The next day, Xie Zhaozhao invited Liu Yiyi and Zhang Yanyan to go to the island in the center of Moon Lake for a visit.

Bei Chen followed her instructions and went to Nancheng to track Guan Yingying.

When she left the Marquis's residence this time, she greeted the old lady again, but the reason was that she was going to attend the "Cool Summer Gathering" for noble ladies in the capital, which would last for three days.

Upon hearing that it was a gathering of daughters from top-tier families like Zhang Yanyan and Liu Yiyi, the old lady smiled and said, "Zhaozhao, do you think we could take some of the young ladies in the manor out to broaden their horizons?"

Xie Zhaozhao replied earnestly, "I know Mother is worried about the young ladies in the manor, but this gathering is just an internal activity for a very small circle, and it would be really inconvenient for my nieces to go."

The old lady nodded: "Is that so? Then you should think of them in the future."

He was dissatisfied but couldn't say anything. Dog meat wasn't respectable; if you weren't in that circle, you couldn't force your way in.

Xie Zhaozhao, Zhang Yanyan, Liu Yiyi, Li Ranran, and Zhou Tangtang arrived at Moon Lake one after another. Mo Yan and Xu Li followed them out.

Guan Yan stayed at home, guarding the courtyard.

When Li Ranran saw Xie Zhaozhao again, she was extremely excited: "I always thought that Moon Lake belonged to one of the royal princes, but I never expected it to belong to Grand Secretary Gu."

Xie Zhaozhao said she hadn't thought of that before.

The group was drinking tea in the tea room when Xie Zhaozhao suggested that since it was cool today, everyone should go for a few laps around the racetrack.

They all knew how to ride horses, and several families had racetracks in their mansions, but the Xie family's was larger and even had separate tracks for men and women.

They're better off here at Moon Lake now, undisturbed by anyone, and enjoying a more pleasant and carefree life at the tree-lined racecourse.

After running a few laps, Xie Zhaozhao saw Bei Chen appear out of thin air and call out to her, "Madam."

Xie Zhaozhao asked Yuanyuan to entertain her girlfriends first, while she hid in the tea room to listen to Beichen's report.

"I followed Tu Qianyue, and at the end of the Mao hour (5-7 AM), a carriage picked her up and took her directly to a royal estate in the suburbs. I found out that it was the Crown Prince's estate."

Bei Chen said that there was a large group of military craftsmen in the camp who were in charge of the research and development and manufacturing of weapons.

They filled an iron ball with something, lit the fuse, and threw it out. It exploded with a "boom".

"Its power is so-so," Bei Chen pondered, trying to find the right words to describe it, "like a big firecracker."

Xie Zhaozhao's expression immediately turned serious.

In her past life, she could never understand why the Crown Prince was not a stupid person. On the contrary, he was taught by great Confucian scholars from a young age and was also nurtured by the Cheng'en Duke's family. He was not lacking in cunning and strategy.

Why would the Crown Prince be so loyal to Guan Yingying?

She now understood. It was this weapon, the kind that drove people to madness. Guan Yingying knew the formula, and the Crown Prince desperately wanted to acquire it, probably because he also harbored ambitions to dominate the world.

In addition, Xie Zhaozhao, the eldest daughter of a prominent family, knew some of the secrets of the royal family.

His Majesty the current Emperor Hui, whose name is Zhou Yugan, was greatly favored by the late Emperor. Even his name is the same as the name of the country, making him the rightful crown prince.

However, when Emperor Hui was young, his mother died suddenly. Although Empress Wei was his nominal legal mother, she treated him harshly and suppressed him in every way.

At that time, he was cautious and timid. The girl he liked was Lin Qingdai, the daughter of his mentor, who had no powerful background.

My junior sister is not only as beautiful as a fairy from the clouds, but also exceptionally intelligent and knowledgeable.

The two understood each other perfectly, and he felt that life wasn't so hard after all.

