Chapter 102 (First Update)

Gu Yanfei raised an eyebrow and looked at Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan continued with a smile, "I saw the eldest prince at the Ministry of War. The eldest prince said that the envoy from the Kingdom of Yue will arrive in a few days, and it will be the third prince of Yue. The eldest prince asked me to go out of the capital with him to welcome the envoy."
Gu Yuan saw Prince Chu Yi, who had been a hostage in Yue Kingdom for eight years, for the first time today.
Prior to that, he thought that the prince, who had been a hostage in Yue Kingdom for many years, might have been raised to be weak-willed. However, today, from the prince's words and actions, he discovered that the prince was somewhat different from what he had previously imagined.
The eldest prince mentioned the third prince of the state of Yue with an indifferent and carefree expression, without the slightest caution or humility. This is definitely not a weak-willed person. Eight years of being held hostage did not crush his pride, nor did it make him bow down to the state of Yue.
"Meow!" Qingguang seemed to understand and remembered a human who had squeezed its neck before.
Hmph, daring and incredibly foolish humans!
Qingguang was about to look up at Gu Yuan, but was quickly stopped by Guyanfei, who pressed his hand on its neck.
Gu Yanfei patted it gently on the back, meaning "Eat well."
The cat surrendered.
Gu Yuan took another sip of tea and continued, "The visit from the Kingdom of Yue was only decided upon this month."
"In recent years, the relationship between Da Jing and the Kingdom of Yue has been relatively peaceful, with only ordinary trade exchanges. It wasn't until His Majesty ascended the throne that efforts were made to repatriate the Crown Prince. It took His Majesty nearly half a year to barely suppress the aristocratic families, and he also agreed to share a blueprint for a firearm with the Kingdom of Yue in order to obtain their agreement for the release of the captive."
对于两国关于火器图纸的约定，顾渊原本并不知情，是今天在兵部见到大皇子，大皇子亲口告诉他的……
想着，顾渊眸光微冷，接着道：“因为两国彼此互不信任，当时皇上只给了越国半张图纸，这次越国三皇子亲自前来大景，就是为了另外半张图纸。”
This Yues people are simply ambitious!
Gu Yuan's eyes were deep and dark, and his hand holding the tea cup instinctively tightened.
He could never forget the unforgettable deep hatred between him and the Yue Kingdom for killing his father, how could he let go of it, how could he find peace!
"What kind of firearms?" Gu Yanfei took a bite of the soft and fluffy pastry and curiously asked.
Gu Yuan turned his head to look at Gu Yanfei, and his eyes immediately softened. He explained, "Emperor Taizu once improved the fire rope gun and named it 'Flintlock Gun'."
It is well known that Emperor Taizu was a genius bestowed upon by heaven, not only excelling in both civil and military affairs, but also having a wide knowledge of various disciplines. He invented glass, mercury mirrors, and soap, and made improvements to springs, looms, and movable type printing, among countless others.
With numerous great achievements of Emperor Taizu in mind, Gu Yuan's handsome face seems to emit light, unable to hide his admiration and yearning for Emperor Taizu.
"Although the original matchlock gun has far greater power than bows and arrows, it also has obvious flaws. Loading gunpowder and bullets takes a considerable amount of time, and it requires the ignition of the matchlock to be able to fire. The accuracy of shooting is also not guaranteed."
After Emperor Taizu made improvements, the new "flintlock" fired using flint to ignite the gunpowder. This greatly simplified the shooting process, increased the firing speed by two to three times compared to matchlock guns, and also improved shooting accuracy.
"Once a good soldier becomes proficient in the 'flintlock rifle', they are equivalent to having the ability to single-handedly face hundreds."
Gu Yuan's eyes inadvertently lit up, his whole person seeming like a sharp sword about to be unsheathed, ready to rush into the battlefield at any moment.
Gu Yanfei initially asked casually, but as he listened, he became somewhat interested and eagerly asked, "Brother, do you have a flintlock pistol?"
"Yes," Gu Yuan nodded and smiled indulgently, "I will have someone fetch one for you to play with."
He really had a matchlock musket. When he went to the Ministry of War earlier, Chu Yi gave him a matchlock musket.
So, Gu Yuan called Juan Bi to come in and instructed her to go to the Chenghui Courtyard to find Wutong and get it.
After Biju left, Gu Yuan pursed his lips and fell into silence for a moment before asking the question that had been hovering in his mind for a long time: "Sister, do you recognize the Crown Prince?"
His sister had no connection to the Crown Prince whatsoever, but today the Crown Prince told him that he could tell his sister about the task he had to shoulder, without any need for secrecy. This made him speculate.
"Yes," Gu Yanfei nodded honestly and answered truthfully.
It turned out to be true!
Gu Yuan didn't even think about asking how they knew each other. In his opinion, it was only natural for the Crown Prince to remember someone as outstanding as his younger sister.
Gu Yanfei used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of plum blossom pastry and casually asked, "Brother, have you been to the Kingdom of Yue?"
"I once read in a book that Yue country has many dialects, with several dozen dialects within one state."
Gou Yanfei knows little about Vietnam.
