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

Chapter 79 Preparation of Three Acids and Two Bases (Subscription Request)
Facts have proved that Empress Ma's prestige in the Ming Dynasty was more effective than Zhu Yuanzhang's.

If Zhu Yuanzhang was the only one who made the decision on this matter, Mu Ying would definitely feel unhappy.

Although his temperament would not be so obvious, he would still express his opinions to Zhu Yuanzhang.

But Queen Ma was originally involved in the marriage contract.

It was precisely because of her existence that Mu Ying could only swallow his dissatisfaction and didn't know who to blame.

After much thought, I can only blame Yang Chen. It is because of his appearance that my daughter will marry a man with no identity or background in the future.

Now, Mu Ying is a meritorious military general who has been granted the title of nobility and appointed as prime minister, not an ordinary citizen who cannot read a single word.

Given his daughter's status, she would definitely be worthy of marrying a prince.

However, now, the prince did not have one, but there was a 'young man' whom he had never seen before.

"Father, isn't this happening too suddenly? Why is Mother thinking of letting my eldest brother's daughter marry Yang Chen?"

When Zhu Biao learned about this for the first time, he asked in surprise and horror.

Not only him, Mu Ying himself also wanted to know the reason.

Just after a trip to the palace, my father recommended a strange man to me.

He said that the other person would definitely be a high-ranking official in the future and would definitely be his brother's right-hand man. In short, he said all the good things about the other person.

It was later discovered that this so-called extraordinary man did not even hold an official position. How could Mu Ying accept this?

"Your mother said that Yang Chen came to our place without anyone to rely on, and she wanted to find someone close to take care of him in the future.

Then your mother thought of your eldest brother's daughter, who was of the right age. I thought so too, so we arranged it for her.

Muer, what do you think? "

Now that this has been said, how could Mu Ying not know that his daughter has been sold?

But what can he do? Born in a powerful family, how many people can take charge of their own happy life?

But at this point, Mu Ying no longer felt as resistant as before.

Zhu Biao has just said that three consecutive policies specifically designed to curb the emergence of corrupt officials came from the other party.

This move shows that Yang Chen is very capable.

He can find solutions to many problems that no one else can think of.

If he becomes an official in the court, he will surely rise to great heights in the future.

Just as his father said just now, when Zhu Biao becomes emperor in the future, Yang Chen will be the emperor's right-hand man and the most powerful minister in the country!
"In reply to your Majesty's words, I think you are right, but who exactly is this Yang Chen? Can I meet him?"

Seeing is believing. If I could meet such a smart and capable person, I could go back and persuade the one at home.

Otherwise I won’t be able to speak up when the time comes.

After Mu Ying answered Zhu Yuanzhang's words, he immediately expressed his desire to meet Yang Chen.

Now it seems that he has been cheated.

Since there is no way back, let's just keep going down in the dark.

Seeing Mu Ying's mournful look, Zhu Yuanzhang felt a little sorry for his son.

But it was only for a short moment, he looked at Zhu Biao and gave him a look.

Realizing his father's signal, Zhu Biao immediately stood up, bowed and took his leave.

"Brother, Father, I will ask Yang Chen to come over right now."

After saying this, he left the study.

Mu Ying was also ready to take a look at this 'son-in-law' whom he had never met.

East Palace, Yang Chen had just gotten up at this moment.

As usual, he washed his face first, then started eating, and only rinsed his mouth after finishing.

But today he didn't lie down to rest and bask in the sun like he did in the past.

Instead, start working on your own plan on a piece of rice paper.

“Three acids and two alkalis, this thing must be made slowly, I won’t do dangerous work myself.

When I have the power in the future, I will let others do it."

Nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate, these five things are known as the basic raw materials in the chemical world.

Just like the three primary colors, it is the basic raw material necessary for many things.

At present, the only thing Yang Chen can handle easily and without any risk is sodium hydroxide.

This thing can be made with wood ash water and lime or quicklime.

It is necessary to boil it continuously to evaporate the excess impurities, and the remaining concentrated substances will not achieve the best effect.

But this was the Ming Dynasty, and for any matter, the first thing to do was to decide whether it existed or not, and then whether it was good or not.

"I can produce glycerin through saponification, adding animal and vegetable oils to lime water, stirring and heating continuously.

After the solid is precipitated, the filtered liquid is glycerin with a higher water content.

Finally, by combining it with nitric acid, nitroglycerin is created, a great invention that can instantly double the power of explosives.

Tsk tsk tsk, I really wonder if this thing will cost a few lives in the future?"

Yang Chen stroked his chin and looked at the masterpiece on the rice paper.

I admire my own intelligence and talent more and more, just like the saying goes?

Extremely smart and arrogant!
Taking back these messy thoughts, Yang Chen began to immerse himself in his own creative world again.

He was afraid that he would suddenly forget this knowledge one day.

