Chapter 121 Is gunpowder really that powerful? If there really is retribution, then heaven...
Banditry plagued the three prefectures, the Southern Yin launched a northern expedition, and turmoil ensued in the northern border region.
These three major events combined had left the dynasty teetering on the brink of collapse, like a withered tree about to be broken.
When the world descends into chaos, only ordinary people will suffer.
As they approached the palace gates, Yu Nie's mind was filled with plans for the future.
She understood that to achieve her plan without dragging the people into the flames of war, the only way was to produce gunpowder as quickly as possible.
In this era where cold weapons reigned supreme, gunpowder was an unparalleled weapon of mass destruction.
Chaos was imminent, and she could not delay any longer.
"Cuiwei".
"Yes, Princess."
She asked, "Have you prepared the sulfur and charcoal I asked you to?"
“It’s all ready, Princess. The places you asked me to set up are all tidied up. Sui En said that the sheds in the inner courtyard will all be set up by noon today, and the earthen stoves will be up and ready to use at any time.”
"That's good. We need to speed things up and refine what we need as soon as possible."
Cuiwei knew that what she was making was called gunpowder, but she didn't know what it was used for.
But as a sensible servant, she did not press the matter further.
A few steps away from Danhe Gate, a familiar voice rang out behind the group from Hongzheng Pavilion.
"Oh my... who do we have here? Isn't this your aunt?"
Upon hearing that nonchalant tone, even if he were reduced to ashes, Yu Nie would recognize who it was.
She paused, then turned around.
Zhao Yuanze, dressed in a brocade robe, and Wang Fengshu, with his slicked-back hair and powdered face, jumped down from the carriage.
They were surrounded by a large crowd, and Zhao Yuan said something to the attendants accompanying him, leaving the others behind.
Then he and Wang Feng walked towards her.
Yu Nie's eyes remained cold, and his expression did not change.
Zhao Yuanze walked up to her, gave her a perfunctory bow, and looked her up and down, his eyes gleaming with lust: "Auntie, are you going back to Hongzheng Pavilion?"
Wang Fenghe, who had followed him, chimed in, "Yes, Your Highness, since the princess is going back to the palace, why don't you take me and the Third Prince with you?"
This blatant disregard for her status as a princess infuriated Cuiwei, who stepped forward to argue on her behalf.
Yu Nie raised his hand to block them, glanced at Zhao Yuanze's men, and then calmly looked at the two of them, saying sarcastically, "What kind of place is my Hongzheng Pavilion? How dare you filthy scoundrels set foot here?"
She sneered, "If you two are really so bored, the brothels in front of Jin Yuehe need guests with your looks. Why don't you go and try to see if you have the ability to keep guests?"
Her words caused Zhao and Wang's faces to change drastically, from green to white, and from red to purple.
"You!" Zhao Yuanze raised her hand to retaliate, but she took a step forward without flinching and faced him directly.
There was no retreat in her almond-shaped eyes, only boundless hatred as she stared at him: "What, Third Prince, you still want to hit me? By seniority, I am your elder. Not only do you show no respect for your elders, but if you hurt my face, you will be in deep trouble."
Zhao Yuanze was not easily frightened, so of course he was not afraid. He sneered, "What kind of princess are you? If it weren't for Father Emperor needing a pawn for a marriage alliance, you would have lived a long and miserable life in Shuoyang."
In terms of age, Zhao Yuanze is older than Zhao Huayan.
Seeing that she was a princess with no support or power, Zhao Yuanze's words would only become more outrageous.
“I call you aunt, which is an honor. Do you really think you have the right to boss me around? I am the Emperor’s child. Do you think the Emperor will really back you up?”
"Hmph..." She curled her lips into a sneer: "Do you believe that even if I stab you today, you can go to His Majesty and cry for justice, and see if His Majesty will speak up for you, or stand on my side and pretend nothing happened?"
She investigated Zhao Yuanze and found that among Zhao Yunfu's few children, he was not favored, and his mother, Consort Xian, had no say in front of Zhao Yunfu.
She was clear about her role with Zhao Yunfu at this moment, and she wasn't afraid even if Zhao Yuanze complained to her.
Zhao Yuanze was a little uneasy at this moment because she seemed so confident and didn't look like she was lying.
He knew that his father disliked him.
Besides, he was under house arrest, and now he's gone out to play on his own. If this gets out in front of his dignified father, he'll definitely get a beating.
"What, feeling guilty?" she said dismissively.
"you……"
"How could our Third Prince feel guilty towards you?" Wang Fengqu, unable to tolerate her arrogant and domineering manner, immediately retorted, "Who do you think you are..."
"Smack!"
Before Wang Feng could finish his filthy barking, Yu Nie glanced at him coldly out of the corner of her eye and slapped him cleanly across the face.
"I am a princess personally appointed by the Emperor, and my name is written in the royal family genealogy. What do you think I am?"
She paused slightly, then narrowed her eyes: "Or is it that this princess must be recognized and officially appointed by your royal family?"
"Do you really think you can offer advice on matters concerning our imperial family?"
This unexpected slap stunned everyone.
No one expected that this seemingly frail princess would do something so earth-shattering.
Stunned, Wang Fengshu covered his face and remained motionless for a moment before erupting in fury, actually daring to retaliate.
