Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

Inside the national treasury, Liu Yiyi's abacus beads clicked and clattered, even leaving afterimages.

Lin Mo leaned against the gate of the national treasury, looked at his money-grubbing wife, and shook his head with a smile.

"Lord Lu, bring all the account books over here! And those boxes of gold bars over there, weigh them again immediately!"

Liu Yiyi directed the officials of the Ministry of Revenue with swift and decisive action.

Lin Mo didn't disturb her and turned to walk out of the treasury.

The palace was so vast that the newly arrived ladies were already like rabbits running wild, each scattering off to explore their new territory.

The Imperial City, the Ministry of Works.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

The deafening sound of blacksmithing echoed from the courtyard.

Gu Ling'er held her younger sister Gu Meng'er's hand and curiously peeked inside.

"Sister, what are we doing here? It's so noisy."

Gu Meng'er covered her ears and nestled softly behind Gu Ling'er.

"What do you know! Now that my husband is the emperor, the Ministry of Works of the Great Qian Dynasty must have some good stuff!"

Gu Ling'er's big eyes darted around.

She was in charge of explosives research at the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, and the Thunderfire Bomb was her masterpiece.

Upon arriving in the capital, her primary interest naturally lay with the Ministry of Works.

As soon as the two stepped into the courtyard, they saw hundreds of blacksmiths frantically swinging their hammers around several large furnaces.

In the very center of the courtyard, Zhang Bailian, the Minister of Works, and Lu Dachui, the chief craftsman, were holding a black fire poker, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Old Lu! The barrel engravings for these psionic muskets must be precise! His Majesty said the first batch must be delivered within three days!"

Zhang Bailian spoke with great enthusiasm, spittle flying everywhere.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency! I, Old Lu, will personally keep an eye on things!"

Lu Dachui patted his chest and guaranteed it.

Gu Ling'er moved closer and stared at what Lu Dachui was holding.

"What is this?"

She asked curiously.

Zhang Bailian turned around and saw that it was a delicate little girl. He frowned.

"Where did this little girl come from? This is a restricted area of ​​the Ministry of Works; unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside!"

"I am His Majesty's fourth wife!"

Gu Ling'er huffed and puffed, hands on her hips, completely self-righteous.

Zhang Bailian and Lu Dachui were startled and immediately knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"Your humble servant, Zhang Bailian, Minister of Works, pays respects to Your Highness the Fourth Princess!"

"Greetings, Fourth Lady!"

Gu Ling'er gave a sly smile.

My husband's name really works.

She waved her hand and snatched the "fire poker" from Lu Dachui's hand.

It felt heavy in my hand, and it was neither gold nor iron.

The barrel is engraved with intricate patterns, and there is a groove in the grip with a glowing stone embedded in it.

"This stone... is so strange."

"Your Majesty, these are low-grade spirit stones bestowed by His Majesty. This is called a Spirit Energy Firearm, and the blueprints were personally provided by His Majesty!"

Zhang Bailian quickly offered an explanation.

"How do you use it?" Gu Ling'er asked, fiddling with the musket.

Lu Dachui stood up and pointed to a half-meter-thick iron-clad bluestone target at the end of the yard.

"Your Majesty, aim at the target and pull the trigger."

Gu Ling'er did as instructed.

She raised her musket, aimed at the target a hundred paces away, and pulled the trigger.

hum!

The spirit stone at the handle of the gun suddenly burst forth with a dazzling light.

A beam of pure white light, about the thickness of a thumb, shot out instantly, carrying terrifying heat and a sharp whistling sound.

boom!

The iron-clad bluestone target, a hundred paces away, was like a block of tofu, instantly pierced by the beam of light.

Not only did it penetrate the target, but the high temperature of the explosion also melted the edges of the target into dark red molten iron.

"hiss--"

Gu Ling'er gasped.

She stared wide-eyed at the unassuming musket in her hand, her head buzzing.

This power is more than ten times stronger than her proud Thunderfire Bomb!

Moreover, it requires no ignition or gunpowder loading, has an extremely high rate of fire, and can fire in rapid succession!

"This...this was done by my husband?" Gu Ling'er swallowed hard.

"It is indeed His Majesty!" Zhang Bailian said with a proud expression.

Gu Ling'er's eyes lit up completely.

