Chapter 77 Old Friends
Ji Zheng stood up slowly and moved to stand beside Chen Zi, secretly sizing up the young man beside King Sheng with a hidden gaze.
The more he looked, the more Ji Zheng felt that the person in front of him was extremely familiar. His mind couldn't help but recall the person deep in his memory, but then he shook his head and thought to himself that it was unlikely to be that person.
At this moment, the young man actually turned around and looked at Ji Zheng with a look of suspicion and surprise on his face.
The two people's eyes met for a moment, and then they both spoke at the same time.
"Ji Zheng?"
"Mu....Ce?"
"It's really you!"
Both of them had expressions of surprise and joy that were difficult to conceal. Especially Mutse, whose face was filled with joy that seemed to overflow.
The people around were stunned when they saw this scene. Finally, King Sheng spoke first, "Do you two know each other?"
Mu Ce, with tears in his eyes, held Ji Zheng tightly and said, "It's not just acquaintance, it's simply that we are so familiar with each other that we can't be more familiar."
Ji Zheng was naturally very excited to meet an old friend in this foreign land.
But considering that there were other people present, Ji Zheng still suppressed his surging emotions. He pulled Mu Ce's hand off his arm and signaled with his eyes that there were other people around: "Don't get excited yet, we'll talk about the past later."
After being reminded by Ji Zheng, Mu Ce also reacted instantly, and quickly collected his emotions, and apologized to King Sheng and others, "Your Highness, please forgive me, it's really because I met a friend I haven't seen for a long time, so I can't help myself."
Prince Sheng was a generous man. He waved his hand casually and said, "No problem." After a pause, he continued, "I didn't expect that Lord Ji actually knew you."
Mu Ce smiled slightly, "I didn't expect to meet him here."
Ji Zheng also stood up and echoed: "What a coincidence."
Prince Sheng had just returned to the capital and had many complicated matters waiting for him to deal with, so after just chatting for a few words, he left in a hurry.
After King Sheng left, Ji Zheng and Mu Ce found a place to reminisce.
"What's the matter with you? Why are you here?" As soon as Ji Zheng opened his mouth, he asked the most confusing question in his heart.
Mu Ce and he are classmates and good friends.
Mu Ce looked dejected and sat down heavily on the chair. "Don't mention it. It's all tears if you talk too much." After saying that, he pretended to cry twice.
Seeing this, Ji Zheng rolled his eyes rudely and kicked Mu Ce, "Stop pretending and tell me what you mean."
"Tsk, do you have any sympathy at all?" Mu Ce first glanced at Ji Zheng, then put away his joking intention and began to tell his story seriously.
It turned out that on the day Ji Zheng rescued people, Mu Ce happened to be not far away from him, and then unfortunately he was hit by the out-of-control car.
Mutzer's expression was gloomy and ugly. "But these are not the main points."
"Then what's the point?" Ji Zheng asked quickly.
"I traveled through time, so what? I actually traveled through time as a beggar!" Mu Ce angrily punched the table and said with gritted teeth, "Do you know how I survived these two years?!"
Hearing this, Ji Zheng laughed unkindly, "I thought I was the worst, but I didn't expect you to be worse than me."
"You vicious man, I'm so miserable yet you still try to feel superior to me." Mu Ce stood up and pointed at Ji Zheng and shouted angrily.
Ji Zheng also knew that he had gone too far and quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry."
Mu Ce rolled his eyes at Ji Zheng first, then sighed helplessly and asked, "What about you? What's wrong with you?"
"I was brave enough to do what was right, and then I came here." Ji Zheng answered briefly, "I was disguised as a farmer's son. Although my family is poor, I am much better than you."
Regarding Ji Zheng's gloating attitude, Mu Ce looked at Ji Zheng with a fake smile, "Haha."
"I didn't expect a cold-blooded animal like you would be so brave and courageous. The sun is really rising from the east." Mu Ce said this in surprise and sarcasm.
Ji Zheng glanced at him and said, "Tsk, do you really have to talk like that?"
