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

Zhu Gaochi understood.

This is an attempt to claim credit for oneself and deflect blame onto one's son.

This would allow the technology to be used by the court while also protecting his son.

"But," Zhu Gaochi hesitated, "wouldn't that be unfair to Zhanji? It's clearly his."

"Your Highness!" Yang Pu interrupted him, "The young prince is only four years old! If outsiders knew that this was done by a four-year-old child, how much suspicion and trouble would it cause? What would the Prince of Han think? What would the Emperor think?"

Zhu Gaochi remained silent.

Yes, a "prodigy" grandson of the emperor is already quite remarkable.

If people were to learn that he possessed the ability to "turn stones into gold," Zhanji would face not only curiosity and admiration, but also apprehension and danger.

"You're right," Zhu Gaochi sighed.

"We'll do it your way. You'll be in charge of setting up the West Mountain Manor workshop. As for how much silver is needed, it will come from my private treasury."

"Your subject obeys."

After Yang Pu left, Zhu Gaochi sat alone in his study for a long time.

Looking at the clear bottle of "Drunken Immortal Wine," he recalled the innocent look in his son's eyes when he said he wanted to keep the border guards warm in winter, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

In the end, it all turned into a sigh.

"Zhanji, Zhanji, what am I going to do with you?"

Outside the window, the moonlight was as clear as water.

Zhu Zhanji was in his room, still awake.

Chuntao has just returned, bringing news that Yang Pu has gone to Xishanzhuang.

"Your Highness, Lord Yang took the wine and medicine with him. Master Sun said that Lord Yang was very excited, asked a lot of questions, and said that there would be new arrangements soon."

Zhu Zhanji nodded, a weight lifted from his heart.

Father found out.

"Chuntao," he said softly, "tell Guo Sheng tomorrow to cooperate with Scholar Yang's arrangements and temporarily hand over everything at Xishan Manor to Father."

"And you, Your Highness?"

"Me?" Zhu Zhanji smiled, a smile with a depth beyond his years.

"I should prepare for the next step."

Three days later, Xishan Manor welcomed an unusual guest.

Zhao Kang, an assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, led two clerks and four supervisors, riding horses and driving carts, and entered the manor in a grand procession.

The vehicle carried a plaque that read "Imperial Craftsmen's Workshop," several boxes of documents and ledgers, and a set of complicated regulations.

Eunuch Wang had already received the news and, along with Sun San, Physician Wu, and Lin Xiuniang, greeted them at the entrance of the village.

The villagers watched from a distance, whispering amongst themselves.

"What are you going to do?"

"I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince plans to set up a workshop on our estate!"

"Craftsman's Workshop? What kind of official position is that?"

Zhao Kang dismounted. He was in his forties, with fair skin, a short beard, and wore a neat blue official robe.

He glanced around the estate, his gaze lingering for a moment on the repaired houses and paved roads, and nodded slightly: "It's quite tidy."

"Lord Zhao, you must be tired from your long journey." Eunuch Wang stepped forward and bowed. "Master Sun and the others have been waiting for quite some time."

Sun San, dressed in his newly issued official craftsman's robes—a coarse blue garment with a small "craftsman" embroidered on the chest—felt extremely uncomfortable.

He had never worn such "proper" clothes in his entire life.

Doctor Wu and Lin Xiuniang were in no better shape, standing awkwardly, unsure of what to do with their hands.

"Are you all in charge of the workshop?" Zhao Kang asked, his gaze sweeping over the three men.

"Yes, yes, it was me," Sun San hurriedly bowed.

"No need for formalities," Zhao Kang said calmly.

"By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, the Xishan Manor shall establish the 'Imperial Crafts Workshop' from this day forward, which shall be dedicated to the production of high-proof liquor and military medicine."

Sun San was appointed as the chief clerk and granted the official rank of a ninth-grade craftsman. Wu Mingde and Lin Xiuniang were appointed as deputy chief clerks and granted the official rank of an outsider. The remaining core craftsmen were all registered in the imperial court's crafts register.

He took a document from the clerk:

"This is the workshop's regulations. All material requisitions, output registrations, and process records must be handled in accordance with these regulations. On the 5th and 20th of each month, a detailed report must be submitted to the Ministry of Works' Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs."

