Chapter 47: Walking Between Heaven and Earth

There are some knowledge that, if no one points it out, you may never be able to figure it out no matter how hard you try. But once it is pointed out, it is not that surprising: for example, the formula of gunpowder.

Take the simplest formula "one saltpeter, two sulfur, three charcoal, add a little sugar and big Ivan". Saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, based on the copper scale of that era which measured sixteen taels per catty, is in a ratio of 16:2:3.

The purpose of adding sugar is to increase the gas production during combustion. This gunpowder ratio explodes in a confined space, which is comparable to a miniature nuclear bomb indoors. I'm afraid that officials like Yun Yang and Sicao can't withstand it.

Sulfur is available in the clinic.

Charcoal is also easy to make.

The so-called saltpeter, scientifically known as potassium nitrate, is actually the frost on the wall of an earthen wall. When ancient people made fireworks and firecrackers, they obtained the saltpeter by "digging from the roots of the wall".

There are still many brick-and-mud houses in Los Angeles today, and the walls are covered with frost.

The Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department has been searching for the secret recipe of firearms with great difficulty. Instead of looking for the Liu family, it would be better to look for Chen Ji!
Even the blueprints of various muzzle-loading guns were not difficult for Chen Ji. A muzzle-loading gun consists of a muzzle, a chamber, and a butt. From small hand guns to large city gate cannons, Chen Ji knew a thing or two about them...

But the most crucial thing is that after Chen Ji came here, every time he met people like Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, and Sicao, he was controlled by them, simply because he had no ability to resist.

But now he has it.

The next moment, someone interrupted Chen Ji's thoughts: "Excuse me, do you have any works? Why are you silent?"

Liu Quxing and She Dengke looked at each other, not knowing what to do. After all, this was a literary gathering, and it would be inappropriate to come and eat and drink for free without any works.

However, Chen Ji suddenly smiled and said, "We just took the invitation from the palace to the clinic to eat and drink for free. We are not good at this, so everyone enjoy it and we will leave. Senior Brother She, Senior Brother Liu, I heard from Brother Zhang, the waiter at the restaurant opposite the clinic, that there is a Mu Xinzhai knife-cut noodles on Zhenghe Street next door that makes excellent food. I will treat you to a meal."

After saying that, he turned and left without any embarrassment on his face. If he knew, he knew. If he didn't, he didn't know. There was no need to try to be brave just to save face.

Everyone has their own expertise. You understand art, and I understand art too. My art may even be able to help you gain art.

Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao looked at Chen Ji's back, looking calm and contented as he chatted and laughed with his friends. He seemed not to be affected by Wen at all, and did not take what had just happened to heart.

He suddenly felt that Chen Ji was not just speaking in anger, but really had no intention of returning to the Chen family.

But isn't the tall and shining door lintel of the Chen family what everyone yearns for? How could anyone voluntarily give it up?
During the banquet, Princess Baili looked at the prince and said, "Brother, did you invite him?"

"No," the prince shook his head: "I don't remember sending an invitation to the clinic... but it doesn't matter!"

Princess Baili thought for a moment and suddenly stood up: "It's boring here, I'm going to go out for a walk!"

The prince looked at his sister's back and hesitated to speak: "You..."

……

……

On the way back.

"Senior Brother She, why are you standing up for me?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

She Dengke was walking on the road, his tall figure looked less imposing because he lowered his head. He whispered, "I almost hurt you yesterday. I'm sorry. I lost my mind at the time. I ruined our two-year friendship. I deserve to die."

Chen Ji asked again: "Did you just want to save Chunhua's life at that time?"

"I also have selfish motives. Chunhua said that if this thing is accomplished, she will ask Concubine Jing to marry her to me, and we can live a peaceful life in the future."

Liu Quxing sneered: "You believe everything Chunhua says. Your family is so poor, how could she give up the wealth and glory of the palace to be with you?"

She Dengke retorted: "She is not that kind of person...Chen Ji, can you please not tell my brother and my father about this? They will definitely beat me to death if they find out."

"Don't worry, it won't happen," Chen Ji said with a smile.

Liu Quxing at the side was a little annoyed: "I don't know what my father was thinking when he gave me this name. I am really disappointing. I am the God of Literature, but why can't I understand the meaning of the scriptures? Now when I go out and introduce myself, I am a little embarrassed to mention my name."

To be a farmer in the morning and to enter the emperor's palace in the evening, this is the biggest dream of scholars in the Ning Dynasty.

But this is not Chen Ji's dream.

What is his dream? His dream was to be a diplomatic military attaché, but neither Ning Dynasty nor Jing Dynasty was worth his life, so he no longer had a dream.

There is no one I want to protect, no place I want to protect. I can only barely protect myself and be pushed forward by the tide of this era.

