Do Not Offend the Reborn Wicked Wife

Chapter 820: What Do You Think?

Long Yue returned to Shengjing City, and Ning Xiang naturally resumed serving her.

This time, when Long Yue left Liang Country, besides her family and Yang Shiqi, she took two others, the maid Liu Xiang and the servant A Yao.

Liu Xiang had always performed well, and Long Yue found her easy to use. Since they had lived together for so long, there was a bit of affection. Plus, she was an orphan, so she brought her along.

As for A Yao, he had a good relationship with Yue’er. It was Yue’er who insisted on bringing him, and Long Yue, who was fond of Yue’er, granted his wish.

After You Su’s conspiracy was thwarted, Li Qingmu handed over all matters in the Imperial Palace to Rong Zhuo, including the affairs of the Wei Mansion.

There weren’t really major issues at the Wei Mansion, except for their close ties with Nianxi and their attempts to harm Long Yue. However, when lightning struck, Wei Yundai was directly killed, and Nianxi was severely injured, leaving her paralyzed for life. The remaining minor threats were not worth Long Yue’s attention.

Returning her thoughts, Long Yue looked at the box in Ning Xiang’s hand and said indifferently, "Who sent this?"

She wouldn’t accept anything from strangers.

Ning Xiang replied, "I don’t know, it was given to the maid by a child, saying it must be handed over to the Princess Consort..."

"Throw it away!"

Long Yue said decisively, not considering it at all.

Ning Xiang was momentarily stunned, realizing it was indeed wrong to accept something from a stranger, in case it contained a trap meant to harm someone.

She quickly said, "I’ll go throw it away right now."

She turned and went outside, casually tossing the box out. The result was...

"Boom!"

"Ah—"

A loud explosion burst the entire box open, sending thick smoke rolling and creating a powerful shock wave that directly sent Ning Xiang flying.

Long Yue was just talking with Yun Niang and had no idea the box would explode. The loud noise startled both her and Yun Niang.

"Yue’er!"

Yun Niang instinctively shielded Long Yue, worried about her getting hurt.

"I’m okay!"

Long Yue gently pushed her aside, exchanged glances with her, and then walked outside.

Ning Xiang had thrown the box outside the Prince Mansion, so by now she had been blasted back near the doorstep. Luckily, her head didn’t hit the threshold, but one leg did, and she was crying out in pain.

Long Yue went over and took a look. The issue wasn’t severe; it was just a fracture. It would be fine after setting the bone and securing it with a splint. "Someone, help her back inside and call a doctor."

Long Yue naturally wouldn’t attend to such trivial matters personally, especially since it was improper for a master to tend to a servant’s injuries.

"Princess Consort... I... I was wrong..."

Ning Xiang looked pitifully at Long Yue, grateful that the Princess Consort had reacted promptly by having her dispose of it. Otherwise, if it had exploded between them, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"It’s okay, you meant no harm. Now go get treated, and leave the rest alone."

Long Yue was always kind to her own people.

A few servants helped Ning Xiang away, while Long Yue walked outside the mansion.

The thick smoke was gradually dispersing, but there was still a pungent smell of sulfur, the scent of sulfur.

Long Yue saw a crater outside, created by the explosion, indicating that the box contained plenty of sulfur and saltpeter.

"Princess Consort, should we send someone to investigate who sent this box to the Prince Mansion?"

A guard stepped forward to ask.

Long Yue walked to the edge of the crater, observing the brownish soil and a layer of blackened powder, and said calmly, "It’s good to investigate. Remember, do it discreetly."

The mixture of saltpeter and sulfur had such power, which intrigued Long Yue. Suddenly, she found herself intrigued.

As for why the mysterious person wanted to harm her with this? That she wasn’t concerned about.

Compared to the so-called attacker, she was more interested in the explosive formula and wondered how it was made.

The reason for a discreet investigation was that Long Yue believed the explosive potential of gunpowder was too significant to be widely known, to prevent trouble if it fell into the wrong hands.

"Yue’er, this thing..."

Yun Niang looked around, her expression thoughtful, "Over at the Daoist temple of Da Xiangguo Temple, many monks like to use this for alchemy, often causing explosions in their furnaces. Your case..."

"Da Xiangguo Temple?"

Long Yue was taken aback and looked up at her.

"Yes, I just went there a while ago before you returned. I went to offer incense and fulfill a vow, and happened to witness a room explosion. Many items flew out of the room, and a broken porcelain shard pierced right through a strong man’s heart, killing him instantly. It was frightening."

Yun Niang recounted the incident, still feeling a lingering fear.

How could she not be afraid? She had just married and started a new life. Her visit to Da Xiangguo Temple was because an "auspicious marriage" sign she had received had proven accurate.

If she had died inexplicably there, it would have been such an unjust death.

Long Yue frowned slightly. Da Xiangguo Temple was a national temple, and it was understandable for monks there to practice alchemy. After all, Liang Country had renamed the national road in the Capital to "Hongmeng Street," hadn’t they?

The more prosperous the Imperial Family became, the more they desired to become immortals or live forever. So it’s not surprising that there were alchemist monks in national temples.

But, were the elixirs produced edible?

Long Yue smiled silently. Qi Yun wouldn’t consume them. She knew this; the Emperor was extremely wise, surpassing any previous rulers. So who was consuming the elixirs, who was supporting these monks?

Perhaps, the investigation could start from here.

"How about the Prince? Hasn’t he returned yet?"

Li Qingmu and Su Shi had gone out for drinks. After all, they hadn’t seen these friends for over two years, and it was good to go out and socialize. Long Yue wouldn’t stop him.

Liu Xiang said, "Princess Consort, the Prince hasn’t returned yet."

"Oh, that’s fine then. I’ll go rest for a while first."

Since he hadn’t returned, she would wait for his return before discussing anything else.

The environment around the Prince Mansion was quite good. After all, it was a place that Qi Yun had previously chosen for them. Long Yue slept soundly and, upon waking, noticed a familiar shadow beside her.

The shadow was all too familiar. Long Yue turned over with a soft hum, "Why are you just coming back?"

Li Qingmu smiled gently, running a hand across her cheek, "Talked a bit more with Su Shi and the others. Hmm, what’s wrong, missed me?"

"Not at all!" Long Yue sat up abruptly, her face serious, "A Mu, help me investigate the monks at Da Xiangguo Temple!"

Li Qingmu was taken aback, "Why think of investigating them? Those people usually practice vegetarianism and prayer..."

Li Qingmu paused, suddenly surprised, "Are you suspecting that the explosion earlier was related to Da Xiangguo Temple?"

This man was indeed perceptive.

Long Yue smiled, "Yes! It seems someone has informed you of what happened before. So, A Mu, what do you think?"