Su Muqing and the others returned to the main hall about half an incense stick after Ke Binna had taken away the glass doll.
Ke Bite looked at the two people sitting below. The young girl was very beautiful and had a calm and composed expression. She was nothing like other ladies from noble families, who would fawn or be overly cautious when facing someone from the royal family.
The man sitting beside her was even more striking, with an imposing aura. Although his hair was completely white, it did not detract from his dignity. In fact, Ke Bite felt a shared spirit of a battle-hardened man emanating from him.
"According to Na'er, if it weren't for you, he might have met a terrible end." As they had saved his only son, Ke Bite's attitude towards the two was very friendly.
Upon hearing the words of the Regent, Su Muqing not only agreed but also added, "You could say that."
Ke Bite's hand holding the teacup trembled... Why was this girl so direct? Weren't people from the Central Plains usually modest?
Lu Yuzhi observed the Regent's actions and expression. "The young lord's martial arts are also good, and his guards are all dedicated. It's just that there were too many enemies back then, and they were caught off guard and ambushed. We merely lent a hand."
After hearing Lu Yuzhi's words, Ke Bite felt more at ease. "Hahaha, regardless, you saved my son's life, and it's only right that I thank you properly. How about I arrange a large estate for you in Tianzhao Country, and also give you some businesses? Servants, a thousand acres of fertile land, or perhaps an official position in court, whatever you desire, just name it."
After speaking, the Regent looked at the two with a smile. Even the Empress Dowager and the Queen had similar expressions. Ke Binna was also very happy to hear this. If they could stay in Tianzhao Country, that would be wonderful. His father was indeed smart; why hadn't he thought of such an arrangement before?
The two below exchanged glances. This Regent couldn't possibly not know their purpose. Ke Binna must have already told him, so what did he mean by offering such terms now? Did he want to keep them here?
Lu Yuzhi stood up and bowed. "Thank you for your kind offer, Your Highness. We are in Tianzhao Country for only two matters. Firstly, to obtain the Huo Yan Zhi, and secondly, to discuss the establishment of a new glass factory with Your Highness. After these matters are concluded, we will immediately return to Huaxia City."
Upon hearing Lu Yuzhi's refusal, the Regent placed his teacup on the table. He completely ignored the two matters Lu Yuzhi had mentioned and turned to the matter of Huaxia City. "Oh? How have I never heard of a Huaxia City in the Central Plains?"
Lu Yuzhi replied, "Huaxia City was established only a few months ago, so it is normal that Your Highness has not heard of it."
The Regent smiled meaningfully. These young people, relying solely on their passion, wished to build a city. Was that something that could be easily accomplished? "I heard that Huaxia City is adjacent to the Great Yu Dynasty. This location should be the former no-man's-land, right? I know a little about that place. I heard that the area is large enough and the location is good, but with multiple countries surrounding it, and with Huaxia City having only tens of thousands of people. If multiple countries were to attack in the future, how many days could your city founders hold out? And with what sincerity do you come to discuss the establishment of a glass factory with me?"
"In my opinion, it would be better for you to stay in my Tianzhao Country, and we can establish the glass factory together. Here, with the royal family's backing, wouldn't that be much better than you precariously surviving in a new city?" The Regent truly said all this out of gratitude for them saving his son; otherwise, he wouldn't bother with them.
Su Muqing looked up at Ke Bite. She didn't understand politics or diplomacy, but she had been fortunate enough to live in a world with highly developed information networks. She hadn't eaten pork but had seen pigs run, had she not?
Lu Yuzhi was about to say something, but Su Muqing reached out and stopped him. Then she looked at the person at the head of the table. "We understand Your Highness's concerns, but since I dared to propose building a city, I must have the means to win. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to speak such big words."
Su Muqing and Ke Bite looked at each other for a long time. The determination and confidence in their eyes surprised even the man in a high position. Such a young girl, in her teens, possessed such an aura.
From her words, she was the one who founded the city? Ke Bite found it incredible, even absurd! This girl was truly interesting. Weren't Central Plains women supposed to be gentle and demure, rarely leaving their homes? How could she have such ambition? To actually aspire to be the lord of a city!
"If I understand correctly, the city founder is you, the girl? Hahahaha... So, will you be the city lord in the future?" Ke Bite really wanted to laugh, and he truly did laugh. It wasn't that he looked down on women, but he felt Su Muqing overestimated herself.
Seeing the smile on his face, Su Muqing found it very glaring. "Does Your Highness believe that women cannot be city lords?"
Ke Bite smiled faintly and looked back at her. "That is indeed my opinion. Since ancient times, women have been praised for their gentleness and virtue, and honored for raising their children and managing their households. They should not undertake matters that are beyond their capabilities."
