and she did not hide the joy on her face.
Looking at the cute dimples on her cheeks, Chu Yuanchen was reluctant to leave.
“Does it look good?”
She was asking about the purse.
"nice!"
He answered her.
The smile on Sheng Xiyan's face deepened, her tender red lips curled up slightly, bright and charming.
Chu Yuanchen's fingers were eager to move, and he couldn't help but want to gently brush across her lips to feel her breath.
I finally returned to the capital, but I was so busy that I haven't seen her for a few days.
He moved his lips and uttered a few words silently.
Sheng Xiyan understood and chuckled.
After watching Chu Yuanchen leave, Sheng Xiyan returned to the second floor. Cheng Chuyu was already getting bored of waiting.
She lay on the table without any image, mumbling: "Sister Yan, you are finally back. It's so boring for me to watch the show alone."
"Then let's watch it together." Sheng Xiyan sat down with a smile.
"Miss Gu's ghost has been taken away, and the aunt has expressed her feelings to Jinxiu." Cheng Chuyu said weakly, "There's nothing interesting to see next."
Without the revenge of the fierce ghost, this drama was not fun at all for Cheng Chuyu, who had just been brainwashed by Sheng Xiyan.
"By the way, do you want to see a good show?" Cheng Chuyu raised his chin towards the first floor, as if to say, "You have something exciting to watch but you don't want to take me with you."
"It's... a good show."
Sheng Xiyan smiled meaningfully, this was more than just a good show.
While he had escaped from the quagmire of the Yongning Marquis' Mansion in this life, Zhao Yuanrou seemed to be sinking into a deeper quagmire.
"Sister Yan, let's go buy some pearl flowers. Jin Yu Zhai has just hired a few new masters from Jiangnan. The pearl flowers they make are really beautiful..."
Sheng Xiyan responded: "Let's buy two identical ones."
Cheng Chuyu was delighted and clapped his hands, saying, "Okay, okay!"
The two of them went out hand in hand.
At this time, the emperor and his entourage had already walked far away, and Zhao Yuanrou also followed the emperor into the palace.
Zhao Yuanrou knew that this was her chance and she must seize it and take advantage of it.
As soon as the emperor returned to his study, he summoned the Minister of Works and asked him to transfer several craftsmen from the Ministry of Works. He first showed them the drawings and then asked Zhao Yuanrou to explain in detail the structure of each component.
The drawing appears simple, but is in fact very complicated. The craftsman's vision is quite sharp, and he raised several questions that Zhao Yuanrou had not thought of at first. She could only rack her brains to fill in the gaps.
Even when the palace gates were locked, the emperor specially asked the imperial concubine to arrange for her to live in the palace.
After understanding the drawings, they found that the structure of the sight was actually quite simple. There were all kinds of rare things in the palace, and the emperor was in a hurry to get it, so several craftsmen worked day and night and finally made a simple sight in three days. It could see the texture of a leaf ten miles away.
The emperor was overjoyed and could not wait to have them install the sight on the crossbow according to the drawings. However, it was far from being as simple as just installing it.
However, Zhao Yuanrou no longer needed to participate in these matters, so the emperor ordered her to be escorted out of the palace with great fanfare.
Zhao Yuanrou stayed in the palace for five days. When she left, she was given a large amount of gifts, from silks and satins to gold, silver, jade and stones, more than ten loads in total, which were carried all the way into the Zhao Mansion.
After the eunuch announced the reward, he congratulated Zhao Yuanrou earnestly before leaving.
The Zhao family was stunned when they saw the gifts filling the hall.
Zhao Yuanrou remembered exactly how the Zhao family had plotted against her on the day of the betrothal. Before they could recover from their surprise, she arrogantly had all the rewards moved to her own yard, and then walked past them arrogantly without even glancing at them.
Mr. Zhao almost lost his temper and said bitterly, "You are so proud even though you haven't even climbed to the top. You are just going to trample us into the mud in the future."
When others become successful, they will always mention their clan, but she is different. She probably wishes her mother's family would die out.
Zhao Yuanrou didn't care what the Zhao family thought. If the Zhao family dared to plot against her behind her back, she would naturally not let them have an easy time.
This huge amount of rewards and gifts brought to the Zhao family could not be concealed from the eyes and ears of the capital. These rewards were given in the name of the empress dowager, and many people heard that it was because the young lady of the Zhao family had made great contributions in accompanying the empress dowager and won her favor.
However, it is unknown what he thinks in private.
Especially when the news reached the Yongning Marquis's residence, the Yongning Marquis's wife felt a little unhappy.
Someone even reminded her cryptically, "Madam Hou, you'd better propose marriage quickly, or this bird might fly into the high wall."
The wife of Marquis Yongning pondered over these words for a long time, and her expression suddenly changed.
It is well known that people love beauties nowadays. There are at least 300 beauties in the harem, if not 3,000. This is much more than during the time of the previous emperor.
Zhao Yuanrou has been staying in the palace for so many days, and now she has received a large amount of rewards...
