As dawn broke, morning mist enveloped the Yi Prefecture City.
In the front hall of Prince Yi's Residence, Gu Moran slammed a ten-foot-long coastal defense map onto a large rosewood table, making a dull thud.
Standing across the table, Zhen Meili was startled, still clutching her ever-present ebony ruler tightly in her arms.
"Your Highness... calling for people so early in the morning, which side hall are you going to demolish?"
There were faint dark circles under her eyes.
She had been eavesdropping on Gu Moran's abilities these past few days and was truly impressed. She hadn't slept well and still looked a little dazed.
Gu Moran tapped the sea area on the blueprint, his expression serious:
"Let's put the dismantling of the main hall on hold for now."
Within seven days, draw up blueprints for a new type of warship that can stabilize its hull in stormy seas and carry Subduing Fire Thunder and trebuchets.
Zhen Meili paused for a moment, then scratched her slightly disheveled hair.
"Warships? We only operate shallow-draft, flat-bottomed sandboats. If we venture into the deep sea, a single big wave could snap the keel in two!"
"That's why I came to you." Gu Moran looked at her. "The existing warships of the Qi and Lu Navy have too light a chassis and a shallow draft. Once the firearms are fired, the recoil can shatter the deck."
"Aren't you a descendant of the Mohist School? Increase the draft by three feet, install anti-sloping cantilever wings on both sides, and reinforce the underside of the deck with double-layered wrought iron riveting."
Zhen Meili's previously listless eyes lit up instantly upon hearing the words "double-layer wrought iron riveting" and "cantilever wing," as if she had seen a priceless treasure.
"Brilliant! Shifting gravity downwards, using water to absorb the force, and then combining it with a winch mechanism..."
She grabbed the blueprints from the table, ignoring her greeting to Gu Moran, and muttered to herself nervously as she ran towards the workshop with the blueprints in her arms.
Watching her crazy, erratic figure disappear into the distance, Gu Moran his head and chuckled.
As night deepened, in the west wing of the Prince's mansion's backyard.
Two red gauze palace lanterns were lit in Su Yao's room, illuminating the room with a warm and bright glow.
The rosewood abacus was being manipulated, its crisp sound echoing urgently in the quiet, warm chamber.
She wore a loose, dark red robe embroidered with gold thread, her hair casually pulled back, with a few strands of black hair hanging down her fair neck.
On the table in front of her, the account books were piled up to half a person's height.
"When setting out for Dengzhou, the soldiers must be well-prepared with winter clothing, tung oil is essential, and fodder for the horses to be transported along the way..."
She held a calligraphy brush in her hand, calculating rapidly, but her eyes gradually reddened.
"Clatter."
A drop of water fell onto the rice paper, spreading the ink.
A large, dry, warm hand covered the back of her fingers as she held the pen, the pressure steady and firm.
Su Yao paused, looked up, and met Gu Moran's calm gaze.
"Why are you crying? Manager Su usually doesn't even blink when confiscating other people's property, but today he's shedding tears while looking at a few account books?"
Gu Moran took the calligraphy brush from her hand and set it aside. He then picked up the delicate woman and placed her on his lap.
Su Yao obediently leaned against his chest, sniffed, and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck, her voice slightly choked with sobs.
"It's not that I'm stingy with money. The gold and silver in the treasury were all earned by Your Highness. If they're all spent, I'll just earn more."
She buried her face in Gu Moran's neck and said in a muffled voice:
"But Dengzhou is so far away, and there are Japanese pirates running rampant at sea."
Murong can ride horses and fight, Lin Daiyu is skilled in martial arts, Ling'er is proficient in medicine...
They were all able to go to the front lines with the prince.
"But Wanqing, Wanqing, Ruyan, the three of us, can't help with anything except accounting and collecting money. We can only stay here in Yi Prefecture and watch..."
Gu Moran gently stroked her slender back, his fingers running through her soft, long hair:
Who says you can't help?
When an army is fighting a war, it eats grain and burns silver.
Without you protecting Yi Prefecture's treasury, I wouldn't have lasted even three days on the front lines.
This Yi Prefecture City is my lifeblood.
Upon hearing this, Su Yao's mind went blank, and she looked up at him with her slightly flushed face.
Gu Moran glanced at the mahogany calendar on the table, then suddenly narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, leaned close to her fair and delicate ear, and lowered his voice.
