Chapter 65: Ye Xun's Latest Invention, Holding Prince Zhao in the Palm of His Hand

Hearing Ye Xun's words, Wei Feng hurriedly raised his head and asked in astonishment, "You... you already have an idea so quickly?"

Today, for the sake of this matter, Wei Wuji and the various ministers of the Gansu Faction had deliberated for a long time without coming up with a good solution.

They were genuinely out of options this time.

In terms of financial resources, they were simply not on the same level as the several major aristocratic families standing behind Ye Chen.

This was precisely why Wei Wuji had strongly supported Ye Xun in engaging in commerce.

They were in desperate need of money.

And this situation proved just how crucial financial resources were.

Without money, they did not even have the capital to win people over to their side.

Ye Xun's claim that he had a solution genuinely startled Wei Feng.

Shortly after, Ye Xun walked over to Wei Feng, leaned in close, and whispered the idea of the horseshoe into Wei Feng's ear.

"Ah?" Wei Feng exclaimed in shock, looking at Ye Xun incredulously as he stammered, "Your Highness, can... can this really work?"

He had never heard of, nor seen, such a thing as a horseshoe, and he felt completely uncertain about it.

Ye Xun calmly asked, "Do you have a better idea?"

Wei Feng shook his head helplessly, "No."

Ye Xun raised an eyebrow.

"There you go. You have no idea, and neither does my uncle. So why not give my method a try?"

"Just tell me whether this thing can be forged in secret."

Although Wei Feng felt unsure, Ye Xun was brimming with confidence.

Horseshoes were wonderful things.

If he didn't introduce them, who knew how many years it would take for them to appear in this world.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Wei Feng nodded slightly, pondering, "Finding a few reliable blacksmith shops isn't difficult."

The corner of Ye Xun's lips curled up, "Then that settles it."

Afterward, he fetched paper, ink, brush, and an inkstone, and began to sketch.

He was immensely grateful to whoever had published the *Encyclopedia of Essential Survival Skills for Time Travelers*.

If not for that absurd book, Ye Xun suspected he might have transmigrated once again by now.

Within moments, Ye Xun drew the horseshoe and handed the paper over to Wei Feng.

Wei Feng took it and examined it closely; it actually seemed quite plausible.

He felt a deep sense of admiration for Ye Xun's wild and untethered imagination.

How could such a device ever be conceived by a normal person?

Seeing the look of shock on his face, Ye Xun smiled and asked, "How is it, Cousin? Will this do?"

Wei Feng nodded hastily, "Good, exceptionally good."

Ye Xun replied, "Then I must trouble Cousin to make a trip right away. I will wait for you at the estate, and once you return, we shall visit the Shangguan residence to pay our respects to Lord Shangguan."

Wei Feng hurriedly stood up, "Understood, I shall go at once."

Ye Xun asked again, "Do you need to bring money?"

Wei Feng's brows suddenly furrowed as he mused, "Money isn't an urgent matter; we are all acquaintances, so paying afterward is fine. But should we really not reconsider? Ordering so many all at once?"

Although he had confidence in the horseshoe, Ye Xun was ordering tens of thousands of sets directly without even testing them first, which made Wei Feng feel the risk was a bit high.

Iron was also a rare commodity in this era.

If not for the formidable backing of the Grand Preceptor's estate, Wei Feng would never have dared to take on this task.

Ye Xun smiled and said, "Cousin, rest assured and go. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

Hearing this, Wei Feng hesitated no longer and headed out of the estate.

This matter was simply too important for them.

If handled well, not only could they turn the tables, but they could also win over Prince Zhao, Ye Xun, achieving two birds with one stone.

Just as Wei Feng left, Ling'er walked into the hall carrying a tray of food. Looking around, she asked in confusion, "Your Highness, where is Marquis Wei?"

"Oh," Ye Xun replied, "I'm terribly sorry, Cousin had an urgent matter to attend to and had to leave, making you make a wasted trip."

"Your Highness flatters me," Ling'er said with a beaming smile, "This maid will simply take the food back."

As soon as her voice trailed off, Wu Yue waved his hand from the side and said honestly, "I... I haven't eaten my fill yet..."

Uh...

Ye Xun stared at Wu Yue in utter bewilderment.

Not full yet?

He had originally thought Wangcai was invincible when it came to appetite, but he hadn't expected Wu Yue to be even more voracious than Wangcai.

Ling'er softly said, "Very well, Brother Wu Yue," and placed the food on the table before him.

Wu Yue looked at Ling'er with gratitude, "Thank you, Sister Ling'er..."

Sister Ling'er?

Ling'er was left torn between laughter and tears by his form of address.

Afterward, Ye Xun sat back down by the desk to continue eating.

Food is the paramount necessity of the people, and going without a single meal leaves one famished.

Yet, he could already feel the exhaustion and mental strain of the struggle for the throne.

A single misstep, and the entire game would be lost.

Reality was far more cruel than he had imagined.

Even so, no amount of cruelty could shake Ye Xun's determination.

Once this step was taken, stepping back would mean nothing less than plunging into an endless abyss.

As dusk approached, Wei Feng hurried back to the Prince of Qin's estate.

Making the objects was easy, but maintaining secrecy was extremely difficult.

Wei Feng had expended a great deal of effort to pull it off.

However, his suffering was accompanied by joy; he had already forged a pair of horseshoes, though the iron nails looked somewhat chilling to him.

Ye Xun had been waiting in the hall for Wei Feng's news.

They were going to be very busy over the next few days.

"Your Highness, good news, the items have been made!" Wei Feng strode forward in quick steps and placed the cloth-wrapped horseshoes and iron nails on the desk before Ye Xun.

Ye Xun nodded, "Cousin, sit down and rest for a moment." With that, he picked up the teapot, poured a cup of tea for Wei Feng, and pushed it toward him.

Wei Feng sat down, picked up the cup, and drained it in one gulp.

These past few days had truly run him ragged.

Fortunately, Ye Xun was quite sensible now and treated him with great courtesy; otherwise, he could never have endured such grueling errands.

He was originally a dignified Fourth-Rank Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, yet he had abruptly been reduced to an errand boy.

Immediately afterward, Wei Feng pointed at the horseshoes and asked, "Your Highness, take a look at the forging of these horseshoes. Is there any problem?"

Ye Xun picked them up, examined them closely, and then nodded with satisfaction, "Splendid."

In truth, his earnest expression was entirely put on.

He only knew how these things were supposed to be forged and installed.

Whether the quality was good or bad, he genuinely could not tell.

However, this was nothing terribly exotic, so he figured there shouldn't be too much deviation.

Wei Feng said excitedly, "I have already spoken to my father about this. After seeing it, Father also felt that this idea is extremely reliable. He said we shouldn't publicize the horseshoes just yet; wait until Prince Zhao comes seeking help, and Your Highness can then present the horseshoes to him."

"In terms of merit, the value of the Fourth Prince's three thousand warhorses cannot even compare to our horseshoes."

Hearing this, Ye Xun nodded.

Wei Wuji's thoughts coincided completely with his own.

This matter still needed to be kept strictly secret, and then delivered directly into Ye Xun's hands.

Ye Xun asked, "In how many days will Ye Xun return to the capital?"

Wei Feng thought for a moment and replied, "In about three days or so. He will likely stay for only a single day before returning to Yanyun Pass to fend off the Tiannu."

"We must seize this opportunity and secure him in one stroke."