Chapter 897: Chapter 907 Things Have Gotten Serious_1 Chapter 897: Chapter 907 Things Have Gotten Serious_1 Fan Linong listened to this answer, searched his brain and found no impression of it, then he asked, again with a darkened face, “Where is he from?”

“He’s from Wuchang Prefecture, my lord’s family is in, in trade…” Yuanbao explained, shaking not only in his words but also trembling all over.

The ground, just covered with snow, was cold and chilling, and as he sat on it, he could hardly bear it.

Fan Linong frowned slightly, bent down, and lifted Yuanbao by the collar of his clothes onto a table nearby.

Yuanbao was startled by his action, his face grew even paler, but after a moment, he realized Fan Linong’s intentions and immediately thanked him, “Th-thank you, sir.”

Tong Sanlang came over at this point, carrying a medical kit.

So he began treating Yuanbao’s wounds while asking, “What exactly happened just now?”

“Just now I was tending to the charcoal fire, and unintentionally touched the brazier. The brazier was too hot, and my hand shook, so I threw it. The next instant, it suddenly exploded,” Yuanbao replied with a pained expression.

“Did you notice anything different about that spot on the ground?” Tong Sanlang pressed on.

The courtyard ground was also paved with green bricks, and in order to bury the gunpowder, they would have to dig the bricks out.

If bricks were dug out, there would definitely be some irregularity.

Yuanbao shook his head gently, looking bewildered, “I didn’t pay attention earlier… I was just focused on working, and didn’t notice anything else.”

Hearing this, Tong Sanlang gave Fan Linong a meaningful look.

Fan Linong immediately turned to the other people in the courtyard, “Did anyone notice anything unusual just now?”

Everyone shook their heads.

The snow on the ground had already been swept clean, but it is impossible to completely sweep away snowflakes; there must be some remnants in the crevices between the bricks.

Looking over the entire courtyard, the green bricks were interspersed with white snowflakes; they all looked the same.

If that spot hadn’t exploded, no one would have noticed anything strange.

Coming up empty-handed, Fan Linong’s brow was so furrowed it could kill mosquitoes.

He must report this matter to Yang Wenxiao, but what about now?

Hundreds of people, to check them one by one? The night would come before they finished, and how could such a group of rich and noble people be accommodated this evening?

And were there other places in the manor where gunpowder was buried?

Dare they move around at will?

One after another, these questions exploded in Fan Linong’s head.

He was just a fifth-ranked military officer, accustomed to leading soldiers in training and combat; now suddenly faced with such a conundrum, what should he do?

Gritting his teeth, he said, “Brother Tong, ride to the town now, and send a message in my name to the postal station, to expedite it by eight hundred li, asking the retired emperor to send someone over.”

“Everyone here, just stand here for today, none of you leave!”

This matter concerned gunpowder, the foundation of the Yang Family, and must not be allowed to leak or be destabilized.

Otherwise, even ten heads would not suffice were they needed for chopping.

Even if he had to offend some nobles, he had no choice but to do so.

“Alright, I’ll leave this place to you for now. You might want to ask Dean Gu; he’s seen a lot and might know something,” Tong Sanlang suggested.

According to Qiao Xiaomai, some bombs explode just by stepping on them.

Others need to be lit to explode.

He didn’t know which kind the Yang Family had researched; if it was the kind that would explode on contact, that was frightfully worrisome.

This issue would have to be discussed with Dean Gu.

Fan Linong had the same idea; he looked at the collapsed wall, called several people over to watch the others in the courtyard, and then cautiously leaped onto the rooftop, taking an aerial route to find Dean Gu.

[Due to the system sometimes taking the same cut if chapters are updated too quickly between them, this situation has arisen twice in recent days. I am sorry for that, and I have already reported it to the editors, dear readers. If you encounter duplicate chapters, clearing the cache should resolve it. I have absolutely no intention of scamming your book currency…]