The Imperial Study.
The Emperor of Great Ming wore casual clothes, his expression extremely ugly.
He had just been enjoying himself with Consort Yan when a sudden explosion nearly sent him to his death in the saddle.
The eunuch on night duty told him that flames had shot into the sky in the western part of the Capital City.
He had nearly thought rebels had stormed the Capital City. He immediately sent Wei Ziyun, Commander of the Golden Guards, to investigate with his men, while also summoning Zhang Banban to his side.
After learning that there were no rebels and that only the Firearms Bureau's gunpowder storehouse had exploded, the Emperor of Great Ming still came to the Imperial Study, determined to get to the bottom of this.
Great Ming's firearms were more powerful than those of other countries. This was also the foundation that allowed Great Ming to occupy the Central Plains.
Without firearms, Great Ming's military strength would decline considerably.
When Wei Ziyun arrived at the Imperial Study, the Emperor of Great Ming hurriedly asked, "Minister Wei, what exactly happened? How did an accident occur at the Firearms Bureau? Why hasn't its deputy superintendent come?"
Even he, the emperor, had come to the Imperial Study in the middle of the night. What was wrong with the deputy superintendent entering the palace for an audience at this hour?
Wei Ziyun lowered his head. "Your Majesty, the Firearms Bureau's deputy superintendent died of poisoning. We cannot be certain whether he took poison himself or was poisoned by someone else."
"The explosion occurred at a secret warehouse belonging to the Firearms Bureau, in a sparsely populated area in the west. Fortunately, casualties were not too heavy, and the fire has already been extinguished."
The Emperor of Great Ming relaxed a little.