After the court session the next day, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s He Jianzheng went alone to Qianqing Palace to seek an audience with Emperor Xuanjing.

The plague at the Northern Border had not yet been controlled, and Zhao Xi was troubled by it. Hearing Eunuch Sanbao mention that He Jianzheng was outside seeking an audience, his expression was not very good, "If there was a matter, why didn’t he mention it earlier in the Political Discussion Hall?"

Eunuch Sanbao replied softly, "Perhaps it’s an urgent matter that is inappropriate to discuss in front of all the officials. If Your Majesty does not wish to see him, I can send him away now."

"Never mind, let him in."

Eunuch Sanbao responded and went out, returning shortly with He Jianzheng.

He Jianzheng knelt on the ground to pay his respects to Emperor Xuanjing and only rose to stand aside after being pardoned.

Zhao Xi asked, "He Jianzheng, you came to see me privately, is there an important matter?"

He Jianzheng hesitated for a moment.

The Liaodong Iron Mine is a military secret of the court, known only to a few relevant officials, while others are kept in the dark.

Except for the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, which was invited to help select an auspicious day and time for mining, so He Jianzheng knew of the Liaodong Iron Mine and that it is Chu Country’s largest arsenal, inaccessible to the average person.

Last night, the Princess Guardian personally sought him out, mentioning that there was good news from the Liaodong Iron Mine, and she wanted him to convey a few words to His Majesty.

He Jianzheng, not being foolish, immediately realized that the Eldest Princess intended to use the predictive abilities of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to deliver a message to His Majesty.

In other words, what she wanted to say had not yet happened.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau had not predicted any situation regarding the Liaodong Iron Mine, so He Jianzheng couldn’t determine whether the Eldest Princess’s good news was true or false. After all, it was about an event that had yet to occur, and prematurely informing His Majesty could result in a mistake and, if the prophecy failed to come true, his position would be in jeopardy, possibly even costing him his life.

Had it been anyone else, He Jianzheng would never have taken such a risk, but the Eldest Princess had once aided him, and he had not had the opportunity to repay her. Now there was a chance, albeit a highly difficult one.

After trembling with trepidation, He Jianzheng silently prayed that the Eldest Princess’s words would come true, then spoke, "Last night, this minister observed the stars and saw an auspicious omen in the northeast, a sign of good fortune."

Hearing this, Zhao Xi’s brows relaxed, "What sort of auspicious omen?"

He Jianzheng said, "Specifically, this minister’s abilities are limited and cannot fully discern it. However, after pondering all night, this minister believes it most likely pertains to the Liaodong Iron Mine."

Something seemed to flash in Zhao Xi’s dark eyes.

The Liaodong Iron Mine, along with the Divine Soldier Bureau, was a crucial base for supplying weapons for the Northern Border campaign.

The Divine Soldier Bureau operated openly, while the Liaodong Iron Mine was concealed by the court. During the late Emperor’s era, Duke Lu, Song Wei, and others in charge of the Divine Soldier Bureau had proposed that the wooden mechanical beasts had major flaws. If the enemy discovered these, the legendary nature of the mechanical beasts would be lost. They suggested further improving the mechanical beasts by changing some materials from wood to iron.

However, as iron ore was tight, cold weapons were scarcely being forged. The mechanical beasts consumed vast resources, and to meet both demands, it was suggested that the method of forging cold weapons be improved to save materials for the mechanical beasts.

Nonetheless, improving the method of forging weapons was no overnight task, as it was a significant challenge to reduce material use while ensuring quality.

The memorials from the Liaodong Iron Mine stated that research was ongoing with no certainty of when success would be achieved.

Now that He Jianzheng informed him of an auspicious omen in the northeast, could it be that the improvement method had been found?

"I understand. You may withdraw!"

After He Jianzheng withdrew, Zhao Xi instructed Eunuch Sanbao to summon General of Eastern Expedition Jiang Tao.

The military unit assigned to forge weapons at the Liaodong Iron Mine was called the "Iron Roasting Army," consisting of approximately six hundred men.

General of Eastern Expedition Jiang Tao was their inspector, responsible for inspecting every two months, usually residing in the Capital. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Hearing that His Majesty had summoned him, Jiang Tao did not dare to delay for a moment and entered the palace immediately.

Zhao Xi walked out of the Imperial Study Room to meet him in a side hall of Qianqing Palace.

"This subordinate pays respects to Your Majesty." Jiang Tao respectfully knelt down.

Zhao Xi nodded slightly, permitting him to rise.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Jiang Tao stood aside.

Zhao Xi stared at him for a moment, "I have recently heard news that the weapon forging improvements at Liaodong Iron Mine have made progress. Tell me, Great General, is this true?"

Jiang Tao stiffened, "Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Xi continued, "If indeed an improvement method has been developed, then your troops would have made a great contribution to Chu Country and should be rewarded."

