Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 219 Officially Enters the Firearms Age

The capital city of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Eastern Palace.

Lu Shuyun was testing the improved Cloud Piercing Bow in the courtyard. The Cloud Piercing Bow was Lu Shuyun's second achievement after becoming the Crown Prince. The Cloud Piercing Bow was made of special materials and was extremely powerful. With the Cloud Piercing Bow and specially made Cloud Piercing Arrows, it could easily pierce the armor of heavy cavalry.

With the Cloud Piercing Bow, the Great Xia Dynasty will no longer fear the enemy's heavy cavalry on the battlefield, or if there is internal strife in the Great Xia Dynasty, their faction will not have to fear the armor secretly prepared by their brothers.

Looking at the Cloud Piercing Bow in his hand, Lu Shuyun smiled.

The materials used to make the Cloud Piercing Bow and Cloud Piercing Arrow are very special, and currently only the Jiangnan aristocratic families possess them. Moreover, some of the manufacturing techniques are kept secret, and even the craftsmen in the Ministry of Works may not know what the techniques are; only their faction knows them.

In this way, the Cloud Piercing Bow can not only be regarded as a merit of the Crown Prince, but also prevent their opponents from obtaining the manufacturing method and materials to a certain extent.

As for whether other factions in the court will obtain the Cloud Piercing Bow, there's no need to worry about that.

Once the Cloud Piercing Bow is taken out, it will definitely be obtained by people from other factions, but they will only get a few. At present, the Ministry of Works can only make a very small number of Cloud Piercing Bows every day, and cannot produce them in large quantities.

As long as the quantity is temporarily controlled, even if others obtain the Cloud Piercing Bow, they won't get too many. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince's faction is already secretly producing a large number of Cloud Piercing Bows. In terms of quantity, his rivals certainly cannot compare with them.

Just as Lu Shuyun was immersed in joy, a maidservant rushed up to him and said, "Your Highness, Young Master Wang has returned!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Shuyun snapped out of his daze and immediately said, "Bring him to see me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Then the maidservant went out and brought Wang Yong to Lu Shuyun. "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"

After Wang Yong finished his greetings, Lu Shuyun couldn't wait to ask, "What did Dongfang Yi say? Did he agree to marry Dongfang Longyue to me?"

Wang Yong replied, "I do agree, but..."

Wang Yong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Upon hearing Wang Yong's reply, Lu Shuyun smiled. As long as the Dongfang family was completely bound to them, the entire Jiangnan aristocratic family would truly be a united front.

He had met Dongfang Longyue a few times and was indeed attracted to her beauty. However, compared to Dongfang Longyue's beauty, Lu Shuyun cared more about the Dongfang family behind her.

Lu Shuyun then asked, "But what?"

Wang Yong replied, "However, as soon as Miss Dongfang heard that she was to marry you, she jumped into the river and committed suicide. Although she was rescued, she has been trying to kill herself ever since. If she is determined to die, I'm afraid no one can stop her."

"If this gets out, it will seriously damage Your Highness's reputation. Dongfang Yi had no choice but to ask me to tell the Prince that Dongfang Longyue will not marry you for now. The marriage will be finalized after you marry the Crown Princess. He will continue to persuade Dongfang Longyue."

Upon hearing Wang Yong's words, Lu Shuyun's face darkened instantly. He hadn't expected Dongfang Longyue to have such a strong and unyielding personality.

Although he knew from the beginning that Dongfang Longyue was a woman with a bad temper, and that many talented men in Jiangnan had their legs broken by Dongfang Longyue, it was enough to show how wicked her personality was.

However, Lu Shuyun initially thought that he was, after all, the Crown Prince and the one who would inherit the throne in the future. Even if Dongfang Longyue had an eccentric personality, she would restrain herself after knowing that the person she was going to marry was the Crown Prince. There was no woman in the world who didn't want to marry someone who held great power.

Unexpectedly, Dongfang Longyue actually committed suicide by jumping into the river.

If this gets out, wouldn't the officials in the court impeach him for forcing women into prostitution?

Seeing Lu Shuyun's face darken, Wang Yong continued, "Your Highness, please rest assured. Although Dongfang Longyue does not want to get married yet, as long as Dongfang Yi agrees to this marriage, it proves that he has already stood on our side."

Lu Shuyun thought about it and realized that it was true. Dongfang Longyue's attitude was not important. As long as they could keep Dongfang Longyue calm for the time being and prevent her from committing suicide, that would be enough.

