Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Xiao Ran didn't reply, but looked at Li Shimin.

Li Shimin didn't say anything; he hadn't even changed all his clothes yet.

Cheng Yaojin's remark was just a casual remark. Seeing that no one spoke, he didn't pay any attention and instead stared at the glass window.

The wind outside was a bit cold. Xiao Ran stamped his feet and said, "Uncle Cheng, let's go back. The mirror should be almost ready by now."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin finally looked away from the glass window.

"Let's go, let's go, I really like this mirror too."

So the group of people headed towards the glass workshop.

Just as Xiao Ran said, the mirror was indeed finished. The one given to Li Shimin was a large dressing mirror, which Li Shimin was extremely satisfied with. Xiao Ran also gave Cheng Yaojin a small round mirror, which was not very big, about the same size as a modern bronze mirror.

The group took the mirror home.

The little princess at home was eating pastries with the little princesses of Chengyang and Gaoyang, as well as her third aunt. When Li Shimin came in, the little princess handed the pastries she was holding to him.

"Grandpa, it's so sad!"

Li Shimin smiled gently.

"Okay, Grandpa, have some. Does Sizi like this snack?"

This snack is just ordinary red bean cake, which is a bit dry and slightly sweet.

The little princess nodded, "Porridge~ This is good~"

Xiao Ran leaned closer and asked, "Which is better, this dessert or the previous Poria cocos cake?"

Without the slightest hesitation, the little princess answered, "Fufu cake is delicious!"

Xiao Ran smiled, "Then I'll have the kitchen make some more later."

The little princess immediately cheered, "Great! Great!"

That evening, the kitchen made a lot of Poria cocos cakes. The little princess didn't eat much for dinner, but ate her fill of Poria cocos cakes.

"Sizi, you can't eat so many snacks at once anymore, understand?" Xiao Ran said while rubbing the little princess's tummy.

The little princess was already full from eating the poria cocos cake, but it was dinnertime, and she saw the chicken on the table and got a little tempted, so she ate a few more pieces of chicken, and then she was completely stuffed.

"Wokji-o-la~" the little princess hummed, but her brows relaxed, and she no longer seemed uncomfortable from being stretched.

At this moment, Hongxiu brought in a cup of hawthorn water.

"Young master, you've worked hard. Your Highness should feel much better after drinking the hawthorn water."

Xiao Ran nodded, released his hand from the little princess's stomach, and helped her sit up to drink hawthorn water.

There was a lot of honey in the hawthorn water, and the little princess squinted her eyes after taking a sip.

"Drink well~"

The little princess really likes this flavor; it's sweet and sour.

After drinking half a cup of hawthorn water, the little princess burped and then rubbed her tummy.

"I'm all ready~" The little princess lowered her head, looking at her belly with surprise.

Xiao Ran said, "That's good. You still need to eat properly from now on, okay? You can't treat snacks as meals."

The little princess nodded obediently, then asked cautiously, "Can I go to school tomorrow?"

Seeing how greedy the little princess was, Xiao Ran couldn't do anything about it.

"Yes, but not too much."

The little princess cheered instantly and rushed forward to hug Xiao Ran's neck.

"Little Nangjun is the best~"

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Li Shimin had been staying in Kaolao Village for many days.

These past few days, after waking up in the morning, Li Shimin would practice Tai Chi with everyone, then wander around the village. After lunch, he would take a nap, then get up and drink a bowl of delicious nourishing soup before going fishing.

After fishing, I played with the little princesses for a while, then had dinner and went to bed.

These days were incredibly leisurely, and Cheng Yaojin returned home the very day he received the mirror. One wonders if he would regret not staying if he knew how leisurely Li Shimin was here.

"Xiao Ran, the place is ready. When shall we set off?" Li Shimin asked.

Today was the day they were going to test the black powder. To be honest, Xiao Ran was a little unsure of himself; nobody knew how powerful this stuff really was.

However, in theory, the gunpowder that Sun Simiao has made so far is much more stable than the original, and its power should be greater. If it really doesn't work, then just add more gunpowder.

Xiao Ran put down the little princess who was clinging to him and turned around to say, "Let's go now."

Then he looked at the little princess.

"Sister Si, the place we went to today was dangerous. Si, play at home first, and I'll bring you a delicious roast chicken when I come back."

The little princess drooled at the thought of roast chicken.

"Seven chickens again~"

Xiao Ran nodded, "Yes, chicken, so Si Zi, stay home and wait for me."

