My hotel is full of emperors throughout history.

The Ming Dynasty, Yingtian, Fengtian Hall.

Morning light streamed through the tall palace gates, casting long shadows on the smooth, golden brick floor.

The dragon throne was suspended in mid-air. Crown Prince Zhu Biao stood in the regent's seat below the imperial steps, dressed in a red crown prince's robe. His face was calm, but his hands in his wide sleeves were slightly clenched.

The officials in the hall stood solemnly.

One matter has just been discussed.

Zhu Biao looked at one person.

The man nodded and stepped forward.

He was dressed in a dark blue official robe with a jade belt around his waist. Upon hearing the voice, he walked out from the ranks of civil officials at a leisurely pace.

Upon reaching the foot of the imperial steps, he stood firmly, first bowing to Zhu Biao, then turning to face the assembled civil and military officials, and proclaimed in a loud voice.

"Your subject, Li Xiyan, Grand Secretary of the Left Spring Palace, has a matter to report to Your Highness the Regent, and I also request the consideration of my colleagues."

The hall was completely silent, and all the officials' eyes were fixed on him.

Li Xiyan took a deep breath and spoke loudly.

"Your Majesty, I believe that if the Great Ming Dynasty wishes to consolidate its foundation, expand its territory, and bring peace to its people, it should promote the skills of all crafts to supplement the deficiencies in agriculture and sericulture, and strengthen the foundation of its military. Therefore, I earnestly request Your Majesty to order the establishment of the Great Ming Academy of Sciences, which will be dedicated to recruiting skilled craftsmen from all over the country, researching methods for innovating tools and improving various skills in agriculture, sericulture, water conservancy, and military equipment."

These words immediately caused a subtle commotion in the hall.

Li Xiyan acted as if she hadn't heard and continued to speak loudly.

"Furthermore, Your Highness, please issue an imperial decree to elevate the rank of artisans—those with exceptional skills who can benefit the country may be granted official positions and ranked alongside the gentry. Their families may also be exempted from corvée labor, and their children may be allowed to attend official schools."

"Only in this way can we inspire artisans across the land to dedicate themselves to research, and only then can the skills of the Ming Dynasty surpass those of all other nations!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

But it quickly turned out like cold water being poured into boiling oil.

"Your Highness! This proposal is absolutely unacceptable!"

The first to launch an attack was a white-haired Hanlin scholar named Zhou, a renowned Neo-Confucian scholar with students and associates throughout the court and the countryside. He stepped forward, trembling, but his voice was loud and sharp:

"The foundation of our Great Ming Dynasty lies in the teachings of sages and the stability of agriculture and sericulture."

"The skills of craftsmen are nothing more than strange tricks and frivolous crafts; how can they be worthy of being presented in the refined court? The Book of Rites states: 'Those who make lewd sounds, wear strange clothes, perform strange skills, or use strange tools to mislead the masses shall be killed!'"

"This is the wise teaching of the sages! Establishing this 'Academy of Sciences' is surely encouraging people to abandon the essentials and pursue trivialities, neglecting farming and reading, and focusing solely on mechanical skills?"

"If this continues, the people's hearts will be scattered, and the country will cease to exist! Moreover, artisans are hereditary craftsmen, and there are established rules and regulations. If they are promoted too many times, it will surely disrupt the social order!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Next was a vice minister from the Ministry of Revenue.

"Your Highness, the northern border is not yet at peace, and there are frequent disturbances in the southwest. Although the national treasury is full, there are many places where money is needed."

"If this institute were established, how would it sustain itself with the cost of buildings, materials, wages for craftsmen, and daily expenses? Moreover, the word 'research' is vague and abstract. If a huge sum of money were invested, and no results were seen after several years, wouldn't that be a waste of the people's hard-earned money?"

"I fear that if this precedent is set, future generations will follow suit, and our finances will dwindle day by day!"

A senior military commander from the Five Armies Commandery also stepped forward with a stern face.

"Your Highness, it is certainly appropriate for craftsmen to improve military equipment. However, establishing an independent institute and promoting them excessively may lead to arrogance. Moreover, true victory on the battlefield depends on the courage of soldiers and the strategy of commanders, not mere cleverness. If resources are excessively allocated to this, it may discourage the soldiers on the border!"

Even worse, while their words may be polite, their wit and sharpness are even more pronounced.

"Your Highness, as regent, you should strictly adhere to the established laws and regulations of our ancestors, following the established practices of Xiao He and Cao Shen."

"Your Majesty has decreed that artisans should have their own registers and officials should have their own career paths, clearly distinguishing between the two. This is the way to ensure lasting peace and stability."

"Your Highness has established this new office and is recruiting many craftsmen. I wonder... where you intend to place the existing government departments? And who you intend to appoint to head this 'Academy of Sciences'?"

The voices of agreement rose and fell throughout the hall.

