Ming Dynasty: Traveling through the harem, Zhu Yuanzhang was dumbfounded

Chapter 74 Prince, You Seem a Little Dull (First Order Request)
The next morning, the light was dim and the sound of birds outside the window woke Yang Chen up from his sleepy eyes.

He yawned and wanted to twist his neck and stretch himself to get ready for the day.

But as soon as I moved, I felt a piercing pain in my neck.

"Hiss! I almost forgot. My life was hanging by a thread last night. If anyone says that the ancients' forging technology is not good and the blade is not sharp, I will be the first to stab him to death with a knife."

Maintaining a relatively safe posture, Yang Chen finally got up from the bed.

He glanced at the bronze mirror not far away, which reflected the image of the thing wrapped around his neck.

"Oh, I might as well die sooner. The mirror is a bronze mirror. I have to find a way to use the reaction of the silver mirror to make a mirror that can see the real color picture clearly.

There is also iodine for disinfection. If alcohol doesn’t work, it will work, but it will be more painful.

I'm so annoyed! I have nothing, and I have to start from scratch. I hope everything will go well in the future."

Yang Chen muttered to himself as he sat on the stool. Thinking about the things he needed to do just now, he felt very distressed as each step was very troublesome.

Just preparing the silver ammonia solution used in the silver mirror reaction required him to expend some effort.

This thing is simple and easy, but it is also difficult and troublesome.

Silver ammonia solution is a complex. Add some silver flakes to dilute nitric acid, heat it, add lime water, and add enough dilute ammonia water.

The only difficulty with these things is the nitric acid.

Wood ash water needs to be distilled to obtain potassium nitrate, and nitric acid can be obtained by adding some sulfuric acid to potassium nitrate. As for ammonia water, this thing is extracted from urine.

"Luckily I studied at a teachers' college where there were many girls. If I had studied civil engineering, I would have forgotten all these things."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Yang Chen felt fortunate for the major he had chosen in college.

In a school with more meat than wolves, Yang Chen naturally communicated with several girls from different majors on both physical and mental knowledge.

"Is the young master awake?"

Just as Yang Chen was thinking about what he should do next, a delicate voice came from outside the door.

"Wake up, come in."

As his voice was heard, the door was quickly pushed open.

The person who walked in was a palace maid dressed in plain white gauze. She was one of Yang Chen's four maids, Xiaodong.

At the age of sixteen, her skin is so smooth that it seems to be fragile, she is really a little beauty.

Xiaodong, with small and delicate features, came to Yang Chen's bedside, half-knelt down, and helped him to slowly stand up.

When her eyes fell on Yang Chen's neck, Xiaodong knew that something must have happened to the person she served last night.

In this palace, there is only one person who can do this quietly.

Although Xiaodong couldn't understand why Yang Chen's behavior was so strange, he was still valued by the prince.

But she had also lived in the palace for almost two years.

Compared with other newcomers, Xiaodong has already left the ranks of strangers. Given her status, she knows clearly what she should know and what she should not know.

"Sir, do you want to eat some cakes to nourish your stomach, or have a meat lunch?"

A soft and numbing voice fell into Yang Chen's ears.

From the first day, the four maids expressed their willingness to accompany him to sleep.

As for what will happen next, the scene is very erotic.

However, Yang Chen is clear about his identity, and he has not yet established a firm foothold.

He was already at a disadvantage. If he let these maids get pregnant, wouldn't his weak point be in the hands of Old Zhu?

Then he will be at the mercy of others.

In order to avoid this kind of thing from happening, Yang Chen had no choice but to endure it for the time being.

However, the maids were young. Compared with the teenagers in later generations, these palace maids seemed more tender and gentle, and they also had sachets distributed by the palace on them.

Coupled with its youthful fragrance, it is really easy to make people commit crimes.

"Well, just make some food later. Remember, the cook must use the salt I made, otherwise I won't eat it. Do you understand?"

"Got it sir, I'll do it right away."

Xiaodong blinked her big eyes and agreed. She helped Yang Chen to the guest bathroom, placed a chair there herself, and asked him to sit down. She left only after making sure that Yang Chen was lying down properly.

Feeling the warm sunshine on himself, Yang Chen's fatigue gradually dissipated.

Almost half an hour passed.

Xiaodong and Xiaochun quickly brought two lunch boxes to the table in the guest bathroom.

Since moving into this side hall, Yang Chen has basically been eating and sleeping here.

Although neither of them knew why the other did this, as maids, they could not ask too much.

With chopsticks in hand, Yang Chen started eating today.

Two maids were waiting by his side, and talking to him made him feel quite uncomfortable.

He was also amused by his own poverty as he had never been served by anyone before.

