Chapter 153 The Emperor Came to Guard the Door
Zhou Shu had many forging materials in his mansion.
Yin Wuyou had just given him a piece of Heaven Refining Stone, big enough to forge a heaven-grade weapon. Now, with the Black Iron Gold Crystal given by Yin Chengshan, everything was ready. Since he already had a direction, what was left was to roll up his sleeves and begin forging!
After Zhou Shu became the You Marquis, the greatest benefit was that when he wanted to do something, he didn’t need to think about anything else. He just needed to do it.
He once again went into seclusion to forge, and the You Marquis’s mansion’s doors were closed to visitors.
In the imperial study of the imperial palace of Great Xia…
Emperor Yuan Feng looked at the memorial on his desk and fell silent.
After a long while, he let out a long sigh. “Great companion, do you think I’m being too mean to the general?”
Other than the emperor, there was only Eunuch Zhao in the imperial study.
Eunuch Zhao stood there without saying anything, as if he didn’t exist. Ordinary people wouldn’t notice him.
Eunuch Zhao replied, “Your Majesty, you worry too much.”
“A death warrior came from the general’s residence. It’s only right for Your Majesty to send people to investigate. The great general has a clear conscience and will not blame Your Majesty for this.”
“Then, why did he submit his resignation letter?” Emperor Yuan Feng muttered.
Eunuch Zhao sighed inwardly. Your Majesty, you know everything. Why are you asking me? What can I say? That General Meng is afraid that Your Majesty will kill him?
Your Majesty, although you might not be willing to do so, even the emperor cannot do as he pleases when it comes to the matters of the Imperial Court.
“Your Majesty, perhaps the great general is tired. He is wounded and ill, and with his age…” Eunuch Zhao said.
“Yes.” Emperor Yuan Feng sighed. “He has suffered. Great companion, you said that he wants to go to the Huaxia Pavilion to be an advisor and help develop weapons. What is the meaning of this?”
“Your Majesty, I think I understand,” Eunuch Zhao said. “The great general has spent his entire life in the military. Even if he retires and returns home, it might not be a good thing if he really has nothing to do. He wants to find a job to pass the time. After all, the great general has no children. If he really retires, what else can he do?
“Actually, I think it’s a good thing. Marquis Zhou’s Huaxia Pavilion is thirty kilometers away from the capital. When Your Majesty wants to have a chat with the great general, you can see him at any time…”
“You old bastard!” Emperor Yuan Feng cursed.
How could he not understand what Eunuch Zhao meant? If Meng Bai stayed in the capital, then he could find out about his movements at any time. And since he didn’t have any military power, many people would naturally be completely at ease.
“That’s all for now then.” Emperor Yuanfeng let out a long sigh. Being an emperor and being a good person were two different things. Perhaps he wasn’t suitable to be an emperor.
How could he not know that the situation in Great Xia was getting worse and worse? He might even be part of the reason behind this. Emperor Yuan Feng placed Meng Bai’s memorial aside and asked, “What has Zhou Shu been doing recently?”
Although he wanted to beat up this Zhou fellow from time to time, it was undeniable that he was a talent and had helped Great Xia greatly.
If not for him, how could Great Xia take back the two prefectures?
If not for his Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber and Horse Slaying Saber, the war in the southern border might not have gone so smoothly.
Emperor Yuan Feng had even heard that the other nations were already preparing for next year’s Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament. They were afraid that Great Xia would rise again.
Thinking about it this way, Emperor Yuang Feng felt that the boy surnamed Zhou was not completely useless.
He snorted inwardly.
“Marquis Zhou has been busy with the construction of the Huaxia Pavilion recently.” Eunuch Zhao smiled. “I heard from the Ministry of Works that Marquis Zhou mentioned many wonderful ideas. They’re very interesting.” Eunuch Zhao picked out a few and told Emperor Yuan Feng.
After Emperor Yuang Feng heard this, his face darkened. He said coldly, “Does he want to enjoy himself now? I don’t even dare to build my side palaces like this!
“He has just been promoted to a Forging Master, and he’s already so lacking in ambition. Does he think that it doesn’t require money to build the Huaxia Pavilion?”
Emperor Yuan Feng was angry. Thinking back to when he agreed to his daughter’s condition, his chest felt stuffy.
