Chapter 88: Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was not a simple matter to evaluate the quality of standard weapons. After all, the upper power limit of standard weapons was as such.
Both standard weapons could break through two layers of leather armor, so which was better?
At this moment, it was as if they were evaluating the person they liked…
In essence, Xiao Bufan’s Bloodbath Saber was on par with Zhou Shu’s Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber.
This was actually very normal.
Standard weapons were only made of ordinary iron. Even if the use of ordinary iron was maximized, there was a limit to their power.
No matter what, Xiao Bufan was still a Forging Master. He wouldn’t be so weak that he couldn’t even unleash the power of ordinary iron.
When the power of the two weapons was about the same, the winner would depend on the likes of Yin Wuyou, Meng Jinguang, and the others.
Even Zhou Shu himself couldn’t say anything about this subjective evaluation.
But now, even Xiao Bufan was speechless.
Look at the name of the sabers—
Bloody Massacre! It sounds so rustic!
Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber! So cool!
Xiao Bufan felt bitter in his heart. We are both forgers, so why do you have to be so good at poetry?
“General, when you march south so bravely, the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber hangs on your waist. As the wind blew, the lizard-skinned drums stirred the mountains and rivers, lightning flashed over your banners held as high as the sun and moon,” Meng Jinguang muttered to himself with a bitter smile.
What else could he say?
Just this poem alone could elevate the attractiveness of the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber!
From now on, scholars would be proud to wear the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber.
If Meng Jinguang dared to say that the Bloody Massacre Saber was better than the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber, he would probably be cursed to death.
The rest of the ministers had different expressions on their faces, but the look in their eyes was exactly the same as Meng Jinguang’s.
There was no comparison at all.
The corners of Yin Wuyou’s lips turned up, and her eyes were smiling.
Her heart was already blooming with joy. Zhou Shu had really done her proud!
Did these old geezers think they could make a mockery of me, the grand minister, with just a mere Forging Master?
Look, the person that I have taken a liking to, how could he be a good-for-nothing?
So what if you got a Forging Master? Isn’t he still inferior to Zhou Shu?
How could such a talent not be worthy of becoming the superintendent of a small workshop?
“Minister Meng, everyone, tell me. Which of these two sabers is better?” Yin Wuyou asked with her head slightly raised.
“Grand Minister, you are wise. I admire you.” Meng Jinguang smiled bitterly. “The Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber is better.”
“Did Superintendent Zhou pass the monthly examination?” Yin Wuyou asked.
“Outstandingly,” Meng Jinguang said helplessly.
Xiao Bufan opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Xiao Bufan was also a prideful person. It was embarrassing that he lost in front of so many people, but it would be even more embarrassing if he chose not to admit defeat.
“Zhou Shu!” Xiao Bufan said in a low voice, “You win this time, but we can’t fully show our skills by forging standard weapons. We’ll compete again after you become a Forging Master!”
Xiao Bufan cupped his fists and left without looking back.
Zhou Shu looked at Xiao Bufan’s back in surprise. He had thought that Xiao Bufan wouldn’t admit defeat. In that case, the face-slapping scene he had prepared could be played out.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Bufan was someone who paid particular attention to things, and he admitted defeat rather straightforwardly.
Although he looked a little proud, he was not a bad person.
Zhou Shu’s impression of Xiao Bufan changed greatly.
Meng Jinguang gave his evaluation, and Xiao Bufan himself admitted defeat. The farce ended quickly.
Meng Jinguang and the others didn’t have the face to stay any longer. They hastily made some arrangements and left.
“I want this saber.” Before Yin Wuyou left, she took the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber with her.
Just as Zhou Shu wanted to stop her, the grand minister had already disappeared, her movements as fast as the wind.
“You haven’t paid!” Zhou Shu yelled.
All the superintendents still there rolled their eyes. What kind of person is this? He wants to ask for money from the grand minister?
Zhou Shu didn’t care at all about the superintendents rolling their eyes at him. He only left them showing his confident back.
…
Chang’an, inside the palace…
Emperor Yuan Feng took the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber from Yin Wuyou and examined it briefly before losing interest.
It was just a standard weapon.
“A new product developed by the Forging Division?” Emperor Yuan Feng looked at his daughter and smiled.
“This is a new standard weapon developed by my 0th Workshop!” Yin Wuyou said excitedly. “I’ve tried it. It’s light, agile, and quite powerful. It can easily split open a layer of leather armor…”
Yin Wuyou talked non-stop, and Emperor Yuan Feng only listened with a smile. He was a very patient person. Even though what she said was mostly meaningless nonsense to him, he didn’t show the slightest impatience.
“Father! Are you listening to me?” Yin Wuyou protested coquettishly when she didn’t receive the enthusiastic response she expected.
“I’m listening.” Emperor Yuanfeng chuckled. “This saber is quite good. It’s almost the same as the one you brought over last time.”
“It’s different, okay?” Yin Wuyou didn’t show the cold arrogance she usually did in front of outsiders.
“I know.” Emperor Yuan Feng smiled. “The Spring Embroidered Saber was given to the Divine Constable Bureau. As for this saber…”
Seeing that Emperor Yuan Feng didn’t seem to care, Yin Wuyou was a little unhappy.
