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248. Firearms Department Incident, Delicious Food Arrives

In Dongyang Garden, everyone except Gu Jinxuan gathered at the Duke of Huguo's Mansion, and the house was bustling with activity.

As soon as Gu Xiaoya, Gu Xiaolin and other children saw Lin Qingxue and Gu Huaiyuan, they cheered and surrounded them, sharing interesting things that happened in the mansion when they were not around.

Princess Lin also walked forward with a smile and greeted Lin Qingxue, her eyes full of concern.

Princess Anyang sat in the main seat, looking at her returning children and grandchildren lovingly, with a gratified smile on her face.

"I finally got you back. You must have had a hard time along the way!" She held Lin Qingxue's hand and said with concern.

Lin Qingxue smiled and shook her head. "Mother, the journey was relatively smooth. We encountered some minor troubles along the way, but they were all resolved."

As she spoke, she briefly recounted her encounter with the men in black on the road. When everyone heard this, they all sighed and admired the bravery of Lin Qingxue and the children.

At this time, the maids in the small kitchen brought in steaming hot meals one after another, which were all the favorites of Lin Qingxue and the children.

Princess Anyang asked everyone to sit down. For a moment, the room was filled with laughter and the warm atmosphere dispelled the fatigue of the journey.

After dinner, the children laughed and played while Lin Qingxue sat with Princess Anyang and Princess Lin and chatted about family matters.

"This time when I went to South City, I brought back some small toys for the children. Mother, sister-in-law, I also brought back some silk scarves and silk cloth from South City. See if you like them," said Lin Qingxue.

Princess Lin quickly thanked her, "Thank you, sister-in-law, I like it."

Princess Anyang also nodded. "You are such a thoughtful child. You even thought of bringing us something when you went to Nancheng. By the way, how is Jinxuan doing in Nancheng?"

Mentioning Gu Jinxuan, a trace of tenderness and longing flashed in Lin Qingxue's eyes. "Everything is fine with him over there, but he's busy with military affairs and he often misses home."

"As long as he's fine, has Jinxuan said when he can come back?" Princess Anyang asked. She disliked her son when he was at home and missed him when he was not at home.

"It must be after the New Year at the latest! Jinxuan said that the herdsmen on the grassland are very restless," Lin Qingxue said truthfully. As she spoke, she asked Gu Huaiyuan to distribute the things to his younger brothers and sisters.

"Big brother has been working hard over there, sister-in-law, when will the third batch of food be delivered? Are you still going over?"

Princess Lin asked with a smile. She had known her elder brother for so many years, but this was the first time she saw him being so gentle.

"I don't plan to go for the third time. I'll let Jinyu take Huaiyuan and Xiaotao there, and then let Huaiyuan stay there and come back with Jinxuan. Huaiyuan is doing well in every aspect now, but his personality is a little soft."

Lin Qingxue thought about Gu Huaiyuan's performance during this period. It was not bad, but not very good either. Overall, she was still satisfied.

Princess Anyang nodded slightly, her eyes fixed on Gu Huaiyuan, who was playing with his brothers and sisters not far away. Her eyes were full of love. "Huaiyuan is a child with a gentle temperament, but he has a kind heart. Let him follow Jinxuan in the military camp to gain some experience. It will also temper his temper and make him better able to inherit the Duke of Huguo's mansion in the future."

Princess Lin also nodded and jokingly said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. When Huaiyuan comes back, he might have become a man of great stature. By then, our Protectorate Mansion will have another powerful general!"

As they were talking, Gu Xiaoya came running over like a happy little deer, holding the little toys that Lin Qingxue brought back from South City, her eyes sparkling, "Mom, this bamboo dragonfly is so fun! And this clay doll is so cute, thank you, Mom!"

Lin Qingxue touched her daughter's head, a doting smile on her face: "As long as you like it, I'm satisfied as long as you are happy."

"Mom, I like these little gadgets too," Gu Huaining and Gu Xiaowan walked towards Lin Qingxue hand in hand. It can be seen that they really like these little gadgets.

At this time, Gu Huaiyu, who had been quietly listening to the adults' conversation, also came over. Although he was young, his words and actions revealed a calmness and composure: "Auntie, I also like the gift you brought back."

Gu Huairen also smiled and said, "Aunt, thank you for the gift you brought back."

Looking at her two sensible nephews, Lin Qingxue felt relieved: "Okay, as long as you like it."

Looking at these two nieces, I have to sigh that Princess Lin is good at educating children. Although she herself has a lively personality, her two children are well brought up by her.

Princess Anyang was filled with emotion as she watched this scene. The Duke of Huguo's Mansion had stood firm through wind and rain for many years, and now the family had many children and grandchildren, and was becoming more and more prosperous. It was really gratifying.

