Chapter 172
**Chapter 172: The Concubine**
Rong Momo widened her eyes and murmured, “My lady, the medicine bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress is invaluable. How can you...”
Shen Wei didn’t lift her head. “Just do it.”
After a pause, a smile crept onto Shen Wei’s face. “It’s not just De Shun. Ji Xiang, Cai Lian, Cai Ping, and you, Rong Momo—you five are my trusted confidants. It’s not right for the master to enjoy wealth while the servants suffer.”
Rong Momo’s shoulders trembled slightly, a wave of shock and emotion surging within her. In that moment, warmth blossomed in her heart.
Rong Momo left to search for medicinal herbs in the storeroom.
Time passed, and dusk fell. After returning to the Wangfu, Wang Ye plunged into his study, busy with work, even summoning a few craftsmen for discussions. By the time dinner rolled around, he still hadn’t come to Liuli Pavilion, so Shen Wei had the kitchen pack up the meal, and she personally took it to him.
Wang Ye was still young, but he must not fall ill with a stomach ailment. If it developed into cancer and he passed away unexpectedly, Shen Wei would lose her only support in the Wangfu.
In Shen Wei’s life plan, at least after her position was firmly established, Wang Ye could die.
“Wang Ye, I’ve brought you dinner,” Shen Wei announced as she entered the study, instructing the maid to place the meal on the table outside the inner chamber.
After a moment, the door to the inner chamber opened, and five or six craftsmen emerged. They bowed to Shen Wei and left in unison.
Wang Ye approached the table, where the maid had already set out the dishes.
The dinner was exquisite and appetizing, and Wang Ye began to eat. However, Shen Wei could clearly sense that he was somewhat distracted. After only half a bowl of rice, he set down his chopsticks, a frown etched on his brow.
Curious, Shen Wei asked, “Wang Ye, is something troubling you?”
Wang Ye dismissed the maid, leaving only Shen Wei and himself in the room.
After a moment of contemplation, he pulled out a blueprint and said, “This is a design submitted by Zhao Qing. The weapon depicted is called a composite bow. But Zhao Qing is quite eccentric; she only wants to provide the design and refuses to participate in the weapon’s production.”
Previously, for the firearms and landmines, Zhao Qing had only provided a vague blueprint and the necessary materials. But when it came to the specifics of the weapon—like the weight of each joint and how the mechanisms interacted—she wouldn’t clarify anything. As a result, the craftsmen in the army had to figure it out on their own, replicating the weapons according to the blueprint.
The firearms and landmines were relatively easy to produce.
But this composite bow... it was merely a hasty sketch, with several key components left unclear. Wang Ye had gathered the craftsmen and spent an entire afternoon discussing it, yet they still couldn’t figure out what the joints were or how they connected to the whole.
Wang Ye felt frustrated.
Zhao Qing, despite her talent, had a truly peculiar personality. If it weren’t for the Emperor’s protection and the support of the Duke of Zhen Nan, Wang Ye would have locked her away in the dungeons and forced her to reveal the specific methods of weapon production through cruel punishment.
Wang Ye shared his frustrations with Shen Wei, merely seeking to vent his pent-up feelings, not expecting her to provide a solution.
“Composite bow?” Shen Wei was taken aback. The image of a sleek, modern composite bow flashed in her mind, known for its lethal power. A high-quality composite bow could even pierce through steel.
Zhao Qing must be a modern person! Even if she wasn’t, she might have obtained information about modern weapons through some channel.
Shen Wei took the blueprint Wang Ye handed her. It was indeed messy; the general outline of the composite bow was there, but the construction of the joints was barely sketched out.
“Look, Wei Wei, the black thing at the joint of the composite bow, the craftsmen really can’t figure out what it is,” Wang Ye sighed deeply.
Shen Wei pondered silently. The joint of the composite bow was naturally a bearing with holes. But Zhao Qing’s hasty drawing replaced the bearing with a simple black dot.
