Xianggui

Chapter 673 Returning Home (Two Chapters Combined into One)

Xun Xiang met the servants of Zixiayuan, gave them rewards, and reassigned them to new positions.

Nanny Wang was still the teaching nanny, Nanny Wei was the housekeeper of Zixia Courtyard, and Nanny Dai was the housekeeper of the small kitchen. Luo'er, Jin'er, Baojuan, and Dujuan were the older maids, Chou'er, Duan'er, Sha'er, and Zijuan were the second-class maids, and there were several younger maids and servants.

The organization is bloated and the staff is redundant. But the style must be shown, and Xun Xiang is no exception.

After checking the placement of the dowry, it was already the beginning of the 3:00 p.m. time, and Xun Xiang went to the main courtyard again.

Sun Yufeng and his family stayed here for dinner. The men went to the outer courtyard, while Zhao and her two daughters-in-law were in the main courtyard, talking with Madam Sun Da, Madam Sun San and her daughter, and Sun Mingya and her daughter in the hall, while the three grandchildren were playing in the side room.

As soon as Xun Xiang left, Zhao said to Madam Sun, "The princess was very popular when she was young, she was beautiful and smart. At that time, I wondered how Uncle Ding could give birth to such a talented granddaughter.

"Haha, not only me, almost everyone who has seen her thinks so... Mrs. Dong and I like each other very much, especially Mrs. Dong..."

When talking about Mrs. Dong, Zhao's eyes turned red.

"Alas, God is blind. Such good people left so early. We are far away from the capital, but fortunately Dong Ping has the old uncle's family and the princess to accompany him..."

Xun Xiang also missed Father Dong and Mother Dong, and had to find a chance to dream about them.

She said, "It took a long time for cousin Ping to get over his pain. Don't mention him, I was also sad for a long time..."

This reminded Mrs. Sun of the time when her husband was missing. She really wanted to follow him. But when she thought of her son being alone, she had to grit her teeth and live. Thanks to her son's company, she got through that time. If she died and her husband came back...

She said, "Fortunately, Dong Ping got married and had a son, otherwise, they would never be at ease."

Sun Mingya knew what her mother was thinking. She glanced in the direction of Jingxin Hall and snorted coldly, "Those two people can't jump up anymore."

Several people talked about the Ding Mansion's banquet in a few days. Because Dong Ping was still in mourning, the Ding Mansion invited Sun Linfeng's family, who rarely came to the capital, on behalf of Dong Ping, and also invited several relatives from the Sun family, Dongyang Princess's Mansion, Mi family, Ren family, Wang family, etc.

At the hour of You, Sun Yumu and Master Sun San came with Sun Linfeng and his son.

Sun Yumu said, "Grandfather and my father were summoned by the emperor to the palace for a meeting and have not returned yet."

Xun Xiang felt that it was most likely the news brought back by Jian Ru that reached the emperor. It was confirmed that the Prince of Nanlin wanted to rebel, and she didn't know when the emperor would send troops to deal with them.

After seeing off the guests after dinner, Sun Yumu and Mr. Sun San went to the outer study again.

Xun Xiang sat on the kang in the side room and played with Feifei, Shuangshuang and Heiwa for a while. Suddenly, she thought of a possibility, sent the little ones to rest, and went to the study to draw.

She drew a spear.

Xun Xiang remembered that in his previous life, the last firearm was the matchlock gun.

Fire guns are slow to fire, have low hit rates, and are difficult to operate. However, matchlock guns are easy to operate, and a well-trained soldier can fire two to three bullets in a minute...

At this time she had not heard of anything like the arquebus, and wondered if it had appeared on the other side of the ocean.

Xun Xiang didn't know how to make a gun. He only remembered what a matchlock gun looked like and some of its principles.

The matchlock gun, as the name suggests, is a gun that is ignited by burning match and is the direct prototype of the modern rifle.

She vaguely remembered that the matchlock gun was about two to three feet long and consisted of a wooden base, a barrel, a front sight, a metal hook and a matchlock.

