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

But he was truly displeased, his face darkening.

Quan Quan Qingle could not stand it; she had no such concerns and shouted somewhat irritably:

"What are you dawdling about? Since you brought it out for everyone to see, hurry up! If you can't bear to part with it, take it back. What's with dangling bait? Isn't that despicable?"

Li Chengqian, who had originally intended to build up the suspense, was instantly embarrassed by Quan Quan Qingle's outburst.

He coughed lightly and signaled the servants behind him to present the item.

Two burly Southern Kingdom guards were seen carrying a huge sandalwood box, walking steadily toward the center of the main hall.

Intricate cloud patterns were carved around the sandalwood box, and a piece of emerald-green jade was inlaid on the lid, emitting a mysterious sheen under the hall's candlelight.

Everyone stretched their necks, their gazes following the box, their breathing unconsciously quickening; what exactly was this thing so mysterious?

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

The instant the lid opened, a metallic luster flashed into everyone's eyes, but strangely, this metal did not shine as dazzlingly as the gold and silver commonly seen.

Li Chengqian took a block of metal from the box, held it high, and said to the crowd:

"This is the national treasure of our Southern Kingdom!"

Everyone stretched their necks again, eager to see the truth, only to find that this so-called national treasure was merely a piece of metal that looked somewhat peculiar, lacking the dazzling brilliance or strange shape they had imagined.

Someone could not help but ask:

"Crown Prince, what exactly is this treasure? It looks like just an ordinary piece of steel."

Hearing this, Li Chengqian smiled proudly and said loudly:

"You all do not know; this is a unique metal of our Southern Kingdom, named Fine Steel! It is harder than ordinary steel and can forge the sharpest weapons in the world! This box of Fine Steel we present can forge a complete set of swords and blades!"

As early as the five kingdoms, including Emperor Tianqi, steel-making technology was still in its infancy.

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

In fact, the Southern Kingdom's Fine Steel was inferior steel compared to the truly high-purity steel of later generations.

But in the weapons of this era, the contest was simply about who was harder; thus, for a hundred years, besides Emperor Tianqi, only the Southern Kingdom was relatively powerful.

Everyone finally understood; this was the leverage the Southern Kingdom used to request the smallpox vaccine from Emperor Tianqi.

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

Someone murmured quietly:

"What is so remarkable about this? Our Emperor Tianqi now not only has mature steel-making technology but also possesses stainless steel, which is likely a hundred times more useful than this so-called Fine Steel."

Quan Quan Qingle shouted directly:

"Tch, I thought it was some treasure. My sister-in-law has already helped Emperor Tianqi forge stainless steel, which is steel that does not rust. Got it?"

Quan Quan Qingle's shout was like a giant stone thrown into an originally calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves.

A flicker of curiosity and urgency passed through Li Chengqian's eyes; he immediately requested to witness the power of a sword forged from stainless steel.

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

Li Chengqian did not expect Quan Quan Wuji to hand him a sword directly; in such a setting, no one was allowed to carry weapons.

"The Emperor Tianqi Emperor has great magnanimity!"

Li Chengqian silently praised, caught the sword steadily, and felt its weight in his hand.

Under the reflection of the hall's candlelight, the blade emitted a cold, sharp luster, completely different from the dullness of ordinary steel; its unique metallic texture made him perk up.

Unable to suppress his curiosity and excitement, he twisted his wrist and spun a beautiful sword flourish; cold light flashed, and the air in the hall seemed to be cut by its sharp edge.

"What a sword!"

Li Chengqian could not help but praise.

Having spoken, he strode over to a massive piece of Fine Steel placed in the hall; this Fine Steel was the item presented by the Southern Kingdom, originally intended to display their strength.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath, gathered all his strength into his right arm, and swung the stainless steel sword in his hand, accompanied by a whistling wind, toward the Fine Steel.

"Clang!"

A deafening crash made everyone's eardrums ache, and sparks flew everywhere.

When the light faded, everyone looked closely; the originally unyielding Southern Kingdom Fine Steel had been struck with a deep dent, and upon closer inspection, there was even a crack!

Yet the stainless steel sword in Li Chengqian's hand remained completely undamaged; the blade was as smooth and new as ever, without even a single chip.

"This... how is this possible!"

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

He never expected that while he thought the Southern Kingdom's Fine Steel was enough to intimidate everyone, the steel-making technology of Emperor Tianqi had far surpassed that of the Southern Kingdom.

A murmur of astonishment rose among the people in the hall, with exclamations of awe coming one after another; looking at that alarming dent, their pride in Emperor Tianqi's strength grew even stronger.

The envoys from the other kingdoms, who had originally had some expectations for the Southern Kingdom's Fine Steel, now also showed expressions of shock, praising Emperor Tianqi's stainless steel without end.

The key point was that even a random guard's sword was forged from such godly steel; who would dare to defy Emperor Tianqi?

The Emperor, looking at the scene before him, revealed a satisfied smile. He said slowly:

"Our Emperor Tianqi's achievements today are entirely due to many worthy talents."

Quan Quan Qingle, standing aside, looked triumphant and patted her chest, saying:

"Of course! My sister-in-law is incredibly powerful! Well, Crown Prince of the Southern Kingdom, isn't Emperor Tianqi's stainless steel impressive?"

Li Chengqian was completely thunderstruck; this young girl was far too bold.

Although this was Li Chengqian's first visit to Emperor Tianqi, he had done his homework before coming.

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

How dare she say such things repeatedly in such a setting, yet neither the Emperor nor the Empress showed anger?

The key question was, who exactly was this "sister-in-law" she mentioned? That such an extraordinary steel was forged with the help of a woman!

Just then, Princess Tuoba Princess Tuoba Yaoguang took the opportunity to mock:

"It seems the Southern Kingdom is nothing special after all, bringing inferior goods to pass as the real thing."

Li Chengqian's face flushed crimson.

"What do you know? This fine steel may be nothing special in Emperor Tianqi, but in your Northern Kingdom it's a rare treasure indeed."

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

"Crown Prince Li, please do not take offense. While this fine steel may not be rare in Emperor Tianqi, the journey from the Southern Kingdom to our Emperor Tianqi is long, and you went to the trouble of transporting it specially; I accept this gesture of goodwill. When you return, I shall bestow upon you a set of blades and swords forged from our Emperor Tianqi's stainless steel—how does that sound?"

Li Chengqian was overjoyed and hurriedly kowtowed to thank the Emperor. Bringing these blades and swords back would be enough to make every man, woman, and child in the Southern Kingdom green with envy.

But the Emperor of Emperor Tianqi did not pick up the thread about the smallpox vaccine, and at once his heart rose again — this matter not being easy had long been within his expectations.

After the Crown Prince of the Southern Kingdom withdrew, the once-lively great hall instantly grew several shades quieter.

It was at this moment that the Crown Prince of Shu Du, Liu Jin, stepped forward.

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