Fang Er was a bit confused, thinking, "Damn it! Drinking causes trouble!"
However, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, can you have someone send over two grinding pestles?"
Li Er signaled to a eunuch by his side, and the eunuch scurried out.
Soon, the eunuch returned carrying two grinding pestles.
"So honest, they said two, and they really brought two!"
Fang Er squatted directly in the grand hall and ground charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter into powder separately. He asked a eunuch for a small scale and then mixed them according to the ratio of one part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, and three parts charcoal.
In reality, the "one, two, three" here did not refer to the same unit of measurement. "One saltpeter" meant one catty of saltpeter, while sulfur and charcoal were both calculated in taels. This was the widely spread formula for black powder in later generations, common knowledge that most middle school students knew.
Li Er had a lot of raw materials sent over. Fang Er mixed about three catties' worth.
Throughout the process, Li Er and several ministers watched Fang Er closely, inwardly cursing, "This is too easy!"
"It's like playing around!"
Fang Er patted the gunpowder dust off his hands, stood up, and said to Li Er, "Your Majesty, this is the prepared gunpowder."
"Try it and see if it's as powerful as you say," Li Er said expectantly, looking at Fang Er.
Fang Er looked at the hall and then at everyone, thinking, "Oh my god, try it here? Wouldn't that be bad?"
He bent down, picked up the gunpowder from the ground, and walked out of the hall. Li Er and the others quickly followed.
Outside the hall, Fang Er poured a small pile of gunpowder onto the ground from a plate and handed the plate to a eunuch, saying, "Take it away, move further back."
The eunuch glanced at the plate and then at Li Er, thinking, "This guy even dares to order a eunuch around?"
Li Er, however, was accommodating. He waved his hand to the eunuch, signaling him to do as Fang Er said.
"Who has a fire starter on them?"
Fang Er looked at everyone awkwardly. They had gunpowder but no way to ignite it.
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
"Bringing a fire starter into the imperial palace? Are you looking for trouble?"
In this era, everything was made of wood. They were focused on preventing fires, so who would carry a fire source on them?
The eunuch who was holding the plate of gunpowder was very observant and quickly went into the main hall to fetch a candle. Fang Er didn't pay attention.
When the eunuch returned, holding a candle in one hand and the gunpowder plate in the other, Fang Er was completely stunned!
"This guy, isn't he afraid of dying?"
He quickly shouted, "Stand there and don't move! Your Majesty, everyone, move further back, it's too dangerous!"
Li Er and the others quickly retreated about ten meters.
Seeing them retreat, Fang Er cautiously took the candle from the eunuch's hand and then quickly walked away.
Feeling safe, he cursed at the eunuch, "Are you trying to kill us?"
The eunuch was a bit bewildered, thinking, "Didn't you ask for a fire starter? This is the Eastern Palace, not the imperial kitchen. Where would I find a fire starter? And now I'm scolded for bringing a candle? Aren't they all fire?"
Fang Er didn't explain anything to him. He carefully lit the gunpowder on the ground with the candle.
*Swoosh! Boom!* A series of intense burning sounds rose with a puff of white smoke.
A small pile of gunpowder instantly turned into a pile of burnt residue.
Li Er and the others quickly gathered around and asked curiously, "This doesn't seem as terrible as you said. It just burns faster."
Fang Er had no choice but to say to the eunuch again, "Go get a porcelain bottle."
The eunuch was quite speechless, thinking, "I'm here to serve His Majesty, why do I feel like I'm your family's servant?"
Seeing Li Er's expectant expression, the young eunuch had no choice but to honestly do as Fang Er said.
When the porcelain bottle was delivered, Fang Er filled it with gunpowder. Although the bottle wasn't very large, it held about half a catty of gunpowder. He then dug up some soil from the ground and tightly sealed the bottle's opening. He used a long, thin hemp rope as a fuse, carefully placed it on the ground, and then said to Li Er, "Please return to the grand hall, Your Majesty and all esteemed ministers."
Everyone didn't know its power, but they didn't want to risk their lives. Since Fang Er said so, they all retreated back into the grand hall.
After everyone had gone inside, Fang Er, trembling, lit the hemp rope with the candle, then dropped the candle and ran back into the grand hall.
No one paid attention to his hurried escape. Li Er and the others were all peering through the window, staring intently at the porcelain bottle on the ground outside.
Fang Er entered the grand hall and was startled by the sight. He quickly rushed over to close the window.
"Damn it, this window is only about ten meters away from that porcelain bottle outside. If an errant piece of shrapnel flies in and injures Li Er, it would be impossible to wash away even by jumping into the Yellow River."
Just as Fang Er closed the window, he heard a loud *boom* from outside, followed by the sound of shattering porcelain pieces flying everywhere and hitting things with a *bang*.
When there was no more sound from outside, Fang Er walked out of the grand hall and looked at the mess outside, very satisfied with his creation.
Li Er and the others also came out, staring at everything in front of them with their mouths agape.
The bottle was gone, leaving only a human-head-sized pit in the ground, still emitting wisps of white smoke. The pit was filled with black gunpowder residue.
Next to the pit was a small tree. However, this tree, which had originally grown straight, now had several porcelain fragments embedded in it.
Looking back at the grand hall, there was even a shard stuck in the window.
Li Er finally understood why Fang Er had asked for the window. If it hadn't been closed, that fragment might have ended up in someone's head!
One by one, looking at the fragments on the tree, they all gasped in cold air.
Li Er's gaze fell upon the several guards standing in front of the Eastern Palace gate. These guards were very lucky. Because Cheng Chu Mo and Yu Chi Bao Lin had been guarding the door, they saw Fang Er's panicked escape and pulled the guards behind the pillars. The shrapnel also did not fly over there.
"No one present today is allowed to speak of what just happened. Those who disobey will be executed!"
Li Er said to everyone.
"Your subject obeys the decree!"
"Your subordinate obeys the decree!"
As Li Er's words fell, everyone present knelt on the ground and responded.
"You may all rise. Let's enter the hall for deliberations!"
Having witnessed the power of gunpowder, Li Er suddenly felt a glimmer of confidence for the upcoming war.
The ministers and Fang Er followed Li Er back into the hall.
In the grand hall, Li Er sat on the dragon throne, looked at Fang Er, and after a moment of thought, said, "Fang Er, are you willing to serve in the imperial court?"
Fang Er was stunned for a moment and immediately refused Li Er, "Replying to Your Majesty, this humble subject's ambition does not lie in the imperial court. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
Li Er looked at Fang Er in confusion, not understanding what this fellow was thinking.
With a formidable weapon like gunpowder, Fang Er could have asked for a seventh-rank official and Li Er would have readily given it. But this fellow didn't want to be an official. How could he be rewarded?
"Reward him with money? Don't be ridiculous. Our own household is barely making ends meet. Giving him a few meager coins would only be a joke."