Her innate passion for weapons development was instantly ignited.

"This is ingenious! However, there's still a problem with the barrel's heat dissipation. If I compressed my lightning-fire ammunition powder into a spirit stone, it could create a secondary explosion upon firing!"

Gu Ling'er excitedly gestured her name.

Lu Dachui was stunned.

"Your Highness, you know about this?"

"Nonsense! This old lady makes bombs in Zhenbei Prefecture!"

Gu Ling'er grabbed Lu Dachui's arm.

"Come on, old man! Show me the blueprints, this grandma wants to do the modifications herself!"

Gu Meng'er stood aside, watching her sister's excitement like a crazy girl, and sighed helplessly.

"It seems my sister won't be able to get out anytime soon."

……

at the same time.

The inner palace, the imperial garden.

Shen Qinghe and Jiang Zhiwei were strolling along the bluestone path.

Shen Qinghe wore a plain-colored long dress, exuding a refined and elegant aura.

She looked around at the ornately decorated pavilions and towers, her eyes filled with amazement.

"Although the Great Xia Dynasty is corrupt, the foundation of its imperial palace is truly extraordinary."

Beside her, Jiang Zhiwei kept sniffling like a puppy.

Her eyes were still unfocused, but her cheeks had an unnatural flush.

"Zhiwei, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Shen Qinghe asked with concern.

Jiang Zhiwei shook her head, stretched out her fair fingers, and made a grasping motion in mid-air.

"It smells...so good," Jiang Zhiwei uttered.

"Anger?" Shen Qinghe asked, puzzled.

"Medicinal aroma, alive."

Jiang Zhiwei closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

As a descendant of a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Jiang Zhiwei may be absent-minded at times, but she has an extremely keen sense of pharmacology and aroma.

She could clearly feel that the air inside the palace was completely different from that outside.

This is the effect of the "Primary Spirit Gathering Tower" that Lin Mo erected in the Ministry of Works Square.

Although the Spirit Gathering Tower is mainly used to produce spirit stones, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that it emits has completely changed the feng shui of the entire palace.

"My husband... has changed."

Jiang Zhiwei opened her eyes, a rare clarity flashing in them.

Shen Qinghe nodded; she too had felt the changes in her body.

"Yes, what exactly has my husband been doing these past two weeks?"

As the two were talking, a gentle breeze blew by.

Behind the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden, two dark figures flashed by like ghosts.

……

West of the Imperial Palace, outside Changchun Palace.

Bai Zhi and Feng Niang did not choose a palace.

As the chief officers of the Zhenwu Division, their professional habits kicked in.

Upon arriving in a new environment, the first thing to do is to survey the terrain and identify any hidden sentries.

Feng Niang, dressed in a red dress, had a seductive figure and was playing with an exquisite throwing knife in her hand.

Bai Zhi, dressed in white, followed softly beside him, her cool eyes scanning the surroundings.

"Bai Zhi, the guards in this palace are far too lax," Feng Niang said, pursing her lips.

"From Jiaotai Gate to Changchun Palace, there are only two Imperial Guards, and their patrols are spaced about an incense stick's time apart. If this were Zhenbei City, the defenses would have been riddled with holes by assassins long ago."

Bai Zhi did not respond.

She stopped in her tracks, her gaze fixed on a flying eave on the left side of Changchun Palace.

"What's wrong?" Fengniang followed her gaze.

There was nothing there except a few glazed tiles.

"Someone's there," Bai Zhi said softly.

"You must be mistaken. I didn't feel anything." Feng Niang frowned.

"It's well hidden, but... the lighting is wrong."

Bai Zhi pointed to the eaves.

Fengniang followed Baizhi's finger and looked in that direction.

She had absolute faith in Bai Zhi's observational skills.

Although this girl doesn't know martial arts, her eyes are more venomous than an eagle's.

"I'll give it a try."

Fengniang flicked her wrist.

Whoosh!

A cold glint tore through the air, heading straight for the eaves.

The throwing knife was extremely fast, accompanied by a piercing sound as it cut through the air.

Just as the throwing knife was about to hit the eaves.

hum!

A visible ripple suddenly appeared in the air.

The steel throwing knife seemed to have been shot into a wad of cotton, instantly hovering in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, a red figure appeared out of the void without warning.