The door of the private room was not closed. Chu Qianhuang pushed it and it opened.
Chu Qianhuang walked in by herself, leaving Baoqin guarding outside the private room.
In the elegant room, two people from Nanhao were sitting by the window. They were Prince Andaman and Suk.
The two were looking down at the lobby below through the window, their eyes fixed on the students.
The reason why Prince Andaman came to this little-known Heming Teahouse today was because he heard that there would be a student debate here.
Andaman and Suk originally thought that the person knocking on the door was the waiter, but when they turned around, they saw a girl with a veil on her face coming in, and they raised their eyebrows in surprise.
Under the suspicious gazes of the two, Chu Qianhuang walked up to Andaman openly, knelt down and bowed, and then said straight to the point: "Prince, I want to discuss a deal with you, which will definitely interest you."
She knew that she needed help now, and if she continued to be mysterious and beat around the bush, Haoren might not give her so much time to listen to her.
Andaman looked at Chu Qianhuang with a smile.
The girl in red in front of me has a graceful figure. Although the veil covers most of her face, just looking at her eyes as bright as the morning stars and the facial contours vaguely visible under the veil, I can tell that she must be a beauty.
For Andaman, that’s all.
With his status and position, he has seen all kinds of beauties, fat or thin!
He didn't think that such a little girl who had not even reached the age of marriage could have any deal that would interest them, the Hao people.
Andaman tapped his fingers casually twice on the square table beside him.
Suke looked at Andaman with a requesting look, and seeing that Andaman didn't say anything, he let Chu Qianhuang stay in the private room.
The noise and discussions from the lobby below came in intermittently through the windows, making the private room noisy as well.
Chu Qianhuang frowned slightly. Seeing that the two Hao people had no intention of closing the window, she could also tell that they were a little indifferent, but she didn't know what to say.
For her, it was enough as long as Haoren was willing to give her this opportunity.
Chu Qianhuang touched his sleeve pocket and took out a folded piece of silk paper. After unfolding it, he placed it on the square table next to Andaman and said calmly, "Please have a look, Prince."
Chu Qianhuang seemed calm and composed, but in fact, her heart was broken.
This was a trump card she had prepared in order to win the trust of Wuhegalou after going to Hao Kingdom, but now, she had to take it out in advance.
In order to go to Hao Country, she had no choice...
Andaman just picked up a tea bowl with his right hand and glanced casually at the silk paper.
At first, his eyes were careless, but when he saw a strangely shaped bow drawn on the silk paper, he was stunned.
Then he took a second look.
The bow drawn on the drawing had an extremely strange shape, as if a good bow was broken into pieces and then put together again in a haphazard manner.
There are also some text notes around the bow.
This is……
Andaman's pupils shrank suddenly, his face changed, and even the tea bowl in his right hand shook, and the tea in it also shook, and some of the tea spilled out.
Andaman didn't care anymore and quickly put down the tea bowl.
Without wiping the back of his hands that were wet with tea, he solemnly held up the piece of silk paper with both hands and looked at it carefully, his expression becoming more and more solemn.
Even though Su Ke, who was standing by, didn't know what was drawn on the silk paper, he could tell at this moment that this thing must be extraordinary.
After a moment, Andaman raised his head from the silk paper, and looked at Chu Qianhuang, who was three or four steps away, with complicated eyes. He looked at her carefully, with some consideration, some doubt, some confusion... and more of the ecstasy hidden beneath those emotions.
Chu Qianhuang stood there gracefully, her willow-leaf eyes curved in a happy and confident arc outside her veil, and said, "Can I sit down?"
Andaman gestured with his hand and said with a smile: "Please sit down, young lady."
Su Ke stood up and gave his seat to Chu Qianhuang, then closed the window of the private room to block out the noise in the lobby.
In an instant, the private room became much quieter and the atmosphere became solemn and serious.
After Chu Qianhuang sat down, Su Ke, at Andaman's signal, poured her a cup of tea and brought it to her.
Andaman looked at Chu Qianhuang steadily and asked in standard Qi language: "Where did you get this blueprint?"
His voice was so low that only the two people in the private room could hear it.
