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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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They rushed into the courtyard in a flurry of beautiful, high quality silk, surrounded by a dozen heavily armed, deeply panicked palace guards. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with genuine, heart stopping terror, genuinely thinking that there was a massive bomb exploding within the palace walls, or that a desperate assassination attempt was actively taking place against the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
"Husband!" Ying Yue cried out, her usual flawless composure entirely broken as she rushed forward, desperately searching the smoke for any sign of blood.
However, as the white, sulfurous cloud slowly drifted away on the spring breeze, the panic subsided. Upon seeing the smoking, dark steel new weapon held casually in Lie Fan's hand, and realizing everyone was completely safe and uninjured, the women let out a collective, massive sigh of relief. The palace guards, seeing the Emperor unharmed, quickly bowed and retreated to the perimeter, their hands leaving the hilts of their swords.
"By the heavens, Husband," Zhen Ji scolded breathlessly, a hand resting over her racing heart. "You nearly stopped the hearts of all of us here. What is that terrifying thing?"
Among the wives, the reaction was varied. Cai Wenji looked at the weapon with a scholar's detached horror, recognizing the end of the romanticized era of the sword. Diao Chan simply covered her nose with her fan, repulsed by the sharp, demonic smell of the black powder.
But the warrior concubine, Lu Lingqi, was the one who became immediately, intensely interested in the firearm. Her fierce eyes narrowed, locking onto the smoking steel barrel. The daughter of Lu Bu did not fear weapons, she sought to master them. She stepped forward, ignoring the lingering smoke, her gaze fixed on the heavy, flared blunderbuss resting on the table.
Before she could speak, however, the focus returned to the Crown Prince. Recovering from his initial, completely understandable shock, Muchen proved the absolute strength of his bloodline. He didn't cower. He bravely stepped forward, his young face setting into a mask of determined concentration.
He asked for the pistol. Lie Fan, beaming with pride, handed it over and guided the boy through the reloading process. Muchen raised the heavy pistol with both hands to steady it. He pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The heavy recoil punched his young shoulder hard, pushing him back half a step, but Muchen held his ground, a thrill of adrenaline lighting up his eyes as a second hole appeared in the distant oak target.
Then, the eager Lu Lingqi could wait no longer. She smoothly stepped past the men, grabbed the heavy blunderbuss from the table, and loaded it with an expert, almost intuitive speed that impressed even Lie Fan.
She braced the heavy wooden stock against her shoulder, aimed at a cluster of wooden mannequins, and fired. The massive roar echoed again, obliterating the target with expert precision, turning the wood into a cloud of flying splinters. She lowered the weapon, a fierce, predatory smile touching her lips. "This," she declared, "is a weapon for conquering."
Watching the smoke clear once more, Muchen handed the pistol back to his father. The boy looked down at his own young, relatively uncalloused hands, his mind working rapidly, processing the geopolitical implications of what he had just done.
He looked up, his expression deeply serious, and astutely pointed out a terrifying reality to his father.
"Father," Muchen said, his young voice carrying the weight of a future Emperor. "To master the heavy longbow, a man must train for years. He must build the muscles in his back, he must practice his aim every single day, and even then, his arrows might just bounce off heavy iron armor. But this..."
Muchen gestured to the smoking pistol. "This terrifying new weapon... it requires no strength. It requires no years of training. With a week of drilling, this weapon could easily be used by absolutely everyone. Even a weak, starving peasant could use this to kill a heavily armored knight who trained his entire life. It completely destroys the natural hierarchy of strength."
Lie Fan's eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise, before he proudly, deeply nodded his head at his son's incredibly sharp, mature observation.
"You see the true nature of power, my son," Lie Fan praised him, placing a heavy, affectionate hand on Muchen's shoulder. He then explained that Muchen was entirely correct, and that is exactly why he had already taken extreme, uncompromising preemptive measures.
