The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

Spring is in full bloom in the Western Hills, and a fine drizzle falls like silk.

Inside the core chamber of the workshop, three zhang underground, the dim light of the oil lamp reflected on the bronze mask of the Iron-Faced Man, giving it a cold, eerie glow.

The hydraulic press roared as brass cartridge cases rolled out of the mold with a clattering sound, gradually piling up in the wooden crate.

Zhu Zhanjun, wrapped in a medicinal cloth specially made by Zhang Sanfeng, leaned against a soft couch in the corner of the secret room, his gaze fixed on the calloused hands of the Iron Mask—those hands were adjusting the locking mechanism of a new gun with astonishing precision.

His knuckles were thick and strong, yet his movements were as delicate as embroidery; every stroke of the file was precise and accurate.

"Mr. Iron Face," Zhu Zhanjun suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse from his lingering injuries, "how was the pass rate for the bullet casings today?"

The masked man didn't raise his head; his voice, deep and hoarse, came from behind the mask, as if his throat had been scorched by fire: "Ninety-three percent. After the flywheel was installed, the pressure fluctuations of the stamping press have stabilized. If the purity of the brass raw material can be increased by another three percent, the scrap rate can be reduced to below half a percent."

Zhu Zhanjun nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the masked man. This mysterious craftsman had been working at the Xishan workshop for nearly two years, never showing his true face. Even Yu Qian only knew that his surname was Shen, that he was an old man from the Shenji Battalion, and that his face was disfigured twenty years ago during a firearms test when the barrel exploded, which is why he wore an iron mask to cover his face.

But Zhu Zhanjun always had a question in his mind—was that so-called "firearms test accident" really just an accident?

He slowly sat up from the couch, the movement aggravating his abdominal wound, causing him to groan softly. The masked man looked up at the sound, seeing his pale face, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, your wound has not yet healed. Master Zhang Sanfeng said you must rest for at least three months and not move around recklessly. If you aggravate your wound again, even a Great Immortal cannot save you."

"I know." Zhu Zhanjun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, but his gaze was unusually firm. "But some things are more important than recovering from injuries."

He paused, then suddenly asked, "Mr. Iron Face, you've been with me for almost two years, and I've never asked about your past. Today, I want to hear a story."

The man in the iron mask suddenly stopped.

The only sounds in the sealed room were the roar of the water-powered press and the clinking of copper cartridge cases. After a long while, the man in the iron mask put down the gun parts he was holding and slowly turned around. His eyes, visible through the holes in his mask, appeared exceptionally deep in the dim light.

"What would Your Highness like to ask?"

"Twenty years ago, a firearms leak occurred in the Shenji Battalion," Zhu Zhanjun said slowly. "According to the secret files of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a batch of advanced flintlock musket blueprints were leaked and obtained by remnants of the Northern Yuan, leading to the Ming army losing its firearms advantage in the Battle of Xuanfu, and three thousand soldiers dying on the battlefield. Afterwards, the source of the leak was traced back to a core craftsman of the Shenji Battalion named Shen Moyan. He was sentenced to have his eyes gouged out and his tongue cut out, and was exiled to the border to serve in the army. He was caught in a flash flood on the way and his body was never found."

The man in the iron mask suddenly began to breathe heavily.

"The Jinyiwei's files also include a portrait of Shen Moyan," Zhu Zhanjun continued, his voice low and steady. "Although twenty years have passed and the portrait has yellowed and blurred, I remember the features of that face very clearly—there is a three-inch-long scar on his forehead, left from a cut by a piece of iron in the workshop when he was young."

He stared at the masked man and said, word by word, "Yesterday, when Master Zhang Sanfeng was treating your old arm injury, I happened to see you lift a corner of your mask—the scar on your forehead is exactly the same as the one in the portrait."

A deathly silence fell over the sealed room.

After a long silence, the masked man suddenly let out a mournful laugh, a laugh filled with grief and desolation: "Twenty-three years... a full twenty-three years! I thought no one in this world would remember the name Shen Moyan anymore, but I never expected that you, Prince Zhenbei, would recognize me!"

He ripped off the bronze mask from his face, revealing a face that caused Zhu Zhanjun's pupils to shrink in shock—almost no part of his skin was intact; twisted scars covered his entire face like centipedes, his left eye socket was sunken, his eyelid was stuck to the muscles of his cheek, his nose bridge was collapsed, and most of his lips had been burned away, revealing his stark white teeth.