She turned to look at Lin Qingxue and said earnestly, "Qingxue, thanks to you for taking care of the family affairs, your father and Jinxuan can focus on their official duties outside, and I can stay in Dongyang Garden and enjoy the company of my grandchildren."

Lin Qingxue's eyes were slightly red, and she said with emotion: "Mother, what are you saying? This is what a daughter-in-law should do. It is Qingxue's blessing to have you and your family around. Qingxue is very fortunate to marry into the Gu family and become Jinxuan's wife."

"I think we should become a family," Princess Lin said with a smile.

They chatted for a while, and as the night grew darker, Princess Anyang told Lin Qingxue to go to bed early, telling her that she wanted to rest for a few days before coming to take care of the household chores in the mansion.

After returning to her own Xuanxue Garden from Dongyang Garden, Lin Qingxue sat alone in the yard, looking up at the bright moon, her thoughts involuntarily drifting to Gu Jinxuan in the distance.

She sighed softly and said silently in her heart: "Jinxuan, you must be safe over there. We are all looking forward to your early return..."

Just as I was lost in thought, the sound of soft footsteps approached from afar, breaking the silence of the night.

Lin Qingxue turned around and saw her personal maid Chuntao approaching quietly with a cup of hot tea in her hand. "Princess, it's late at night and the dew is heavy. Please have some hot tea to warm yourself up."

Lin Qingxue took the teacup and took a sip. The hot steam flowed down her throat, but it failed to dispel her concern for Gu Jinxuan.

"Chun Tao, have the maids bring the account books over the next day, and then have the steward come over to report on what's been going on in the shops and farms during this period."

Chun Tao quickly agreed and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Princess. I will give the order tomorrow morning. However, these things will take time to sort out. The maids and stewards will not be able to come until tomorrow afternoon or the morning after tomorrow."

Lin Qingxue nodded slightly, a smile on her face, "Okay, it's getting late, go get some water! I want to rest."

"Yes, Princess. I'll ask someone to go to the small kitchen and fetch water for you to take a bath," Chuntao responded respectfully. She left Donghe alone to look after Lin Qingxue and went to the small kitchen.

Whenever the masters needed something, they would just give an order and the servants would go to do the work, so Lin Qingxue didn't need to worry about anything.

In about a quarter of an hour, the hot water was ready. Lin Qingxue went back to her room to wash up, took a hot bath, changed into her underwear, and went to bed.

In the early morning, sunlight shone into the house through the window lattice. Lin Qingxue got up early and had a simple breakfast. She was about to go to the study when the housekeeper came hurriedly to report.

"Princess, the Second Master wants to see you about something related to the Firearms Department," the butler first bowed to Lin Qingxue before respectfully reporting.

"I understand. Where is Jinyu? I'll go there now," Lin Qingxue nodded slightly, turned around and asked the butler.

"The Second Master is in the study in the front yard, and the Duke of Protectorate is also here," the butler said, then stood by, waiting for Lin Qingxue to come over.

"I got it. I'll be there right away," Lin Qingxue said as she walked towards the study in the front yard. When she arrived at the study, she saw both the Duke of Protectorate and Gu Jinyu there.

"Father, Jinyu," Lin Qingxue walked towards the Duke of Protectorate and bowed to him in greeting.

"Qingxue is here. Please take a seat first. I asked you to come over to the Firearms Department. Some time ago, you went to the South City to deliver food, so Jinyu recruited a group of people to work there. After the pistol was made and installed, the range was a bit worse than the one you gave."

The Duke of Protectorate said in a serious tone that it was a foregone conclusion that the eldest son would inherit the title of Duke of Protectorate. The second son had only been able to enter the Firearms Department and the Escort Agency with the help of his eldest daughter-in-law. He was full of enthusiasm for the future, and many people in the imperial city were jealous of him.

If there really was a problem with the Firearms Bureau, the second son would definitely be implicated, and if he was smeared by his political enemies, his life would be over.

"Have the dimensions of each part been altered? Is the installation order correct?"

Lin Qingxue frowned and asked, if they made it and followed the information she gave them, there would be no possibility of making mistakes.

Gu Jinyu quickly said, "Sister-in-law, we've checked the dimensions and assembly sequence over and over again, and there are no mistakes. I really can't figure out what the problem is. The workers were carefully selected and trained, but there's something wrong with the pistol they made."

The Duke of the Guard sighed, his expression worried. "This is a matter of great importance. The Firearms Department is now the focus of the imperial court. If we can't produce a pistol with a suitable range, and the higher-ups blame us, we can't afford to bear the consequences. Not to mention that Jin Yu is also in charge of the escort agency. If someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of us, it will be a huge problem."