"I had already secretly summoned Chen Gong, the strict Minister of Law, to my study last night," Lie Fan revealed to his family. "I ordered him to draft up a harsh, uncompromising new imperial law that will be enacted across the entire continent."
Lie Fan's voice dropped into a cold, absolute tone that brooked no argument. "This upcoming law will make absolutely sure that these dangerous new weapons, and the black powder that fuels them, wouldn't ever be allowed to be held, traded, or manufactured by ordinary civilians. The formula is a state secret. Possession of a firearm, or the unapproved possession of sulfur and saltpeter, will be strictly limited only to the active military and authorized imperial guard personnel. For a civilian, the penalty for possession will be immediate death, and the exile of their entire extended family to the frozen north."
Hearing that incredibly wise, ruthless precaution, designed specifically to prevent the peasantry from ever having the means to overthrow the heavily armored imperial state, Muchen nodded his head in absolute agreement.
However, the young prince did not simply accept the solution and move on. He furrowed his brow in deep thought, pacing slowly around the heavy oak table. He was looking for the flaw in the armor.
He stopped, turning back to his father, and confidently says to Lie Fan that while he fully agrees with the legislative idea, it was not enough.
"While I fully agree with the idea, Father, a law only stops an honest man, or a fearful one," Muchen reasoned, his intellect shining brilliantly in the afternoon sun. "Shouldn't we also train someone, or establish a highly specialized unit, that could make sure the highly volatile gunpowders aren't used by future enemies or assassins to kill us?"
Muchen pointed out a terrifying, incredibly pragmatic loophole. "Traitors do not care about the penalty of death. They could easily resort to planting hidden bombs within the palace walls, or smuggling these compact, concealable weapons into the throne room during a grand assembly. We cannot see the powder hidden inside a wooden cart or a silk sleeve."
Hearing that paranoid but an utterly brilliant foresight from his young son, Lie Fan was completely enlightened. It was as if a sudden burst of lightning had illuminated a dark corner of the room.
What his son says is absolutely true. A law was a deterrent, not a physical shield against assassination, and as someone from the modern world he9 codu khe forget about that. Realizing that Muchen is still only 13 years old, yet already thinking several steps ahead of seasoned generals regarding state security, Lie Fan was overwhelmed with an immense, chest swelling pride at the boy's incredible ruling potential.
"You are absolutely right, Muchen," Lie Fan warmly praised him, his smile wide and genuine. "You possess a brilliant imperial mindset. To rule is to anticipate the blade before it is drawn."
Lie Fan immediately expanded on the boy's idea, his own visionary mind rapidly taking the concept to its logical, highly effective conclusion.
"But human guards can be bribed, and their eyes can be deceived by clever packaging," Lie Fan excitedly said, pacing the courtyard. "Instead of just relying on human guards, we will use nature itself. We could actually train specialized guard dogs."
Muchen's eyes widened. "Dogs, Father?"
"Yes!" Lie Fan confirmed, the idea taking full shape. "The smell of this black powder is distinct, sharp, and heavily sulfurous. A human cannot smell it if it is sealed in a wooden crate, but a hound's nose is thousands of times more sensitive. We will establish a specialized kennel within the imperial guard. We will train these dogs to specifically memorize and recognize the distinct, sulfurous smell of black powder. We will place them at every gate of the palace, at every entrance to the capital."
He looked at his son, clapping him proudly on the shoulder. "You have just helped create an ultimate, foolproof security measure for the royal family and the capital, Muchen. The era of fire has begun, but thanks to you, the security of the Imperial Family was strengthened yet again."
Immediately after that enlightening and impressive conversation with his young son in the sunlit courtyard, Lie Fan wasted absolutely no time. The warm, affectionate pride of a father seamlessly hardened into the cold, calculated pragmatism of an empire's supreme architect. Leaving the newly forged weapons under the heavy guard of his wives and the palace sentries, he turned on his heel and strode purposefully back into the labyrinthine corridors of the inner palace. His mind was racing, the gears of statecraft churning with renewed vigor.