A matchlock is a piece of hemp rope or cloth soaked in potassium nitrate and dried, and it burns very slowly.

The soldier pressed the metal hook into the firing port, causing the fuse to ignite the black powder and fire the bullet...

In this way, the soldier can hold the gun with one hand or two hands and keep his eyes on the target, which greatly improves the soldier's shooting speed and hit rate.

That's all she knew. She didn't know the internal structure of the gun, how the hook and the trigger were designed, and so on.

She certainly couldn't make it herself, but her husband was smart. She told him about it and asked him to lead her grandfather and several metalwork masters to study and trial-produce it.

Metalworking is the benchwork of the previous life.

She believed in the wisdom of ancient craftsmen, and even more in her extremely smart father-in-law and her golden-handed master, Grandpa Ding Zhuang, not to mention that she provided so many clues.

The more Xun Xiang thought about it, the more excited he became. He searched his memory for the matchlock gun and drew it, then wrote down what he knew.

At 11 p.m. she was still lying at her desk, studying hard, and the servants didn't dare to call her.

They thought that the prince had not returned, and their princess was feeling upset, so she deliberately looked for trouble.

Sha'er pouted her lips and whispered to Madam Wei, "The prince may seem considerate, but he is actually very careless. How can he let his newlywed wife stay alone in an empty room the next day?"

Madam Wei glanced at Baojuan who was a little further away, frowned and said angrily, "This is the Zhenhai Marquis's residence, not the Ding residence or the princess's residence. If you keep talking nonsense, I will let the princess send you back to the princess's residence."

Shaer is young and a bit outspoken.

After hearing this, Shaer stuck out her tongue and dared not say anything more.

At the end of the hour of Hai, Xun Xiang finished writing what he needed to write, nodded with satisfaction, and then got up and went to the east room.

"I need to take a bath and rest."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the gate of the courtyard open.

Then came the footsteps of Sun Yumu.

At this time, the second door was closed and he came in by climbing over the wall.

He was surprised and asked, "You haven't rested yet?"

Xun Xiang smiled and pulled him into the west room study, "I have come up with something good."

Of course, Xun Xiang couldn't say how useful the matchlock gun was. He only said that if such a thing was developed, it would be much more useful than the musket.

Men are naturally interested in weapons, and Sun Yumu is also a very intelligent student, so he immediately understood the essence of it. Especially the front sight, he even tested it with paper.

He lowered his head and kissed Xun Xiang, then smiled and said, "Xiang Xiang is really talented. This kind of firearm is light, fast, and accurate. If it is trial-produced, the Dali army will be even more invincible...

"Xiangxiang knows how to name it. We changed the fire gun to a musket, which is more accurate. This thing is called a crosshair, which is very descriptive. The principle of the crosshair is simple, why didn't I think of it before... I will tell my father-in-law and grandfather tomorrow."

It has been agreed that tomorrow morning, we will go to Xun Mansion for lunch, then go to Ding Mansion for dinner and stay overnight. The next day, we will go to Tao Mansion to visit Mr. and Mrs. Tao, who are not only Sun Yumu's grandfather, but also Xun Xiang's mentor.

On the third day, you have to go to the palace to express your gratitude.

The main purpose of returning to the Xun Mansion was to comfort Old Ancestor Xun. The old man was very sad because he did not see his great-granddaughter get married.

The Xun family is also the home of the prince consort's father, so it's right to go back there.

Xun Xiang asked, "Have Grandfather and Father-in-law returned?"

Sun Yumudao, "I'm back. They said that the King of Nanlin has his own army and privately made weapons. He claims to be a descendant of the emperor of Dali Kingdom and wants to occupy Zhongnan Province and rebuild Dali Kingdom...

"The emperor is furious and will gather troops to go to Zhongnan Province to capture Li Song. If there is any movement here, Li Song will definitely rebel. We will just wait for him to rebel and then we will have a legitimate reason to destroy him."

