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

After Chuntao left, Zhu Zhanji lay down again, but still couldn't fall asleep.

The drawing of "distillation and purification" gradually faded from his mind, replaced by another drawing: a sketch of a four-wheeled carriage with a more reasonable structure, greater load capacity, and better suited to the muddy roads of the north.

Bearings, shock absorbers, and steering mechanisms—these concepts are not nonexistent in this era, but they are too primitive.

If we could combine this with Nishiyama ironwood to improve wood processing techniques...

"Take it one step at a time," he told himself.

"First make the wine, then the medicine, and only then the vehicles, the roads, the railways..."

The moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his youthful face.

Those eyes, however, were so deep that they didn't seem like those of a child.

He knew he was on a very dangerous path.

Having transmigrated into the body of Zhu Zhanji, he was destined to be more than just an ordinary imperial grandson.

The aftermath of the Jingnan Campaign, the myriad issues surrounding the relocation of the capital, the immense pressure of the northern tour, and the presence of his grandfather, Zhu Di, a man of great talent and ambition but also prone to suspicion.

He must quickly acquire the ability to protect himself, as well as the ability to change this era.

"The Drunken Immortal Brew is the first step," he muttered to himself. "The Cleansing Dew is the second step. Next..."

He closed his eyes and forced himself to fall asleep.

There's still a lot to do tomorrow.

On the same night, at the Prince of Han's residence.

Zhu Gaoxu was still awake. He sat in his study with a map of northern Xinjiang spread out in front of him, his finger moving back and forth over several key locations: Xuanfu, Datong, and Juyongguan.

Footsteps came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, Wang Bin has returned."

"Come in."

Wang Bin bowed and said, "Your Highness, the matter has been investigated."

"explain."

"The new owner of Mingyue Tower is ostensibly a manager named Qian Lai, but behind him is probably Guo Sheng, the owner of the 'Xishan Goods Store.' Guo Sheng is..."

Wang Bin added, "The background is very clean."

"The Xishan Goods Storehouse," Zhu Gaochi narrowed his eyes, "is it related to the Crown Prince's estate?"

"We haven't found direct evidence yet, but the Xishan Warehouse undertook the Tongzhou Warehouse project and did a very good job. Even Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of Works praised it, and," Wang Bin lowered his voice:

"Our people have been keeping an eye on things all day and discovered that the tasting event at Mingyue Tower was attended by mostly refined scholars and a member of the imperial family."

"Royal family? Who?"

"Zhu Zai".

Zhu Gaoxu scoffed, "That drunkard?"

He stood up, walked to the window, and asked, "Is that all?"

"There's one more thing." Wang Bin hesitated for a moment.

"Our intelligence in Xuanfu Town says that General Wang Gui recently obtained a 'miracle drug' that is remarkably effective in treating frostbite. It is said to have been given to him by chance by a folk healer, but I am skeptical."

"What do you suspect?"

"We suspect that the drug might also be related to Xishan," Wang Bin said.

"The intelligence described the drug as colorless and transparent with a pungent odor, like strong liquor. Mingyue Tower's 'Drunken Immortal Brew' is also said to be as clear as water and incredibly potent."

Zhu Gaoxu turned around, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

Alcohol, medicine

If these two things are indeed related, then the people behind them are probably after more than just making money.

"Continue the investigation," he said in a deep voice.

"Especially Guo Sheng, he definitely has someone backing him. Also," he added:

"Send a message to Nanjing, saying that a kind of 'celestial wine' has appeared in the market in Beiping. It is very elegant, and even Xu Hanlin praised it highly. He mentioned that it seems to have some connection with the Crown Prince's estate."

Wang Bin was taken aback: "Your Highness, this..."

"Do as I say." Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand. "Father hates it when his subordinates do things behind his back, especially things related to money."

"Yes."

After Wang Bin left, Zhu Gaoxu sat back down in front of the map, tapping his fingers on the table.

He didn't care about any kind of intoxicating brew or any kind of miraculous medicine.

What he cares about is the potential human resources, financial resources, and influence that these things represent. If these things are indeed related to the Crown Prince,

"Brother, oh brother," he muttered to himself, "your precious son seems more interesting than I thought."

Outside the window, the night was deep.

At this moment, Zhu Zhanji was fast asleep in the Crown Prince's residence.

In his dream, he saw the boundless northern grasslands, the winding grain transport convoys, and the frostbitten hands and feet of the border soldiers.

......

The next morning, Zhu Zhanji went to pay his respects to his parents as usual.

Zhang Shi had already gotten up and was getting ready.

Her gentle face was reflected in the bronze mirror, but there was a hint of weariness between her brows.

When she saw her son come in, she turned around and beckoned him to come over.

"Zhanji, come."

Zhu Zhanji obediently walked to his mother's side. Madam Zhang pulled him to sit down, carefully examined his face, and said softly, "Did you sleep well last night? I see some dark circles under your eyes."

"I slept quite well," Zhu Zhanji replied in his childish voice. "I just had a dream. I dreamt of lots of big horse-drawn carriages that couldn't move in the mud."

Zhang laughed: "You silly child, all you ever think about are these things." She asked:

"By the way, didn't you send Chun Tao to the estate to fetch something a few days ago? Did she bring it back?"

Zhu Zhanji's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "I brought them back. They are some fresh wild vegetables and mushrooms. Aunt Han from the village said that the first batch of ferns in spring is the most tender. I'm bringing them to you, Mother, to try."

"Aunt Han is so kind," Zhang said, taking a jade hairpin from her makeup box, holding it up to her son's head, then putting it down, and asking casually,

"Mother also heard that the craftsmen in the village have been working on brewing wine lately? And apparently they've brewed something quite good?"

coming.

A slight alarm bell rang in Zhu Zhanji's mind, but his face immediately revealed a childlike expression tinged with a hint of smugness:

"How did Mother know? Yes! Master Sun and his team are amazing! Using the diagrams I drew, they really made incredibly strong liquor! Master Sun said he'd never seen such strong liquor in his entire life!"

He gestured excitedly, just like a child who couldn't wait to show off a new toy to his mother.

Looking at her son's innocent expression, Zhang's doubts lessened considerably, but she still asked, "What picture did you draw? What picture?"

"I saw it in the book my grandfather gave me!" Zhu Zhanji blinked.

"There's an ancient book about 'alchemy,' which mentions how to collect moisture. I thought, since wine is also made of water, could I use the same method? So I drew it for Master Sun, and to my surprise, it actually worked!"

The book is real, and the distillation records in alchemy are also real, but the claim of "seeing it by chance and having a sudden inspiration" is fabricated.

Hearing this, Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, but also found it amusing: "You are indeed quick-witted, but brewing wine is ultimately a craftsman's job. You can play around with it occasionally, but don't get too obsessed with it and neglect your studies."

"Your son understands!" Zhu Zhanji nodded vigorously.

"I just thought it was fun, and Master Sun said this liquor is really strong, and a little bit can warm you up. I was thinking, if the uncles on the border could drink this kind of liquor in winter, wouldn't they be less afraid of the cold?"