Early on the morning of the nineteenth of August, the Crown Prince's carriage, escorted by three thousand imperial guards, departed from the capital. Accompanying him, aside from the Crown Princess and several other imperial relatives, were officials from the Gunpowder Bureau and mule carts transporting heavy gunpowder.
Given the inherent risks of transporting heavy gunpowder, the three mule carts followed at a safe distance of half a mile behind.
Since the mission was of utmost importance, Zhao Sui ordered the imperial guards to advance at full speed. The journey to the Northern Park, which had taken the Emperor's leisurely procession six days, was completed by the Crown Prince's party in just two and a half days.
With no time to test the heavy gunpowder today, the group settled into the temporary palace to rest.
The temporary palace belonged to Emperor Yongchang, but with the Emperor far away in the capital, he had entrusted all internal and external affairs of the palace during this period to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. In short, the Crown Prince could do as he pleased without needing to seek further instructions.
However, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were only responsible for allocating residences and arranging meals for the accompanying officials and imperial relatives, and there were established precedents for all of this.
The imperial guards were responsible for defending the temporary palace, and there were barracks near the city walls. The officials were housed in the official residences in the outer court of the palace. Yao Lin had quarters in both the barracks and the official residences, and Li Fuwei, as his wife, stayed in his courtyard in the official residences. Consort-Prince Yu Shen and prospective Consort-Prince Fan Ruochuan also stayed there. The Second Princess, who was not yet married, naturally stayed in the inner court with her second brother and sister-in-law. As for the Eldest Princess...
Yao Huang smiled and let the Eldest Princess decide for herself whether she wanted to stay in the more comfortable inner court or in the somewhat less comfortable official residences where she could be affectionate with Yu Shen.
The royal inner court was strictly reserved for the descendants of the royal family; men of other surnames had to be kept outside. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, despite their approachable nature, could not arbitrarily change this rule.
The Eldest Princess blushed deeply, stood next to the Second Princess, and said, I will stay with my sister.
There would be plenty of time to share a bed with her consort-prince in the future; a few days would not make a difference.
After arranging the female dependents, Yao Huang returned to Yunshan Hall first. The couple had stayed here during their visit to the Northern Park last year, and they chose it again this time. As for the palaces reserved exclusively for the Emperor and Empress, Yao Huang and the Crown Prince would not even go near them.
The Crown Prince was still in the outer court and had not returned. Yao Huang took a refreshing bath in the washroom, completely washing away the dust and fatigue of the journey.
By the time her hair had dried in the sun and she had been asleep on the bed for a while, the Crown Prince finally pushed his wheelchair into the inner chamber.
Yao Huang was awakened by the vibration as the Crown Prince transferred himself onto the bed. She opened her eyes and saw the Crown Prince wearing a white silk garment, carrying the faint, fresh scent of medicinal massage oil.
As soon as the Crown Prince lay down, Yao Huang wrapped around him like a water snake. She just wanted to hold him and enjoy some simple tenderness since they hadn't been together the past two nights and could finally be alone. However, Zhao Sui misunderstood the Crown Princess's intentions. As soon as she pressed against him, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her while untying her inner garments.
Yao Huang was both shy and amused. Do you never get tired, Your Highness?
Zhao Sui certainly got tired, but he missed the Crown Princess even more, especially when she was being so proactive.
The couple rested for nearly two hours, napping and being intimate, and woke up at dusk.
The Crown Prince hosted a family banquet in the outer court, inviting the two princesses, the two consort-princes, and Yao Lin and his wife. The other accompanying officials were all from the Gunpowder Bureau. Once the heavy gunpowder test was over, if the power was satisfactory, Zhao Sui would host a separate celebration banquet to reward everyone.
Although it was a family banquet, the unsmiling Crown Prince carried an overwhelming aura of authority. Yu Shen and Fan Ruochuan, who were not familiar with him, were very restrained. Yao Lin was also not yet accustomed to his brother-in-law's new status. Furthermore, Li Fuwei had instructed him to strictly maintain the demeanor of a subject before the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and not be overly casual, so Yao Lin also maintained a highly respectful appearance.
