In the main hall of Cining Palace, Zheng Shuwen suddenly sat up from the couch, a little unbelievable.
Cheng Wanmiao did not dare to deceive her and nodded truthfully: "I happened to meet the general when he came back that day, so I met him. However, the general did not ask me to help him deal with his wounds, but asked Hua Qingxue to deal with them."
Cheng Wanmiao has lost the fighting spirit of the past. Now when she mentions Hua Qingxue, she no longer has that strong hatred. Perhaps she has fought too hard, been disappointed, and finally has a hint of despair. .
"I actually deceived everyone." Zheng Shuwen couldn't help but clenched her fists, her brows and eyes full of hatred: "Damn it!"
A palace maid slowly stepped forward and reported: "Queen Mother, the prince of Liao Kingdom has arrived."
"Xuan." Zheng Shuwen responded lightly, and then glanced at Cheng Wanmiao. Zi Wan understood and quickly took Cheng Wanmiao out from behind the screen. When she didn't want to leave the hall, she met Chen Yuan waiting outside. .
Chen Yuan suddenly saw Zi Yuan, and his expressionless face suddenly burst into laughter. However, this scene was seen by Zi Juan who was behind Cheng Wanmiao, and a trace of imperceptible sarcasm flashed across her face.
Chen Yuan sensed something was wrong and immediately calmed down.
Cheng Wanmiao said goodbye to Zi Wan respectfully, turned around and left, not noticing anything strange around her.
Zi Juan followed her, but when she said goodbye to Zi Juan, she lacked the respect and awe.
"Ha, why do I think this girl is more attractive than her master?" Chen Yuan waited for the two of them to go away, and then he got close to Zi Wantao.
Zi Yuan glanced at him sideways and did not answer. She just looked at Zi Juan's back with a rather profound look.
There must be something wrong with these two people, Chen Yuan was sure in his heart.
"How is it? Queen Mother, are you free to see me now?" Chen Yuan leaned forward and didn't want Zi Wan to turn around. He could only see her back. He lowered his head and leaned close to Zi Wan's ear, his posture seemed a bit ambiguous.
The maids standing under the eaves looked over curiously.
The roots of Zi Wan's ears turned red instantly, and she quickly took a step away from him: "Respect yourself!"
Another roll of the eyes was sent over, and he hid in the palace without stopping for a moment.
Chen Yuan wanted to catch up, but he couldn't bear the crime of breaking into the palace, so he could only continue to wait in silence.
"I didn't expect that the Prince of Liao was so thick-skinned that he dared to enter the palace to see the Queen Mother before the hot air balloon incident subsided for a long time." Chen Yuan gossiped alone.
But his thoughts were also what Queen Mother Zheng Shuwen was thinking at this moment.
Xiao Han was sitting at the bottom, his expression as usual, without any shame or guilt at all. He was actually... profound in skill.
"Even if the prince doesn't come to the palace, I still have plans to invite the prince to the palace." Zheng Shuwen's tone was lazy, but she meant something.
Xiao Han looked slightly embarrassed and responded with a slight smile: "Does the Queen Mother mind about Xiao taking a hot air balloon?"
"Is it possible that you can also make hot air balloons?" the Queen Mother asked.
Xiao Han coughed lightly: "The Queen Mother really blames me. Although the hot air balloon was created by Si Bing's wife, the principle is simple and it is not difficult to imitate. Besides, we have a vast territory with many people, and there are even more capable people and strangers. There are countless of them, and it’s so easy to imitate a hot air balloon.”
There is some truth to this.
Zheng Shuwen pondered for a moment and snorted coldly: "Indeed, it can only be imitation. Those who imitate only know the shape but not the essence. Otherwise, the prince of Liao Kingdom would not have suffered any injuries."
The ridicule in his words made Xiao Han's face instantly turn pale.
"Ahem." Xiao Han drank tea to hide his embarrassment.
"What is the purpose of the prince's visit? I am busy with affairs, so it is not convenient for me to accompany you." Zheng Shuwen has a cold attitude and a proud attitude, but she does have the capital to be arrogant.
Xiao Han felt vaguely unhappy in his heart, but he couldn't let it out. He was feeling very uncomfortable.
"Queen Mother, Xiao is indeed here for something. This matter is also the purpose of this patrol. He came here for the thunder."
Zheng Shuwen paused: "Oh? Was it the last time you proposed to buy Daqi's weapons?"
"Exactly." Xiao Han nodded.
"How much do you want?" Zheng Shuwen asked softly as she moved the ring in her hand.
"Fifteen hundred." Xiao Han said bluntly.
Before coming here, he went to Prince Ning's Mansion to check out the bottom. There were only so many Zhentian Lei in Qi State, and he planned to buy them all.
However, the Queen Mother of Qi would definitely not agree, which he expected.
"Prince of Liao Kingdom, I see that you haven't woken up today. You are dreaming!" Zheng Shuwen immediately lowered her face and looked at Zi Wan: "See off my guests."
His attitude was already very obvious, and Xiao Han had no choice but to retreat. However, this result was within his expectation, and he was not disappointed at all.
Chen Yuan looked at Xiao Han from a distance. He didn't go in to follow the Queen Mother until he was far away. Zheng Shuwen could also guess that Chen Yuan couldn't ask anything. Hua Qingxue would naturally ignore it, not to mention there was a general beside him. Protect.
"Queen Mother, what do you think we will do next?" Chen Yuan asked.