He obviously didn't say much, but these subtle details revealed how much he valued this drawing.
Chu Qianhuang smiled brightly and said calmly: "Prince, it doesn't matter where you got it from."
Andaman was stunned for a moment, then he laughed heartily: "The girl is right!"
Indeed, what is important is the drawing, not where it came from.
Andaman's mind worked quickly. He narrowed his deep eyes and asked again, "Where is the complete blueprint?"
Andaman didn't know what kind of bow it was, but he could see that the drawing was incomplete. It only had a rough outline and a few notes on its principles and functions.
If it were an ordinary person, he probably wouldn't be able to see the value of this blueprint, and might even think it was a child's doodle or a child's play. But Andaman was a military commander, and he could see the value of this blueprint at a glance. The bow drawn on it was different from the existing bows and was extremely powerful.
Just like the emergence of crossbows and repeating crossbows in history, which changed the situation on the battlefield to a certain extent, Andaman felt that the bow in the blueprint might have a similar effect.
Andaman's heartbeat quickened and his blood boiled. He tried hard to suppress his inner excitement, but this excitement could not help but show through his shining eyes and slightly fast speech.
Chu Qianhuang took in all the changes in Andaman's expression and asked instead of answering, "Is the prince willing to trade with me?"
She was already 70% sure in her heart, her smile was as beautiful as a spring flower, and her expression became increasingly calm and composed.
Andaman lowered his eyes and looked at the blueprint in his hand again.
The drawing shows a bow, a new type of bow. Although some key parts of the bow are a little vague, if it is true as written on the drawing that this bow can increase the shooting speed and range with the same arm strength, then it will be a priceless treasure.
Their Hao State conquered the world on horseback, and the cavalry of Hao State were skilled in riding and shooting, and were famous throughout the world.
If this bow could really be as good as what is described in the blueprint, the Hao Kingdom would definitely get it.
Andaman looked at Chu Qianhuang again, his eyes becoming unusually deep.
The girl sat elegantly on the rose chair with a calm temperament. The confidence and composure she exuded made her have a bearing far beyond her age.
From the girl's attire, Andaman could roughly tell that she was probably the daughter of a court official or noble in the capital, not a commoner.
After the extreme excitement, Andaman calmed down, and an obvious question came to his mind -
Why would a noble lady from Da Qi give such a precious blueprint to them instead of the Emperor of Da Qi? !
Andaman looked at Chu Qianhuang with eyes as sharp as a knife, as if piercing through her calm appearance and seeing through her heart.
Chu Qianhuang let him look at her without saying a word.
She looked calm and composed, but she was somewhat panicked inside.
She was very confident in the value of this bow, but at the same time she was worried that the Andaman County King did not have the decisiveness. She came this time with a desperate determination, almost treating it as her last chance.
The greater the expectations, the greater the inner anxiety.
Her forced calmness could not be hidden from Andaman's eyes. Andaman remained calm, with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
He deliberately didn't say anything, but picked up the tea bowl again and slowly drank the tea in the bowl that was almost gone.
The surroundings became quiet. Through the window, the only sounds that could be heard were laughter and talking coming from the lobby, and the sound of someone coming up the stairs.
Andaman didn't speak, and Chu Qianhuang didn't speak either.
Chu Qianhuang knew that Andaman was different from Shen Wan. Shen Wan was just a woman in the harem, but Andaman was a capable minister highly valued by Emperor Hao Uhadula. His mind was more complicated and his methods were more vicious.
She couldn't reveal the slightest flaw in front of the other party, otherwise the other party would take advantage of her weakness.
After drinking half a bowl of tea, Andaman put down the tea bowl and smiled. His rough face with a beard looked generous and open-minded. He said, "Miss, why don't you tell me your conditions?"
Although he did not directly answer whether he would agree to the deal, this sentence undoubtedly showed his interest in the deal.
Chu Qianhuang loosened her hands under the table a little after hearing that. The handkerchief in her hand had already been deeply wrinkled by her.