"Is there going to be a war?"

Xun Xiang didn't expect that this war would be related to him, so he asked in a relaxed manner.

"Well, probably in the second half of the year. This time, we will mobilize more artillery and muskets. Father said that when the emperor talked about these, he would praise grandfather and father-in-law. They made good steel and iron, which made Dali's weapons so advanced."

He didn't say that he wanted to go to war, as he didn't want Xun Xiang to worry too early.

After this, he was promoted to the first-class imperial guard, and he wanted to go out and make achievements. He could see that almost everyone thought that he was promoted because of Xiangxiang, including his relatives.

He didn't want others to think that he could only rely on his wife. Besides, going to the battlefield to make achievements was also his dream.

The two talked until the beginning of the midnight hour. Nanny Wei reminded them several times before they went to the bathroom to wash up. After going to bed, Sun Yumu heard Xun Xiang still calling him "Prince" and said, "This name is too unfamiliar. From now on, just call me Yumu."

Xun Xiang also didn't like this title. It was not only too unfamiliar, but also too formal.

Said, "Then call me Prince in front of others and Yumu behind others."

After the two of them were showing affection for a while, Xun Xiang mentioned the "rice soup joke" again.

Sun Yumu was thinking of another question, "Second cousin looks tall and big, why is there only..."

He whispered a few words into Xun Xiang's ear.

Xun Xiang blushed, pushed him and said angrily, "You're annoying."

Looking at his flower-like young wife, Sun Yumu felt something again.

Xun Xiang was so scared that she wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and said, "No, I can't stand it anymore."

Sun Yumu still pulled Xun Xiang's hand and played around for a while.

The two of them didn't fall asleep until late at night.

After breakfast the next day, Xun Xiang, Sun Yumu got dressed and went to the outer courtyard.

The Foreign Affairs Office has prepared gifts for the Xun and Ding Mansions.

Sun Yumu did not ride a horse, but sat in a carriage with Xun Xiang, took out the blueprint and continued to discuss.

When we arrived at the Xun Mansion, the five brothers-in-law of the Xun family were standing in front of the main gate to greet us.

Sun Yumu and Xun Xiang got out of the car.

Xun Yiqing, Xun Yibo, Xun Yitang, and Xun Yihui clasped their fists and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law, sister."

Xun Yiqiang clasped his fists, bowed and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law, sister."

Sun Yumu clasped his fists and saluted in return, "First uncle, second uncle, fourth uncle, fifth uncle, seventh uncle."

Several people surrounded the newlyweds and went to the ancestral courtyard.

The entire Xun family was there, including Prince Consort Xun and Princess Dongyang.

After the newlyweds exchanged greetings, Dongyang wanted to call his daughter to another room to ask about the wedding, but the old ancestor had already taken Xun Xiang's hand and started talking.

"Xiao Xiangxiang has only been the granddaughter of the Xun family for a few years, and she has become someone else's daughter-in-law. The old man is reluctant to let her go..."

Xun Xiang persuaded the old man with soft words, and a few words made the old man laugh. The old man and the young man were talking, and no one could get a word in.

Sun Yumu invited Prince Consort Xun and Xun Qianli into another room, took out the blueprint and started talking.

Xun Fu Ma's eyes were as bright as the stars in the summer night. "This kind of matchlock gun has far-reaching significance. Weapons will enter another era..."

It was time for lunch, but Prince Consort Xun was still reluctant to come over.

After lunch, they chatted and laughed for a while, then Sun Yumu and Xun Xiang said goodbye and went to Ding's house.

Xun Gong Ma said, "I will go with you. I have something important to discuss with the old uncle."

Dongyang was furious. Today he and his daughter should be the protagonists, but he didn't even say a few words to his daughter and son-in-law. His daughter was dominated by the ancestors, and his son-in-law was dominated by the prince consort. His husband also had to follow his daughter to another in-law's house.

Xun Yi Bo saw that his mother was unhappy, so he went back home in a carriage with her.