"You were the one who started it." Mu Ce rolled his eyes at him. "You were dressed like a farmer, weren't you? So what's wrong with you now?"
Ji Zheng walked over to Mu Ce and sat down. He poured a cup of tea slowly and drank it. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Since you are here, just take the exam and get a job."
"......"
Mu Ce chuckled twice with a blank expression, "Will you die if you don't pretend to be cool?"
Unexpectedly, Ji Zheng nodded solemnly: "Yes."
“….”
Muze: "Get lost!"
After cursing, Mu Ce straightened his face and said, "You have been in the gunpowder bureau for so long and you haven't made any gunpowder?"
"Come on, I just came here in the past two days." Ji Zheng explained to himself.
"No wonder." Mu Ce nodded in understanding, "Otherwise I would say it's really strange that a top student like you can't figure it out."
"Mu Ce, stop being so sarcastic to me." Ji Zheng retorted to him.
Thinking that he probably had a hard time in the past two years, he asked again, "What are you going to do next? Do you have a place to stay here?"
Mu Ce took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, "What else can I do? Now that I've found you, I'll just follow you. I see you're doing pretty well."
Ji Zheng: “….”
"By the way, where do you live now?" Mutse asked again.
"You wouldn't know even if I told you."
"You can't say that..."
Before Mu Ce finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. "My Lords, Lord Ding wants to see you."
"Got it!" Mu Ce responded, jumped up from his chair, stretched his waist and shouted at Ji Zheng, "Everyone is here to urge you, get to work."
The two came to an empty place, where Ding Mao and Chen Zi were already waiting.
"Master Ji, it's getting late. Can we start?" Ding Mao started asking as soon as he saw Ji Zheng.
Seeing Ding Mao's anxious expression, Ji Zheng felt embarrassed to delay any longer, so he said, "Of course you can."
"What do you mean?" Mu Ce interrupted. "What else can it mean? Making gunpowder." Ji Zheng said.
"You're in such a hurry."
Ding Mao smiled and looked at Mu Ce, and replied: "The higher-ups are urging us to do it."
Mu Ce nodded and gestured: "OKOK."
Ding Mao and Chen Zi did not understand what was said and found Mu Ce to be even more strange.
Thinking about what Chen Zi had said to him before, Ji Zheng thought for a moment and pulled Mu Ce to his side and whispered, "I think you should keep a low profile."
"How am I not low-key?" Mu Ce asked back.
Ji Zheng was speechless. "There is a saying that goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Now that we are here, it is better to say less about those 21st century sayings."
"Alright, alright, I get it. That's just what I said." Mu Ce rubbed his head impatiently, then sighed and muttered to himself, "I don't know if I can go back."
"You'd better be more careful. Don't let others mistake you for a monster and burn you to death. I won't save you."
Ji Zheng said this and followed Ding Mao's footsteps. Mu Ce clicked his tongue in his place.
Arriving at the place where saltpeter was purified yesterday, Mu Ce looked at the tools used to purify saltpeter and asked again, "Did you make all these?"
"It was all invented by Master Ji. I heard from Master Mu that the gunpowder developed in this way is more powerful."
Without waiting for Ji Zheng to answer, Ding Mao answered first.
"Tsk, if we have Yu, why do we have Liang?" Mu Ce sighed, not caring whether what he said was appropriate or not.
Ji Zheng was already accustomed to Mu Ce's eccentric personality, so he just raised his eyes and glanced at him when he heard that.
"Stop talking nonsense and come and help."
"Tell me, how can I help?" Mu Ce rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to work at any time.
Ji Zheng: "Now there are two choices. You can either take Mr. Chen here to extract pure saltpeter, or go to the other side with Mr. Ding to experiment with gunpowder."
When Ding Mao and Chen Zi heard this, they looked at Mu Ce differently. They didn't expect that Mu Ce was a man of real ability.
And judging by the way the two talk and interact with each other, their relationship must be very good.
Mu Ce thought about it and realized that developing gunpowder in ancient times was still very dangerous. Although there were protective clothing, the protective clothing in ancient times did not play much of a role.