He moved with a brisk, commanding pace, heading straight for the secluded sanctuary of his private study. As soon as the heavy mahogany doors closed behind him, shutting out the bustling noise of the imperial household, he swiftly called for his personal attendants and ordered them to summon Chancellor Jia Xu immediately.
He did not have to wait long. Jia Xu, a man who seemed to exist purely within the shadows and whispers of the capital, arrived with his usual eerie promptness. The cunning Chancellor stepped into the study, his dark robes brushing silently against the woven floor mats, and offered a deep, respectful bow to his sovereign.
"You summoned me, Your Majesty," Jia Xu said, his sharp eyes flicking up to meet Lie Fan's gaze, instantly sensing the urgent, vibrating energy radiating from the Emperor.
"Take a seat, Wenhe," Lie Fan commanded, gesturing to the chair across his massive ebony desk. As the Chancellor settled in, Lie Fan leaned forward and passionately explained Crown Prince Muchen's brilliant security insight regarding the new firearms. He recounted the demonstration in the courtyard, the devastating power of the blunderbuss, and, most importantly, the pragmatic loophole the thirteen year old boy had pointed out regarding assassins and concealed explosives.
Hearing this, Jia Xu's usually guarded expression shifted. His eyes widened in genuine, unadulterated admiration for the young prince's strategic mind. A slow, deeply satisfied smile crept across his aged face, and he began stroking his long, gray beard in deep approval.
"The Crown Prince possesses a mind sharper than a newly forged blade, Your Majesty," Jia Xu murmured, his voice laced with profound respect. "For centuries, the poisoned chalice, the silken garrote, and the hidden dagger have been the traditional tools of treason. We have built our security around detecting steel and testing wine. But this black powder... it changes the very fabric of assassination. A man no longer needs to be close enough to strike you. He only needs to be close enough to light a fuse. The Prince is absolutely correct; human eyes can be deceived by a false-bottomed cart or a hollowed-out log of firewood, but the scent of sulfur cannot be hidden from the beasts of the earth."
Lie Fan nodded heavily, his expression turning grim. "Exactly. That is why I am formally ordering you to immediately prepare a highly classified, top-level military edict. This cannot wait for the morning assembly."
Jia Xu pulled a blank scroll of premium silk and a brush toward him, ready to transcribe the Emperor's will.
"This strict edict," Lie Fan dictated, his voice echoing with absolute authority, "is to instantly create and fund a highly specialized, elite guard unit. They will not answer to the city garrison or the Ministry of War. They will operate directly under the Imperial Palace's jurisdiction, reporting only to me, to you, and to the Captain of the Yellow Ghost Bodyguards."
He paced behind his desk, his mind visualizing the infrastructure required. "This unique unit would be entirely dedicated to breeding, raising, and rigorously training specialized hounds and guard dogs. We will procure the sharpest nosed hunting breeds from the southern jungles and the most fiercely loyal mastiffs from the northern plains. They must be trained to specifically recognize and relentlessly track the distinct, sulfurous smell of black gunpowders."
Lie Fan stopped and leaned heavily on the desk, looking Jia Xu dead in the eye, heavily emphasizing the gravity of the mandate. "This canine unit must flawlessly detect the volatile powder. I want them stationed at every gate of the capital, at the entrance of every imperial ministry, and patrolling the perimeters of the palace walls. If there is ever any treacherous attempt by rebels or assassins to smuggle raw powder into the capital, or to smuggle stolen munitions out of the imperial armories, these hounds must find it before a single spark is struck."
He noted with a grave, serious tone that the unchecked spread of gunpowder could pose a catastrophic, high level risk to the safety of the entire Imperial Family.
"We are playing with the fire of the gods, Jia Xu," Lie Fan continued, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "If enemy spies managed to craft hidden bombs and plant them beneath the floorboards of the throne room, or if they managed to weaponize the celebratory fireworks used during the autumn festivals... the devastation would be instantaneous. Or worse, if they somehow managed to get their treacherous hands on the newly invented flintlocks and blunderbusses, they could strike us down from a distance before my bodyguards could even draw their swords. The monopoly on this violence must remain absolute."
