nyslfriends Chapter 197 Happy Birthday, Imperial Noble Consort Chenyuan!
Chapter 197 Happy Birthday, Imperial Noble Consort Chenyuan!
There was light here. From nearly 600 paces away, the wolf king on the other side smiled when he saw Shen Shixi, his eyes filled with a determined ambition.
This woman is extraordinary!
He saw Li Yuanke raise his crossbow, a look of contempt flashing in his eyes.
He had experienced Li Yuanke's archery skills firsthand and dared not underestimate him, but even with his amazing arm strength, it was impossible for him to shoot five hundred paces.
"Your Majesty, the Great Zhou's crossbows have a range of over three hundred paces. We should be careful!" The bodyguard was very nervous.
It was only during this encounter that they realized that the Great Zhou's crossbows had a much longer effective range and were more accurate than their sharpshooters!
"No need to worry! It's at least five hundred paces from here. If the Great Zhou's crossbows can shoot that far, I'll cut off my head and give it to Li Yuanke as a wine cup!"
The sound of something cutting through the air came, and the wolf king, seeing that the situation was not right, dodged to the side, but his shoulder was still pierced by the arrow.
Arrows dangled from his shoulder.
The wolf king was covered in cold sweat.
It is obvious that Li Yuanke's crossbows were more powerful and had a longer range than those used by his Xuanjia Army.
At a distance of more than 500 paces, one could not only hit him, but also injure him.
"Great Khan!" the guards shouted, rushing forward to protect the wolf king as they retreated.
The Wolf King was furious. He pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and demanded, "Investigate! How could the Great Zhou have such a powerful crossbow? What's going on?"
The Beisha people are a nomadic people who ride horses as soon as they can walk, and they start shooting arrows as soon as they can pick up a bow. Horseback archery is a basic skill for survival and hunting, and it is extraordinary.
However, to say that it has an effective range of 300 paces goes against the laws of nature.
Not to mention, Li Yuanke's arrow had an effective range of five hundred paces.
The wolf king was horrified, but also relieved.
Tonight's sneak attack, seemingly a spur-of-the-moment decision by the Wolf King, was perhaps not entirely unplanned by Li Yuanke. He exploited the Wolf King's feelings for Shen Shixi, orchestrating this attack to flex his muscles.
While intimidating the wolf king, it also intimidated the garrison commanders.
Shen Shixi understood what the Wolf King had figured out the moment they were surrounded.
Li Yuanke's intention to celebrate her birthday was genuine, as was his scheming against the Wolf King. If you try to stop an emperor from scheming, he's not far from death.
Just like her, who would not let go of her schemes against the Pei family, as long as the Pei family stands in the court, the Shen family will never have peace.
[That bastard's move was truly brilliant. Once word gets out of tonight's ambush, the generals of the regional military governors will have to think twice, making negotiations with the Wolf King much easier.]
The wolf king was hit by an arrow, but he was definitely not dead. Xu Chun also gasped. Their crossbows could shoot more than 500 paces away, with an effective range of more than 300 paces. The one in His Majesty's hand could shoot even further.
The wolf king was also caught off guard, which is why he was hit by the arrow. He is definitely not dead. It was too far away and too dark, so it was not easy to hit a vital spot, but the deterrent effect must have been very strong.
"Your Majesty, your ministers and the generals from the surrounding area have all come here after hearing about the surprise attack on Beisha and are requesting an audience with you," Li Fude reported as he entered.
"Let them all in," Li Yuanke instructed Xu Chun. "You stay here and tell them about the battle situation."
"yes!"
Prime Minister Pei arrived with a group of officials and fully armed generals.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the emperor was safe and sound.
As soon as Jiang Kuoyun, the Left Commander-in-Chief, entered, he said, "Your Majesty, this time it was the Wolf King of Beisha who personally led his troops here. He must be coming for Your Majesty. I have already ordered men to pursue him. The Wolf King has also been injured."
The officials were increasingly fearful, and Prime Minister Pei rebuked them.
"Your Majesty, why did you come here instead of staying at the yamen? Even if it's for Consort Chen's birthday celebration, there's no need for you to come out alone. We have heard that the Wolf King of Beisha led his troops in a sneak attack, and we are truly worried. Your Majesty is responsible for the fate of the nation; we hope you will prioritize the well-being of the country."
The wolf king was incredibly bold, bringing such a small number of people to cross mountains and valleys; he was truly fearless.
"No need to worry! I came here to probe the Wolf King's strength, it has nothing to do with Consort Chen's birthday," Li Yuanke said. "Xu Chun, tell me, how many men did the Wolf King bring tonight, and what were the results of the fierce battle?"
"Yes!" Xu Chun said, "This time when we fought the Wolf King, we used a new type of weapon, the sniper crossbow. This crossbow has an effective range of 350 paces. When Bei Sha surrounded us, their arrows couldn't even touch us, but we were able to kill them."