"In the previous life, her world was so small, only this small Dingyuan Marquis Manor, she knew little about the capital, let alone the distant Yue country."
Guyuan took a bite of a plum blossom cake and shook his head. When his pitch-black phoenix eyes met the curious gaze of Guyanfei, they warmed up and became even softer.
He sorted out his thoughts and smiled, saying, "I haven't been there, but I've heard some things from friends."
"Vietnam is well known for its tea and silk production. Many cloth shops on Dayan Street sell Vietnamese silk, and it is often said that the silk from Vietnam is dyed with the color of springwater in the Jiangnan region, making it even more graceful than the fabrics from Dajing."
"When you have free time, I will take you to the Dayan Street for a stroll, also known as Nanyue Street. Many shops on the street sell Nanyue goods, such as snacks, paper kites, embroidered screens, purses, and folding fans..."
"By the way, there is also a theater on Dayan Street that has invited a theater troupe from Nanyue. They perform the plays from Nanyue, which have a unique style." - Is this the theater that the female protagonist visited?
Gu Yuan racked his brains and said a lot of things. What he said was all heard from his friends, so it was mixed and scattered.
"Big brother," Gu Yanfei leaned slightly towards him, getting closer, playfully pinching Gu Yuan's sleeve. "Let's make a deal, next time we go together to the shops on Dayan Street, buy some Jiangnan fabric to make clothes?"
"Then we can go to the theater group you mentioned to watch a play."
In the past life, they missed out on a lot, and in this life, Gu Yanfei doesn't want to miss out anymore.
"She will tell Gu Yuan about what she wants to do and what she likes."
"Whatever you want to do, brother will accompany you." Gu Yuan always agreed, and even considered: since younger sister likes watching dramas so much, maybe he can buy a theater troupe for her in the future, so that she can watch anytime she wants.
However, before that, he has to work hard to save money, and then, separate from his sister!
After separating, his sister can live freely, live joyfully, and not be restricted in the Marquis's residence anymore.
Originally, Gu Yuan had little interest in joining the Luan Yiwei. Even if the Luan Yiwei was prestigious and promising, it was not what he aspired to or pursued.
But now...
Gu Yuan had a new idea.
Today, since the Crown Prince has told him so much, even disclosing the confidential information about the "Flintlock Rifle" blueprints, it means that the Crown Prince must have other plans for him... Or rather, the Crown Prince intends to use him!
Yeah, it's not like when our late emperor was in power anymore.
With his confidence and abilities, he is certain to create his own world in the military, just like his father!
For the sake of his younger sister, he must work even harder!
With these thoughts, Gu Yuan couldn't help but be filled with determination. His dark eyes shone brightly, filled with energy as he continued, "Sister, my ten-day vacation is definitely going down the drain. Next, I will have to serve by the Crown Prince's side, and I will be busy again..."
"After I finish my busy period, I will definitely take you to have a good time in Beijing!"
Looking at such a gentle Gu Yuan, Gu Yanfei felt an inexplicable impulse in her heart. She also wanted to touch her brother's head.
However, I don't think my brother will be happy.
She giggled inwardly, and a smile crept up from the corners of her eyes and mouth.
"Miss!" Ju Bi finally came back, holding a heavy rectangular wooden box in her hands.
Gu Yuan personally opened the wooden box, only to see a brand new flintlock pistol placed on the red velvet cloth in the box. The jet-black slender barrel gleamed with a cold sheen, and there were eight or nine bullets placed next to the gun.
Gu Yanfei looked at this bizarre-looking flintlock gun and took it out of the box with great interest. It felt heavy in her hand.
Although the girl's arms were thin and the gun barrel was thicker than them, she easily grabbed this heavy flintlock gun in both hands, as if holding a long sword, and was very skillful with it.
Gu Yanfei held the flintlock gun in her hand, playing with it casually, touching the gun barrel, hooking the trigger, and touching the gun stock...
Gu Yuan first introduced the various parts of the flintlock gun before teaching her step by step how to clean and clear the barrel, where to fill in the gunpowder, and where to load the bullets...
"The process of firing a gun is far more complicated than shooting a bow, and it takes at least a dozen moments to fire once."
"However, the projectile propelled out of the barrel by burning gunpowder is much faster and more powerful than a regular arrow, and it can penetrate a person's skull with a single shot from a hundred paces away."
Guyuan had never used a musket before. It was only when he was in the Ministry of War that the Crown Prince personally demonstrated a few techniques to him.
It was indeed easy to pick up. No wonder Guyuan had heard from Shangfeng that "on the battlefield, training a soldier to use a musket is much simpler than training an archer."
He spoke quite carefully, and Gu Yanfei also listened attentively, nodding frequently and enthusiastically touching his chin, asking, "Brother, can I give it a try?"
The firearm called "Flintlock" does resemble a low-level spiritual weapon in the Twilight Spirit Realm, but its power seems much smaller compared to a spiritual weapon.
She just played with it in her hand for a while and understood the advantages and disadvantages of this thing. For example, the combustion of gunpowder can generate powerful thrust to propel projectiles, but it may also affect the accuracy of a flintlock gun.
However, the matchlock gun is likely to be a deadly weapon in this small world.
1 second to remember 114 Chinese: