Chapter 1483
The Final Battle: Who exactly is this Madam Zhang?
Chapter 1483 The Final Battle: Who exactly is this Madam Zhang?
The chief steward, being quite shrewd, bowed and expressed his gratitude: "This servant thanks Mr. Tao for his generosity and righteousness. If this rare item can help Commander Jiang and Master Qin, then Mr. Tao will have done a great service."
A rare item?
These three words alone are enough to reveal the truth.
Such a rare item, even our young master Si doesn't have one, where did you, Wen Tao, get it from?
According to the rules, if you come out to surrender with a rare item, you must take the initiative to explain the origin of the item.
Otherwise, if you stole the money, wouldn't the Si family be your accomplices in disposing of stolen goods?
Or perhaps you are acting as a pledge of allegiance for a third party, and if the person behind it is a traitor, then the Si family is an accomplice.
Damn, the world of powerful and wealthy families is really a headache. Wouldn't it be better to be more straightforward?
Wen Tao wasn't stupid and knew the rules. He took out a letter and handed it to Si Pei: "This is a letter from Lord Xie's family. He asked me to pass this rare item on to Marquis Wenchang. He said that this item can be used in two ways. When it is a double-layered mirror, it can be used to observe the details of people hundreds of meters away, which will help Marquis Wenchang in his negotiations with Dongmo."
The mission of Marquis Wenchang in the Northeast was to interrogate Dongmo and demand an explanation from Dongmo for the spies' crimes.
Si Pei, the young master of the main family, accepted the letter with great poise, unfolded it, read it, and then handed it to Chief Steward Si.
The Grand Steward Si accepted the letter with both hands, first confirming that the Xie family seal on the letter was genuine, and then carefully read the contents of the letter. Finally, he sighed, "So that's how it is... There really is a divine will in the dark. This rare item must be of great use."
The letter stated that since Marquis Wenchang was already at the Tianmang Prefecture pass camp at that time, Xie Zhang and his wife asked Wen Tao to forward it to the pass camp on their behalf.
After all, the Wen family wielded considerable influence in the capital city, and Wen Tao was extremely familiar with the city, which is why he was asked to handle this matter.
That explanation is barely reasonable.
But there are still many things that don't make sense.
For example, the news of the Marquis of Wenchang's murder had already spread for several months, so why wasn't this item returned, or given to the stewards of the Marquis of Wenchang's family in the capital city?
Wen Tao was also feeling guilty, so he explained, "After Marquis Wenchang passed away, I thought this item should naturally be returned to Lord Xie's family... But when I heard that my nephew Pei came looking for this item, for the sake of the country, I took it upon myself to bring out this rare item."
"However, if this rare item proves useful, the credit should go to Lord Xie and his wife, and it has little to do with me."
Chief Steward Si hurriedly bowed and said, "Mr. Tao, you are too modest. If you hadn't brought this out, it wouldn't have been able to perform its function. So, Mr. Tao deserves a share of the credit."
Si Pei said, "It's getting dark. I'll deliver this long, triple-lens telescope to Commander Jiang first. We can't delay Commander Jiang's important business."
Stop talking nonsense!
These words were exactly what Wen Tao wanted to hear, and he hurriedly said, "Someone, move the three-layered mirror to Young Master Pei's carriage. Be careful, that glass mirror is fragile."
He then said to Si Pei, "There is a user manual in the box. After Jiang Qianhu reads it carefully, he will know how to use this rare item."
Chief Steward Si said, "Lord Xie's family is indeed very thoughtful."
All the empty talk in foreign negotiations is done by Chief Steward Si, and Si Pei just needs to go along with it and put on a show.
After a lot of fuss and nonsense, Si Pei and his servant left with the long, triple-lensed mirror.
Wen Tao, feeling guilty yet curious, grabbed Si Pei and asked, "What did Commander Jiang and Master Qin say about the marriage alliance? I heard from outside that the Wei army seems to have agreed to the marriage alliance and has already accepted the enemy's betrothal gifts twice. Aren't Qin and Jiang angry?"