"I never thought a mere prince would have such shallow views. Since ancient times? These are merely restraints imposed on women by men. Excellent women can equally conquer battlefields, achieve fame in history, and may even do better than men. Perhaps men since ancient times have been afraid of being surpassed, which is why they have always suppressed women?" Su Muqing was very displeased, so her words were not very polite, and her gaze was extremely sharp.
Why did they look down on women? Regardless of whether she relied on a cheat or not, at least in this small world, she would claim second place to no one.
Ke Bite heavily placed the teacup in his hand on the table. "Hmph! Such arrogant words from a young girl! Na'er said you possess peerless martial arts. I assume you truly believe you are the most powerful in this world, hence this arrogance?"
The Regent was somewhat displeased, and the atmosphere in the hall became tense. Ke Binna and Wan Yan'er both did not expect that Su Muqing, who was usually so easy to talk to and get along with, would be so sharp-tongued at this moment.
The Empress Dowager and the Queen's impression of her changed greatly. They felt this woman not only had courage but also exceptional boldness. After all, Ke Bite was a formidable prince in court, and almost no official dared to defy him.
Su Muqing smiled and stood up. "Muqing certainly dare not claim to be the best in the world..."
Ke Bite thought he had intimidated her, but Su Muqing's next words rendered him speechless.
"For now, I am still second best. Muqing is also waiting for the best to appear. Perhaps it might be you, Your Highness?"
"Since that is the case, I shall come and experience Miss Su's abilities." Ke Bite felt that Su Muqing's words were disrespectful. As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped into the air and rapidly flew towards her.
Su Muqing remained seated, unmoved. When Ke Bite was close enough, about to grab her neck, she lifted her sleeve and flicked out a gust of wind, repelling his outstretched hand.
Considering he was Ke Binna's father and that the Huo Yan Zhi was in his hands, Su Muqing did not act ruthlessly. She merely forced him back a few steps.
When Ke Bite was thrown back, he was somewhat incredulous, not expecting this young girl's internal energy to be so profound. He gathered five parts of his internal energy in his palm and quickly struck towards Su Muqing's position.
With a loud "boom," Su Muqing rose into the air. The chair she had been sitting on was also shattered into pieces.
Su Muqing floated in mid-air. As Ke Bite charged at her, she also swooped down to meet him head-on. After only a few exchanges, the main hall was already in ruins.
Lu Yuzhi knew Su Muqing's abilities, and furthermore, his current condition made him unable to help at all. Therefore, when the battle approached him, he resolutely retreated to avoid it.
When the two began to fight, the Empress Dowager and the Queen had already been shielded by Ke Binna and stood at a distance.
Su Muqing floated in mid-air like a phantom, her hands behind her back, calling out to the Regent, "Your Highness, there are others here. What if they are accidentally injured? Why don't we go outside and fight to our heart's content?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she drifted out of the door like a gust of wind. The damage she had caused in the hall would not be attributed to her, would it?
Seeing her fly out, Ke Bite also rushed out. They arrived at the open space in front of the main hall one after another. This area was more spacious and suitable for fighting.
The others also followed the two outside to continue watching the battle. After they reached the outside, there was a thirty-second standoff. Was this the legendary encounter between masters, a battle of wills first?
Before everyone could understand, the two began to fight...
He threw a palm strike, she dodged~
She unleashed a gust of wind, he evaded~
Amidst flying sand and scattering stones, after a back-and-forth exchange, the previously flat and open space was soon in disarray from their fighting. The exquisite bonsai trees that were previously placed on the ground were now reduced to bare branches.
The servants of the Prince's mansion watched from the sidelines. Seeing someone who could fight the Prince to a draw, and that person being a woman, they couldn't help but whisper amongst themselves. Especially the Regent's personal guards, their jaws nearly dropped in shock at this sight.
Whose daughter was this, with such formidable martial arts? Their Prince was the number one expert in Tianzhao Country, and they had never seen anyone last more than twenty moves against the Prince.
Leng Ren and the others, who were waiting in the side hall, heard the great commotion from outside and rushed out to see what had happened. Upon seeing Su Muqing fighting the Regent, they were all a bit confused.
Weren't their master and Miss Su discussing cooperation with the Regent? How did it turn into a sparring session?
Time ticked by. After a fierce battle, Ke Bite was clearly showing signs of fatigue. He squeezed his fists to relieve the slight numbness in his arms, his eyes red as he looked at Su Muqing, who still appeared to be at ease.
After fighting for so long, he knew she hadn't used her full strength. He had given his all, yet she could still hold back. This astonishing internal energy, this strange footwork, it turned out Su Muqing's skill was truly that formidable, even more unfathomable than Na'er had described.
