The Evil Emperor's Favorite: The Sickly and Poisonous Concubine Goes Crazy

As winter turns to spring and the grass grows and the birds sing, the ice and snow on the Tianji Mountain melt quietly. The herdsmen of Brutus gradually migrate northward, the weather warms up, and even Hancheng has a little more life.

In the past few months, Northern Yan general Shan Ruohan was seriously injured and narrowly escaped death. He was unable to lead his troops to invade Da Zhou, so the northern border counties have become much more peaceful.

With the medicine made by the senior brother using ice crystal sala fruit, Ayan's blood parasite has been well controlled, and Su Jingning is in a good mood. He goes out early and comes back late every day to deal with military affairs. Even if he is busy, he will occasionally take time to accompany her out of the city to play and relieve boredom. On weekdays, if she is alone in the palace, she will quietly deal with the letters from Mo Linyuan's Hidden Pavilion. She likes her peaceful life very much.

Su Jingning had just finished dealing with the letters that Yin Ge had sent today, when Yun Ya happened to lift the curtain and come in.

"Princess, the Fourth Young Master, the Third Young Lady and the Fourth Young Lady have already entered the city."

When Su Jingning heard this, his eyebrows curved slightly, his eyes full of joy. He handed the sealed letter to Yun Ya, then lifted his skirt and walked out:

"They're here so soon! I'll go pick them up."

The northern border where the Su family army is located is located in the northern border, bordering Xiliang and Beiyan. Although it is also within the northern border, it is separated from Hancheng, the center of the northern border, by more than ten days' journey.

Since the wedding, Ating and Shu'er joined the Su family army and followed the army to the northern border. She has never seen them again and doesn't know if they have adapted to the army. This time, they came to Hancheng with their fourth brother to escort the military rations to the northern border, so they could see each other.

"Don't worry. It's still some distance from the city to the palace. We have sent people to wait for you." Yun Ya put the letter away, picked up her cloak, and quickly followed her.

Su Jingning then slowed down his pace, took the cloak handed to him by Yun Ya and put it on. It was already spring in Hancheng, and the weather was gradually warming up. The sunlight shone through the carvings on the corridors and onto Su Jingning's face, making her skin look like jade, adding a touch of gentleness to her lively and bright appearance.

In front of the palace, Su Jingning stood under the eaves, looking into the distance with an expectant and joyful look on his face.

"This subordinate has met the princess."

Ke Qu followed Mo You back to the palace to do some work, and saw a woman in a light pink dress with wide sleeves standing at the gate of the palace. She was delicate, gentle, and friendly. But except in front of the prince, she rarely saw their princess show such emotions.

A lively and bright little face showed an expression of joy and anticipation that was difficult to conceal.

"Mo You, General Ke? Why are you back home at this time today?" Su Jingning asked softly with a smile on his face when he saw them.

"Your Highness has left a military document behind, and I'm back to get it." Ke Qu replied before Mo You and Su Jingning.

Su Jingning glanced at her, smiled and nodded: "Then go quickly, don't delay."

"Yes, I am resigning."

"Oh, by the way. Mo You, remember to remind A Yan to return home early today. Fourth brother and Ting'er and the others have arrived, so don't be late for dinner." Seeing them enter the house, Su Jingning reminded Mo You again.

"Yes." Mo You responded respectfully.

Ke Qu heard her calling the prince's name intimately and naturally, and she couldn't hide the bitterness and discomfort in her heart. She walked beside Mo You, and seeing that he was silent, she asked in a low voice:

"The princess comes from the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion in the Imperial Capital. Her fourth brother is the fourth son of the Su family, Su Jingyi, the commander of the Xuanming Camp who is good at using military formations. But why haven't I heard that the princess's sister is also in the Northern Frontier?"

"The rations for the garrison in the northern border will arrive in a few days, and the fourth young master Su has come to receive the rations for escort. As for the princess's sisters, the third and fourth young ladies of the Su family joined the Su family army in the northern border years ago, and this time they came to Hancheng together to visit the princess." Mo You explained in a cold voice.