Today, the words gunpowder and sword types have a fatal attraction to him.

When these two things are put on the scale, perhaps the scale of fate will tilt towards him. While he was thinking, someone behind him shouted: "Chen Ji!"

Chen Ji looked back and saw Princess Baili catching up with him. She was still dressed in a heroic manner, with the only unchanged features being the white clothes and the red pendant.

However, she had a silver bun on her head today, and underneath the bun was a circle of pearl necklaces, which made her look wobbly when she walked.

Chen Ji asked doubtfully, "Is there anything wrong, Princess?"

Bai Li didn't explain the reason, but just waved his hand and said, "Let's go, I'll treat you to a meal at Zhenghe Street. Let's eat the knife-cut noodles you mentioned!"

After saying that, Bai Li led the way with his hands behind his back, tiptoeing proudly. When Chen Ji looked at him, he felt that he was like a free antelope.

The three brothers looked at each other, and Chen Ji suddenly said, "You go first, I'll go back to the clinic to call Liang Maoer..."

Two quarters of an hour later, in the knife-cut noodle restaurant, Princess Baili placed her arm on the table and propped up her chin, staring at the pile of bowls and plates in front of Liang Maoer in amazement: "Five bowls, six bowls, seven bowls... Chen Ji, you are such a piece of shit!"

Chen Ji smiled and looked at Liang Maoer: "I'm full tonight, so don't eat so much tomorrow morning."

Liang Maoer looked at Bai Li cautiously: "Princess... am I eating too much?"

Chen Ji said solemnly: "The princess has a chivalrous heart. We are all children of the rivers and lakes. How could she complain that you eat too much?"

"It's okay, it's okay. A bowl of noodles only costs a few dollars!" Bai Li took out his purse with a bitter face: "But you eat too much... No wonder everyone was drinking last night, and you were the only one eating like crazy."

Liang Maoer explained awkwardly: "I don't know why, I have been able to eat since I was a child. When my brother was ten years old, I was three years old, but I ate more than him."

Bai Li no longer cared about it. Since he was being treated to a meal, he would just treat him generously.

After she paid for the meal, she turned to look at Chen Ji curiously and asked, "Why weren't you angry when they said that about you at the literary conference?"

"Nothing to be angry about."

"Then I'll speak for you. Can you not charge me tolls in the future?"

"No."

Bai Li was angry: "I will never speak up for you again, just let them scold you!"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "They can say whatever they want, but time will tell."

Liu Quxing on the side suddenly said: "Chen Ji, you can actually write poetry. I've seen it before."

"Huh?" Chen Ji was stunned for a moment.

Liu Quxing whispered, "I saw you making excerpts on the back of the prescription while you were secretly studying in the middle of the night, so I secretly took it to see what you had copied while you were sleeping, and I saw half a sentence of poetry."

Bai Li was puzzled: "What is written?"

“When one walks between heaven and earth, he is suddenly like a traveler on a long journey.”

Bai Li only felt that when she recited this half sentence of the poem, she was as if she was walking alone in the snow-capped mountains, shrouded in dusk, and felt extremely lonely.

That day, Chen Ji woke up at dusk. The street was crowded with people, but his family was nowhere to be seen. He casually wrote a sloppy poem at night, but it was seen by Liu Quxing.

Bai Li slowly looked at Chen Ji: "This is you..."

Before she could say anything, a head popped out from behind her and asked in surprise: "Chen Ji, is this your poem? If you can write, why didn't you tell her about it at the literary meeting just now?"

Chen Ji was also stunned, but he saw the prince and the little monk right behind him. The protagonist of the literary gathering had sneaked out without him noticing when. Was he so careless! ?
And it's a bit strange, isn't there such a poem in the world? Obviously, the allusions of Double Ninth Festival are exactly the same.

He replied with a thick face and without showing any emotion: "This is just a half sentence I came up with by chance, but I don't have the whole poem. Besides, I have no interest in this field. Poetry and literature are not my ambitions."

The prince held it in for a long time, and suddenly he rubbed his hands and smiled a little embarrassedly: "Um... don't you want to make money? Can you sell this half of the poem to me?"

Chen Ji: Ah?

The prince explained, "I was suffocated to death during the three years in Donglin Academy. Those scholars wrote a poem every day, one when they saw lotus flowers and another when they saw the moonlight, but I didn't write a single word. I know that many scholars said behind my back that I was a fool prince, so I always wanted to write a poem to shock them, but I really couldn't write it... How about this, if your half sentence is good enough, sell it to me for ten taels of silver, so that I can get face and you can get money, how about that?"

"make a deal!"

There is no need to write poetry, but if you can sell half a poem... you can.

(End of this chapter)