"Okay." Chu Qianchen responded crisply, with a bright smile and sweet dimples. There was a fresh and bright girlish charm flowing in her eyes.

At this time, the red-wheeled carriage stopped, and Gu Jinming's brisk voice came from outside, saying that they had arrived at Yunting Pavilion.

After having lunch at Yunting Pavilion, they parted ways. Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen returned to Prince Chen's Mansion, while Gu Jin and Shen Wan went to Duke Mu's Mansion to take Gu Zhiyan to their new house.

In the past few days, Gu Zhiyan's fever has stabilized and his spirits are much better than before, but his addiction to the talisman water has not yet been cured.

Chu Qianchen prescribed medicine for Gu Zhiyan to use every day, and also specially prepared a kind of incense and asked Shen Wan to light it every day. She would see Gu Zhiyan for a follow-up visit every three days.

Chu Qianchen said that she would cure Gu Zhiyan's addiction first, and then cure her absence disorder, one step at a time.

Seeing their daughter's condition improve visibly day by day, Shen Wan and Gu Jin had nothing more to ask for. They were mentally prepared that their daughter's illness would take several years to recover.

After moving to a new home today, Gu Zhiyan's eyes suddenly lit up. The little girl held her mother's hand with one hand, held a kitten in the other, and raised her little face.

Gu Zhiyan: "Mom, is this our new home?"

Shen Wan: “Yeah.”

Gu Zhiyan: "Does that mean I don't have to pay my respects to my grandmother anymore?"

Shen Wan: “Yeah.”

Gu Zhiyan: "Can I invite my sister to come to my house to play in the future?"

Shen Wan: “Yeah.”

Gu Zhiyan: "We won't move back in the future, right?"

Shen Wan: “No.”

After receiving Shen Wan's affirmative answers, Gu Zhiyan smiled brightly, innocently and adorably, completely different from her previous sickly look, although she still looked a little haggard.

Gu Zhiyan has been suffering from high fever and nightmares these days, and it has been a long time since I saw her smile so brightly.

Shen Wan looked at her daughter's little face with a faint smile and a pointed chin, her eyes welled up and she almost cried for joy.

Gu Jin, who was two steps away, looked at his wife and daughter who were talking and laughing in front of him. He was also infected by their joy, and his eyebrows curved with pleasure.

He felt that resigning from his title and dividing his family property was the second best thing he had ever done in his life.

The first thing was naturally to marry his Awan!

Gu Jin said, "Awan, Qiniang, shall we go out for dinner tonight?"

As Gu Jin spoke, he squatted down and looked Gu Zhiyan in the eye.

Shen Wan: “…”

Before Shen Wan could speak, Gu Zhiyan nodded and said, "Okay."

Now, the person in charge of their family is Gu Zhiyan, and she has the final say.

Not to mention going out for a meal, even if she wanted to pick the moon from the sky, Shen Wan would agree.

So, an hour later, the couple took their daughter out.

The three of them neither rode horses nor took a carriage.

Gu Jin and Shen Wan held Gu Zhiyan's left hand, one holding her right hand, and then the couple shook their daughter's hands at the same time.

This was obviously a very trivial matter. Gu Zhiyan giggled excitedly and shook her parents' hands.

The three of them looked like an ordinary couple taking their children out.

The couple took Gu Zhiyan along the way and bought things along the way. They bought small things and snacks that girls like. Gu Jin even bought a small basket to put the little things he bought for his wife and daughter.

When walking to a certain street, Shen Wan suddenly stopped and looked to the right front. There was a figure wearing a red cloak. The figure was very familiar. Even though she didn't see the other person's face, Shen Wan recognized it at a glance.

Chu Qianhuang.

A sneer appeared on Shen Wan's lips, and she didn't intend to step forward to say hello.

The maid behind Chu Qianhuang was holding a long wooden box in her arms, which made Shen Wan take a closer look as she watched the master and servant enter Bize Garden.

Bize Garden is not just a restaurant. Behind the restaurant facing the street is a garden, which was rebuilt from a royal villa left over from the previous dynasty. It has a pond, a small garden, a water pavilion... and a small racecourse, which almost occupies half of the street.

Today, the entire Bize Garden was booked by someone.