Sun San took the charter; it was a thick stack that made his scalp tingle.

He wasn't very literate, but he could barely understand the general idea: things like "materials need to be approved at each level", "output must be registered and recorded in triplicate", and "process records must be archived for future reference".

"Lord Zhao," Sun San asked, forcing a smile, "the the... the many rules, I'm afraid..."

"Rules are rules," Zhao Kang interrupted him.

"Now that you have entered the imperial crafts register, you must abide by the laws and regulations of the court. As the head of the household, you should set an example."

Sun San dared not say anything more and could only nod, "I understand."

The plaque-hanging ceremony was simple. Zhao Kang directed people to hang the plaque in the main hall of the manor, and Sun San and others knelt to receive the imperial edict from the Crown Prince's Palace.

The whole process was solemn and oppressive; Sun San felt it was even more tiring than distilling wine in a cave all day.

After the ceremony, Zhao Kang began his "inspection" of the workshop.

Upon reaching the cave in the back mountain, Zhao Kang frowned slightly upon seeing the three sets of distillation equipment: "These are the equipment used for making wine and medicine?"

"Yes," Sun San explained, "This set is for distilling liquor, this set is for making medicine, and this set is for testing floral dew."

"Why divide it into three sets?" Zhao Kang asked. "Wouldn't it be simpler to combine them into one?"

"My lord," Sun San replied honestly, "the wine, medicine, and perfume require different temperatures and times. They must be prepared separately to ensure quality."

Zhao Kang remained noncommittal, walked to the recording table, and looked through the process records written in charcoal. His brows furrowed even more: "These are too crude. They need to be copied in regular script and bound into a book."

He then looked at the several "key points tips" posted on the cave wall. Sun San had written down the key steps on paper and pasted them on the wall for convenience.

"These," Zhao Kang pointed to the papers on the wall, "are too casual. Key technical points should be recorded in documents and properly stored, not posted like this!"

Sun San smiled bitterly to himself.

These papers are pasted here so that the craftsmen can see them as soon as they look up—how ​​convenient!

If you write it down in a document and lock it away, who will remember it?

But he dared not say it, and could only reply, "I will copy it down later."

After the inspection, Zhao Kang called Sun San aside and said in a deep voice:

"Master Sun, His Highness has very high expectations for the craftsmen. The first batch of 'Imperial Wound Cleansing Dew' needs to be prepared in 500 catties within ten days and sent to Xuanfu Town. Can you manage that?"

Sun San did some mental calculations. With the current production capacity, it wasn't impossible to work at full speed, but...

"Sir, five hundred catties of wound-cleansing ointment will require nearly five thousand catties of grain, some herbs, as well as copper and firewood."

"The materials will be allocated." Zhao Kang waved his hand.

"You just focus on production. I'll come to inspect the goods in ten days. If the production is delayed, it will be difficult to explain to His Highness."

Sun San's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "I will certainly do my utmost!"

After seeing Zhao Kang and his party off, Sun San returned to the cave, looked at the thick stack of regulations, and sighed deeply.

Physician Wu walked over and whispered, "Master Sun, this Lord Zhao is probably not easy to deal with."

"The government has its own rules for doing things," Sun San said with a wry smile. "We'll just follow them, but..."

He looked at the distillation equipment and said, "We need to produce 500 jin within ten days; we'll have to work day and night."

Just then, Li Wei walked in and handed over a note: "Master Sun, a letter from the young prince."

Sun San quickly took it and went under the lamp to examine it closely.

The note was written in Zhu Zhanji's own handwriting; the handwriting was childish but clear.

Master Sun: Officials have their own rules, which must be followed on the surface. However, the core techniques can only be passed down orally to Masters Wang and Li, and will never be written down.

Furthermore, the old kiln three miles outside the village has been prepared by Guo Sheng and can be used as a "testing ground" for researching new products. This matter is known only to you, me, and Guo Sheng. Please be careful.

After reading it, Sun San felt much more at ease.

He burned the note over the lamp, then turned to Dr. Wu and Lady Lin and said, "Dr. Wu, Lady Lin, let's follow the rules, but we just need to keep some details in mind."

The two exchanged a glance and understood: the rules of the government must be followed, but real skills must be kept in the hands of their own people.