The Young Dragon of the Ming Dynasty: Bound to an Industrial Blueprint from the Start

Lin Xiuniang thanked her profusely and left with her son in her arms.

Sun San stared at the can of liquor, lost in thought. He sat down again, staring at the distillation apparatus, his mind replaying the scene from just moments before.

"Perhaps this wine has another use."

He decided to try again tomorrow.

At the same time, the lights in the Crown Prince's study were still on.

Zhu Gaochi sat behind his desk, several reports laid out before him, his brow furrowed. Yang Pu and Gu Xingzu sat below him, their expressions grave.

"A report from Wang Gui, the garrison commander of Xuanfu," Zhu Gaochi rubbed his temples, "stated that over a thousand soldiers suffered frostbite last winter, and several hundred more were unable to train this spring due to recurring old injuries. He requested the allocation of additional winter clothing and medicine, requiring at least fifty thousand taels of silver."

Yang Pu smiled wryly: "Your Highness, Li Qing of the Ministry of Revenue just said yesterday that the special funds for the Northern Tour have already exceeded the budget by 30,000 taels. If we allocate more of this money..."

"I know," Zhu Gaochi interrupted him, "but we cannot ignore the suffering of the border soldiers. Wang Gui reported that some soldiers have suffered severe frostbite, with their toes necrosis, and they have to be amputated. If the situation is still like this when we tour the north..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

If Zhu Di were to personally lead the expedition and see the border troops in such a miserable state, the first person he would likely hold accountable would be the crown prince, who was left to oversee the country.

Gu Xingzu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your Highness, I have an idea, but I don't know if I should say it."

"explain."

"Warmth-keeping items don't necessarily have to be bought with money," Gu Xingzu said. "There are some folk remedies in the north, such as strong liquor, which can warm the body after drinking. If we could purchase a large quantity of strong liquor and distribute it to the border soldiers, it might solve the immediate problem, but I'm afraid it would be difficult to find."

Zhu Gaochi's eyes lit up: "That's a good idea. High-proof liquor is indeed available in the north. Scholar Yang, go and ask about the market price and see if you can purchase a batch from the people."

Yang Pu looked troubled: "Your Highness, while ordinary spirits are cheap, their alcohol content is low, and their effect on keeping warm is limited. Real high-proof spirits are quite expensive, and besides..."

He added, "If the censors find out about the large-scale purchase of alcohol to reward the troops, there will likely be an impeachment for 'drunken misconduct'."

Silence fell over the study for a moment.

Zhu Gaochi sighed deeply, "This won't work, that won't work, are we just going to stand by and watch our soldiers freeze?" He got up and walked to the window, looking at the deep night outside, his back slightly hunched.

"My father entrusted the north to me. If I can't even provide for the soldiers, how can I have the face to sit in this position?"

Yang Pu and Gu Xingzu exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, at Mingyue Tower, Qian Lai never expected that trouble would arise the day after the invitations were sent out.

The first person to come to the door was a middle-aged man wearing a silk robe and with a small mustache. He claimed to be surnamed Zhao and was the steward of Chen Yu, the owner of "Longchang Timber Shop".

"Manager Qian, it's an honor to meet you," Butler Zhao said with a cupped-fist salute, his eyes constantly glancing towards Mingyue Tower. "I heard you're hosting some kind of 'tasting event'? Our master loves drinks, may I ask for an invitation?"

Qian Lai wore a professional smile: "Butler Zhao, you're too kind. It's just that the number of people for this tasting event is already set, so it's really inconvenient to increase it. Another day, I will definitely make a special trip to invite Boss Chen to grace us with his presence another day."

Steward Zhao's smile faded slightly: "Manager Qian, let's be frank. Our boss is an old friend of Li Qing, the head of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Revenue, and also familiar with Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of Works. Your Mingyue Pavilion has just opened; having more friends means having more opportunities, don't you think?"