"Your Highness indeed has impressive skills. Muqing is impressed." Su Muqing noticed Ke Bite was somewhat exhausted and then gracefully descended from mid-air. Tianzhao Country was, after all, his territory, and she couldn't completely disregard his authority. Moreover, he was the Regent, second only to the sovereign!
"Hahahaha! A woman who is no less capable than a man! Miss Su, you are indeed formidable! I concede defeat." Ke Bite looked at her quietly for a long time before praising her with a hearty laugh.
"It was Muqing's presumption. Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness." Since others offered a way out, Su Muqing cupped her hands in thanks.
"The spar is concluded. Come, let's go back and continue our discussion." Ke Bite said, supporting his waist with both hands as he strode towards the side hall.
While this movement appeared imposing to others, he was actually in great pain. The fight had been too intense, and he seemed to have sprained his old back. Now, he could only stand upright with great effort; even the slightest bend caused unbearable soreness.
The main hall had been reduced to rubble by the two of them, so the group moved to the previous side hall. The Empress Dowager's eyes crinkled into slits of joy upon seeing Su Muxuan. She quickly instructed the old nanny beside her to carry him to the side to dote on him. Only then did the Regent's wife see the chubby little baby, and she also found him extremely lovable.
Ke Bite leaned on the armrests of the chair and sat down with difficulty. "Although Miss Su is highly skilled in martial arts, regarding the cooperation for the glass factory, I still advise you to remain in our Tianzhao Country. After all, building a city is not something that can be achieved solely by your martial prowess."
"Your Highness is worried that after Huaxia City is established, it will be unable to resist the invasion of other countries?" Su Muqing asked this question with an unshakeable confidence still on her face.
Ke Bite, who had previously underestimated her, no longer did so lightly after their "spar." "Earlier, Miss Su mentioned that Huaxia City possesses a winning weapon. Could that artifact be your trump card?"
"Precisely! Doesn't the young lord Ke Binna have one? Did you not show it to Your Highness?" As Su Muqing spoke, everyone turned to look at Ke Binna.
"I have one? When did I get one? I don't even know?" Ke Binna pointed at himself, looking bewildered. How could he not know he had a secret weapon?
Seeing that he genuinely couldn't recall, Su Muqing reminded him, "A firearm! I gave it to you on the ship."
Ke Binna spread his hands. "Oh~ you're talking about that metal hunk? Lu Dage told me it was very powerful and that I should store it carefully, so I didn't carry it with me."
In truth, he hadn't paid much attention to that firearm. A dark metal hunk, how could it be as attractive as a glass ornament?
Lu Yuzhi glanced at Su Muqing. Seeing her nod slightly, he took out a pistol from his sleeve. "I have another one here."
Hake received the pistol with both hands and presented it to the Regent. Ke Bite took the pistol and examined it carefully. This metal block had a strange appearance, entirely black with a barrel. He weighed it in his hand and it indeed had some heft.
Ke Bite was somewhat uninterested. This small object hardly resembled a gun. His armory contained several spears forged from black iron, which looked much more imposing than this.
"Lu Yuzhi, why don't you demonstrate this firearm for us!" Ke Bite handed the gun to Hake, who was nearby.
Lu Yuzhi took the pistol, then stood at the entrance of the side hall and aimed at a tree thirty meters away before pulling the trigger.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom~" After a series of gunshots, everyone's attention was drawn.
Ke Bite even forgot his back pain and rushed to Lu Yuzhi, asking where this hidden weapon struck. Hearing that it struck the tree in the distance, he quickly flew over using his Qinggong.
Arriving at the tree, Ke Bite touched the small holes created by the impact on the tree trunk in disbelief. Many small holes were struck very deeply, and a lot of bark had been chipped away.
He picked up a random branch from the ground and poked it into those small holes. When the branch could go no further, he pulled it out and saw that the deepest small hole had penetrated more than a finger's length.
At such a distance, with such astonishing damage, and being able to fire continuously. How much power did it possess? What intricate mechanism? If it struck a person...
With such a weapon in hand, it was no wonder that girl was so arrogant and spoke with such confidence.
Ke Bite, holding that branch, ran back to the side hall in a hurry. The bullets had been spent. Lu Yuzhi put away the firearm. He excitedly asked Ke Binna to quickly retrieve the firearm Su Muqing had given him, as he wanted to study it carefully.
Then, he looked at Su Muqing and Lu Yuzhi with eager eyes. "This weapon... is this the secret weapon of your Huaxia City?"
Looking at the Regent's shining eyes, Su Muqing showed off a little more. "Yes, but not entirely. This firearm is only one of our secret weapons, and it's the least powerful."
Upon hearing this, Ke Bite's gaze towards them became even more fervent. He had always been an arms enthusiast, very interested in all sorts of novel weapons.
"This is just one of them? And the least powerful? Then what other powerful weapons do you have? Can you lend me a look?"