When Chu Qianhuang entered the lobby of the restaurant, it was empty. Only the waiter led her inside and said with a smile: "Miss, please come in. The master is waiting for you inside."

Chu Qianhuang had an appointment with someone today. The waiter led her through the restaurant and came to a two-story pavilion by the pond at the back.

Prince Andaman was waiting for her in the water pavilion. When he saw Chu Qianhuang and her servant coming, his burning eyes fell on the wooden box in the maid's hands. Judging from the size of the box, it was most likely that the new type of bow was inside.

Andaman's eyes became brighter, flashing with ambition to win.

After the people were brought in, the waiter retreated. Su Ke and another Nanhao man with triangular eyes stood guard outside the water pavilion to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

Andaman stared at Chu Qianhuang deeply, curled his lips, and spoke first in Qi language: "Miss Chu, I have shown my 'sincerity'."

He slightly emphasized the word "sincerity".

Chu Qianhuang, who had just entered the water pavilion, paused, her eyes surging with dark currents, and she said to Andaman almost word by word: "I don't want to be a concubine!"

The air in the water pavilion suddenly turned cold, as if it was about to condense.

Chu Qianhuang just learned about this today.

This morning, the Queen specially summoned her to the palace and told her that she would go to Hao Kingdom as the concubine of the Third Princess. Then, the Queen also reprimanded her implicitly: "Qian Huang, you have always been a smart and clever child. I really didn't make a mistake in your judgment."

"When you go to Nanhao with the Third Princess, you must be careful with your words and actions at all times, and don't let me down."

“…”

Chu Qianhuang didn’t remember what else the Queen said. At the time, she was so shocked as if struck by lightning. She wanted to explain, but she didn’t know how.

Chu Qianhuang had no doubt that the Queen wanted to have her dragged away and slapped in the face again, but the Queen was afraid of the consequences and could only give her a gentle but pointed warning and let her leave the palace.

After Chu Qianhuang came out of the palace, she came here directly. At this moment, her mood had not yet calmed down, and there was strong dissatisfaction in her eyes when she looked at Andaman.

How could she be a concubine!

Andaman remained calm and asked Chu Qianhuang to sit down with a smile on his face: "Miss Chu, please sit down and talk."

Although Chu Qianhuang wanted to turn around and leave, she didn't leave in the end. After pausing for a moment, she walked towards Andaman.

The corners of Andaman's lips curled up again almost imperceptibly, with a sense of satisfaction that everything was under his control, but he quickly returned to his original attentive smile.

After Chu Qianhuang sat down, Andaman personally poured her tea and comforted her kindly: "Miss Chu, your Daqi has strict rules and etiquette. I can't ask your emperor to agree to add one more person to the wedding procession for no reason. This is also a temporary measure."

"I think the girl is a casual person, so why should she care about these insignificant details?"

Andaman's smile deepened on his bearded face, and his dark brown eyes were full of meaning.

In the past few days, he had someone investigate the eldest daughter of the Yongding Marquis's Mansion. She was not a concubine's daughter as she said, but the eldest daughter of the Chu family and the eldest sister of Princess Chen.

Andaman found it very interesting that Chu Qianhuang was determined to go to Hao Country. She must have known that he should be able to find out her background, so what kind of secrets did this girl in front of him hide? ! Andaman was of course full of doubts about Chu Qianhuang, but no matter how many doubts he had, they could not overcome the attraction of the new bow. He asked his subordinate Lange to look at the drawings given by Chu Qianhuang. Lange was amazed and studied the drawings over and over again for a long time, concluding that Chu Qianhuang's remarks about the power of this bow were very likely true.

Andaman also asked Lange whether it was possible to deduce this new type of bow based on the drawings alone, but unfortunately the answer was no. Lange said that it was impossible because the most critical details were blurred on the drawings.

In order to obtain this new type of bow, no matter what Chu Qianhuang or Gu Jue's purpose is, Andaman has to take a gamble. As long as there is a 50% chance of getting this bow, it will be enough.

Furthermore, no matter what Chu Qianhuang’s purpose in going to Hao Kingdom is, as long as this new type of bow is real, she cannot be allowed to leave easily.

