Chapter 1068: Helan Minyue's Reunion

Minister of War Ren Yaxiang could hardly contain his excitement and shouted, "Your Majesty! These siege weapons should be mass-produced immediately! If we could make a hundred of them and line them up along the border, who among the Northern Di, Tubo, and Nanzhao would dare to attack us so easily?"

"That's right! Even if we're heading out to conquer foreign lands, with these artillery pieces paving the way, our Tang cavalry will surely be able to surge forward like a broken bamboo and enhance our nation's prestige!"

The ministers became more and more excited as they spoke, looking at the cannons as if they were rare treasures, their faces full of excitement and pride.

Li Zhi's heart surged with emotion as he laughed heartily, "Minister Ren, you are absolutely right! Pass on my decree; order the Ministry of Works to mass-produce artillery carriages! I will make these artillery pieces the sacred weapon that protects the borders of the Tang Dynasty and dazzles our heavenly might!"

"Yes!" Minister of Works Yan Lide accepted the order.

For a moment, the school field was filled with thunderous cheers.

All the ministers seemed to have seen the grand scene of the Tang Dynasty's iron hoofs trampling all over the world and all nations coming to pay tribute. The pride and excitement from the bottom of their hearts echoed in the air for a long time.

Li Zhi stared at the smoke and dust that had not yet dissipated in the distance, his cheeks flushed with excitement. He waved his hand violently: "Another one! I haven't seen enough of this power yet!"

The Supervisor of the Imperial Household did not dare to delay and immediately ordered the gunner to reload.

The soldiers cleaned the gun barrels deftly, and filled them with new black saltpeter and cast iron bullets, pounding with tamping rods.

Lin Lang walked forward, leaned over to adjust the angle of the artillery carriage, and pointed at the distant mound about two miles away: "Hit there."

The gunner nodded in agreement and lit the fuse again.

The hissing sound rang out again, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, and the tongue of fire quickly drilled into the barrel along the powder line. The ministers' hearts were in their throats, and they took a few steps back, covering their ears with their hands.

Li Zhi also retreated to a safe place, put his hands on his ears, but his eyes were wide open, staring at the muzzle of the gun with anticipation, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.

"boom--!"

Another roar that shook the heavens and the earth!

The orange flames spurting out of the muzzle were more powerful than before, almost licking the air. The cast iron bullet was wrapped in a strong wind, like a black lightning that cut through the night and headed straight for the mound.

After just a few breaths, a loud noise was heard in the distance, and half of the mound, which was not short, was blown off!

Dirt and gravel flew everywhere like rain, flames and smoke shot up into the sky, and even the ground seemed to shake three times.

Although Li Zhi covered his ears, they were still buzzing due to the might. However, he did not care. Instead, he jumped up suddenly as if he had been injected with chicken blood, pointing in the direction of the mound and laughing.

"Great! The power of this artillery is simply amazing!"

Li Zhi paced back and forth excitedly, his voice trembling with excitement. "With this powerful siege weapon, why should the Tang Dynasty worry about its borders being insecure? Why should we worry about the nations not paying tribute? From now on, if anyone dares to invade the Tang Dynasty's borders again, we will use this artillery to bombard them with weapons until they are completely wiped out!"

The ministers were already completely impressed by the power of this second cannon, and their praises were even louder than before:

"Your Majesty is absolutely right! With this cannon, the might of our Tang army will surely shock the world!"

"A mound two miles away can be blown up at any time. If it were used to attack a city, it would be as easy as walking on flat ground!"

"The Emperor of Shanghai is truly a genius sent from heaven, able to create such a magical object that can change the world!"

Li Zhi listened to everyone's praise, walked quickly to Lin Lang, put his arm around his shoulders, his tone full of gratitude and joy.

"My dear brother, the artillery design you presented to me is truly a timely help and a national treasure for our Tang Dynasty! With it, our Tang Dynasty's cavalry, equipped with this artillery, will surely usher in an unprecedented era of prosperity!"

Lin Lang smiled and bowed, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is my honor to contribute to the Tang Dynasty. If this cannon can be put to good use, it will not be a waste of the hard work of the craftsmen."

