Gu Moran didn't reply and walked over.
He casually picked up a small iron pot.
He walked up to Zhen Daijin, raised his hands, and placed them on Zhen Daijin, like a hat, the right size.
Zhen Daijin was taken aback.
"What's with Your Highness trying to pin this on me? Am I being made a scapegoat?"
Gu Moran smiled, casually grabbed an old felt hat, and stuffed it into the iron pot from the edge.
Make sure it's properly cushioned.
Gu Moran a half step back and drew the Zhechong Command Army Saber from Zhen Daijin's waist.
Without any warning, he chopped down directly at the black pot.
"When!"
A loud bang.
Sparks flew everywhere.
Zhen Daijin shocked that his vision blurred and his knees buckled, almost causing him to kneel down.
Gu Moran threw down the military knife.
Reaching out, I lifted the lid of the iron pot.
Zhen Daijin covered his ears and looked up, feeling dizzy.
He stared intently at the military knife on the ground.
A nick, about the width of a finger, chipped off the blade.
Looking at the small iron pot again, there wasn't even a white mark left.
Zhen Daijin stopped breathing.
He stared blankly at the black pot, speechless for a long time.
Gu Moran kicked the pile of small double-eared pots with his toe.
"Normally, when I use it for stir-frying or making porridge, no one can find fault with it."
He looked at Zhen Daijin.
"During wartime, it was turned inside out and fastened with a rope. This was the helmet to protect against slashing."
Upon hearing this...
Zhen Daijin's apple bobbed violently, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Hmm~
My goodness! How can Prince Yi be so clever?
In Yi Prefecture, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so even if the vassal kings make some small moves on their own, they won't cause any major incidents in a short time.
You really think too much.
Gu Moran turned around and kicked the thick-backed kitchen knife next to her again.
These kitchen knives are used for cutting meat and chopping bones in the back kitchen.
Gu Moran paused, his tone flat.
"Add a three-foot-long wooden handle, and sharpen the blade. This is the Mo Dao used on the battlefield to pierce armor."
"Let your trusted men, whom I have personally seen, use it first; do not publicize it widely."
"The rest, I will personally examine them to see if they are loyal, and then decide."
"What? Your Highness, you can tell loyalty with just one glance?"
"That's for sure. To be honest, I can also read faces."
Zhen Daijin's fingertips went numb after hearing those words.
He lunged forward and picked up the iron pot with both hands.
His fingers gripped the edge of the pot tightly, trembling uncontrollably.
She looked up at Gu Moran, her expression changing.
It's no longer just simple awe.
He was a military general who had led troops into battle for many years, and he saw the fervor of a top strategist.
This is no Prince Yi, this is a true god!
The Zhechong Command in Yi Prefecture is truly about to undergo a major upheaval.
Gu Moran patted his tense shoulder.
"Go and do it. Secretly replace the equipment of all the core soldiers in the Zhechong Command."
Zhen Daijin nodded emphatically.
My eyes are red.
He turned and rushed out of the blacksmith's shop.
Six days later.
The capital city.
The emperor's bedroom.
The incense burner emitted a strong aroma of ambergris, mixed with an indescribable, decadent scent.
The emperor, wearing a bright yellow robe, leaned against a soft couch.
He was holding a folded book in his hand.
Although he was frowning, he was unusually excited, with his eyes wide open.
There were dark circles under his eyes.
His cheek was sunken in.
The seven women that Gu Moli had carefully selected were surrounding him.
Some people were massaging my shoulders, others were rubbing my legs.
The technique was extremely skillful, all aimed at those acupoints that could stimulate the flow of qi and blood.
The emperor let out a comfortable sigh of relief.
I felt as if my body had been rejuvenated and my energy was boundless.
I have boundless energy every day.
The emperor opened the memorial in his hand, in which Gu Moran confessed to "refining elixirs and blasting mountains" as a form of apology.
He read a few lines and then laughed in exasperation.
"You good-for-nothing."
He slammed the folded document to the ground.