Dongyang said angrily, "If I had known this would happen, I should have let my daughter and son-in-law return to the princess's residence. I didn't even say a word to my daughter in private..."

Xun Yi Bo smiled and said, "The ancestor said several times today that mother is a good daughter-in-law for the Xun family."

Dongyang laughed again. If the old ancestor is happy, the prince consort will be happy.

The Prince Consort has promised to take her to Jiaodong this year...

In the car, Xun Xiang heard the evaluation of the matchlock gun by the prince consort, and she admired him even more. This was exactly the case in the previous life. The matchlock gun changed the form of war and entered the era of hot weapons from the era of cold weapons.

Standing in front of the Ding residence were Ding Lichun, Ding Liren, Ding Lilai and Ding Daniu, all dressed in joy.

Everyone greeted each other. When the Ding brothers saw Prince Consort Xun getting out of the back car, they were a little stunned, but not surprised.

This prince consort never cared about worldly opinions. People thought he came just to see his daughter more.

Everyone went to the main courtyard.

Ding Zhuang, Ding Zhao's family, Ding Chi's family, Dong Ping's family, Ding Shan's family, and Ding Zhen's mother and daughter were all there.

After the newlyweds had paid their respects, Zhang called Xun Xiang to the side room.

"Is your son-in-law nice to you?"

Xun Xiang blushed, "Very good."

Zhang nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Are your parents-in-law okay?"

"My husband's family are all very nice."

The two were still talking when Ding Zhuang's loud voice came from outside, "You've been talking for so long and you're still talking. Xiangxiang, come out quickly and let me see you."

Prince Consort Xun wanted to talk to Ding Zhuang about the matchlock gun, but Ding Zhuang was not listening at all and just stared at the side door, unable to pull it out.

Zhang had no choice but to go to the living room with Xun Xiang.

The old and the young sat together and talked again.

Prince Consort Xun had no choice but to pull Ding Zhao to the side room to talk.

Ding Lilai was tactless and kept trying to interrupt. He was glared at by Ding Zhuang several times without realizing it. Ding Zhuang glared at him and scolded him, "Stupid guy, you're still acting like a child even after getting married. Go away and don't interrupt me."

Ding Lilai was so angry that his face turned red and his lips pouted.

Tang grumbled unhappily, "The governor is allowed to set fires, but the people are not allowed to light lamps. I am talking so loudly, who can stop me?"

Ding Chi quickly coughed a few times to remind her not to say words that would get her scolded.

Li Qianqian understands Ding Zhuang very well because that is how her grandfather treated her when she returned to her mother's home.

Said, "After raising my granddaughter for so many years, I don't want her to get married..."

Xue Tian, ​​who was sitting next to her, pulled her and Ding Zhen and said with a smile, "Let's go to my courtyard. I made some small clothes. Please help me take a look."

Since Li Qianqian moved into her husband's house, she often made Tang angry and scolded her because of her different opinions and her love of talking. She was not the type to take a loss, so she had to defend herself, and the more she defended herself, the angrier Tang became.

Ding Lilai also felt that the young wife did not mean that and that the mother was overthinking. He kindly helped the young wife explain and advised the mother not to be angry, which made Tang even angrier.

Ding Chi, of course, turned to his wife and scolded her, "You useless thing, you only care about your wife, get out of here, and pretend I never raised you."

Ding Lilai felt aggrieved. "I didn't only think about my wife. I was trying to persuade my mother not to be angry. My grandfather said that my father only thought about his wife...Okay, we will stay at my uncle's house. When my mother calms down, we will come back to apologize."

After they left, Tang thought about it again and asked someone to invite them back home. These days, they have been living here half of the time...

Today is a good day for Xun Xiang. Xue Tian didn't want the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to quarrel and affect the atmosphere, so she had to pull Li Qianqian away.

Some readers are puzzled as to why Xun Xiang was conferred the title of a third-rank lady. She is still a princess, and a third-rank lady is equivalent to a part-time job, and she can also get an extra salary.