Chapter 131: Fire in the Divine Palace (Part I)

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, known as the Minor New Year, arrived. In the Divine Capital, the common folk made offerings to the Kitchen God and roasted rice cakes; the air was thick with savory aromas, and laughter rang out—a true taste of the approaching festival.

Xue Chongyin did not return home on the eve of the Minor New Year, choosing instead to linger at the residence of Princess Yiyang, pestering Quan Ce to set off firecrackers with him. In this era, "firecrackers" were merely dried bamboo stalks. If one were lucky, they might produce a few sharp popping sounds; if not, the bamboo would simply burn away, leaving only billowing black smoke and utter silence.

Young Princess Quan Luo, recently bestowed with her title, was not so fortunate. A bamboo stalk that appeared quite sturdy burned from end to end without making a single loud sound.

This was a catastrophe. Quan Luo’s mouth pulled down, tears welled up like golden beans, and she threw herself against Quan Ce’s legs, pleading and calling for her "big brother" until his heart ached. Quan Ce picked her up and tried to coax her for a long while, but to no avail. Quan Luo clung to his neck, weeping until she nearly gasped for air.

Driven by desperation, Quan Ce gathered his courage and promised, "Don't worry, little one; Big Brother will make you the loudest firecracker of all."

With a few shouts, he had the servants fetch saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. Without knowing the precise proportions, he nervously mixed in a bit of everything, blended it with sheep fat, and packed the mixture into small oil-paper packets. He connected them with cotton threads soaked in lamp oil, tying knots at the ends of each packet, spaced about a hand-span apart. He then split a bamboo stalk, placed the gunpowder packets inside, and bound the exterior tightly with hemp rope.

Quan Ce inspected his handiwork for a long time, feeling deeply uneasy. He ordered the servants to set it off in the spacious training yard, sternly instructing them to retreat immediately after lighting it. He gathered all the children in a room, watching through the window.

*Hiss, hiss.* The fuse caught. Because the thread was soaked in oil, it did not burn particularly quickly. Quan Luo began to fidget again, twisting in Quan Ce’s arms and whimpering. The many servants gathered nearby dared not look directly at their young master, fearing they might bruise his ego.

*Boom!* A deafening explosion, like a muffled thunderclap on dry land, erupted. The world fell silent for a moment, followed by a series of cracks at regular intervals. Having saved face, Quan Ce stood tall, looking around with pride, and let out an inward sigh of relief—thankfully, there were no duds.

*Da-da-da-boom... da-da-da-boom.* Perhaps the gunpowder mixture was uneven, as the volume varied; small ones sounded like whips, while the large ones roared like thunder. At the very end, it sputtered with sparks for a while. The only flaw was the long intervals; the ten-foot bamboo pole took over half an hour to finish popping.

"Giggle, giggle!" Quan Luo was overjoyed. She kissed Quan Ce on the cheek, scrambled to the ground, and spun like a little top, jumping and shouting, pursing her small lips to mimic the sound of the firecrackers.

Having received his sister's kiss, Quan Ce was quite pleased. However, as he walked out of the room and looked around, he could not help but gasp. The bamboo pole had been blown to shreds, and sharp bamboo splinters were scattered everywhere. Some of the servants who had lit it were pierced by the shards, and others had blood running from their ears and eyes due to the intense shockwave.

"My child, what has happened here?" Princess Yiyang and Princess Gao'an, accompanied by their brother-in-law Wang Xu—who had not been seen for quite some time—rushed over from the main courtyard, followed by a crowd of servants scrambling to keep up. It seemed the entire household had gathered at once.

"Mother, it is nothing. My cousin and I were just playing with the little ones," Quan Ce hurriedly stepped forward to reassure them, waving for the injured servants to be taken away for treatment. The sight of bamboo splinters stuck in their bodies was truly grisly, but the long row of deep craters blasted into the training yard by the gunpowder could not be hidden.

Princess Yiyang could not help but worry, pulling her three children and Xue Chongyin to her side to check them one by one. Only when she was certain they were unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief. Wang Xu strolled over to the craters, sniffed the air, knelt to inspect them, and his eyes flickered.

"Giggle, our eldest is truly capable! Even his fire-poles are different from everyone else's. Quickly, make another one for your aunt to see," Princess Gao'an said with delight, embracing Quan Ce and laughing, urging him to continue.

"Aunt, I shall make one for you later, but for now, I must deal with the outside," Quan Ce replied with a wry smile.

As they spoke, a gatekeeper servant came rushing over, panting heavily. He blurted out, "Princess, Young Master, it is bad! Many of the neighbors have swarmed to our front gate. They are saying terrible things, claiming our house was struck by lightning!"