Lin Qingxue pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Father, Jinyu, I want to go to the Firearms Department to take a look. Maybe we can find out the problem. Some details cannot be discussed on paper. We must conduct an on-site inspection."

The Duke of Huguo nodded in agreement: "Okay, Qingxue, I'll leave this matter to you."

The group arrived at the Firearms Department. Lin Qingxue carefully checked the materials and tools used to make pistols, and observed the workers' operating procedures. Everything seemed to be in compliance with regulations.

She picked up a finished pistol and looked at it again and again, and suddenly found that the inside of the barrel seemed a little rough.

"Jinyu, is the polishing process of this gun barrel in accordance with the standards I gave you before?" Lin Qingxue asked.

Gu Jinyu scratched his head. "Sister-in-law, the craftsmanship should be correct, but these gun barrels were made by new craftsmen. Could it be that their skills are rusty?"

Lin Qingxue seemed lost in thought. She called the craftsman in charge of polishing the gun barrel to ask him about it. The craftsman nervously said, "Madam, we polished it according to your instructions. However, the texture of this new batch of iron seems to be a little different. It's harder than before. It took a lot of effort to polish it, but it still can't achieve the expected smoothness."

After hearing this, Lin Qingxue had an idea. She asked the craftsman to get a piece of iron and also found the iron used to make the pistol. After comparison, she found that the new iron had more impurities.

"Father, Jinyu, the problem must be with the iron material. The newly replaced iron material has many impurities and uneven texture. Even if the polishing process is fine, it will affect the smoothness of the barrel and thus reduce the range of the pistol," Lin Qingxue analyzed.

The Duke of Huguo's face darkened. "There's something wrong with the iron we purchased! Someone might be deliberately plotting something bad behind this."

Gu Jinyu was also furious: "I will go and thoroughly investigate the iron procurement channels to see who is behind this."

Lin Qingxue nodded. "This matter must be investigated as soon as possible. We must not allow those with ulterior motives to succeed. In addition, we must temporarily suspend the use of this batch of iron materials and find a reliable blacksmith to re-refine it. We must ensure the quality of the iron materials."

"Jinyu, you must investigate this matter thoroughly and replace the original iron material as soon as possible," said the Duke of Protectorate with a serious face.

"Yes, father, I'll go right away," Gu Jinyu took the order and left. Lin Qingxue and the Duke of Huguo stayed in the Firearms Department for a long time, carefully checking other links to ensure that nothing was missed.

When leaving, the Duke of Huguo patted Lin Qingxue on the shoulder and said, "Qingxue, thanks to you, otherwise this time would be troublesome."

Lin Qingxue said modestly, "Father, you're too kind. This is our joint achievement. As long as it can solve the problem and protect our Duke of the State and the Firearms Department, I should do all this."

"You just came back. You must have been tired from traveling all the way. You should go back and rest first!" After saying this, the Duke of Protectorate waved his hand and went into the palace. The matter of new iron materials could be a big deal or a small one, so the emperor had to know about it.

After the Duke of Protectorate left, Lin Qingxue took Donghe and Wennuan shopping. They went to the shops and bought milk tea, grilled fish, barbecue and other things before returning to the Duke of Protectorateate's Mansion.

When they returned to the mansion, it was already noon, time for lunch. Lin Qingxue asked Chuntao to invite a few young masters to Xuanxueyuan for lunch.

Unlike yesterday's big dinner, today's was a small dinner with only a few children and Lin Qingxue sitting together. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed.

The children's eyes lit up when they saw the dazzling array of delicious food. Gu Huaining clapped his hands excitedly, "Mom, these are my favorites!"

"Aunt, we like to eat it too," Gu Huairen said with a smile.

"Yes, mother, Xiaowan likes to eat it too," Gu Xiaowan said while eating.

Lin Qingxue smiled as she picked up some food for the children. Watching them eat with relish, her heart was filled with happiness.

"Eat slowly and don't choke. This is all for you," she said gently.

Although Gu Huaiyu was young, he still maintained good manners while eating. After taking a bite, he said politely, "Auntie, today's meal is really delicious. Thank you."

Lin Qingxue touched his head and praised him, "Huaiyu is really sensible. Eat more and grow up quickly."

"Aunt, can we still eat it in two days?" Gu Huairen looked at Lin Qingxue eagerly, his eyes full of anticipation and desire.

"Sure, if you want to eat it, just eat it tomorrow. You can also ask the servant to get it from the shop." Lin Qingxue didn't eat many bites herself and went to take care of the children. Seeing the children were full, she felt very satisfied.