Chapter 704: Chapter 699: I Brought a Handgun into the Palace
As dawn broke, Lin Wanwan comforted the two girls at home, one older and one younger, before sitting in the carriage with her luggage and heading toward Changâan City with a "clattering" sound.
This time, she would have to stay in the palace for at least ten days, and just thinking about it was quite exhausting.
In the solemnly regulated Forbidden Palace, it was nowhere near as comfortable as her manor where she could be the master.
However, as soon as she thought her mission was about to be successfully completed, she felt quite happy.
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Lin Wanwan was always cautious with Li Shimin, but she genuinely liked Empress Zhangsun, the little beauty Li Lizhi, the chubby Li Tai, and the young Li Chengqian.
Especially towards the three Princes and Princesses, perhaps because she knew their melancholic historical destinies, Lin Wanwan couldnât help but feel sympathy.
None of the three lived long lives. Even Li Tai, who lived the longest, only reached thirty-two.
The other two did not live past thirty.
Having traveled through the Great Tang and met them, Lin Wanwan dared not easily intervene in the destinies of Li Tai and Li Chengqian. But she could still mention something about Li Lizhi and Empress Zhangsun.
Zhangsun died prematurely in the tenth year of the Zhenguan era due to respiratory illness, while Li Lizhi died at the age of twenty-three, possibly due to lung disease according to historical records.
To speak of it, Empress Zhangsun indeed wasnât very healthy.
She suffered from severe respiratory illness, which is a difficult condition to cure even with modern medicine.
Because of the motherâs weakness, the seven children Zhangsun gave birth to, despite receiving Li Shiminâs immense favor, were all short-lived.
When Li Zhi became the Emperor, surrounded by great doctors and nurtured with valuable herbs, he still only lived to fifty-six, and was plagued with illness in his later years, unable to see.
With Lin Wanwanâs current medical skills, and the convenience of consulting and researching in modern times at any time, it was possible to adjust and treat Zhangsun and Li Lizhi.
Throughout this year, she frequently performed acupuncture and massages for the two, and gifted them a health-focused Tai Chi exercise guide (Lin Wanwan herself hadnât learned it, frankly, she had no time for it, so she just gave the guide).
Empress Zhangsunâs passing, aside from her own illness, was likely also related to her frequent childbirth.
Last year, she gave birth to Princess Chengyang; this year, she was once again pregnant with Princess Jinyang.
Never mind the medical conditions of the Great Tang, this childbirth speed would be draining even in modern times.
Afterward, in the two years before her death, she again gave birth to Princess Xincheng, and the following year experienced her motherâs passing. Her vitality hadnât recovered from childbirth, then experienced a great shock, so her health deteriorating was no surprise.
To change their destinies, straightforwardly, of course, is to stop them from giving birth.
If she didnât give birth anymore, at least she could live longer.
Though if historyâs inertia was strong enough, Lin Wanwan might not be able to change it. However, the history in this timeline had already begun a butterfly effect since saving Xiao Chong, so erasing Princess Xincheng was possible.
As for Li Lizhi, historically, there is no clear record of her having offspring, nor any mention of her children on her epitaph.
But her descendant Zhangsun Yan, in some documents, is regarded as a legitimate son.
Lin Wanwan wasnât quite sure if Li Lizhi gave birth; no matter what history says, preventing her from early childbirth is undoubtedly beneficial.
Her body hadnât fully developed yet, and she was herself weak and sickly, so it was certainly inappropriate for early childbirth.
Even the year Princess Changle died, she hadnât yet reached the best reproductive age by modern standards.
During these days interacting with Changle, Lin Wanwan often instilled modern reproductive knowledge, explaining the dangers of early pregnancy and the horrors of childbirth, leaving the young girl quite apprehensive.
Once Zhangsunâs current pregnancy concluded, Lin Wanwan would inform her of her frail health and unsuitability for further pregnancies. If she was sensible, she might consider consuming Abortion Soup.
But if she refused to heed advice, Lin Wanwan could do nothing about it.
Modern contraceptive pills werenât convenient to bring, and the least harmful contraceptive tools were impossible to provide her, leaving it to the twoâs own discretion.
Thus, while randomly musing over the fates of a few palace acquaintances, the carriage arrived at the palace gates.
Lin Wanwan alighted the carriage, met with the welcoming palace official Chen Shi at the gates, handed over her baggage, and walked in cautiously.
Upon entering the palace, her luggage naturally had to be routine checked, but Lin Wanwan didnât mind. She blatantly stuffed a handgun into her luggage, taking advantage of the Great Tang peopleâs ignorance, not recognizing this most potent weapon.
If there were any queries after the check, sheâd profess it to be a peculiar item left by her mentor, daring anyone to expose her.
As for the bullets, haha, she had Hong Yan make them into accessory decorations on a wig.
In the palace, she certainly wouldnât use this item idly. After all, without a silencer, the noise was too great, the power too strong, and the consequences too severe.
Only when her life faced serious threats would she consider using it, as an additional safety net beyond the Space-Time Gate.
The Space-Time Gate wasnât always reliable; last year when she was drugged, feeling mentally uneasy, she couldnât focus enough to open the Space-Time Gate to escape.
In such scenarios, certainly, having a gun means having the world under control.
Although she had only practiced with the gun for half a day, Scarlett hadnât practiced at all, yet in a life-and-death confrontation with the Northerner, she could unhesitatingly shoot him dead. Naturally, Lin Wanwan felt she could do the same.
As for the Nail Gun and Sleeve Crossbow, they certainly couldnât be brought into the palace.
The nail "weapon" of the Nail Gun wouldnât pass through the palace security inspections.
The Sleeve Crossbow, even less so, as the Great Tangâs military had plenty of crossbows; no matter how miniaturized they were, they wouldnât fail to recognize them.
Only the handgun, seeing as no one had ever seen it before, wouldnât be understood, and could provide Lin Wanwan with ample security.
With such a truly powerful and concealed weapon in her possession, Lin Wanwan felt confident entering the palace this time.
But for some minor grievances, if encountered, Lin Wanwan would just endure them, as resorting to a handgun was out of the question.
Fortunately, after her months of management in the palace, few people could impose grievances on her.
After all, she wasnât a common Palace Maid from a slave background; she was a Village Lady of Leâan, additionally having the Xiao family aura, with superb medical skills, who would deliberately give her a hard time?
The only one, Princess Consort Yang, had been frightened by her, so much so that she was still mentally unwell and couldnât cause trouble.
Lin Wanwan entered the palace to see Empress Zhangsun, gave her a peace examination, and guided a prenatal education session, then left with the Palace Maid.
She lived directly inside Empress Zhangsunâs Lizheng Hall, in a separate room due to her noble status.
However, just in case, she certainly wouldnât readily travel through time in the palace, but rather would hasten to get through Empress Zhangsunâs final days of childbirth, hoping for early liberation.
Returning to modern times would, for Lin Wanwan, make time longer, mentally exhausting!