Chapter 334

Yu Shuchun couldn't help but twitch his nose and said, "Fuguang, what kind of incense did you light? How can it smell so good? The fragrance is faint, elegant, and not overwhelming."

He stretched his stiff and tired body, exhausted from overwork and the hot weather, and added, "Smelling this incense, your Second Uncle feels a lot more relaxed."

Dong Qianli also smiled and said, "Brother Yu feels it too? So I'm not the only one who thinks so!"

Lu Qi stroked his beard with a smile, "I feel the same way."

Hearing their words, a mysterious smile appeared on Yue Fuguang's face.

With sparkling eyes, she said to Yu Chongshan, "Grandfather, Second Uncle, and my lords, you've come at a perfect time today. What you are smelling isn't incense, but the scent of lotuses."

"Lotus scent?" Among the group, Zheng Ziling, who hailed from the prominent Zheng clan, was the most cultured and refined.

He also had a deep understanding of perfumery. He had bought absolutely every single item sold in Yue Fuguang's shop, from soaps and essential oils to perfumes.

He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍had contributed quite a lot to her sales and was considered a loyal customer of the fragrance shop.

"How is it that it differs so greatly from the lotus scent we usually smell?" He looked toward the lotus pond. In the distance, amidst the emerald pond, pink and white lotuses were blooming vibrantly.

Up close, the lotus leaves were dense and lush. Golden light occasionally flashed amidst the green, which everyone had assumed was just the shimmering reflection of the water.

Yu Chongshan naturally saw it too, but knowing the inside story, he didn't think like the others. He stood up abruptly and said in pleasant surprise, "Yue Fuguang, have the golden lotuses bloomed?"

"Grandfather will know once he takes a look." Yue Fuguang stood up and led the group toward the corridor that extended over the water.

She turned back and warned the crowd, "My lords, be careful not to let the golden lotuses blind your eyes."

Ignoring the others, she silently took out a pair of men's sunglasses and handed them to Yu Chongshan to put on.

Yu Chongshan had seen his granddaughter wear this strange-looking thing called "glasses" before. Without needing Yue Fuguang to teach him, he rested them on the bridge of his own nose.

Hiss! Hearing the familiar gasps, the corners of Yue Fuguang's mouth curled up. She knew that even with her kind reminder, these people would inevitably shed tears upon seeing the blinding golden lotuses.

"This... this golden lotus is far superior to those found elsewhere!" Yu Shuchun beamed, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "When it comes to raising flowers, especially golden lotuses, my niece is a cut above the rest."

As for who she was a cut above, everyone listened to the underlying tone and naturally understood immediately.

Dong Qianli nodded. "Brother Yu is right. Such golden lotuses are indeed the only ones of their kind in the whole world."

The group observed for a while longer. After Yue Fuguang received a basketful of compliments, they returned to the pavilion to sit down and chat about everyday matters.

"How did Grandfather and you lords find the free time to come over today?" Tomorrow was their official rest day, yet they had run over today. Were they openly skipping work and dragging their superiors along with them?

Yu Chongshan smiled and lowered his voice, "Grandfather and these lords have just come from the Alchemy Bureau."

Because they had eavesdropped on Yue Fuguang's inner thoughts, they had learned that this incredibly powerful substance was called gunpowder, a great lethal weapon for dealing with cavalry.

The ruler and officials of Great Yan, all knowing that a war with Western Qiang and Northern Li was inevitable, were single-mindedly focused on manufacturing it.

Through their roundabout questioning of Yue Fuguang—which was actually Yue Fuguang intentionally giving them subtle hints—

They had learned the basic formula. They then chose a hidden location in the mountains near the capital's suburbs to build a workshop. Emperor Mingxi even personally wrote the name "The First Alchemy Bureau of Great Yan" for it.

The reason they didn't use the word "gunpowder" was not only to prevent people with ulterior motives from snooping but also to temporarily confuse all parties. The ruler and his ministers had not forgotten the fact that Great Yan had been infiltrated like a sieve.

