The father walked arrogantly in front, and the son followed behind dejectedly. The family members in the house were already accustomed to this.
The father and son walked through the halls of the mansion until they reached the back garden. Several tables had been set up in the open space in the back garden, and several family members were busy. The cut venison was placed in a large wooden barrel next to it and served with a sauce. The ingredients are marinated and delicious. On the newly built stove next to it, a large pot is placed on it. There is a lot of firewood below. The soup in the pot is rolling and the meat is fragrant. When the servants saw the two masters passing by, they stopped and saluted. The two responded casually while walking through the flowers and bamboo forest to a house in the corner.
"Here?" Qian Qianli asked.
"Exactly," Qian Chao took out a key from his body and opened a large copper lock hanging on the door. Qian Qianli looked at the copper lock that was bigger than his son's hands and felt a little funny. As the head of the family, he didn't know that there were so many small rooms in this corner of the garden, let alone what was in them. He shook his head and walked in.
Qian Qianli was stunned almost as soon as he entered the room. There was almost everything in this room, from slingshots and crossbows for hunting birds, to swords and weapons made of bamboo and wood, and toys that could be bought on the market. We saw a bunch of various lions and tigers made by ourselves using bamboo tubes, wooden sticks and thin threads. Hanging on the wall were various kites, either birds or eagles, and most of them were painted and looked very delicate. There was also a row of kites below. The little figure holding a string has facial features, all four limbs, and is lifelike.
"What is the nature of a child?" Qian Qianli entered another room inside while thinking about it.
When he went in again, he was surprised again. The things here were definitely no longer children's toys. There was a circle of tables placed against the wall. The things on the tables were all scaled down. Money Qianli identified them one by one, sweating coldly as he looked at them. The Qianli cart was made of wood, and the tent was made of cloth. There were also several camp beds made of wood, and tiger tents made of wood and bamboo. Crouching crossbows, wind-chasing crossbows, trebuchets, cow-crouching crossbows, city climbing ladders, etc. cover almost all the weapons involved in his weapons prison. Although they are all miniature models about the size of a palm, there is no difference between the details and the real thing. These are important military weapons. If this is really done, it will be a serious crime of leaking secrets. According to the general laws of the dynasty, if Not that his surname was Qian, but his fate as a sixth-grade official was not much better than that of the deer whose family members were busy outside. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat while glaring at his son and asking, "Is there anything else?"
"Yes." Qian Chao was extremely obedient at this time and took his father into the last room.
This last room looks much more elegant than the outside. After all, this room looks like a study. The white walls are hung with calligraphy and painting banners. There are bookshelves and ancient desks for reading. The four treasures of the study are arranged on the desks. Books are stacked or spread out, and a white porcelain painting vat filled with calligraphy and painting scrolls is placed next to the table. All this is what a literati study should look like. The only thing that ruins this literati atmosphere is the window. The lying cow crossbow placed there.
Qian Qianli didn't focus on the lying cow crossbow at first, but on the bookshelf and desk. He casually took down a few books and flipped through them, and couldn't help but sigh again. The books were all rare books in his study that his son was not allowed to take out. Qian Qianli's study room contains several unique out-of-print books that he is quite proud of. Because they are all his treasures, he is usually very stingy and does not even allow his son to read more. Unexpectedly, the child actually copied the entire books. , this thought is indeed worthy of praise, especially this word, with horizontal hooks and vertical strokes, silver hooks and iron paintings, it is already stylish and everyone's style. Seeing this, Qian Qianli admired it in his heart and nodded secretly.
However, Qian Qianli was not happy with his son's collection of books. There were many bookshelves filled with strange novels, drama scripts, Yin Yang and Five Elements, geographical maps, etc. The pages were soft and he had obviously read them frequently.
"See what nonsense these books are!"
Then he turned to a book that made his face turn red.
Qian Qianli was a literati at heart, and it was normal for a literati to become an obsessive book collector. In his early years, before getting married, he once regarded a secret erotic drama depicting a fight between goblins as a treasure, but later he searched his study and couldn't find it again. He had thought that he accidentally lost it when he moved here to work as an official, or that his wife found out and burned it secretly. He was too embarrassed to ask his wife, so he could only feel sorry for the loss of this beloved book. Unexpectedly, he found it on his son's bookshelf. This discovery immediately made him extremely angry. He was embarrassed and annoyed and slapped his son on the head with the book, and whispered: "This...this is also you." Can children read it? What a nonsense!" Then he hurriedly hid the book in his sleeve.