The instant he raised his hand, Yu Nie drew the sword from the guard beside him without hesitation and slashed the guard's palm with a backhand.
Wang Fengshu cried out in pain, clutching his wrist with one hand and turning pale.
Yu Nie coldly stared at his blood-soaked hand, gave a sneer, and said in a cold tone, "Just this little thing, and you're in so much pain, young master Wang. How disappointing."
With a clang, she threw the knife on the ground: "This is no fun, I'm not playing anymore."
The two people in front of her stared at her as if they had seen a ghost.
Zhao Yuanze chuckled and said, "It seems that the death of a young eunuch has really hurt my aunt quite a bit, driving her to this point of madness."
The moment the words left his mouth, Yu Nie turned his gaze to him and looked at him calmly for a moment.
She walked towards him step by step, staring straight into his eyes, placed her hand on his shoulder, and said, "You will be punished."
Zhao Yuanze laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world: "Retribution? Where?" His tone was full of provocation: "Is my dear aunt hysterical? She actually believes that there is retribution in this world. If there really is retribution, I think everyone in this world should be dead."
She didn't say anything, but simply withdrew her arm and took a few steps back.
"Soon." After saying this, she glanced at the two of them, then led her people away.
Wang Fengqi was unwilling to give up and tried to catch up with him.
Unexpectedly, just as he rushed out, Zhao Yuan glanced at Yu Nie's back, then turned and walked away.
“The Third Prince?!…” Wang Fengqi froze, not understanding why Zhao Yuanze would let her go, and could only follow him unwillingly.
Zhao Yuanze said, "Father just imprisoned the Li family, and Li Yunsheng just entered the prison today. Do you want to go with him?"
Wang Fengshu hurriedly said, "How could I dare? But we can't let that girl take advantage of us."
“Girl?” Zhao Yuanze got into the carriage: “Feng Qu, I advise you to be careful with your words. I’ve heard it all over the palace. Father Emperor is going to betroth her to Huan Xun.”
After saying that, Zhao Yuan looked at him as if he were a fool: "Father will not easily arrange a marriage for Yan Yue's adopted son. You'd better be careful with your words, lest you say something inappropriate and cause those poor scholars to file a complaint against you."
He specifically reminded her, "If you dare to be disloyal to the royal princess, even Minister Wang might not be able to speak up for you. Besides, she is about to become Huan Xun's principal wife."
“Huan Xun, you should know that if you offend him, he can be ruthless, even to his own family. The military power in Beiye is now entirely in their hands. Your family has racked your brains to go to the northern frontier this time, but whether you can get the military power back is another matter entirely. I advise you to be careful.”
Zhao Yuanze's words made Wang Fengshuo act as if he didn't know him at all, and he stared at him again and again.
No prince doesn't want to seize power, and Zhao Yuanze was no exception. However, with the crown prince already chosen, others felt he had no chance at all.
Not only him, but the eldest and second eldest brothers also didn't have a chance.
The only chance is if the crown prince is deposed or dies.
"Let's go, let's go play at the East Palace." After instructing the servants, he leaned back and yawned: "Go and bandage your wounds, the sight of you bleeding is annoying this prince."
He was clearly speaking to Wang Fengshuo, who understood and replied, "Yes."
Zhao Yuan didn't look at him, scratched his neck, and was carried straight to the East Palace.
After leaving the palace gates, Yu Nie looked at the bottle in her hand.
There was still some powder left inside; it was cantharides powder that she had made in her spare time while staying in the museum for the past few days, for self-defense.
This stuff doesn't take long to make; she made a bottle in just a few days.
She twirled the bottle in her hand, lost in thought.
Just now, while she was touching Zhao Yuanze, she secretly smeared some powder on the area around his neck with her hand.
Once the medicine takes effect, he'll be in big trouble.
Seeing that she seemed preoccupied, Cuiwei asked the reason: "Princess... what are you thinking about?"
Yu Nie recounted to her how he had drugged Zhao Yuanze.
Upon hearing this, Cuiwei was so frightened that she quickly grabbed her wrist: "Then the princess's hand..."
"It's alright, just soak it in salt water for half an hour when you get back." For her, it was that simple.
This is the amazing thing about chemical substances: often the most complex things can create unexpected effects just by neutralizing them with a tiny amount of a substance.
Seeing how simply she described it, Cuiwei exclaimed in amazement: "The things the princess makes are truly astonishing."
Cuiwei recalled the gunpowder she had mentioned: "I don't even dare to think about how powerful that gunpowder must be."
"Gunpowder is hundreds of thousands of times more powerful than this blister powder," she said. "It could even prevent chaos from spreading throughout the world."
"real?"
"Really." She smiled and said, "I'm not lying to you."
Cuiwei became more and more interested in what she was saying and kept asking questions.
Yu Nie patiently and meticulously explained, and even gave her some very simple, everyday chemical tips, such as how vinegar can be used to remove rust and how wood ash water can be used to wash clothes...
The two talked all the way, and before long they arrived outside Hongzheng Hall.
As soon as Cuiwei got out of the car, before Yu Nie could even bend down to get out, she heard her exclaim in surprise, "Your Highness Prince Guangning, what brings you here?"
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