Chen Da breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Hongmei had persuaded Qu Xiaodie. As long as he could enter the manor, he would be one step closer to his goal.
When Chen San heard that they were almost at the manor, he felt not only happy for his master but also worried. The manor was heavily fortified, and his master was a prince. If something went wrong while he was venturing in, he would be held responsible for the death of his master.
So, while they were still outside the manor and relatively free to move around, he secretly contacted his hidden companions outside, asking them to find a way to obtain a human skin mask of their master and some sleeping incense, just in case.
The defenses of the manor exceeded their expectations. Xie Yushu and Qu Xiaodie were not ordinary young ladies; they were outrageously intelligent. With Han Zhongyu and Yuan Xuanyuanche also present, he felt that this operation was like dancing with wolves.
But his master had already made up his mind, so he could only carry out orders and do his best to ensure his master's safety.
Three days later, Xie Yushu sent a squad of guards to Chuzhou to deliver a batch of liquor to Yi Shuihan. One reason was to develop business there, and the other was to create a legitimate vacancy within the manor.
So Qu Xiaodie made an exception and selected six more people to enter the villa.
Because of Chen Da's merit in saving Xiao Haitang and Chu Jinyu, they are granted special permission to participate in the assessment.
The assessment method is to have a one-on-one duel with the guards in the manor. Five guards will fight each other, and if you can defeat one of them, you pass.
Chen Da and the other two were all highly skilled in martial arts. Even if they deliberately held back, taking down five guards would be no problem for them. After a competition, they all passed the test and were successfully assigned to the manor.
Besides the three of them, the other three were people Qu Xiaodie had communicated with beforehand. They were selected along with the three of them, and their movements were to be monitored.
They were divided into groups of six, directly replacing the previous groups, and were on duty in the outer courtyard.
The manor has five armories and warehouses, located in the east, west, south, north, and center of the manor, so that they can be easily retrieved if needed to fight an enemy in the future.
Moreover, Zhao Hu meticulously divided the defenses within the manor into five defense zones.
The main courtyard of Xie Yushu and her family was of utmost importance, followed by the outer courtyard, the courtyards of the stewards and craftsmen, and then the armory, granary, and treasury.
Moreover, those on duty can only move within their own defense zone and do not communicate with each other. Therefore, when Chen Da and his team came in and were on duty in the outer courtyard, the only place they could come into contact with was the armory near the mountain gate.
The armory had already been emptied and traps were set, just waiting for the fish to take the bait.
Chen Da and his group entered the resort, showing great dedication to their work. After greeting everyone, they said they wanted to wander around and familiarize themselves with the environment before heading out to scout out the location.
They thought everything would be fine once they entered the manor, but after the three of them went out for a walk, they found that even though they were inside, the area they could move around in was still very limited. They were not allowed to enter the inner courtyard, the manager's residential area was guarded by separate guards, and even the canteen was guarded, not to mention the storeroom.
Everyone in the resort was very friendly and relaxed. No one felt constrained. Whether they were guards, workers, or cooks, it was all just a job.
But they came to steal, and the guards were so tight that they had a psychological feeling of being watched.
They were newcomers and didn't know anyone, so they didn't dare to ask around. They went out for a walk and, apart from getting a general understanding of the surrounding environment, they didn't find out any useful information.
Fortunately, there was Hongmei. Although they were only on duty in the outer courtyard, it was much easier to find Hongmei than when they were outside the mountain. They could just tell the guards in the inner courtyard and someone would pass on the message.
Hongmei already knew they had come in, but she hadn't finished her work, so she could only focus on finishing what she was doing.
But when she heard the visitor say that Chen Da was looking for her, she became restless and could no longer concentrate on her work. She hastily finished reviewing the accounts and ran out to see Chen Da.
Before, when Chen Da was outside the mountain, she was somewhat restrained. Now that the three Chen brothers have all entered the mountain villa, Hongmei treats them like her own family and takes them sightseeing.
They were shown around the outer courtyard and the location of important weapons. The steward and guard captain of the outer courtyard were also introduced to them.
Hongmei came at the same time as them and grew up together. Naturally, people would take care of the people she introduced. In addition, Chen Da was good at getting things done. He would greet people with a smile and call them "brother" so easily. In just a few days, she was thriving in the outer courtyard.
Hongmei would also go to the outer courtyard to find him every day during his rest time and bring him some food and supplies.
If Chen Da hadn't had ulterior motives, the two would have seemed like a good match.
After being there for more than ten days, Chen Da felt that Hongmei had completely accepted him as one of her own. Moreover, after this period of adjustment, his questions no longer seemed abrupt, so he casually asked...
"Back in Kyoto, I heard that the princess presented a weapon diagram to the emperor, who was so pleased that he made an exception and bestowed the title of princess upon our master."
"Since even His Majesty has taken a liking to this weapon, it must be extremely useful. Why don't we see our own people being equipped with it?"
Hongmei thought he was just chatting idly, so she said...
"We used to train with it, but the princess said that now that the world is at peace, it is basically not needed, so it was put into storage. From now on, we will train with it once or twice a year for a period of time, as long as we don't get rusty."
Upon hearing this, Chen Da said with a mixture of regret and envy.
"Oh? You guys actually trained? What kind of divine weapons did you use?"
Alas! What a pity, I arrived late and missed the chance to see it. The weapon designed by the princess must be extraordinary!
Hongmei couldn't bear to see him in any bad mood, so she comforted him.
"It's okay, you're in now, and you can participate in the next training session!"
It's actually just a crossbow, but the princess designed one that could fire ten arrows in quick succession. She named it a repeating crossbow, and it's much more powerful than a regular crossbow. You'd definitely like it if you saw it.
Upon hearing this, Chen Da was secretly alarmed, and even his expression changed!
With ten arrows fired in quick succession, the destructive power of such a crossbow if mass-produced is unimaginable. No wonder Xie Yushu was granted the title of First-Rank Princess by Emperor Qingyuan, a title that could even be bestowed upon her ancestors.
If such weapons were equipped to all the armies of the Great Qi, wouldn't their wish to conquer the Central Plains from the grasslands be dashed?
No, he had to hurry. The Central Plains were so vast, with silks and satins, beautiful women and fine wines, pearls and necklaces—good things were everywhere. It was time for the grassland people to enjoy them.
He was determined to get the repeating crossbow. With such a powerful weapon, what was there to worry about in conquering cities and seizing territories? As long as he planned properly, unifying the world would be just around the corner!
At this moment, Fu Guang felt an overwhelming sense of longing, as if he could see himself unifying the world and becoming the overlord of the land. What glory that would be! Just thinking about it made him incredibly excited.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
