"Master succeeded, succeeded!"
Jifeng rushed in excitedly to report.
Chen Jiayu stood up in excitement, and without a word, he hurried to the experimental base.
Everyone at the experimental base was beaming. They had failed so many times, and this time, they had finally succeeded!
Chen Country was about to usher in earth-shattering development, and they would all be heroes recorded in history.
As soon as Chen Jiayu arrived, several people quickly invited him onto the high platform. On the spacious training ground, someone ignited the explosive charge and hastily retreated, covering their ears.
With a bang, dust flew everywhere. After the smoke cleared, a large pit was left in the ground. Chen Jiayu's eyes were full of joy.
"Hahaha, rewards! Rewards for everyone! Give him a heavy reward! Hahaha."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After his joy subsided, Chen Jiayu immediately set off for the imperial palace.
...
"Father, your son has succeeded."
"Hahaha, you are truly my son. I knew you could do it. How was the power?"
"The pit was three feet wide and two feet deep."
Chen Guozhu was shocked and murmured, "The history of my Chen Country will be rewritten from this day forward."
"Good, good, good! My son is capable!"
His eyes fixed on the front, the light within was terrifyingly bright.
Chen Guozhu was overjoyed and sent all sorts of good things to Chen Jiayu's residence. That evening, a banquet was held in the palace, where Chen Jiayu's identity was fabricated, and he was immediately crowned Crown Prince.
The princes had mixed expressions. This supposed ninth prince who had been living in obscurity was clearly their third brother. This was too perfunctory; they hadn't even changed his name.
They were not in a position to challenge the Emperor, nor did they believe they could compete with Chen Jiayu. Chen Jiayu must have made a great contribution for this investiture.
Before Chen Jiayu could move into the Eastern Palace, he left the palace with several princes after the banquet. An undercurrent surged in their eyes, and they gnashed their teeth in hatred.
Fourth Prince: "For my ninth brother to be favored by Father, he must surely have extraordinary abilities."
Sixth Prince: "Fourth Brother, you are mistaken. You should call him His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Look at my head, I was careless. Your Highness the Crown Prince, please forgive me." As he spoke, he tapped his head and made a gesture as if to bow.
Chen Jiayu stepped forward a few paces and immediately supported him.
"Fourth Brother is too polite. We are brothers; acting like this is practically demeaning your ninth brother."
"Hahaha, I dare not, I dare not. I will have to ask for your care in the future, Ninth Brother."
They exchanged pleasantries for a while before arriving at the palace gate. After Chen Jiayu got into the carriage, his entire expression changed.
He disdained to fight with these brothers. As long as they behaved and did not covet what they should not have, he would protect their prosperity for life.
The carriage slowly moved through the streets. Chen Jiayu rhythmically tapped his fingers on the table, his mind already charting the future map of Chen Country.
Thinking of himself uniting the two countries and possessing vast territories in the future, a smile curved his lips, making him look both wicked and enchanting.
Upon returning to his residence, he made a special trip to see Zhao Jingwan.
"Wanwan, I succeeded. After wasting so much manpower and material resources, there is finally a result. Do you know how I feel now? I wish everyone knew about this."
"Congratulations, Your Highness. This servant knew you would succeed. Your grand ambition is within reach."
Chen Jiayu patted her shoulder heavily, revealing a chilling smile.
"You have also made significant contributions to this matter. I am also very interested in the 'gun' that Wanwan mentioned. Wanwan, you will still help me, won't you?"
Zhao Jingwan's scalp tingled under his gaze, and her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Your Highness, this servant is incapable. I truly don't know how to do it; drawing its exterior is my limit."
"Wanwan, don't test my patience. I believe you can remember. Don't disappoint my expectations."
"With the explosive charge, Your Highness will be invincible. Why do you still insist on the gun? This servant is truly powerless. Your Highness, you must believe me."
"Heh heh, I only believe in myself. Knowing that there are even more powerful things, of course, I want them. Wanwan is truly a treasure chest. I will treat you well."
Zhao Jingwan's legs went weak, and tears streamed down her face. She now hated transmigration deeply. There were no legal restraints here.
Imperial power was supreme, and they could kill people as they pleased. She couldn't escape Chen Jiayu's grasp, and such a life made her truly desperate.
Now, she had accepted reality and no longer dared to dream of being a protagonist. She only wanted to cautiously please Chen Jiayu and live a more relaxed life.
"Your Highness, this servant would never dare to lie to you. This servant truly doesn't understand the principle."
As she spoke, she began to kowtow repeatedly. Having suffered, she no longer dared to speak of equality among all men.
"Hmph, some pain should make your mind clearer. Wanwan, you should remember quickly. Those people don't hold back. I don't know how many days you can endure."
"I beg Your Highness to spare my life. This servant truly doesn't know! Such high technology cannot be manufactured with the current production levels."
"I only believe in 'where there's a will, there's a way.' This explosive charge has already become a reality. Although purification is a bit troublesome, and the dosage has undergone multiple experiments, it is all worth it. For the development of Chen Country, Wanwan must work her brain a bit harder."
"Your Highness, spare me. This servant really can't do it anymore. If this continues, I will die."
Chen Jiayu lifted her chin, smiling wantonly.
"Wanwan, don't be afraid. My residence has the most skilled physicians in Chen Country. They won't let anything happen to you."
After he spoke, he shouted outside, and two men in black immediately entered. They bowed to Chen Jiayu and skillfully dragged Zhao Jingwan out.
Before, the explosives could not be made. After several rounds of torture, Zhao Jingwan was able to more accurately describe the materials needed and the purification methods.
Therefore, Chen Jiayu firmly believed that Zhao Jingwan knew, she just forgot the method due to her stupidity, and he would help her recall it.
Whip after whip struck her body. Zhao Jingwan longed to die from the pain. As soon as she fainted, the guards unceremoniously doused her with a basin of saltwater.
"This woman is truly stupid. Instead of pleasing her master, she tries to play hard to get. Her master is not the type to cherish a woman. She has suffered so much and still hasn't figured it out."
"If only I knew those things, I would tell them everything and strengthen our Chen Country. The people of Chu Country are ungrateful and full of schemes."
"She can't escape our master's grasp anyway. If she weren't useful, I'd really want to whip her to death. Bah, ungrateful thing."
"Bitch, don't think about fainting. I'll whip you to death. I advise you to recognize the situation and stop being stubborn."
With this whip, the flesh on Zhao Jingwan's chest was torn open. New wounds overlaid old ones, looking extremely horrific.
"Stop hitting me, I'm really at my limit."
One of the guards force-fed her a pill and then slapped her.
"Is your mind clear now?"
"I... I know how to treat smallpox. Go quickly and tell His Highness. I really can't remember anything else. If I die, all of you will be buried with me."
The two exchanged glances. One of them quickly went to report. The remaining guard released her and stopped the torture.
Zhao Jingwan's mind was in a complete mess. She had only read about smallpox outbreaks in novels, where the transmigration heroine took the lead in inoculating cowpox.
But she had no idea how to operate it. She decided to bluff her way through this situation, regardless of the consequences.
After all, Chen Country did not have smallpox at the moment, and no one would come forward to refute her claims.
Chen Jiayu was somewhat dissatisfied with the outcome, but he knew he couldn't push people too hard. He ordered someone to treat Zhao Jingwan, and her treatment improved significantly.