After reading my mind, Daddy, why don't you smile?

"Cheng Qian, if you dare to take another step outside..." Emperor Jianxi threatened quietly.

Zhao Ying retracted the foot that had already stepped over the threshold, his body stiffened for a moment, and he slowly turned around, his mouth stretched downward, and he said in a sad voice: "Father...I really didn't mean to hide this from you..."

Emperor Jianxi waved to Zhao Ying, then took a long breath and sat down, "Come here..."

Zhao Ying was unsure of Emperor Jianxi's thoughts and hesitated to step forward.

Emperor Jianxi was worthy of being the emperor. He knew what was important and ignored Zhao Ying. Instead, he held Shangguan Qingyue in his arms. Well, the child had eaten a lot and had gained a few pounds...

Emperor Jianxi coaxed Shangguan Qingyue, [Yue'er... do you want to see your grandmother? ]

Shangguan Qingyue was surprised to see him. He blinked his big eyes and nodded. [Thinking about it!]

Emperor Jianxi frowned and deliberately tempted him, "But the royal grandfather can't find your royal grandmother..."

[I found it! My royal grandmother is in the deep mountains and old forests of the Quzhou Plateau. My royal grandmother is so pitiful. She doesn’t know the way and has been a savage in the deep mountains and old forests for ten years! ! ! ]

Emperor Jianxi's pupils dilated, his face was tense, and he was suppressing his anger.

Zhao Ying held onto the door frame, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Although she was very happy to know her mother was still alive, but... she might not live to see her mother come back! ! ! !

Shangguan Qingyue grabbed the dragon robe of Emperor Jianxi and said anxiously: [Grandfather, please go and save Grandmother, otherwise the poisonous insects, snakes, ants, black bears and wolves in the mountains...]

Emperor Jianxi: ? ? Are these beasts going to eat Hyomin? !

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ying involuntarily leaned forward with a worried look on his face.

Her mother is in danger!

Then, I heard [They are about to be eaten to death by the Imperial Grandmother…]

Emperor Jianxi: ...

Zhao Ying: ...

The little guy lowered his head and sighed, [Oh, how pitiful...]

Emperor Gunhee: ...Hyomin is indeed so pitiful.

Shangguan Qingyue: [Poor wild cats, poor wild rabbits, poor wild boars, and poor pheasants... In just five years, they were eaten to extinction by the Imperial Grandmother...]

[The Imperial Grandmother has no natural enemies there...]

[If we don’t save those poor little animals, the forests on the Quzhou Plateau will only be filled with dirt…]

[Protecting the ecological environment is everyone’s responsibility...]

Emperor Jianxi: ...

Emperor Jianxi got the news he wanted to know, and hurriedly handed Shangguan Qingyue to Wu Yonggui, asking Wu Yonggui to take the child away. What was going to happen next was too bloody and not suitable for children to watch.

Wu Yonggui didn't understand what was going on. He looked at Princess Chengqian, who was shaking her head at him with a look of fear on her face, and then looked at Emperor Jianxi, whose face was dark. Finally, he took Shangguan Qingyue over.

"Young lady, may I take you to wash your face?"

Shangguan Qingyue nodded when he heard it, "Okay, okay, Yue'er is a clean baby, and he will wash his hands when they are dirty!"

Before leaving, Shangguan Qingyue gave Zhao Ying an extremely cute smile, [Mom, wait for me to come back...]

Zhao Ying: ...maybe, probably, almost...I can’t do it anymore...wuwu...

After Wu Yonggui left, he closed the palace door.

Zhao Ying knelt in front of Emperor Jianxi, like a child who had made a mistake...just a child who had made a mistake.

Emperor Jianxi closed his eyes, took a long breath, and said to her in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, Ying'er. It has already happened. Father doesn't blame you."

Zhao Ying raised her head and looked at Emperor Jianxi in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes, "Father..."

"As long as you tell your father the truth about what happened that day, we will go and rescue your mother..."

Zhao Ying drooped her brows, sniffed and nodded when she heard that.

"Father, it's like this..."

Ten years ago, Kunning Palace.

Spring is fading, flowers are blooming and willows are graceful.

Empress Xiaomin devoted herself to the research of thermal weapons for many years and finally built the first cannon in the Chu State.

It is supported by two wheels and has a huge cylinder on top.

The long-awaited research was finally completed, and Queen Hyomin hurriedly called her two children to come and see it.

At that time, Zhao Ying was five months pregnant with Shangguan Bailin. Her belly was so round that she couldn't stand for long, so she sat not far away, eating fruit and drinking tea, and listening to Empress Xiaomin's introduction.

Except for Nanny Hua, Queen Xiaomin drove all the palace servants away.

She wanted to keep the cannon a secret.

Queen Hyomin named this cannon the Italian Cannon.

For this purpose, she even changed the name of her personal nanny to Second Battalion Commander.

Zhao Ying and Zhao Cong were puzzled but deeply shocked.

Zhao Cong stood in front of Empress Xiaomin, walked around the Italian cannon, scratched his head, and doubted, "Mother, can this make a sound?"

Although Empress Xiaomin was nearly forty years old, she was still as beautiful as ever, graceful and elegant, and intimidating without even getting angry. Upon hearing this, she rolled up the drawing in her hand into a tube and knocked it on Zhao Cong's head.

"Do you think the Queen Mother is you?"

Zhao Cong covered his head and hissed.

Zhao Ying chuckled and asked, "Mother, why did you change Aunt Hua's name to... Second Battalion Commander?"

"What does that mean? What words?"

Queen Xiaomin frowned when she heard this and said, "You won't understand even if I tell you."

Then she muttered to herself, "That's how TV dramas are played..."

"Ah? Mother, what did you say?"

"nothing."

The prince was still puzzled, "Mother, the Chu state has always used swords, spears, and halberds in wars. Is gunpowder really so useful?"

Empress Xiaomin looked at Zhao Cong with dismay and patted him on the shoulder. "Son, did you grow a big head just to look taller?"

Zhao Cong never understood Empress Xiaomin's subtle words, but he would associate them with the fact that his mother's eyes, actions, and tone in the past meant that she disliked him for being stupid. This time, it was probably the same...

My father always said that my mother gave all her intelligence to my younger sister... Well, so what, as long as one of them is smart.

Queen Hyomin said proudly: "Mother will only tell you two once, you must remember it!"

Zhao Ying and Zhao Cong: “Okay…”

"In short, it can be summed up in four words: science and technology will make the country prosperous!"

Zhao Ying threw a grape into his mouth and said, "Mother, which country is the most technologically advanced? How come I have never heard of it?"

Queen Hyomin: ...

Zhao Cong: "Ying'er, don't interrupt your mother!"

Zhao Ying said angrily, "Okay..."

Queen Xiaomin coughed twice and continued, "This cannon is extremely powerful. It can be used to attack strongholds with half the effort, especially to conquer high walls and towers. There is no need for ladders or stone rams..."

Empress Xiaomin said as she stuffed the rope into Zhao Cong's hand. "Just pull it three times with force. Three shells will go down and no matter how high the city wall is, it will be blown down!"

Zhao Cong looked at the hemp rope in his hand in disbelief and said in amazement: "This cylinder is so powerful..."

Queen Xiaomin was very satisfied with Zhao Cong's performance.

She smiled faintly and said to Zhao Cong in a serious tone, "Cong'er, when you ascend the throne and become the empress, I will not ask you to do anything extraordinary, but only one thing, which you must do."

"If you can't do this, your mother will die with regret!"

Zhao Cong's expression became serious upon hearing this, and he quickly asked, "Mother, what is this matter? Why is it so important?"

“It’s so important!”