126 Employed
Gu Yanfei raised her eyebrows and looked at Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan continued with a smile, “I saw the Eldest Prince in the Ministry of War. He said that the envoy from the State of Yue will arrive in a few days. It’s the Third Prince of the State of Yue. The Eldest Prince asked me to accompany him to the capital to receive the envoy.”
This was the first time Gu Yuan had seen the Eldest Prince, Chu Yi, who had been a hostage in the State of Yue for eight years.
Previously, he had thought that the Eldest Prince had been a hostage in the State of Yue for many years and would probably be raised to be weak. It was only when they met today that he realized that the Eldest Prince was different from what he had thought.
!!
When the Eldest Prince mentioned the Third Prince of the State of Yue, his expression was calm and composed. There was no trace of caution, nor was there any humility. He was definitely not a weak person. Eight years of being a hostage had not crushed his pride or made him bow down to the State of Yue.
“Meow!” Qing Guang seemed to understand and thought of a human who had pinched the back of its neck.
Hmph, an extremely bold and stupid human!!
Qing Guang was about to look up at Gu Yuan when Gu Yanfei quickly pressed a hand on the back of its neck.
Gu Yanfei patted its back perfunctorily twice, meaning that it should eat well.
The cat gave in.
Gu Yuan took another sip of tea and continued, “The visit from the State of Yue was only decided at the last minute this month.”
“All these years, the Great Jin and the State of Yue have been minding their own business, and there were only some ordinary trade transactions. It was only when the Emperor ascended the throne that the Emperor spent more than half a year barely suppressing those noble families in exchange for the Eldest Prince’s return. He also allowed a firearms blueprint from the State of Yue to be released.”
Gu Yuan originally did not know about the agreement between the two countries regarding the firearms blueprint. The Eldest Prince had personally told him about it when he saw him in the Ministry of War today…
Thinking of this, Gu Yuan’s eyes turned slightly cold as he continued, “Because the two countries don’t trust each other, at that time, the Emperor only gave the State of Yue half a blueprint. This time, the Third Prince of the State of Yue personally came for the other half of the blueprint.”
The people of the State of Yue were simply ambitious!
Gu Yuan’s eyes were dark, and his hand that was holding the teacup subconsciously tightened.
He had an unforgettable grudge against the State of Yue for killing his father. How could he forget or let go?!
“What firearm?” Gu Yanfei took a bite of the soft and fluffy pastry and asked curiously.
Gu Yuan looked at Gu Yanfei when he heard this. His eyes instantly softened as he explained, “When Emperor Taizu was still alive, he modified the matchlock and named it the ‘flintlock’.”
As everyone knew, Emperor Taizu was a genius. Not only were his martial arts the best in the world, but he was also knowledgeable and proficient in all kinds of miscellaneous sciences. He had invented glass, mercury mirrors, soaps, improved springs, looms, and movable printing techniques.
Thinking of Emperor Taizu’s various achievements, Gu Yuan’s handsome face seemed to glow. He could not hide his reverence and yearning for Emperor Taizu.
“Although the original matchlock was far more powerful than bows, knives, and spears, its flaws were also obvious. It took a lot of time to reload the gunpowder and pellets. It also needed to ignite the matchlock to fire, and the shooting was inaccurate.”
“After being modified by Emperor Taizu, the new ‘flintlock’ hit the fire with a flint. Not only did it greatly simplify the shooting process, but it also increased the accuracy of the shot.”
“Once a good soldier masters the ‘flintlock’, it’s equivalent to fighting a hundred enemies alone.”
Gu Yuan’s eyes lit up. He was like a sharp sword that was about to be unsheathed and could rush to the battlefield at any moment.
At first, Gu Yanfei was just asking casually. As she listened, she heard some interest and asked excitedly, “Big Brother, do you have a flintlock?”
“Yes.” Gu Yuan nodded and smiled dotingly. “I’ll get someone to bring it over for you to play with.”
He really did have a flintlock. When he went to the Ministry of War just now, Chu Yi gave him a flintlock.
Hence, Gu Yuan called Juan Bi in and instructed her to go to Chenghui Garden to get it from Wu Tong.
After Juan Bi left, Gu Yuan pursed his lips and was silent for a moment before asking the question that had been circling in his heart for a long time, “Sister, do you know the Eldest Prince?”
His sister should have nothing to do with the Eldest Prince, but today, the Eldest Prince told him that he could tell his sister about the errand he was going to take on. There was no need to hide anything, so he had no choice but to think of it this way.
“Yes,” Gu Yanfei nodded honestly.