Chapter 236: The Princess's Attitude
"You mean, this thing called 'gunpowder' has actually existed for a long time?" Li Mingzhu looked at him, frowning as she asked.
Li Yi nodded and said, "The fireworks and firecrackers, the acrobatics in the Goulan Theater where they breathe fire and smoke, are actually based on the same principle."
The formula for gunpowder had long ago been created by some mad Taoist obsessed with getting high off his concoctions, but the proportions were wrong, so it could never achieve the proper effect of black powder.
In fact, it had a wide range of applications. Li Yi had even seen acrobats in the Goulan Theater performing tricks with fire and smoke using gunpowder.
"Then why didn’t they..." Li Mingzhu only finished half her sentence, but the implication was clear.
If fireworks, firecrackers, and acrobat performances could cause the same kind of explosion and noise as last night, those people should have all died long ago. It was impossible that the secret had only been discovered now.
Li Yi explained, "That comes down to the ratio of ingredients in the formula. Even a very slight difference in proportions can result in vastly different effects."
"How did you uncover the secret behind it?" Li Mingzhu looked at him, her curiosity piqued.
This question had been on her mind for a long time. Whether it was the falling stone, the horseshoe, or the ability to see into people's hearts, and now, the gunpowder, no one in the entire world had discovered these secrets over the centuries.
Why was it always him—why did it always have to be him?
Was he really smarter than everyone else in the world combined?
Li Yi thought to himself, how else could I have discovered it? It was just relying on centuries of knowledge accumulated by those who came before, plus the library in my mind giving me a little cheat...
"I was just making firecrackers at first, and while doing that, I accidentally discovered it..." Li Yi looked at her and said.
Li Mingzhu gave him a side glance, thinking that he must have accumulated quite a lot of good karma in his past life to be able to sit here and chat with her like this.
Then, another thought occurred to her, and she spoke again, "So, are you saying that others could also discover this secret?"
Li Yi rubbed his forehead. Could she control herself, and then control others as well?
"From the perspective of probability theory, yes, that’s possible," Li Yi looked at her and said, "Maybe it will take days, months, years, or even decades, but perhaps tomorrow, someone else will discover it."
"Probability theory..." Li Mingzhu’s expression turned confused again. "What is probability theory?"
"That's not important," Li Yi waved his hand dismissively, then turned serious and looked at her. "What matters is, after I give you the formula, what do you plan to do with it?"
"Right now, the soldiers of Jing Nation are fighting with Qi Nation on the borders," Li Mingzhu thought for a moment and slowly said, "If the gunpowder truly has the power you say it does, it will definitely be a great achievement. If you can make a contribution on the battlefield, my father will definitely reward you. It's very likely you’ll be granted an official title and promoted."
Such an important national treasure, if discovered by ordinary people, would not lead to rewards but to disaster.
To prevent the formula from leaking, Li Yi could very well be secretly executed, and the best outcome might be life imprisonment. This formula was crucial; if it were leaked to another country, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But Li Yi was different. The more outstanding he became, the more weight he carried in the Emperor’s heart.
The Emperor had always admired him. The reason he hadn’t called him to the capital but instead had him serve as a small county captain was because he wanted him to hone his skills here for a couple of years. After all, though Li Yi had a brilliant mind, his personality was quite lazy. Such a nature wasn’t suitable for the bustling political scene of the capital.
In fact, at the beginning, even she didn’t know why her father valued someone he had only met once so highly. His previous actions weren’t enough to explain it.
But the events that followed made her reluctantly admit that the Emperor’s ability to judge talent was far beyond her own.
The young man sitting opposite her was someone capable of constantly creating miracles.
After saying this, she looked at Li Yi, but noticed his mood wasn’t particularly high.
"Scholars spend their whole lives seeking official titles and promotions, but it seems you’re not interested in any of that." She finally asked the question that had been bothering her for a long time.
Li Yi looked at her and countered, "If everyone’s ambitions were the same, shouldn’t you, as a Princess, be sitting in the deep palace right now?"
Li Mingzhu was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to answer.
After a moment, she looked up again and said, "You know, this kind of life can’t go on forever."
Li Yi nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. After everything that had happened, he had realized just how naïve his previous thoughts were. Living in this era, it was not so easy to live a carefree and worry-free life. Even the Emperor, who controlled the fate of everyone else, probably had little to do with the idea of 'carefree.'
"Those bandits from the Green Forest, the government can’t always keep an eye on them. Though they don’t pose much of a threat to your wife, there are still some troubles with other people." Li Mingzhu looked at him and said, "I will find a place in the city to settle them temporarily."
As for Liu Ruyi, who had once made her compare herself with her, Li Mingzhu now had no such thoughts.
"We’ll discuss the matter of the gunpowder in more detail once you return to the city." Li Mingzhu didn’t press him for more information about the gunpowder formula and stood up, clapping her hands as she prepared to leave.
"Does the thing that caused the fire and loud noise last night have a name?" She asked, turning back toward the door.
"Maybe we can call it... a grenade?" Li Yi thought for a moment and said.
"..."
"Then let’s call it 'Heaven’s Punishment.'" After a pause, Li Mingzhu nodded and decisively turned to leave.
Li Yi sat in the courtyard for a while, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, he too stood up and left.
It was unexpected that the Princess hadn’t taken the gunpowder formula with her, but he understood. She was conveying an attitude—one of goodwill.
Li Yi sighed. He had to admit, the Princess was truly bold.
But, unless absolutely necessary, he couldn’t touch such a hot potato again...
When he returned to his own courtyard, Xiao Huan was hanging up the half-washed underpants Li Yi had left behind before he left. Her eyes were red and swollen.
When she saw Li Yi, her lips pouted, and her eyes immediately filled with tears.
She had stayed alone in the county office the entire night, worrying the whole time until the morning when the constable had brought her up.
"Son-in-law..."
The next moment, she flung herself into Li Yi’s arms, tears falling like raindrops.