Qingzhu clapped her hands. "Your Highness, this gunpowder is amazing!"
Bai Chuxiao's lips twitched. What a silly child, never seen anything good before. What's this? "This is a bomb!"
Cui Hao exclaimed happily, "Bombs? If we had more, they would definitely be incredibly effective on the battlefield!"
Xia Fan and Lin Huai's eyes lit up as well, "Your Highness, if we had this, we would be invincible..."
Bai Chuxiao helplessly spread her hands, "You should give up on this idea. This thing can't be used on the battlefield yet. We've only managed to develop seven or eight units a month so far."
A hint of disappointment appeared in their eyes.
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "Alright, this thing wasn't easy to develop, and its power isn't enough yet. You should go back and train properly; don't count on it for now."
"Yes," the group replied, still full of anticipation.
Bai Chuxiao discussed gun manufacturing with Hong Tao for a while longer, and didn't take the group back until the afternoon.
No sooner had she dismounted than Madam Shen suddenly appeared, kneeling directly in front of her and tugging at her clothes.
"Your Highness, please spare my daughter's life!"
Cui Hao and his companions looked rather grim. This Madam Shen was actually blocking their way at the door—how despicable!
Sensing that there was something she didn't know, Bai Chuxiao frowned and turned her head to ask, "What's going on?"
The group hesitated somewhat.
Bai Chuxiao said calmly, "Alright, Madam Shen, please get up. Come in and talk to me if you have anything to say."
Madam Shen quickly replied, "It's the Princess Consort."
The group returned to the main courtyard, and Bai Chuxiao said calmly, "What happened to Chen Ru..."
The princess was indeed unaware of the situation. Madam Shen, thinking that pleading with her might be of some use, quickly knelt down and cried, "Your Highness, not long after we took my daughter back that day, the prince had her taken away again. I dare not ask Your Highness to forgive my daughter, I only beg you to spare her life."
Bai Chuxiao turned her head and asked, "Where is Chen Ru?"
Xia Fan whispered, "She's in the dungeon. The prince said he'll kill her when the princess is in a better mood..."
Upon hearing this, Madam Shen hurriedly said, "Please, Your Highness, spare her life. She truly knows she was wrong..."
Bai Chuxiao was somewhat impatient, but she had already promised to let her go that day and didn't want to go back on her word. "Alright, bring her here."
Fearing something might go wrong, Madam Shen quickly kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness."
Cui Hao hesitated for a moment, "Your Highness, the Prince doesn't intend to spare her life... and besides, she..."
Shen Ru has been tortured terribly these past few days. There are hardly any intact parts of her body; she is living a life worse than death... She is barely clinging to life...
Bai Chuxiao said calmly, "Alright, if he's not dead, hand him over to Madam Shen to take back. I don't want to hear about this anymore..."
Cui Hao nodded helplessly and said, "Yes, I'll go right away."
Before long, Cui Hao dragged over a person covered in blood and threw him over without any courtesy.
Shen Ru slumped to the ground like she had no bones, only able to make "woof woof" sounds.
Madam Shen rushed over and said, "Ru'er, what's wrong with you...?"
Pushing aside the stray hairs on her face, Madam Shen finally saw that her tongue was gone.
Shen Ru's eyes were vacant. She couldn't speak anymore; her tendons in her hands and feet had been severed, she couldn't stand, and she couldn't even make a gesture.
Except for her head, which she could move, she couldn't move anything else.
Madam Shen silently shed tears.
Bai Chuxiao showed no sympathy, saying indifferently, "Alright, send them back..."
Xia Fan and Lin Huai said to the person on the ground, "Madam Shen, please."
Madam Shen kept her head down, a flash of hatred in her eyes. She rose, walked to Bai Chuxiao, and knelt again, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Bai Chuxiao didn't want to waste any more words, so she turned around and left with the two little girls.
As night fell, Chu Tianze returned from the military camp outside the city and arrived at the door. He knocked a few times and said, "Xiaoxiao, may I come in?"
Bai Chuxiao, who was reading inside, paused, got up, and opened the door.
Chu Tianze hugged her tightly, "Xiaoxiao, please don't be angry with me, okay?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "Alright, I'm not angry anymore."
Chu Tianze was somewhat surprised, then said, "Why did you release that Shen family member? I told you I'd kill her once you're calmed down."
Bai Chuxiao laughed and said, "Alright, I said in front of everyone that I would release her. What's the point of you bringing her back and torturing her without a word? She's practically dead now, so I don't need to hold it against her."
Chu Tianze said in a low voice, "Xiaoxiao was just too kind. Killing her is fine, but killing her is fine too..."
Bai Chuxiao shook her head and said, "I think Shen Xuanxuan is not bad, and I don't want to push things too far. Let's not talk about this..."
Chu Tianze nodded, then said somewhat aggrievedly, "If I listen to Xiaoxiao, then... can I come back tonight?"
Bai Chuxiao snorted coldly, "No way."
Chu Tianze said, "Didn't you say you weren't angry anymore?"
Bai Chuxiao said, "That won't work either."
After saying that, he slammed the door shut.
The following day, Chu Tianze, Bai Chuxiao, Fan Ziming, Murong Cheng, Yu Fengyang, Murong Xuan, and others gathered in the hall to discuss matters.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, there is a young master Zhao outside requesting an audience," Mo Cang reported, bowing.
Bai Chuxiao's face showed a hint of surprise. "Uncle Mo, quickly go and invite them in."
"yes"
Zhao Sifang, dressed as always in a shimmering red robe, strode in, bowed slightly to the person at the head of the table, and said, "Your Highness, may you enjoy your meal."
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "Sifang, you don't need to be so polite."
Chu Tianze curled his lip, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes.
Yu Fengyang smiled and made room for him, jokingly saying, "God of Wealth, please sit here."
Zhao Sifang didn't stand on ceremony, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Brother Yu, how have you been?"
Yu Fengyang laughed back, "How can it compare to Brother Zhao's carefree and joyful life?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "Sifang, why did you come in person..."
Zhao Sifang raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't worry, Zui'an. It's normal for businessmen to travel all over the country; they'll get away with it cleanly."
Chu Tianze asked calmly, "How are the preparations for provisions and military pay going?"
Zhao Sifang snorted coldly, "Now that I've come in person, everything is naturally in order. This batch will be enough to keep the army busy for the next two years."
Chu Tianze frowned, "Only two years..."
Zhao Sifang gritted his teeth and said, "It's already quite an achievement for me to manage to secure two years' worth of provisions for your hundreds of thousands of troops while avoiding the eyes and ears of the imperial court. Does Your Highness have any other objections? You don't need to worry about the rest; we'll make up for it gradually..."
Chu Tianze said calmly, "That's good. I have faith in Zhao, the 'richest man'."
Bai Chuxiao glared at him, annoyed: How dare you talk like that?
Chu Tianze's eyes held a hint of resentment: "It's a misunderstanding! With internal and external troubles, two years' worth of military supplies wouldn't be enough!"
Zhao Sifang glanced at the two men at the head of the table, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Your Highness doesn't think the Yan Prince's Mansion has too many properties, does he? Your and Zui'an's properties are far from enough. If it weren't for my subsidies, hmph, I'd like to see how you fight..."
Fan Ziming, standing to the side, quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Zhao."
The western states were already poor, and the meager funds of the Prince of Yan's mansion were hardly enough to support an army of hundreds of thousands. Fortunately, there was this richest man in the Great Xia Dynasty...
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