At that time, the maternal clans behind the princes were fighting fiercely, and false accusations were rampant. The eldest prince even led troops to force the emperor to abdicate.

At that time, Wei's eldest son died of smallpox. She then turned to her family, who held considerable military power, to discuss supporting Zhou Yugan, who had a weak foundation, in order to help the crown prince ascend the throne smoothly.

The conditions were that Wei Yingzi, the eldest daughter of Wei's maternal family and the eldest daughter of her elder brother, would become empress, and her son would be made crown prince to inherit the throne.

The late emperor was seriously ill at the time, and had no choice but to issue an imperial edict, making Lin Qingdai, who was originally betrothed as the crown princess, a concubine.

When Emperor Hui ascended the throne, Wei Yingzi became Empress, and his eldest son, Zhou Jingrui, was made Crown Prince at birth.

Lin Qingdai became a concubine, was given the title Yun, was granted the Yunyi Palace, and was called Consort Yun.

Later, Consort Yun became pregnant, but was banished to the Cold Palace for making a mistake. During childbirth, the Cold Palace caught fire, and both mother and child perished in the flames.

These secrets were never mentioned again, and Emperor Hui never visited Consort Wei's palace again from the day Consort Yun died.

Emperor Hui was wary of the Wei family, a secret known to all the high-ranking court officials.

The Crown Prince was naturally aware of this, which is why Empress Dowager Wei and Empress Wei both wanted him to ascend the throne as soon as possible. Only when the Crown Prince was on the throne could they truly put their minds at ease.

However, after Emperor Hui ascended the throne, he was an excellent emperor who served the country and its people. He was praised by both ordinary people and court officials.

Over the years, the Wei family and His Majesty have been locked in a protracted struggle, with Emperor Hui gaining an increasing advantage.

It's understandable that the Crown Prince is anxious and wants to master this legendary weapon that can kill with a single blow.

Xie Zhaozhao thought for a long time; she had never heard of such a weapon in her previous life.

Tu Qianyue was arrogant. She remembered that when she saw Tu Qianyue off, Guan Yingying said triumphantly, "Poor ancient people, do you even know what explosives are? Boom! You'll be blown to smithereens. One explosive, and the entire Xie mansion, houses and people, will fly into the sky..."

Xie Zhaozhao looked at her like she was a clown.

Guan Yingying jumped up and down, saying, "How dare you look down on me? Bah! You're just a mindless, ignorant noblewoman who dares to look down on me! I'm sure I can develop it!"

"One part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, three parts charcoal. Saltpeter 75%, sulfur 12.5%, charcoal 12.5%, understand?"

"You don't know anything! You don't even know what a percentage is!"

Xie Zhaozhao genuinely didn't know, but she has a good memory!

Guan Yingying thought she was going to die, and told her this only to humiliate her and crush her with her advanced five thousand years of civilization. She never expected that Xie Zhaozhao would be reborn!

Moreover, he has an excellent memory; because of his hatred, he remembered every single word Guan Yingying said!

However, she didn't think Guan Yingying could create the kind of weapon she described, because she died fifteen years later, and if she could, Guan Yingying would have created it long ago.

She analyzed that Guan Yingying's "hometown" must have such a powerful weapon, but Guan Yingying knew the relevant knowledge but had never come into contact with it. She only knew the general formula but did not know how to make it.

Sometimes, a slight difference can lead to a huge error, a mountain that can never be crossed in a lifetime.

Guan Yingying may only be able to make a big firecracker!

So she said to Bei Chen, "Don't worry about her."

Bei Chen nodded and disappeared.

Xie Zhaozhao wrote down "one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, three parts charcoal, saltpeter 75%, sulfur 12.5%, charcoal 12.5%", read it several times, but she really didn't understand.

He shook his head and tore the note into pieces.

Let's enjoy the beautiful scenery of Moon Lake with our friends.

The next morning, Guanyan rushed to Moon Lake to tell her, "Something terrible has happened! The old lady has accidentally fallen into the lake. She wants you to come back right away."