Apart from a few officials who had close ties with the Ministry of Works or were more open-minded and remained silent, the opposition was almost unanimous.

The reasons given were varied, ranging from "violating ancestral rules" and "shaking the foundation of the nation" to "wasting national funds" and "confusing the social classes," and even citing classical texts to link ingenious objects with "signs of national ruin."

Li Xiyan blushed and tried his best to refute, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the endless discourse on "moral principles," "ancestral rules," and "people's livelihood."

Zhu Biao listened quietly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

His gaze swept over the faces that were either excited, worried, indifferent, or slightly mocking.

He knew that raising this issue would cause a stir in the court, but he never expected that almost the entire court would oppose it.

From the time he proposed it to Lao Zhu, almost all the regulations and rules have been established.

He originally intended to take advantage of this opportunity to oversee the country and push forward with it.

But the response was unexpectedly huge.

Zhu Biao's gaze swept across the area below.

Li Xiyan was still arguing his case, veins bulging on his forehead, his voice already hoarse.

"You all only know the ancestral rules, but do you know that the ancestral rules can also be modified? If there were no craftsmen to carve the city bricks, how could the city walls of Yingtian be so magnificent? If there were no craftsmen to forge weapons, how could the Ming Dynasty be so stable?"

But his words were quickly drowned out by even louder rebuttals.

Scholar Zhou stroked his gray beard and let out a cold laugh.

"Lord Li, you are mistaken! Building city walls and weapons is merely the work of craftsmen. How can they be promoted to the same rank as scholar-officials because of this? Only by maintaining order among the noble and the lowly can the world be at peace!"

"If that's the case..."

Li Xiyan opened her mouth, but her momentum had already been suppressed by the crowd.

So, Zhu Biao slowly raised his hand.

The hall fell silent instantly.

All eyes were focused on the Crown Prince, who was usually kind and gentle, but now displayed a different kind of demeanor.

Zhu Biao said calmly.

"What you all say is for the sake of the country, and I am very pleased. I also know that ancestral rules should not be lightly abolished, national funds should not be wasted, and the people's hearts should not be disturbed."

He paused briefly, his gaze becoming profound, as if piercing through the palace walls to see into the distance.

"However, I have a question that I would like to ask you all to consider together."

"If one day—perhaps decades later, perhaps a hundred years from now—the northern border of my Great Ming will no longer face swift cavalry that come and go like the wind, but steel behemoths that can travel a thousand miles a day."

"The threat to the seas of our Great Ming Dynasty no longer comes from small Japanese pirate boats, but from giant ships carrying 'thunderous fire' capable of splitting mountains and destroying cities."

"Foreign merchant ships carry not only silk and porcelain, but also exquisite artifacts that our Ming Dynasty artisans have struggled to create, which they dump in our country, plundering our wealth..."

He continued, noticing the indifference and even absurdity on the faces of some officials.

"I know that you may think this is nonsense. But I believe that the investigation of things we are discussing today is not about indulging in frivolous pursuits and losing one's ambition, but rather about glimpsing a glimmer of hope for the future and planting a 'seed' for our descendants of the Great Ming to cope with drastic changes."

"The expenses of this institution are but a drop in the ocean compared to the military expenditures of the nine border regions and the maintenance of the Grand Canal. Even if... even if only one out of ten is used, it may be the key to protecting the borders and ensuring the safety of the people, and benefiting the country and its people in the future."

The ministers remained silent.

They all knew, of course, that raising the status of craftsmen slightly was not a big deal.

The problem is, today you can elevate the status of artisans to the same level as that of the gentry.

Then we can bring up the rest tomorrow as well.

This was just a test.

If they react indifferently, I expect they will take further action soon.

Today I'm only on par with the gentry, but in the future I might be on par with high-ranking officials in the imperial court.

A mere lowly craftsman?

How can I compare to those scholars who read the classics?

But Zhu Biao's mind was clearly made up.

"This matter concerns the long-term fate of the nation and cannot be weighed by the advantages and disadvantages of a single time or place. I am deeply aware of your opposition. However, this matter cannot be ignored simply because of your opposition."

"By order, the Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Governor's Office shall each send special commissioners to form an investigation and deliberation committee to review and discuss the matters discussed in today's court meeting and the terms submitted by Li Xiyan. Within ten days, they shall not discuss whether the matters should be implemented or not, but only discuss how to minimize disruption to the people, minimize financial losses, and maximize benefits if they must be implemented."

"List out in detail the potential benefits, drawbacks, costs, and procedures of this strange and ingenious skill, and submit it to me."

"Dismiss the court."

Before the officials could react, Zhu Biao had already turned and left through the side hall, leaving the officials in a daze.

By the time he realized what was happening, Zhu Biao had already left. In the end, he could only glance at Li Xiyan, snort coldly, and then leave.