Zheng Shuwen rubbed her temples. She had to deal with so many things every day, which was a very consuming task: "If you stand still, I don't believe Fu Tingye can protect her for the rest of her life."
"Yes." Chen Yuan nodded, and then asked boldly: "I wonder why the prince of Liao came here just now?"
"Why else, buy our Zhentian Lei." Zheng Shuwen said angrily: "What the hell, we agreed to sell it to him. Who knew that he wanted all our inventory."
"Is it Qi's inventory or Fu Tingye's inventory?" Chen Yuan reminded suggestively.
Zheng Shuwen suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared at Chen Yuan in disbelief. She was shocked. Chen Yuan reminded her that although Zhentian Lei was powerful, it was not controlled by the court, but in Fu Tingye's weapons camp.
Li Jingnan had agreed to sell weapons before when he came to court, but the delivery of the goods was also taken from Fu Tingye's weapons camp, which required Li Jingnan's autograph.
From this point of view, she, the Queen Mother, really cannot be the master.
"I won't sell it anyway, let him be proud first." Zheng Shuwen was not angry and glanced at Chen Yuan: "Go down, I will tell you if anything happens."
"Yes." Chen Yuan bowed out respectfully.
Xiao Han walked out of the palace gate. There was a gorgeous carriage waiting for him. He jumped on it and opened the curtain, and there was Prince Ning sitting inside.
Prince Ning was holding a charcoal stove in his hand and was dressed gorgeously. He looked at Xiao Han with ridicule and sympathy: "Looking at your expression, I can tell you are in trouble. Don't blame me. I have warned you, the Queen Mother, that old woman, It’s not easy to deal with.”
Xiao Han smiled lightly: "Why, you are very proud."
"Hahaha, Brother Xiao is really good at joking, how can I be so proud?" Prince Ning's expression was completely different from his words.
Xiao Han really didn't want to expose him, but he didn't want to pay attention to him. Instead, he turned his head and looked out the window. People were coming and going in Shengjing City, and the streets were very bustling.
"It doesn't matter if the old woman doesn't agree, I have a way to make her agree." Xiao Han said softly.
Prince Ning was slightly surprised: "Really? Brother Xiao has any good ideas, can you tell me?"
"You'll know when the time comes." Xiao Han said it unkindly.
Hua Qingxue was in the laboratory inspecting the results of Liang Wensheng and Su Shaowen over the past few days. She gave them homework last time and thought it was time to finish it.
Liang Wensheng had already made a gun made of molten iron according to her instructions. Hua Qingxue assembled the parts, loaded the gun, and pulled the trigger. The gunpowder engine in the barrel was very well made.
It has reached what she expected.
Su Shaowen, following her prompts, has been able to refine gunpowder with higher purity and precision. In terms of quality, it is several times better than the previous Zhentian Lei.
What a great joy, gunpowder guns and new thunderbolts can be released.
Now they have two weapons in hand. Li Jingnan will be so happy that he won't be able to sleep if he finds out.
She and her two apprentices worked in the laboratory for a day, arranging the procedures and venues for the experiment. Then they returned to the yard, only to meet Huan'er and Xi'er who had returned from outside with sad faces.
Both of them looked helpless, which made Hua Qingxue curiously ask: "What's wrong, is this?"
When the two of them saw her, before they could answer, a woman came out of the arch on the side. It was Luo Muyu, and she also looked helpless.
"What else can I do? Things in Shengjing City are really crazy now." Luo Muyu poured out his bitter words.
"Are you ready to go out after your confinement?" Hua Qingxue exclaimed happily, and then she saw that Luo Muyu was wearing the down jacket she had given her. It was very close-fitting and set off her slim figure just right.
Sensing her gaze, Luo Muyu hurriedly thanked you: "Thank you for the clothes. This down jacket is so good. It's light, thin and warm. Your mind is so imaginative that you can invent such a thing."
"Actually, it's not my invention..." Hua Qingxue sneered: "But as long as you are satisfied with what you wear."
"Satisfied, satisfied, I'm very satisfied. I'd also like to ask you how many more you want. I've prepared a few sets for my wife Lu and my children." Luo Muyu said while holding Hua Qingxue's arm; "Of course it's not free. If I ask for it from you, I still have to give you the money.”
"It's okay, it's just small money. Now that Master Lu is working as an errand with the general, just treat it as a welfare benefit." Hua Qingxue declined.
Luo Muyu stopped being humble to her. Ever since she knew that Hua Qingxue was an extremely rich little rich woman, she was no longer serious about many things.
"By the way, what did you say about Shengjing City?" Hua Qingxue changed the topic back.
Luo Muyu's face suddenly turned the color of a bitter melon: "Hey, madam, you are a rich man, so naturally you don't understand the hardships of cooking, rice, oil and salt. Is it easy for us ordinary people? The potatoes and sweet potatoes in Shengjing City are priced at one price a day. Look, it’s only been a few days. The last time I bought sweet potatoes, it was three kilograms for a copper plate. Now it has increased to one copper plate per kilogram, and it is said that the price is rising every day. No, I have brought back a lot of rations today."
"Isn't that right? There are more than just these two. Madam, we went out to buy the materials needed for the kitchen today. Things like pepper, garlic, ginger, etc. have also increased a lot. Originally, the money for this project in the house was very sufficient. But today we purchased less than one-third and have already spent all the money.”