Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Fortunately, Xiao Ran and his group bought some pastries and decided not to continue shopping.

So after they finished visiting the grain store, Xiao Ran and the others stopped, and Cheng Chumo breathed a sigh of relief.

But Xiao Ran and his group weren't in a hurry to go back; instead, they planned to go find Li Shimin.

After thinking it over, Cheng Chumo and the others decided not to go with them and instead went home. So only Xiao Ran took the little ones and Li Lizhi and the others to the palace.

They first arrived at the Ganlu Palace.

Upon approaching, Xiao Ran discovered that the Ganlu Hall was completely different from before; all the windows had been replaced with glass windows.

There were guards outside the hall, but before Xiao Ran could speak, the guards quickly bowed to the group and let them in.

Xiao Ran entered the hall, and Li Shimin stepped down from above.

"Xiao Ran!" Li Shimin walked towards Xiao Ran.

However, the little princess intercepted him halfway there.

"Grandpa~"

Li Shimin quickly bent down and picked up the little princess.

"Sizi, have you missed your grandpa?"

The little princess nodded eagerly, "Yes!"

Li Shimin then patted the heads of Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang.

Xiao Ran looked around and asked with a smile, "Uncle, what do you think of this glass window?"

“Very good! Even better than I imagined!” Li Shimin carried the little princess to the window and gently stroked the smooth glass surface. “In the past, this palace was always dark, and even during the day, we needed to light lamps. Now, with this glass window, it is not only bright, but we can also clearly see the scenery outside.”

Xiao Ran noticed that the dark circles under Li Shimin's eyes were lighter than usual, presumably because the improved lighting made reading less strenuous.

"It's just that there's not enough glass, so for now we can only install it in important palaces first," Li Shimin said with a hint of regret.

"Uncle, don't worry. The glassmaking process is now quite skilled and the speed is much faster. I'm sure we'll be able to speed up production soon."

Li Shimin nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, many ministers have come to inquire about this glass window these past few days. Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and even that old stubborn Wei Zheng have all asked me indirectly how to buy it. It's rare to see them like this."

As he spoke, Li Shimin chuckled softly.

The little princess squirmed in Li Shimin's arms.

"Grandpa~ I'm sleepy~"

Seeing that the little princess was indeed having trouble keeping her eyes open, Xiao Ran said, "We've been walking around outside all morning. I imagine not only Si Zi, but also Fan Yin and Seventeen must be tired."

Li Shimin placed the little princess on the ground and said, "Since you are sleepy, go and rest."

Then he had someone take the little princesses to take a nap.

Before leaving, the little princess grabbed Xiao Ran's arm.

"Little Nang-kun~ Time for bed~"

Xiao Ran smiled. "I'm not sleepy. Si Zi, go to sleep. I'll teach you when we leave, okay?"

The little princess nodded, "Okay~"

After the little princesses went to sleep, Li Shimin turned to Xiao Ran and asked, "How is Kaolao Village doing lately?"

Xiao Ran chuckled. Li Shimin's real intention was not what he was looking for; he wanted to know more about Kaolao Village than about Kaolao Village itself.

So Xiao Ran said loudly, "Uncle, don't worry, Madam is doing very well."

Li Shimin was unusually embarrassed, saying, "Although the village is quiet, it is not as secure as the palace, so I can't help but worry."

As he spoke, Li Shimin sighed.

"Although we communicate frequently, she always reports good news and hides the bad. With you by my side to take care of me, I feel much more at ease."

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Madam looks much better lately, her appetite has increased, and she goes out for walks from time to time. She's much better than before."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin felt much relieved.

"That's fine, that's fine."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Xiao Ran prepared to take his leave: "Uncle, if there's nothing else, I'll go see His Highness the Crown Prince. He left in a hurry last time, and we didn't have a proper chat yet."

"Go, go." Li Shimin waved his hand, sat back down at his desk, and picked up a memorial.

Leaving Ganlu Hall, Xiao Ran walked along the palace path towards the East Palace. The autumn sunlight filtered through the sparse branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Upon arriving at the East Palace, after being announced by the eunuch, Xiao Ran was led into Li Chengqian's study. Unlike the solemnity of the Ganlu Hall, the furnishings here were more elegant. The bookshelves were piled high with classics, and the walls were adorned with calligraphy and paintings by famous artists. What was most eye-catching were the newly installed glass windows, which made the room bright and clear.

"Young master!" Upon seeing Xiao Ran, Li Chengqian immediately put down the book in his hand, stood up to greet him, and his face was filled with undisguised joy.

"Young Master," Xiao Ran returned the greeting with a smile, noticing several exquisite white porcelain jars on the desk. "Are you inspecting the newly produced fine salt?"