Given Qin's daughter's fiery temper, if it weren't for the city walls, Wen Tao would be sure that she would have already bombarded the enemy three times over!
Si Peitian innocently replied, "I don't know. I haven't even met them yet. What marriage? The enemy killed so many of our people, how could we possibly make peace with them through marriage? Wouldn't that be demeaning ourselves?"
Wen Tao, who wanted to end the war through a marriage alliance: "..."
Why can't we have a marriage alliance?
Why shouldn't they go to marry into the enemy to ensure the safety of millions of people in the Great Wei? This is a win-win deal for the Great Wei, a very good deal! Of course, before they go to marry, they must be instructed to withstand the enemy's torture and not reveal the secret of how the weapons are made.
No matter how painful the torture was, the two of them had to live on; they couldn't die. If they committed suicide in the Eastern Desert, the peace of the Great Wei would be lost.
"Regardless of the final decision regarding the marriage alliance, I urge Commander Jiang and Master Qin to take care of their lives and stay alive," Wen Tao said sincerely.
Si Pei was touched and excited: "Uncle Tao, don't worry, I will pass on this message to Commander Jiang and Master Qin so that they can focus on making weapons. We, as acquaintances, will protect them and prevent them from going on a marriage alliance!"
Wen Tao: "..."
Is that what Lao Tzu meant?
If they had any sense of right and wrong, they should have taken the initiative to propose a marriage alliance themselves, instead of putting everyone in a difficult position!
Chief Steward Si was professionally trained and wouldn't burst out laughing: "..."
Si Pei then asked, "Uncle Tao, do you have any other medicinal herbs at home? Whether it's borneol or bezoar, which are plague-preventing medicines, old ginseng is also fine. It can save people who are extremely weak and replenish their vital energy to help them resist the invasion of plague."
Wen Tao: "..." This is occupied territory. If we kill you here, your family will only think you were killed by the enemy.
Help! This thing looks like a weather vane, but it's actually a vicious wolf.
He had also met Young Master Ming.
"Really? Really?" Si Pei asked expectantly, his eyes sparkling with youthful sincerity.
Heh, Wen Tao was cursing inwardly, but he still nodded obsequiously and said, "There's still half a ginseng root left. It was originally meant for the elders and children in the clan, but since Nephew Pei asked..."
After another round of nonsense, they finally sent someone to bring over half a ginseng root.
Si Pei accepted it without hesitation, since Chief Steward Si did not stop him.
The fact that they didn't stop him means that Wen Tao's family must still have some stock, and he could take this half of the old ginseng.
After leaving Wen Tao's new residence, Si Pei headed straight for Mushan. When it was completely dark, he finally delivered the items.
"Brother Jiang, the triple-layered mirror has arrived for you, hahaha!" Si Peichao was overjoyed; he had successfully completed the task.
Jiang Dalang came out of the gun manufacturing workshop in about fifteen minutes and met Si Pei a few meters away, asking him about how he got the long-tube triple-layered scope.
After asking the questions, the box containing the long-lens triple-lens mirror was also treated for pests and diseases.
Jiang Dalang opened the box, removed the silk covering the long, three-layered microscope, and saw its true form. His pupils contracted slightly... It was very similar to a microscope described in Su Su and Yun Fu's notes.
However, this long-tube triple lens is relatively simple and crude.
But Xie Zhangshi is no ordinary person to be able to make something like this.
Jiang Dalang, afraid of damaging the lens, didn't touch it any further. He covered the long, triple-lensed lens, closed the box, looked at Si Pei, and instructed him: "The city is not safe now. After you go back, don't go out again. Be wary of some people, even acquaintances. Don't completely trust what acquaintances say. Don't be sold out and still help them count the money."
Si Pei patted his chest and said, "Brother Jiang, don't worry. I've always been clever and quick-witted, and I have a lot of people protecting me. I also have the support of two powerful clans and the royal family. Only a fool would dare to mess with me."
"Oh right, we're relatives! My great-grandmother was a princess of the Wei royal family, and your uncle, who is also the son of the Qin family, is the Prince of Ye. Hahaha, we're real relatives!"
No, at a time like this you're still busy trying to establish kinship ties?