As long as she arrives in Hao Country, Chu Qianhuang will naturally not be able to escape from their clutches.

Chu Qianhuang pursed her lips and thought silently for a moment. What the Andaman County King said was not without reason. She had no rank or status, and her status as the princess's companion was taken away. She couldn't be inserted in without a name or status.

Although the word "concubine" really disgusted her, she had no other choice at this point.

If she were removed from the list of Teng's concubines now, it would mean that she would have to join the Third Princess' wedding procession again under another name, which would probably lead to unwarranted speculation from the Emperor and Empress.

She had no other way to go. If she wanted to go to Nanhao, this was her only way.

Chu Qianhuang closed her eyes, her heart in turmoil.

To be honest, she did not trust Andaman and Uhadula behind him. She also knew that Andaman was trying to fool her to some extent and was deliberately using the name "Teng concubine" to disgust her.

It is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

As long as she could gain Uhajaro's trust, and as long as she patiently helped him to regain everything that belonged to him, then she could naturally settle the old accounts with Andaman and Uhadura.

Now, she will tolerate him for a while.

Although she told herself this in her heart, at this moment, Chu Qianhuang couldn't help but vent her anger on Chu Qianchen.

If it weren't for Chu Qianchen, she would have gone to Nanhao in glory as the third princess's companion.

How could she fall into this predicament now!

Chu Qianhuang frowned slightly and didn't speak for a long time, as if a thick dark cloud was covering her.

Andaman drank tea leisurely. When he saw the change in Chu Qianhuang's expression, he knew that she had compromised. He urged with a smile: "Miss Chu, what about your 'sincerity'?"

There was a peculiarly shaped bow in the box, which was exactly the same as the one on Chu Qianhuang's drawing.

This bow is probably a stone bow, made of ordinary ox horn material, but the shape of the bow is very strange. The bow body is pieced together, with four small wheels on it, and there are two more bowstrings.

Andaman picked up the bow almost eagerly, looked at it first, and then tried to pull the bow to its full length. When he pulled the bow, he was startled and his eyes widened slightly.

Chu Qianhuang saw it immediately, and was pleased with herself. She smiled and said, "Prince, why not try using the feather arrows?"

Andaman took out a feather arrow, skillfully drew the bow, put the arrow on it, and then released the arrow. The series of movements were as smooth as flowing water.

“Whoosh!”

The feather arrow flew out of the bow, cutting through the air like a meteor, quickly shot out of the window, crossed the pond outside, and shot into a tree trunk that was so big that two people had to hug it.

“Rustle…”

Countless fallen leaves fluttered down from the treetops like a heavy snowfall. The yellow or green leaves fell on the surface of the pond, causing small ripples on the water.

Andaman's eyes opened wider, and his left hand holding the bow subconsciously clenched tightly, as if he was afraid that someone would snatch it away.

This bow is amazing! He didn't use much force when he pulled the bow just now, but the power of the arrow shot out was not reduced at all, and the effective range was a hundred steps away. If he used all his strength, how far could he shoot? He estimated that it was at least 20% to 30% more powerful than an ordinary bow, and it was also labor-saving. Saving the physical strength of the soldiers was equivalent to increasing their combat effectiveness. If this bow could be deployed in large quantities, it would surely make the soldiers of Hao Kingdom even more powerful.

On a battlefield where the enemy and our side are equally strong, this advantage is enough to sweep away the enemy and be invincible.

Chu Qianhuang looked at the tree outside the window that was still rustling and sighed, "What a pity, this bow is still a bit rough and can only be considered a semi-finished product."

As she spoke, she looked at Prince Andaman and said apologetically, "Prince, I have limited manpower and resources here. I hope you will forgive me."

Andaman understood that Chu Qianhuang was guarding against him, so he deliberately gave him a semi-finished product first.

Andaman took the bow in his hand and played with it repeatedly without saying a word.

Chu Qianhuang smiled and said, "How about my sincerity?"

"I accept the girl's sincerity." Andaman put the bow on the table, meaning that he wanted to keep it.

"That won't do." Chu Qianhuang refused without thinking, "I'm going to take this bow away today. When I get to Hao Country, I'll give you the bow and the complete blueprint."

