They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

After watching for a while, Chu Qiu nodded in approval that Huang Ziliang was indeed meticulous in his work. This made things easier; even if the Empress disagreed, they could use the excuse of not obeying imperial orders while away from home to shirk responsibility.

However, the letter was quickly drafted and returned to the court. The Empress read the remarks and solutions and nodded to herself, thinking that it was feasible, but the project was huge and would consume a lot of manpower and resources, so she had to think it over carefully. However, she also wanted to see what her fourth daughter could do, so she gave her permission.

This matter circulated in the court for a while, with people saying that the Fourth Princess had come up with such a solution and was simply a genius. This infuriated the Second Princess, who threw a tantrum at the Prime Minister's residence for quite some time.

"I told the Prime Minister to hurry up last time! Why did you fail again, and now she's making a big deal out of it!"

"Your Highness!" Only two words, without any explanation.

Even Sima Zongcheng hadn't expected this move. This fourth princess was indeed quite capable, and every time he tried to kill her, he failed. It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to forcefully eliminate her.

With the approval secured, things became much easier. Wu Ziyan wrote down the explosive formula for Changsun Boyou, and he also found several craftsmen among the refugees who used to make fireworks, and together they studied the matter.

By the river, several loud bangs were heard, startling everyone. They all looked toward the source of the sound, which was much louder than fireworks. One craftsman said, "Lord Changsun, this power is extraordinary!"

“Not enough.” Changsun Boyu looked at the explosive tube in his hand with a determined gaze. This was far from enough to open a river channel. The craftsmen all looked troubled and exchanged glances.

“Lord Changsun, this power is not enough. It’s possible that there is a lack of saltpeter and sulfur. After all, we dare not add too much of these. Accidents have occurred before when we tried to light them, and people have been killed!” said an older man.

"Just follow the recipe I gave you and keep a distance from each other when you light the fire."

"Well... alright then." Although he looked troubled, he held back because he wanted to do something for his hometown.

The recipe was too potent; it was a matter of risking being blown to pieces if one wasn't careful. But since it was an order from above, the other craftsmen naturally dared not delay.

Changsun Boyu was also involved. He was in the research room holding tubes, weighing sulfur powder, and he did the work himself on almost every explosive tube.

He seemed to enjoy it, since everyone was calling him "Master," so he naturally had to set a good example.

But after all, his body was precious, and the common people couldn't afford to take responsibility. Watching him fiddling with those bottles and jars inside was just too dangerous.

The craftsmen worked together to push Changsun Boyu out of the house, saying, "Sir, leave these research matters to us!"

"But I have to supervise the work." He didn't want to leave; he had finally found something interesting to do.

"It's too dangerous to stay here. We can't afford the responsibility. Get out!" The speaker was an old craftsman. Although his words were harsh, they were very honest. Helpless, Changsun Boyu was driven out by the craftsmen.

After being kicked out, he went to report the situation to Wu Ziyan. After listening, Wu Ziyan nodded and praised him: "I didn't expect it to actually be done. This was such a dangerous thing. You've worked hard, Bo You!"

“Miss, it’s not hard work at all. I’m actually enjoying it. And you’ll probably pay me, right?” Changsun Boyu joked.

"Oh, you still want money? I don't have any money, but how about I do?" Wu Ziyan pouted and responded with a joke.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. When Changsun Boyu heard her say that, his eyes lit up. They were standing very close, and he even took the initiative to tease Wu Ziyan: "You said it yourself, so I'll take you. Don't go back on your word later."

Wu Ziyan patted Changsun Boyou on the shoulder: "Boyou, you're a man, don't say things like that so easily, I can easily take it seriously."

Chu Qiu often appears in such scenes. Although he didn't hear much of the conversation between Changsun Boyu and Wu Ziyan, he still coughed a few times from a distance.

Hearing the voice, Wu Ziyan looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong with Chu Qiu? Is your throat sore? Should we have Yu Xiu take a look at you?"

"It's nothing." Chu Qiu looked away, as if deliberately hiding his emotions. Changsun Boyou smiled meaningfully and walked over to Chu Qiu, saying, "Brother Chu Qiu, you can't hide your little thoughts. You have to say it."

Chu Qiu didn't speak. He knew that his taciturn nature wasn't good, but after so many years, he couldn't change it overnight. Wu Ziyan asked, "What are you two whispering about?"

Both of them shook their heads. Changsun Boyou left, and just as Chu Qiu was about to speak, Han Yuxiu came limping over. Wu Ziyan was immediately drawn to him, after all, he was still injured. She asked with concern, "Your foot isn't healed yet, how can you walk around like this?"

"Don't worry, I won't be lame. Besides, if I were lame, some people would have to take responsibility, right?" Han Yuxiu looked like a wronged wife.

"Those 'some people' aren't referring to me, are they?" Wu Ziyan still had the leisure to joke with him, while Chu Qiu didn't say what he wanted to say.

He had no choice but to leave. Wu Ziyan glanced at him. This young general, who had shown disgust from the very beginning when he saw her, now looked at him with a strange emotion in his eyes, like... jealousy?

Wu Ziyan shook her head, feeling that her idea was absurd. How could it be possible, but how could it not be?

She glanced at the system's favorability rating interface and was surprised to find it had already reached 17%. Ignoring why the system hadn't given her a reward, she smiled, realizing this was the perfect opportunity to increase her favorability. She straightened her clothes, exchanged a few words with Han Yuxiu, and then chased after him.

"Chu Qiu! Wait for me."

Chu Qiu turned around and looked at Wu Ziyan's smiling face. He paused for a moment, then continued walking forward slowly without any change in expression: "Miss, what is it?"

His words were full of awkwardness, and the word "Miss" sounded cold and heartless, but Wu Ziyan was not thin-skinned. She shamelessly chased after him with a smile like an Akita.

"Don't you like seeing me with other men?" She stood in front of Chu Qiu, tiptoeing, her face suddenly very close, catching him off guard. Her big eyes held a hint of cunning, like a fox about to catch its prey.

Chu Qiu's face instantly turned red to his ears, and he staggered backward. This had hit the nail on the head. It was a strange feeling. Perhaps it was because he had been fighting with his soldiers all this time and had long forgotten that he was a man. But this time, upon returning to the capital, this inexplicable princess had been constantly intruding into his life.

She does everything unexpectedly. You might call her frivolous, but she always manages to maintain a proper distance and sense of propriety. Although this woman is ultimately married with many concubines, he still can't control himself and feels a pang of sadness in his heart.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Did I hit the nail on the head?"

"Hmph! I have nothing to say."

"So you really don't like me being with other men, right?"