She raised her hand and lightly brushed the veil at her temples, and said in a light voice: "My surname is Chu, I was born in Yongding Marquis Mansion, I am the eldest daughter in the family, I want to go to your country with the third princess."
Andaman: "..."
Suk: “…”
The two Nanhao envoys were both startled, and the private room fell silent again.
In the blink of an eye, Andaman thought about several conditions that the Miss Chu might propose, but he had not thought of this one, which made him feel a little absurd for a moment.
He calmed his mind and thought for a moment, and he realized that since Chu Qianhuang had put forward this condition, it meant that she must have some purpose in going to Hao Kingdom.
So, what does she want?!
What on earth made her offer such a treasure to another country? ! Andaman was full of doubts, but she looked interested and asked directly: "You should be a noble lady of Daqi, why do you want to go to my Hao Kingdom?"
The moment Chu Qianhuang decided to seek help from the Prince of Andaman, she had already thought about the question that the other party would ask her, and she had also thought about how to answer it. This question could not be avoided.
Chu Qianhuang smiled again, but this time, her smile was filled with obvious bitterness and helplessness.
"Although I am a noblewoman, I am a concubine's daughter. In Da Qi, the difference between legitimate daughters and concubine's daughters is like heaven and earth. My legitimate mother is partial to me and is very harsh to me."
"I want to go to Hao Country to find another way out for myself."
Chu Qianhuang knew clearly that if she stayed in Da Qi, the best outcome would be for Shen to marry her off to another place.
If she is lucky enough to marry into a relatively kind family, she may be able to live the rest of her life in peace and mediocrity.
But if Shen chooses a family that looks sweet on the outside but is bitter on the inside, then the rest of her life will be spent in misery. No one will know what she has suffered in her husband's family, and no one will be able to help her.
However, as long as she leaves Da Qi, she can rely on the foreshadowing in the dream and her knowledge that far exceeds that of these ancient people to be reborn in Dahao on the other side of the river and open up a vast world of her own.
All she needed was an opportunity and someone like Uhajaro who could recognize a hero.
In an instant, Chu Qianhuang's eyes revealed outside the veil burst into an unusually bright look.
Too much is as bad as too little. She believed that Andaman would not completely believe what she said. He would definitely investigate it, and when he found out about it, he would believe her.
Andaman fixed his gaze and looked deeply at Chu Qianhuang, as if trying to find out whether what she said was true or false.
His face was expressionless, making it impossible to tell his true emotions.
After a long silence, Andaman said slowly: "The princess's dowry will be decided by Da Qi."
Chu Qianhuang knew this, of course. She smiled miserably, "I was originally the third princess's study partner, but my stepmother and stepsister bullied me and took away my status as a study partner, so I made up my mind."
"I don't want to stay in Da Qi and let others push me around!"
Chu Qianhuang spoke firmly, and at that moment, her inner grief and indignation naturally emerged.
She was immersed in her own emotions and didn't notice that Andaman and Suk looked at each other quickly. The moment their eyes met, they understood each other's thoughts.
There was sneer and mockery in the eyes of the two men, but it disappeared in a flash.
Prince Andaman's face was solemn, thinking in his heart: Chu Qianhuang's words were 70% to 80% false. If the remaining 10% to 20% possibility was true, then this Miss Chu was really stupid and naive! However, regardless of whether Chu Qianhuang's words were true or not, the bow drawn on the drawing was too tempting, so tempting that even if there was a trap, Andaman thought it was worth a try.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
There is an old saying in the Central Plains that goes, "Jiang Taigong fishes, and those who are willing will take the bait."
Even if he takes the bait, it doesn't matter. As long as their Hao Kingdom is strong enough, they can pull the fisherman back into the water.
While thinking, Andaman looked at the drawing again, more carefully than before, with a focused expression, as if he was checking whether a painting was a fake.
Seeing that Andaman was very interested in this drawing, Chu Qianhuang's heart, which had risen to his throat, calmed down a little, and he felt more confident.
This thing will definitely succeed.
She told herself in her heart, trying to control her tone and speak steadily: "The prince should be able to see that this is just a prototype. When this bow is made, the prince will naturally see its benefits. Even a weak woman like me can easily pull the bow and shoot the bull's eye from a hundred steps away..."
