Chapter 1043: Granting marriage to Helan Minyue, and Brother Lang taking a concubine

That night.

The lights in the Linde Hall of the Tang Dynasty Imperial Palace were just coming on, creating a brilliant scene.

This majestic palace, with its vermilion beams and pillars carved with lifelike auspicious beasts and gleaming gold, exudes the majesty of the royal family. The floor is covered with exquisite carpets, tributes from Persia, their brocade patterns shimmering in the light.

Dozens of tall tables are neatly arranged, filled with delicacies from mountains and seas, and fine wines from the Western Regions, exuding fragrance.

The musicians were dressed in gorgeous clothes and held various musical instruments.

Waiting quietly on one side, the maikos danced gracefully, their colorful sleeves fluttering, and wore practiced smiles on their faces.

Li Zhi and Wu Zetian sat high in the main seats. Li Zhi wore a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown on his head. He looked majestic yet friendly.

Wu Zetian wore a phoenix crown and a red robe, her face was graceful and elegant, and her eyes and eyebrows showed wisdom and dignity.

Lin Lang, Queen Chu Yiren and four concubines were arranged in the VIP seats, next to the main seat.

Lin Lang was dignified and noble, pretending to be the emperor of Shanghai in the Tang Dynasty palace, and traveling to the Tang Dynasty with his wife and concubines, pretending to be quite convincing.

Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, Yu Zhining, Han Yuan, Lai Ji, Xu Jingzong, Li Yifu and other important court officials sat on both sides of the hall.

The Grand Marshal Changsun Wuji was white-haired but in good spirits. As a veteran in the court, his eyes were steady and sharp as he scanned everyone in the hall.

General Li Ji stood tall and straight, with a face that showed the determination of a veteran on the battlefield.

The other ministers were also dressed in court robes, with solemn expressions, knowing that tonight's banquet was of great significance.

Mrs. Han Guowushun and her daughter Helan Minyue sat on the female guest side.

Wu Shun was gentle and dignified, and her eyes and eyebrows were somewhat similar to Wu Zetian, because she was Wu Zetian's biological sister.

Helan Minyue was in her prime, with a charming and beautiful face and a pair of bright eyes. She wore a light pink silk dress, with pearls and jade in her hair, and she looked smart and playful.

After everyone took their seats, Helan Minyue's attention was unconsciously attracted to Lin Lang.

She had never seen anyone with such a unique temperament and was filled with curiosity.

While everyone was talking, she secretly approached Wu Zetian, pointed at the mechanical watch on her wrist, and whispered, "Aunt, what is this? It's so exquisite, it rotates on its own and makes a ticking sound."

Wu Zetian smiled and explained softly: "This is a rare item from the Kingdom of Shanghai. It is called a mechanical time box. It can accurately tell the time."

Helan Minyue's eyes were filled with amazement. She looked at the diamond necklace around Empress Wu's neck and couldn't help asking, "What is this dazzling object?"

Wu Zetian patiently replied, "This is a diamond. It is considered a precious thing in Shanghai and symbolizes purity and love."

Helan Minyue listened attentively, glancing at Lin Lang from time to time, her heart full of longing for Shanghai.

After everyone was seated, Li Zhi looked around solemnly and said loudly, "Today, I and the Emperor of Hushang, Lin Lang, have become brothers of different surnames. This is truly a blessing for the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of friendly relations between our two countries."

"May the friendship between me and my dear brother be as deep and lasting as the mighty river."

"Today, we hold this evening banquet to celebrate with all the dear ministers and distinguished guests and to witness this moment together!" After he finished speaking, the music suddenly started, the dancers began to dance, and the evening banquet officially began.

With the graceful dance moves of the geishas and the melodious music, the atmosphere of the night banquet gradually became lively.

Everyone raised their glasses and congratulated Li Zhi, Lin Lang and others.

"Your Majesty is wise. It is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty to establish such friendship with the country in Shanghai!" Changsun Wuji raised his glass first and gestured to Li Zhi and Lin Lang. His words were sincere and there was a smile of an elder on his face.

"May the friendship between our two countries last forever!" Li Ji also stood up and echoed in a voice like a bell, then raised his head and drank the wine in the glass.

Lin Lang and Li Zhi looked at each other, understood each other, and raised their glasses together to toast everyone.

"Thank you all for your kindness. From now on, Shanghai Kingdom and Datang will be one family, and we will definitely work together to move forward!" Lin Lang said with a hearty smile, his words full of sincerity.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the hall became more harmonious.