Seeing Wang Ye’s troubled expression, Shen Wei pretended to think for a moment. “I think this joint looks a bit like a waterwheel. If there were a gear, it might even turn.”
She didn’t directly tell Wang Ye that the joint was a bearing but used the waterwheel as a metaphor.
A waterwheel, after all, was just a large bearing component.
Wang Ye chuckled and teased, “A waterwheel is huge, while a composite bow is small. How can they be similar?”
Shen Wei’s eyes widened in disbelief, seemingly displeased at being underestimated. She huffed, “Wang Ye can think of it as a miniature waterwheel!”
Wang Ye laughed, “What miniature waterwheel—”
The rest of his words caught in his throat as he suddenly fell into deep thought. Having grown up in the military, he had seen many intricately designed weapons. He repeatedly envisioned the construction of the “composite bow” in his mind. If he replaced the joints with several bearings of different sizes and drilled a hole...
A light bulb went off in Wang Ye’s mind.
He set down his chopsticks and called out, “Someone, prepare the horses! We’re going to the Ministry of War!”
Shen Wei: “...”
In the blink of an eye, the workaholic Wang Ye had already left.
Shen Wei stared at the warm meal on the table, secretly grinding her back teeth—let him starve!
From what Shen Wei knew of Wang Ye, he was a workaholic with a heart for the world. Once he got busy, he could go days and nights without returning to the Wangfu. Tonight, he would likely stay at the Ministry of War or the East Palace.
While Wang Ye was absorbed in his work, Shen Wei was more than happy to enjoy some peace. She strolled back to Liuli Pavilion, thinking she could sleep soundly tonight.
...
...
Meanwhile, night had fallen over the Duke of Zhen Nan’s residence.
Tomorrow was the old lady’s birthday, coinciding with Shangguan Xuan’s return, so the atmosphere in the Duke’s residence should have been festive.
But inside the inner hall, the mood was heavy.
The elderly matriarch, her hair graying, sat in the main seat, flanked by her younger daughter Shangguan Qian and her eldest son Shangguan Xuan, with uncles and aunts from the second and third branches seated on either side. All the elders and younger generations were present.
Sun Qingmei stood in the center of the inner hall, like a criminal on trial.
Her face pale, Sun Qingmei stubbornly shook her head. “I refuse to share a husband with Zhao Qing, and I will not accept being a concubine.”
After eagerly awaiting her husband’s return, Sun Qingmei had thought her hardships were finally over.
But who would have thought she would be met with such a blow?
That military strategist Zhao was actually a woman, and she had secretly pledged herself to Shangguan Xuan in Liangzhou. Now back in Yanjing, Shangguan Xuan wanted to marry Zhao Qing. Sun Qingmei was adamant in her refusal to accept it.
Shangguan Qian, who had never liked her sister-in-law, deliberately picked at her. “Sister-in-law, Zhao Qing is the newly appointed county princess, a woman of great merit. You’re just a daughter of the declining Sun family, with no elders to support you. It’s already a stroke of luck to marry into the Duke’s residence, and you’re still here nitpicking.”
Sun Qingmei fell silent, her gaze fixed on her husband in front of her.
Shangguan Xuan added, “You serve your in-laws at home; even if you have no achievements, you have your share of hardships. If you refuse to accept being a concubine, I’ll have no choice but to demote you to a concubine.”
Though demoting a wife to a concubine would incur punishment under the law, Shangguan Xuan was willing to endure some pain for Zhao Qing.
The elderly matriarch spoke slowly, “Zhao Qing is a county princess, receiving a salary from the court, and she is a model among women. Such an outstanding girl barely deserves my son. You have no talent, no virtue, and no beauty; being a concubine is already a favor.”
The uncles and aunts from the second and third branches all chimed in, criticizing Sun Qingmei for being unreasonable.
“The county princess has a high status; she is a good match for Xuan Er.”
“It’s just being a concubine; you’re still the main wife.”
“A daughter raised by the Sun family is truly small-minded.”
“Qingmei, you’re still young. Women must rely on men to survive; why provoke Xuan Er?”
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