The threatening meaning in those words was quite obvious.

Qian Lai sneered inwardly, but remained humble on the surface: "Of course, of course, but it's already decided this time. Next time, next time for sure."

Butler Zhao stared at him suspiciously for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "Fine, it's fine if you don't acknowledge it. Once you open, I'll come and try it myself."

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned and left.

After seeing off Steward Zhao, he immediately wrote a secret report and had his trusted servant deliver it to Guo Sheng that very night.

Things seem to be getting complicated.

The next morning, as soon as Sun San got up, he heard a commotion outside.

He stepped out of the work shed and saw Lin Xiuniang holding Hu Zi's hand, talking to several villagers. Hu Zi's right hand was wrapped in a clean cloth, but he was in good spirits, his little face rosy.

"Master Sun!" Lin Xiuniang saw him and quickly pulled her son over. "Please take a look at Tiger's hands!"

Sun San untied the strip of cloth and was stunned.

The wound, which was a bloody mess yesterday, has now formed a thin scab, and the surrounding redness and swelling have subsided considerably.

Injury itself is not scary; what is scary is that the wound becomes infected and worsens. Even small wounds can eventually lead to amputation and other consequences.

Although it's far from fully healed, the speed of recovery is astonishing.

"Does it still hurt?" Sun San asked Hu Zi.

Tiger shook his head: "It doesn't hurt anymore, it's just a little itchy."

Sun San re-bandaged the wound.

"Master Sun," came an old voice.

Sun San turned around and saw Wu Langzhong, the barefoot doctor from the village, walking over with a cane.

Wu Langzhong was over sixty years old and his medical skills were mediocre, but he was well-liked in the village.

"Dr. Wu, you're back?" Sun San greeted him.

Doctor Wu nodded, but his eyes were fixed on Hu Zi's hand: "I heard you used some kind of 'miracle medicine' to treat Hu Zi's injury? Can I take a look?"

Sun San hesitated for a moment, but still took Doctor Wu back to the cave and took out the jar of wine.

Doctor Wu opened the jar, smelled it, and frowned: "This is... wine? Why is it so strong?"

"It's the first distillation of spirits," Sun San explained. "It's not drinkable, but I used it to wipe Hu Zi's wound yesterday because it was dirty."

Doctor Wu dipped a little on his finger, smelled it carefully, and then brought it close to his eyes to look at it.

After a moment, he raised his head, a strange light flashing in his eyes: "Master Sun, could you give me a few more of these? I'd like to try them out."

"Try what?"

"Let's see if it can heal other injuries." Doctor Wu lowered his voice, a hint of reminiscence flashing in his eyes:

"When I was young, I served as a medic in the Liaodong army. I've seen countless frostbite and festering wounds. If this 'first brew' truly has disinfecting and anti-ulcerating effects, it could be a life-saving treasure!"

Sun San's heart stirred.

He recalled the small note the young prince had written at the end of the drawing: "Although the wine at the beginning and end is not drinkable, it can still be used to its fullest potential, and perhaps something can be gained."

It turns out that His Highness had already thought of this.

"Okay," Sun San nodded. "You can take this jar first. I still need to continue distilling, so I'll keep the first distillate."

Doctor Wu was overjoyed and took the jar with him.

Looking at his retreating figure and then at the distillation apparatus, Sun San suddenly felt as if he had just opened a new door.

This "Drunken Immortal Brew" may offer far more than just a fine wine.

Early morning, under the eaves outside the study of the Crown Prince's residence.

Zhu Zhanji held the Analects, his fingers unconsciously tapping the pages as he read absentmindedly: "The Master said: 'To learn and at due times to practice what one has learned, is that not also a pleasure...'"

His gaze kept drifting toward the closed door of the study.

Inside, the father was discussing matters with Yang Pu, Chen Gui, and Li Qing, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue.

The voices weren't loud, but you could still hear snippets of conversation through the crack in the door.