However, in this seemingly peaceful atmosphere, several Tang Dynasty ministers secretly exchanged glances and began to whisper to each other.

"I have never heard of this Shanghai Kingdom. I don't know what its background is. An emperor suddenly appeared with a group of wives and concubines. Could he be a liar from somewhere?" Han Yuan frowned and said in a low voice.

"Yes, although His Majesty has recognized him as a brother, we also have to consider the interests of the Tang Dynasty. It is better to test it out." Changsun Wuji stroked his beard, his eyes wandering over Lin Lang.

After a moment's thought, the Minister of Rites, Lai Ji, stood up with a seemingly friendly smile on his face and bowed slightly to Lin Lang. "Greetings to the Emperor of Shanghai. We know very little about the Kingdom of Shanghai. I heard Your Majesty say that your country is built on steel and its veins are made of gears. I wonder what this is like? I hope Your Majesty will enlighten me."

Lin Lang understood the other party's intention to test him, but he remained calm. He smiled slightly and replied calmly: "Shanghai is located overseas. Due to its unique geographical environment and development history, it makes extensive use of steel and gears."

"Steel builds tall buildings, and gears drive all kinds of equipment, greatly facilitating people's lives."

"Just like this mechanical time box, it is made of steel and has gears as its core, so it can tell time accurately." As he spoke, Lin Lang took out a wall clock from his personal space and showed it to everyone.

The ministers stretched their necks to look and marveled at this new thing.

Li Zhi excitedly stood up from the dragon throne and laughed loudly, "Present it. I will tell you all the wonderful uses of this large mechanical time box."

The eunuch presented the wall clock to Li Zhi. Li Zhi followed what Lin Lang told him and explained to the ministers in the hall how to tell time on a clock and its relationship with the twelve hours.

After hearing about the feast in the palace, everyone was amazed, and at the same time, they became even more interested in the so-called Shanghai Kingdom.

At this time, the Minister of Rites, Xu Jingzong, stepped forward, his eyes scrutinizing him. "Your Majesty, what you said is quite novel. I wonder what the military strength of Shanghai is? In this turbulent world, only a strong military can protect the country and its people."

Lin Lang sneered inwardly, but remained calm on the outside. He took a sip from his wine glass and said slowly, "Although Shanghai is located overseas, it has always attached great importance to military affairs. Our army is supported by advanced artillery, and our soldiers are diligently trained. Defending our country is of course no problem."

"However, Shanghai has always advocated peace and is willing to have friendly exchanges with the Tang Dynasty and other countries to share a peaceful and prosperous era."

After hearing this, Xu Jingzong asked in confusion, "What is a cannon?"

Lin Lang replied, "It's similar to the rockets commonly used by the Tang army, but it uses a mechanical launch mechanism and is a thousand times more powerful."

The rockets that Lin Lang mentioned were early incendiary weapons, which were mostly firearms in the Tang Dynasty, that is, arrows with gunpowder bags tied to them.

Chu Yiren and other wives and concubines sat quietly beside Lin Lang, watching him show off.

When Li Zhi heard about the powerful army fighting, his eyes lit up immediately, and he hurriedly asked: "My dear brother, the emperor of Shanghai has such a powerful weapon. Can you tell me in detail?"

Lin Lang drank the wine in the cup in one gulp, his sleeves fluttering as he said loudly, "Pen and ink are at my service!"

The palace maid brought a rosewood inkstone, a wolf-hair brush and plain white rice paper.

Lin Lang paused his fingertips slightly when he picked up the pen. Following the system's prompts, he quickly moved the pen tip across the paper, outlining the barrel with an arc, marking the rifling with a straight line, and clearly showing the structure of the gears and mechanism.

A few lines of small print explained in detail: The barrel is cast from fine iron, divided into two layers, the inner and outer layers, the inner bore polished smooth to facilitate the trajectory; the breech is equipped with an ignition hole, connected to the powder chamber by a fuse...

When the gunpowder formula of "70% saltpeter, 20% sulfur, 10% charcoal, grind and mix" was written on the paper, Lin Lang threw down his pen and pushed the drawing to the table.

"Brother, today I will present you with the national treasure of Shanghai! This is the cannon design and the gunpowder ratio. If you build it according to the diagram, the cannon can withstand a force of ten thousand pounds. Once the projectile is fired, the city walls will be as rotten as a piece of wood!"

