Do Not Offend the Reborn Wicked Wife-Chapter 553: Fire Saltpeter Explosion!

"Boom!"

Immediately following, another loud explosion rang out, causing the already burning flames to blaze even more fiercely. Qiao Zizhan and his companions were once again swept by the heat waves, nearly getting injured.

"Go, go, quickly leave here!"

"Help, someone is dead!"

"Put out the fire, quickly put out the fire, Old Master Gao is still inside!"

"..."

Near the brothel, screams rang out one after another. Some were panicking, some were afraid, some were calling for help. The various sounds were so loud, they could make one’s ears go deaf.

No, they were already deaf.

Qiao Zizhan and his two companions felt their heads buzzing, dizzy and lightheaded, instinctively running in the opposite direction.

"Boom boom boom!"

Soon after, the explosive sounds went off three more times before it finally subsided.

However, after the explosion, more than a dozen shops near the brothel were destroyed, some reduced to mere ruins.

Qiao Zizhan and his companions ran for a long, long time until they were out of breath before they stopped.

Looking back, the eastern sky was already dyed crimson by the firelight. Nearby, people from the Inspection Department rushed by, all heading toward the brothel.

Only then did Qiao Zizhan feel his hearing return to normal, and he silently watched the smoke-filled distance.

Beside him, having narrowly escaped death, his companions were filled with emotion. One of them even patted his chest, gasping for breath: "I... I’ll never wander around a brothel again!"

The implication being, as long as there’s no problem, he’d still go.

Qiao Zizhan glanced at him speechlessly, really... some habits never change...

"Brother Zizhan, thank you for saving my life!"

The other companion was more reliable. Qiao Zizhan returned a slight bow as a gesture of thanks, but soon he fell into deep thought.

"This matter is bound to be troublesome!"

"What happened?"

The speaker was He Jian’s eldest son, He Jiangliu, touching his nose. The explosion was so violent, surely there were numerous casualties, but wasn’t this something for the Inspection Department to worry about?

What did it have to do with them anyway? Why did Qiao Zizhan seem so troubled?

"Jiangliu, your political sensitivity is too weak!" Qiao Zizhan frowned. "This is a brothel, how could such a severe explosion occur here?"

He sniffed the air, filled with a strong scent of smoke.

"This is the smell of an explosion caused by fire saltpeter. How could such a substance be in a brothel? And look, the flames are so massive, the explosion so fierce, there must be a lot of fire saltpeter!"

Instantly, He Jiangliu understood something, his face turning pale: "Someone was trading a large amount of fire saltpeter in the brothel?"

"Not necessarily trading!"

Qiao Zizhan looked complicatedly towards the direction of the blazing flames. "Fire saltpeter, one use is for the military to create firearms to attack the enemy, the other is for those Daoists to use in alchemy. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Because it’s an important strategic material, and it easily explodes when exposed to fire, the court has prohibited its mass trading. Now, an explosion occurred here, and such a fierce explosion at that, indicating someone stored a large amount of fire saltpeter!"

He Jiangliu stroked his chin, tilting his head: "I always thought the power of firearms made from fire saltpeter wasn’t much, but seeing it now, it’s truly astonishing."

In fact, historically, black powder, when first made, was not very powerful, just a tad better than firecrackers. It was through generations of research and improvement that its power increased.

However, after the Ming Dynasty fell, firearms were buried along with that dynasty.

Nowadays, Dazhou’s firearms aren’t very powerful either, plus they tend to catch fire after exploding, accidentally injuring allies, so in battles, Dazhou still rarely uses firearms.

Firearms may not be easy to use, but that doesn’t change their status as an important strategic material. Someone stockpiling a large amount of fire saltpeter is an act of rebellion!

Understanding this, a look of unease also appeared on He Jiangliu’s face.

He touched his swollen belly, having drunk too much. At this moment, instead of feeling the urge to urinate in fright like others, he felt the urge completely vanish out of fear!

"The court is likely in for another stormy upheaval. Let’s go, we need to hurry back and report this to Father so they can plan early!"

Even though they believed their family wasn’t involved in this matter, those experienced in the officialdom knew that they should always be vigilant and prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Only by being prepared for the worst can one calmly deal with any major changes that follow.

Qi Yun learned of the explosion at a brothel in the Imperial Palace at the first moment.

Below him, a row of leaders from the Inspection Department knelt, trembling all over, ready to face the Emperor’s wrath.

Indeed, Qi Yun’s face was very unpleasant, slamming the table: "Go, go! Quickly investigate the explosion at the brothel, find out who dared to hoard so much fire saltpeter under the brothel. Humph, these people are truly audacious, plotting rebellion, rebellion!"

"Bang bang bang!"

Qi Yun roared in anger, slamming the desk.

They quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down, we will investigate immediately!"

"Get out, get out!"

The people from the Inspection Department dared not linger, fearing they’d become the scapegoats for this hot-tempered Emperor, and hurriedly left.

Once they left, Qi Yun slowly sat down, holding his forehead, looking very exhausted.

"Go, summon Yama!"

He narrowed his eyes, seemingly resting, but within them flickered a trace of excitement and anticipation.

It’s coming, it’s coming, the real upheaval is about to arrive!

After a while, Yama arrived.

Qi Yun immediately stood up, asking, "How is he?"

This "he" referred to Li Qingmu.

A few days ago, Qi Yun received news that Li Qingmu had been ambushed on his way to Kaiyang, narrowly escaping death, later saved by a group of mysterious people.

Yama inquired whether to investigate those mysterious people? Qi Yun said no need, for he knew who had saved him.

Who else would save her, if not her?

Thinking of this, Qi Yun’s expression subtly changed.

Yama lowered his gaze, kneeling on one knee, not noticing Qi Yun’s other expressions above, he reported: "Mr. Li was rescued, but that group didn’t give up, attacking again halfway, still utilizing Jianghu forces, fortunately, Duanmu Nan assisted in escaping."

"Hmm, and then?"

"They reached Fanggu Mountain and were again ambushed by another group, but these people were just ordinary, we were preparing to assist, yet... someone else got there first! Your Majesty, your servant is guilty!"

Yama knocked his head again.

Qi Yun relaxed slightly, meaning the child was currently safe.

But it was truly hard on him.

"Jianghu forces, truly despicable, getting Jianghu forces involved, haha..."

Qi Yun let out a cold laugh, chilling to hear.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Li and others are on their way back."

"Go meet them!"

"Your Majesty, but what about you?"

"I have it under control, you go meet them quickly, don’t let him encounter more danger!"

When Qi Yun mentioned "danger," his heart pained too.

He hadn’t expected Li Qingmu’s trip to be so perilous, truly life-threatening.

If he hadn’t secretly dispatched people to accompany them, he wouldn’t have received any news at all.