The Eldest Princess, being unfamiliar with Fan Ruochuan and Yao Lin, maintained the dignified composure expected of a princess in her every word and action.
The usually talkative Second Princess, seeing everyone so silent, looked inquiringly at her second sister-in-law: Does Second Brother prefer to eat in silence?
Yao Huang smiled at her and then looked at Fan Ruochuan, who hailed from Liao Province. I heard that the winters in Liao Province are bitterly cold, and the rivers and streams freeze solid, making the locals adept at ice skating. I also heard they invented a game called ice hockey to play on the ice?
Fan Ruochuan instinctively tried to leave his seat to bow before answering.
Yao Huang raised her hand to signal him to stay seated. Tonight is a family banquet. There are no outsiders present, so there is no need to be formal. This is also His Highness's wish.
Everyone looked in unison at the Crown Prince.
Zhao Sui nodded.
Fan Ruochuan finally sat securely and said respectfully, That is indeed true.
Yao Huang said, Then could you tell us how ice hockey is played?
Fan Ruochuan began to explain.
Fan Ruochuan was ranked in the middle of the second tier of successful candidates in last year's military examinations, combining both literary and martial tests. However, he had an exceptionally tall and straight posture, standing out like a crane among a flock of chickens even among the military scholars. His facial features weren't the most handsome, but they were very proper. Like Prince Kang, he looked like a steady and reliable person. Coupled with his clean family background, Emperor Yongchang had chosen him as the consort-prince for the Second Princess.
The name Fan Ruochuan sounded very grand and dignified, but Yao Huang and the others soon discovered that he was actually quite thin-skinned. Just because the Second Princess was listening to him intently, staring straight at him with her beautiful eyes, Fan Ruochuan began to stutter more and more, his face turning red all the way down to his neck.
Sitting next to the Second Princess, the Eldest Princess lowered her head and chuckled softly, casually tugging at her sister's sleeve to remind her to eat.
Only then did the Second Princess notice her prospective consort-prince's unusual state. She glared at him in embarrassed annoyance. She only looked at him because she thought ice hockey sounded fun; what was he imagining?
Being glared at, Fan Ruochuan quickly regained his normal expression.
Yao Lin was very interested in ice hockey and turned to ask Fan Ruochuan about some rules he wasn't clear on.
With someone talking, the others chimed in with their own topics, and the banquet finally became lively.
Yao Huang asked the Crown Prince on behalf of the two princesses and Li Fuwei, Can we go and watch the heavy gunpowder test tomorrow?
Zhao Sui said, Yes.
Yao Huang asked, Will it be dangerous?
Zhao Sui said, No.
Yao Huang was speechless.
Prompted by her meaningful gaze, the Crown Prince added two more sentences. The fuse used to ignite the gunpowder is two hundred paces long, and we will stand half a mile away.
The Eldest Princess asked in surprise, With such a long fuse, won't it go out halfway?
Yu Shen, worried that the taciturn Crown Prince would find the Eldest Princess too talkative, guessed, You could pour tung oil on the fuse to help it burn.
The Second Princess seized the opportunity to tease her sister and brother-in-law, Whatever we say, Brother-in-law doesn't chime in, but the moment Sister has a question, Brother-in-law speaks up immediately.
Yu Shen's face instantly turned red, and the Eldest Princess secretly pinched the Second Princess.
Yao Huang watched as her brother just drank with Fan Ruochuan, without even exchanging an affectionate glance with Li Fuwei.
The next morning, Yao Huang rode in a carriage with the Crown Prince, while everyone else rode horses alongside them. The large group proceeded grandly toward a mountainous area twenty miles away.
The officials from the Gunpowder Bureau had arrived early and dug pits on five separate hilltops around the observation point, burying ten, twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty pounds of heavy gunpowder in them, respectively.
Yao Huang had previously found out from the Crown Prince that one pound of heavy gunpowder could blow up a pig at close range, and twenty pounds was enough to destroy a solid house and ten pigs running around inside it.
Upon arriving at the destination, the carriage stopped. Yao Huang accompanied the Crown Prince out of the carriage, and the Eldest Princess and the others also dismounted from their horses.