Li Chengqian led Xiao Ran to sit on the tea table by the window and gestured for the palace servants to serve tea: "That's right."

He opened a porcelain jar, inside which snow-white salt grains glittered in the sunlight.

Xiao Ran picked up a few grains of salt. "They do look quite good."

Li Chengqian smiled and then said, "This fine salt is selling very well. I'll collect your share of the profits later."

As he was speaking, Li Chengqian was about to get up when Xiao Ran quickly pulled him back.

"No rush. I'm not here to ask you for a share of the profits. I just happened to be passing by today and wanted to drop by."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, "Then the matter of profit sharing is not a big deal. Wait for me."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian went directly into the inner room and took out a box.

"This is the ledger. As for the dividends, there are a bit too many, so I put them in the warehouse. You can take them with you when you leave."

Xiao Ran picked up the ledger and glanced at it casually. To be honest, he didn't quite understand it.

The main problem is that this bookkeeping method involves writing everything in text, which is a headache for people to read.

So Xiao Ran simply flipped through it a couple of times and put it down.

"Okay, I've finished reading it, no problem."

Li Chengqian was both amused and touched by Xiao Ran's reaction, knowing that Xiao Ran trusted him.

Fearing he would bring up the account book again, Xiao Ran took out an oil paper package directly from his pocket.

"I brought you some delicious food especially because Uncle doesn't have any."

Li Chengqian opened it, and the beef jerky inside was revealed.

Xiao Ran said, "This is beef jerky, why don't you try it?"

Li Chengqian picked one up and ate it, and was amazed by the taste.

"It smells so good!"

Xiao Ran smiled, "As long as it's delicious, you can keep it and eat it slowly. If there's any beef, remember to save some for me." Hearing this, Li Chengqian's eyes lit up.

"Yes, beef was delivered from the estate this afternoon."

As for where this beef came from, those who know, know.

Of course, oxen cannot be slaughtered, but since they are royalty, if they really wanted to eat them, they couldn't possibly not get to. Too many wouldn't do, but occasionally finding a reason to kill an ox would be acceptable; it was an unspoken understanding among everyone.

For example, the most famous one is Cheng Yaojin, because he is just too upright and honest.

Xiao Ran didn't stand on ceremony with Li Chengqian and directly asked for half a cow, along with the cow's head, hooves, and offal. When they finally left, Xiao Ran and his group rode back in two carriages, followed by several other carriages.

Inside were his share of the profits from Li Chengqian, as well as beef and various rewards from Li Shimin. Li Shimin even rewarded several embroiderers.

After Xiao Ran and his group arrived at Kaolao Village, the carriages returned with a full load of glass.

The sun in the sky was so bright that it melted the snow on the ground.

There have only been three snowfalls, and now with the sun shining so brightly, there's hardly any snow left on the ground, except in the shaded areas.

Several days have passed since Xiao Ran and his group returned from the palace.

The grocery store is opening tomorrow.

"Young master, it's getting cold. You can inspect them yourself." Old Zhang breathed out white breath and rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold. "This batch has a total of one hundred and eighty pieces, all made according to the sample you gave me."

Xiao Ran picked up a toothbrush; the bamboo handle gleamed warmly in the cool morning light, and the boar bristles were neatly and evenly trimmed.

He nodded in satisfaction: "Good, let's go with the price we agreed on."

Then, Xiao Ran called out to Princess Yuzhang.

"Sixth Sister, come and pay the money."

Princess Yuzhang handed the money bag to Old Zhang, who thanked her repeatedly, picked up his bamboo basket, and walked away on the frozen, hard dirt road.

Xiao Ran hadn't met Old Zhang much before, only knowing that everyone called him Old Zhang. He was also the person responsible for connecting Xiao Ran with the toothbrush, and it was said that he was elected by the villagers themselves.

Xiao Ran didn't know any more details, but as long as things were done well, that was all that mattered. He didn't care much about anything else.

"Qiuhe, take these toothbrushes with you."

A tall, thin man responded, said goodbye to Xiao Ran, and left with his belongings.

Qiu He was one of the people Xiao Ran bought back then. Because he was honest, he was sent to pick up the goods.

After seeing Qiuhe off, Xiaoran turned and walked through the courtyard. The withered grass rustled under his feet, and the old plum trees in the courtyard had formed tiny flower buds, which trembled gently in the cold wind.

He walked straight to the separate room in the backyard, where a few drops of snow water dripped slowly from the eaves, glistening in the morning light.

Before even reaching the door, Xiao Ran smelled a mixture of saltpeter and charcoal.

A knock was made on the wooden door, and Sun Simiao's voice came from inside: "Come in."

Xiao Ran pushed open the door and entered, a wave of warmth washing over him.