Jiang Tao lowered his head, his complexion looking rather grim.

The news about the weapon improvement method had only recently reached him, and he had already conspired with officials responsible for the iron mine in Liaodong to conceal it, aiming to supply iron ore to Bei Yan for half a year.

Bei Yan was short on iron ore and willing to pay a high price for it. Providing supplies for half a year could yield enormous profits.

Yet Jiang Tao never anticipated that Emperor Xuanjing would discover this news so early.

In such circumstances, someone within the Iron Roasting Army must have leaked the news.

He considered his operations securely managed but was still caught off guard.

With the Emperor aware of the successful weapon improvement, not only would the money vanish, but it would also lead to a complete falling out with the officials responsible for trade in Bei Yan. More importantly, the Imperial Concubine would not spare him.

Thinking of this, Jiang Tao felt waves of anger and wished he could tear the person who leaked the information into pieces.

However, with the situation beyond his control, and fearing arousing the Emperor’s suspicion, the consequences could be unthinkable if he continued to conceal the matter.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subordinate only recently received this news and had no intention of covering it up. However, since I had not yet verified it in Liaodong, I did not dare to report rashly, fearing accusations of deception and angering the Dragon’s countenance."

Zhao Xi gazed at Jiang Tao with a gaze akin to watching a play.

Initially, he hadn’t paid much attention when He Jianzheng mentioned the auspicious omen in the northeast. Yet after He Jianzheng departed, the more Zhao Xi pondered, the more he realized something was amiss. He Jianzheng’s words clearly had deeper implications, possibly constrained by his position, unable to overstep and directly intervene, leaving only hints.

Zhao Xi was perceptive, quickly discerning the core issue, so when Jiang Tao entered, he immediately declared he had received news of the weapon improvement success, aiming to test Jiang Tao.

Indeed, this test yielded results of great significance.

There indeed was an issue at the Liaodong Iron Mine.

Jiang Tao dared to withhold the report, certainly due in part to collaboration with officials associated with Liaodong. Zhao Xi, not wanting to alarm the insurgents prematurely, laughed, "Improving weaponry and conserving ore is a great joy for the army. Let’s do this. I’ll immediately appoint an imperial envoy to accompany the General to Liaodong to verify the improvement conditions. The weather is getting colder, and there’s frequent rain, so the Great General must take care of his health!"

Oddly enough, when Jiang Tao heard these words from Emperor Xuanjing, he couldn’t help but shiver.

Back at his mansion, he demolished half of his study room in a fit of rage.

Incompetent! A bunch of incompetents!

So many people and they couldn’t even keep one secret, allowing information to be smuggled back from such a distant place. If he found out who it was, he would tear them limb from limb!

...

True to his word, Zhao Xi quickly appointed an imperial envoy to accompany Jiang Tao to Liaodong.

Throughout the journey, Jiang Tao wore a sullen expression as if someone owed him millions.

The imperial envoy was Vice Minister Li, who had almost formed a marriage alliance with the Western Marquis Mansion recently. He was a person of resolute character. Jiang Tao did not speak, nor did he, and the two endured an awkward silence all the way to Liaodong.

...

One day, Zhao Xi proactively summoned He Jianzheng and asked, "How did you come to know there was a problem with the Liaodong Iron Mine?"

The Emperor knew that the predictions of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau were usually general, rarely as detailed as this one, making this incident quite suspicious.

He Jianzheng’s eyes flickered slightly, and he half-jokingly said, "A master calculated it and gave a hint to this minister."

"Oh? What is the name of this master, and where are they now?"

He Jianzheng replied, "If Your Majesty trusts this minister, please allow me to keep it a secret for now. If Your Majesty remains interested in a few days, this minister will gladly introduce you then."

Although Zhao Xi didn’t appreciate the evasiveness of his subordinates, the Liaodong Iron Mine incident was conducted impeccably, and he was quite pleased, so his attitude was relatively lenient, "Well, then I shall await eagerly."

...

I took a chance to relay the situation in the palace to Zhao Xunyin.

Zhao Xunyin naturally passed it on to Wen Wan immediately.

Upon hearing that the words she asked He Jianzheng to convey had worked, and Emperor Xuanjing had arranged for the imperial envoy to accompany General of Eastern Expedition Jiang Tao to Liaodong to verify the situation, Wen Wan was overjoyed, "That’s great!"

Seeing her expression full of happiness, Zhao Xunyin sighed softly, "I pity you for having to concern yourself with state affairs when you should be managing household chores and embroidery, a hard task for a woman."

Wen Wan didn’t feel burdened. With every task she accomplished for the court, she felt a step closer to success, "Mother, don’t say such dispiriting things. I will write a letter to share this achievement with Third Son. Who knows where they are now?"