Finest Servant

Chapter 287 Handling the Gun

"This name is quite pleasing, Zhi from Tingzhi (Fragrant Angelica) and Qing from Fangqing (Clear Fragrant), so full of artistic conception, it's far better than my name, Lin San, with just two words. Truly befitting the daughter of the world's foremost scholar, superior even to the brilliance she sprang from," Lin Wanrong nodded and laughed.

Xu Zhiqing shook her head with a light chuckle. This man's speech was strange, rambling without any coherence. She decided to treat his words as nothing more than a jest.

"Zhiqing," Lin started, "when you get home, mention to your father that I'll be visiting your estate as soon as I have a spare moment. I'm certain Master Xu will be absolutely delighted. Oh, and let's not forget your Aunt Su. They promised to throw me a thank-you feast once I arrived in the capital. It's a shame I can't play matchmaker for you. It's unheard of, isn't it, to be one's own matchmaker?" He burst into laughter.

As he casually addressed her by name, with an uncanny level of familiarity, and brought up old subjects to tease her, Miss Xu huffed and exhaled. Her gaze, however, softened, as if ignoring his absurd words. Her face was as serene as an ancient well. Nodding, she replied, "I will certainly relay your message to my aunt and father, Mr. Lin."

"Truly the daughter of Xu Wei, she possesses an impressive spirit," Lin Wanrong laughed heartily. "Miss Xu, when you find the time, you can visit the branch of the Xiao family as well. I — I mean, the young mistress is always there. Didn't you want to meet and chat with her? I believe you two will find common ground."

Xu Zhiqing's long lashes fluttered. Suddenly, she said, "Mr. Lin, I have a request that I hope you wouldn't mind granting."

He raised his eyebrows. "A request from the young lady?" Lin Wanrong eyed her carefully. Miss Xu had almond eyes, peach cheeks, fair skin, delicate lips, a slender waist, and a voluptuous body. Despite no longer being in the flush of youth, she had an even more mature allure. "What might you be asking me for? Let me clarify beforehand: if it's simple, I'll agree. If it's not, then I can't promise anything," he replied with a smile.

"Simplicity itself," Xu Zhiqing responded faintly. "I would like to examine the musket gun you carry with you."

"Borrow my gun?" He chuckled, his expression becoming serious. "That might be easy for you, Miss, but it's far from simple for me. This firearm was a gift from a friend for my self-defense; it's as precious as life to me. We're only acquainted, so how could I entrust my life to you?"

"You have a point, Mr. Lin," Xu Zhiqing nodded. She handed him the repeating crossbow she was holding. "Since the success of improving this small repeating crossbow, I've been carrying it with me every day for self-defense. To show my sincerity, I'm entrusting my crossbow to you. You can think of it as an exchange of life for life. What do you think?"

Her expression was solemn, not at all playful. Lin Wanrong glanced at the crossbow, chuckling, "So this is the so-called pledge of life, unswerving until death? We've just met a few times, and it has come to this — isn't this moving a bit too fast?"

Xu Zhiqing closed her eyes slightly, indicating she hadn't heard his words. Seeing that he had pushed far enough, Lin Wanrong chuckled and handed the firearm over, saying, "Showing it to you is useless anyway. With the standard of metallurgy in our great country, it's impossible to replicate this thing."

The firearm was surprisingly heavy in her hand. Xu Zhiqing frowned slightly as she remarked, "When I first saw this firearm years ago, I merely watched from a distance, never touching it. I hadn't imagined that it would be so heavy in hand."

"Hadn't you claimed you had studied it in the past?" Lin Wanrong asked curiously.

Miss Xu gave him a charming smile, "If I hadn't said that, would you have let me examine this firearm?"

A crafty little vixen, Lin Wanrong chuckled inwardly, relieved that he had unloaded the ammunition, or who knew what might have happened with it in her hands.

After examining and fiddling with the firearm, Miss Xu shook her head and sighed, "The Westerners’ craftsmanship is indeed exquisite. The gun barrel and sights are wonderfully intricate. Our craftsmen from the Great Hua fall somewhat short in comparison, and replicating this would be impossible. Mr. Lin, could you perhaps fire a shot? I'd like to observe the firing process of the firearm, the shot earlier was too fast for me to catch."

"Well," Lin Wanrong hesitated, "Shooting in front of Miss Xu might not be very appropriate, and it's not something I excel at."

Upon seeing his indescribable lewd expression, Miss Xu suddenly became more vigilant, "It's only shooting! Why would that be inappropriate?"

[TL: Shooting a gun is a slang term in Mandarin Chinese that refers to male masturbation.]

Lin Wanrong laughed, "Would you prefer that I shoot with my left hand or my right hand?"