Although Qian Chao was beaten, he felt no pain and was not afraid. He even stuck out his tongue secretly.
In fact, what surprised Qian Qianli was still behind.
The landscape on the wall was a masterpiece by a famous artist that he bought with a lot of money. His father, who was the prime minister, even knew that the painting was in his hands, so he was not willing to pay tribute to it. He just hid the landscape in a secret room in his spare time. Enjoy it yourself. He had been busy with official duties recently, and he had long forgotten about this painting. Unexpectedly, it was hanging in his son's secret study to collect dust. For this, Qian Chao took a hard blow on his head.
Most of the calligraphy and paintings in the painting vat were Qian Chao's own graffiti. Although they were stylish, they seemed a little immature to Qian Qianli. However, one of the banners was recognized by Qian Qianli as his precious son's painting from his study. I don’t know when it was stolen, but it was a masterpiece written by a master calligrapher after he was drunk. It is said that this calligrapher got it by grinding ink with wine while he was drunk. The calligraphy is wild and vigorous and still smells of wine. It is an authentic work! Qian Qianli had spent all his energy and blood over these words, but it was difficult to prevent the thief, so Qian Chao was shocked. After carefully appreciating it, Qian Qianli was about to put it away when he was stunned to find that there was a small seal of his son next to his private seal in the blank space. He immediately gave his son another slap without saying a word.
On the desk, hanging on the pen holder are fine purple pens that Qian Qianli could not bear to use. They were taken from his father's study without telling him. The old man even scolded them in a letter because of these pens. I am an unfilial son, and now I am repaying my unfilial son in this world. I have taken advantage of my unfilial son.
What is placed in the inkstone is the best tribute ink given by Qian Qianli's father, Qian Chao's grandfather, and the prime minister of the dynasty. It is said that the royal family only has a few dollars a year, and now it has been worn down by his son to less than half. It is a waste of money. ah! Of course, this inkstone is also extraordinary. There is a name called "Yutian Clay Inkstone". It is a treasure among the inkstones. Qian Qianli usually only carefully holds it in his hand and plays with it, imagining the graceful appearance of himself splashing ink. He never thought of actually doing it. Use it to grind ink and write, now, alas! As for the paper, the best quality bamboo paper, which usually gives Qian Qianli a great sense of satisfaction when touched or smelled, is now used by Qian Chao as a rough draft for graffiti.
Qian Chao saw his father's veins bulging and his trembling fingers pointing at him. He knew something was wrong and thought he was going to be beaten for real this time. He was so frightened that he squatted on the ground with his head in his hands. After waiting for a long time, the good spanking did not come. , when he raised his head and peeked, he found that his father was glaring at his luck, as if he was trying his best to suppress his anger. Finally, he heard Qian Qianli curse: "Humph! It's hard to guard against house thieves day and night! Get up! Don't look like that. Well, if your mother is not here, who are you going to do it for?"
Having said that, Qian Qianli made up his mind that when this matter was over, he would carefully inspect his son's study to see how much this boy had stolen from him!
The only thing in the study that I haven't looked at carefully is the cow crossbow. This is also the source of Qian Chao's unlucky day. Qian Qianli spread out the drawings he got from his son on the table. While looking at his son's drawings, he looked at the small lying cow crossbow. He compared the actual object with the drawings one by one. The workmanship was very rough, and the material selection was very rough. It is also very random, made of bamboo and wood, about one-tenth the size of a real lying cow crossbow, and the inside is densely packed with wooden mechanisms.
"Has it been tested?" Qian Qianli asked his son after examining it for a long time.
"I've tried it." Qian Chao couldn't help but feel reassured when he saw his father asking about the Wo Niu Nu. He opened the window facing the Wo Niu Nu in a hurry to please, pointed to a few trees dozens of steps outside the window and said, "I used those trees as arrow targets."
Qian Qianli looked over and saw that although the tree was not an old tree, it was as thick as a bowl of ocean. Several short spear-like arrows made by Qian Chao were nailed to the trunk. Some of them were so powerful that they shot through the tree. .
"Cum once and let me see." Qian Qianli saw no one outside the window. It was estimated that everyone in the house had been ordered by his wife to arrange today's dinner, so he ordered his son to demonstrate to him.