After a pause, she added, "The prince won't distrust me, will he?"

Andaman: "..."

Andaman frowned slightly and remained silent.

Of course, he didn't trust Chu Qianhuang, but he couldn't just say that. Besides, Chu Qianhuang's condition was to fulfill her promise when she arrived in Hao Country. Hao Country was the territory of the Hao people. What tricks could Chu Qianhuang, a weak woman with no power, do? ! Andaman looked at the bow repeatedly, and his right hand gently stroked the bow, as if he wanted to engrave its structure in his memory.

Chu Qianhuang was not afraid of him seeing it, nor was she afraid of him remembering it. This was a compound bow that was beyond this era. She was confident that no matter how hard Andaman looked, he would not be able to see the trick, so she did not urge him.

After a while, Andaman nodded and agreed: "Okay, I promise you."

He smiled slightly and personally returned the bow to Chu Qianhuang, looking elegant and reasonable.

Chu Qianhuang put the compound bow back into the wooden box, closed the lid, and breathed a sigh of relief: If Andaman insisted on taking the bow away now, she would have no way to refuse, even if she still had some tricks up her sleeve.

But since both parties are going to cooperate, she still hopes that the cooperation can be pleasant rather than tense. Fortunately, Andaman is still a trustworthy person.

Chu Qianhuang did not stay any longer. She told Baoqin to pick up the wooden box containing the bow and arrows, and then said goodbye to Andaman: "Prince, I will wait for your good news. Goodbye."

After Chu Qianhuang said this, she left the water pavilion with her maid.

Andaman did not send anyone to escort him. Suke and the other man who were guarding outside the water pavilion walked in, came in front of Andaman, and looked at Chu Qianhuang's back outside with eyes as sharp as a beast.

After Chu Qianhuang walked away, Su Ke lowered his voice and said, "Prince, do you want me to check where the bow was made?"

Chu Qianhuang was just a lady from a wealthy family in Da Qi. Like other noble ladies in Da Qi, she might be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and might have a little cleverness, but that was all.

There is no way she could have made that bow herself. From some details of the bow's making, it can be seen that this might be a semi-finished product, but it is also a prototype made by a skilled craftsman. It is 80 to 90 percent likely that Chu Qianhuang asked craftsmen from the capital to make it.

As Andaman thought about it, he stroked his thick curly beard, raised his thick eyebrows, and took another sip of tea.

Although he felt that Chu Qianhuang would not make such a low-level mistake that would give them an opportunity to take advantage of him, he still nodded in agreement: "Go."

Then, he cautiously reminded him: "Suke, this is Da Qi."

What he meant by this was to remind his subordinates that the Jinyiwei of Da Qi were like a group of dogs raised by the emperor of Da Qi, who were good at reconnaissance, arrest, and interrogation. The huge capital city was full of Jinyiwei's eyes and ears, secretly watching the noble officials of Da Qi and also watching these foreigners.

Therefore, they must not make too much noise in Da Qi. The new type of bow provided by Chu Qianhuang is so magical that even the Emperor of Da Qi would be tempted by it.

If they were to expose the bow to the Emperor of Da Qi because of their recklessness, it would be like making wedding clothes for others.

If the Emperor of Daqi got this magic weapon, would he want to lead his troops south? Andaman couldn't help but have this thought in his mind, his eyes gloomy.

Even though Andaman's words were vague, Suk could understand what he meant. He saluted solemnly and replied, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will act carefully."

Suk retreated first, and Andaman didn't even look at him. His right hand clenched and unclenched as he thought, repeating this several times.

Finally, he placed his fist on the table and whispered, "It's time to urge the Emperor of Daqi to finalize the list of brides so that we can set off for Hao early to avoid any more trouble."

In Andaman's opinion, Chu Qianhuang is now much more valuable than the third princess who married their prince. The marriage between the two countries can only bring peace to Northern Qi and Dahao for a period of time, maybe just a few years, maybe decades...

However, that new type of bow can increase the combat power of Dahao, help Emperor Hao stabilize the morale of the army, and subdue the princes. Even in the future...

Just thinking about it, Andaman couldn't sit still anymore, and an eager flush appeared on his face.

