Chapter 502: with translation of chapter title

Feng Zhou stepped forward, performed his salute, and glanced at the bronze object on the table: "When I was in Jingcheng, I already said this item is delicate, assembly is not easy, but we can give it a try."

Xiao Yuanhang frowned slightly: "How so?"

Feng Zhou picked up a sword tip, pointed at the cross-section: "Your Majesty, Prince, please look."

"The cross-section is filled with fine mortise and tenon joints, interlocking like dog teeth, extremely precise."

"To reassemble it, we need to pour molten silver into the joints."

"There must be no deviation in the heat; otherwise it will deform and ruin, and the whole key will be scrapped."

He paused: "Right now, I have only seventy to eighty percent confidence I can succeed."

"Seventy to eighty percent?" Xiao Yuanhang pondered a moment, then slowly said: "Seventy to eighty percent is not enough."

Feng Zhou was stunned.

Xiao Yuanhang looked at him: "These Nine Keys determine whether the great army can smoothly enter Jingcheng and reclaim the realm."

"Feng Zhou, what I want is not seventy to eighty percent, but absolute certainty."

The tent fell silent for a moment.

Feng Zhou stared blankly at Prince Ning, his heart warming: "This is Tuan Tuan's father!"

No matter how difficult, we must succeed!

He lowered his head, staring at those bronze pieces, brows furrowed, silent for a long time.

Suddenly he raised his head: "Prince, may I first make a prototype set?"

"A prototype?"

Feng Zhou nodded: "I plan to first use ordinary copper, replicate the cross-sections of these Nine Keys, and try soldering them."

"If it works, then we will proceed to smelt the real thing."

"If it fails, we can still find the cause, so as not to ruin His Majesty's and the Prince's important affair."

Xiao Ningchen's eyes lit up: "This method is steady and reliable!"

Xiao Jieyun gave a slight nod: "Approved."

Xiao Ningxun suddenly remembered something, pulled from his bosom the "Mountain River Mineral Marrow Atlas", flipped to the last page, and handed it to Feng Zhou: "Take a look at this, see if it can be useful."

Feng Zhou took it, having read only a few characters, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Nine-fold refined iron forging technique..." he murmured, his fingers lightly stroking the paper, as if cradling some fragile rare treasure.

"Marvelous! It turns out refined iron needs ninefold forging to pierce armor, and the control of heat is so exacting!"

The more he read, the more entranced he became, murmuring words, completely forgetting where he was.

Xiao Ningyuan laughed and cried at once, this is the imperial presence!

He gave a light cough twice, then called softly: "Feng Zhou?"

Feng Zhou snapped back to attention, lifted his head, eyes shining: "Marvelous! Too marvelous! If I had learned this forging technique a few years earlier, I could surely forge weapons that cut iron like mud!"

Xiao Ningyuan was overjoyed, hurriedly asking: "Then can the Nine Keys matter be done?"

Feng Zhou startled: "No."

Xiao Ningyuan: "..."

Feng Zhou hurriedly explained: "What is recorded here are all methods for forging weapons, which are not the same as soldering such fine objects."

Everyone looked at each other, the hearts that had just sunk rose again.

Xiao Ningyuan furrowed his brows slightly: "Then is this thing useless?"

Feng Zhou wore a strange expression: "Who said it's useless? Not only is it useful, it's extremely useful!"

Xiao Ningyuan: "..."

Feng Zhou waved his hands repeatedly: "Since this is a lost technique of the former dynasty, it shares the same origin as these Nine Keys."

"Give me some time to study it carefully, and I should be able to infer the craftsmen's methods from it."

"With this, we have a direction to start from, and we can avoid many detours."

"Now my seventy to eighty percent confidence can be raised to eighty to ninety percent."

Xiao Ningyuan felt talking to him was pure torment: "Feng Zhou, can't you speak without gasping? Wouldn't it be better to say it all in one breath?"

Feng Zhou startled: "What's wrong? Is something off?"

Xiao Ningyuan raised his hand and slapped his own forehead.

Everyone burst out laughing.

Feng Zhou sheepishly rubbed his nose and laughed along.