“General, when you march south so bravely, the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber hangs on your waist. As the wind blew, the lizard-skinned drums stirred the mountains and rivers, lightning flashed over your banners held as high as the sun and moon,” Yin Wuyou recited loudly.
Emperor Yuanfeng was startled, and his expression changed slightly.
When Yin Wuyou saw Emperor Yuan Feng’s shock, she felt a little pleased and continued to recite, “In the heavens indeed there is a kirin, but in the world of men, how could even an ant escape? On the day when the imperial edict comes, I’ll take off my battle garb with you.”
“On the day when the imperial edict comes, I’ll take off my battle garb with you.” Emperor Yuan Feng pondered for a moment, surprise flashing in his eyes.
“Great spirit, great poem!” Emperor Yuan Feng praised. “This saber is called the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber?
“You wrote this poem?”
Emperor Yuan asked two consecutive questions.
“This is the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber!” Yin Wuyou said. “I didn’t compose the poem. Zhou Shu did.”
There was pride in Yin Wuyou’s eyes.
“Zhou Shu?” Emperor Yuan Feng recalled for a moment, then suddenly said, “The superintendent of the workshop that Great General Meng strongly recommended?”
“Great General Meng was not the first one to discover him. I was the one who discovered him first! I even promoted him to a workshop superintendent!” Yin Wuyou said indignantly.
“Alright, my daughter has good foresight.” Emperor Yuan Feng wouldn’t argue with the little girl about this. He smiled and said, “I remember that Zhou Shu is a Forging Apprentice, right? He even went to school?”
Although the words of this poem were not exquisite, they were very bold. It was not something a Forging Apprentice who became a workshop superintendent could make.
“He went to a private school for a year when he was young, but because of his family’s circumstances, he didn’t continue.” Yin Wuyou knew about Zhou Shu’s plight and felt a little regretful.
“What a pity.” Emperor Yuan Feng also had the same thought. He had only been to a private school for a year, yet he was able to produce such a poem. If he persisted, Great Xia might have had another great scholar.
However, it didn’t seem too bad now. He was rather talented in forging as well. If he had insisted on going to a private school back then, he probably wouldn’t have forged these weapons recently.
“Father, Zhou Shu has developed a new weapon. How do you think we should reward him?” Yin Wuyou asked.
“You are the grand minister of the Forging Division. Are you here to ask me how to reward Zhou Shu?” Emperor Yuanfeng smiled.
“Isn’t the responsibility of the 0th Workshop to develop new weapons? This is their job. Why do they need rewards?”
It was true that Emperor Yuan Feng was a good person, but this didn’t mean that he didn’t know when rewards or punishments should be given.
Yin Wuyou had told him before that the 0th Workshop didn’t take on daily forging tasks and specialized in researching and improving weapons.
Under such circumstances, developing a new weapon could only be considered an ordinary task for the 0th Workshop. Why was there a need for a reward?
“Father, haven’t you always taught me to distinguish between reward and punishment?” Yin Wuyou said. “My task for the 0th Workshop is to develop a new weapon in three months. It’s only been a month, and a new weapon has already been developed.
“Moreover, you have also seen that this Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber is not the slightest bit inferior to the previous one. In fact, it might even surpass it. If Zhou Shu isn’t rewarded, wouldn’t it make him bitterly disappointed?”
“In that case, how do you want to reward him?” Emperor Yuan Feng asked with a smile.
“I’m asking you because I don’t know,” Yin Wuyou said. “He just became a workshop superintendent not long ago. Would it be okay to promote him again now?”
For a workshop superintendent, above it was a vice director of the Forging Division. But that wouldn’t be beneficial for Zhou Shu’s talent.
“He’s a forging talent, so he might not be suitable to be an official.” Emperor Yuan Feng shook his head. “Moreover, his qualifications aren’t enough for him to hold a higher position. Since you don’t have any ideas, then you can just reward him with gold, silver, or jewels.
“Isn’t this the usual practice of the Forging Division?”
Emperor Yuan Feng didn’t really care about such a small matter. If he, the emperor, had to worry about a workshop superintendent, then he would be dead tired!
“It’s up to you how you want to reward the 0th Workshop. I have an idea on how to use the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber,” Emperor Yuan Feng said with a smile.
“On the day when the imperial edict comes, I’ll take off my battle garb with you. Since this saber is made for soldiers who went out to battle, I will use this Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber as a reward for the victorious return of the soldiers.
“As meritorious warriors, wouldn’t it be a beautiful story to bestow them the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber?”
Emperor Yuan Feng stroked his beard and was very satisfied with his thoughts. This poem was very well written, but if he could change a few words, it would be even better.
For example, ‘I, the emperor, will take off my battle garb with you’?
I am the ruler of a country. Is it not good to use a poem of my subject like this?
No, I am the ruler of a country. The poems of my subjects are my poems. What harm is there in using them?
“Daughter, I plan to use this Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber to reward the soldiers of the three armies. Let’s not publicize it for the time being. Also, tell everyone present to be more tight-lipped about the poem. I want to give the three armies a surprise..” Emperor Yuan Feng chuckled.