That is the eternal mark left by fire and explosion.

"Your Highness is right, I am Shen Moyan." The masked man—no, Shen Moyan's voice was hoarse, like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell—"But those secret files of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were nothing but lies fabricated by the Crown Prince to cover up the truth! I did not leak any secrets! Those blueprints were tricked from me by Qi Zhongming, who falsely claimed to be acting on the Crown Prince's orders!"

Zhu Zhanjun's expression turned stern: "Qi Zhongming? That key advisor to the Crown Prince?"

"It's him!" Shen Moyan gritted his teeth, the hatred in his eyes almost tangible. "Twenty-two years ago, I was the chief craftsman of the Shenji Battalion, in charge of developing a new type of flintlock musket. Its rate of fire was three times faster than the mainstream muskets of the time, and its range could reach 150 paces. At that time, Zhu Zhanji, who was still the eldest grandson of the emperor—no, he was only a fifteen-year-old boy back then—sent Qi Zhongming to approach me under the guise of 'observation and learning,' trying every means to obtain the blueprints."

"I respected him as the eldest grandson of the emperor, and seeing his young age and keen interest in firearms, I was unsuspecting. Who knew that Qi Zhongming, under the pretext of 'assisting in improvements,' obtained the complete blueprints and manufacturing process from me? Just three months later, the Northern Yuan cavalry possessed a new type of musket almost identical to my design! In the Battle of Xuanfu, the Ming army, initially believing they had the advantage in firearms, was caught completely off guard by the Northern Yuan, suffering over half of their three thousand soldiers killed or wounded!"

Shen Moyan's voice trembled as he spoke: "In the aftermath, Qi Zhongming pinned all the blame on me and fabricated evidence of my secret dealings with the Northern Yuan. To clear his name, the Crown Prince not only didn't say a word in my defense, but also kicked me while I was down, insisting on severe punishment. His Majesty Zhu Di was furious and ordered that my eyes be gouged out, my tongue cut out, and my exile to the border."

"Then your eyes..." Zhu Zhanjun asked in a deep voice.

"My eyes?" Shen Moyan gave a bitter laugh, pointing to his sunken left eye socket. "Qi Zhongming bribed the guards during the transport to silence me. I fought back desperately, but they bound my hands and feet and threw me alive into the iron-smelting furnace!"

He pointed to the scars all over his body: "Those constables thought I was going to die for sure, but there happened to be some discarded cast iron parts in the furnace that blocked my way. Although I was burned beyond recognition by the raging fire, I was lucky enough to survive. Later, I was rescued by the Taoist priest Zhang Sanfeng who happened to be passing by, and I have been hiding for twenty years."

"It wasn't until after the Battle of Yanmen Pass that Master Zhang Sanfeng learned of your intention to innovate the Ming Dynasty's firearms and introduced me to the Xishan Workshop," Shen Moyan said with a wry smile. "I changed my appearance and went into hiding, hoping that one day I could personally create firearms even more powerful than those blueprints from back then, so that those who harmed me could see what true divine weapons are!"

Zhu Zhanjun remained silent for a long time, then suddenly said, "Do you know that Qi Zhongming is now a key advisor to the Crown Prince?"

"I know." Shen Moyan clenched his fist tightly. "Although I have been hiding in the mountains all these years, I have never given up on finding out about my enemies. Qi Zhongming has risen through the ranks in the Eastern Palace by relying on the blueprints he tricked me out of back then. Now he is Zhu Zhanji's most trusted strategist. Ji Gang of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Wang Xiang of the Ministry of Works are both closely connected with him."

"Not only that," Zhu Zhanjun said coldly, "Xiao Qiniang is now infiltrating the Eastern Palace, and the clues she has found also point to Qi Zhongming. This person not only controls the Eastern Palace's military equipment records, but also secretly colludes with border generals in Xuanfu, Datong and other places, attempting to divide up all the firearms technology of the Shenji Battalion."

He looked at Shen Moyan: "Sir, would you be willing to join forces with me to uproot this venomous snake that has been hiding for twenty-two years?"