With four beautiful ladies around him all day, he dare not relax.

After a while, just as he was thinking about where in the current territory of the Ming Dynasty there was alkaline land, a familiar voice suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Yang Chen! Hurry up and pack your things. I'll take you to see someone later."

Hearing someone calling his name, Yang Chen raised his head instantly from his bent body.

Just then, I saw Zhu Biao hurriedly crossing the threshold and walking to the door.

Looking at the other person's rapid breathing, I could tell at a glance that he was walking towards me at a pretty fast pace.

You could even say it's jogging.

Yang Chen hesitated for a moment and asked the other party why he came.

"Prince, what's wrong with you? You look anxious. Come on, have a cup of tea and take a breath. As the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, you are so impatient. Aren't you worried that your father will blame you?"

During the conversation, Yang Chen mentioned the fine teapots made in the official kiln.

Such exquisite porcelain is worth a lot of money even among ordinary people.

Zhu Biao took the teacup handed to him by Yang Chen, drank it all in one gulp, and leaned against the door to finally catch his breath.

After coming back to his senses, he wanted to answer Yang Chen's question subconsciously.

Said he would take him to meet the other party's future father-in-law.

But Zhu Biao was a little troubled about how to say this.

In the end I decided not to say anything and just bring the other person over.

"Well, you just need to follow me. Let's make it clear that when you go to my father's place later, you must be polite.

Don’t be like usual.”

"I'm usually quite polite. When I was a kid, I could get thumbs-up forehead stickers every week."

Yang Chen felt quite dissatisfied with Zhu Biao's reminder. What does it mean to be a little polite?

After all, I grew up through nine years of compulsory education.

He is excellent in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor aspects. When it comes to courtesy and reason, no one in the world is more reasonable than him.

"Look, you've started saying things I haven't heard before. Just stop doing that later."

Zhu Biao was quite troubled by Yang Chen's reaction, but he didn't know what to say to him.

So I had to lean sideways to remind him.

"Eh? What the hell is that? There are words and messy symbols. I can't understand it."

During the conversation, Zhu Biao approached Yang Chen, thinking about taking him away.

With a quick glance, I noticed the contents of the rice paper on the table.

There are words written by Yang Chen on it. These words are simplified Chinese characters and are very similar to the current popular fonts.

As the crown prince, Zhu Biao's attainments in calligraphy were not as good as those of the great calligraphers, but they were much better than those of ordinary people.

Many characters in simplified Chinese are directly extracted from many ancient fonts.

Therefore, Zhu Biao could naturally understand some of it.

His attention was attracted by the content above, and Zhu Biao forgot his mission for a moment.

He bent down to take a look, but found that he still couldn't understand it, so he had to teach Yang Chen.

"Brother Yang, what are you writing and drawing?"

Looking at the paper Zhu Biao pointed at, Yang Chen smiled mysteriously.

"This? This thing is quite powerful. Once it can be successfully produced, if you give me a hundred people, I can deal with thousands of troops without any losses.

It can even turn the warriors on horseback from grasslands into good farmers who sing and dance. "

I thought I would get a serious answer, but it turned out to be just another joke to me.

Zhu Biao felt that it was too fake to say that one hundred people could deal with thousands of troops.

Furthermore, although the people on the grassland live a life of eating raw meat and blood and have no culture, their strength is beyond doubt.

One Iron Pagoda can break through a square formation, and it is not impossible for it to move in and out freely without getting hurt.

Therefore, in Zhu Biao's opinion, Yang Chen deliberately deceived him.

Putting down the rice paper in his hand, Zhu Biao patted Yang Chen on the shoulder and said:

"Okay, let's go when you're ready. I'll wait for you outside. Remember to change your clothes. You're covered in ink."

After taking a look at himself, Yang Chen felt a little embarrassed.

There are only brushes in this world, and no water-based pens, so he has never practiced calligraphy.

Naturally I'm not used to holding this thing.

This resulted in some ink accidentally splashing onto my body during the writing process just now.

While Zhu Biao was walking out, Yang Chen returned to his room and changed his clothes.

The two gathered at the door and, led by Zhu Biao, soon arrived at the study.

When I opened the door, I could faintly hear the sounds of conversation from inside.

Yang Chen was very familiar with Zhu Yuanzhang's rough voice, he recognized it the moment he heard it.

The other one looked very unfamiliar, but he was very confident, and seemed to be a young man.

"Father, brother, I have brought Yang Chen here."

"Okay, okay, Biao'er, you've worked hard, sit down and have a good rest."

After entering a few meters away from the two people, Zhu Biao reported to them first, and then found a place to sit down.

Mu Ying, who was originally chatting, saw Zhu Biao bringing someone here, and his eyes began to linger on Yang Chen.

