After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

The moonlight outside the window was soft and gentle, casting a silvery glow.

The light shone through the study window, casting a silvery glow that mingled with the dim yellow light inside, making the vermilion window appear even brighter and more translucent.

Upon hearing the question, Zhu Cuiwei, dressed in a bright red round-necked jacket with gold trim, sighed inwardly. She lowered her elegant black hair bun but did not answer. Instead, she rested her hand on the desk and remained silent.

Stacks of memorials, some yellow, some red, and some green, were piled on the table. Just reviewing these memorials every day was exhausting. And when she thought of muskets, especially the scene of that person returning home that night with a musket stained with blood, she felt a strange shiver run through her, as if all the energy had been drained from her body, leaving her feeling weak. She was really hesitant and unwilling to ask the other person about muskets again, or even to ask him to continue dealing with muskets for a long time.

Seeing that the other person had fallen silent, Lychee said helplessly:

"Miss, the Ministry of Works has already dismantled the musket from the Northern Dynasty. The musket presented by that Portuguese man—the one with the golden hair that Prince Qi presented to His Majesty, what's his name, Thomas—has also been dismantled by the Ministry of Works."

"The Ministry of Works followed the Northern Dynasty's naming convention, calling this type of gun without a matchlock a flintlock gun. Vice Minister Cao personally supervised the work, and these past few days, two teams have been working tirelessly, day and night, to replicate both types of flintlock guns, but the results have been poor."

Lychee, in her embroidered shoes, took a few steps closer, her body pressed against the sandalwood desk. Through the desk piled high with memorials, she addressed the Crown Prince of Liang, who sat opposite her:

"Miss, the people from the Ministry of Works say that this flintlock gun looks simple, but it is actually quite complex. The key seems to be the success rate of firing. The guns they have made so far are a little more accurate and farther than matchlock guns, but the success rate is less than 10%. Only one out of ten shots will fire, and the other nine will misfire. If this continues, the flintlock guns of the Great Liang will be completely unusable."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cuiwei's heart sank.

The bright lights on both sides cast a dim, yellowish glow that danced across her fair, flawless profile.

"What about the Northern Dynasty?" she asked.

Lychee pursed her lips and said:

That night, the Northern Dynasty and the Rakshasa people only had one misfire; the rest fired successfully, hitting far and accurately.

"Because of that misfire, the Northern Dynasty took a little time to adjust the flint, which is why one of us survived, only to be hit in the arm."

"The Ministry of Works tested it, and the North Korean gun had a success rate of about 80%, which is incredibly impressive. The Franz machine gun that Thomas presented to us also has a success rate of 70% or even 80%..."

Zhu Cuiwei gritted her teeth: "The difference is so huge, haven't the people in the Ministry of Works found the reason?"

Lychee said, "The five master craftsmen of firearms in the Ministry of Works are so anxious that they are about to go bald, but they still can't find the reason. They are clearly the same, but they don't know why the difference is so huge."

"Only the gun personally crafted by Master Craftsman Qi Shan is somewhat reliable, barely achieving a 20% success rate. This is thanks to the gunpowder used by the son-in-law. If the old gunpowder were used, the success rate would drop by half. Minister Cao has already ordered Master Craftsman Qi to continue crafting a new one."

"so,"

After thinking for a while, Zhu Cuiwei raised her eyes, her voice slightly lowered, and said...

"Is this why the Northern Dynasty wasn't afraid to give us that gun...because they knew we couldn't make it?"

Lychee said seriously, "What you say is right, Miss. His Majesty thinks so too. Besides the people of the Northern Dynasty, I'm afraid the Portuguese think so too. They want to sell us guns, but they are not afraid that we can imitate them. They are certain that we cannot make them, and they even hope that we will imitate them. Only if we cannot imitate them will we have no choice but to accept their exorbitant demands."

Lychee said in a huff, "And Prince Qi and that Dou Yuan, they weren't exactly up to any good by presenting these Portuguese to His Majesty. Prince Qi's men suggested that His Majesty build a new Divine Machine Battalion, and even proposed calling it the Fire Phoenix Battalion, fully equipping it with these new Portuguese firearms... A matchlock musket can fire two shots in the time it takes to fire one, and it's not afraid of rain. His Majesty should send a noble or trusted confidant who is familiar with firearms to lead this army..."