Miss Xu felt his expression was peculiar but couldn't figure out what was wrong. After contemplating for a while, she said, "Whichever hand Mr. Lin is accustomed to using."

Lin Wanrong replied seriously, "Such a complex task isn't particularly easy for either of my hands. However, since Miss Xu has requested it, I will give it a try. Sigh, it's a bit embarrassing to shoot a gun in front of such a beautiful lady."

Suppressing a laugh, he loaded the gun, aimed at a withered willow by the pond, and fired. After the loud bang, the tree was riddled with bullets, deeply embedded in its bark.

Releasing her hands from her ears, Miss Xu said solemnly, "The Western craftsmanship is indeed remarkable. Just the momentum alone is enough to intimidate, not to mention the enormous power of the firearm's discharge."

Lin Wanrong shook his head, "Miss Xu, this isn't a craft, but basic precision manufacturing. Such a product cannot be created by human hands alone. Has Mr. Xu discussed with you about the Frenchman Tavernier? Li Sheng has visited Tavernier's iron-clad ship. The steel plates cut in one piece, and the cannons on the ship, all exhibit a level of craftsmanship that surpasses that of Great Hua. And this is only them stepping into the threshold of precision manufacturing. If Great Hua continues to cling to its old ways, it will fall significantly behind when the West enters the true industrial age. Ships will no longer need winds or oars but will use heat energy converted into mechanical energy to propel massive ships forward. The gap between us will be vast. Whether Miss Xu believes it or not, this is not an exaggeration. If we wake up only when that day arrives, it would be too late."

Despite her exceptional intelligence, Xu Zhiqing was taken aback by his words. "Convert heat into mechanical energy? What does that mean? Will the West really reach such an advanced stage?"

"Take this musket, for example. Miss Xu, how do you think the pellets inside this barrel are fired?"

After a moment of thoughtful contemplation, Xu Zhiqing answered, "I've studied this. It's the explosion and burning of gunpowder that propels the iron pellets!"

Lin Wanrong managed a bitter smile, saying, "You only see the surface, not the underlying principle. It's the transformation of two types of energy: the thermal energy produced by the explosion of gunpowder is converted into the kinetic energy that propels the bullet forward. Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Seeing Miss Xu's eyes widen with innocent confusion, Lin Wanrong laughed helplessly. Why did he bother explaining? Did she want to understand? Could she understand?

"Forget it, forget it," he said, waving dismissively. "Even if I explain, you won't understand. It's pointless." Looking crestfallen, Lin Wanrong abruptly walked away without another word. Where could he find someone who understood his words?

"Thermal energy? Kinetic energy? What are these?" Xu Zhiqing furrowed her brows, lost in thought. Suddenly, Lin Wanrong, who had walked quite a distance, turned back around. He approached with an embarrassed expression and asked, "Miss Xu, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"How do I get to the Imperial Palace?"

Xu Zhiqing hesitated for a moment before finally laughing. "Why are you trying to find the Imperial Palace? That's not a place you can just visit. You would likely be apprehended before you even approached it."

"I just want to stroll around the area, maybe find someone," Lin Wanrong replied, grinning mischievously.

"You are a dreamer," she said, laughing. "The princess is a noble and cherished daughter of the Emperor. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of wealthy young men who desire an audience with her every day. You shouldn't delude yourself." Recalling the baffling words Lin San had previously spoken, Xu Zhiqing couldn't help but chuckle. His words had been so sensible just moments ago; how had he become so foolish so quickly?

Lin Wanrong giggled and said, "Miss Xu, you really shouldn't worry about me like this. People might get the wrong idea."

Xu Zhiqing replied nonchalantly, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Lin. But I speak like this to many people, and no misunderstandings have occurred."

He scowled at her defiance. Agitated, he thought about pursuing her, winning her over, and then abandoning her, just to make her regret and suffer for a lifetime. A fittingly cruel punishment, he thought, his grin turning wicked. It seemed Miss Xu had guessed his intentions somewhat. She shook her head and scoffed, refusing to engage him further.

Visiting the Imperial Palace was a lofty dream, and Lin Wanrong was a man of action. If he thought of something, he did it, and he did it to the best of his ability. He lingered outside the gate, gazing in awe at the complex layers of the palace architecture, the painted eaves, carved beams, and numerous pillars, each exceptionally exquisite.

The inner court of the Imperial Palace was not like the Xiao family courtyard; one couldn't just come and go as one pleased. As he stood outside the moat, the palace guards stood sternly before him. Even stepping a foot forward seemed impossible. Lin Wanrong remained extraordinarily calm; he wasn't a fool. Even if Qingxuan really lived in the palace, with thousands upon thousands of rooms in the inner court, where would he even start looking for her? He would have to strategize carefully.