The wife of Marquis Yongning's heart was beating rapidly, and a chill ran from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and she almost fainted.
She clutched the handkerchief tightly.
This Zhao Yuanrou is indeed a restless person.
That's right! Otherwise, why would she hook up with her cousin's fiancé? Now she's in a dilemma.
I don’t know what happened to Zhao Yuanrou in the palace.
But if it really happened, the emperor should give him a name, release the person and show that everything is fine, right?
The wife of Marquis Yongning was very upset and was struggling over whether she should discuss the matter with her son. However, as soon as Zhou Jingxun got the news, she hurried to the Zhao Mansion, but was again turned away.
Zhou Jingxun had been humble for quite a while but failed to win Zhao Yuanrou's favor. Now the whole capital was full of rumors. Even if he believed Zhao Yuanrou, he could not suppress the anger in his heart and left in anger.
Zhao Yuanrou, who was standing behind the door, saw that Zhou Jingxun actually left like this. She bit her lower lip tightly and her mouth was straightened into a straight line.
She just told herself that if Zhou Jingxun knocked on the door again, she would open it, but...
He actually left.
All the promises were false.
My decision to cancel the engagement was not wrong! Zhao Yuanrou's eyes became more determined. She turned and walked towards the inner courtyard, never looking back.
These things happening in the Yongning Marquis' Mansion were no longer a secret in the capital. Even Sheng Yan had heard about it and told Sheng Xiyan as soon as he got back. Several versions of the story had already circulated in the capital. Some said that the Yongning Marquis's son gave away his fiancée for promotion, while others said that the Zhao family's daughter was so beautiful and charming that the emperor fell in love with her at first sight and wanted to bring her into the palace to be his consort, regardless of the fact that she was already engaged.
Sheng Yan didn't know which one was true and which one was false, so he just said it as if it was a joke, and then said with a beaming face: "I heard that Zhou Jingxun was so angry that he let his horse hit someone and injured him. He was dismissed from his post by the imperial guards. The Yonghou Mansion finally relocated him to the Wucheng Bingma Division, and now he is under Liu Junqian's command."
He was happy when Zhou Jingxun got into trouble, and couldn't stop smiling: "I ran into him when I came back. He was patrolling the streets with a gloomy face. He didn't have the demeanor of the prince in the past."
Sheng Xiyan's eyes flickered slightly, and she followed his words and asked, "Did he see you too?"
"Yes." Sheng Yan blurted out, "He also wanted to catch me..."
Realizing that he had let the cat out of the bag, Sheng Yan quickly covered his mouth with his hands.
Sheng Xiyan raised her eyebrows and said, "Go ahead."
Sheng Yan: “…” Hey, sister is sister.
He honestly said, "Nothing. I was just playing with Ah Cheng on the street and he saw us. He insisted on saying I was causing trouble in public and wanted to arrest me."
Sheng Yan was so angry at the time that he really wanted to prove his guilt by beating him up.
"Then the others recognized me as your brother and stopped listening to him."
"He lost his temper again and left."
Sheng Yan muttered to himself, and then said, "Sister, I definitely wasn't the one who caused the trouble first."
Sheng Xiyan of course believed him.
The Wucheng Bingma Division was a good job for some people, as it was a leisurely job and they could gain experience, and it was also a stepping stone to the Imperial Army. But it was definitely not the case for Zhou Jingxun. Zhou Jingxun had already joined the Imperial Army and could have been promoted step by step. Suddenly he was transferred from the Imperial Army to the Wucheng Bingma Division, which was equivalent to ruining his future. Unless he could make great achievements, it would be hopeless for him to return to the Imperial Army.
She warned, "If you see him patrolling on the road in the future, ignore him."
Sheng Yan is young and has a straightforward temper. If Zhou Jingxun really relies on his status as the Wucheng Bingmasi to target him, he will easily suffer losses.
Sheng Yan listened to his sister very much and said sullenly, "I know."
Sheng Xiyan touched the top of his head and asked with a smile, "Are you taking a day off today?"
Sheng Yan has been staying at the Zhenbei Palace recently and will not be back until after 3:00 pm. I haven't heard him mention going out to play with Ah Cheng for a long time.
"Chu Yuanyi has been unhappy these days, so I came back early. By the way, sister, Ah Cheng said that in a few days, Beiyan will officially present the letter of credence. I heard that on that day, the emperor will test the crossbow to show the great glory of the country."
Try a crossbow?
Sheng Xiyan thought of Zhao Yuanrou's drawing.
After returning that day, Sheng Xiyan specifically asked Sheng Yan to draw the appearance of the bed crossbow for her. Sheng Yan had done a lot of homework. Not only did he draw the picture, he also explained every component of the bed crossbow to her in detail. She was confused and dazed after listening to him.
Presenting a letter of credence was a major event, and the Ministry of Rites chose October 23 as the auspicious date.
Before that, on October 18, the Zhenbei Palace came to propose marriage, and 128 pieces of betrothal gifts were sent from the Zhenbei Palace to the Sheng family with music and fanfare.