On the first day, these maids wanted Yang Chen to lie between their broad, deep and soft breasts, with one massaging his shoulders while the other fed him.

However, Yang Chen declined all of them.

He was worried that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his meal.

After the simple meal, the two maids cleaned up the lunch boxes, and Xiaochun, who had been waiting for a long time, quickly brought over the heated and then cooled water.

Although it is safe so far, Yang Chen strives to be even safer.

If there is something weird in the water and someone gets sick, current medical technology won't be enough to see what's going on in his stomach.

After dinner, Yang Chen naturally lay down in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

After a while, Yang Chen heard some noise coming from outside the door.

He opened his hazy eyes and looked carefully. Zhu Biao, wearing clothes made of gauze, was walking towards him.

"Eh? What's wrong with your neck? Wasn't it fine when I sent you back yesterday? Why is it injured today?"

After dealing with the affairs of today's morning court, Zhu Biao also took the opportunity to investigate the uprising in the south.

It's ridiculous that these uprisings were caused by the issue of corvee labor.

As for the relevant details, we need to summon the officials involved in this matter to ask them in detail.

There was a riot in his hometown of Fengyang because of corvee labor, which even affected uprisings in provinces such as Guangdong. Many rebel forces who fled overseas also joined forces with the Japanese.

Anything can be big or small.

In Zhu Biao's opinion, if the problem was not dealt with carefully, it might be left behind and become a major problem that would harm the Ming Dynasty in the future.

"Prince, do you need me to explain this to you?"

Yang Chen did not stand up, but responded to Zhu Biao in a joking tone.

After taking a closer look at the area around the other person's neck, Zhu Biao also reacted.

After all this trouble, it turned out that the other party was taken away by his father last night.

As for what happened, it was obvious that it must have been quite unpleasant.

"My father wants to kill you?"

"No, I almost killed myself because my foot slipped."

"Ah! I almost committed suicide! Are you okay?"

Yang Chen: “.”

"Prince, what's wrong with you today? I feel like you're a little slow in responding. If I had something to do, I wouldn't be able to sit here and talk to you."

A normal person can tell at a glance whether he is okay or not.

The key point is that Zhu Biao actually asked, what is the difference between this and asking what the air-conditioning master does?
After sensing the contempt in Yang Chen's eyes, Zhu Biao raised his hand, scratched his head and yawned, saying:
"Hahaha, yes, I am indeed a little slow. If you can follow me and talk properly, then it means you are fine. But I actually asked, which is really stupid of me."

As he spoke, Zhu Biao picked up a chair and placed it next to Yang Chen and asked him to sit down.

This chair is not only for sitting, but also for lying down.

Otherwise Yang Chen wouldn't be basking in the sun here.

He glanced at the wound on the other person's neck and could vaguely see a hint of red.

"Yang Chen, are you sure you're okay with your injury? Do you want to ask the imperial physician to give you some medicine?"

Yang Chen waved his hand.

"I appreciate your kindness, but the blade almost pierced my neck. Fortunately, I survived and ended up with only a broken skin.

It’s nothing serious.”

The other party's rejection made Zhu Biao feel unhappy.

To be precise, it is self-blame.

He didn't expect that his father was still attacking him behind his back even at this time.

"Yang Chen, I want to apologize to you on behalf of my father. You know that he has an impatient temper. I will make an agreement with him later that he will not do anything to you behind your back again."

"Forget it. Your father's temper can only be tamed by your mother. If you go to him and plead for me, he might think that I bewitched you.

If he then blames me for this, wouldn't I be even more wronged?"

Yang Chen must have felt very touched that the prince could plead for him.

After all, there are not many people in the entire Ming Dynasty who can receive such treatment.

But when he heard that Zhu Biao was going to give his opinions to Zhu Yuanzhang, Yang Chen repeatedly expressed that it was not necessary.

Who knows what Zhu Yuanzhang, with his hot temper, would think was it he who instigated Zhu Biao to do so.

Originally, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted his son to become a powerful ruler who would not be influenced by others.

If the other party really did this, Yang Chen would be even more unable to get rid of the suspicion.

Seeing Yang Chen's reaction, Zhu Biao couldn't help but sigh.

Yang Chen must have reacted like this because of the huge shadow his father had cast on others.

All in all, he didn't say much. Anyway, he had to find time to have a good talk with his father.

This time it's just a scratch, but if it's a little off next time, wouldn't it be fatal?
Feeling upset, Zhu Biao felt a little hungry and happened to see some steamed buns and pastries on the table.

Yang Chen glanced at him stroking his belly and said with a smile:
"Prince, since you are hungry, why not go and eat something? Who knows, there might be a surprise for you."

Hearing this, Zhu Biao suddenly became curious about what Yang Chen said.

