Chapter 104: Discovery.

Xiao Qian led Lin Yannan out of Hongwu Gate and said as they walked, "Turn east from Zhuque Street onto Changning Street, cross Anhe Bridge, and Chenping Bridge is the imperial temple Tianning Temple."

"The sections previously responsible for maintenance by the Ministry of Works mainly consist of two bridges. I have already secretly sent people to investigate and have not found any issues. My people in Tianning Temple have carefully searched through the masons, but they have also not discovered any saltpeter or oil."

Lin Yannan frowned: "Fire oil?"

"Yes, fire oil. We have investigated the registration records of goods entering the city through all gates in the past three months and found that there have been three large carriages of fire oil transported in. Due to the small quantities and dispersion of each shipment, it did not attract attention. Nitrate is the main component of gunpowder. If these people use gunpowder along with fire oil, the power can be imagined."

"So, you're saying that there are no traces of saltpeter and oil where visible construction has taken place?"

Xiao Qian nodded.

Lin Yannan asked again, "Was the road clear when the emperor left the palace to go to Tianning Temple?"

"Zhuque Street is being cleaned up, and Changning Street will have common people lining up to welcome the emperor's procession."

"What will happen if we cannot find saltpetre and oil before the emperor leaves the palace tomorrow?"

"The emperor will change the route; no one should risk the lives of the emperor and ministers."

届时前往天宁寺祈福的，可不仅仅是父皇，还有朝中元老，一品大员，王公贵戚，万一发生火药爆炸，加上火油的威力，这伤亡是不可估量的，谁也承受不起。

Lin Yannan's brows furrowed even tighter: "Go find a wooden stick."

Xiao Qian was puzzled: "What do you need a wooden stick for?"

"Just find one," Lin Yannan insisted.

Xiao Qian was worried, where could he find a wooden stick on the street? Luckily, an old man with a crutch passed by, so Xiao Qian approached him and negotiated, willing to spend two taels of silver to buy the crutch from the old man.

那老爷爷心生疑惑，自己这拐杖是他路边捡的木棍做的，难不成这拐杖内藏什么玄机，或者是个什么宝贝？不然这位公子为何愿意出二两银子？

As a result, the old man held the cane tighter and looked at Xiao Qian with caution.

Xiao Qian sighed and nodded towards Lin Yanyan not far away, saying, "Sir, that is my wife. She has trouble walking and can't make it all the way here. If you really don't want to sell, then forget it. I can just carry her back home."

Lin Yannan's ears are functioning well, and every word of Xiao Qian's entered her ears, making her blush involuntarily.

This guy really knows how to talk nonsense, who is your wife?

After a moment, Xiao Qian came back with a cane: "Can we use this?"

林晏晏故作淡定接过拐杖敲了敲地面：“还行吧！”

林晏晏完全没有要跟萧潜算账的想法，他不过是为了得到拐杖胡乱找借口而已，她若是较真显得不大气，就当没听见好了。

Xiao Qian, on the other hand, felt a little uneasy and stole a glance at her expression. However, her face veil made it difficult to discern any abnormalities.

He only remembered Lin Yannan's sharp hearing after speaking.

Perhaps she wasn't paying attention to what he said! Xiao Qian comforted himself, but while he let out a sigh of relief, there was still a hint of tiny disappointment in his heart. What could be the reason for that?

Lin Yannan walked slowly with a cane from Zhuque Avenue to Changning Street.

Changning Street is not as wide as Zhuque Avenue, but it can accommodate four carriages side by side. There are numerous shops on both sides of the street, including restaurants, silk shops, study halls, grocery stores... It is one of the busiest streets in the capital city. At that time, there were also common people lining the road to greet the royal carriage...

在排除了天宁寺，两座石桥的情况下，如果是她想要在京城搞破坏，闹出大动静，那么她会选择长宁街。

一旦发生爆炸，起火，必定造成混乱拥挤踩踏，若是再安排杀手混在围观百姓中，足以对御驾造成伤害。

Lin Yannan takes a deep breath, focuses her mind, and starts walking.

With each step forward, the dynamic scenes of shops, stalls, and pedestrians on both sides of the street gradually turn into static three-dimensional pictures etched into her mind. Her sense of smell and hearing become like two tentacles that can extend infinitely, penetrating through windows, doors, and brick walls, outlining images beyond the reach of her gaze.

The shopkeeper of the grocery store is using an abacus at the front counter, while the shop owner is washing laundry in the backyard and watching two children play shuttlecock. The girl performs various kicks and even a knee strike, which earns her applause and cheers from her younger brother... The sister is so amazing! Please note that @ matches are not commonly used in English. Therefore, the translation omits the @ symbol.

In the private room by the window of the restaurant, the aroma of a ten-year-old aged "Zhuangyuanhong" wine filled the air, as two guests raised their glasses to toast to their imminent business partnership.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring private room, the fragrance of "Zhu Ye Qing" tea permeated the air as guests tapped their chopsticks on plates, singing a new composition and expressing their joy of reconnecting with old friends.

In the Ink House, the fragrance of ink filled the air as the waiter enthusiastically recommended the cane paper from Shanxi to the customers.

In the Embroidery House, the scent of sandalwood lingered as the embroiderers stitched and chatted, teasing a fellow embroiderer named Yuyao about her absent-mindedness these days, suspecting that she had fallen for someone's husband.

……

Suddenly, the sound of a cane hitting the ground echoed hollowly, causing Lin Yanyan to immediately stop in her tracks. The cane struck the ground again.

Her senses of hearing and smell instantly became heightened once more.

左边是一家正在翻修的铺子，油漆工正在刷漆，空气中弥漫着油漆的味道，木匠在刨花，唰……唰……泥水匠在敲打什么东西，咚咚咚……

On the left side is a small grocery store selling spices, with slow business. The sign at the door reads "Musk sold out," but she can clearly smell the scent of musk inside. Sitting not far away is a blind fortune teller who occasionally shouts... "Fortune-telling and guidance, no charge for those destined."

萧潜一直跟着林晏晏，见她突然停下脚步，便也跟着停下。

"What's wrong?"

林晏晏用手背擦了下额头上渗出的细汗，道：“帮我去香料铺子买些沉香吧！”

Xiao Qian doesn't understand why, but Lin Yannan wouldn't ask him to buy spices for no reason, so he agreed and said, "Please wait a moment."

Xiao Qian entered the spice shop, but there was no one inside. He called out several times before the shopkeeper lifted the door curtain and came out, saying, "Sir, what do you need?"

"Give me two taels of agarwood."

"Please wait a moment."

The shopkeeper searched for a while before finding the agarwood and placed two incense cakes on the scale: "Exactly two taels, one tael worth of silver."

Xiao Qian furrowed his brows in confusion and didn't say anything. He took out a couple of silver coins, handed them to the shopkeeper, and left the spice shop with the fragrant cake.

"Here is the agarwood you requested."

Lin Yannan took the fragrant cake, sniffed it, and asked, "How much?"

"

'One or two taels.'

Lin Yannan smiled and said, 'Let's go!'

"Go back and talk about it later," Lin Yanyan interrupted him.