Lock and secure

In the Equipment Department, the gunpowder finally made progress. There was a hoarse explosion, and the instantaneous burst of fire scared everyone so much that they almost died on the spot. After they came to their senses, they hugged each other in joy.

Looking at the people from the Machinery Bureau whose hair had been burned into wool curls and whose faces were pitch black, Bei Zhenting finally knew what gunpowder was. Without time to be happy, he quickly sealed off the Machinery Bureau with a serious face and took control of all the people in the Machinery Bureau who were involved in the research on gunpowder.

Everyone's faces were dark, only a few pairs of eyes were bright, looking at the prince in confusion, not knowing what the prince meant.

"Everyone, regarding the gunpowder issue, thank you for your hard work over the past few days. Gunpowder is extremely useful in military affairs. From today on, gunpowder research is a royal secret. Anyone involved in gunpowder research will be executed on the spot."

The black-faced monkeys finally reacted and all looked terrified.

"Now there is a way to save your lives. Sign this top-secret royal contract. After signing this contract, your every move will be monitored by the royal guards. You should think carefully: do you want life or freedom?"

The seven or eight people who participated in the research of gunpowder thought they were dead, but unexpectedly they were still alive. Freedom is not as important as being alive!

Several people pledged to protect the imperial secrets to the death, never revealing a single word. Even as they signed the agreement, they felt a deep sense of pride and mission. Though their faces were dark, their eyes were resolute, and their handwriting was vigorous and powerful.

After signing this contract, they became royal subjects. They could not mention gunpowder to anyone, nor could they discuss what they had done. Gunpowder research would be completely blocked, and they would never be able to return home or see their wives and children again.

Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial, is it the same for family and country?

Everyone felt heavy.

Bei Zhenting patted their shoulders one by one and said, "Everyone, Dacheng will take care of and protect your wives, children, and parents. You are all heroes who have served our country loyally. I, Bei Zhenting, offer a toast to you all!"

Cup after cup of liquor is served, and all the heroic spirit is contained in the wine.

The seven or eight people from the Machinery Department who participated in the research raised their glasses and drank them all in one gulp.

After drinking a glass of wine, everyone, including Bei Zhenting, did not feel relieved at all. On the contrary, everyone was not very happy.

Gunpowder involves military affairs, so there is no way to keep it secret. No matter how regretful everyone is, it cannot change their fate of either keeping the secret or being killed.

Bei Zhenting had spent many days with them, day and night, and through thousands of failures, they had grown from being awkward to being close friends. Now, this involved the imperial court's military secrets, and he had the power to decide their life and death, and he must see it through to the end.

This feeling made Bei Zhenting feel heavy.

The following work was carried out in silence.

Today's hoarse explosions indicate that the gunpowder isn't completely successful yet, but it's not far off. Note the ratio. Bei Zhenting stood alone in the compound of the Machinery Bureau. It was already dark.

Looking up at the sky, there is not a single star in the deep blue sky.

Bei Zhenting suddenly wanted to go home.

Suddenly wanting to go home, Bei Zhenting walked out of the Machinery Department, jumped on his horse, waved his whip, and rode under the moonlight. An emotion was about to burst out of his heart. It felt like he had never been so eager to go home before...

Arriving at the palace, he dismounted and the guards opened the gate for him, and Bei Zhenting walked in. Wang Guangcheng, holding a lantern, was about to go back to his room to sleep when he saw the prince returning from the night. He went to greet him and wanted to talk about what happened in the laundry room today, but Bei Zhenting asked him first: "Where is the princess?"

"In the West Courtyard..." Wang Guangcheng answered subconsciously before his brain could react.

"Go and ask him to come over."

Bei Zhenting took off his coat.

"Oh……"

Wang Guangcheng walked away with the lantern in his hand, not realizing that the prince used the word "please".

Luo Yao had already fallen asleep and was awakened by the loud banging on the door.

After simply putting on his clothes, Luo Yao went to open the door cursing. When he opened the door, he saw Wang Guangcheng's face and immediately closed the door.

"Princess, Princess, the prince is looking for you..." Wang Guangcheng said in a low voice.

Why are you looking for me so late at night?! I don't understand!

Luo Yao closed the door. Wang Guangcheng didn't know whether to knock or not. The princess had looked so scary just now. Her clothes were baggy, her hair was disheveled, and her face was glowing...

The princess can't really be a monster...

Wang Guangcheng didn't react at all. The reason why he saw Luo Yao in that state was entirely because of the lantern he was holding.

I don't know if there was some kind of sulfur in the lantern. The flame was a little green, and the entire bottom light was shining on the person's face. It would be strange if it didn't look like a monster!

Luo Yao finally went. There was nothing he could do if his boss went crazy and demanded overtime! He couldn't work alone for the time being!