Yang Chen was also looking at him, but he didn't look at him for too long, and then he raised his hand to signal Zhu Yuanzhang. "Yang Chen greets your majesty. I don't know who this person is. I don't know him."

When meeting Zhu Yuanzhang again, Yang Chen was as polite as ever, and so was Zhu Yuanzhang.

The displeasure in his eyes gradually grew.

But thinking that he had already arranged a marriage for the other party, and that the woman had a bad temper, he knew that she would definitely be "treated well" by Mu Lingxi in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuanzhang gradually felt balanced.

As Yang Chen spoke, Mu Ying also had a rough idea of ​​what Yang Chen was thinking.

"This boy is extraordinary. He can be so calm and indifferent in front of me and my father. Does he think this is just a casual chat?"

Having been with Zhu Yuanzhang for so many years, Mu Ying knew his father's temper very well.

How many colleagues have been punished because they did not see their position clearly and became too proud of themselves.

Those who are lucky enough to wake up in time will only lose a few dukes, but if they are unlucky, they will lose their lives!

However, the young man in front of him did not show any timidity towards his father.

It seemed that the person sitting in front of him was not the emperor, but an ordinary old man.

What’s more important is that this guy doesn’t even know him!

Mu Ying believed that although he was not as famous as his predecessors such as Xu Da, he was still a young military general who had made many contributions since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Among military generals, one cannot consider himself old unless he is over 45 years old.

He is only in his thirties now, so he is young and can bear it.

"Alright kid, we haven't seen each other for just a few days, and you're already so rude. This is your senior, Marquis Xiping, do you know him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's indifferent eyes moved slightly, and then he spoke in a deep voice.

"Marquis of Xiping?" Yang Chen didn't react for a moment, but he soon knew who it was.

“I remember now, it turned out to be the famous King Mu!

I have heard that your tactics are very advanced, and you can suppress the enemy with your own strength."

Yang Chen had heard people praising Mu Ying many times before.

It was not just because he was Zhu Biao's elder brother. Among all Zhu Yuanzhang's biological sons, after Zhu Di came to power, he not only did not take any action against Mu Ying's descendants.

He was also promoted and given titles, allowing the people of Prince Mu's Palace to guard Yunnan for hundreds of years.

What is even more admirable is that the Mu family in Yunnan have not forgotten such a great favor even after hundreds of years.

The Qing Dynasty unified the Central Plains, but found it difficult to take over Yunnan.

The Mu family led the Yunnan ethnic minorities in launching uprisings repeatedly, and came into conflict with the Qing government many times.

Although it affected the unity of the country in the overall situation, they carried out their ancestral teachings to the end.

Mu Ying himself was even more of a legend. When he went to Yunnan and fought a war with the local Dian Kingdom, he encountered the enemy's beast elephant soldiers.

Bows, crossbows and other weapons could not penetrate the armored elephant soldiers.

So he developed the "three-row fire gun tactics", which was many years earlier than the Western powers.

With this tactic, King Frederick II of Prussia unified Europe and became the dominant ruler of Europe.

Afterwards, he heard that someone in the Eastern country had developed this tactic before him, but this guy refused to admit it.

He considered himself a pioneer.

This is the god who is in charge of the firearms forces of the Ming Dynasty. Yang Chen naturally admires such a person very much.

Facing Yang Chen's praise, Mu Ying was a little surprised, and quickly responded with a humble bow:
"Haha, you are too kind, my friend. Those are just outsiders exaggerating the facts to give face to Mu. You must not believe them."

Half an hour ago, Mu Ying was quite unhappy that his daughter was assigned to an unknown person.

However, after just a few words of communication, his attitude towards Yang Chen changed instantly.

With such bearing and determination, one can succeed wherever he is placed.

More importantly, he did not find the other party's speech as unpleasant as Zhu Yuanzhang's.

If he wasn't worried about losing face for his father, he would have wanted to defend Yang Chen and said, "Father, look, isn't this a nice thing to say?"

The thought in his mind was suppressed by him as soon as it appeared.

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice sounded at this moment.

"Humph! You bastard, why haven't I seen you talk to me like this before?"

Hearing this, Yang Chen shrugged and spread his hands, saying:
"Your Majesty, what are you talking about? I have praised your achievements before. Your achievements will be passed down through the ages and no one can erase them."

"Tsk, you've said a lot of bad things about me."

Zhu Yuanzhang was already familiar with Yang Chen's politeness, which was completely false.

There is no need to be polite to him. The anger you have inflicted on him can never be made up for no matter what you do.

Not to mention that bad mouth. Whoever he mentions will get into trouble.

"We heard that you proposed something like 'full attendance seal', 'performance appraisal' and 'last-place elimination system' to the prince, right?"

As Zhu Yuanzhang mentioned this matter, Yang Chen looked at Zhu Biao, who nodded to him, indicating that he had told him everything.

In this case, Yang Chen nodded in agreement.

