Female martial arts fanatics only love to fight, while men fight for their lives.

"This matter is of great importance, and Marquis Wu'an is not completely sure, so he brought it back to verify its authenticity."

This kind of thing shouldn't be said in such a casual situation, but since the Queen talked to her, she must be able to use her.

"Your Majesty wants me to recognize it clearly?" Lou Xiao is half a Jianghu person, but her master likes to be a hermit and does not ask about the affairs of the Jianghu, so no one knows her in the Jianghu.

She had no interest in grudges in the martial arts world and didn't pay much attention to what was happening in the world of martial arts.

But compared to people like Wu'an Hou who have worked in the Northern Desert for several years, she still knows a little bit more.

The Queen nodded, "He has written many times that the weapons of the neighboring countries in the northern desert are well-made. They need methods to defeat the enemy when guarding the border, and they need the Military Equipment Supervisor to make weapons that are worthy of use."

As she spoke, she frowned. "It has been many years since we have produced anything new. The Shaofu Supervisor only knows how to complain to me about the poor output of Xu Yong Iron Mine. It is not because of their lack of ability, but it seems that these are just excuses."

However, there is currently no qualified person to fill the position. There are rumors in the martial arts world that a new sword-making family has emerged, and no one knows where these talented people will come from.

The Queen narrowed her eyes slightly, her face slightly gloomy, but soon her expression was eased by Lou Xiao's words.

"If the sword in his hand really came from Jianghu, there should be more than just these rumors. Why don't I go to Jianghu and investigate for Senior Sister?" Lou Xiao volunteered, "But I don't think they dare to do that."

The so-called Jianghu is big and small, with grudges and grievances that are hard to resolve.

Lou Xiao's master said that in the underworld, there are only trivial matters such as the Zhang and Li families' gossips. When the laws are not strict and there is no one to supervise, the people in the underworld act according to their own rules, and the court will turn a blind eye.

But they didn't dare to make too much of a splash. If it involved a major incident of exterminating a family, the local county magistrate would be punished if he pretended not to know.

When Lou Xiao was young, her master took her to see the so-called "people of the underworld". In her impression, there were few extremely treacherous and evil people.

Although he has never been to school, he is not a fool as he has made a name for himself in the world.

If they occasionally gather together to compete, Lou Xiao believes that

They said that they could make a sword that would be favored by Marquis Wu'an, who fought on the battlefield, and even hung it in the tent of a foreign king. It was not that Lou Xiao looked down on them, but it was unrealistic.

A country's top weapon-making skills will not easily flow into the hands of ordinary people. Without the accumulation of talents and the best raw materials, how can one forge a good sword?

Who dares to open a mine privately? If caught, you will be beheaded, and your family and relatives will be affected.

It is true that people in the underworld love to fight and kill, but they will not touch the bottom line of the court.

"There's no need to rush. Let's talk about it after he comes back." His Majesty comforted Lou Xiao. The most important thing was that her birthday was approaching, so things had to be done step by step.

Lou Xiao said "Oh" and stopped talking, lowering her head. The food on the table seemed to have lost its appeal, making her lose her appetite.

She didn't want the people from the martial arts world to be dragged into the affairs of the imperial court. Seeing that the empress was determined to get to the bottom of the matter, she just hoped that the origin of the sword was just a rumor.

When the emperor is furious, blood will flow for thousands of miles. The empress is easy to talk to in front of her, but only now.

Sighing silently in his heart, Lou Xiao continued to eat under the gaze of the Queen. The Queen did not mention the matter again, but just drank her tea leisurely, not knowing what she was thinking about.

────

As the birthday of the emperor approached, the guards in the capital patrolled more frequently, especially in the Xiyun market. Any small movement would attract the attention of a team of soldiers.

The fierce foreigners were under control and could no longer shout, drink and fight as loudly as they did in the past. There was resentment between their brows and the atmosphere became much more depressing.

An inconspicuous figure passed through the alleys of Xiyun Market.

His messy hair covered half of his face, and the small part that was revealed had a deeper outline than the people in the Central Plains. He was tall but slightly bent.

He was wearing tattered clothes but his eyes kept scanning the counters of the shops in the market, as if he was looking for something but couldn't find it.

He had been in Xiyun market for several days, but still hadn't found the whereabouts of that thing. Was his information wrong, or did he not find the right place?

Ai Ying stopped on the street of Xiyun Market and looked up at the people in Beijing who were cleaning the roofs and hanging colorful lanterns.

They laughed in their hearts at the emperor's birthday, forcing the people to hang up lights and decorations to celebrate, which was a waste of money and time, and the strict control made the Xiyun market lifeless.

Not far in front of him, a shop without a door was opening. A foreign man reeked of alcohol, as if he had drunk too much yesterday and got up late. His face was ugly.

Between the white bull head skeleton and the simple counter behind him, the place where the scimitar should have been placed was empty, with only a piece of soft cloth left.

This shop did not attract any attention at all. The foreign man who opened the door accidentally looked at Ai Ying. There seemed to be a female voice calling his name behind him. He turned around and answered, then disappeared into the shop mumbling something.

Ai Ying took a copper coin from her pocket, went to a street stall and bought a hot sesame cake. She ate half of it in one bite.

In the bustling Xiyun market, all kinds of people come and go, and Ai Ying is just the most inconspicuous background among the countless people in a hurry.

A plain sedan landed beside him, and several servants escorted a woman down from the sedan. She held an embroidered round fan to slightly cover her mouth and nose, and her hair was adorned with a set of spring flower jewellery. When she raised her head, it shone with golden light in the sun.

She glanced around a few times, then frowned. The dissatisfied voice from behind the round fan made the sedan bearers and servants lower their bodies.

"Tsk, what good stuff can be sold on this street? You are trying to fool me. At most, it's just some strange and ingenious stuff from foreign races. I have seen it before."

She looked very disgusted, fanning herself with a round fan, and squinted at the servant who was bending over to support her. "If I can't find something new and satisfying, I'll ask you for help."

Being stared at by her neither too lightly nor too harshly, the servant who was holding her hand half-raised his face, his features were delicate and lovely, and when he smiled ingratiatingly, his cheeks had shallow dimples.

"Miss, please forgive me. I just wanted to share your worries, so I mentioned Xiyun Market.

You have seen all kinds of good things, how could you be as short-sighted as me? I think it's fun to see things from other races, and I'm so bold as to talk about it in front of you. Damn it, damn it."

He slapped his cheek lightly with his other hand, pretending to punish himself.

The woman raised her lips and patted his head with her round fan, "Come on, you're always pretending."

She adjusted her hairpin with one hand, and said proudly, "Let's go, for my good-for-nothing brother. He could have liked anyone else, but she was the one he chose. Look at the gift he racked his brains to give her, but there was no response at all."

The servant whispered, "The young master is new to love and has no experience, so he has to rely on you as his sister to help him!"

The woman nodded. "It's good to help him get what he wants, but I'm afraid that the Zhenguo Mansion is now in full swing, and Miss Lou will not like my A Jing."

"Isn't there still Old Taishan..."

The servant helped the girl walk away, and the sound became quieter and quieter. Ai Ying finished her pancake, cheered herself up and walked into the crowd again.