He turned his head to the cakes and steamed buns on the table.

He stood up and walked forward, picked up a fist-sized white flour bun and looked at it carefully for a moment.

First, put it next to your nose and smell it.

The aroma of the perfectly fermented rice noodles immediately penetrated my nostrils, whetting my appetite after finishing my morning court session.

"What a delicious smell! It seems a little different from what I usually eat." Zhu Biao took the steamed bun away, looked at it in front of his eyes again and again, and quickly discovered what was different about this thing and what he usually ate.

First of all, it’s the color. As the crown prince, Zhu Biao’s daily food and drink standards are quite high.

But he also eats these delicately crafted foods every day.

Sometimes I will also fill my stomach with some coarse grains.

Steamed buns are naturally his first choice.

But the taste of the steamed buns before was completely different from the ones now.

After eating the fine bran this time, he finally discovered what he had been eating before.

This bite of steamed bun is not as sour as before, and the color is more beautiful.

"Yang Chen, how come this steamed bun is so delicious? What method did you use?"

Yang Chen, who had expected this, waved his hand and said nonchalantly:
"It's nothing, it's just adding some food alkali."

"Food alkali? What is this?"

Zhu Biao, who had never heard of this term, was full of confusion and waited for the other party's answer.

Yang Chen didn't waste any words, but he didn't say the chemical name of food alkali. After all, it was introduced from the West, and people who had not received compulsory education would definitely not be able to understand it.

He had to use condiments instead.

"This thing is just like salt. It can make the food we eat every day more delicious. Alkali can prevent the fermented food in the steamed buns from becoming too sour.

So when you ate it just now, you could find that the food with alkali added tastes better, and the smell of rice and flour is more obvious. "

After understanding alkali, Zhu Biao could already vaguely see the commercial value behind this item.

"Hiss! If this kind of good stuff could be eaten by the people of the Ming Dynasty, wouldn't it make the Ming Dynasty even more famous for its food?"

Thinking of this possibility, Zhu Biao quickly asked Yang Chen how to obtain the alkali.

Yang Chen did not hide this.

"That's easy. This thing can be obtained by soaking wood ash in water. It doesn't cost too much money at all."

"What! It can be obtained by soaking wood ash in water. This is too simple."

I thought Yang Chen's skills would be very expensive in some way. Even if the materials were not expensive, the manpower would definitely not be cheap.

I didn’t expect that this thing with such great benefits could be obtained by burning paper and wood ash.

This was far beyond Zhu Biao's expectations.

Seeing the other party's inexperienced reaction, Yang Chen chuckled:
"It may seem magical to you, but the principle behind this thing is actually this simple. It's not as difficult as you think."

After Yang Chen's explanation, Zhu Biao accepted it calmly.

While eating, I was thinking about how to make money with this thing.

"If we can control this thing like salt, it might make the imperial treasury even richer!"

With this in mind, Zhu Biao muttered to himself, describing a huge business plan.

But before he could think more, he was interrupted by Yang Chen.

"Come on, Prince, don't think too much about this. If you really do what you want, it will probably only be useful for a short period of time.

The wisdom of the people is very strong, and they are willing to monopolize the people just for this little bit of benefit.

Not only will it not be beneficial to the court, but it will make the people feel greatly disappointed in the court.

The imperial court was unwilling to share such a simple thing, and instead concealed it from them.

In the future, if someone understands the secret, there will definitely be people who will encourage the people to rebel against the imperial court."

Wood ash water is wood ash water after all. It can replace soda ash, but it is definitely not as effective as soda ash produced by industrial methods.

It's already very impressive that Yang Chen was able to figure this out without any help from any industrial foundation.

In response, Zhu Biao slowed down his chewing and carefully considered everything Yang Chen said.

It is exactly as the other party said.

There are repeated signs of private salt trafficking among the people, and no matter how hard we try, we can't kill them all.

Not to mention the wood ash water.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhu Biao lay in a chair, feeling relaxed and sighing:

"Oh~ Sometimes I really envy you, you live a very comfortable life, you don't have to think too much, and you don't have to deal with all kinds of people wearing masks.

Unlike me, who spends all day dealing with government affairs.

If you want to bask in the sun, you need to find time.”

At some point, Zhu Biao found that he seemed to be very unhappy.

He is the prince, he holds a high position of power, but it is also true that he lives an uncomfortable life.

Especially after Zhu Yuanzhang handed over a large number of government affairs to him.

The father and son work together, discussing big things together and he makes decisions on small things.

Not only do you have to take good care of your subordinates, but you also have to consider your father's attitude.

Look at Yang Chen again. He sleeps until noon every day.

He felt a little envious of the way she lived her life.