Lychee sneered, "His Majesty understands Prince Qi's thoughts very well. Who is Xun Gui, who is most familiar with firearms? There used to be many, plenty of Xun Gui who had handled muskets... But now?"

Lychee retorted, "Isn't it King Qi who is most familiar with this kind of flintlock musket right now? Wasn't it he who had the foresight to bring the Portuguese here?"

As she spoke, Lychee couldn't help but feel a little scared.

That night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Although the Portuguese brought by the King of Qi also lost, at least they fired a shot.

King Qi's act of stepping forward also won the favor of many princes and noble ministers.

Especially after seeing that the guns of the Northern Dynasty did not have match strings, the officials were puzzled and inevitably felt somewhat apprehensive.

Upon seeing that even the Portuguese of the Prince of Qi were carrying flintlock muskets without matchlocks, the courtiers were somewhat relieved... The Prince of Qi had what the people of the Northern Dynasty had... That was probably their thought, and they couldn't help but feel a little proud.

Fortunately, the one who won the gunfight in the end was the son-in-law, who not only defeated two opponents but also suppressed the King of Qi's momentum. Most importantly, the son-in-law used a matchlock gun.

The matchlock gun could defeat the flintlock gun of the Northern Dynasty. After this duel, the ministers were somewhat relieved, believing that the difference was mainly in skill, not in weaponry.

Otherwise, I fear that all the civil and military officials, and even all the nobles, would have submitted a memorial the next day agreeing to the King of Qi's request out of some kind of fear.

Lizhi glanced at the Crown Prince of Daliang across from her, whose expression had suddenly become somewhat tired. Her brows furrowed, and she felt a slight pang in her heart, but there was nothing she could do.

The intentions of the Northern Dynasty are now crystal clear: that gun and the gunfight that night were a demonstration of force, and the situation is already changing.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered that the Northern Dynasty and the Rakshasa were subtly considering peace talks; although neither side had withdrawn their troops, they had indeed ceased hostilities.

With iron cannons blocking the river, it won't be easy for the Northern Dynasty's iron cavalry to cross the river, but the two northern cities are about to fall.

Lychee took a breath, noticing that her young mistress still hesitated, unwilling to ask the young master... Could the young master's victory over the Northern Dynasty people and the Rakshasa people be related to his matchlock guns...? If so, could the young master help the Great Liang manufacture a batch of such matchlock guns? The young master could name his price...

His Majesty said that his son-in-law's gun might not be as good as the Portuguese flintlock musket, but it was not far off and could be used as a backup. Moreover, the method of making this kind of firearm was in the hands of us Han people, which was the key, and we would not allow Daliang to be made by the Portuguese.

With the matchlock gun that my son-in-law has, and by buying a batch of those incredibly expensive flintlock guns from the Portuguese, we should be able to defend the two northern cities.

After a moment of silence, Lychee's expression became resolute. She thought it best to take it slow and wait for the Ministry of Works.

He then comforted her, saying, "Miss, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works have conducted joint deliberations for a long time and have reported to His Majesty. The matter is not that urgent."

"Although flintlock muskets are better than matchlock muskets, the Eight Banners and outlaws of the Northern Dynasty have not yet adopted them on a large scale. According to the price quoted by the Portuguese, the cost of flintlock muskets in the Northern Dynasty is probably not low. Large-scale adoption will not be feasible for at least two or three years. Moreover, flintlock muskets seem to be rainproof as they do not require a match, but the people from the Ministry of Works say that flintlock muskets still rely on gunpowder. In rainy weather, they are better than matchlock muskets, but not by much..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhu Cuiwei raised her hand, interrupting Lizhi.

"Go and report to my elder brother, the Emperor."

Her expression became somewhat complicated. She sighed at Lychee, but her mind was made up. She said, "I'll talk to him about it when I get back tonight..."