154 Occupy
Lu Shi and the other young masters were not familiar with Chu Yi. This was the first time they had spoken to him.
At first, they were still a little reserved, but as they spoke, their expressions relaxed a lot. They felt that the Eldest Prince’s temper was indeed good. He was polite, virtuous, and as benevolent as the Emperor.
“Your Highness.” A square-faced young master strode forward to the front and eagerly made a shooting gesture. “I saw that the power of the new flintlock has also increased, right? One shot can pierce the spine of a tiger.”
“I’m really lucky today. If I hadn’t been called over by Lu Shi for the winter hunt at the last minute, I’m afraid I would have missed it.”
“Amazing!”
“…”
They were talking happily, but Chu You’s eyes were getting darker and darker, as if he was sitting on pins and needles, and his heart sank bit by bit.
If he allowed Baili Yin to misunderstand him, then his alliance with the State of Yue would probably…
If the State of Yue sided with Chu Yi, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Chu You’s eyes narrowed. He put down his wine glass and looked at Chu Yi, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said calmly, “This flintlock is indeed powerful. This is the first time I’ve seen it.
“Nephew, I think my brother just got someone to develop this, right?”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone else in the shed looked at Chu You. Yuan Zhe, who was sitting beside him, frowned slightly.
There was a strange silence.
After a short daze, Chu You also reacted. His thin lips pursed into a straight line.
He had misspoken.
He wanted to clarify some things to Baili Yin, but his words would only make others think that he was not as good as before in the royal court. He actually did not even know that the imperial court had a new weapon, and these descendants of noble families would probably look down on him because of this.
“Hahaha.” Baili Yin laughed loudly, breaking the silence.
He placed the wine glass in his hand on the wine table and said, “Young Master Yi, your country is really filled with talents, and it has really broadened my horizons today. This spear is really precious, can you lend it to me so I can take a look?”
Chu Yi slowly took another sip of tea. When he put down the teacup, he looked at Chu You meaningfully and called out softly, “Si Hai.”
Si Hai retreated.
Lu Shi and the other nobles frowned and exchanged disapproving looks. They felt that Kang Wang was really nosy and had given the people of the State of Yue a chance to borrow the flintlock.
The atmosphere in the shed instantly turned cold, and no one spoke for a long time.
After a while, Si Hai brought over a rectangular wooden box and placed the box with the flintlock on the wine table in front of Baili Yin.
Baili Yin still had his cynical look, but the moment he saw the flintlock, the light in his eyes could not be hidden at all.
He picked up the heavy gun and played with it casually, over and over.
The flintlock looked no different from the ones he’d seen before, except for a strange pattern drawn in cinnabar on the handle and a mark like a cat’s paw on the side.
Could it be that this “cat paw print” was some kind of mechanism?
Baili Yin’s fingers gently brushed across the cat’s paw print, deliberately stopping for an extra moment.
Then he found it ridiculous. How was that possible? It was child’s play.
Holding the barrel in one hand and the handle in the other, he played with the flintlock again but still couldn’t figure it out.
The young master who had been to the Divine Arms Battalion patted Lu Shi’s arm and gave him a look.
He could tell at a glance from the Third Prince of the State of Yue’s gestures and movements that he was someone who had played with flintlocks.
A moment later, Baili Yin finally reluctantly put the flintlock back into the wooden box.
He couldn’t dismantle it now, so he could only return the gun.
Besides, he knew that even if he dismantled it now, he probably wouldn’t be able to see any secrets.
“Smash!”
Baili Yin slammed the table with a hearty smile that carried a hint of frivolity. He sighed and said, “Today, I obtained this rare white tiger and saw your country’s flintlock. My trip was really not in vain!”
“Let me toast Young Master Yi!”
Baili Yin raised his cup with one hand and drank it in one gulp. Then, he poured himself another cup of wine.
Amidst the sound of wine being poured, he suddenly sighed and said regretfully, “Unfortunately, the reward I prepared for the bet can’t be sent out today.”
Lu Shi and the others were stunned. Their gazes turned to the curved saber at Baili Yin’s waist. They recalled that before the hunt began today, Baili Yin had publicly said that he wanted to reward his curved saber to the leader of today’s tiger hunt.