Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 99 Miraculous Electricity? Unprecedented in History

Specialty products are a significant part of Xunzhou's income. Xunzhou's finances underwent a dramatic transformation after the arrival of Prince Qi.

Unlike his predecessor, who focused solely on levying exorbitant taxes, Prince Qi advocated that a prosperous people meant a strong nation. He believed that when the people were wealthy, they would naturally pay more taxes, while the poor would pay less, thus achieving a balance.

[Having seen Chef Xu Dadao's training, let's take a look at his daily life.]

After finishing his training, Xu Dadao would first go to the restaurant owned by his apprentice, Shi Tou, to sample his apprentice's culinary skills.

A three-story building came into Zhu Di's view.

It's not just three stories, it's a brick and tile structure, and lanterns are lit on the exterior walls, making it brightly lit from a distance.

Isn't this a waste?!

But it's three floors! It's three floors!

It's impossible to say that Zhu Di wasn't envious.

The pavilion was brightly lit, with a plaque reading "Peach Blossom Pavilion" hanging at the entrance, and countless lights illuminating the area.

"Why are these lamps not lit?" Zhu Di sensed something was wrong.

There was no smoke either.

What was being burned?

What you see is the famous Peach Blossom Pavilion in Xunzhou, a time-honored brand that has been passed down to this day. The plaque for this Peach Blossom Pavilion was even handwritten by Zhongzu himself.

Peach Blossom Pavilion was also the first commercial establishment in Xunzhou to use electric lighting.

In those days, Xunzhou was plagued by scarcity; even candles were a luxury. At one point, Prince Qi considered using his own funds to purchase candles from his private treasury, but abandoned the idea due to the excessive consumption. To ensure everyone could see light at night, he invented the electric light.

Electric light?

Prince Qi stated that the electric light was not his original invention, but rather a foreign invention, which he merely borrowed. However, we do know that Prince Qi was the one who lit the lamps in the Ming Dynasty.

This electricity is invisible and intangible; it's all transmitted through wires, just a thin thread.

This wire is essential for turning on the lights. With electricity, Xunzhou is a completely different place.

Of course, given the geographical limitations and limited resources in Xunzhou at that time, His Majesty Prince Qi primarily relied on hydroelectric and steam power generation. Steam power came from the combustion of coal to produce steam.

Hydropower generation was something our Ming Dynasty ancestors actually used; waterwheels are a way of utilizing the kinetic energy of water. The energy of flowing water is converted into electrical energy, which can then be used. Of course, traditional waterwheels utilize the conversion of water energy into kinetic energy.

Zhu Di began to feel that he could not understand, but it was inconvenient to say it directly, so he could only frown and force himself to read on.

I know you guys don't like hearing this, so let's look at something more concrete.

The camera temporarily left the Xinghua Tower in the night and followed a thin wire called an electric wire all the way back to the mouth of Xunzhou Island.

This is one of the hydroelectric power generation stations. Taking advantage of Xunzhou's proximity to the sea, it has relatively rich hydrological conditions, with some areas having fast currents and others having large tidal differences. When Prince Qi first arrived in Xunzhou, he ordered laborers to build the Xunzhou Weir.

The Xunzhou Weir now has the ability to manage water flow, sparing the people from the repeated suffering of floods.

However, on the opposite side of Xunzhou Weir, due to terrain limitations, a dam could only be built instead of a weir.

Therefore, Prince Qi ordered laborers to move rocks from the mountains, mix them with a mixture of soil, sand, and lime made from seashells burned in Xunzhou, and then use the mixture to fill the sea and build dams.

A hydroelectric power plant was also installed on the dam.

The electricity generated here is transported all the way to Xunzhou City. This way, the people of Xunzhou City will have access to electricity!

The Peach Blossom Pavilion was three stories high, making it the tallest building at the time. To avoid being struck by lightning, Prince Qi even invented a lightning rod.

There was indeed a wire-like object on the roof of Peach Blossom Pavilion.

This is nothing new; our ancestors knew how to build the Golden Roof and even learned how to use lightning to cleanse the palace.

What attracted Zhu Di, on the contrary, were the diverse people walking around in the Peach Blossom Pavilion.

Some were clearly dressed as barbarians in black, while others were ordinary Han Chinese.

Even more foreigners and barbarians!

The fourth brother actually colluded with foreign powers. Could he be plotting to betray the country?

Ladies and gentlemen, you can see people of different ethnicities and countries in Peach Blossom Pavilion. Many foreigners, who were considered barbarians, vassals, foreigners, or foreigners at the time, came to Xunzhou to experience different customs and culture.

The Ming Dynasty was powerful; even its border region of Xunzhou possessed strength far exceeding that of other countries, and it had abundant steel and grain. This news spread throughout the world through these foreigners.

Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean did indeed demonstrate the Ming Dynasty's maritime capabilities and abundant resources.

Experiencing life in Xunzhou firsthand gave them the feeling that it was a paradise on earth.

From this point on, the barbarian states that invaded Xunzhou would have to consider whether they could escape unscathed, and whether Xunzhou could tolerate them sleeping soundly beside it.

Zhu Di was amazed that he could make foreign lands aware of his power without even leaving his home.

This fourth brother practically subdued the enemy without a fight.

Didn't he say he hadn't learned martial arts or understood military strategy? Yet he's thoroughly mastered the Thirty-Six Stratagems.

"Your Majesty, look, is that a woman?"

Zhu Di followed the dog's hand and looked over. In the scene, among the people coming and going, there were women dressed in uniform.

Another man was dressed similarly, wearing a blue cloth headscarf and smiling.

The man was one thing, but the woman was even more out in public, dressed in barbarian clothes, with a skirt so short that her calves were visible!
Even the women wearing trousers were dressed in form-fitting clothes, revealing the full curves of their bodies.

Men and women mingled, passing each other by. Regardless of gender, they carried trays to greet and see off customers, seemingly the shop assistants.

"What kind of behavior is this! Could it be that the fourth brother has some ulterior motive and has set up a brothel in Xunzhou?"

Zhu Di said this, but he already had some doubts in his heart.

In retrospect, every move the fourth brother made, seemingly casual, was actually part of a carefully planned strategy.

In chess or martial arts competitions, there's a saying that a novice can defeat a master with a flurry of punches. What may seem like a reckless move might actually be the most effective.

Xinghualou adopts a brand-new management system. Both men and women are welcome to work there, with equal pay for equal work and hourly wages. All employees will be provided with uniforms and will receive training tailored to their job duties.

Many of the young women you see here come from impoverished families and are trying to find work. They may have elderly relatives with multiple illnesses or several children to support.

[Initially, many people misunderstood whether Peach Blossom Pavilion was a brothel, but Prince Qi decreed that all brothels that overstepped the bounds were strictly prohibited within Xunzhou!]

Everyone here, regardless of gender, has a legitimate job and earns their wages through hard work!

(End of this chapter)