She had used the bow of Da Qi. The effective range of an ordinary man was less than a hundred steps, unless those with strong arms could reach two hundred or three hundred steps, but such people were already archers that were hard to come by in decades.
Under the same circumstances, the effective range of the compound bow is 30% greater than that of the traditional bow and arrow in this world, and it is also more accurate and more powerful.
Its advantages are overwhelming and beyond this era.
She originally planned to give the blueprint of the compound bow to Uhajalou.
Ever since she came to this world, she had been thinking about how to impress Wuhejialou. She thought of the compound bow she had seen in her previous life. She spent several months slowly digging out her memory and finally drew it. And...
Andaman clenched his fists tightly on the table, still a little bit unconvinced, and confirmed again and again: "Can this bow really achieve the effect you said?"
Chu Qianhuang nodded affirmatively: "Yes!"
“I’ve made a physical object.”
Chu Qianhuang certainly knew that words were not enough, so a few months ago, she spent a lot of energy and financial resources, and tried many times, and finally made a compound bow.
Andaman's eyes lit up immediately, and he asked eagerly, "Can you let me take a look?"
Chu Qianhuang smiled again, a smile that showed she was confident. "Prince, I am sincere in bringing out this blueprint, but you should also let me see your country's sincerity, right?"
"I can give this blueprint to the prince. He can ask a craftsman to see if it can achieve the effect I mentioned."
"..." Andaman's eyes were deep, his lips were tightly pursed, and his face was filled with an uncertain expression.
He couldn't look for craftsmen here. After all, this was Da Qi, and he couldn't guarantee at all whether the craftsmen he found were the emperor of Da Qi's men.
Chu Qianhuang could also see Andaman’s doubts. The promotion of any new thing was bound to be questioned by countless people.
She raised her eyebrows, stroked her sleeves, and said, "But I think that this kind of weapon event is related to the fate of the country. If there is even half a chance, we can't miss it."
"What do you think, Prince?"
The innovation of weapons is a big deal, just like the improvement of muskets and artillery changed the world. In this era of cold weapons, the advantages of compound bows are obvious. Once it is accomplished, Andaman will make an unparalleled contribution to Nanhao.
Chu Qianhuang was telling Andaman that her request was very small, she just wanted to go to Hao Country. For Prince Andaman, this request was just a piece of cake, and he shouldn't give up such an opportunity because of suspicion.
Her words completely moved Andaman. Even though Andaman still had some doubts about her before, he decided to suppress them for the time being.
Chu Qianhuang was just a weak woman, powerless. Even if he included her in the third princess' dowry, what trouble could she make?
But if the new type of bow she presented was real, then he would benefit greatly from it.
Andaman finally made up his mind and nodded, "Okay."
These two words are crisp and clear.
Su Ke's eyes were also blazing, as if burning with a raging flame. If all went well, this would be an extra gain for them in Da Qi, and they believed it would definitely help Emperor Hao to pacify the country as soon as possible.
Chu Qianhuang stood up gracefully, smiling brightly, "Then I will wait for the good news from the prince."
"Once I see the sincerity of the prince, I will also show you my sincerity."
She emphasized the word "sincerity", meaning that she would let Andaman see the finished bow.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Chu Qianhuang bowed politely, told her how to contact her, and then walked out of the private room slowly.
She seemed to be walking lightly and moving gracefully, but in fact her thin shoulders were tense and there was a fine line of cold sweat on the back of her neck.
When she turned her back, the smile on her lips disappeared and her teeth were clenched tightly.
Andaman only said, "Then I won't see you off," and did not stand up. His eyes were always watching her every move, and his eyes became increasingly deep.
After Chu Qianhuang and Baoqin, who was guarding outside the private room, left, Suke walked over, looked left and right at the empty corridor, then closed the door of the private room, turned around and returned to Andaman.
After the door closed, the private room became even quieter.
Andaman immediately handed the blueprint in his hand to Su Ke and instructed in Haoyu: "Take it to Lange to have a look. Also, check the Miss Chu from the Yongding Marquis's Mansion."