"I'll purify saltpeter here." Then he smiled flatteringly and said, "It's so difficult to develop gunpowder, so let you, who are smart, do it."
Ji Zheng was also expecting Mu Ce's choice, so he nodded and said, "Okay."
"In that case, let's go, Lord Ding." Ji Zheng stood up and said to Ding Mao who was still in a daze.
"Okay, okay."
Ding Mao was so excited about developing gunpowder that all the wrinkles on his face were squeezed together.
Ji Zheng and Ding Mao arrived at the gunpowder testing site, where various instruments were placed in a disorderly manner.
While tidying up, Ji Zheng explained the precautions to Ding Mao.
On the other hand, when it came to saltpeter purification, Mu Ce sat on a chair and directed Chen Zi like a lord, humming a little tune from time to time.
Although Chen Zi was unhappy, he could only endure it silently when he thought that Mu Ce was brought by King Sheng and was also acquainted with Ji Zheng.
Suddenly, there was a cry of surprise from the gunpowder test site, followed by a thick cloud of smoke rising.
Mu Ce was startled, and he jumped up from his chair like a spring and ran over there, and Chen Zi hurried to follow him.
When they arrived, they saw Ji Zheng standing there covered in dust and dirt, and Ding Mao beside him had a look of horror on his face.
It turned out to be just a minor accident. The gunpowder burned a little faster than expected, but it was not a big deal.
Mu Ce was relieved to see that Ji Zheng was fine, and joked: "I knew you wouldn't die so easily, otherwise the world would have lost a great man."
Ji Zheng rolled his eyes at him but couldn't help laughing. He was very glad that the amount of saltpeter used was not much, otherwise he would have become a disabled person.
After joking, Mutse came forward and asked, "What's going on?"
"The combustion is a little faster than expected. I guess it's because too much sulfur was added." Ji Zheng explained while recording the problem on paper with charcoal.
The tools here are not as sophisticated as modern ones, so it is not so easy to control the quantity.
Mu Ce nodded in understanding, and patted the black ash on Ji Zheng's shoulder. "It's not a big deal, so I'll go first."
Ji Zheng, who was concentrating on calculating the next dosage, waved his hand casually without looking up, indicating that he understood.
On the other side is the garden.
Prince Sheng is playing chess with Emperor Ren.
"Are you saying that Ji Zheng knows the person you brought?" Emperor Ren placed a black chess piece, his tone filled with curiosity and consideration.
But before Prince Sheng could answer, a clear voice interrupted, "Father, who is Ji Zheng?"
Along with the voice came a young boy wearing a goose yellow robe and all over his body hung with various gems.
He is the youngest son of Emperor Ren, Jing Shu, fifteen years old, with a round head and very cute features, especially his eyes which are round like a cat, and he has canine teeth when he smiles. He is simply the epitome of naivety.
At this moment, he blinked his big eyes and looked at Emperor Ren curiously, which made Emperor Ren's heart soften and he smiled very lovingly, "Ji Zheng is a minister who knows a little about gunpowder."
"Oh oh." Jing Shu nodded in understanding, stretched out his hand and pulled Prince Sheng coquettishly, "Uncle, I want a hug."
Logically speaking, it is extremely inappropriate for a teenager of fifteen or sixteen to say such words, which may even be disgusting, but Jing Shu said it.
It just makes people feel cute and soft-hearted. In addition, Jing Shu has been following Jing Yi since he was a child, so when he heard someone acting coquettishly, he hugged her without thinking too much.
"Our Shu'er has grown a lot taller." Jing Yi said with a doting smile.
Jing Shu pouted and complained, "It's because you've been gone for too long, uncle."
Jing Yi also hurriedly apologized, "It's all the uncle's fault. I'm sorry, Shu'er."
Emperor Ren stood up and defended Prince Sheng with a smile, "Your uncle is doing something important. You should understand him."
Jing Shu looked at Emperor Ren, then at Prince Sheng who looked guilty, and said with his cat-like eyes rolling around, "Then the Imperial Uncle has let me down, shouldn't he compensate me?"