Ke Qu's eyes flashed with surprise: "I heard that the Su family of the Zhenguo Mansion is full of talented generals. Their women join the army? Then they must all know martial arts? Why doesn't the princess practice martial arts?"

The princess doesn't practice martial arts? No wonder she thinks so. The princess is in poor health. Since she came to the Northern Frontier, she rarely goes out. There is nothing that requires her to do anything personally, so naturally no one knows that she knows martial arts. He recalled the time in the Eastern Frontier. The princess's strength was unfathomable. She was probably on par with the prince, or even more hidden. After all, even the maids around her had such strength.

Mo You glanced at her, frowned slightly, and looked a little cold. He reminded her: "A Qu, it is disrespectful to talk about the master in private."

Ke Qu quickly restrained himself and explained, "Brother Mo, I'm just curious. Keep it in mind in the future."

In front of the palace, Su Jingning looked at the people riding horses and her smile became brighter. The leader was a young man in dark blue clothes, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and he was very heroic. He was her fourth brother Su Jingyi. Behind him followed two girls with pretty faces. Although they were girls, they were as heroic as boys.

"Second sister!"

The girl in a simple dark blue brocade dress jumped off the horse, lifted her skirt and flew towards Su Jingning, her beautiful and heroic eyes full of dependence and joy.

Su Jingning hugged Su Luoshu lovingly and said, "Slow down."

Su Luoting stepped forward and pulled her away:

"Su Luoshu, don't use the barbarity you learned in the military camp on my second sister. She can't stand it."

Then she put her arm around Su Jingning and said with a smile: "Second sister, I miss you so much!"

"I miss you too."

Su Jingning looked at the two of them with a smile. They were just like before, the two who would quarrel whenever they were together. Now they were darker and thinner, but happier and more casual than they looked in Beijing.

Su Jingyi got off the horse again and looked at the sisters from behind and called out:

"Fourth brother."

Su Jingyi walked up to her and looked her over carefully. "Not bad, not bad! I haven't seen you for a few months. You look more rosy than before. Are you adapting well in Northern Xinjiang? Are you taking your medicine on time? Have you had a cold attack?"

"I'm fine, fourth brother, don't worry." Su Jingning smiled and shook his head at him, then looked at the two girls beside him with a distressed look in his eyes.

"However, Ah Shu and Ting'er, you look so much thinner. Come on, go back to the mansion with Second Sister. I have prepared a lot of delicious food for you. You can eat well."

Gu Yan'an knew that Su Jingyi and others would come today, so he returned home early.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." As soon as he entered the room, Su Jingyi saw him. He stood up to greet him, but was stopped.

"We are all family, there is no need to be polite, Fourth Brother."

Gu Yan'an looked cheerful and smiled as he spoke to Su Jingyi, Su Luoshu and the others.

Dinner was ready and everyone sat down together. He looked up at Su Jingning. He must be in a good mood. His almond-shaped eyes were curved and the smile on his lips had never faded. He was listening to his two sisters talking with great interest.

"By the way, in addition to transporting military rations, we also brought something for the prince." Su Jingyi looked at Su Jingning and Gu Yan'an.

"Oh? What is it?"

Su Jingning looked at Su Jingyi and guessed what it was. Her father had told her about it in the letter.

"Ashu." Su Jingyi and Su Luoshu nodded.

Su Luoshu took out the parchment drawing from his arms and spread it out on the table.

"This is....?"

Gu Yan'an looked at the drawing with surprise in his eyes. Just by looking at the drawing, he could feel the power of this crossbow.

Su Jingning looked at the drawing of the map of mountains and rivers, which seemed to be improved compared to the previous one.

She explained to Gu Yan'an, "This is a crossbow designed by Shu'er. It is called Shanhe. It can instantly smash boulders weighing hundreds of pounds and break through black iron shields. It is powerful enough to break mountains and rivers."

"Yes, but this is the design of the improved Shanhe Crossbow." Su Luoshu nodded.

Su Jingyi looked at Gu Yan'an, his expression slightly serious:

"This Shanhe crossbow can defeat the Yan army's cavalry. It has been under improvement before but has not been put into service. This is the final blueprint designed by Ah Shu. However, the materials in the Shenji Camp are limited, and the crossbows made are only enough for the Su family army to use. Therefore, we only brought 300 Shanhe crossbows this time."

