Lin Yi shot Ying Baichuan a desperate wink while feigning tears that didn't exist, drawing out her voice in a soft, sticky sweet tone: "Don't be like that! I know a lot of things—I'll definitely be useful if you take me! Besides, if you really leave me alone in the capital, I'll miss you so much day and night that I won't be able to eat."
This trick had never failed with Gu Fang.
Ying Baichuan caught the signal and immediately chimed in: "Exactly, Nianqing. Why should a husband and wife be separated for so long? It's common for family members to accompany the army. Besides, from now on I'll be dealing with open arrows and hidden attacks at court, and I may not always be able to look after your wife. It'll be safer for her to stay by your side."
Gu Fang indeed hesitated. After a long silence, he finally sighed in compromise: "Alright, then I'll have to trouble Xiaoyi. But the border is dangerous, so I'll have my personal guards protect you at all times—no more bargaining on this point."
"Fine, fine, I'll listen to my husband!" Lin Yi agreed quickly.
The atmosphere lightened, and Ying Baichuan deliberately steered the conversation away: "We're still a long way off from that! You need to prepare for surgery and then recuperate. If we're really moving, it won't be until next year at the earliest."
"True." Gu Fang relaxed and nodded slightly, then asked, "Is there anything you need my help with right now?"
Ying Baichuan waved his hand, looking at ease: "Not for now. Just take good care of yourself—I'm all set."
Lin Yi looked puzzled at their cryptic exchange. Seeing her confusion, Gu Fang smiled gently and explained: "There are many deep-rooted problems at court. We're discussing how to gradually clean out the rot."
"Oh!" Lin Yi's eyes lit up as she nodded repeatedly. "Go for it! Go for it!" She suddenly recalled that in the original novel, after Prince Ning toppled the other princes, he indeed carried out a sweeping purge of the court. She figured it was about this time.
A thought crossed her mind: The Earth Consciousness had explicitly said the original plot shouldn't deviate too far. But now the emperor was paralyzed, and the protagonist planned to send Gu Fang, who should have died early, to the Northern Frontier—the plot was already light-years off course. Yet she had received no headache warnings for trying to change Gu Fang's fate. Was the Earth Consciousness just bluffing back then?
The thought troubled her, but she decided to let it be. Since she didn't get a headache, she'd just go with the flow. No point asking for trouble by waiting for a warning.
The three strolled through the estate, taking in the scenery until the steward announced lunch was ready. The game meat was indeed different from domesticated livestock. The mountain chicken was firm and flavorful, tasting exactly like the free-range chicken a classmate from Guangdong had once taken her across mountains to eat.
Lunch was delightful. After a short rest, they headed to the ironworks.
The workshop was on the outskirts, not far from the estate, so they didn't need to go back through the city. Lin Yi took the chance to enjoy the countryside views.
When they arrived, the sun was still high. Lin Yi was relieved—there was plenty of time to examine the smelting techniques and discuss the surgical tools in detail.
Ying Baichuan led them inside and summoned Wang Li, the iron official, to explain the smelting methods to Lin Yi. Though Wang Li found it odd to explain such matters to a woman, he obeyed Prince Ning's order and guided them through the workshop.
"Here is the furnace," Wang Li said, pointing to a brick furnace still warm. "We put iron ore in, fan the flames, and heat it until it melts..."
After observing, Lin Yi understood: they were using the puddling process. But the results weren't always steel; sometimes they got wrought iron. She asked, "Have you ever produced soft iron?"
Wang Li looked surprised: "Yes, we have. If we stir too long, the iron becomes much softer."
Lin Yi thought for a moment, then said, "I have a few methods. Do you want to hear them? The simplest is to repeatedly heat, fold, and forge the steel."
"This..." Wang Li hesitated. "May I ask, my lady, what's the principle behind this?"
Lin Yi considered how to explain in terms he could understand: "Think of iron ore as containing many impurities. To turn it into steel, we first need to separate the impurities. The current method produces steel. The key difference between iron and steel is carbon content. The higher the carbon, the more brittle and prone to rusting. The steel we make isn't uniform—some parts have higher carbon, some lower. By repeatedly heating, folding, and forging, we make the structure denser and the composition more uniform."
Wang Li didn't fully grasp it but understood the gist: "My lady means that during the stirring, invisible changes happen inside, turning iron into steel. But the steel isn't uniform inside, so we need to reheat and hammer it to make it even? Is that right?"
