The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 1061 - 241: Who is the Favorite_2

Chapter 1061: Chapter 241: Who is the Favorite_2

Mo Heng only found out upon her return that Xiao Yong had become one of her personal soldiers, following her everywhere. She would also call out to "the boy Yong" casually when there was nothing in particular, "It’s just an old plum tree that isn’t even in bloom right now."

Seeing his lack of interest, Pei Qin thought it made sense.

The managing eunuch immediately stepped forward to introduce, "General! There isn’t much to see in the front courtyard; it’s all in the garden. Now all kinds of flowers are blooming beautifully, there are lotuses by the lake, water lilies in the pond, and the scenery in the bamboo garden isn’t bad either."

Pei Qin listened and headed towards the garden.

Pavilions, towers, carved beams, and painted rafters, weeping willows dangling by the white embankment along the lake, various flowers and trees in full bloom. Opposite was a bamboo forest, crisp and oil-green, brimming with verdancy.

As Pei Qin looked around, she cursed inwardly, "This is ridiculously extravagant! This garden alone is enough to explore for a day, and no doubt it cost a fortune to build."

Legend had it that Prince Zhao, the elder brother of the previous emperor, could have succeeded to the throne, but he assisted Emperor Chu Wen to ascend to the throne instead and then stepped back from court affairs, doing business to earn money. Whatever he earned, he invested in building this garden.

Curious, Pei Qin leaned closer to Mo Heng and asked, "Is this Prince Zhao silly or what?"

"Impotent, childless," Mo Heng glanced at her.

Pei Qin’s eyes widened. That made sense, a prince who was impotent with no children, even if he had usurped the throne, it would have been in vain; after all the hard work, he would have to pass it on to someone else. She had only seen half of the garden when a messenger from the Manufacturing Bureau arrived, "General! The smelting furnace exploded again; the master requests your presence to inspect the quality of the steel and see if it can be used."

"How did it explode again!?" Pei Qin grumbled unhappily, greeted Mo Heng, and then rushed off to the Manufacturing Bureau with Lu Hai, Liu Feng, and a few others.

Jun Suxue saw Mo Heng had not left and stood where he was, unsure how to speak to him. She could sense the chill in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she said, "General Mo need not take it to heart. Suxue simply admires the General and wants to take care of her for some time. There won’t be any ulterior motives, nor will she do anything to harm the General."

"As long as you understand," Mo Heng gave her a cold glance and rode away. Once the new batch of long spears was ready and the Long Spear Camp was established to assist the Mortar Barracks, he would have to lead his troops to fight against the Rong Clan right away. Before that, he needed everything in Capital Jingcheng to be properly settled.

Emperor Yongle, Xiao Guangzhao, demanded Pei Qin craft even more sophisticated and deterrent weapons. Long spears were certainly powerful but only suitable for long-range combat.

So Pei Qin mounted bayonets on the spearheads, allowing for both long-distance spearing and close-quarters fighting. But the bayonets required good steel, and although she was already recruiting talent, the smelting furnace keeps failing to meet the requirements.

With a major battle imminent, all the masters and soldiers at the Manufacturing Bureau felt the newly crafted long spears were already very practical, and the bayonets were better than the knives they used in previous battles.

Pei Qin, not satisfied, glanced at one and said, "Manufacture to this standard for now!"

The masters immediately responded, switching to the spare smelting furnace to continue the work. The standard was difficult but achievable.

Emperor Yongle, Xiao Guangzhao, hearing of Pei Qin’s continuous pursuit of improvement, was quite pleased and slightly relieved. His attention then turned to Xiao Guangjing, preparing to deal with him.

Xiao Guangjing noticed that Pei Qin was always with Xiao Yong and that many of the affairs in the Manufacturing Bureau were handled by him. He was slowly becoming determined to fight a good fight with Emperor Yongle!

But Pei Qin didn’t care if they were fighting or not. She spent her days at the Manufacturing Bureau crafting long spears, bullets, and artillery shells, preparing for war.

After moving to Capital Jingcheng, Jun Suxue took over the meal delivery services from Xiao Yong, personally preparing and sending meals three times a day.

The guard at the Manufacturing Bureau’s gate wouldn’t let her in; there were simply too many women coming to find General Pei to deliver items every day! Now the General only accepted meals from Princess Xiyun!

Jun Suxue had no choice but to reveal her identity, "I am from Tiance General Mansion, bringing food for the General. The General is still purging poison and is unwell; these are all meals specially prepared by the Mansion’s physician."

Xiao Yong stood inside the gate.

Seeing him, Jun Suxue called out, "Zhao Yong!"

Xiao Yong, who was now a Colonel of the Sixth Rank, was being called by his name directly. When the guard saw that he indeed came out to take the food box and thanked him, a group of them started gossiping, "That girl looks lovely and lives in Tiance Mansion; could she be something to General Pei?"

"Didn’t General Pei say he wasn’t married?"

"Then she must be his fiancée! Look how she’s calling Colonel Zhao by his name."

Then the rumor spread, General Pei’s fiancée had come to Jingcheng and was living in Tiance General Mansion, delivering meals to General Pei daily.

When Princess Xiyun heard this, she immediately got up with her attendants and went out. She managed to intercept Jun Suxue and stopped her.