"Ah, my surname is Liu. These are all highly skilled craftsmen from our village!" the man introduced the craftsmen behind him.
"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble, Master Liu," Ah Xiang said with a smile.
"Uh, well, let's go prepare tea and snacks for the masters!" Granny Liu instructed several palace maids to boil water and prepare tea and snacks.
"I can't accept that, you're too kind, ladies." Master Liu rubbed his hands, and a rare blush of embarrassment appeared on his dark face.
"It's alright, it's alright!" Granny Liu waved her hand. "This little princess is a precious gem, a treasure of Nanyang. The renovation of her palace is entrusted to you!"
"Thank you, you've gone to so much trouble," Ah Xiang echoed.
"Don't worry, guys, we know what's important!" Master Liu nodded hurriedly, and the craftsmen behind him nodded in agreement.
This little princess has such an elegant air about her!
That must be the little princess, right?
Look at him, he looks like a little adult!
The workers exchanged glances, glancing at the clouds every now and then.
Hearing their praise, Yun Duoduo felt incredibly happy and walked with much more confidence.
She originally intended to take a quick look and then head to her palace, but hearing everyone's silent praise, she decided to stay outside a little longer, soak up some sun, and replenish her vitamin D.
Ah Xiang glanced at the little princess following behind her, wondering why the little princess was so happy.
"Then let's not disturb the old ladies, let's start measuring and preparing for construction." Master Liu set up a ladder in the open space.
"Alright, alright, you guys get busy, you guys get busy."
After a warm exchange of pleasantries, the two ended the somewhat awkward conversation.
Ah Xiang and several nannies quickly left the courtyard, making room for the chefs. Nanny Liu and several palace maids were busy boiling water, making pastries, and preparing wet towels to wash and hand to the chefs to wipe their sweat. It was quite a lively scene.
Sun Huohuo was engrossed in watching the excitement, but seeing the crowd disperse, he thought with some disappointment, "Huh? Why didn't a fight break out? Fighting is the most exciting thing."
[Sigh, it seems we won't be seeing that kind of scene my eldest brother described today.]
Yun Duoduo turned to look at Sun Huohuo behind her, [This kid, he's a coward himself, but he never misses a chance to cause trouble!]
"Duo'er...you...you scared me..." Sun Huohuo felt a chill run down his spine from Yun Duoduo's sudden gaze. He took half a step back, then threw down the branch in his hand and ran away.
Why does Duo'er look so fierce?
Watching Sun Huohuo run away, Yun Duoduo chuckled and led Jin Zhuangzhuang back to her bedroom.
It's so hot outside; the bedroom is the coolest place.
The craftsmen measured the palace, gesturing back and forth between the eaves and pillars inside.
...
In the days that followed, dust filled the air outside Fu Shuang Palace, and the sounds of construction were constant.
As the sweltering summer slowly passed, the masters toiled in the Fu Shuang Palace, sweating profusely. Yun Duoduo and Sun Huohuo rose at the crack of dawn to practice their martial arts, also sweating profusely in the backyard.
Autumn arrived with light steps as a torrential downpour began.
Some of the bricks under the ground inside Fu Shuang Palace were pried up, and the craftsmen buried fuses underneath. As soon as the fuses moved, they would pull on the pillars, and several feathered arrows would fly out from the eaves.
Inside the pillars under the eaves, several mechanisms were installed. Pressing the groove would spray out poison powder. Water from the stream behind the mountain could also be diverted from the pillars. The water and poison powder would mix together and spray out poison with a long range.
In this way, we can strike the enemy from all directions, from the sky to the ground.
Looking at her once warm and exquisite bedroom, now transformed into something resembling a military stronghold, Yun Duoduo couldn't help but swallow hard.
She clasped her hands together and glanced with some concern at Sun Huohuo, who was carefree and playing in the water outside.
[Emma, from now on, we'll have to tell Erhuo to be careful; he loves chasing butterflies in the yard.]
If you accidentally step on the wrong spot and get riddled with arrows, that would be a real problem.
...
Another month later, the construction of the mechanisms and the renovation of the buildings inside Fushuang Palace were completed.
Inside the Zichen Palace, Yun Beiye listened to Zhao Zhongquan's report.
"Your Majesty, the craftsmen have already completed the construction of all the mechanisms and secret passages within the Fu Shuang Palace."
Yun Beiye picked up his teacup, blew on the tea leaves floating inside, and waited for Zhao Zhongquan to continue speaking without saying a word.
"This old servant also saw it. Oh my, that mechanism is incredibly ingenious. If an assassin comes and is not familiar with the layout of Fushuang Palace, and steps on a brick he shouldn't, several arrows will be shot down from the eaves." Zhao Zhongquan's eyes gleamed as he spoke, gesturing as he went.
"And also, there are many hidden mechanisms on this wall. Just press one and it will spray out poison!"
"Your Majesty, you are truly insightful and farsighted. These masters really do have some wisdom in their heads," Zhao Zhongquan described vividly, his face beaming with excitement.
"Hmm, not bad." Yun Beiye nodded.
"Reward these masters handsomely."
"Yes, this old servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness on their behalf!"
"Also, send someone to check again. They must be able to defend against assassins, but also be careful not to harm my precious daughter. Do you understand?" Yun Beiye instructed anxiously.
"This old servant has remembered, Your Majesty, rest assured." Zhao Zhongquan bowed to show that he had remembered.
"Bring me a copy of the plans for the construction of the mechanisms and renovation of the buildings in Fu Shuang Palace." Yun Beiye took a sip of tea and nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes, this old servant will go and get it right away."
"This tea is good."
"This tea is the newly arrived Xue Shan Han Cui tea, and the water used to brew it is this morning's dew!" Zhao Zhongquan said, raising his pinky finger.
"Um."
"Yes, and another one, send another squad of Imperial Guards over to guard Fu Shuang Palace." Yun Beiye rubbed his sore eyes.
I've been feeling quite tired lately, and no matter how much energizing tea I drink, it doesn't seem to help much.
"Your Majesty, the guards surrounding Fushuang Palace are already three layers deep. Should we... should we add more guards?" Zhao Zhongquan asked hesitantly.
The defenses surrounding the Fu Shuang Palace were far too numerous, exceeding the number of people surrounding the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
The presence of so many guards surrounding the palace was certainly too conspicuous.
“Hmm, if we had someone as capable as Jinzhi, why would we need so many Imperial Guards?!” Yun Beiye retorted.
"I didn't want to either, but there was nothing I could do about it!"
"Duoduo's safety is the most important thing."
"Yes, yes, this old servant will go find Commander Xiao right away."
...?
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