Lin Lang paused, his eyes sweeping over the ministers holding their breath in the hall. "The Ministry of Works or the Supervisor of the Imperial Household can be responsible for the casting. We need to select skilled craftsmen, use the crucible smelting method to cast the iron, and then use a boring machine to grind the inner bore..."

Li Zhi's eyes lit up after hearing this. Without waiting for the eunuch to pass the map to him, he walked quickly to Lin Lang's desk and snatched the map away.

Li Zhi's pupils shrank suddenly under the candlelight. His fingertips stroked the four characters "Ten Thousand Jins to Bomb the City" on the paper, and his voice trembled: "My dear brother... can this cannon really be so powerful?"

"If I lie, I'll leave it to my brother the Emperor to punish me!" Lin Lang raised his hand and pressed it on the blueprint, his tone firm, "Once the first cannon is cast, we can test-fire it outside Luoyang City. One shot will reduce the three-meter-long city wall to smithereens!"

Li Zhi laughed out loud when he heard this. He was so fucking ecstatic!

The ministers could no longer contain themselves and gathered around.

Changsun Wuji squinted his eyes and looked carefully at the spiral rifling on the drawing, his old fingers trembling slightly.

Li Ji's rough palm slid across the words "gunpowder explosion thrust" and a low sigh of admiration came from his throat.

Han Yuan murmured, "If it is true as the emperor said, wouldn't our Tang border army be able to easily defeat the invading forces?!"

Lin Lang said pretentiously: "It's more than just the border troops defending! If we open up the situation and directly use artillery and heavy weapons to expand the territory, it will be an unstoppable killing weapon!"

After hearing this, Li Zhi was so excited that he seemed to be injected with chicken blood. He held the artillery design drawings in his hands and couldn't let go of them. He really regarded them as treasures.

"Good! What a great country in Shanghai! What a good brother!" Li Zhi became more and more trusting of Lin Lang.

Lin Lang suddenly raised his voice, his arm raised as if to command the enemy, "A shell dropped—" He slammed the table, "Bang! A ten-foot-wide hole was blown out of the city wall at Luoyang's west gate!"

"What about the Turkic Wolf Mountain Army Formation? The Goguryeo mountain city fortress? In front of this artillery, they are nothing but paper targets!" Lin Lang's raised mouth corners were harder to suppress than an AK.

There was a moment of dead silence in the hall, and then a loud discussion broke out.

Li Zhi clutched the blueprint tightly, his knuckles turning white. Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed heartily, "Pass on my decree: The Supervisor of the Imperial Household is to immediately dispatch skilled craftsmen to set up a furnace in the West Market workshop in Chang'an to cast cannons. The required copper, iron, and silver will be fully supplied by the Imperial Treasury!"

He turned to Lin Lang, the fire in his eyes brighter than the candle dragon, "My dear brother, if you help the Tang Dynasty to forge this weapon, I... I will grant you the fertile land of Jiangnan as a fiefdom, and reward you with ten thousand taels of gold and a hundred slaves!

Lin Lang stood up and bowed, smiling and saying, "Thank you for your kindness, my royal brother. A strong Tang Dynasty means a strong Shanghai!"

"You are really my good brother!" Li Zhi put his arm around Lin Lang's shoulders, his eyes flashing with affection.

Wu Zetian saw her niece Helan Minyue looking at Lin Lang with shining eyes and a slightly red face, looking like a young girl in love. She couldn't help but whispered, "Minyue, if you like the Emperor Lin Lang, your aunt can propose that the Emperor grant you a marriage."

After hearing this, Helan Minyue excitedly and shyly whispered, "Really, aunt?"

Wu Zetian smiled and nodded slightly. Helan Minyue looked at her and lowered her head shyly, counting on her fingers and saying shyly, "The younger generation's marriage is entirely up to my aunt."

A scheming smile flashed across Wu Zetian's face. She wanted to marry her niece Helan Minyue to Lin Lang for two reasons.

One is to use his niece Helan Minyue to marry the Kingdom of Shanghai and place a spy next to Lin Lang to prevent Lin Lang from doing anything detrimental to the Tang Dynasty.

Secondly, Helan Minyue, as Wu Zetian's niece, frequently entered the palace. As she grew older, she became beautiful and had a good figure. Her personality was also very lively and likable. Wu Zetian was afraid that Helan Minyue would be favored by Li Zhi and her own position would be threatened.

In fact, Wu Zetian's worries were not unnecessary. In the original history, Helan Minyue was poisoned to death by her.

Even Wu Zetian's sister Wu Shun, who later had an affair with Li Zhi, was regarded as a hidden danger by her.