Li Zhi patted him on the back, his smile growing wider. "What a great way to 'do your bit'! I'll take note of your contribution, my dear brother! Let's get the celebration banquet ready. Let's drink and chat about this artillery mass production!"

As he spoke, he pulled Lin Lang out of the parade ground, followed by the ministers behind him. Everyone's face was filled with longing for the future. The lingering sound of the cannon seemed to still echo in their ears, foreshadowing the glory that was about to come for the Tang Dynasty.

At the same time, sandalwood incense was curling in the Buddhist hall of Fushou Temple.

Helan Minyue was wearing a moon-white imperial concubine's dress, the hem of her skirt was embroidered with delicate lotus patterns, and it swayed gently as she worked at her desk.

A golden phoenix hairpin holding a pearl was inserted diagonally on her head. The pearl in the phoenix's mouth swayed slightly as she wrote, reflecting a warm luster; the round pearl earrings made her skin look whiter than snow and her eyebrows and eyes look like a painting.

Helan Minyue was holding her breath and concentrating, copying Buddhist scriptures on rice paper with a purple-hair brush.

The tip of the pen slid across the paper, leaving behind lines of beautiful and graceful small characters. The strokes were slender yet powerful, just like her, seemingly gentle but with resilience.

Occasionally, a breeze came in through the window lattice, ruffling the hair by her ears. She would just raise her hand and gently gather it together, her eyes never leaving the paper, and she wrote every stroke with great piety.

Helan Minyue is copying Buddhist scriptures to pray for her husband Lin Lang. She is very pious and hopes that Lin Lang can return safely.

It is worth mentioning that Fushou Temple is a nunnery, which belongs to the inner temple of the Tang Dynasty Imperial Palace for women only.

The longer Lin Lang went on the expedition to suppress the rebellion of the Western Turks, the longer Helan Minyue spent in Fushou Temple, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

In the three days since Lin Lang left the Tang Dynasty Palace, Helan Minyue, except for sleeping time, has been praying for her husband Lin Lang and copying Buddhist scriptures in Fushou Temple. Her deep affection is witnessed by heaven and earth.

"Empress! Empress!" Xiao Cui, the personal maid, trotted into the Buddhist hall with an uncontrollable smile on her face and her voice was full of joy.

Helan Minyue looked up when she heard the voice, and paused slightly on the last stroke of her pen. The beads on the golden phoenix hairpin swayed even more happily.

Just as she was about to speak, Xiao Cui gasped and laughed, "Your Majesty! Great joy! The Emperor of Shanghai... The Emperor of Shanghai has returned triumphantly!"

With a "clang", the purple-hair brush in Helan Minyue's hand fell on the inkstone, and a few drops of ink splashed on the rice paper, but she was completely unaware.

"Xiao Cui, His Majesty has returned triumphantly. Is he injured?" Helan Minyue looked worried.

"In reply to your Majesty, the Emperor is unharmed. I heard that Your Majesty single-handedly annihilated the Western Turkic army in Tingzhou City, beheaded the enemy general Ashina Helu and brought him back to Chang'an."

"The emperor of our dynasty is very happy. Because the troubles in the northwest have been quelled, he has rewarded the emperor as the Great General of the Western Defense of the Tang Dynasty and commanded the military power of the three northwestern states. It can be seen that the emperor did not bow and entered the court with a sword." Xiao Cui's face was full of pride. She was happy for her master.

Helan Minyue stood up suddenly, her previous dignity and grace swept away. She jumped twice on the spot like a little girl who had not grown up, clapping her hands and saying, "Great! Great! My husband is back safely!"

As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up without warning and slid down Helan Minyue's cheeks.

She quickly raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, but the corners of her mouth couldn't stop rising. She looked like she was crying and laughing at the same time, and there was no trace of the reserve of an imperial concubine left.

It was the relief of the worry that had been weighing on her heart for three days, and the ecstasy of the safe return of the person she had been thinking about day and night. Even the pearl hairpins on her hair jingled with her celebratory movements, as if they were accompanying this joy.

