Chen Xu looked at Concubine Yu with a sharp gaze, and said quietly, "Once upon a time, to the south of Haoyue Country, at the northern border with Yanyang Country, there was a small country called Beiyan Country.
The history of the Northern Yan Kingdom is very short. Three hundred years ago, it was destroyed by the joint efforts of Haoyue Beihai and Yanyang. The territory was divided among the three countries and the people were almost slaughtered.
The reason was that witchcraft was prevalent in Northern Yan State, and the people believed in evil gods. At that time, there was also a very influential sect in the country, the Church of Eternal Life.
The Eternal Life Cult has tens of millions of followers, and its core members specialize in the study of immortality and the cultivation of immortality. They invented Five Stones Powder, Dandan, and Danbaigui.
They found that long-term consumption of these things can make a person's spirit reach a height that ordinary people cannot reach, similar to - floating in ecstasy.
Therefore, this idea was widely promoted in their country.
However, these drugs are far from being able to achieve true immortality, and they have huge side effects.
So they conducted many experiments using captives, beggars, refugees, and trafficked people... They developed a pill that could use human blood to rejuvenate and preserve youth. It seemed to be called the Blood-Inducing Rejuvenating Pill.
However, human experiments were ultimately too brutal and dirty, and the spread of Danbaigui, a substance that harms people's physical and mental health and is addictive, quickly led to boycotts by other countries.
Coincidentally, at this time, a major event occurred in Yanyang Country."
Everyone stared at Shen Xu in silence, immersed in the dusty history she narrated. That clear and soulful voice recounted the history of the continent three hundred years ago:
The Yanyang Kingdom of the same period was not called the Yanyang Kingdom at that time, but was divided into three small countries: Shenghui, Jinlun and Xinghuo.
By chance, the Shenghui Kingdom discovered a powerful mixture called black powder.
The ambitious Shenghui Kingdom thought that by mastering such a powerful killing weapon, it could control the entire world.
So, war was launched against the surrounding countries.
When it was first introduced into the battlefield, the power of black gunpowder immediately intimidated the armies of the other two countries, and the Jinlun and Xinghuo countries were beaten back step by step.
However, the disaster brought by the explosion also followed. Countless soldiers and civilians were killed or injured, and the backward medical conditions made the people suffering from the war see no hope.
The Spark Kingdom and the Golden Wheel Kingdom united together and sent brave warriors to sneak into the Holy Light Kingdom in an attempt to find and destroy the source of the evil.
Having tasted the sweetness of black powder, the Shenghui Kingdom opened black powder production and research workshops in many places in the capital, and actively recruited talents to research killing weapons.
Warriors from both countries quickly broke into the workshop, and after several failed attempts to steal, they finally chose to destroy it.
Thus, the prosperous Holy Light Kingdom was instantly razed to the ground by a series of huge explosions.
More than five million soldiers and civilians in the capital were burned to death.
The explosion left a huge crater in the western part of the current Yanyang Kingdom. It was not until nearly a hundred years ago that new vegetation grew on the land.
After the destruction of the Shenghui Kingdom, the people quickly realized that gunpowder brought nothing but destruction and disaster, and no hope. They all agreed that such a thing should not be created.
So they searched the entire continent for traces of black powder, and immediately destroyed any traces they found.
Craftsmen who knew how to make gunpowder, scholars and alchemists who studied the explosion of the mixture, and books and records about gunpowder were all regarded as relics of the devil and burned to death.
This demon-eliminating operation to wipe out black gunpowder brought the people of the two countries to an unprecedented consensus. The same belief in fire and light brought the two countries together, and they renamed the country Yanyang Country after the sparks and golden wheels.
In subsequent international conventions, the Yanyang Kingdom repeatedly stated its position that black powder was not allowed to be developed and manufactured.
If any trace of gunpowder appears again, it will be erased at all costs until gunpowder is eradicated from this world.
This proposal was supported by almost all countries except Northern Yan.
Because the Northern Yan Kingdom was eager to obtain such a killing weapon to maintain the status of the sect and continue the belief in immortality, it secretly invested in research and left behind some documents.
But this secret was soon discovered by other countries. The enthusiasm for the demon-eliminating campaign in Yanyang Kingdom was high, and the evil cult in Beiyan Kingdom was also plaguing the borders of surrounding countries.
Therefore, the Yanyang Kingdom joined forces with the Haoyue Kingdom and the Beihai Kingdom, which bordered the Beiyan Kingdom, and attacked together, completely destroying this evil country.
That year, all the citizens, documents, and historical traces of the Northern Yan Kingdom were wiped out.
Black powder also completely disappeared from this continent.
"But, a country once existed, and there will always be some indelible traces left. Just like I remember reading the documents of the Northern Yan State, there are Danbaigui, Xueyin Rejuvenation Pill, and black gunpowder.
These demonic relics always appear from time to time in some dark and dirty corners."
Shen Xu stared at Concubine Yu intently, taking in every subtle change in her expression.
"Concubine Yu, it's fine for you to use human blood to make elixirs, but how could you touch something so irreparable?"
Concubine Yu's originally calm expression suddenly turned serious. She said in a cold tone, "You've been talking non-stop since the beginning. It's really outrageous. What you said is completely false! What does it have to do with me?"
Chen Xu said: "The Imperial Master is an alchemist, he must be aware that saltpeter is poisonous and using too much will damage Yang Qi.
Yet he still sent people to explore for saltpeter on a large scale, forcing able-bodied men to work day and night. Could it be that he was just trying to make some ice?
Concubine Yu spoke in a stern tone, saying bluntly, "The Imperial Preceptor is dead, why are you still throwing dirty water on me? You said I poisoned the late emperor, but where's the evidence? You said I murdered the crown prince, but where's the evidence? You said I made elixirs out of human blood and researched gunpowder, but where's the evidence?"
Shen Xu spread his hands: "I said you studied black powder?"
"What saltpeter are you talking about?"
Chen Xu acted as if he was trying to cover up his mistake and jokingly said, "Oh~ So the Imperial Concubine really knows that saltpeter can be used to make black powder."
Concubine Yu's expression changed, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "The power of the Imperial City Guard is in your hands now. Whatever you say is the truth. Why bother fabricating stories without any evidence? If you don't like me, just kill me."
"You've set up such a grand scheme, and it was just the finishing touch, but in the end, a commoner like me turned it around. Concubine Yu, are you willing to accept this?"
Concubine Yu snorted lightly and simply turned her head away and ignored her.
Seeing that she ignored him, Shen Xu said in a sly tone: "No, if you don't figure it out, Master Pei won't be willing to do anything for me.
Besides, I am also very curious about you, a woman who already controls the entire royal power.
At the age of twenty-five or twenty-six, isn't it too early to pursue eternal youth and longevity?
We also need to research black powder...
I'm racking my brains but can't figure out what you want to do."
But Shen Xu took out a ball of paper from his sleeve, smiled coldly, and said, "Fortunately, I found this."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
