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Meanwhile, Lu Shuyun continued to test the power of the Piercing Cloud Bow.

Wang Yong’s letter arrived at the Dongfang Family in less than half a month, and Dongfang Yi went straight to Dongfang Longyue’s courtyard after reading it.

At this moment, Dongfang Longyue was holding a small porcelain bottle to her nose, sniffing it repeatedly.

Upon seeing Dongfang Yi enter her courtyard, Dongfang Longyue put down the porcelain bottle and asked, “Father, is there something you need from me?” Dongfang Yi handed over the letter, “Wang Yong has written, saying the Crown Prince plans to first confirm the engagement with you, as for the wedding, there’s no rush, wait until the Crown Prince has married the Crown Princess Consort.”

“Given the Sum Emperor’s personality, he probably won’t grant the Crown Prince a marriage anytime soon.”

Dongfang Longyue took the letter from Dongfang Yi’s hand, glanced at it, and smiled slightly before saying, “Father, I plan to take a trip to North Country.” Hearing this, Dongfang Yi was startled, then asked, “What are you going to do in North Country?”

The Crown Prince and the North Prince have a very poor relationship, if he finds out you’ve run off to North Country, he will probably be very angry. Dongfang Longyue said indifferently, “This is exactly how we can let the Crown Prince know that the daughter has completely fallen out with the Dongfang Family, then you can comfortably tell the Crown Prince that all of this was my own decision.”

“The main reason for my trip to North Country is for those goods at the North Prince Mansion.”

“Surely you’ve heard about the North Prince Mansion’s white liquor?”

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Yi paused, then said, “Of course, now you can’t even buy the North Prince Mansion’s white liquor in Sufeng City with money.” Dongfang Longyue said, “I plan to do business with the North Prince Mansion, transporting their goods to sell in Sufeng City, especially the North Prince Mansion’s white liquor.”

“The Dongfang Clan is already a commercial family, if the Crown Prince gets angry over this, he will instead fall out with the Dongfang Family. Therefore, I believe that even if the Crown Prince is uncomfortable, he won’t say anything.” After thinking it over, Dongfang Yi said, “That’s true.”

“However, once you’re in North Country, be as cautious and prudent as possible. After all, we are part of the Aristocratic Family of the South, and in the eyes of the North Prince, we are the Crown Prince’s people, he might not welcome people from the South Aristocratic Family into North Country.” Dongfang Longyue said, “Don’t worry, Father, I know the limits.”

At this point, Dongfang Longyue suddenly thought of something and asked, “Father, is there any news about that matter?”

Dongfang Yi sighed, shook his head, and said, “No, I asked your great­grandfather, and he also said he hasn’t received any news.”

“It’s hard to say whether our generation will be able to wait for it.”

Alright, let’s not talk about this. Since you are going to North Country, start preparing early. I will arrange for a Grandmaster to protect you.”

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

In the past month, there had been constant strife within several dynasties, but the Great Xia Dynasty suddenly became exceedingly tranquil, as if all internal conflicts had vanished, and the Sum Emperor’s temperament had mellowed a great deal, as though he had completely capitulated to the Aristocratic Family. The main struggle on the Great Xia imperial court now was between the factions of the various Princes and the Crown Prince’s party. The Sum Emperor seemed to have become irrelevant, essentially remaining as a spectator, as if nothing had to do with him.

Lu Chen was in his study organizing recent intelligence. Reviewing the reports delivered by the Brocade Guard, Lu Chen was somewhat bewildered.

What exactly is his father the emperor doing? Not only did he establish Lu Shuyun as the Crown Prince, but he even went on to deregulate the salt industry, which had always been government-run, and lately, he had completely withdrawn from court disputes, as if ready to wash his hands of it all.

Lu Chen knew this was the calm before the storm, but he couldn’t quite understand what the Sum Emperor was planning.

Now that every major dynasty had their own internal issues to deal with, it was the perfect opportunity to tackle the Aristocratic Families. Lu Chen couldn’t believe that the Sum Emperor had no intentions regarding those Aristocratic Families at such a time.

The Sum Emperor’s attitude of apparent decline was clearly an act. What mattered was what he had done while pretending to neglect affairs. According to intelligence gathered by the Brocade Guard, the Sum Emperor seemed not to be busy with any serious matters. He was simply biding his time, waiting for the various princes’ factions and the Crown Prince’s supporters to fight among themselves. Lu Chen even suspected his imperial father intended to swoop in and reap the benefits once they inflicted serious damage on one another.