"Pah! Nonsense! Quan Xiang, take him away and teach him some manners," Princess Yiyang commanded, her eyes flashing with the formidable authority of a lady of the house. "My son, go and explain the situation to the neighbors so they will disperse. We do not want to cause a legal dispute or disturb the peace during the New Year."

Quan Ce accepted the order and headed out. Outside the gate, he saw not only a crowd of onlookers but also two rows of bailiffs maintaining order. The man who had come to investigate was none other than Sima Wang Lu. Seeing Quan Ce emerge, Wang Lu’s knees buckled slightly, but he forced himself to step forward. "Master Quan, there was some commotion at your residence, and I was ordered to inquire about the situation."

"I see. Please return, official. We were simply setting off firecrackers. The noise was a bit loud and startled the neighbors. My apologies," Quan Ce said, bowing to the crowd. The neighbors gradually dispersed, but Wang Lu remained, his face still twisted in distress. He bowed again. "Master Quan, please forgive my rudeness, but there is an imperial decree from the palace. With just this explanation, I fear I cannot report back."

"Very well. Let me change, and I will accompany you to the palace," Quan Ce frowned.

***

In the Guanfeng Hall of the Shangyang Palace, Quan Ce explained the sequence of events regarding the bamboo fire-poles in detail before prostrating himself to beg for forgiveness.

"You are certainly indulgent with them," Empress Wu chuckled. She had no interest in the technology and did not press the matter. She had changed her style of dress; no longer wearing skirts, she was clad in a golden dragon robe, dressed like a man. She stepped down from the imperial dais and helped him up slightly. "I hold the power of punishment and reward for the world, yet even I face the most difficult of tasks. Fu Youyi occupied a position of infamy while claiming undeserved credit. He knew neither when to advance nor when to retreat, acting with arrogance. If he did not die, what would?"

"Your Majesty is wise. If Fu Youyi had not died, the state would have known no peace," Quan Ce felt a chill in his heart. The Empress had revealed her true intent—a cold, ruthless truth that made it difficult for him to remain at ease. Times had changed; it was no longer a secret that the Plum Blossom Inner Guard had orchestrated Fu Youyi’s death. He had died reasonably and justly, in a way that satisfied everyone; it was considered a good deed.

"I am curious, how did you guess my intentions?" The Empress stood before him, pressing her finger against his forehead, their eyes locking.

Quan Ce felt a deep chill, but he managed his expression perfectly, looking flustered and slightly embarrassed. "I acted presumptuously. Because Fu Youyi offended Master Xue and also held a personal grudge against me, I paid more attention to him and meddled a little. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Heh, you have a lot of nerve. Very well, I will not hold it against you this time," the Empress sneered, raising her hand high only to let it fall gently. Her tone changed abruptly. "I hear the Prince of Shu invited you to play polo, yet you have consistently refused?"

Quan Ce lowered his head in silence.

The Empress pinched his chin, her breath faint. "Doulu Congchang and Di Guangyuan are good boys. Socializing with them is fine. Play some polo, strengthen your body, and you will be better able to serve me."

Quan Ce looked utterly bewildered. Doulu Congchang was the eldest son of Doulu Qinwang, and Di Guangyuan was the eldest son of Di Renjie. Quan Ce was familiar with both, but after taking command of the Plum Blossom Inner Guard, he had intentionally distanced himself from them.

This slightly foolish, dazed expression on the face of the usually calculating Quan Ce greatly amused the Empress. She scoffed, "You are still young. I cannot be bothered to teach you. I will not blame you for disturbing the Divine Capital, but to appease the public, you must no longer involve the Inner Guard. Return to the Qianniu Guard in the Eastern Capital, serve as a Qianniu attendant, and guard the Palace of Ten Thousand Manifestations. You are dismissed."

Life is a circle; one always returns to the starting point.

Quan Ce frowned as he backed out of the hall. Though his face was clouded with worry, his heart was leaping with joy. After struggling for so long, he had finally managed to extricate himself from the Inner Guard. The only regret was that clearing his reputation still seemed to be one step away. As for the Empress’s riddle, it was not hard to decipher: having secured the realm, she would no longer govern as she once had. By favoring the Wu clan, she risked them becoming too powerful to control. In the art of imperial rule, balance was the only true path.

Back at the Princess Yiyang’s residence, Quan Ce remained deep in thought, wondering when he should go to the Prince of Shu’s residence for polo. It would certainly not be appropriate during the New Year; he would likely have to wait until after the turn of the year.

"Eldest Master, a message just arrived from White Horse Temple. It says the Duke of E requests your presence."

Quan Ce’s eyebrows arched, and his eyes narrowed.