After a pause, Andaman thought of something and asked in a deep voice, "Is Princess Chen's surname also Chu?"
Su Ke also remembered and nodded, "Indeed."
The expressions of the two Hao people were even more complicated. Everything that had just happened was really bizarre.
Andaman began to doubt whether this was a setup. He raised his hand, opened the window of the private room, and looked down.
From his angle, he could also see Chu Qianhuang walking down the stairs.
A new wave of tea drinkers has arrived in the lobby, and the atmosphere has become more lively.
Chu Qianhuang did not notice Andaman's gaze, and slowly relaxed her shoulders that had been tense in the private room just now, her eyes bright and clear.
So far, so good.
She is now 90% sure that she can go to Hao Kingdom.
The corners of her lips behind the veil raised a light arc, full of confidence.
There is nothing she can't do on her own.
Anyway, when she arrived in Hao Kingdom, she would fight alone.
There is no one in this world that she can rely on. The only ones she can rely on are herself, her mind, and her hands.
Even Uhagalou was just a wise leader to her, not someone she could rely on.
She has seen many tragedies of women in this era.
They were all powerless to control their own destiny. Even though the Third Princess was a dignified princess, she was forced to marry far away in a foreign country. She didn't want to end up like the Third Princess, Shen Zhi, Shen Wan, and Aunt Jiang, nor did she want to be married off by the Emperor's decree to a man destined to die young like Chu Qianchen.
She must take her destiny into her own hands.
Chu Qianhuang smiled proudly, her expression becoming more determined, and she walked down the stairs step by step, looking at the carriage parked outside the teahouse. The person in the carriage seemed to have noticed something, and lifted a corner of the curtain, and his eyes met Chu Qianhuang's.
In the hall, the students were still talking loudly: "The government is interested in reform, which is a good thing for the country and the people!"
"In the past few years, the war in the north has continued, resulting in an empty treasury and insufficient income. The royal family's share should have been reduced long ago to reduce the burden on the treasury, so that our Great Qi can rest and recuperate."
"Brother Li is right."
“…”
Not only in this teahouse, but also in many other restaurants and teahouses in the capital, there were debates held by students, and most of them talked about this matter.
Therefore, Chu Qianchen, who was in Prince Chen's Mansion, soon heard about the students' discussions from Amber.
Chu Qianchen was playing with the cat with a rattan ball while listening to the story as if it were a book. The students had not yet experienced the trials and tribulations of court politics, nor had they truly seen the hardships of life. Most of them were still quite naive, and their words and actions were based solely on righteous indignation.
The rattan ball with bells inside rolled back and forth on the ground, making a ringing sound. The little black cat also flew and pounced with it, its body was very agile and it kept meowing.
Gu Jue hasn't gone out since returning from the winter hunt, but he hasn't been idle either. He's either dealing with military affairs, making silk strings, practicing martial arts, or reading... Chu Qianchen feels that the prince will never be able to sit idle in his life.
Chu Qianchen did not go to Duke Mu's Mansion today. Gu Zhiyan's condition has stabilized, so he only needs to go there every two days.
Chu Qianchen was in a good mood as it was a rare opportunity for him to spend an entire afternoon in the study with Gu Jue.
After listening to Amber's report, Chu Qianchen sent the person away.
Amber and the little black cat passed each other, "Ding-ling-ling", the little black cat fluttered the rattan ball to the edge of the mat. Chu Qianchen was afraid of disturbing Gu Jue, so he quickly pushed the rattan ball to the other direction.
"Be good!" Chu Qianchen spoke to the little black cat in a tender and soft voice, "Go play somewhere else and don't disturb the prince."
Amber stopped at the door curtain and couldn't help but look back at Chu Qianchen.
Perhaps only when dealing with the prince and the cat can one hear one's own princess speak in this tone.
Amber could feel that the prince and princess seemed to have become a little different since the past few days... In the past, she just felt that when the prince was around, she and Jiang Yuan seemed a little redundant.
But recently, she always felt that even the air seemed sweet.
Happy New Year of the Ox! May everything be smooth and safe.
(End of this chapter)