Simply putting on a dark blue dress, casually tying his hair at the back of his head, taking a look at his brother's sleeping face, Luo Yao quietly closed the door and left.

On one side of the west courtyard, there was a section of road with almost no candlelight. Luo Yao walked that section in the dark, and the lotus pond was right in front of him.

There were a few scattered candles around the lotus pond. Luo Yao saw Bei Zhenting standing under a candle and looking at him.

The candlelight was dim, but it illuminated Bei Zhenting's entire body.

Bei Zhenting stared at Luo Yao, watching a small figure emerge from the darkness and walk towards him, step by step. The light was dim, illuminating only the figure's face, and for a moment, his vision blurred. The surrounding scene changed. Blood flowed like a river, corpses were scattered all over the ground. The figure walked towards him, stepping into the dark night, stepping on the ground covered with dark blood, but not being stained by it. Step by step, illuminating everything...

"Hey! What do you want from me?"

Bei Zhenting heard the man complaining.

"Can't I find you?" Bei Zhenting looked at Luo Yao.

Luo Yao pouted and thought to himself, Of course, since you are looking for me, I have to come even if I don’t want to.

Neither of them spoke.

Luo Yao quietly observed Bei Zhenting. Seeing that Bei Zhenting didn't speak for a long time, he didn't let him leave and just played by himself.

There are so many fish! I heard it’s especially easy to fish at night…

Luo Yao was lying on the railing. He was much taller than the railing and it was not comfortable for him to lie there. Therefore, in order to make himself comfortable, his posture was quite ugly.

Bei Zhenting found it a little funny looking at Luo Yao's awkward appearance.

Suddenly, a sharp pain came from the top of his head, without any warning and so severe that Bei Zhenting couldn't help but let out a "hiss" in pain.

Luo Yao tilted his head and looked at him in that position, "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine..." Bei Zhenting waved his hands, cold sweat breaking out. The severe pain made Bei Zhenting lose consciousness.

"Hey! Hey! Do you have a headache?" Luo Yao stood up and walked towards Bei Zhenting. When he got a little closer to Bei Zhenting, he suddenly stopped and gestured at Bei Zhenting's head from a distance: "You are not dying of pain, are you? You are sweating a lot."

Bei Zhenting looked at Luo Yao: How dare you curse me!

"Why don't you just hold on to the railing and sit over there first!"

Luo Yao was a little worried that Bei Zhenting would be torn to pieces by the enemies of the Yong'an Palace, so he pointed to a few steps that had no railings.

He was almost in pain and no one helped him. Bei Zhenting was independent and walked over by himself holding the railing. Luo Yao followed him. Bei Zhenting sat on the steps, leaning against the railing, and Luo Yao sat on the other side. There was a space of more than two meters between them.

The two of them sat there in silence for a while. Luo Yao yawned and asked, "Are you feeling better?"

I want to go back to sleep.

Bei Zhenting glanced at him, leaned against the railing, and looked at the starless sky.

"If the country needs it, wouldn't it be difficult to be both loyal and filial and to fulfill both family and country..."

It's a nonsensical sentence. It doesn't sound like a question, nor does it sound like a statement.

"Who says you can't be both loyal and filial? Does being loyal mean you can't be by your parents' side and serve them? Failure to be both loyal and filial will only reduce the time we spend with our parents, not eliminate our filial piety. That's why we should cherish the time we spend with our parents, and not wait until the wind blows but the tree wants to be still, or the child wants to support his parents but they're no longer around, before we regret it."

"As for family and country, there is a country before there is a family. If the country is about to perish, where is home?"

Luo Yao threw pebbles into the pond and complained mercilessly.

Bei Zhenting stared at his profile for a long time. Then he stood up, walked to Luo Yao, and touched his messy head. "If you're sleepy, go back to sleep!"

Luo Yao covered his head, stood up suddenly, and took two steps back, with a look of vigilance on his face, "Why did you hit me?!"

"I told you to go back to sleep." Bei Zhenting answered seriously and handed the lantern to Luo Yao.

What serious illness does Bei Zhenting have?

Luo Yao snatched the lantern from his hand and kept looking back before leaving, fearing that Bei Zhenting would suddenly attack him.

Bei Zhenting came back to his senses only after he saw Luo Yao's figure disappear into the darkness and the firelight disappeared.

The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop; the son wants to support his parents but they are no longer there for him...

Yes, loyalty and filial piety have always been a dilemma when it comes to family and country. However, devoting oneself to the motherland, away from home, parents, wife and children, does not extinguish filial piety in one's heart. On the contrary, when the country is about to fall, where is home? Dedicating oneself to the country is to better protect one's family, which is a more admirable filial piety...

The blockage in his heart was cleared. Bei Zhenting looked at the starless night sky, stood alone by the lotus pond for a while, and then turned and left...