"Exactly," Lin Yi said approvingly.
Wang Li nodded thoughtfully: "To be honest, my lady, we haven't been using this puddling method for long, and we're still figuring out many details. What you said makes sense. I'll have someone try it." He paused, then asked respectfully, "Would you mind explaining the other methods you mentioned?"
"One is the cementation process," Lin Yi said briefly. "Melt pig iron and pour it over wrought iron; the two combine into steel. Another is the crucible process: place pig iron and wrought iron together in a furnace and adjust their proportions, temperature, and stirring time to get different types of steel. But this requires great experience, so beginners should start with the simpler cementation method."
Wang Li looked puzzled: "May I ask, my lady, what is pig iron and what is wrought iron?"
Lin Yi thought for a moment: "Pig iron, wrought iron, and steel are all materials with high iron content. When we mine iron ore, it's not pure iron—it contains carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, and other substances. Strictly speaking, we can't call it pure iron." Seeing him listen intently, she continued, "The difference among the three depends on carbon content. Pig iron has the highest carbon, making it hard and brittle; wrought iron has the lowest carbon, making it soft and malleable; steel lies in between, combining the best of both."
As Wang Li's expression brightened, Lin Yi added, "The red liquid you saw from the furnace is molten pig iron. The soft, bendable iron is wrought iron."
Wang Li suddenly understood, but then asked, "Why not just call it molten iron? Wouldn't that be simpler?"
"Because molten iron refers to the liquid form of pure iron," Lin Yi explained patiently. "The liquid from iron ore still contains other substances—it's not pure."
Wang Li struggled to digest these novel concepts. Lin Yi thought to herself: Am I really going to give a chemistry lesson in this blazing workshop?
Gu Fang noticed her discomfort and stepped in to help: "Officer Wang, I came here today because I need some special tools made."
Wang Li's gaze shifted to Ying Baichuan: "Has Your Highness approved this?" He had been in the Ministry of Works long enough to have a keen sense; he'd guessed their purpose from the moment they entered. He asked knowingly just to secure clear authorization.
Ying Baichuan nodded as expected: "Yes. Everything needed should be prepared as General Gu and his wife instruct. You have full access to the workshop's manpower and materials."
With that assurance, Wang Li bowed: "This official accepts the order. I will do my utmost."
Lin Yi then took out a thick roll of drawings she had been carrying. Unrolled, it stood half an arm's length, covered in dense lines and annotations.
Wang Li's eye twitched at the sight; a pang of regret hit him. He had agreed too quickly.
Unaware of his subtle change, Lin Yi said earnestly: "These drawings are very detailed, even at 1:1 scale. So please make the equipment exactly as shown. If you have any questions during production, please contact me. Also, to be safe, please make at least three identical copies of each piece."
Wang Li maintained a respectful smile and nodded, but inwardly noted: This client is extremely particular and demanding.
After finalizing the surgical tool details, Lin Yi and the others didn't stay long. Wang Li would assign craftsmen to handle the work; if problems arose, they could consult again.
On the way back, they parted ways with Ying Baichuan. In the carriage, Lin Yi leaned against Gu Fang and asked softly: "Husband, are you and Prince Ning planning to purge certain people at court?"
"Mm," Gu Fang replied frankly. "Soon after I was injured, I sensed something was off. Upon investigation, I found it was indeed Ying Xu and his attendant, Eunuch Xu. Now that I know the culprits, it's only right to retaliate. Poisoning isn't easy to carry out, but fortunately Prince Ning noticed my actions and helped in secret, so we succeeded."
Lin Yi was amazed—they were co-conspirators in a major plot. No wonder they had no secrets between them. If they'd committed regicide together, what couldn't they discuss?
"So what does Prince Ning's plan to clean out the rats today have to do with you?" Lin Yi asked.
Gu Fang nodded slightly: "I have a group of shadow guards, each with unique skills, especially in reconnaissance and investigation."
"Oh!" Lin Yi realized. "So you find their faults and secretly expose them?"
"Exactly." Gu Fang's gaze was calm. "Prince Ning already has replacements ready. Once I drive those vermin out, the new people can fill the vacancies immediately."
Lin Yi recalled that it had been less than three months since Gu Fang discovered the emperor's plot—he'd only been injured for three months. Prince Ning really moved fast.