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Shen Moyan's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "Your Highness, I was given this life by chance. I've only survived until today because of sheer willpower. That Qi Zhongming ruined my reputation, disfigured me, and blinded me. I swear I will not rest until I avenge him! But..." he hesitated, "If my current identity is exposed, it might cause trouble for Your Highness."

"Trouble?" Zhu Zhanjun sneered. "I, Zhu Zhanjun, crawled out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood at Yanmen Pass. What trouble am I afraid of? Rest assured, as long as I'm here, no one can touch you. Besides—"

His gaze was intense: "You are not just Shen Moyan, but also the Iron-Faced Master of the Xishan Workshop. Without you, these breech-loading rifles and brass cartridges are nothing but scrap metal. You are the pillar of the Ming Dynasty's firearms innovation; anyone who dares to touch you is my enemy!"

Shen Moyan's eyes reddened slightly, and he bowed deeply: "Shen Moyan is willing to die for Your Highness!"

Zhu Zhanjun helped him up, then suddenly asked, "Besides Qi Zhongming, who else was involved in framing you back then?"

Shen Moyan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Chen Wenzhao, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, has now been promoted to Minister of War; Zhao Wenhua, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, is now a henchman of the Crown Prince; and... there is one more person."

He raised his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Wang Zhen, the former commander of the Divine Machine Battalion."

Zhu Zhanjun frowned: "Wang Zhen? That old eunuch who remained unknown in his duties as eunuch?"

"Exactly." Shen Moyan said with a wry smile, "Back then, he was just a supervising eunuch in the Shenji Camp, responsible for keeping accounts. Qi Zhongming bribed him to forge accounts that were secretly communicating with the Northern Yuan, which confirmed my crime. All these years, Wang Zhen has been biding his time, probably waiting for this day."

Zhu Zhanjun pondered for a moment, then suddenly sneered: "Interesting. A eunuch who was just a nobody back then rose to power by betraying you, and now he's become an important spy planted in the palace by the Crown Prince. It seems this game is bigger than I imagined."

He took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Shen Moyan: "This is a secret letter that Ji Gang sent last night. It says that the Crown Prince has found clues about you, and Qi Zhongming is arranging for people to take action against you within seven days."

Shen Moyan's expression turned serious: "Then I..."

"Don't rush." ​​A sharp glint flashed in Zhu Zhanjun's eyes. "Since they want your life, let's give them a 'surprise'."

He leaned close to Shen Moyan's ear and whispered a few words. Upon hearing this, Shen Moyan's eyes widened in astonishment: "Your Highness, this...this is too risky!"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Zhu Zhanjun said coldly. "Only by making Qi Zhongming believe that we have eliminated the core craftsmen of my Xishan Workshop will he lower his guard and reveal a greater weakness. Half of the three-year period has already passed, and we don't have much time left."

Shen Moyan gritted his teeth and finally nodded: "Alright! I entrust my life to Your Highness!"

Meanwhile, inside the Wenhua Hall of the Eastern Palace.

Zhu Zhanji stood before his desk, a secret letter clutched in his hand, his face so grim it was almost dripping with gloom. Qi Zhongming stood respectfully to his side, not daring to utter a sound.

"What did you say? The masked man from Xishan Workshop is suspected to be Shen Moyan?" Zhu Zhanji's voice was low, yet it carried a chilling undertone.

"Yes." Qi Zhongming's forehead was covered in cold sweat. "My informant in Xishan reported that the Iron-Faced Man has a scar on his forehead and is extremely knowledgeable about firearms technology. Many of his techniques are exactly the same as Shen Moyan's back then. I suspect..."

"Suspicion of what?" Zhu Zhanji slammed the secret letter on the table. "Shen Moyan was sentenced to have his eyes gouged out and his tongue cut out twenty-three years ago. He was transported away when a flash flood struck, and his body was never recovered! How could a dead man possibly be alive now!"

Qi Zhongming quickly replied, "I was overthinking it. But the identity of that masked man is highly suspicious, and I fear it may be detrimental to Your Highness."

Zhu Zhanji took a deep breath and slowly paced around the hall. Although he had been confined to the Wenhua Hall for half a year, reflecting on his actions, he was fully aware of the situation outside. Zhu Zhanjun's new firearms were progressing rapidly, and the Zhenlu Camp's combat power far surpassed that of the old Shenji Camp. Even more infuriating was that his father was increasingly favoring Zhu Zhanjun, and there were even rumors that he intended to depose him from his position as crown prince!