The little princess nodded, "Okay~ Little Nangjun, come back soon!"

Xiao Ran patted the little princess's head. "Okay, I'll definitely come back soon."

After saying that, Xiao Ran followed Li Shimin into the carriage, where Sun Simiao was also on board.

In the carriage, Li Shimin asked, "Just how powerful is that explosive? I keep hearing you say it's powerful, but how powerful exactly?"

Xiao Ran couldn't describe it either, and finally could only find a somewhat inaccurate description: "It's about the same power as a dozen big men swinging a sledgehammer together."

This description is also very abstract; Li Shimin certainly couldn't imagine it.

Fortunately, we'll be able to see the scene soon.

Xiao Ran and his two companions traveled by carriage to a large mountain on the outskirts of the capital.

There was a barren hilltop on this mountain, far from the surrounding villages, so they decided to conduct the experiment there.

Xiao Ran and his group got off the car at the foot of the mountain, only to find that Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, and Yuchi Jingde were also waiting there.

Cheng Yaojin strode over to Xiao Ran's side.

"Quick, quick, let us see the power of this explosive!"

Xiao Ran ordered his men to go up the mountain and bury the explosives, leaving only a guard there to light the fuse.

To ensure personal safety, Xiao Ran deliberately left the fuse very long.

The guard who lit the fire at this moment was the center of attention.

"Sizzle..." The sound of the fuse burning was very faint, but in this deathly quiet wilderness, it sounded particularly eerie, like a snake crawling quickly in the grass, and everyone's eyes followed the sparks of fire.

Xiao Ran stopped laughing and lowered his voice: "Uncles, hurry up, cover your ears and open your mouths a little."

The others did as instructed, though they didn't understand. Only Cheng Yaojin muttered in confusion, "Covering your ears is fine, but why are you opening your mouth?" Just as he finished speaking, a loud "boom!" came from the other side.

The loud noise was as if God had slammed a thunder hammer into the ground! The ground beneath our feet suddenly lurched, making it hard to stand.

The place where the gunpowder was stored was blasted into pieces, even the large rocks on top of it were blown apart.

A gust of hot wind, carrying the smell of earth, suddenly rushed onto my face, making my clothes and robes flutter loudly, and it also smelled of sulfur.

The guards on the hill were terrified, and many of them immediately lay down on the ground.

The surroundings were deathly quiet, with only the whooshing sound of the wind blowing through the smoke column and the fluttering of startled birds in the distant woods.

"My goodness!" Cheng Yaojin swallowed hard. "This power is just too much."

At this moment, remembering that he had just played with this thing in front of Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin broke out in a cold sweat.

Qin Qiong let out a long breath, loosened his grip on the sword hilt, his palms were sweaty, and said in a deep voice, "If this thing were used on the battlefield, what city wall could withstand it?"

Yuchi Jingde didn't speak, but his gaze towards Xiao Ran became heavy, filled with many indescribable things.

Li Shimin slowly lowered his hand, his chest still heaving, his face flushed with excitement. He suddenly grabbed Xiao Ran's arm with great force, making Xiao Ran wince.

"Xiao Ran! How much gunpowder can be made? Are the materials rare? Is it possible to make more?" A series of questions floated from Li Shimin's mouth.

Seeing Li Shimin's agitated state, Xiao Ran pulled Li Shimin back and said helplessly, "Uncle, calm down and listen to me first."

Li Shimin's loss of composure was only temporary, and upon hearing Xiao Ran's words, he calmed down completely.

"You said."

Xiao Ran's expression turned very serious.

"Uncle, you've seen the power of gunpowder. To tell you the truth, this is not something we should have at this time. So gunpowder must not be used on a large scale. Don't use it unless absolutely necessary!"

Gunpowder is extremely destructive; a single pack of gunpowder could kill countless people.

It's normal for people to die in war, but the real danger is that if victory comes too easily, it can lead to a loss of reverence for life.

Li Shimin nodded, "Don't worry, I understand."

Xiao Ran was indeed relieved. It would be impossible not to use such a powerful weapon, but since Li Shimin had agreed, he certainly wouldn't use it recklessly.

So Xiao Ran stopped pressing the issue and instead brought up the gunpowder itself.

"This gunpowder cannot be exposed to fire or moisture, so we need to find a place where it can be properly stored."

Xiao Ran only mentioned it casually; he didn't need to come to find the place.

Li Shimin nodded and looked at Qin Qiong: "Shubao."