Nearly half of the thousand-strong Beisha Army was engaged, and our troops suffered no casualties.
"That's impossible!" General Jiang Kuoyun, the Left Commander, exclaimed in surprise. Seeing everyone looking at him, he quickly said, "What I mean is that it's impossible for the effective range to reach 350 paces."
Even Prime Minister Pei was unaware of this matter and harbored doubts.
Li Yuanke nodded, and Xu Chun handed his crossbow to Jiang Kuoyun, saying, "General Jiang, take a look. This is the crossbow I use. You can go outside and test it out."
After handing it to Jiang Kuoyun, he stood in front of Li Yuanke.
Jiang Kuoyun naturally dared not confront Li Yuanke directly. He took his crossbow and went outside. Under the guidance of a Xuanjia soldier, he shot an arrow into the dense forest outside. People like them could tell how far an arrow could fly in the air just by listening.
At that moment, I felt a sense of awe and trepidation.
The Xuanjia Army actually possessed such a powerful weapon.
The civil officials were just watching the spectacle, while the military generals saw through the scheme. Some astute individuals immediately understood what kind of game His Majesty was playing today.
The young king had served in the army and knew very well that whoever had the strongest fist had the right to speak. When they sat down again, no one dared to be presumptuous and they became even more respectful.
"This powerful crossbow was made by Consort Chen, and I like it very much. The fact that the Wolf King was injured this time is also thanks to Consort Chen," the Emperor said casually.
But the ministers were all shocked.
Jiang Kuoyun said, "Yes, it is very easy to use, requires no effort, and has a range of over 500 paces."
He bowed to Shen Shixi, saying, "Your Majesty is wise; this humble general admires you!"
Qin Zhenye, the commander of the Northern Imperial Guards, said, "When Your Majesty was in the army, Consort Chen also modified the repeating crossbows for Your Majesty. Consort Chen's assistance to Your Majesty has been truly meritorious."
The Emperor then said, "What you say is quite right. Mistakes should be punished, but merits should be rewarded. I wish to promote Consort Chen to Imperial Noble Consort. What do you all think?"
Shen Shixi was startled; she hadn't expected this at all.
【No way, what is that bastard Li Yuanke up to now? Last time he promoted me, I had to do hard labor during the Lunar New Year. What kind of trap is he trying to dig for me this time?】
What does she need this position for?
When Li Yuanke heard her complaints, he felt a lump in his throat and almost choked.
That ungrateful bastard!
Today is Consort Chen's birthday, and someone has thought of this.
Qin Zhenye said, "This is the honor that Consort Chen deserves; this humble general has no objection!"
Half of the civil officials also seconded the motion.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Wang Yifang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we believe this is inappropriate. Developing powerful crossbows is not something that Consort Chen should be doing. The purpose of consorts is to continue the family line. Consort Chen has been in the palace for nearly a year and has yet to achieve anything."
Shen Shixi chuckled but didn't say anything.
Li Yuanke roared, "Get out!"
Before Wang Yifang could even defend himself, Li Fude had already ordered his men to drag him away.
Li Yuanke glanced at Prime Minister Pei, "If we're talking about ensuring the continuation of the imperial line, wouldn't the woman in my harem who has given birth to the most children be considered to have the greatest merit? Every woman can bear children, but in this world, only Consort Chen can create such a powerful weapon for me!"
"We all wholeheartedly agree!" Qin Zhenye was the first to stand up and agree. "When it comes to contributions to the Great Zhou, none of us can match them."
"We second that!" the generals all chimed in in support.
Half of the civil officials also stood up, saying, "We second that proposal!"
Consort Chen's contributions are indeed undeniable.
Prime Minister Pei could not go against his conscience to object, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Chen has made great contributions and should be promoted as a reward. However, there has never been a title of Imperial Noble Consort since ancient times. To create a title out of thin air is inconsistent with ancestral rules and family laws."
The only thing missing from the title of Imperial Noble Consort is to announce to the world, "Why isn't the Empress dead yet!"
The Emperor said, "Since ancient times, there have been Imperial Noble Consorts, but no Imperial Noble Consorts. I wish to bestow upon you the unique title of Consort Chen, with the honorific name Chen Yuan!"
Only the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress were entitled to use honorific titles.
But all the military generals supported it, and half of the civil officials also supported it.
Prime Minister Pei had nothing more to say; if he said anything more, he would probably kill the Empress.
"Your humble servants pay their respects to Her Highness Imperial Noble Consort Chenyuan! May Your Highness live a thousand years!"
Civil and military officials knelt in worship!
As the drums sounded, on the 18th day of the third month of the sixth year of Yongxi, on the occasion of Shen Shixi's seventeenth birthday, she was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort Chenyuan and was granted a golden seal and gold jewels. The decree was issued to the world, and she was to offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple after returning to the capital.
(Bonus chapter! Please give me kisses, hugs, and lift me up high!)