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Dan Bingbing's charming face, hidden beneath the veil, twitched slightly before she couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Young Master Wang might as well be called Wang Ba."
"Haha, they're the same," Li Jiancheng laughed in response.
After a brief chat, Li Jiancheng instructed someone to lower the gangplank and leave. As she watched Li Jiancheng and Ma Qiang depart, a hint of a smile appeared in Dan Bingbing's eyes.
At that moment, Liang Jing approached Dan Bingbing and whispered, "Miss, you clearly had the chance to kill him just now. Why didn't you…"
Dan Bingbing shook her head. "He's not our enemy!"
Seeing Liang Jing's confusion, Dan Bingbing elaborated, "Think about it. If we kill him, who is most likely to inherit the crown prince's position? Doing so would not only expose our identities but also greatly assist our enemies!"
Liang Jing suddenly understood and nodded gently. "I see now!"
…
In the following days, Li Jiancheng did not go out, nor did Li Yuanji come looking for him. Everyone was busy in their own residences as the New Year approached.
Li Jiancheng naturally had no interest in the trivial matters of the palace; instead, he focused on researching the Repeating Crossbow. He had asked Niu Fu to borrow it from Yuwen Shiji. The reason for choosing Yuwen Shiji was twofold: he knew Yuwen had one and it would test his attitude.
Now that Yuwen Shiji was willing to lend it, his stance was clear.
If Li Jiancheng had directly borrowed the Repeating Crossbow from the Northern Yamen Imperial Guard, he could have done so without issue. However, that would quickly alert Li Shimin to the matter. By borrowing from Yuwen Shiji, it remained a secret; Yuwen Shiji wouldn't let Li Shimin know. If he did, what good would come of it for him?
The Repeating Crossbow he borrowed was known as the Zhuge Crossbow, named after Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms era who was said to have invented it.
After carefully studying the structure of the Zhuge Crossbow, Li Jiancheng discovered that its core mechanism utilized linkages and leveraged principles to allow what normally required great strength to be easily drawn and fired rapidly in succession. The linkage also played a role in triggering the shot.
Once drawn back, when the linkage pressed down, it pushed the bowstring upward from its notch; at that moment when the bowstring left the notch, it transferred kinetic energy to the arrow, achieving firing.
The Zhuge Crossbow's most notable feature was its rapid-fire capability.
However, Li Jiancheng soon identified some shortcomings of the Zhuge Crossbow.
Firstly, the arrow magazine was positioned above the bow arms, obstructing the aiming mechanism and preventing any sighting device from being installed; thus, its shooting accuracy was relatively poor.
Secondly, this Repeating Crossbow used arrows without fletching, causing iron arrows to lose balance and tumble during long-distance flight. Additionally, crafting wooden arrow shafts required high precision and was difficult to produce in large quantities.
No wonder this ancient version of a machine gun was rarely seen in practical use! Without overcoming issues of accuracy and manufacturing difficulties, this Repeating Crossbow could hardly be classified as a commonly used weapon!
How could he improve the Repeating Crossbow to address these two shortcomings? This was the key question that Li Jiancheng needed to focus on next.
Soon, the day of New Year's Eve arrived, and Li Jiancheng knew he would be busy in the coming days.
The morning went well; Li Jiancheng immersed himself in the workshop, studying the Repeating Crossbow until Ma Qiang returned from outside.
Ma Qiang had urgent matters to report, so Li Jiancheng called him into the secret chamber to discuss.
"Your Highness, we have clarified Dan Bingbing's identity!" Ma Qiang stated directly upon entering the chamber.
"What is her background?" Li Jiancheng asked, not surprised. Ma Qiang's main task these past few days had been to investigate Dan Bingbing's situation.
"She is the sister of Dan Xiongxin!" Ma Qiang replied.
"Oh, I see!" Li Jiancheng nodded.
This made sense! Dan Bingbing came to Chang'an and entered a brothel to seek revenge for her brother. Her enemies were likely Prince Qin, Li Shimin, and perhaps even their father, Li Yuan, rather than him, Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, or Prince Qi, Li Yuanji.
Dan Bingbing's primary target was probably Li Shimin rather than Li Yuan, as she could not approach Li Yuan but might have a chance with Li Shimin. After all, she was exceptionally beautiful and would attract attention once she became known.
Li Yuanji must have learned about Dan Bingbing through some means and frequently visited Qunfang Garden with the aim of getting to know her and gaining an ally against Li Shimin. He certainly did not go there purely out of lust.
Dan Bingbing likely understood Li Yuanji's true identity and sought to use him to get closer to Li Shimin to execute her assassination plan. Unfortunately, Li Shimin would not associate with Li Yuanji and would never visit a place like Qunfang Garden, leaving Dan Bingbing without an opportunity to assassinate him.
Li Yuanji was also aware that Dan Bingbing intended to kill Li Shimin. However, what if she decided to kill the Crown Prince as well? This might explain why Li Yuanji wanted him, Li Jiancheng, to accompany him to Qunfang Garden!
Having analyzed the situation and come to a decision, Li Jiancheng said, "Ma Qiang, this information is crucial; do not share it with anyone else."
"Your Highness, I understand. Anything discussed in this chamber will remain confidential," Ma Qiang assured him.
"Good. Let’s go!" Li Jiancheng naturally trusted him. There were only three people allowed in the secret chamber; who could he not trust?
As evening approached, Li Jiancheng set out for Tai Chi Palace with Consort Li Zheng Guanyin, Concubine Lu Lingling, all their children, and a small entourage of guards and maids in tow.
On New Year's Eve night, Li Yuan would host a family banquet at Tai Chi Palace, attended by all the royal princes and grandsons along with their consorts.
At Daming Palace, there was still some time before the banquet began. However, many people were already waiting outside the palace; such a reunion dinner could not afford any delays.
Even while waiting outside the palace, they had to follow protocol. Crown Prince Li Jiancheng's family naturally stood at the front, followed by Prince Qin Li Shimin and Prince Qi Li Yuanji's families.
This time, Li Jiancheng finally met Consort Qin from the Changsun Clan and Consort Qi from the Yang family as well.
Several consorts, each more beautiful than the last, but in comparison, Consort Qi and Yang stood out even more. No wonder, after Li Shimin became emperor, he took Yang for himself. Should I, Li Jiancheng, do the same after I become emperor?
Just as Li Jiancheng was lost in these wicked thoughts, he heard Li Shimin say to him, "Elder brother, it's been a while since we last met. What have you been busy with?"
"It's cold outside, so I've just been playing games in the palace!" Li Jiancheng replied casually.
"Playing games? What games?" Li Shimin naturally knew that his elder brother wouldn't speak the truth but still wanted to know.
"Kick the Shuttlecock and Playing Mahjong!" Li Jiancheng didn't mind mentioning these two.
"Kick the Shuttlecock and Playing Mahjong? What kind of games are those? I’ve never heard of them," Li Shimin said, somewhat surprised.
"They're games I came up with; they didn't exist before."
"Oh, elder brother is quite the player! When will you teach me?"
"Of course. I've already taught forth brother; he can teach you how to play!"
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