While Lu Chen was staring blankly at the reports on the table, the voice of a maid rose at the doorway, “Prince, Commander Qin is seeking an audience.” Lu Chen indifferently responded, “Come in.”

The next moment, Qin Yushan entered the study, “Your subordinate pays respect to Your Highness, long live the Prince.”

Lu Chen looked at the intelligence on the table and nodded slightly as he asked, “Hmm, what brings you here, Commander Qin?”

Qin Yushan answered, “Reporting to Your Highness, the cannons have been made. Moreover, the craftsmen have discovered a material that easily ignites. In the future, the Heavenly Thunder bombs will no longer need to be lit manually. One will only need to pull out the safety plug and strike the bottom to directly ignite the internal fuse.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen was astounded.

Were the craftsmen of Great Yu so skilled?

They had so quickly created a bomb that did not require manual ignition?

Didn’t this mean that the North Country had officially entered the Age of Firearms?

Following that, Lu Chen said, “Prepare the camions and the Thunderous bombs immediately. I want to test them personally.”

Seeing Lu Chen’s urgency, Qin Yushan took out an envelope with intelligence from his sleeve and said, “Your Highness, here is some more intelligence. Perhaps you would like to look at it first?”

Lu Chen took the intelligence from Qin Yushan’s hand, glanced over it after opening it, and then smiled.

“Piercing Cloud Bow? Piercing Cloud Arrow?”

“The names are somewhat interesting.”

Saying this, Lu Chen folded the intelligence in his hand and placed it on the table, “With firearms, these types of cold weapons pose no significant threat to the North Country. However, I am more concerned about the materials used to make the Piercing Cloud Bow. Try to procure some of the bows and arrows.” Qin Yushan said, “These bows and arrows are strictly controlled. Commander Liang is already trying to figure out a way.”

As he said this, Qin Yushan shifted the topic, “Additionally, there’s another matter. On my way here to the North Prince Mansion, the Jinyiwei Guards reported that the eldest daughter of the Dongfang Family recently arrived at Yan County. The Dongfang Family has already reached an engagement agreement with Prince Lu Shuyun not long ago. Dongfang Longyue is considered to be Prince Lu Shuyun’s fiancee, despite not yet being married.” Hearing Qin Yushan’s words, Lu Chen looked at Qin Yushan with a peculiar expression, then he asked, “Commander Qin, why do I feel like you have another purpose for telling me this?”

Qin Yushan quickly said, “Your Highness is mistaken. I only wanted to ask whether Your Highness would want to pay special attention to Dongfang Longyue to prevent her from doing anything that might harm the North Country.”

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen then said, “Indeed, we should pay special attention to her. Let me know if there’s any news about her.”

“Let’s drop this matter for now. I want to go test the cannons invented by the Mo Brothers.”

Qin Yushan promptly said, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Immediately after, Lu Chen, with Qin Yushan leading the way, went to the important military area to the east of Yan County.

The military area in the east was protected by two layers; the outer layer was guarded by the Black Cavalry and the inner by the Brocade Guard. Not even the ordinary armies of the North Country could enter this military spot, for it was an arsenal, currently the most significant military secret of the North Country. After Lu Chen entered the arsenal, Mo Xing immediately put down his work to greet him.

“I pay my respects to Your Highness!”

Lu Chen said, “Dispense with the formalities, Mo Xing. I have heard that the cannons have been made?”

Mo Xing replied, “They were made half a month ago, but, to avoid any issues during Your Highness’s test, I’ve made some improvements to the cannons. Moreover, they were enhanced with reference to Your Highness’s Grenade Cannons. In the end, we settled on three types of cannons.”

Hearing Mo Xing’s answer, Lu Chen was already impatient and immediately said, “Bring out those cannons, and let me test them.”

“Please follow me, Your Highness.”

Mo Xing then led Lu Chen to a specialized testing area for the cannons.

In the middle of the forest, there was a barren area full of craters, void of any vegetation. The area was used daily for bomb testing, which prevented any plant growth.

Before long, the Jinyiwei Guards brought several wooden carts pulled by horses to Lu Chen’s presence. As the boxes were opened, the cannons made by Mo Xing and his team appeared before Lu Chen.