The woman next to her quickly and delicately picked it up.
The emperor leaned back and closed his eyes.
My wariness of the third brother gradually disappeared.
A cowardly and useless good-for-nothing.
How could someone like that possibly have a rebellious streak?
But is his health really failing?
Could it be that he's not used to the new environment? Even Shen Ling'er couldn't protect him?
Did I really make a mistake by sending him to his fiefdom?
Should we call him back?
Or is it...?
At the same time.
Xiang Prefecture, Anyang.
Gu Mochen held a small piece of paper in his hand.
This is a secret report that Chen Qing just sent.
He stared intently at the words on the note.
"Refining elixirs for immortality is like divine thunder, and it involves witchcraft and sorcery."
I watched it once, and then watched it again.
Gu Mochen tilted his head back and burst into laughter.
I laughed so hard I almost cried.
" Gu Moran, Gu Moran, you've finally met your match!"
He slammed the note on the table.
I think the third son is completely hopeless.
Sorcery! This is a grave taboo under the law!
With all this leverage in hand, all they need to do is find an opportunity to report it to the capital.
The mere fact that he was accused of "witchcraft" was enough to put Gu Moran to death at any time.
The staff member stood to the side, saying nothing.
Gu Mochen turned his head and looked out the window.
Outside is Anyang's martial arts training ground.
Dust filled the air.
Three warhorses stood side by side, each with a soldier on its back; above them, three more soldiers were stacked on top of each other to form a second layer.
At the very top, two more people were desperately trying to maintain their balance.
The entire tower swayed precariously, and the three horses beneath it trotted about restlessly, panting heavily.
"Hold on! Hold on!" the officer in charge of training shouted at the top of his lungs.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the two people at the very top lost their footing, and the entire tower collapsed with a crash, scattering eight people into a heap, while the horse was also crushed and neighed.
The onlookers burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I fell again!"
"This circus is amazing!"
"It's worth ten coins!"
"Seeing them fall flat on their faces makes me feel so good! Let's see if they'll ever dare to be aggressive towards us again!"
Outside the drill ground, there was still a long queue of people who wanted to spend ten coins to come in and watch the excitement.
Some people pointed and whispered, some clapped and cheered, and others ate sunflower seeds, watching like it was a show.
Gu Mochen wore a smile on his face, but in his heart he was calculating the cost of this transaction.
Ten coins per person, and at least five hundred people come in a day, that's five thousand coins.
Over the course of a month, they can make a considerable amount from ticket sales alone.
In addition, he listened to his advisors and changed his strategy.
The soldiers who are performing now receive fifty coins a day for practicing circus acts.
Only those who are willing can practice; there is no coercion.
Moreover, a single horse carrying eight people is useless; now it's optimized to three horses carrying eight people, which is perfect.
Your Highness.
An aide leaned closer and whispered, "It's a win-win-win situation: we can make money, entertain the people, and get more pay for the soldiers."
Gu Mochen nodded, a hint of smugness in his voice.
"What's the point of the third brother messing around with those worthless stones in Yi Prefecture? My circus is much more lucrative."
As he spoke, he glanced at the drill ground again.
The soldiers below started stacking the horse a second time. This time, they had only stacked it to the second layer when the horse became unruly, lurched to the side, and the men fell to the ground again.
The people laughed even harder.
There was no longer any reverence he once had for the soldiers in his eyes.
Gu Mochen laughed along with him.
In a corner of the drill ground, several soldiers stood with their heads down, their faces extremely grim.
One of them clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Fifteen minutes later, the staff realized something was wrong.
"Your Highness, this action still seems somewhat inappropriate..."
Gu Mochen snorted coldly.
"You think you can just tell me how to do things all day?"
"Pass down the order: add a fourth level of human tower training tomorrow. The entrance fee is ten coins; we can't let the people waste it."
The staff member frowned.
"Your Highness, judging from the state of the people, this action is tantamount to mistreating veterans and warhorses. It may damage morale."