Su Muqing pretended to reach into her satchel and then took out a new type of hand grenade, holding it in her hand. "This is called a bomb. Don't let its small size fool you; its lethality is astonishing. Unless absolutely necessary, I am unwilling to use it."
Looking at the green object in her hand, about the size of an egg, King Ke Bite could not imagine how destructive it could be. "This is called a bomb! How destructive is it? I want to witness it."
"Try it here? Then your Prince's mansion's side hall will likely need to be renovated. Do you have a training ground in the mansion?" Su Muqing looked around before remembering that large mansions, as depicted in television dramas, always had training grounds.
"Someone, go to the training ground." Thinking he was about to witness a great weapon, Ke Bite was extremely excited.
The group majestically proceeded to the Prince's mansion's training ground. The Empress Dowager and the others also followed to witness the spectacle. The area within a radius of several tens of meters was cleared. Su Muqing stood on the open ground, pulled the pin of the bomb, and then forcefully threw it into a pile of rocks ahead.
A few breaths later, with a deafening explosion, a "boom~" resounded on the training ground. After the dust and smoke dispersed, the ground was covered in small stone fragments. Not only were several large rocks blown apart, but a large pit was also created in the open ground.
All the women were startled by the immense explosion. Even the rocks were shattered into pieces. If this were thrown at a person, what would happen... Buddha have mercy! No wonder Su Muqing said that unless necessary, she was unwilling to bring out such a weapon.
Unlike the women, the forty-something-year-old King Ke Bite was as delighted as a child who had discovered treasure upon seeing the bomb's power. He bounced with excitement to the pulverized open ground, gazing at the scattered stones and repeatedly praising them.
This could be considered a national treasure! If Tianzhao Country possessed such a weapon, it would be poised to dominate the region. Why would they need to fear attacks from other countries?
"Where is the bomb? Why can't I see it?" Ke Bite calculated in his mind and then began searching for the bomb Su Muqing had thrown.
"Didn't the bomb just explode?"
"It exploded and it's gone? The firearms can fire continuously. It would be great if the bombs could be like firearms." Ke Bite was somewhat disappointed, as he had thought the bombs, like the firearms, could be used again after being used up.
Su Muqing pursed her lips. You truly do have wishful thinking.
In the following hours, Ke Bite kept questioning the two of them, mostly focusing on the matter of weapons. Su Muqing answered what she could and declared the rest as classified.
The group continued their discussion until mealtime, and after eating, they were invited by the Regent to the study to continue their discussion.
In the end, Ke Bite's intention was that he had no objections to the glass factory matter, and the last drop of Huo Yan Zhi was also a minor issue. However, he hoped that the cooperation with Huaxia City would also include the production of secret weapons.
Su Muqing was somewhat troubled. It wasn't that she was unwilling to agree to production, but rather that she herself didn't know how to manufacture them, and had always purchased finished products. The production of firearms was not an easy task.
After intense discussion, a preliminary contract was finally agreed upon. The glass factory would be jointly operated by both parties, with Tianzhao Country holding a forty percent stake. They only needed to provide funding and raw materials, and the first factory would be established in Huaxia City.
The additional condition was that during the period of cooperation, Huaxia City would provide Tianzhao Country with a batch of firearms and bombs annually at a price. The quantity would be decided by Su Muqing, but Tianzhao Country must not arbitrarily resell the weapons to other countries or initiate wars without cause. Otherwise, Huaxia City would have the right to unilaterally terminate all cooperation.
Once the contract was drafted, it only needed to be presented to the Emperor for his review tomorrow. As long as the Emperor agreed to these terms, and the formal contract was signed, Ke Bite would hand over the Huo Yan Zhi to them.
It wasn't until two in the morning that Su Muqing and the others emerged from the study. Wan Yan'er, who had been waiting nearby, was almost asleep. Seeing the two emerge, she rushed over immediately.
"Muqing, did you reach an agreement?" Wan Yan'er asked anxiously about the outcome.
Su Muqing whispered into her ear, "We have reached a preliminary agreement. We just need to wait for tomorrow for His Majesty the Emperor of Tianzhao to nod his approval."
"Really? That's great! Thank you so much!" Wan Yan'er grabbed Su Muqing's arm and jumped like a monkey.
It turned out that during their time on the ship, Wan Yan'er had secretly spoken with Su Muqing several times. She also wanted to participate in the establishment of the glass factory, and she expressed that she only wanted a one percent stake.
Finally, Su Muqing agreed and said she would find a way to manage it when signing the contract with Tianzhao Country.
Tonight, she first proposed that Tianzhao Country take a three percent stake. Ke Bite felt it was too little, and after some discussion, they finally settled on four percent. This result was actually what Su Muqing had envisioned.