After half a year of research and development, the first batch of gunpowder had finally been produced a few days ago, pending final testing.

Yu Chongshan and Lu Qi, as figures with real power in the Ministry of Works, naturally had to go to the site to inspect the results.

As for the people from the Ministry of Revenue, those who provided the funds naturally had to go to the site to evaluate it as well. Given the previous corruption, Dong Qianli, for the sake of his own life and fortune,

Now guarded the Ministry of Revenue's silver and account books tighter than his own. For any large expenditure, he had to see it with his own eyes to feel at ease.

"Looking at Grandfather's expression, that gunpowder has been successfully made?"

Yu Chongshan stroked his beard and nodded with a smile, "We have indeed achieved some results, but it is still a far cry from the immensely powerful gunpowder you said was made by people overseas."

Lu Qi also nodded in agreement, "Brother Yu is right. The gunpowder currently produced by the Alchemy Bureau can only blast a small hole in the rocks.

But even so, if our border army encounters the cavalry of Northern Li and Western Qiang again, they won't be as fearful as before, having to fill every victory with the lives of our soldiers."

Speaking of this, Lu Qi felt quite sorrowful. He had a fine junior in his clan who, a few years ago, during a border conflict between Great Yan and Northern Li,

Had led several small squads in order to pin down the enemy's cavalry on the battlefield, only to be trampled to death by horses.

"It's already quite good that the artisans of the Ministry of Works could achieve this in such a short time."

Yue Fuguang looked at Lu Qi and said, "Lord Minister, please don't forget to ask His Majesty to reward the artisans for their merits. Gunpowder is dangerous; they are working with their lives on the line."

Earning the wages of a cabbage seller while doing life-threatening work—it would be truly unjustifiable not to give them some sweet rewards.

"There must be brave men under heavy rewards. Similarly, generous treatment and awards can also stimulate the creativity of the artisans.

Perhaps it won't be long before they can develop highly destructive gunpowder."

Hearing Yue Fuguang's words, Lu Qi nodded repeatedly. "Lord Junior Preceptor makes a valid point. Once I return, I will request merits for the artisans from His Majesty."

Since these words were proposed by the Junior Preceptor, there was no reason for their Emperor not to agree once he knew.

[Master, isn't the gunpowder formula very simple? How did they study it for half a year only to blast a small pit?]

"Little Zhu, going from nothing to something is the most difficult part. The fact that they could draw inspiration from alchemists' exploding furnaces is already a kind of progress."

Yue Fuguang kept her mouth completely shut about the fact that she had intentionally guided them.

[One part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, three parts charcoal, add a little white sugar and the power increases ten thousandfold. In another minor thousand world, even ten-year-old children know this black gunpowder formula.

If you mix them with crushed stones and iron scraps, put them in a clay pot, and light a fire, it scatters like heavenly maidens dropping blossoms. Within a radius of tens of meters, neither man nor beast can survive.]

"What you're talking about isn't suitable for close combat. The defense of Great Yan's soldiers is poor; it would easily result in killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of our own."

Trying hard to memorize this little jingle, Lu Qi and Yu Chongshan exchanged a glance. So what if it wasn't good for close combat? They had catapults!

In the past, they threw stones. Now, they would throw gunpowder pots and the fierce fire oil that they had already fully mastered.

Only the ruler and his ministers knew that while the army of Great Yan seemed to have changed little over the past year, it had actually undergone earth-shattering transformations from within.

The Junior Preceptor's troop training methods had been edited and adapted for use on the veteran troops.

As for the new army, which had rapidly expanded to nearly eighty thousand men, and the navy of over ten thousand, all the recruits were commoners with clean backgrounds.

They used the complete set of training methods, as well as that ideological education. He had heard Huo Ying and Wei Shouyi say more than once that it was truly effective!

[Couldn't they be made into landmines? They explode when stepped on. Bury a ring of them at the border passes, and whoever comes will die.]

Hey guys, please work your magic and hit the urge-update button! Thank you so much! Clasping hands in gratitude!