"Moreover, I have come here tonight on a crucial matter concerning the long-term future of the royal palace, and it cannot be left to me without you."
Su Yao blinked, somewhat bewildered.
"What's the important matter?"
Gu Moran's lips twitched slightly, and he uttered three words: "Ovulation period."
Su Yao froze, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, her long eyelashes fluttering, her face filled with confusion.
"Pack... pack what? What kind of bureaucratic jargon is Your Highness using?"
Seeing her earnest and eager expression, Gu Moran couldn't help but laugh.
He leaned closer and explained, biting her earlobe in the most straightforward language:
"That is to say, there are always two or three days each month when a woman's body is at its most fertile."
I've calculated the dates; today and tomorrow are the times when you are most likely to conceive.
"If we plant the seed deep tonight, perhaps in ten months, our Prince Yi's Residence will have another crying baby."
With a loud bang.
The plain language exploded in Su Yao's mind like a fire.
From the fair skin at the base of the ears to the neck, and then down to the delicate skin at the collarbone, the skin instantly turned a ripe, bright red, as if it could drip with honey.
" Gu Moran... what... what filthy things are you thinking about all day long!"
Su Yao was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the ground. She raised her small fist and gently punched his chest.
She bit her lip, grabbed the cumbersome ledger on the table, and without even glancing at it, tossed it onto the carpet outside the screen.
Two delicate, white arms, like lotus roots, clung tightly to Gu Moran's neck.
With a formidable enemy at hand, how can you still have the mind to study this?
"Ha, what kind of great enemy are these little Japanese pirates?"
"I just wanted to stop my wife from overthinking. I'll go first. After you settle the accounts in Yi Prefecture, bring Ruyan and Wanqing to find me."
"Alright, since that's the case..."
Su Yao tilted her flushed face up and pressed her warm, hot red lips against hers.
"Your Highness, you will not be leaving this bed tonight!"
She bit Gu Moran's lower lip, and with a flick of her long sleeve, the golden hook on the bedside table fell to the ground.
The heavy, scarlet silk curtains fell with a whoosh, obscuring the spring light that filled the room.
The reeds along the coast of Qi and Lu have withered, and the sea breeze blows along the mudflats, sending broken leaves tumbling into people's collars.
Inukami Jusaburo lay prone in the reeds, several broken reed stalks hanging from his head. His gray robe, soaked with seawater, clung to his back, cold and heavy.
He tried to change his position, and just as he lifted his knee, a shout came from the shore.
Have you searched the river mouth area?
Inukami Jusaburo lowered his body again, his palms sinking into the mud, without making a sound.
Three steps away, Park Roejang held a short-handled iron chisel. Only after the lantern-bearer had gone far away did he tap twice on the old ship's post beside him.
There was no response from the waterway.
"Not there yet?"
"Wait a little longer."
[Thanks to: Yeyu for the certification, Dayuan for the bonus update, Doujiao for the update reminder, Huashang, Diandao, and offer for the likes, Huairou, Huyong, Lizhi, Pipi, and Chuanhan for the flowers (2 each), Xuyuan for the love letter, Yanyan for the inspiration capsule + flowers + update reminder, Lizhi for the love letter, Qiyu for the update reminder, 007 for the love letter, Pipi for the flowers (2 each), and everyone for their love and support!]
Thank you all for your support. I would like to clarify a few points here, and I hope we can all understand each other.
[1. Some people don't like watching children, but our CEO Ran married six women and slept with seven. If none of them get pregnant, is that reasonable? How can the family line be inherited if there are no children?]
[2. Some people mocked me, saying, "Oh, as expected of a female-oriented novel, it doesn't involve women leading troops into battle, does it?" No, folks, have you been watching too many period dramas with Qing Dynasty-era hairstyles? Why don't you read some history? Especially the history of the Ming Dynasty; there were more than one female general. Many empresses even commanded troops to guard city gates.]
[3. When asked why he hadn't ascended the throne yet, he replied, "First, I want to fight the Japanese pirates first; second, being emperor would be even more tiring." He doesn't really think being emperor is easy, does he? He doesn't really think emperors can do whatever they want, does he? Throughout history, countless emperors wanted to depose their empresses but couldn't. Go look up the daily routines of emperors; they're more demanding than cattle.]
Also, the Son of Destiny isn't finished yet, so please allow me to elaborate a bit, okay? If you really can't stand it, you can start your own book; don't tag me every day to criticize and insult me.