The Prodigal Son

Although the matter of making fireworks for the Empress Dowager was urgent, Qin Yu still went to Tiangongfang before starting to do so.

The Tiangong Workshop has only about a hundred people in total, mostly craftsmen, with blacksmiths being the majority.

Apart from a few master craftsmen transferred from the Ministry of Works, most of them were craftsmen selected from Qin Family Village.

Currently, Tiangongfang is managed by the brothers Wang Dou and Wang Su, who are making cannons according to the blueprints provided by Qin Yu.

During this period of time, they have cast several cannons of different sizes.

However, Qin Yu knew at a glance that this thing was just for show.

The outside of the cannon barrel was full of pores, and the inside of the cannon barrel felt just like the face of Wang Mazi next door.

With one shot, forget about range and accuracy; it would be a miracle if the barrel didn't explode.

Qin Yu spent a day providing them with numerous suggestions for improvement and generously rewarded the staff of Tiangong Workshop. He also had them forge more than a dozen copper pots for him.

The copper pot, hastily made, is rather ugly.

But as long as it works, that's fine!

The next day, Qin Yu and several people from his household began making fireworks for the Empress Dowager. They also made about ten firecrackers, intending to make a noise during the New Year.

However, he dared not do too much of this.

If he causes widespread panic among the people during the Lunar New Year, it will give the female demon another excuse to deal with him.

While he was busy, Luo Qingyi and Nan Que'er also gave bonuses to the shopkeepers and employees of Wanjia Restaurant so that everyone could have a good New Year.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Qin Yu had people start preparing the dishes for hot pot early in the morning.

We don't have to wait until Lunar New Year's Eve; we can enjoy hot pot and the like today at noon.

He's been craving this for ages.

Let's try it out for now. If the dipping sauce doesn't taste right, we can make improvements as needed.

After delivering the fireworks to the Empress Dowager this afternoon, we can finally relax and wait for the New Year.

In the courtyard, Qin Yu, blindfolded, chased and played with Nan Que'er and Luo Qingyi.

"Don't run!"

"Come on, come and catch me!"

"If I catch you, I'll show you what I'm made of!"

"Thirteenth Young Master, you can't go back on your word. We agreed not to use martial arts..."

"I don't need martial arts; capturing you would be a piece of cake..."

The three of them chased and played in the courtyard.

The two women would sometimes linger, and sometimes deliberately run past him, prompting Qin Yu to try and catch them. Seeing Qin Yu's "clumsy" appearance, the two women's silvery laughter echoed in their courtyard, adding a lot of life to the place.

Hearing the two women's giggles, Qin Yu was also in a good mood.

In fact, even without using martial arts, his current strength is more than enough to pinpoint the location of objects by sound.

Catching Nan Que'er might be difficult, but catching Luo Qingyi would be very easy for him.

However, he didn't bother to pinpoint the two women's locations; he simply acted like an ordinary person, playing and frolicking with them in the courtyard.

The point of having fun is the process; who cares about the result?

Just as the three of them were having a great time, the courtyard suddenly fell silent without warning.

"Oh? Trying to play dumb with me, huh?"

Qin Yu spread his fingers, a lecherous smile spreading across his face. "Once I catch you, I'll make sure you taste my newly learned Dragon Claw Hand! Hehe..."

Qin Yu's lewd smile deepened, and coupled with the grabbing motion of his hands, he looked... incredibly sleazy.

He looks exactly like a lecherous demon.

Seeing Qin Yu's appearance, Nan Que'er and Luo Qingyi almost collapsed to the ground.

The two men, without bothering to stop them, hastily bowed and loudly proclaimed, "Greetings, Empress Dowager! Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"What kind of move is this now?"

Unaware of anything amiss, Qin Yu leered and groped his way towards the two women. "Don't even mention the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, even if the Heavenly King himself came, I'd make sure you tasted my Dragon Claw Hand today!"