Helan Minyue, weeping with joy, asked, "Where is Your Majesty now?"

The maid Xiao Cui replied with a smile, "His Majesty is now holding a celebration banquet in the Linde Hall. The Empress has sent someone to pass on a message, inviting you over!"

"Hurry, Xiao Cui, help me straighten my clothes!" Helan Minyue frantically brushed the wrinkles on her skirt, her eyes sparkling, "Let's go to Linde Hall now, I want to see His Majesty!"

Seeing her mistress laughing and crying, Xiao Cui's eyes also turned red. She fixed her hair and said with a smile, "Hey! Your Majesty, don't worry. I'll touch up your makeup first and make you look beautiful before you go over!"

"Yeah." Helan Minyue wiped her tears with a handkerchief, smiled sweetly and nodded slightly.

The sandalwood incense in the Buddhist hall was still lingering, but at this moment, the fragrance seemed to be tinged with sweetness, just like Helan Minyue's mood at the moment. The hanging stone fell to the ground, and all that was left was the joy of regaining what had been lost.

After putting on some makeup, the corners of Helan Minyue's eyes were still a little red, which added a touch of attractive color.

She pursed her lips towards her personal maid Xiao Cui, and the brows that were slightly furrowed with worry completely relaxed, and even her eyebrows and eyes were filled with a light smile.

"How's it going? Does it look good?"

Xiao Cui replied sweetly: "Your Majesty is as beautiful as a fairy from heaven. The emperor of Shanghai will be very happy to see you!"

Helan Minyue felt happy after hearing this, "Let's go, Xiao Cui, I can't wait to see His Majesty."

Helan Minyue lifted up the hem of her skirt and walked briskly out of the hall. The golden phoenix hairpin on her head swayed gently with her movements, and the tiny sound of the pearls colliding was very much like her excited heartbeat at the moment.

A sedan chair had already been prepared outside the palace. The bright yellow curtains were embroidered with patterns of phoenixes and flowers, and four palace maids stood with their heads bowed.

Helan Minyue had just stepped onto the sedan chair and before she could even sit still, she couldn't help but urge, "Hurry up, don't delay."

The sedan chair slowly rose and moved steadily towards the Linde Hall.

In the small space, the scent of sandalwood and Helan Minyue's faint body fragrance were intertwined, but she couldn't sit still. She adjusted her sleeves for a while, and then lifted a corner of the curtain to look out.

Although I knew that the sedan chair bearer had quickened his pace, it still felt slow, and my heart was beating like a little rabbit.

"How long will it take?" Helan Minyue asked Xiao Cui outside softly.

"Your Highness, we'll be almost there after we cross the Jade Belt Bridge ahead."

Helan Minyue hummed, her fingertips unconsciously scratching the carvings on the sedan wall.

Along the way, she counted the golden threads on the sedan chair curtain and listened to the footsteps outside. Her mind was full of Lin Lang's safe and triumphant return. She wished she could lift the curtain and see him the next second so that she could tell him all her concerns over the past few days.

When we were almost at the Linde Hall, we could hear laughter coming from inside from afar.

Helan Minyue subconsciously straightened her slightly messy hair, but couldn't help but smile - she seemed to have seen Lin Lang wearing armor and looking energetic, which was the scene she had silently recited countless times in front of the Buddha.

"Your Majesty, we're here." Xiao Cui reminded softly, lifted the curtain and helped her master get out of the sedan chair.

Helan Minyue took a deep breath, took light steps, and walked towards the Linde Hall gracefully.

The noise in the hall suddenly quieted down for a moment, and then she met Lin Lang's gaze, which was filled with surprise and tenderness, like the warm spring sun, which immediately dispelled all her uneasiness.

"My beloved!" Lin Lang came forward quickly, his voice filled with unconcealable joy.

Helan Minyue looked at the golden armor bestowed by the emperor on Lin Lang, and then looked at his safe and sound appearance. The tears that she had previously suppressed welled up again. After bowing, she smiled and said angrily, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

These eight simple words conceal her concern for three days and three nights, and also the love that will never be separated in the years to come.