In the center of the room was a brass charcoal brazier, the charcoal fire glowing red. Sun Simiao, dressed in a thick cotton robe, was bending over a cypress wood table. On the table were several sheets of mulberry bark paper covered with symbols. The thick cotton paper newly pasted on the window blocked the cold wind, but also made the room somewhat dim, requiring the use of an oil lamp.

"Grandpa, be careful of the charcoal fumes." Xiao Ran casually pushed the window open a crack, and the cool air rushed in, dispelling the stuffiness in the room.

Sun Simiao raised his head, his snow-white beard and hair resembling silver threads in the lamplight: "Young master, you've come at just the right time. Come and see these fireworks."

A couple of days ago, Xiao Ran looked at the calendar and realized that the New Year was just around the corner.

How can we celebrate the New Year without fireworks?

So he quickly pulled Sun Simiao aside to study fireworks, and now they've made some progress.

Sun Simiao pointed to a newly drawn mark on the drawing, "I have been thinking that if we want the fireworks to rise high and spread out widely, we must not only control the ratio of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal, but also take into account the dry and cold weather of early winter."

The two were discussing in hushed tones how to make fireworks when suddenly soft footsteps and a sweet, gentle voice called out from outside the door: "Little Nang-kun~"

The wooden door was pushed open a crack, revealing the little princess's rosy face.

Although the sun was shining brightly outside, it was still a bit chilly.

"Why did you sneak over here, you little rascal?" Xiao Ran usually doesn't allow the little princess and the others to come here because there's gunpowder and it's too dangerous. He never expected that the little princess would sneak over here on her own today.

“I’m here to find Little Nangjun~” The little princess smiled and rubbed against Xiao Ran’s hand.

Then, the little princess tiptoed, trying to see what was on the table, but she was too small and could only see a pile of bottles and jars. "What's this?" she exclaimed.

Sun Simiao smiled kindly and made room for Sizi by the charcoal brazier: "Come on, it's warmer here."

Then, without making a sound, he moved a can of freshly prepared high-explosive gunpowder to the highest position on the shelf.

The little princess went closer to the charcoal brazier, stretching out her tiny hands to warm them, but her eyes remained fixed on the bottles and jars: "This one's sparkly~ isn't it candy~"

Xiao Ran and Sun Simiao exchanged a smile, bent down and picked up the little princess so that she could safely see the tabletop: "Sister Si, this is not candy, it's something more interesting than candy."

He pointed to a small pinch of metal powder that Sun Simiao had just finished adjusting, "We're preparing fireworks for Sizi to set off during the New Year."

"Smoke rises~" The little princess opened her eyes wide, her long eyelashes casting fine shadows in the lamplight.

“Yes.” Xiao Ran picked up some emerald green copper powder and let it flow through his fingers. “When these fireworks are put into the sky, they will bloom into flowers that are more beautiful than plum blossoms. There are red, green and gold ones. They crackle and pop, and it’s so lively.”

The little princess listened intently, her mouth agape: "Wow~ Fafa is so amazing~"

Then, the little princess frowned, looking puzzled.

"It's so cute, the hair's on the ground!"

Xiao Ran was amused by the little princess's wrinkled expression. He pointed to the paper tube model on the table: "Look, we've given the fireworks wings. When we stay up late on New Year's Eve, we'll light them with incense sticks, and they'll spread their wings and fly into the sky, blooming into a large patch of sparkling flowers."

"Sparkling Fafa~" The little princess squirmed excitedly in Xiao Ran's arms.

Although I haven't seen it, the little princess thinks it must be very good!

Just then, a voice called out: "Sizi! Sizi!"

Xiao Ran pushed open the door and went out, only to see Li Lizhi walking towards him.

Seeing Xiao Ran holding the little princess, Li Lizhi gave a coquettish snort and pinched the little princess's cheek in feigned anger.

"Why did Sizi sneak over here by herself?"

The little princess shook her head, "I'm looking for Little Nang-jun~"

Xiao Ran carried the little princess and walked forward with Li Lizhi.

As for the research on fireworks, they have already discussed it to a near end, and the rest will be left to Sun Simiao.

Xiao Ran, holding the little princess, asked, "How did Si Zi know I was here?"

Before the little princess could speak, Li Lizhi said, "It was me who said it. Si Zi asked me where you went, and I told her you were busy in the back and not to bother you. Who would have thought she would sneak over there on her own?"

The little princess giggled at Li Lizhi, then turned around and hugged Xiao Ran's neck, avoiding looking at Li Lizhi; her guilty conscience was quite obvious.

Xiao Ran smiled. "This shows that Si Zi feels very safe here, which is a good thing." (End of Chapter)