It's the Lunar New Year, and it's almost lunchtime, yet the Empress Dowager and His Majesty are still coming to their house.

What are you thinking about!

If they call him "Grandpa," he'll probably believe them a little more.

Besides, with the Empress Dowager and His Majesty arriving, how could no one in the residence announce their arrival?

That's such a low-level trick!

"Cough cough..."

Just then, a soft cough sounded in Qin Yu's ear.

"Physician Qin, why haven't you paid your respects to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty yet?"

Immediately afterwards, Shangguan Youyi's voice rang out without warning.

Upon hearing this voice, Qin Yu's lewd smile suddenly froze.

The next moment, Qin Yu suddenly ripped off the black cloth covering his eyes and turned to look at the entrance of the courtyard.

At the entrance of the courtyard, the Empress Dowager, Zhao Luan, the two generals Heng and Ha, and Lü Si all came into his sight.

There were also a few people he had never met before.

The group was dressed in ordinary clothes, clearly on an incognito visit.

The Empress Dowager couldn't bear to look and turned her face away.

The two generals and the few people he had never seen before were trying their best to suppress their laughter, their faces flushed red.

Lu Si gloated, his mouth practically stretched to the back of his head.

Zhao Luan stared at him with an unfriendly expression, as if she was about to rush over and beat him up at any moment.

Thinking about his actions and words just now, even Qin Yu, who had the thickest skin, wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Damn it!

Is it really them?

no……

Tomorrow is the New Year, why aren't you staying in the palace? What are you doing at my house?

Qin Yu nearly died on the spot. He forced a smile, lowered his head, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant Qin Yu greets the Empress Dowager and... Your Majesty! I was unaware of your arrival and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

"If the Empress Dowager hadn't forbade your servants from reporting this, would the Empress Dowager and I have witnessed such a spectacle?"

Zhao Luan gritted her teeth. "Didn't you just say that even if the Heavenly King himself came, you'd let them taste your Dragon Claw Hand? Go ahead, I also want to see just how powerful your Dragon Claw Hand is!"

Looking at Qin Yu's lewd actions just now, she was reminded of the night she was molested by Qin Yu.

Just thinking about it makes her want to slap that shameless bastard.

Hearing Zhao Luan'e's words, the two generals couldn't help but snort and quickly buried their heads, trying their best not to laugh out loud.

But their constantly shrugging shoulders betrayed them.

Only Lü Si grinned broadly, oblivious to everyone else, his smile particularly radiant.

"Your humble servant..."

Qin Yu was extremely embarrassed and lowered his head even further. "Your Majesty, I spoke without thinking and offended Your Majesty's ears. Please forgive me."

Damn it!

No wonder no one reported it.

It turns out the Empress Dowager forbade anyone to announce it.

These two are so alike!

Do you always like to launch surprise attacks?

Damn it, I'll have to teach those people in the manor a lesson later.

The Empress Dowager forbids announcements, so why don't you guys just announce it quietly?

"Alright!"

The Empress Dowager turned her face, which was wrinkled from holding back her anger, and said, "Young people are normal to play around! As long as it's not indecent in public, it's fine."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Qin Yu raised his head and bowed to express his gratitude.

Suddenly, he felt that the Empress Dowager was so charming...

Nonsence!

I was misled by those damned rumors!

They have kind and gentle eyes!

"Don't be in such a hurry to thank me."

The Empress Dowager suppressed a smile. "I deliberately didn't let anyone announce my arrival because I wanted to see if you were slacking off! Tomorrow is the New Year! If you haven't finished making the fireworks for me and still have the leisure to play around here, I'll have to settle accounts with you!"

"It's done!"

Qin Yu suddenly straightened up. "Your Majesty, I originally planned to deliver it to the Empress Dowager after lunch, but I did not expect that the Empress Dowager and His Majesty would suddenly grace my humble abode with their presence."

"really?"

"Absolutely true! I would never dare to deceive the Empress Dowager, even if it meant my death!"