Yang Chen smiled playfully and said:

“People have a natural filter for things they have never come into contact with. Perhaps Your Highness does not know what a filter is. Let me give you an analogy.

It’s like a brothel called Ningxianglou.

Rumor has it that there is a new courtesan in the palace. If you see her for the first time, you might find her erotic.

But if this courtesan accompanies you every day and serves you day and night, I'm afraid it won't be long before you get bored and think that the courtesan that everyone desires is just like this."

With this simple and plain explanation, I believe Zhu Biao must know what the filter means.

However, from the moment he started talking, the corners of Zhu Biao's mouth began to twitch.

Ever since he first came into contact with Yang Chen and gradually became familiar with him, he discovered that this guy always liked to explain things using rough words.

And the content of these words was quite rough, so rough that even a butcher could understand them.

It’s not that Zhu Biao hated this method, but he felt he couldn’t adapt to it in a short period of time.

"Anyway, you are a high-ranking prince, and many people want to get the position you sit on. It's just that you have been here for too long and have forgotten your mission, so you yearn for my life of leisure and freedom."

"mission."

Zhu Biao listened to what Yang Chen said and muttered to himself.

In fact, he himself had forgotten the mission he once longed for.

Zhu Biao had long forgotten his mission as he immersed himself in the mountains of government affairs day after day.

In his opinion, his mission as the crown prince is to gain his father's approval as much as possible.

The rest was not something he could worry about.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Let's talk about you. You said before that you were a normal school. Do you know what this is?"

Zhu Biao really couldn't find a topic to talk about, so he could only follow what Yang Chen had said before.

In his impression, Yang Chen is a person who knows almost everything.

This may be related to what Yang Chen said about graduating from a normal school.

"You're talking about this. It's nothing more than an ordinary provincial university. You can get in if you study hard in the future. I was just lucky and got a chance. Otherwise, I might not be able to get in."

Yang Chen explained his major with a joking smile.

He was alone and helpless, and had originally thought that with this profession he could, if not get a stable job, at least get the status of a teacher.

Unfortunately, I was sent here before I received the interview notice.

"University? Will there be an Imperial College in the future?"

When Zhu Biao heard the word "university", he quickly thought of the Imperial Academy within the official system of the Ming Dynasty.

Seeing that the other party misunderstood him, Yang Chen immediately said:
“Don’t misunderstand, Prince. The universities of later times are different from the Imperial College University you mentioned.

The Imperial College was a tool to assist the imperial court in its governance and in the education of the monarch and his ministers. Later universities were more divided into various disciplines.

For example, arithmetic, astronomy and geography, military, architecture, education, etc., each industry has its own university.

If my major were to be understood today, I would be considered a teacher.

To put it bluntly, it is to educate children. "

Zhu Biao nodded as he listened, and finally understood what the education system of later generations would be like.

To be honest, it is very similar to what his father had stipulated.

In the eighth year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang began to promulgate laws requiring that prefectures, states, and counties all have schools.

Every fifty households should set up a community school to enroll children aged eight to fifteen from the public.

After entering school, children first learn basic knowledge such as "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Names", and "Thousand Character Classic".

Then they learned knowledge of classics, history, calendar, and mathematics. At the same time, they had to read official documents such as "The Imperial Edict" and Ming Dynasty laws and regulations, and also learn social etiquette.

Among all the dynasties, Zhu Yuanzhang was one of the few emperors who attached great importance to the education of young children.

This may be the reason why so many literary works and various fantastic ideas were popular in the Ming Dynasty.

After all, only when the people are enlightened can the national strength of the people slowly increase.

Unfortunately, due to the obstruction of the powerful and wealthy and the gentry, the subsequent emperors had no way of understanding what was happening among the people.

Some people even joked that the emperors of the late Ming Dynasty were just figureheads.

The reason is that the emperor's orders are simply inseparable from the palace.

All those who can go out have gone through layers of screening.

"By the way, Yang Chen, you've been here for such a long time, but I haven't asked you yet. You told me about the imperial salary before. I wonder if I can tell you in more detail?"

Zhu Biao's serious attitude made Yang Chen start to take it seriously as well.

"I'm talking about the imperial salary, how do you want me to go into more depth?"

Zhu Biao did not answer, so Yang Chen smiled calmly:
"Since you won't tell me, then let's do it my way.

Regarding the issue of court salaries, why do you think your father set such low salaries for most officials?

But the brothers who had fought with him in the war now had salaries that ordinary officials could not even dream of?"

Facing Yang Chen's question, Zhu Biao's face was filled with deep thought.

Why do the founding ministers generally have high salaries, but the rest of the ministers have to live a very tight life?

That’s all for tonight. There will be more tomorrow. I hope to get continued support from readers!

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(End of this chapter)