Qin Qiong nodded, instantly understanding Li Shimin's meaning.

After explaining the precautions, Cheng Yaojin pulled Yuchi Jingde to the spot where the explosion had occurred to watch.

Looking at the large crater on the ground, Cheng Yaojin clicked his tongue in amazement and even boasted to Yuchi Jingde about the fireworks he had seen that day. Yuchi Jingde rolled his eyes at him speechlessly and turned to discuss with Li Shimin how to use gunpowder.

Even on their way back to the palace, the group didn't forget to discuss things.

Xiao Ran didn't get involved. After having lunch in the palace, he returned to Kaolao Village. However, Sun Simiao didn't return; he still had to teach people how to make gunpowder.

On the way back, Xiao Ran did not take a carriage, but rode a horse. He stopped and went along the way, seeing many beautiful sights.

Although it is winter now and the outside is covered in ice and snow, red lanterns are hung everywhere, making it look festive.

The horse's hooves clattered on the half-melted snow.

When Xiao Ran returned home, the sun was already setting in the west. Two large red lanterns hung on the gate of his courtyard, swaying gently in the evening breeze and emitting a warm glow.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard a burst of silvery laughter, crisp and clear.

When Xiao Ran went inside, he saw the little princess and the others playing shuttlecock, including Yan Yao.

"Little Nangjun~" The little princess put down the shuttlecock in her hand and ran towards Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran picked up the little princess and reached out to pat Yan Yao's head.

"Yan Yao is back."

Yan Yao pursed her lips, smiled, and nodded.

Just then, a gentle voice came from under the eaves: "Young master is back."

Xiao Ran looked up and saw Li Lizhi and Yan Liben beside her.

Yan Yao ran towards Yan Liben, and Xiao Ran also led a group of little ones into the house.

Inside the room, Li Lizhi poured several cups of hot tea. Yan Liben looked at Yan Yao, who was building blocks with the little princess and the others, his eyes full of smiles.

Then, he looked at Xiao Ran and said, "Little girl, you've caused you a lot of trouble here, haven't you?"

Xiao Ran waved his hand, "No, that's not true. She's obedient and smart, she won't cause any trouble."

Then, Xiao Ran looked at Yan Liben, his eyes lighting up, and said, "Have you painted any new paintings recently?"

If there were any, Xiao Ran really intended to ask for one.

His house is great in every way, except that when it was built, practicality was the primary consideration, so it lacks some decorations.

What's more, this is Yan Liben! His paintings are exceptionally valuable.

When the topic of painting came up, Yan Liben got really into it and started chatting with Xiao Ran about painting techniques.

Although Xiao Ran's painting skills were not great, he had a lot of knowledge from later generations. He occasionally shared his thoughts on how to perceive the three-dimensionality of a painting and how to handle light and shadow, which Yan Liben found interesting. The two got along quite well.

Inside, the aroma of tea wafted through the air as people chatted idly. Outside, red lanterns shone brightly on the snow, illuminating the figures of several children playing. Their clear laughter drifted in, bringing a smile to Xiao Ran's face.

However, Yan Liben and Xiao Ran didn't chat for long. After all, it was getting late, and Yan Liben had to go home. Before leaving, he specially drew a picture for Xiao Ran, depicting the little princess and her friends playing together.

After Yan Liben left, Li Lizhi came over with a bowl of dumplings.

"Young master, you haven't had dinner yet, have some dumplings to tide you over."

Xiao Ran nodded. He was indeed a little hungry, but after eating just two dumplings, he suddenly realized something.

"Look at my memory! I bought something on my way back, but then I forgot about it on the horse."

Upon hearing this, Li Lizhi covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Don't worry, young master, the groom has already brought it over. However, it looks like a bundle to me, and I don't know what's inside."

Xiao Ran finished the dumplings in a few bites, then asked Li Lizhi to bring over the bundle. Xiao Ran called to the little ones, "Si Zi Fan Yin Shi Qi, San Niang Yan Yao, come here quickly! I brought you some delicious food."

The little ones immediately put down their building blocks and ran towards Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran promised to bring the little princess some delicious food before he left, but after playing all day, the little princess had long forgotten about it.

"Little Nang-jun~ What's so good about it~" The little princess held onto the table and stood on tiptoe to look at the tabletop.

Xiao Ran opened the bundle and took out several pairs of pearl hairpins, handing them to the maids.

"Take a look, do you like it?" (End of Chapter)