"I didn't expect the prince to tell His Majesty so soon. Well, this is indeed my suggestion. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"

Zhu Yuanzhang did not answer him, but looked at Mu Ying.

"Mu'er, what do you think of this method?"

Mu Ying, dressed in the robes of a civil servant, looked at Yang Chen with great interest.

"Boy, I didn't expect that you, at such a young age, could control people's hearts so skillfully, to the point of even playing with them at will.

I want to know how you came up with this method of managing the salaries of officials, and how you dare to guarantee it.

The number of corrupt officials will decrease under this method. What if all the officials unite and resist together? "

Yang Chen laughed when he heard Mu Ying's last words.

Yes, he laughed, he laughed contemptuously:
"In reply to the general, yes, you have indeed discovered the blind spot. As long as there are officials in the Ming Dynasty who are dissatisfied with such a system.

If they unite and resist together, they can break the deadlock.

However, they are all human beings, and the dead are afraid of death, and those who are not afraid of death are called saints."

"Hey, hey, hey! Enough, enough, just say what you want to say. Why are you bragging like a Wang Po? You are so shameless all day long, and you are calling yourself a saint. You are so thick-skinned, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

When Yang Chen was speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him directly. He hated it most when others acted smug in front of him.

Anyway, he has an attitude towards Yang Chen, that is, he can’t let the other party be too awesome.

At least the halo is not allowed to exceed oneself.

He is the emperor. If Yang Chen is more powerful than him, then he would be emperor in vain.

Yang Chen didn't pay much attention to this rebuttal, but continued:

"A collective strike by all officials would naturally be able to break the impasse, but they are all afraid of death. Even if they are not afraid of death, there will be a small number of people who will work desperately for fame and fortune.

A department that is united today may become a traitor tomorrow. This is human nature!"

Why is Yang Chen so sure that this method will work?

Because this method will be formulated and implemented not only in later generations, but also in any company.

All those who are forced to work overtime know that a collective strike will allow them to return to their normal working hours.

But most companies will pay for overtime. Faced with such a situation, those who work 996 or 007 can only swallow their tears.

The reason is because there are scabs here!

What is a scab?

They are the people who are willing to do what you are unwilling to do, and who are not short of money while you are not.

These people may be doing it for their own benefit, such as buying a house or a car, or they may be doing it for their family, such as their children’s cram schools or sick elderly people at home.

In short, they are willing to accept exploitative rules as long as they can make more money.

This causes everyone to roll up.

This was the case in the Ming Dynasty. People who lived a good life and officials with rich families were used to being in a mess on a daily basis, and suddenly they saw that the people under them just had to work hard.

If there is a chance to replace him, do you think he will be anxious?
But there's no point in being anxious.

You can do something nasty to one person, but you can't do the same to others, right?

If this happens too often, do you think the emperor will keep an eye on you?

Once the Jinyiwei took action and found out the truth, it would not take two or three years for the person to be beheaded.

In the end, the people under you still have the opportunity to climb up.

What's more, in an officialdom like the Ming Dynasty, everyone is fighting for power, but you are the only one playing tricks.

By the time your ambition fails, it will probably have been replaced by someone else.

Yang Chen's words made everyone present feel his confidence.

Only those who are extremely sure from the inside out dare to speak like this.

"Also, I think, given the current situation of the court and your majesty's authority.

General, who do you think would dare to unite with the officials and colleagues to resist Your Majesty's orders?

They probably dared to do this because they wanted to report to the underworld in advance."

Yang Chen continued speaking. Just now he answered the question from Mu Ying's perspective, but now he was looking at it from an impartial perspective.

Everyone nodded in agreement and remained silent.

Nonsense, in the entire Ming Dynasty court, who dared to disobey Zhu Yuanzhang?

Not to mention how beneficial this matter is to the people and the court.

Some people may be passive and lazy at the beginning, but as the policy is implemented.

Those who can't keep up will be eliminated.

If it really doesn't work, then kill a group of people first. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang has done similar things before.

In comparison, he actually killed fewer people this way.

"I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful at such a young age. It seems I still underestimated you."

"Look at what the general said. You are praising me too much. I am just average."

At this moment, Mu Ying's impression of Yang Chen has completely changed.

The more I disliked it before, the more satisfied I am now.

It doesn't matter if you have no identity or a position.

Relying on the other party's courage and insight, he believed that as long as Zhu Biao ascended the throne in the future, Yang Chen would definitely be able to take the position of prime minister.

In his opinion, the Prime Minister would always be popular, so it was not surprising that he had such thoughts.

"Okay, Father, I have learned everything I should know and asked everything I should ask. I will tell my daughter the news when I get back.

I will bring her to the palace on a chosen day, what do you think?"

Mu Ying stood up and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang to say goodbye.

"Well, you can go back first."

(End of this chapter)