Horses were easily startled when mountains were blown up, so Zhang Yue and the other guards led several horses away and tied them tightly to nearby trees.
The observation point was on higher ground. Looking down, they could see colored flags planted in front of the pits on the five selected mountain peaks. Five minor officials from the gunpowder workshop, responsible for lighting the fuses, guarded their respective bunkers two hundred paces away from the pits. Because the fuses were long enough, they had plenty of time to hide inside after lighting them.
Leaving the Crown Prince and the officials of the gunpowder workshop to occupy the central position, Yao Huang led the two princesses and Li Fuwei further away.
The Second Princess was a little nervous. She linked her arm with Yao Huang's and asked, Will there be an earthquake?
Yao Huang teased her in a low voice, If you are afraid of an earthquake, you should go link arms with your Prince Consort. When the time comes, let him carry you and run.
The Second Princess was speechless.
Holding one princess in each hand, Yao Huang looked helplessly at Li Fuwei, who was standing in front of the three of them in the posture of a guard.
Li Fuwei returned a reassuring look.
Yao Huang was naturally reassured, because the heavy gunpowder was developed by her Crown Prince husband, and this observation position was also chosen by him. The Crown Prince would make full preparations even when going to Mount Ling. For such a grand event today, he would certainly not let anyone's safety and protection go wrong.
The time to ignite the first mountain peak was approaching. Yao Huang looked at the Crown Prince, who was surrounded by several officials in the middle.
Zhao Sui was the one to give the order. Before speaking, he looked in the direction of the Crown Princess, only to see that the Crown Princess was also looking at him, her eyes filled with nothing but trust and anticipation.
Zhao Sui withdrew his gaze, looked down the mountain, and said, Light the fire.
A minor official nearby blew a horn, and another waved the yellow colored flag corresponding to the first mountain peak.
Instantly, a fire snake swiftly chased along the two-hundred-pace-long black fuse toward the pit at the foot of the mountain where the heavy gunpowder was buried.
With a bang, a thunderous, muffled sound erupted from the mountain peak, blowing out clouds of thick smoke and dust, and sending rocks flying in all directions.
When the smoke cleared, the two minor officials responsible for this mountain peak quickly ran forward to measure the size of the pit after the explosion, the distance the rocks rolled, and so on.
After they finished their work and withdrew, the second mountain peak was blown up.
When it was the turn of the final fifty pounds of heavy gunpowder to explode, Yao Huang truly felt a distinct vibration in the ground, as if a meteor had fallen from the sky and smashed into the opposite mountain peak.
The Eldest Princess tightly gripped her hand, and the Second Princess directly hugged her.
At this time, Yao Huang heard her brother's loud voice, Divine might! If we use this kind of heavy gunpowder to attack a city, we can destroy the enemy's city walls in no more than three strikes!
Yao Huang was just about to look at her brother when she saw Li Fuwei in front of them tilt his head and glance at her brother. It was a very brief look, but it seemed to hold a bit of appreciation.
After everything was finished, the crowd followed the Crown Prince to personally visit the five mountain pits created by the explosions.
On the way back to the temporary palace, relying on the cover of the carriage, Yao Huang hugged her Crown Prince and praised him profusely.
Zhao Sui said, Making the heavy gunpowder is only the first step. How to apply it to the battlefield still requires further research and testing.
The enemy army would not helplessly watch Great Qi bury dozens of pounds of gunpowder under their city gates or in their military camps. If it were to be thrown from a distance, how to enclose the heavy gunpowder and how long the fuse should be to ensure that the heavy gunpowder would explode only after falling among the enemy, these were all difficult problems that needed to be solved step by step.
The Crown Princess looked at him with bright eyes, Take your time. With Your Highness's brilliance and wisdom, you will definitely be able to figure it all out.
Zhao Sui squeezed the Crown Princess's hand and changed the subject, Will you still come for tomorrow's test?
Yao Huang sighed, I want to come, but unfortunately, I am still burdened with the imperial decree to teach my two younger sisters archery.
The Crown Prince then released the Crown Princess's hand and instead pinched the tip of her nose. She said she wanted to accompany him, but in reality, she was just thinking about the scenery of the Northern Garden.