"My uncle and father have received news that the new policies introduced by the eldest prince of Beiyan are quite effective. The emperor wants to make him the crown prince. This man loves war, the national wealth is accumulated, and the food and grass are abundant. If he is the crown prince, considering the relationship between Beiyan and Dazhou, Beiyan will definitely send troops to Dazhou as the first step. The Beiyang Army guards the longest border defense line with Beiyan, so they have to make preparations in advance. This Shanhe Crossbow may be able to help the prince."

Gu Yan'an looked at the drawing and was stunned for a few seconds. Fighting on the battlefield, the most important thing besides skill is the weapon in your hand. Whoever holds such a sophisticated crossbow will have a better chance of winning and reduce unnecessary sacrifices.

He knew that the Su family protected the country and the people, so it was reasonable for them to give him three hundred such exquisite Shanhe Crossbows. However, the drawings of the Shanhe Crossbow should be the secret of the Su family and should not be passed on to outsiders. The reason why they even gave him the design drawings of the Shanhe Crossbow and trusted him was because of Ningning.

Gu Yan'an stood up and bowed to Su Jingyi, with a touch of emotion and warmth in his eyes:

"Yan An would like to thank Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister on behalf of the Beiyang Royal Army, and also thank my father-in-law and all my uncles on my behalf."

Su Jingyi and Su Luoshu had not expected him to perform such a ceremony, so they immediately jumped up and hurriedly supported him: "Since the prince said that we are a family, it is only natural for family members to help each other."

"Right, Ningning."

Su Jingning smiled and nodded, pulling Gu Yan'an to sit down: "Fourth brother is right, Ah Yan, we are a family, there is no need to say thank you among family members."

"By the way, second sister, I improved this final version of the Shanhe Crossbow and added something new, making it several times more powerful than before."

Su Luoshu took the blueprint and spread it in front of Su Jingning with pride on his face.

"Oh? What did you add?"

Su Jingning looked carefully at the crossbow on the drawing, but didn't see it.

Su Luoshu took out an arrow from the brocade bag at his waist.

"In fact, the real power of the Mountain and River Crossbow does not lie in the crossbow itself, but... in the crossbow arrows!"

Su Jingning picked up the crossbow arrow and looked at it carefully. He saw that the crossbow arrow was pitch black and had a barb at the end, which was no different from an ordinary crossbow arrow.

"What's so special about this crossbow?"

Su Luoshu smiled slightly and said mysteriously: "Second sister, guess what was added to this crossbow arrow?"

Su Jingning shook his head and lowered his eyes, observing carefully for a while, then reached out and tapped lightly on the crossbow arrow. There seemed to be a sound of liquid flowing in the crossbow arrow.

"Is kerosene added to this crossbow arrow?" Su Jingning asked, looking up.

Su Luoshu smiled complacently, glanced at Su Luoting, nodded and said, "Yes! It was my third sister who reminded me to add kerosene to the arrows."

"The power of this Mountain and River Crossbow lies in the crossbow arrows it shoots! After the crossbow arrow is shot out, it hits an object. When the object breaks, the crossbow arrow will also break, and the kerosene inside will flow out, and it will ignite when it encounters fire! At that time, as long as one crossbow arrow is ignited, the other crossbow arrows will also burn, forming a sea of ​​fire! By then, even the iron cavalry of Northern Yan will be burned to charcoal!"

Gu Yan'an also lowered his eyes and studied the crossbow carefully, with a look of amazement and admiration in his eyes.

"This Shanhe Crossbow is so exquisitely designed. It is a powerful weapon."

Su Luoshu nodded, and said a little embarrassedly: "Your Highness,... Actually, this Mountain River Crossbow was taught to me by my second sister..."

"Huh?" Gu Yan'an was stunned and looked at Su Jingning.

Su Jingning smiled and shook his head, saying, "It is true that I gave the original blueprint of this Mountain River Crossbow to Ah Shu, but I am not as knowledgeable about mecha as Shu'er and Sixth Brother. The specific design and production were all done by Shu'er herself. I just gave her some suggestions."