“It’s not that Marquis Zhou doesn’t do his job.” Eunuch Zhao had a pretty good impression of Zhou Shu. At the very least, every time they met, Marquis Zhou treated him with great respect. It wasn’t about how grand his etiquette was but because he treated him with his heart.
This feeling made Eunuch Zhao, who lived in a scheming environment all year round, especially attached.
“He only gave suggestions to the Ministry of Works. The Ministry of Works is still planning the specific design plans. Marquis Zhou is currently in seclusion forging. He said that he’s preparing for the parade.”
Although Emperor Yuan Feng would scold Zhou Shu from time to time, Eunuch Zhao knew that Emperor Yuan Feng paid a lot of attention to Zhou Shu, so he was always paying attention to Zhou Shu’s movements.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to answer when Emperor Yuan Feng suddenly asked.
“Hmph!” Upon hearing that Zhou Shu was in seclusion forging, Emperor Yuan Feng’s anger lessened. “What is he forging?”
“I don’t know.” Eunuch Zhao smiled bitterly.
Emperor Yuan Feng also realized that he had asked a useless question and changed the subject. “Where is Wuyou? What has she been busy with these past two days? Why hasn’t she come to pay her respects?”
Eunuch Zhao hesitated for a moment before saying, “Her Highness has been selecting secret forging techniques in the imperial library for the past two days…” Emperor Yuan Feng was stunned for a moment before clutching his chest and panting heavily. “Damn it. That Zhou brat, to think I thought that he wasn’t bad! If not for this dragon robe, I would have beaten him up!” Emperor Yuan Feng breathed heavily. “Your Majesty?” Eunuch Zhao asked worriedly. Emperor Yuan Feng sulked for a while before suddenly saying, “My great companion, do you think anyone will notice if I disguise myself and leave the palace?” Eunuch Zhao had a puzzled expression. Leave the palace in disguise? To mingle with the people incognito? Is there a need to be afraid of being discovered?
Could it be that His Majesty wants to visit a brothel?
There was indeed an emperor in history who liked to do that…
Eunuch Zhao looked at Emperor Yuanfeng with a strange expression. After serving this emperor for so many years, he had never realized that the emperor was interested in this.
“If Your Majesty is really interested, my best to arrange…” Eunuch Zhao said after hesitating for a moment. He prayed in his heart that the empress wouldn’t find out.
…
The You Marquis’s mansion…
Crack!
With a crisp sound, Zhou Shu looked at the broken tool in his hand and frowned.
He had tried countless times.
Every time he was halfway done, the weapon would break.
According to my deductions, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Zhou Shu pondered.
Forging weapons was not as simple as throwing all the materials into the furnace.
Different materials would react differently when used together. He had to consider the nature of the materials after they mixed together and control the heat during the forging process. These were all related to the success or failure of the forging.
The appearance of the weapon was not a problem.
If a Forging Master wanted to, they could make all kinds of strange weapons. They could even be more flashy than the weapons in Zhou Shu’s previous life’s online games, but this was meaningless. It was the same for Zhou Shu now. He had already thought about what this weapon would look like after being forged.
But in order to achieve that effect, he had to consider how to match and complement the materials. Not only did he have to consider the ratio of the materials, but he also had to consider how to fix the stars within the meridians of the weapon.
For several days, Zhou Shu had tried countless times, but each time he encountered a different problem.
This was actually the norm for a Forging Master. It was rare for a Forging Master to succeed every time they forged something.
The birth of a ranked weapon was the result of repeated attempts by the Forging Master.
Unless it was forged according to an existing forging formula, this step was unavoidable.
Zhou Shu also understood this point. The Legendary Armament Canon only recorded details of forged ranked weapons. He had to complete the first step himself.
He calmed himself down and began to review what had gone wrong.
After a long time, Zhou Shu activated the True Fire again and began to forge.
His movements were very gentle. Every time he placed a forging material, he would ponder for a moment and even write on the floor.
In the forging room, the crackling sounds of the fire and Zhou Shu’s muttering resounded.
After an unknown period of time, clanking sounds came from the forging room again.
Then Zhou Shu shouted, “Again!”
Zhou Shu’s personality was a bit lazy. He liked to stay at home and didn’t like trouble. Sometimes he liked to show off, and sometimes he wished that no one would recognize him.
But it was undeniable that there was stubbornness and tenacity in his character.
He could devote himself to anything that he had set his mind on.
It was just like forging. Although he had failed countless times, he had never given up and continued to try.
