I'm not satisfied with your grades.

"The recipe is actually very easy."

"They only need to look at the materials we buy to guess the composition of the gunpowder."

"But the difficult part is the gunpowder ratio."

"I estimate they'll have to sacrifice several lives to figure out this ratio."

Zhou Tiancheng smiled, then turned his head to look at the estate again, becoming more and more satisfied with it.

Just then, the young eunuch arrived with the city guards and seized all the carriages behind them.

All the people were sent to the Jingzhao Prefecture, and the leading general came over to pay his respects to Zhou Tiancheng.

Zhou Tiancheng glanced at the other person and then asked a question.

"Whose side are you on?"

The general gave an awkward smile.

"Most of the commanders of the Imperial Guards in the capital are from the imperial family, and some are appointed by the Emperor himself."

"I am a member of the royal family; by all accounts, I am from the same generation as Your Highness's nephew."

The term "royal family" refers to the blood relatives of the imperial family.

Over the generations, the relationship has become less close, but they are all of the same bloodline, and the royal family cannot simply abandon them to fend for themselves.

Zhou Tiancheng seemed to be deep in thought.

"I heard that Qin Zhi'ang was investigated recently, and someone from your clan intervened. Is that true?"

The general nodded, even more awkwardly.

"Not all members of the imperial family are of one mind. Some want to enjoy a life of luxury, so they need money and must tie themselves to court officials. This is quite normal."

"This humble general also has such thoughts."

He had already said so much, how could Zhou Tiancheng not understand his meaning?

He wants to follow me!

Zhou Tiancheng didn't agree immediately; instead, he asked a question.

"What abilities do you have?"

The general shook his head.

"Your Highness, it's a good thing that the members of the royal family are incompetent; if they were, then there would be trouble."

"This humble general has nothing but loyalty."

Zhou Tiancheng waved his hand.

"In that case, you can deal with the people you arrested."

The general nodded excitedly in agreement and turned to leave.

Steward Liu came to Zhou Tiancheng's side.

"The imperial family is in a terrible state. His Majesty has been trying to deal with them but hasn't been able to find a way. Your Highness, it's probably not a good idea for you to take the initiative to contact him."

Zhou Tiancheng shook his head.

"It's different. The fact that he was able to enter the Imperial Guard shows that he has no roots in the imperial clan and doesn't belong to any faction, which is why Father trusts him."

"He seems to want to follow me, but he is probably a spy sent by my father, and of course, it is also a form of protection."

"Our gunpowder workshop needs soldiers to guard it. For him to say such a thing at this time, it must be at the behest of the Emperor."

"Otherwise, he would never dare to show any affection to a prince like me, unless he didn't care about his own head."

Zhou Tiancheng's arguments were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, which made Steward Liu agree wholeheartedly.

"Your Highness has matured considerably since your trip to the Northern Frontier."

Zhou Tiancheng sighed.

"I have no choice. I can't be immature if I don't want to live."

His trip to northern Xinjiang did indeed have its benefits.

For example, after he relaxes, he can better examine his situation.

When he stepped outside of Kyoto and re-examined his own problems, all the historical dramas he had filmed came in handy.

Just like now, when facing the generals who came out of the Imperial Guards, he could react to the purpose of every word they said much faster than Chief Steward Liu.

"His Highness was born for this."

Manager Liu praised him, which made Zhou Tiancheng laugh.

The two chatted and laughed as they entered the village.

The estates of the Great Qian Dynasty are generally divided into several types.

For example, some are specifically for vacations, some are specifically for entertaining relatives and friends, and some are specifically for making money.

Buying a manor is not like buying a house. What he needs to buy is the entire land around the manor, for planting trees, for farming, or, like Li Hua and his daughter, for raising horses.

The fields in this village are overgrown and the trees in the mountains are not particularly valuable.

The tenants in the village were also very vigilant. The moment they entered, people surrounded them, their eyes treating them as if they were criminals.

Manager Liu sensed something was wrong and closely guarded Zhou Tiancheng.

Xinhua didn't dare to hesitate either, and his hand was already gripping the knife.

Zhou Tiancheng, on the contrary, showed a delighted expression and whispered in Steward Liu's ear.

"There's something fishy about this estate. The tenants here don't look like farmers; they look more like soldiers."

"When we get back, have someone keep a close eye on this estate. I suspect it's either a place where Qin Zhi'ang keeps his assassins or a place where he hides dirty silver."

"In short, we've found something to hold against Qin Zhi'ang, although it's just a hint."

After finishing speaking, Zhou Tiancheng looked at the several elderly people walking towards him.

"I am the current Crown Prince, and I have come here on the Emperor's orders to select a site. Your estate is quite nice. Is the owner here?"

The old man at the head of the group shook his head.

"Our master is Qin Zhi'ang, the Minister of Rites, who is not here at the moment. If Your Highness wishes to take over our estate, you will have to discuss it with our master."

Zhou Tiancheng glanced at the nearby mountains.

"Surrounded by mountains on all sides, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are only two roads in front and behind, so no one can enter or leave without the villagers' notice."

"I've taken a liking to this estate. Have someone inform your master that I intend to manufacture gunpowder here."

"I will go back to Kyoto to ask my father for an imperial decree, and then all of you will have to move out."

The group of people all changed their expressions, but they didn't dare to contradict Zhou Tiancheng, so they could only agree in a humble tone.

After Zhou Tiancheng left, the old men immediately gathered together.

"I have already sent someone to inform the master about this matter. I'm afraid the Crown Prince has ill intentions. He must have realized that this estate is unusual. We must quickly find a way to send all the silver in the estate to the Western Frontier."

"The two young masters are still waiting over there for the money to support their troops."

The old men all knew that this matter couldn't be made public; if people discovered their silver, they would be in big trouble.

"Start delivering tonight; there absolutely cannot be any mistakes."

"Fortunately, most of the silver has already been sent over. In just two days, we can send the rest of the silver over as well. We can practically give the estate to the Crown Prince for free."

They made decisions without needing Qin Zhi'ang's approval.

Because Qin Zhi'ang's orders were to have them deliver the silver.

The Qin family's focus has begun to shift.

That evening, more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages began transporting goods out.

Upon receiving the news, Steward Liu immediately went to inform Zhou Tiancheng.

At this time, Zhou Tiancheng was staying in Jingzhao Prefecture.

The general from the royal family knelt before Zhou Tiancheng. Of the several carriages and more than twenty people they had captured during the day, only one remained alive.

"They were all specially trained assassins. None of them had revealed any information about their master. Before the interrogation even began, most of them had already committed suicide."

This is the answer given by the royal generals.

Zhou Tiancheng shook his head slightly.

"I'm not very satisfied with your grades."