"What about Xiao Qiniang?" Zhu Zhanji suddenly asked.

Qi Zhongming's expression stiffened: "I have already sent people to keep an eye on her. However, she is very cunning. Many craftsmen in the Imperial Workshop have been bribed by her. It will take some time to find something wrong with her."

"Useless!" Zhu Zhanji turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with malice. "You can't even handle a woman, and you still have the nerve to call yourself the Crown Prince's top strategist?"

Qi Zhongming immediately knelt down: "Your Highness, please calm your anger! I have already laid a trap, and I will surely capture Xiao Qiniang within three days, along with the Iron-Faced Man from the Xishan Workshop!"

"Three days?" Zhu Zhanji sneered. "Fine, I'll give you three days. If there's no result after three days, you can bring yourself your head!"

"Your subject obeys!"

After Qi Zhongming withdrew, Zhu Zhanji stood alone in the hall, gazing at the clear map of the Ming Dynasty hanging on the wall. The map showed that Liaodong, Xuanfu, Datong, Gansu, and other important border towns were all under his control. The vast area marked "grassland" represented the territory of the Tatars and Oirats.

"Zhu Zhanjun..." he muttered to himself, a cold glint in his eyes, "You think mastering firearms technology will allow you to control the Ming Dynasty? You're wrong... Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The power of firearms can help you pacify the world, or it can destroy you!"

He walked to his desk, picked up a brush, wrote a few lines on a blank imperial edict, then stamped it with the seal of the Crown Prince's Palace and handed it to the eunuch outside the palace: "Send it to the Ministry of War immediately and have Chen Wenzhao personally oversee the matter. Tell him... the border troops are in dire need of funds, and request the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 500,000 taels of silver to reassure the troops."

The eunuch obeyed and left. Zhu Zhanji watched the eunuch's departing figure, a sinister smile appearing on his lips.

The military pay scandal… this was a carefully planned move. Once the border troops started to protest, the Ministry of Revenue could legitimately intervene in the Shenji Camp's finances. At that point, even if Zhu Zhanjun had immense power, he wouldn't be able to overcome the financial hurdle!

Three days later, at Xishan Workshop.

The night was deep, the moon was dark, and the wind was strong. A dark figure quietly sneaked into the quarry camp outside the workshop, evaded the patrolling guards, and slipped into a simple shed.

The shed was filled with discarded gun barrels and defective cartridge cases, and the air was thick with the smells of sulfur and rust. The shadowy figure groped around the shed for a while and finally found a hidden compartment at the bottom of a wooden crate in a corner.

Hidden in a secret compartment was a small iron box containing a roll of yellowed blueprints.

The shadowy figure was overjoyed and was about to take out the blueprints when he suddenly heard a cold laugh from behind: "So you've come after all."

The shadowy figure turned around abruptly, only to see the masked man—Shen Moyan—standing at the door, holding a breech-loading rifle, the dark muzzle pointed directly at him.

"Qi Zhongming sent you to steal the blueprints?" Shen Moyan's voice was hoarse and cold. "He's clever enough to know that directly storming the core area of ​​the workshop would be a dead end, so he sent people to start from the quarry camp. Too bad..."

Before he could finish speaking, the dark figure suddenly slammed the metal box in his hand towards Shen Moyan's face, then turned and lunged towards the window. Shen Moyan dodged the box, raising his gun—

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, and the dark figure screamed as he fell to the ground from the window. His right leg had been pierced by a bullet, and blood was gushing out.

"No...don't kill me!" the shadowy figure cried out in terror, his voice trembling. "I...I was forced! Qi Zhongming sent me!"

Shen Moyan stepped forward and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the shadowy figure's head: "Speak! How many more men did Qi Zhongming send?"

"Just... just me," the shadowy figure said, trembling. "He said that as long as we get the core blueprints for the Xishan Workshop, we can overthrow the Prince of Zhenbei, and then, according to the rewards, he'll make me a commander of the Shenji Battalion..."

"A commander of a thousand?" Shen Moyan scoffed. "Someone as insignificant as you dares to be a commander of a thousand?"