Lu Shuyun then said, "Have someone send a letter to Dongfang Yi, telling him that I am deeply in love with Dongfang Longyue. I was very saddened when I heard the news that Dongfang Longyue committed suicide by jumping into the river. Therefore, I have decided to first establish a marriage agreement with Dongfang Longyue. After I marry the Crown Princess, I will then marry her. I hope that Dongfang Yi can make Dongfang Longyue accept me as soon as possible."

Although Dongfang Longyue is very beautiful, Lu Shuyun is not an impatient man. If he really drives Dongfang Longyue to her death, their connection with the Dongfang family will be severed.

The Dongfang family only has one daughter, Dongfang Longyue, who cannot die. Moreover, if Dongfang Longyue were forced to her death, it would greatly affect their reputation. Therefore, the best solution now is to stall, first establish the marriage agreement, and then use the marriage agreement as a political bond.

As for when Dongfang Longyue will marry him, that's not important.

Upon hearing Lu Shuyun's words, Wang Yong replied, "Yes, Your Highness, I will go and write a letter to Dongfang Yi immediately."

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

Wang Yong then turned and left the courtyard.

Lu Shuyun then picked up the Cloud Piercing Bow to test its power.

……

Wang Yong's letter reached the Dongfang family in less than half a month. After reading Wang Yong's letter, Dongfang Yi went directly to Dongfang Longyue's courtyard.

At this moment, Dongfang Longyue was holding a small porcelain bottle in front of her nose and smelling it.

After seeing Dongfang Yi enter her courtyard, Dongfang Longyue put down the porcelain vase in her hand and asked, "Father, is there something you need from me?"

Dongfang Yi handed the letter in his hand directly to Dongfang Longyue. "Wang Yong wrote that His Highness the Crown Prince intends to finalize his engagement with you first. As for the marriage, there is no rush. We will discuss it after His Highness the Crown Prince marries the Crown Princess."

"Given Emperor Xia's personality, he probably won't bestow a marriage upon the Crown Prince anytime soon."

After taking the letter from Dongfang Yi, Dongfang Longyue glanced at it, smiled slightly, and said, "Father, I plan to go to the Northern Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Yi paused for a moment, then asked, "What are you going to the Northern Kingdom for?"

The Crown Prince and the Northern King have a very bad relationship. If she finds out that you have run away to the Northern Kingdom, she will probably be very angry.

Dongfang Longyue said calmly, "This way, His Highness the Crown Prince will know that his daughter has completely broken ties with the Dongfang family. Then you can be comfortable with His Highness the Crown Prince. This is all my personal idea."

"My daughter's trip to the Northern Kingdom this time was mainly for the goods from the Northern King's Palace."

"Father must have already heard about the liquor from the Northern Prince's residence, right?"

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Yi paused for a moment, then said, "That's natural. Even if you have money, you can't buy the liquor from the Northern Prince's Mansion in Su Fengcheng now."

Dongfang Longyue said, "My daughter plans to do business with the Northern Prince's Mansion, transporting their goods to Sufeng City for sale, especially their liquor."

"The Dongfang family is a business family. If His Highness the Crown Prince gets angry about this, it will only make things worse for the Dongfang family. So I think that even if His Highness the Crown Prince is unhappy, he won't say anything."

Dongfang Yi thought for a moment, then said, "That's true."

"However, after you go to the Northern Kingdom, try to be careful with your words and actions. After all, we are members of the Jiangnan aristocratic families. In the eyes of the Northern King, we are His Highness the Crown Prince's people, and he may not welcome people from the Jiangnan aristocratic families into the Northern Kingdom."

Dongfang Longyue said, "Father, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

At this point, Dongfang Longyue suddenly remembered something and asked, "Father, is there any news about that matter?"

Dongfang Yi sighed, shook his head and said, "No, I asked your great-grandfather, and he also said he hadn't received any news."

"It's hard to say whether our generation will be able to live to see it."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Since you're going to the Northern Kingdom, you should prepare early. Your father will arrange for a Grandmaster to protect you."

……

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed.

In the past month, several major dynasties have been plagued by internal strife, but the Great Xia Dynasty has suddenly become incredibly peaceful, as if all internal conflicts have disappeared. The Xia Emperor's personality has also become much gentler, and it seems that he has completely compromised with the aristocratic families.

The struggles in the Great Xia court now mainly involve the factions of the princes and the Crown Prince's faction. The Xia Emperor seems to have disappeared, basically observing from the sidelines, as if none of this has anything to do with him.

Lu Chen was organizing the latest intelligence in his study. Looking at the intelligence sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lu Chen was somewhat confused.

What is his father, the emperor, doing?

Not only did he make Lu Shuyun the crown prince, but he also liberalized the state-run salt industry. Recently, he has even stopped caring about the power struggles in the court, as if he is ready to give up all responsibility.