The steward looked at the untouched food at the door and sighed. It was time to worry again.
Although the marquis was a ranked martial artist, and he wouldn’t starve to death if he didn’t eat a few meals, every time he went into seclusion to forge, he wouldn’t eat or drink. This made people’s hearts ache.
He shook his head and put down the fresh food, then picked up the untouched food and walked out.
Just as he walked out of the small courtyard, he bumped into someone and hurriedly bowed.
“No need for formalities.” Yin Wuyou waved her hand and looked at the food with a slight frown. “Still not eating? Does he do this all the time?”
“Not really.” The steward thought about it. In the past, when the marquis forged, it didn’t take long. The last time he forged the Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword, it had taken longer, but not as long as this time.
“The marquis said that the sword he’s forging this time is for Your Highness, so nothing must go wrong. He forbade any of us from disturbing him,” the steward said hesitantly.
Yin Wuyou was stunned. “For me? Not for the military parade?” “It serves the same purpose.” Before the steward came to the marquis’s estate, he was a steward of the Mi family and had quite a bit of experience.
“Yeah, that’s true,” Yin Wuyou said, her beautiful face slightly flushed. So Zhou Shu didn’t sleep or rest, didn’t eat or drink, to forge a weapon for me…
He doesn’t have to work so hard. As long as it’s from him, I will like it.
In the moonlight, Yin Wuyou’s face was slightly red. Her bashful look made the steward feel like he was looking at a fairy from the moon palace.
He quickly lowered his head and thought, Her Highness and the marquis…
Could it be that he had just turned from the steward of the Mi family to the steward of the marquis’s residence and was going to turn from the steward of the marquis’s residence to the steward of the prince consort’s residence?
“I’ll go back first. Send someone to inform me when he comes out. Also, I’ve placed the documents I brought in his study. You must watch them carefully. Don’t let anyone flip through them, understand?”
Yin Wuyou also noticed her loss of composure and regained her cold and arrogant appearance.
“Yes, Your Highness.” The steward hurriedly bowed. Since the future mistress had spoken, he had to quickly express his stance.
Yin Wuyou walked away gracefully. Being disturbed by the steward’s words, she didn’t notice two men in black clothes lying on the roof of a house in the distance.
As they watched Yin Wuyou walk away, one of the men in black gritted his teeth, causing the man in black beside him to feel slightly cold.
Things were different from what he had imagined
Who would have thought that a head eunuch like him, who could cause an earthquake in Chang’an with just a stomp of his foot, would one day be so sneaky as to be a nightcrawler?
But thinking about the person beside him, he felt better.
Hmph, luckily I came. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know that my good daughter is still at the You Marquis’s mansion so late. If others find out about this, how will the rumors spread? Will they say the princess’s character is improper? Emperor Yuan Feng thought. He didn’t know why he would have such a thought.
Perhaps he had been suppressing his emotions for a long time because of the great general’s resignation.
He wanted to vent. He missed the times when he was not the emperor! Zhou Shu, the little brat who stole his precious daughter, naturally became the target of his anger.
Emperor Yuan Feng was a first-rank martial artist. Even though his cultivation was not truly at the first rank of the Martial Dao, he was still a first-rank martial artist. Eunuch Zhao was also a true first-rank martial artist. He was very different from Emperor Yuan Feng, who had used special methods to increase his cultivation.
He was a true first-rank martial artist!
Very few people knew that the head eunuch beside Emperor Yuan Feng was actually a first-rank Martial Dao expert.
It was a piece of cake for two first-rank martial artists to sneak into the You Marquis residence.
Especially since the true experts of the capital had already been informed in advance by Eunuch Zhao, the cultivation of those left behind to guard the marquis’s residence was far inferior.
Yin Wuyou originally had a chance to discover them, but she had already returned to the princess’s residence, so Emperor Yuan Feng and Eunuch Zhao had no trouble sneaking outside Zhou Shu’s forging room.
“Your Majesty, Marquis Zhou seems to be forging. If we charge in now, will it affect his forging?” Eunuch Zhao asked.
Emperor Yuan Feng hesitated. He had always been a soft-hearted emperor. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the title of a benevolent ruler.
“Then we’ll deal with him later!”
The number one person of Great Xia, the ruler of a country, and his head eunuch, Eunuch Zhao, stood outside Zhou Shu’s forging room like two guards. The night wind rustled the fallen leaves on the ground, making them appear especially desolate.
