This made Li Shimin anxious, and he wanted to trade one for one with me.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin quickly asked, "What's your idea?"

Yuchi Jingde did not respond, but turned his head and beckoned to the middle-aged city gate guard, saying, "Go to my resting place and bring me the things I left there."

"promise!"

The gatekeeper hurried over and soon returned carrying a jar.

The more Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling looked at the object, the more they felt it resembled a wine jar, except that this jar had a long, thin strip of wrung-out silk cloth on it.

Fang Xuanling asked curiously, "What is this?"

Yuchi Jingde grinned, "This is something my nephew Chuxia gave me."

"I went to the sea pool this morning to tell His Majesty about the use of this thing, but His Majesty ignored me. I was going to find another opportunity to tell him, but I didn't expect His Majesty to directly issue an order to me to guard the palace gate."

Cheng Yaojin urged, "Tell me quickly, what is this?"

Yuchi Jingde took the jar from the middle-aged city gate guard, held it in his arms, and said, "The contents of the jar are called gunpowder by my virtuous nephew Chuxia."

Fang Xuanling asked, "What's the use?"

Yuchi Jingde solemnly said, "This thing can explode."

It can explode?

The two were taken aback. Cheng Yaojin asked, "What do you mean by 'can explode'?"

In the early Tang Dynasty, gunpowder did not exist.

The two of them found it not only novel but also perplexing.

Yuchi Jingde was not surprised by this. After all, he was also completely clueless before he obtained this thing, until he witnessed the power of gunpowder and exclaimed that it had broadened his horizons.

Seeing the rustic appearances of Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling, Yuchi Jingde chuckled, pointed to the long, thin piece of silk extending from the mouth of the jar, and said:

"This thing is called a fuse. If you light it, it will explode."

Fang Xuanling nodded slightly, seemingly understanding, and asked, "Have you used it before?"

Yuchi Jingde nodded and said, "Of course I've used it. It's a good product. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to go to Haichi this morning, my nephew Chuxia."

Cheng Yaojin urged, "Then what are we waiting for? Take it to see His Majesty!"

"Wait a minute!"

Yuchi Jingde waved his hand and said, "This thing is powerful, but not powerful enough. It must be powerful enough to intimidate His Majesty."

He turned to the middle-aged city gatekeeper and said, "Go and fetch a jar."

After the middle-aged city gatekeeper acknowledged and left, Yuchi Jingde handed the gunpowder jar in his hand to Fang Xuanling and said, "This dose is not enough. I'll go get some more. You wait here for me to return. Brother Zhijie, may I borrow your horse?"

"Take it!"

After obtaining Cheng Yaojin's consent, Yuchi Jingde mounted his horse and rode away swiftly on his black steed.

Half an hour later, he rode away and then returned.

Behind him were three oxcarts, piled high with jars.

At this moment, outside the Vermilion Bird Gate, the middle-aged gatekeeper had already prepared a urn that was half a person tall.

Yuchi Jingde dismounted and walked over, turning back to the six servants driving the carriage and saying, "Pour all the gunpowder from the jar into the vat."

"promise!"

Six of Wu's retainers came over carrying jars, pulled out the fuses, opened the sealed jars, and poured all the black gunpowder into the urn.

Yuchi Jingde then had the middle-aged city gatekeeper find a wooden lid the size of a jar mouth, chisel a small hole in the middle, place it on the jar, and seal the sides tightly with strips of cloth.

Immediately, Yuchi Jingde took another piece of silk cloth, rubbed it vigorously in his hands until it was thin and long, dipped it in gunpowder, and carefully inserted it into the small opening of the urn lid, sealing it once again with the cloth strip and sawdust.

Having finished everything, Yuchi Jingde clapped his hands, nodded in satisfaction, and said to the middle-aged city gatekeeper:

"Take your men, carry this, and come with me to His Majesty!"

As he spoke, he turned back to Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling with a grin and said, "Brother Zhijie, Brother Xuanling, let's go give His Majesty a shock!"

Fang Xuanling looked at the urn filled with gunpowder and sealed very well, and asked in surprise, "Won't there be any danger?"

Yuchi Jingde laughed and said, "It's just that we replaced the small jar with a large one and filled it with more gunpowder. There won't be any danger if we stay far away."

Fang Xuanling was relieved.

Cheng Yaojin couldn't wait any longer and said urgently, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"go!"

Yuchi Jingde walked at the very front, head held high and chest out.

Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling followed closely behind.

Soon, the three arrived outside the Ganlu Hall.

At this moment, the gates of Ganlu Hall remain tightly closed.

Wen Yanbo, Li Jing, and Du Ruhui were standing not far away. When they saw the three of them coming, they hurriedly went to greet them.

Wen Yanbo said, "You've finally arrived!"

Cheng Yaojin hurriedly asked, "Have you seen His Majesty?"

The three of them shook their heads at the same time.

Cheng Yaojin looked disappointed, turned to Yuchi Jingde, and said, "Brother Jingde, it's up to you this time."

Yuchi Jingde grinned and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

At this moment, the middle-aged city gatekeeper had already led six men, carrying an earthenware jar, over.

Wen Yanbo, Du Ruhui, and Li Jing were all taken aback when they saw the half-person-high urn. Wen Yanbo asked curiously, "What is this?"

Yuchi Jingde chuckled and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

He first instructed the middle-aged city gatekeeper to lead his men to place the urn in an open space fifty meters away from the Ganlu Hall.

Immediately, Yuchi Jingde arrived outside the Ganlu Hall. Zhang Anan had already entered, and there was no one outside, so he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Your Majesty, your subject Yuchi Jingde requests an audience!"

With the creaking sound of the door opening, Zhang Anan poked his head out and solemnly said, "Duke of Wu, His Majesty said you should get out."

Yuchi Jingde remained unmoved, as if he hadn't heard, and after a while, he shouted again at the top of his lungs:

"I went to Haichi this morning because I had important business to discuss with Your Majesty. If Your Majesty does not believe me, I can vouch for it!"

"Your Majesty, if you remain silent, I will take it as Your Majesty's tacit consent to allowing me to testify here!"

After Yuchi Jingde finished speaking, he glanced at Zhang Anan.

Zhang Anan closed the palace door with a helpless expression, then opened it again a moment later, shook his head at Yuchi Jingde, indicating that His Majesty had no decree.

Yuchi Jingde immediately turned to the middle-aged city gatekeeper and said, "Go and get a tinderbox."

"promise!"

The middle-aged city gatekeeper immediately went to retrieve it.

A tinderbox, also known as an ancient lighter.

When the middle-aged gatekeeper returned, he had a tinderbox in his hand. Yuchi Jingde took it and shouted loudly towards Ganlu Hall, "Your Majesty, I am about to begin proving my point!"

"Hey guys, move aside a bit and find something to cover yourselves."

After speaking to Wen Yanbo and the others, Yuchi Jingde walked towards the urn fifty meters away under their watchful eyes.

The fuse extending from the urn was long enough for him to run a long distance.

Without further hesitation, Yuchi Jingde lit the tinderbox, made a flame, and brought it close to the fuse.

Stab...

It ignites instantly with just one touch of the fuse.

Yuchi Jingde turned around and ran quickly towards where Wen Yanbo, Cheng Yaojin, Fang Xuanling and others were.

Everyone stared at the urn with curiosity.

Suddenly, a blinding light burst forth from the jar, nearly blinding everyone.

boom! ! !

The next second, a deafening explosion rang out from where the urn was, nearly rupturing their eardrums and causing them to instinctively cover their ears in pain.

Everyone forgot everything else and stared in horror as a mushroom cloud rose from the spot where the urn had been.