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

Currently, all the major dynasties have their own internal problems to deal with, and now is the best time to deal with the powerful families. Lu Chen did not believe that the Xia Emperor had no intention of dealing with those powerful families at this time.

Emperor Xia's attitude of giving up was obviously an act. The key question was what he was actually doing while he was doing this. According to the intelligence gathered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Emperor Xia seemed to be doing nothing of substance. He was just waiting it out, letting the various princes' factions and the Crown Prince's party fight amongst themselves. Lu Chen even suspected that his father was planning to wait until they fought to the death before stepping in to reap the benefits.

Just as Lu Chen was staring blankly at the intelligence report on the table, a maid's voice rang out from the doorway, "Your Highness, Commander Qin is looking for you."

Lu Chen said calmly, "Come in."

The next moment, Qin Yushan entered the study. "Your subordinate greets Your Highness. Long live Your Highness."

Lu Chen looked at the intelligence report on the table, nodded slightly, and asked, "Yes, Commander Qin, what is it?"

Qin Yushan replied, "Your Highness, the cannon has been manufactured, and the craftsmen have discovered an easily ignitable material. From now on, the Thunderclap Bomb will not need to be manually ignited. Simply pull out the safety pin and tap the bottom to ignite the internal fuse."

Hearing this, Lu Chen was stunned.

Are the artisans of Dayu really that skilled?

So they made a bomb that doesn't need manual ignition so quickly?

Doesn't that mean the northern country has officially entered the firearms era?

Lu Chen then said, "Immediately have the cannons and thunderbolts prepared. I want to test them myself."

Seeing Lu Chen's urgency, Qin Yushan took out a piece of intelligence from his sleeve and said, "Your Highness, I have some more intelligence here. Would you like to take a look?"

Lu Chen took the intelligence from Qin Yushan, glanced at it, and then smiled.

"A cloud-piercing bow? A cloud-piercing arrow?"

"That's an interesting name."

At this point, Lu Chen folded the intelligence report in his hand and placed it on the table. "With firearms, these cold weapons pose little threat to the Northern Kingdom. However, what I am more concerned about is the material for making the Cloud Piercing Bow. I need to find a way to get some bows and arrows back."

Qin Yushan said, "These bows and arrows are managed quite strictly, and Commander Liang is already thinking of a solution."

At this point, Qin Yushan changed the subject, saying, "There is another matter. On my way to the Northern Prince's residence, I heard from the Embroidered Uniform Guard that the eldest daughter of the Dongfang family recently came to Yancheng. The Dongfang family has already secretly engaged to the Eighth Prince, and Dongfang Longyue is considered the Eighth Prince's betrothed."

Upon hearing Qin Yushan's words, Lu Chen looked at Qin Yushan with a strange expression, and then asked, "Commander Qin, why do I feel that you have ulterior motives for saying these things to me?"

Qin Yushan quickly said, "Your Highness misunderstands. I just wanted to ask if Your Highness should pay special attention to this Dongfang Longyue to prevent her from doing anything harmful to the Northern Kingdom."

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, "Indeed, we should pay special attention to her. Let me know if she makes any moves."

"Alright, enough of that. I'm going to test the cannons invented by the Mo brothers now."

Qin Yushan quickly replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

Following that, Lu Chen, led by Qin Yushan, headed to a strategically important military location east of Yancheng.

The military stronghold to the east is protected by two layers of nets: the Black Cavalry on the outside and the Embroidered Uniform Guard on the inside. Even ordinary troops of the Northern Kingdom cannot enter this military stronghold because it is a military factory and currently the most important military secret of the Northern Kingdom.

As soon as Lu Chen entered the military factory, Mo Xing immediately put down what he was doing and came out to greet him.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

Lu Chen said, "No need for formalities, Mo Xing. I heard that your cannons have been completed?"

Mo Xing said, "It was made half a month ago. However, in order to avoid problems when Your Highness tests it, I have made improvements to the cannons. In fact, I have made improvements based on Your Highness's howitzer. In the end, we have finalized three types of cannons."

Upon hearing Mo Xing'e's reply, Lu Chen was already impatient. He immediately said, "Bring out all those cannons so I can test them."

"Your Highness, please follow me."

Then, led by Mo Xing'e, Lu Chen went to a place specifically for testing artillery.

In the middle of the forest, there was a barren place full of pits, where artillery shells were being tested almost every day, so no plants could grow.

Before long, the Jinyiwei soldiers brought several wooden carts to Lu Chen. As the boxes were opened, the cannons made by Mo Xing and his men appeared in front of Lu Chen.

(End of this chapter)