The clumsy calculations on the fair face were all seen by Emperor Ren and Prince Sheng. They looked at each other and saw the doting smiles in each other's eyes.
"What compensation does Shu'er want?" King Sheng asked, "Gemstone? Or jade?"
One of Jingshu's hobbies is all kinds of gemstones and jade.
“No.” Jing Shu shook his head, his fingers tickling the embroidery of Jing Yi’s clothes.
"Oh?" King Sheng was curious, "You don't want the gems and jade anymore?"
Then he said with a look of regret, "I just got a fist-sized night-shining pearl the other day. Since Shu'er doesn't want it, I'll keep it for myself."
When Jing Shu heard about the fist-sized night-shining pearl, his eyes suddenly lit up, but when he thought of his ultimate goal, they quickly dimmed again, and he muttered, "The night-shining pearl is not as valuable as the time my uncle spends with me."
When Jing Yi heard this, he was touched and amused. He gently pinched Jing Shu's nose and said, "Our Shu'er has grown up and become sensible."
Emperor Ren joked, "My son, now his heart and eyes are full of his uncle."
Jing Shu blushed and argued: "Father, you are talking nonsense!"
Emperor Ren laughed loudly, "Yes, yes, I was just talking nonsense." After that, he stepped forward and touched Jing Shu's head, saying, "Tell me, what is your ultimate goal? Let me see how you are going to trick your uncle."
Having his inner thoughts exposed, Jing Shu glared at Emperor Ren in embarrassment, "Father, you are so annoying!"
He forced the complaining tone into a coquettish one.
Emperor Ren was not annoyed, and was even in a good mood.
Prince Sheng also smiled and said, "Tell me, I will grant you anything that the emperor's uncle can do."
Jing Shu hesitated for a while, looked at Emperor Ren and then at Prince Sheng, and then hesitantly said, "I, I want to go out of the palace and play for a day."
As soon as these words were spoken, the smiles on Emperor Ren and Jing Yi's faces faded.
Jing Shu was sick since he was born. Even though he was raised meticulously and pampered since childhood, his body was still very weak.
He is obviously a 15-year-old boy, but he looks about the same age as other children who are only 12 or 13 years old.
Sometimes a gust of wind could make people feverish and sick, and once he was sick it was particularly difficult for him to recover. The saying "illness comes like a mountain and goes like a thread being pulled out" was the most appropriate way to describe him.
Looking at the expressions of his uncle and father, Jing Shu's heart was beating fast, but he had only been outside the palace once in his life, and that was when he was very young. He could not remember it now.
Every time his elder brother told him about things outside the palace, he was very curious and yearning.
"Father, uncle, please, I really want to go. Can I just wear more clothes and bring more people with me?"
Acting coquettishly is always the most effective, and what he said was both coquettish and pitiful.
This made Emperor Ren and Prince Sheng feel that they would be sorry for him if they did not agree.
Looking at the pitiful look of his little son and hearing his words, Emperor Ren hesitated for a while and then agreed.
But before Jing Shu could be happy for too long, he heard Emperor Ren say, "You can go out and have fun, but don't make yourself sick, or there won't be a next time."
"I promise to come back healthy!" Jing Shu was happy, his cat eyes narrowed into a slit, and his little tiger teeth made him even more adorable.
After saying that, he turned around and pulled Jing Yi and said, "Uncle, let's go now. It's still early."
Seeing his impatient look, Jing Yi smiled and said, "Why are you so anxious?"
"Let's go tomorrow. Your uncle and I still have some things to discuss." Emperor Ren also said with a smile.
But Jing Shu was not happy about it, he wished he could fly out right now.
"Then I'll go by myself."
"no."
"Can't."
Prince Sheng and Emperor Ren refused at the same time.
But Jing Shu was not so easy to get rid of. He first threw a tantrum and then threatened to abdicate in order to get Emperor Ren to give him the token to leave the palace.
"It's going to be given tomorrow anyway, so why not give it now? Can't I wait a little longer?"