When Gu Yan'an looked at her, his deep eyes were always filled with tenderness and admiration. She always managed to surprise him.

"How long would it take to build a mountain and river crossbow like this?"

Su Jingyi replied:

"The Shanhe Crossbow is exquisitely designed. If there are sufficient materials and manpower, three skilled mecha masters will need fifteen days to completely build the equipment required for a Shanhe Crossbow."

Gu Yan'an nodded: "I understand. I will dispatch personnel to build a batch of mountain and river crossbows as soon as possible. If the Su family army needs anything, just let me know."

Afterwards, Gu Yan'an and Su Jingyi talked about some details about armaments and border defense. Su Jingning and Su Luoshu listened on the side, occasionally adding their own opinions, and they chatted until the night fell.

The night was as dark as ink, and the breeze was cool, gently blowing through the flowers and trees in the courtyard, bringing bursts of fragrance. Gu Yan'an held Su Jingning's hand and walked side by side on the way back to the room. The shadows of the two were stretched out long under the moonlight, as if connected to each other's hearts.

The two of them walked in silence, as if they were the only two people in the world. Gu Yan'an felt the softness and warmth in his palm, and an indescribable sweetness and sense of security surged in his heart. As long as she was with him, no matter what he did, he would not be alone. He was so lucky to marry her.

In the next few days, Gu Yan'an dispatched all the mecha divisions in the Beiyang Army and ordered people to urgently prepare materials for building the Shanhe Crossbow. He was so busy that he had no time to rest.

Su Jingyi and Su Luoting were good at military formations, but they couldn't help much with mecha weapons, so they didn't stay and left yesterday to transport military rations. Su Jingning would go with Su Luoshu to help when he was free on weekdays.

The camp for making the Shanhe Crossbow was built in a separate military camp outside the city. When Su Jingning arrived, the camp was bustling with activity.

In the center of the camp, a huge wooden frame has been built, with various tools and materials placed on it. Mecha technicians are busy shuttling back and forth, and the sounds of hammers colliding with metals rise and fall one after another, as if they are playing a passionate war song.

Su Luoshu stood aside, holding a blueprint in her hand, instructing several craftsmen on how to adjust the angle of the crossbow. Her face was filled with confidence and concentration, and her brows were filled with a heroic spirit, as if she was completely immersed in it.

"Second sister, you are here!"

Su Luoshu looked up, saw Su Jingning, and shouted excitedly:

"Come and have a look. The manufacturing progress of the Shanhe Crossbow is faster than I thought. I estimate that the first batch will be completed in a few days."

The mechas of the Shanhe Crossbow are all built separately by craftsmen, and then transported to other places for assembly by special personnel, so even the mecha masters who built it cannot leak the refining process of the Shanhe Crossbow.

Su Jingning walked to her side and saw that she was sweating in the room. He took out a handkerchief and wiped her sweat. His voice was filled with heartache and reproach:

"Don't rush at this moment. I heard that you didn't have time to eat lunch, so I brought it to you. I'll watch over you here. Go out and eat your lunch first. Don't wait until your second sister is hungry and thin these days. I won't be able to explain to you if you go back."

Su Luoshu then remembered that he had not eaten yet and felt a little hungry, so he handed the drawings to Su Jingning and left the equipment room.

Su Jingning had been following Su Luoshu for the past few days and had already mastered the Shanhe Crossbow thoroughly. She held the blueprint and discussed it seriously with the mecha technicians, easily pointing out their problems and doubts.

Ke Qu saw this scene when he came in. Su Jingning was standing in the middle of the mecha masters, holding a blueprint in her hand, and fluently instructing the master who was making the machines. She had restrained her usual gentle and delicate appearance in the palace, and was now reserved, calm and cold. She actually had the aura of a superior who was no less than that of the prince, and people couldn't help but dare not look directly at her.

She thought about the people in the palace who had concealed the fact that everyone was sending letters out these days. Perhaps she had looked down on their princess, but she did not have any aura of martial arts.

She collected her thoughts, the doubts in her heart grew heavier, she suppressed the thoughts that shouldn't have appeared in her heart, and walked towards her.