Chapter 300: Chapter 219: Officially Entering the Age of Firearms_1

Great Xia Dynasty, Capital city.

East Palace.

Lu Shuyun was in the courtyard testing the improved Piercing Cloud Bow made by the craftsmen. The Piercing Cloud Bow was Lu Shuyun’s second achievement after becoming the Crown Prince. Made of special materials, its power was immense, and when paired with the custom-made Piercing Cloud Arrow, it could easily penetrate the armor of Heavy Cavalry.

With the Piercing Cloud Bow, the Great Xia Dynasty would no longer fear the enemy nation’s Heavy Cavalry on the battlefield, or in future internal strife within Great Xia, the forces aligned with them need not fear the secretly prepared armor of his brothers.

Looking at the Piercing Cloud Bow in his hands, a smile appeared on Lu Shuyun’s face.

The materials for making the Piercing Cloud Bow and the Piercing Cloud Arrow were very special and currently only available to their Aristocratic Family in the South; furthermore, some of the production techniques were kept secret. Even the craftsman in the Ministry of Works might not know the techniques, only their faction was privy to it.

Thus, the Piercing Cloud Bow could not only serve as an achievement for the Crown Prince but also to a certain extent prevent their rivals from acquiring the production methods and materials.

As for whether other factions in the royal court would get the Piercing Cloud Bow, there was no need to worry about that.

Once the Piercing Cloud Bow was brought out, it would certainly end up in the hands of people from other factions, but they would only obtain a few. Currently, the Ministry of Works could only forge a very limited number of Piercing Cloud Bows each day, and they were far from mass production.

As long as they kept a tight leash on the quantity, even if others acquired the Piercing Cloud Bow, they would not obtain many. Meanwhile, the people on the Crown Prince’s side had already been secretly mass-producing them. In terms of the quantity of Piercing Cloud Bows, his rivals would definitely not be able to compare with them.

Just as Lu Shuyun was immersed in joy, a maid hurried to him and said, “Crown Prince, Mr. Wang has returned!”

Hearing this, Lu Shuyun snapped back to reality and immediately said, “Bring him to see me.”

“Yes, Crown Prince.”

The maid then went out and brought Wang Yong before Lu Shuyun, “Greetings to the Crown Prince, long live, long live, long long live!”

After Wang Yong finished his salute, Lu Shuyun eagerly asked, “What did Dongfang Yi say? Did he agree to give Dongfang Longyue to me in marriage?”

Wang Yong replied, “He agreed, but…”

Wang Yong hesitated.

Seeing Wang Yong’s response, a smile appeared on Lu Shuyun’s face. As long as he could firmly bind the Dongfang Family to their side, then the entire Aristocratic Families of the South would truly be united as one.

As for Dongfang Longyue the woman, he had seen her a few times and indeed liked her beauty, but more than Dongfang Longyue’s beauty, what Lu Shuyun cared about was the Dongfang Family standing behind her.

At this point, Lu Shuyun asked, “But what?”

Wang Yong answered, “But as soon as Miss Dongfang heard she was to marry you, she immediately jumped into the river to commit suicide. Though she was rescued, she has been seeking death persistently. If she is set on dying, I fear no one will be able to stop her.”

“If this gets out, it could seriously damage Your Highness’s reputation. Left with no choice, Dongfang Yi asked me to convey to the Prince that Dongfang Longyue will not marry you for the time being. Instead, it will be determined after you marry the Crown Princess Consort. He wants to continue persuading Dongfang Longyue.”

Hearing Wang Yong’s words, Lu Shuyun’s expression darkened instantly; he had not expected Dongfang Longyue to be so staunchly opposed.

Although he had known from the start that Dongfang Longyue was a woman of difficult temperament—many talented young men from the South had their legs broken by her, which said plenty about her character—he had thought that being the Crown Prince, the future successor to the throne, even if Dongfang Longyue was temperamental, she would restrain herself once she knew she was to marry the Crown Prince. There wasn’t a woman in the world who wouldn’t want to marry a man wielding great power.

But unexpectedly, Dongfang Longyue had resorted to attempting suicide by jumping into the river.

If word got out, wouldn’t the officials in the court accuse him of forcing a virtuous woman into dishonor?

Seeing Lu Shuyun’s face darken, Wang Yong continued, “Crown Prince, please rest assured, although Dongfang Longyue is currently unwilling to marry, as long as Dongfang Yi has agreed to this marriage, it means he has already sided with us.”

Lu Shuyun thought for a moment and realized it was true. Dongfang Longyue’s stance was not important; as long as they could stabilize her for the time being and prevent her from committing suicide, that would suffice.

Lu Shuyun then said, “Send a letter to Dongfang Yi, telling him my undying affection for Dongfang Longyue. I was devastated to hear of her attempted suicide, so I have decided to first confirm our engagement. After I have married the Crown Princess Consort, I will come to marry her. I hope Dongfang Yi can persuade Dongfang Longyue to accept me soon.”

Although Dongfang Longyue was beautiful, Lu Shuyun was not an impatient man. If he really drove her to death, their connection with the Dongfang Family could be severed.

The Dongfang Family only had one daughter; Dongfang Longyue could not die. Moreover, if she were driven to death, it would have a significant negative impact on his reputation. Thus, the best course was to delay—the engagement would be set first, then use it as a political tie.

The timing of Dongfang Longyue’s marriage to him was not important.

After hearing Lu Shuyun’s words, Wang Yong said, “Yes, Crown Prince. I will send the letter to Dongfang Yi right away.”