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Without further ado, let us return to the main topic.
Amidst the laughter, Li Jiancheng raised his eyes to the nearby Tongji River. The Tongji River was a waterway carved out by the previous dynasty, serving both as a canal and partially as a moat. Li Jiancheng couldn't recall how many times he had passed by this place. However, for some reason, he felt that the Tongji River seemed livelier than usual today.
Just as Li Jiancheng was about to ask Ma Qiang if there was something special about today, he suddenly heard a call from nearby.
"Young Master Wang! Young Master Wang..."
At first, Li Jiancheng did not realize that the person was calling him. It wasn't until he saw Li Yuanji jogging towards him that he finally understood. Today, his fourth brother probably wanted to keep his identity hidden, hence referring to himself as "Young Master Wang."
Li Yuanji hurriedly approached Li Jiancheng, panting heavily. Li Jiancheng quickly dismounted and asked, "What are you doing by the river?"
Li Yuanji chuckled and countered with a question, "Are you here to see the Flower Boat Parade?"
"Flower Boat Parade?" Li Jiancheng looked puzzled. "What Flower Boat Parade?"
"You... don't know?" Li Yuanji exclaimed in surprise before explaining to Li Jiancheng. The Flower Boat Parade had almost become a fixed event in the imperial city. At this time each month, the various brothels in the capital would rent painted boats, allowing their girls to board and parade along the Tongji River, showcasing their talents to those onshore while competing with each other.
After hearing Li Yuanji's words, Li Jiancheng suddenly realized. Wasn't this just advertising? No wonder the Tongji River was so bustling today!
"So, you're here for the Flower Boat Parade too?" Li Jiancheng asked with a smile.
Li Yuanji replied earnestly, "Of course! It's so much fun today; how could I not come?"
Fun? Li Jiancheng couldn't help but chuckle. "What's so fun about it? It's just watching the commotion!"
Li Yuanji nodded. "The excitement is just one aspect!"
"There's another aspect?" Li Jiancheng asked curiously.
Li Yuanji explained, "Haven't you been teaching me how to play Mahjong recently? I think it's a great game! I made a few sets and gave them to some of the bigger brothels so they could play with them during the parade..."
Listening to Li Yuanji's words, Li Jiancheng was quite surprised. His fourth brother actually had some business acumen! This was a classic case of celebrity effect! With this kind of advertisement, sales were sure to soar!
"How did you come up with the idea of doing business? That's quite clever!" Li Jiancheng gave Li Yuanji a thumbs-up. He initially intended for Prince Qi's Residence's people to indulge in distractions but ended up providing him with a pathway to wealth instead.
They were princes, and theoretically, they shouldn't be involved in business. But who would ever say no to more money? Moreover, Li Yuanji certainly wasn't doing business under the guise of a prince.
"I told them I was a wealthy merchant's son; how could I not engage in some business?"
Li Jiancheng thought for a moment and pulled Li Yuanji aside. "Have you taught them how to play?"
Things like Mahjong were useless if one didn't know how to play, no matter how well they were crafted.
"Of course I taught them!" Li Yuanji chuckled. "In the name of Zhang Meng, I've rented a shop in the city. If I can make a fortune after today, I might even rent another one..."
Hearing this, Li Jiancheng couldn't help but give him a thumbs up again.
"I hope you become a wealthy man soon!" Li Jiancheng said with a broad smile as he looked at Li Yuanji.
Does this mean he won't compete with me for the throne?
Li Yuanji waved his hands repeatedly and chuckled, "No, no, this thing won't make money! To make money, you have to sell..."
He suddenly stopped.
"Sell what?" Li Jiancheng pressed.
"Weapons!" Li Yuanji whispered.
"Ah?" Li Jiancheng was taken aback. "Selling weapons? Will Father allow that?"
It was already forbidden to transport weapons privately; selling them was out of the question.
Li Yuanji lowered his voice and said, "Big brother, you really don't know? Other weapons are not allowed, but repeating crossbows are!"
"Why is that?" Li Jiancheng was confused. As the crown prince, he shouldn't be unaware of such matters!
Logically speaking, repeating crossbows were also a type of weapon; how could they be privately manufactured or sold?
That didn't make sense!
Li Yuanji continued in a hushed tone, "Because repeating crossbows are considered immature weapons and not very effective, they haven't been officially classified as weapons!"
"Ah? Not effective?" Li Jiancheng was dumbfounded.
Damn! How did I not know this? After all, my previous self had led troops into battle!
But there was indeed no memory of the army being equipped with repeating crossbows!
Seeing Li Jiancheng's puzzled expression, Li Yuanji felt curious but proceeded to explain further.
After his explanation, Li Jiancheng finally understood the situation.
The Tang Dynasty did have such repeating crossbows. In fact, they had existed since the Sui Dynasty!
However, these repeating crossbows were complex to manufacture and had a high failure rate even with regular maintenance. They often jammed and failed to shoot arrows properly.
Additionally, the shooting range and accuracy of repeating crossbows were inferior to regular crossbows; they required high-quality arrows and wasted them excessively.
Because of these shortcomings, the military did not equip large numbers of soldiers with repeating crossbows.
Only a small number were used by the Northern Yamen Imperial Guard from the previous dynasty.
Thus, while regular crossbows made it onto the weapon list, repeating crossbows did not.
Understanding this situation left Li Jiancheng feeling quite frustrated.
There was a problem with the stuttering, so they needed to find a solution! How could such a powerful tool be cast aside like this? Since no one else was using it, he might as well take it for himself! This was like an ancient version of a machine gun! As long as he could identify the problem and resolve it, this thing would definitely be a weapon of great value.
Soon, Li Jiancheng made up his mind. Tomorrow, he would find someone to help him borrow a Repeating Crossbow to study and improve it! However, if that were the case, it wouldn't be realistic for Li Yuanji to sell the Repeating Crossbow. First, the production costs were high, and second, it wouldn't sell. How could one conduct such a business?
While the two were talking, a young girl suddenly approached them. "Greetings, Young Master Wang, greetings, Young Master Zhang." The girl immediately bowed to them.
Li Jiancheng was surprised and turned to Li Yuanji, "Do you know her?"
"She looks somewhat familiar!" Li Yuanji replied, smacking his lips before asking the girl, "Where have we met?"
"In response to Young Master Zhang, my name is Liang Jing. I am Miss Dan Bingbing's maid." Liang Jing answered Li Yuanji and then pointed to the pleasure boat still docked at the shore, addressing Li Jiancheng, "My lady just saw you two gentlemen on the boat and would like to invite you both aboard for a chat. Would that be convenient for you?"
Dan Bingbing? Do courtesans really have maids? Is this the treatment of an Oiran?
Li Jiancheng was taken aback and instinctively glanced at the pleasure boat. What could he possibly discuss with her? The key point was that she was a Qing Guanyin—an entertainer who sold her art but not her body! If it weren't for that, they could have had a deeper conversation.
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