Xiao Yuanhang patted his shoulder: "Good, I'll have Xiao Er set up a separate tent for you to study in peace. If you need anything, just speak up."

Feng Zhou solemnly nodded: "Your Majesty, Prince, please rest assured, I will devote myself wholeheartedly!"

Xiao Jieyun smiled and said: "In my Xibei Daying, there are brave and skilled generals, loyal and steadfast soldiers, and now we also have capable artisans—all thanks to Tuan Tuan."

He looked toward the Prince: "Yuanhang, you truly have borne a fine daughter!"

At this moment, Tuan Tuan, who was constantly praised by the Emperor, had just woken up.

She stretched lazily: "Sleeping in bed is really comfortable!"

Cheng Ru'an took out the new clothes she had made for her daughter: "Come, Tuan Tuan, try them on, Mommy just made them for you."

Tuan Tuan happily put them on, her little hand touching them: "Mommy's clothes are really pretty! I like them the most!"

Cheng Ru'an beamed: "As for Mommy, I can only handle needlework; I have no other talents and can't help you in any way."

Tuan Tuan hurriedly hugged her mother's neck, rolling into her embrace: "Mommy is not like that! Mommy is the best!"

Cheng Ru'an gently held her: "Hurry up and get up, Xiao Yueyue has come to look for you several times already! And there's the Twelfth Prince."

Tuan Tuan shouted with joy: "Xiao Yueyue! Little Twelve!"

She sprang up, jumped out of bed, and ran all the way out of the tent.

Cheng Ru'an shouted from behind her: "Run slower! Don't fall!"

From outside the tent came Xiao Er's voice: "Don't worry! I'm following the young lady!"

"This child!" Cheng Ru'an laughed, shaking her head, and got up from the bedside.

Suddenly, she stiffened her whole body, motionless like a wooden or clay figurine, her gaze vacant.

After a moment, her lips moved slightly as she murmured, "I know what to do now."

Liu Mama's voice sounded from outside: "Princess Consort, this old servant has brought the newly bought silk thread for you."

After a while, Liu Mama, hearing no reply, reported again.

Not far outside the tent, Noble Consort De and Consort Yun stood side by side, watching the three little tots playing happily together.

Noble Consort De smiled: "The children are truly carefree, wherever they are they're this cheerful."

Consort Yun nodded: "Yes, now the main camp is lively."

Noble Consort De asked: "Tuan Tuan, where is Princess Consort Ning?"

Tuan Tuan was squatting on the ground playing with something, not lifting her head: "Mommy is inside the tent!"

Consort Yun said: "Let's go see her and have a chat."

"Okay." The two went to Cheng Ru'an's large tent entrance and saw Liu Mama standing outside, looking puzzled but still waiting.

Consort Yun asked: "Why not go in?"

Liu Mama shook her head: "The Princess Consort is inside, but I've reported several times and she hasn't responded; I can only wait here."

The three looked at each other, and Consort Yun raised her voice: "Princess Consort Ning, are you still alright?"

Cheng Ru'an shuddered all over, as if waking from a dream.

"What's wrong with me? What just happened?"

She hurriedly replied: "Come in."

The three lifted the curtain and entered; Liu Mama saw Cheng Ru'an's face turned pale, quickly put down the silk thread she was holding, and helped her sit at the table: "Your Ladyship, what's wrong?"

"I've been calling you outside several times."

Cheng Ru'an looked bewildered: "Ah? I, I didn't hear anything."

Consort Yun reached out and lightly touched her forehead: "No fever, are you tired?"

Cheng Ru'an rubbed her temples: "Maybe so; last night I listened to Tuan Tuan talk half the night about how she bullied Eunuch Gao of Dezheng Palace in Jingcheng."

Noble Consort De laughed at this: "Speaking of this, the Little Princess is impressive! She let out a big vent of spite for me and Jin'er."

The three princess consorts sat down together and chatted about family matters.

At the same moment, in a courtyard deep within Jingcheng...

A blood-red gu worm inside a black wooden box, which had been crawling wildly in excitement, slowly slowed, finally curled up in the corner and became completely still.

A large hand reached into the box, gently stroked it, and lightly closed the lid.