Chapter 198: Who Exactly Is Her Sister-in-law?

Yet he was truly displeased, and his expression darkened.

Quan Qingle would not have it; she had none of those reservations and shouted out somewhat irritably:

"What are you dawdling for? If you brought it for everyone to see, then hurry up! If you're reluctant, take it back. What’s the point of keeping people in suspense? Isn't that just mean?"

Li Chenggan, who had originally intended to build up plenty of suspense, found himself unable to keep a straight face after being called out by Quan Qingle.

He gave a light cough, signaling his attendants behind him to present the item.

Two sturdy guards from the Southern Kingdom carried a massive sandalwood chest, walking toward the center of the great hall with steady steps.

The sandalwood chest was carved with exquisite cloud patterns on all sides, and a piece of emerald jade was inlaid on the lid, emitting a mysterious luster under the candlelight of the hall.

Everyone stretched their necks, their gazes following the movement of the chest, their breathing unconsciously quickening. What on earth was so mysterious?

Once the chest was placed firmly in the center of the hall, Li Chenggan stepped forward and gently opened the lid.

The moment the lid opened, a metallic luster caught everyone’s eyes, but strangely, this metal did not look as dazzling as the gold and silver usually seen.

Li Chenggan took a piece of metal from the chest, held it high, and said to the crowd:

"This is the treasure that guards my Southern Kingdom!"

Everyone stretched their necks, wanting to get a closer look, only to find that this so-called national treasure was just a piece of metal that looked somewhat peculiar, lacking the brilliant radiance or exotic shape they had imagined.

Someone couldn't help but ask:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, what kind of treasure is this? It looks like nothing more than ordinary steel."

Upon hearing this, Li Chenggan smiled triumphantly and said loudly:

"You all do not know, this is a type of metal unique to my Southern Kingdom, called refined steel! It is harder than ordinary steel and can be used to forge the sharpest weapons in the world! This chest of refined steel presented by our country can forge an entire set of swords and blades!"

Long ago, in the five kingdoms including Tianqi, steel-making technology was still in its infancy.

Only the Southern Kingdom had mastered a slightly more mature steel-making technology than the other kingdoms; it was said that weapons forged from it could slice through iron like mud.

In truth, the Southern Kingdom's refined steel was merely inferior steel compared to the high-purity steel of later generations.

But in this era, weapons were judged by their hardness, so for a hundred years, besides Tianqi, only the Southern Kingdom had been relatively powerful.

The crowd finally understood; this was the leverage the Southern Kingdom was using to beg Tianqi for the smallpox vaccine.

Everyone present, including the Emperor and Empress, felt a wave of disappointment.

Someone muttered in a low voice:

"What is so rare about this? My Tianqi now not only has mature steel-making technology but also has stainless steel, which is likely a hundred times better than this so-called refined steel."

Quan Qingle shouted out directly:

"Pfft, and I thought it was some kind of treasure. My sister-in-law has already helped Tianqi forge stainless steel—that is, steel that doesn't rust, get it?"

This outburst from Quan Qingle was like throwing a giant boulder into a quiet lake, stirring up a thousand waves.

A flash of curiosity and urgency crossed Li Chenggan's eyes, and he immediately requested to witness the power of a sword forged from stainless steel.

Quan Wuji casually drew a stainless steel sword from a guard and tossed it lightly to Li Chenggan.

Li Chenggan had not expected Quan Wuji to hand him a sword directly; one had to know that in such an occasion, no one was allowed to carry weapons.

"The Emperor of Tianqi has a grand demeanor!"

Li Chenggan praised inwardly, catching the sword steadily; it felt heavy in his hand.

Under the reflection of the candles in the hall, the blade emitted a cold, sharp luster, completely different from the dullness of ordinary steel, and its unique metallic texture invigorated him.

Unable to suppress his curiosity and excitement, he turned his wrist and performed a beautiful sword flourish; cold light flickered, and the air in the hall seemed to be sliced by the sharp edge.

"A fine sword!"

Li Chenggan couldn't help but exclaim.

Having said that, he strode to a huge piece of refined steel placed in the hall—the very item the Southern Kingdom had presented, originally intended to show off their strength.

Li Chenggan took a deep breath, gathered all his strength into his right arm, and swung the stainless steel sword with a whistling sound toward the refined steel.

"Clang!"

A loud noise made everyone's eardrums ache, and sparks flew everywhere.

When the light faded, everyone looked closely and saw that the originally incredibly hard refined steel from the Southern Kingdom had been struck with a deep dent; looking closer, there was even a crack!

Yet the stainless steel sword in Li Chenggan's hand remained completely undamaged, the blade as bright and clean as new, without even a single notch.

"This... how is this possible!"

Li Chenggan's face was filled with shock and disbelief; his originally confident expression had vanished without a trace.

He never imagined that while he thought the Southern Kingdom's refined steel would be enough to awe everyone, Tianqi's steel-making technology was already far superior to that of the Southern Kingdom.

The hall was in an uproar, with exclamations rising one after another. Looking at that shocking dent, they felt a bit more pride in Tianqi's strength.

The envoys from other kingdoms, who had originally held expectations for the Southern Kingdom's refined steel, now also wore expressions of shock, praising Tianqi's stainless steel endlessly.

The key was that even a random guard was equipped with a blade forged from this heaven-defying steel; who would dare to defy Tianqi?

The Emperor watched the scene before him with a satisfied smile. He said slowly:

"That Tianqi can achieve what it has today is all thanks to many talented people."

Quan Qingle stood to the side, looking smug, and patted her chest as she said:

"That's right, my sister-in-law is amazing! How about it, Crown Prince of the Southern Kingdom, is Tianqi's stainless steel impressive?"

Li Chenggan was completely stunned; this young girl was far too bold.

Although this was Li Chenggan's first time in Tianqi, he had done his homework before coming.

He had familiarized himself with all the Imperial Princes and Princesses of Tianqi, and he had never heard of such a woman.

She dared to say such things time and again on such an occasion, and the Emperor and Empress did not even get angry.

The key was, who exactly was this sister-in-law she spoke of? To have forged such incredible steel with the help of a woman!

Just then, Tuoba Yaoguang took the opportunity to mock:

"It seems the Southern Kingdom is nothing more than this, bringing inferior goods to make up the numbers."

Li Chenggan's face flushed red.

"What do you know? While this refined steel may not be much in Tianqi, it is a rare treasure in your Northern Kingdom."

The atmosphere grew awkward, and Quan Wuji spoke up in time:

"Crown Prince Li, do not be angry. Although this refined steel is not a rarity in Tianqi, the Southern Kingdom traveled a long way to bring it to us, and I accept this gesture. When you return, I shall bestow upon you a set of swords and blades forged from our Tianqi's stainless steel, how about that?"

Li Chenggan was overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed to thank him; bringing these blades back would be enough to make everyone in the Southern Kingdom green with envy.

But the Emperor of Tianqi did not pick up on the topic of the smallpox vaccine, and his heart sank again; he had expected that this matter would not be easy.

After the Crown Prince of the Southern Kingdom stepped back, the lively hall instantly quieted down a bit.

Crown Prince Liu Jin of Shudu stood out at this moment.

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