After hearing this, Qian Chao used both hands to turn a wooden winch on the Wo Niu Crossbow. Qian Qianli found that as his son moved, several bamboo beams in the Wo Niu Crossbow began to bend into a bow shape, and the bow strings crossed each other up and down. The bow strings are connected to the runner through a leather rope. The leather rope finally gathers the force on the bow string of the big bow at the top of the Crouching Ox Crossbow. There is a "click" sound, the winch bites a certain wooden button tooth, and the money Chao then stopped, looked at his father and said: "Ten Shili, can't tighten it any more, otherwise it will collapse."
It can actually have the power of ten stones! Qian Qianli saw his son turning the winch lightly and deftly. Moreover, the lying cow crossbow was made of ordinary bamboo and wood and could have the power of ten stones. He became suspicious. He went over to take a closer look and saw his son take out a pot from the throwing pot on the side. An arrow came, he nodded, and saw Qian Chao put the arrow in the shooting slot of the Wo Niu Crossbow.
"Where to shoot?" Qian Chao asked his father.
Qian Qianli pointed to a tree about fifty steps away and said, "That one."
After Qian Chao took aim briefly, he pulled the hair on the lying cow crossbow with both hands. With a soft "buzz" sound, the arrow shot out. Pointing to the tree.
"I'll get the arrow back." Before Qian Qianli could answer, Qian Chao nimbly climbed out of the window, ran to the tree, broke off the part of the arrow that was exposed outside the trunk, and ran back.
When Qian Chao came in from the window again and presented the broken arrow to himself, Qian Qianli grabbed the half of the broken arrow and lightly knocked on Qian Chao's head and cursed: "How rude is it to not leave when there is a door!"
It should have the power of ten stones, Qian Qianli thought in his mind. Looking at the half-cut arrow in his hand, it could penetrate the wood so deeply from fifty steps away, so he must have the power of ten stones. If the Crouching Ox Crossbow in front of us is made according to the regulations of the Ordnance Supervision, its power will definitely be extraordinary, much stronger than the Crouching Ox Crossbow currently used in the army. Thinking of this, he looked at the Crouching Niu Crossbow made by his son in front of him. He knew that it was actually just his son's toy, but now it seemed that it was really powerful. This also verified that his son's improvement of the Crouching Niu Crossbow should be Effective. If the Ordnance Supervisor's Crouching Niu Crossbow could be improved according to his son's design, it would really be a great achievement. Thinking of this, he felt a little reluctant to part with the Crouching Niu Crossbow.
But now that we have the drawings, it would be reassuring to have this eyesore destroyed.
Finally, he said to his son: "Your mother is pregnant now and cannot be frightened. You also know how strict I am towards Dalu. This matter is no longer as simple as your kid playing around. If outsiders know about it, don't do it." Tell me, even your grandfather will be implicated. Do you know what to do now?"
Qian Chao nodded, of course he knew that, although he was reluctant to give up, he was helpless.
"Very good, let's start demolishing it. After demolishing it, demolish the smaller ones you made in the outhouse as well, as long as everything related to the weapons inspection is demolished, and burn it in the fire outside. Understand?"
"Yeah" Qian Chao nodded.
Qian Qianli pointed to the trees outside the window that Qian Chao used as arrow targets and said, "Clean up those areas as well."
After saying that, he turned around to leave and said, "Do it yourself, don't ask others to help, do you understand?"
Although he told his son to dismantle them and burn them, Qian Qianli was really reluctant to part with them when he passed by the outhouse. In the end, he stuffed small models of a squatting tiger crossbow and a lying ox crossbow into his sleeves, and turned around. When he was about to leave, he turned around and stuffed a few things into his sleeves. If the sleeves weren't full, he would have really wanted to take them all away. It wouldn't be good to keep these things at home anyway, but if they were left in the government office's own office, no one could do anything about them. Find something wrong.
Qian Chao finally understood why tonight was like a festival at home. As soon as he finished dismantling the Crouching Ox Crossbow, he took it out and stuffed it directly into the stove where the meat was being stewed.
Several family members saw that the little master was busy at work and wanted to help, but Qian Qianli stopped him.
"Don't worry about him, let him do it by himself!" Then Qian Qianli said loudly, half truthfully and half falsely: "I am busy with official duties and have neglected to discipline you. If your mother hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you were causing trouble in the house. You're so angry, let's see how I deal with you after today!"
The family members were not surprised. Some of them laughed secretly when they saw Qian Chao looking unhappy and mournful. Anyway, the young master in the house was always a troublemaker, and he was at the age when cats dislike dogs. , on weekdays, everything in the house would make people jump around. Madam couldn’t stand it, so she would chase her with a feather duster. Now she must have tricked the master into something, so it is normal for her to be scolded and punished.
