Chapter 498: Chapter 292: What do you think about marrying you off to the Prince?_3

The Son of Destiny was good in all aspects, skilled in everything. Not only was he handsome, but he was also exceptionally excellent. He was good to the commoners as well, but he was a bit too lustful.

Dongfang Longyue wasn’t foolish either; how could she not see through Lu Chen’s ulterior motives? Lu Chen was deliberately touching her body to test her reaction.

At that moment, Lu Chen caught a whiff of a faint fragrance drifting from Dongfang Longyue’s body, and he couldn’t help feeling somewhat restless inside. Dongfang Longyue, as a woman of unparalleled beauty, was naturally someone Lu Chen wanted to possess.

However, Lu Chen didn’t plan to be too direct. He said with a smile at this time, “Well then, go about your business.”

As soon as Lu Chen finished speaking, Dongfang Longyue immediately said, “This humble girl shall take her leave.”

Having said that, Dongfang Longyue turned and left the study, heading straight back to the Dongfang Family.

At this time, Dongfang Yi was in the pavilion calculating the silver and gold they had lost in Great Sum. When they initially left Sufeng City, they hadn’t been able to take many things with them, and they didn’t have time to move some of their shops in Great Sum to the North Country. After they arrived in the North Country, those shops were quickly sealed by the Great Sum court, leading to significant financial losses for the Dongfang Family.

Fortunately, the North Prince Mansion had handed over some of their properties to the Dongfang Family, who would soon be able to earn back the money they had initially lost.

Just then, the voice of a maid sounded in Dongfang Yi’s ears, “Master, the young miss has returned.”

Dongfang Yi looked up, about to say something, when he saw Dongfang Longyue appear before him. Dongfang Yi asked with a smile, “Longyue, ever since you opened the Eastern Newspaper Agency, you don’t come home often.”

On hearing this, Dongfang Longyue replied, “The Eastern Newspaper Agency has a lot of business, and we’re also planning to open branches, so I’ve been a bit busy.”

Continuing, Dongfang Longyue added, “Father, the Prince came looking for your daughter just now. He wants the Dongfang Family to assist in building warships with the craftsmen of Great Yu City.”

Dongfang Yi was taken aback for a moment, then said, “Build warships?”

Seeing her father’s expression turn somewhat strange, Dongfang Longyue thought he might be worried they couldn’t complete the warship construction task, so she continued, “The Prince has the blueprints for the warships ready; the core components will be made by the craftsmen of Great Yu City. The Dongfang Family will be just assisting. It shouldn’t be too difficult for us.”

On hearing Dongfang Longyue’s words, Dongfang Yi laughed heartily while stroking his beard.

Dongfang Longyue asked with a puzzled look, “Father, what are you laughing at?”

Dongfang Yi said indifferently, “Building a warship is something the Prince should discuss directly with me. Now that you are managing the Eastern Newspaper Agency, building a warship is not really your concern. The Prince could have summoned me to the Prince’s Mansion, but he specifically asked for you, to bring me the message.”

Dongfang Longyue asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Dongfang Yi revealed a mischievous smile, “My daughter, back when we were in the South, you looked down on all those scholars, and I’ve been worried about whom you would marry in the future. But now, I suddenly find that there seems to be someone who is quite suitable for you.”

“Your personality is rather dominant, but you become incredibly submissive in front of the Prince. Moreover, I’ve noticed that the Prince clearly has an interest in you.”

“Why don’t I speak with the Prince next time I see him and suggest marrying you off to him? What do you think?”

Dongfang Longyue’s mind blanked for a moment, her cheeks tinted with a blush, then she said, “What are you babbling about? The Prince is the Son of Destiny; whom he wants for a woman is his business, not yours to meddle in.”

Dongfang Yi said, “Longyue, do you take your father for a fool?”

“Your father has heard from the employees of the Eastern Newspaper Agency that you often visit the Prince’s Mansion and discuss the agency’s affairs with the Prince, alone in a study.”

“Besides, shipbuilding has nothing to do with you; the Prince could have directly summoned me. Clearly, by asking you to come to the Prince’s Mansion, he wants to have more contact with you. Your father is also a man; how could I not understand the Prince’s intentions?”

On hearing Dongfang Yi’s words, Dongfang Longyue spoke with a cold face, “If you continue, your daughter will get angry.”

At Dongfang Longyue’s words, Dongfang Yi laughed and quickly said, “Alright, alright, your father will say no more.”

Dongfang Longyue continued, “The Prince said that after the city relocation is over, the construction of the warship will begin. You should visit the Prince’s Mansion in the next few days and inquire about the warship.”

Dongfang Yi said, “Mhm, okay.”

Dongfang Longyue then turned around, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving first.”

As soon as Dongfang Longyue’s words fell, she left the yard directly. Watching Dongfang Longyue’s departing figure, Dongfang Yi sighed and said to himself, “She’s grown up; it’s time to get married. It seems I have to mention this to the Prince.”

Afternoon.

Dongfang Yi went to the Prince’s Mansion.

Although Lu Chen had said to wait until after the city relocation to build the warship, building a warship was still a big deal. Dongfang Yi wanted to understand what features Lu Chen’s warship needed so that the craftsmen of the Dongfang Family could coordinate with those of Great Yu City.

When Dongfang Yi saw the warship blueprints that Lu Chen had brought out, he was deeply shocked by the blueprints of the steamship. Dongfang Yi then asked, “Prince, can a warship made entirely of metal float on the water?”

Although the Dongfang Family had experience building large ships, they had never used all metal to construct one, at best covering the bow, stern, or surface of merchant ships with some metal.

Putting aside whether Lu Chen’s steam engine could power the warship, the first consideration for building a metal warship was whether it could float. If the warship couldn’t float, no matter how powerful the steam engine, it would be pointless.

Lu Chen said with a smile, “You can rest assured that it can definitely float. I plan to first build a smaller experimental ship to let you all gain some experience and verify the various parameters of the steamship.”

“As for any potential issues, we’ll know once it’s built.”

Lu Chen estimated in his mind that, unlike a train, even the smallest steamship would take several years to build given the current conditions. Therefore, it was something to be approached gradually, and he wasn’t in a hurry.