Just as he was about to press for more information, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside. Shen Moyan's expression changed, and he quickly knocked the shadowy figure unconscious, dragged him to a corner and hid him. Then he turned off the light and hid behind the window to observe outside.

A dozen or so men in black, armed with knives, were approaching the workers' shed from three directions, clearly there to meet the shadowy figure. The leader was tall and thin, carrying a narrow-bladed knife, and moved with agility, clearly a skilled fighter.

Shen Moyan sneered inwardly—Qi Zhongming was indeed cunning and shrewd. Sending someone to steal the blueprints was just a pretext; the real killing move was these dozen or so assassins!

He quietly pulled a signal flare from his pocket and pulled it into the air—

"call out!--"

A bright flame shot into the sky, exploded in the night sky, and illuminated half of the Western Hills.

The assassins' expressions changed drastically. The tall, thin man in the lead shouted, "Damn it! He's calling for reinforcements! Charge in and kill him!"

A dozen men in black swarmed forward, their blades flashing as they smashed the wooden door of the workers' shed to pieces. But when they rushed inside, the shed was empty. The dark figure lay unconscious on the ground, while the masked man had vanished without a trace.

"Search!" roared the skinny man. "He can't have gone far!"

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly came from outside. The tall, thin man rushed out of the shed and saw that torches were lit up all around like stars, and dozens of Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) dressed in black had completely surrounded the quarry.

Ji Gang stood with his hands behind his back in the firelight, a half-smile on his face: "Qi Zhongming, you have quite the nerve, daring to send assassins to infiltrate the Xishan workshop and kill the core craftsmen of the Shenji Battalion. I, the commander, am acting on orders to protect the factory, and will execute first and report later. Why don't you surrender?"

The tall, thin man, his face deathly pale, gritted his teeth and said, "Commander Ji, this is the Crown Prince's order. Are you going to disobey it?"

"The Crown Prince?" Ji Gang laughed heartily. "This commander only obeys the imperial decree, not the Crown Prince! Men, seize all these assassins. If they resist, kill them without mercy!"

The Imperial Guards pounced on them like wolves and tigers. Although the assassins fought back desperately, they were outnumbered and captured in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Ji Gang walked into the shed and saw Shen Moyan tumbling down from the roof beam. He cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Iron Face, you must have been frightened."

Shen Moyan said calmly, "With Commander Ji here, Qi Zhongming's little tricks are nothing but clownish antics."

Ji Gang gave him a meaningful look: "Don't worry, sir. With the Prince of Zhenbei and this commander here, the Crown Prince's influence can't reach into this Western Mountain."

Shen Moyan nodded, but a complex look flashed in his eyes.

He knew in his heart that this game with Qi Zhongming had only just begun.

Meanwhile, in a secluded residence in the capital, Qi Zhongming anxiously awaited news of the assassination attempt in Xishan. However, what he received was the devastating news that the Imperial Guards had captured all the assassins.

"Useless!" Qi Zhongming slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump and spill tea all over the table. "A dozen people couldn't even kill a disfigured old man?"

The scout kneeling on the ground trembled: "Sir, that masked man was prepared. Ji Gang of the Embroidered Uniform Guard came in person, saying he was acting on orders to protect the factory, and he executed them first and reported later... All our men were arrested."

Qi Zhongming's face turned ashen. He paced back and forth a few steps before suddenly stopping: "Ji Gang... is he going to side with Zhu Zhanjun?"

The scout dared not respond.

Qi Zhongming remained silent for a long time, then suddenly sneered, "Fine, very well. Since open methods don't work, let's try covert ones. Come here..."

He whispered a few words in the scout's ear, and the scout nodded repeatedly before quickly retreating.

Qi Zhongming walked to the window, gazing towards the western mountains, his eyes filled with malice: "Zhu Zhanjun, you think that just because Ji Gang is protecting you, I can't do anything to you? Hmph... this game is far from over!"

He turned around, took a letter from his pocket, and handed it to his trusted aide: "Send this to Xuanfu immediately and give it to Chen Huai. Tell him it's time to make a move."

The trusted confidant accepted the order and left.

Qi Zhongming watched the letter disappear into the night, a sinister smile appearing on his lips.

The border army's pay scandal, coupled with the rebellion of the imperial clan... Zhu Zhanjun, let's see if you can escape unscathed this time!