He did not stay long. He finished the tea in the cup and asked someone to put away the feather arrow he had just used to test the bow. Then he left Bize Garden and went straight into the palace.

As it approached the hour of You, the sky was dim and most of the officials had already left the palace. As a result, this magnificent palace seemed much quieter.

When Andaman went through all the formalities and arrived outside the imperial study, a young eunuch in blue clothes who was guarding under the eaves came up to greet him and said politely, "Does Prince Andaman want to see the emperor?"

Andaman also smiled politely: "Please inform me, sir."

The young eunuch in blue went into the imperial study to report, leaving Andaman waiting outside.

The emperor was not alone in the imperial study. The second prince, Gu Nanzhao, was telling the emperor about the process of the division of Prince Jing's Mansion. He also mentioned that Gu Jin did not want any property but only cash.

Gu Nanzhao said, the emperor is listening.

Halfway through, the emperor took a pill presented by Eunuch Ni, swallowed it with water, wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, and looked sarcastic.

The emperor had no sympathy for Gu Jin. He had known that Gu Jin was a nonsensical person who was just making trouble. He resigned from his title, divided the family property, and even affected his reputation as the emperor. It was simply nonsense.

Since Gu Jin didn't want to work in the court anymore, the emperor decided to fulfill his wish and let him be an idle member of the royal family from now on. He would just be given some salary as a member of the royal family and be supported.

There are so many people in the royal family, one more person like Gu Jin won’t make much difference.

The emperor threw down his handkerchief casually and gave only three words about the division of Prince Jing's Mansion: "Let him do it." Anyway, today's division was based on etiquette, and he did not favor anyone.

The young eunuch in blue came in at this time. Seeing that Gu Nanzhao had finished his business, he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Andaman of Nanhao wants to see you."

When the emperor heard Andaman's name, the muscles in his cheeks tensed and he became more and more disgusted with this man.

Seeing the emperor's unhappy expression, Gu Nanzhao asked, "Father, do you want me to..." send him away? The emperor raised his hand and made a gesture to silence Gu Nanzhao, then squeezed out a word from between his teeth:

"Xuan."

He also asked Gu Nanzhao to stay. After all, Gu Nanzhao was in charge of contacting the Nanhao envoys recently.

After a while, Andaman strode in. Others who entered the imperial study lowered their heads and looked respectful and fearful. Perhaps only Andaman, as Nanhao's envoy, could be so calm and not care about the pressure released by the emperor.

Andaman also noticed Gu Nanzhao, and he nonchalantly performed Nanhao etiquette to the father and son: "Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of Daqi and His Royal Highness the Second Prince."

The emperor told him to excuse himself in a cold tone, his attitude was neither hot nor cold.

Andaman still had a smile on his face and continued, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Daqi, I heard that your country's Laba Festival is in two days. In Dahao, it is also a festival. It is the day when Sakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment."

"The New Year is approaching, and I am eager to go home."

“…”

The young eunuch in blue could not hear what Andaman said next. He had already quietly left the imperial study. One could even guess that today would be another long and restless night.

Sure enough, after Andaman left, the emperor's furious voice was heard from the imperial study again. The second prince who stayed in the imperial study was also the target of the emperor's anger and was scolded.

Not long after, the emperor summoned the Minister of Rites and the officials from the Imperial Clan Court to the palace before locking the palace gates, and they discussed the matter for a long time in the imperial study...

Before I knew it, the sunset disappeared and night fell. It was a starless and moonless night, very cold and lonely.

When the group of people came out of the palace, they all felt relieved and exhausted.

Prince Li was the head of the clan, so naturally he was also summoned by the emperor to speak. He felt that today's short day had been full of ups and downs, so much so that he could write a storybook about it.

The Minister of Rites and other people returned to their respective residences, but Prince Li did not go home directly. Instead, he went to Prince Chen's residence halfway and complained as if to vent his anger: "The emperor really does what he wants. He doesn't want Anle to marry the Hao Kingdom anymore."

"He is such a fool. This is a marriage between two countries. How can they change their mind overnight?"

"Hey, he's not that old. People say that people are free from doubts at the age of 40, but I think he looks like he's in his old age!"

This last statement is almost disrespectful.

(End of this chapter)