With pouting lips and wrinkled eyebrows, Jing Shu discussed with Emperor Ren with an unhappy look on his face.
Seeing his expression that looked like he would cry if he didn't give it to him, Emperor Ren finally sighed and gave him the token to leave the palace. "Alright, alright, you look so pitiful. I'll give it to you, alright."
Jing Shu took Huang Cancan's token, and his cute fangs were revealed again.
"Then I won't bother you anymore. I'll go back first." Jing Shu took the token, smiled like a little fox, and skipped back to his palace with the eunuchs and maids behind him.
The gems on his body made crisp clash sounds as he moved, causing Jing Yi and Ren Di to feel weak in the chest again.
After everyone disappeared completely, Emperor Ren and Prince Sheng started talking again about the topic they were talking about earlier.
"So they are friends?" asked Emperor Ren.
Jing Yi replied: "It seems that the relationship is very good."
After saying that, he frowned and said, "But they are two people, one in the south and one in the north, I wonder how they knew each other?"
Emperor Ren also added, "And both of them are very knowledgeable about gunpowder."
"This is a bit too much of a coincidence." Jing Yi added.
After these words were spoken, the atmosphere fell silent.
After a while, Emperor Ren took a sip of the tea on the table and said calmly, "It's okay. Let more people watch. As long as it doesn't harm our Dajin, it will be a blessing for our Dajin."
"Your Majesty is right." Jing Yi nodded, thinking that this was true.
"Let's go to the gunpowder bureau and have a look."
Emperor Ren stood up, and the eunuch next to him immediately came forward to help him straighten his clothes.
"yes."
Jing Yi also stood up.
The two of them, accompanied by a group of guards and eunuchs, walked slowly towards the gunpowder bureau.
At this time, Ji Zheng and Ding Mao were conducting the third round of experiments.
Both of them were wearing very heavy clothes, which made it difficult for Ji Zheng to move.
However, the proportion of raw materials was well controlled this time, and there was no premature explosion until the very end.
"It's done!"
Looking at the small can of gunpowder, Ding Mao was very excited, and his cloudy eyes were shining.
Ji Zheng also breathed a sigh of relief, circled the proportions of the raw materials used this time, and ticked a box.
Next is the last round, let’s test its power.
Seeing Ji Zheng and Ding Mao walking towards him, Mu Ce immediately jumped up from his chair, "How is it? Did it work?"
Chen Zi, who was working, also stopped what he was doing and looked at Ji Zheng and Ding Mao expectantly.
"It's done." Ding Mao's face turned red with excitement, and he responded to Mu Ce excitedly.
"That's great!" Chen Zi's face suddenly showed great joy, and he was so happy that he danced with joy.
Seeing Ding Mao and Chen Zi's excited expressions, Mu Ce, who was not surprised at all, said with a sigh, "Look how excited you are. You are useless."
After a morning of talking, Chen Zi had gotten to know Mu Ce's way of speaking and was used to hearing him say that.
Although Ding Mao was somewhat unhappy, the excitement brought by the success of gunpowder prevailed in his heart at this moment, so he did not argue with Mu Ce.
Ji Zheng frowned instead. He whispered to Mu Ce, "Mu Ce, I'm serious. You have to change the way you talk, or you won't know how you died someday."
"Is it that serious..." Seeing Ji Zheng's serious look, Mu Ce's heart was a little hesitant, and he changed his words: "Okay, I'll try my best."
Although Mu Ce has a somewhat eccentric personality, he is smart and keeps his word. Seeing his promise, Ji Zheng nodded.
"So where are you going?" Mutse asked again.
Ji Zheng replied: "Let's find a place to test the power of gunpowder. This time, the gunpowder used is purified saltpeter."
When Chen Zi heard this, he immediately said, "Can I participate? I want to go and take a look."
"Of course." Ji Zheng replied.
Mu Ce thought about it and decided to follow and take a look.
In this way, several people came to the gunpowder testing site.
The test site is located in a more deserted and remote area, surrounded by high walls and heavily guarded.
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