Standing by the gateway, he gazed longingly at the outer part of the palace, imagining he saw the figure of Qingxuan standing gracefully. ‘This girl,’ he wondered, ‘Does she miss me just as much?’

He chuckled, as a small sedan chair nearby came to a halt. A delicate face peered out from within the sedan, and a soft voice called, "Lin San, what are you doing here?"

"Eldest Miss, I came specially to meet you!" Lin Wanrong responded, grinning cheekily.

Xiao Yuruo blushed, giving him a stern look before saying, "Stop being naughty! I came here to visit an old friend of my mother's. It was a spontaneous decision. How could you have known to come meet me? I suspect you were here for some mischief!"

After laughing heartily for a moment, noticing that it was getting late, he decided to follow the Eldest Miss's sedan chair back to their mansion. He related the story of how he had taken Yushuang to the academy, mentioning that the daughter of Xu Wei was teaching there. The Eldest Miss nodded and said, "I feel much better knowing Yushuang is under the care of Miss Xu. Once we're done with the hectic schedule of the next few days, we should pay a visit to Minister Xu's residence and have a good chat with Miss Xu. How does that sound?"

"Good, of course it's good!" Lin Wanrong responded cheerfully. "Did you gain anything from your busy day, Eldest Miss?"

Xiao Yuruo sighed faintly, murmuring, "My mother left the capital for many years. These old friends have grown distant. When I paid them a visit today, it was good enough that they didn't snub me. How could there be any gains?"

It's a universal truth, out of sight, out of mind. Seeing a hint of melancholy on the Eldest Miss's face, Lin Wanrong comforted her, "That's how the world works. The more challenging a task, the greater the sense of achievement once you succeed. Trust yourself. Besides, even if you don't trust yourself, you must trust me. I'm Lin San!"

"Annoying, when did I stop trusting myself? You're just bragging." The Eldest Miss huffed, "In a few days, the Grand Prime Minister Temple will be holding a flower appreciation event. It's a good opportunity for us. You're not allowed to slack off these few days. Stay by my side every day so we can plan properly."

"I was destined to be exploited by you. If I refuse to help, wouldn't you just eat me alive?" Lin Wanrong joked, "Speaking of which, we've earned quite a lot of silver. When can I see the account books? Make sure you're not cooking the books and skimming my share."

"You're always thinking about silver. Tomorrow, I'll move all your silver from the bank, and you can sleep hugging it." The Eldest Miss, seeing his teasing expression, felt an unspoken irritation.

Taking advantage of a moment when Sister Song wasn't looking, Lin Wanrong sneakily leaned towards the sedan chair, whispering cheekily, "Then I'll just hug you. Hugging you would be like hugging the silver."

The Eldest Miss's heart skipped a beat. She turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Softly, she said, "Shameless! Don't think about fooling me. I'm not Yushuang, only she would fall for your nonsense."

Lin Wanrong covertly stretched out his hand and lightly scratched the back of her hand. The Eldest Miss quickly withdrew her hand, her cheeks flushing red as she softly huffed, "What are you doing? People are watching! Don't think I'm as easy to tease as Yushuang!"

Lin Wanrong flirted with her for a moment, then said with a laugh, "Speaking of Yushuang, I do miss her. Now that she's gone to the academy, it's just the two of us in the inner courtyard. I'm really scared, ah..."

The Eldest Miss trembled at his words, "What... what are you planning to do? If you dare to bully me, I'll tell my mother!"

"What if you bully me?" Lin Wanrong laughed mischievously, "Should I also go tell your mother? How could I bear the embarrassment? After all, I'm a decent man—"

Xiao Yuruo couldn't bear to listen anymore. Angrily, she glared at him, "Don't assume I'm some kind of loose woman. If you dare harbor any ill intentions, I'll—"

"Alright!" Lin Wanrong gently laughed, "Stop threatening me. Can't you take a joke? There are plenty of women waiting for me to misbehave. You'd have to wait in line for three months!"

The Eldest Miss dropped the curtain, loudly commanding the sedan bearers, "Move faster! Sister Song, send word that Lin San's dinner won't be needed tonight! Those waiting in line for him have been waiting for three months already."

True to her word, no one came to serve him dinner that night. Lin Wanrong didn't mind, knowing that hitting is an expression of closeness and scolding is an expression of love. It would be strange if there was neither.

As he was lying on his bed, about to drift off to sleep, he suddenly heard a creaking sound. The door to his room was being opened.

‘The Eldest Miss couldn't resist coming,’ he thought, a thrill rising within him. He quickly sat up, only to freeze in surprise at the sight of the person who had walked in. Shocked, he exclaimed, "What... what are you planning to do? Don't come any closer. I'll cry for help—"

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