"The hounds will be the ultimate shield against the unseen threat," Jia Xu promised, rolling up the freshly drafted edict and securing it with a leather tie. "The shadow of treason will not survive the scent of sulfur. I will personally oversee the selection of the handlers to ensure their absolute loyalty."
After that crucial, visionary security measure was set into motion, seamlessly integrated into the already impenetrable defenses of the capital, several peaceful days passed in the bustling, prosperous heart of Xiapi. The city hummed with the endless rhythm of commerce, academia, and imperial administration, entirely oblivious to the monumental shifts in global power happening across the ocean and within the palace walls.
On a particularly crisp, bright morning, the heavy doors of the throne room were opened to admit Chen Gong, the Minister of Law.
He formally arrived at the palace, walking with a rigid, purposeful stride, escorted by two scribes carrying heavy stacks of bound bamboo scrolls. Approaching the raised dais where Lie Fan sat upon his golden dragon throne, Chen Gong bowed deeply and respectfully presented the culmination of his exhaustive labor. He reported to Lie Fan the meticulously drafted new imperial firearm law that the Emperor had previously requested on the night of the courtyard demonstration.
"Your Majesty," Chen Gong announced, his voice echoing in the vast chamber, clear and devoid of any political flattery. "The legal framework for the absolute regulation, containment, and punishment regarding the new era of weaponry is complete. It leaves no room for interpretation, no loopholes for the wealthy, and no mercy for the treacherous."
Sitting on his throne, Lie Fan dismissed his other attendants with a wave of his hand. He took the heavy, tightly bound bamboo scrolls from Chen Gong's scribes, resting them on his lap. For the next several hours, the throne room was completely silent, save for the rhythmic clacking of bamboo slips as the Emperor carefully read through all the intricate clauses and severe penalties detailed within.
Chen Gong had truly outdone himself. The law did not just ban the weapons, it fundamentally controlled the raw materials of the weapons itself. It strictly decreed that the mining of sulfur and saltpeter was now an absolute, exclusive monopoly of the state.
Any civilian found digging for these minerals, or attempting to refine them without the explicit, stamped authorization of the Ministry of War, would be branded a traitor.
The penalties were terrifyingly severe, utilizing the ancient, dreaded concept of familial extermination but tailoring it for the new era. If a civilian was found in possession of a completed firearm, a drafted blueprint of the firing mechanism, or a hidden cache of black powder, the penalty was immediate, public death for the primary offender.
But the punishment did not stop there. The law mandated the immediate seizure of all ancestral properties and the forced, permanent exile of their entire extended family to the most brutal, freezing labor camps in the newly conquered northern steppes.
Reading all of it, absorbing the cold, flawless logic of the text, Lie Fan felt a profound sense of security. The ironclad legal framework was absolute perfection. It was a terrifying, suffocating legal net that was more than enough to completely deter any ambitious civilian, disgruntled merchant, or rogue, power-hungry noble from ever daring to manufacture or possess the weapons. The risk simply outweighed any conceivable reward.
Deeply satisfied with the result, Lie Fan rolled the final scroll shut and looked down at his Minister of Law.
"You have woven a masterpiece of deterrence, Chen Gong," Lie Fan praised him, his voice booming with genuine appreciation for the man's flawless legal mind. "You have ensured that the sword remains a tool of the people, but the thunder remains the exclusive property of the Dragon."
An imperial maid hastily brought forward a small, intricately carved wooden table bearing a pot of vibrant vermilion ink and the heavy, priceless Imperial Jade Seal. Lie Fan took up his finest writing brush, dipped it into the red ink, and signed his name with sweeping, elegant strokes across the final, heavy parchment summary of the laws. Then, taking the Jade Seal in both hands, he pressed it firmly down onto the document.
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0