It was a traditional gunpowder packet, packed with gunpowder and fitted with a fuse, creating a simple explosive that could be ignited by lighting the fuse.
Lu Qingwan decisively opened the packet and saw the gunpowder inside. As expected, it was the most basic kind.
She removed the fuse, put away the gunpowder, and said with ease, "No need to be afraid. It's nothing complicated, and it's not that easy to cause an explosion.
In a few days, I'll make something with more power for you to play with.
Next time someone tries to scare you with this, throw it back at them. See who can blow up whom?"
Everyone chuckled. No one took Lu Qing's words seriously, but they marveled at how much the Princess Consort knew.
Although Lu Qingwan was interested in experimenting with gunpowder, she didn't take it too seriously.
However, upon returning to the manor, her spatial laboratory gave her a huge surprise.
As soon as she returned, Dabai was rolling around in the spatial laboratory, begging for attention. "Mommy, come in quickly! There's something good!"
Lu Qingwan didn't know what Dabai was up to, but she knew that anything Dabai called "good" would be beneficial to her.
After instructing everyone not to disturb her while she researched new medicines, she entered the spatial laboratory.
Four months had passed since she transmigrated to this world, and the Xuanyuan Spatial Laboratory was no longer what it used to be.
As far as the eye could see, fields of medicinal herbs and grains filled her with a sense of abundance.
The medicinal pharmacy was several times larger than before, and the accumulated food was enough to feed over a thousand people.
However, what truly caught Lu Qingwan's attention was the steel behemoth standing outside the laboratory.
It was a cannon. At first glance, it resembled the Hongyi cannons Lu Qingwan had seen in a military museum, but it was more refined.
Judging by its appearance alone, its craftsmanship was more advanced than that of the Ming Dynasty's Hongyi cannons.
Lu Qingwan was astonished. "Where did this come from?"
"It's a reward from the spatial laboratory!"
Dabai stood proudly on its hind legs. "After Mommy took out that packet of gunpowder, the spatial laboratory rewarded this cannon. Does Mommy like it?"
How could Lu Qingwan not like it? She nodded enthusiastically.
"But, do cannons look like this? Why does it not seem quite right?"
Dabai whined affectionately, "Oh, Mommy, why do you care about its appearance? As long as its power is comparable to a cannon, isn't that enough?
Don't you think it'll be easier for those old fogeys to accept it this way?"
That was true. Lu Qingwan hugged Dabai and rushed to the Hongyi cannon, touching and examining it greedily.
Dabai didn't struggle at all, behaving exceptionally well.
After Lu Qingwan had her fill of looking at the Hongyi cannon, her intelligence suddenly kicked in.
"Wait a minute. You usually act like a pampered elder, treating me like your grandson. Why are you calling me 'Mommy' today? Tell me honestly, did you do something bad?"
Dabai chuckled dryly. "Mommy, what are you talking about? Dabai is so well-behaved, how could I..."
Lu Qingwan grabbed it by the scruff of its neck. The black cat insisted on finishing its sentence, "...do anything bad?"
"Is that so?"
Lu Qingwan carried Dabai back into the laboratory and scanned every corner with her eagle eyes. Everything seemed normal, except for the gunpowder she had just brought back, which was gone.
Her face instantly fell. She shook Dabai by the scruff of its neck. "Where's my gunpowder?"
"I-I ate it!"
Dabai was mischievous, but it didn't lie.
It opened its mouth and let out a puff of black smoke, leaving Lu Qingwan with a bewildered, black-smudged face.
"I knew there was something strange about your voice when you spoke. So you were still eating while talking to me, were you?"
She dangled Dabai by its hind legs and shook it vigorously. "It's one thing that you ate the gunpowder I worked so hard to get, but you could have at least left me some!
You ate it all! Aren't you afraid of blowing yourself up, you little brat!"
No matter how much she shook it, not a speck of gunpowder fell out. Lu Qingwan was so angry she cursed.
Dabai's head spun from the shaking. It pitifully begged, "Stop shaking me, Mommy! Don't be angry! Look, the cannon has detailed design plans!
You can have as much gunpowder as you want!
How long has it been since I last ate gunpowder? I'm sick of eating medicinal herbs every day..."
As it spoke, it actually began to whimper pitifully, as if it were wronged by having to eat those expensive medicinal herbs and finished medicines every day.
Lu Qingwan looked at the dramatic cat that was feigning hardship after gaining an advantage, and her mouth twitched. She let go and went to the laboratory.
As expected, a book, as thick as a dictionary, was now on her usual desk.
When she picked it up, she realized it was a set of books containing the complete design plans, materials, and manufacturing methods for the Hongyi cannon.
As if afraid Lu Qingwan wouldn't understand, it also included detailed exploded views of each part.
Most importantly, Lu Qingwan discovered that the raw materials required for this ancient-looking Hongyi cannon were all available in this era.
It was as if the appearance of this Hongyi cannon perfectly suited this unfamiliar era.
Looking at the blueprints, Lu Qingwan thought of Feng Qingheng, who wanted to kill her at every turn, and the powerful enemies that even Feng Xiwu and Lian Yu spoke of with dread. She decided to find someone to replicate this Hongyi cannon.
As a special agent who had spent ten years undercover, Lu Qingwan knew very well that there was a significant difference between having a sword and not being able to use it, and having no sword at all.
With formidable enemies lurking around her, she couldn't just wait to die.
She decided to act immediately, took the books and blueprints, and left the spatial laboratory.
She watched as the modern-looking book transformed into an ancient thread-bound volume.
The printed font turned into handwritten script, and the blueprints became antique drawings made with a brush.
Lu Qingwan's mouth twitched. She put the items away, turned, and called out, "Someone."
Li Su pushed the door open. "What are the Princess Consort's orders?"
"Has the Prince returned?"
"Not yet, Princess Consort. However, the new Emperor has ordered the Prince to reinforce the northwest. The Prince has already sent Li Yang and the others back to pack their belongings."
Li Su said with a somber expression, "I heard that the new Emperor has ordered the Prince to depart tomorrow morning."
"Feng Qingheng ordered it, and the Prince agreed?"
Lu Qingwan's eyes widened. "Departing tomorrow morning, is there still time to muster troops?
How many soldiers did Feng Qingheng assign to the Prince?"
"The new Emperor wants the Prince to depart for the northwest tomorrow morning. He will order the seventy thousand Southern Prefecture cavalry to march north at full speed.
The Southern Prefecture cavalry is under the command of the Southern Governor, Wen Tan, who has a close personal relationship with the Prince and is also the eldest son of Prime Minister Wen.
Most importantly, only if the Prince agrees to reinforce the northwest will the new Emperor allocate new, qualified military equipment to Saibei. Therefore, the Prince agreed."
The commander of the reinforcements was someone Feng Xiwu trusted, and the new military equipment was also to secure more for the Xuanjia Army. It was understandable that Feng Xiwu agreed to Feng Qingheng's arrangements.
However, "Didn't the Prince make any demands to the new Emperor?
When did he become so agreeable?"