Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Black Khanate, Golden Tent.

It was midsummer, yet a chill permeated the tent, incongruous with the scorching heat. The Great Khan of the Karakhanid Khanate, Ashina Duobi, sat upright on a throne covered in snow leopard skin, his brow furrowed. In his hands, he clutched a letter from his lord, embroidered with a dragon pattern in gold thread and written on the finest rice paper. Though earnest in its words, the letter pierced an icy edge, especially the last, "concerned" inquiry about the "golden buckle of the Zuoxian Prince's Court," which pierced his heart like a poisoned needle.

Beneath the tent, the Left Wise Prince Ashina Helu's face was ashen, his knuckles white from his clenched fists. He could sense the mixed glances of suspicion, scrutiny, and even gloating from the other royal family members and ministers around him. The lost gold buckle had fallen into the hands of the Daqian Emperor! And it had been "returned" in this manner! This was not only a humiliation, but also a fatal accusation!

"Great Khan!" Helu stood up suddenly, his voice trembling slightly with anger. "This is the Great Qian Emperor's divisive plot! It's intended to sow discord within our royal court! I am utterly loyal to the Great Khan and the Black Khanate, and I have no second thoughts! That golden buckle... must have been stolen to frame me!"

"Framed?" The Right Wise Prince spoke slowly, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "I heard that the envoys under the Left Wise Prince were very successful in the capital of Daqian last year, and made many 'friends'. Now the Emperor of Daqian has sent a personal letter of 'greetings'. This 'friendship' is quite deep."

"You!" Helu glared at him.

"Enough!" Great Khan Duobi slammed the letter of credence on the table. His voice was low but carried unquestionable majesty. "You all know the purpose of the Emperor Daqian's move! Now is not the time for internal strife!"

He glanced at everyone in the tent, finally landing on Helu with a complicated expression. "Helu, the Emperor of Daqian wouldn't do anything without a purpose. How do you explain this gold buckle? Also, what about those rumors circulating in the royal court lately about your close association with certain 'old acquaintances' of Daqian?"

Helu's heart sank. He knew the Great Khan was already suspicious. His secret connections with the remnants of the Huaiyang Prince's forces and certain corrupt officials, all aimed at acquiring firearms technology, now became an indelible stain. He gritted his teeth and said, "Great Khan, please understand! Everything I do is to strengthen the power of the Black Khanate to resist the Great Qian! While some of my methods may be inappropriate, my original intention is to serve the country! I have no intention of betrayal!"

"For the sake of the country?" an old Ye Hu snorted coldly. "I'm afraid you'll only be courting disaster! The Great Qian army is at its peak, and Emperor Qin Ming is a suspicious and vindictive ruler! You acted in secret, giving them a handle. Now the Great Qian's letter of accusation has reached the royal court! How do you expect the Khan to respond? Hand you over to appease the Emperor Qian's wrath, or prepare to face the iron hoofs of the Great Qian Black Armor Army?"

The tent erupted in uproar, with endless debate erupting. Those in favor of war believed that Emperor Qian had gone too far and demanded a resolute response; those in favor of peace advocated punishing Helu severely, showing weakness to the Great Qian, and seeking peace to avoid war. Helu's faction vehemently defended themselves, but the situation was hopeless. Panic and suspicion spread like a plague within the Golden Tent.

At that moment, a guard hurried into the tent and knelt to report, "Great Khan! Bad news! The Qian army in Beiting... has been making unusual movements! Meng Zhi's Black Armored Cavalry have been conducting frequent border exercises recently, and their scouting activities have expanded! Also... another caravan has reported that the Daqian Beiting Protectorate is 'giving away' salt, iron, and tea to several small tribes bordering us, in exchange... for providing them with pasture and guides..."

"What?!" Dubi Khan abruptly stood up, his face suddenly changing. The Qian army was stationed on the border, wooing vassal tribes... This was clearly a sign of pre-war preparations! Qin Ming's letter wasn't just a simple question, but the drumbeat of war before an ultimatum!

Everyone's attention once again focused on Helu, the Left Wise King. This time, even his former supporters' eyes were filled with fear and resentment. It was his adventurous actions that dragged the entire Black Khanate to the brink of war!

Helu's face was ashen. He knew he was finished. Not only would the Khan no longer protect him, but he was also likely to be sacrificed in order to appease Emperor Qian's wrath and buy the country a respite.

Duobi Khan slowly sat back on his throne, rubbed his brow wearily, and said in a hoarse voice, "Orders... seal off the borders and strengthen security. All tribes are forbidden to come into contact with the Qian people without permission."

He looked at Helu with a cold gaze, "Zuo Xian Wang... please return to your residence and rest for now. Without the Khan's order, you are not allowed to leave the palace."

This is a disguised form of house arrest.

When Helu was "invited" out of the Golden Tent in a daze, he heard a more heated argument between the Khan and the Yehus behind him. The topic had become how to "properly" deal with him and how to "apologize" to the Emperor of Daqian.

A few days later, a peace delegation sent by the Kara Khanate, bearing generous gifts and a humble letter, set out for the capital of the Great Qian Empire. In the letter, the Kara Khan severely reprimanded Zuo Xian Wang for his "presumptuous behavior and association with bandits" and claimed that he had been severely punished.

In fact, he is still under house arrest.

He also repeatedly assured that he had no intention of offending the majesty of Daqian and was willing to be a vassal forever and pay tribute every year.

At this moment, in the West Warm Pavilion, Qin Ming looked at the secret report about the departure of the Black Khan delegation presented by Ying Qi, and a cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Tell Meng Zhi that border exercises can be suspended. Instruct the Beiting Protectorate to give the Black Khan's envoys a 'proper' reception."

"The minister obeys the order."

Soon, he returned to the silent hall.

He stepped out from the shadows, holding no new urgent military report, but a rather thick file. "The Privy Council and the Ministry of Works jointly report that... the regulations for the subsequent rectification of the 'Shen Ji Fang' and new firearms control regulations have been preliminarily drafted."

Qin Ming didn't even look up. He slashed a sharp red line across the Ministry of Revenue's memorial regarding the first quarter's tax and silver audit after the full implementation of the new grain transport regulations. His voice was calm and even: "Give me a brief summary."

"Yes." Ying Qi unfolded the file and reported in a steady pace.

"The internal cleansing of the Shenji Workshop has been completed. Twenty-seven artisans, clerks, and guards involved have been dealt with according to law. All core artisans have been re-identified and placed on a secret register. Their families have been relocated to the newly built 'Artisan Camp' in western Beijing for centralized housing. They will be provided with generous food and strict protection, but also... as a form of restraint."

"The processes for developing, casting, storing, and distributing firearms have been completely overhauled. Adopting a 'separate production and combined assembly' method, the casting of the gun barrel, the preparation of ammunition, and the forging of the mechanism are all separated into three workshops, each with its own independent structure. Each craftsman only knows one piece of the puzzle, not the whole. The core blueprints are stored in three separate locations. Your Majesty, the Privy Councilor, and the Minister of Works each hold a fragmentary copy. The complete blueprint can only be accessed with the seals of all three."

"We plan to establish a 'Firearms Supervisory Office' directly under the Privy Council, responsible for the distribution, calibration, and training of all military firearms. Border garrisons wishing to transfer firearms will need to undergo a thorough review and approval process, and a military warrant will be issued by the commander-in-chief. Severe penalties will be imposed for loss or damage. All gunpowder inflows and outflows will be carefully recorded and regularly audited."