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

"Secondly, manufacture vehicles." Zhu Di continued, "The grain transport route from Tongzhou to Xuanfu currently has inefficient and wear-out vehicles. The Ministry of Works, together with the Ministry of War, shall test-produce four-wheel steering vehicles and add shock absorbers. Three prototype vehicles shall be produced within half a month."

Song Li, forcing a smile, asked, "Your Majesty, we have never heard of a four-wheeled steering vehicle before. Do you have any drawings of it?"

Zhu Di picked up a few sheets of paper from the imperial desk, which Ma Bin took and presented to Song Li.

Song Li unfolded it and was stunned.

The drawings are indeed rudimentary, but the underlying principles are clear.

The steering shaft, shock absorbers, and detachable cargo box—each improvement directly addresses the biggest pain point of current grain transport vehicles.

"This is," he said, his voice trembling.

"It was drawn by the Crown Prince," Zhu Di said. "Your Ministry of Works should try to recreate it. Whether it succeeds or not, you must give me an explanation."

Song Li held the few flimsy sheets of paper, his palms sweating.

He had a vague feeling that from today onwards, things would probably be different for the Ministry of Works.

"Thirdly, to aid the army." Zhu Di looked at Li Qing, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, "The wound-clearing dew presented by the Crown Prince has shown excellent results in Xuanfu Town. The Ministry of Revenue has allocated special funds to expand production and prioritize supplying the northern expeditionary army and various towns in the northern frontier."

Li Qing stepped forward and asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, where does this special fund come from?"

"From my private treasury," Zhu Di said. "The first batch of 50,000 taels will be disbursed immediately."

The entire hall was astonished.

Li Qing wanted to say something, but Zhu Di silenced him with a single look.

"The court session is adjourned."

Zhu Di stood up, took two steps, and then stopped.

"All the matters raised by the Crown Prince are beneficial to the military and the country. From now on, the Six Ministries shall not refuse to accept such suggestions on the grounds of 'being too young' or 'not being in their proper place'."

His last words were:

"Do what you can do well for me."

The officials in the hall bowed and accepted the order, each with their own thoughts.

The imperial decree was delivered to Mingyue Tower the following day.

Qian Lai stared at the official document sent by the Ministry of Works, speechless for a long time.

The official document reads: "By imperial decree, we are to trial-produce a four-wheeled steering grain transport vehicle. The required copper, iron, and wood materials will be allocated by the Ministry of Works, and the craftsmen will be coordinated by Sun San of Mingyue Workshop. The deadline is two months, and three prototype vehicles will be produced."

Below is the handwritten signature of Song Li, the Minister of Works, stamped with a bright red seal.

Sun San stood to the side, rubbing his hands together, feeling both excited and nervous:

"Manager Qian, this...this is a task assigned by the imperial court!"

Qian carefully folded the official document and put it into a camphor wood box specially used for storing important documents.

"Master Sun, this isn't a job for the imperial court," he said slowly and deliberately. "This is a job our employer got for us."

Sun San was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

Yes, all that talk about the Crown Prince presenting the map and His Majesty's decree to implement it ultimately came down to the fact that the Emperor made it happen in the court.

He suddenly felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Manager Qian, regarding this carriage, His Highness only drew a rough sketch before, without going into details. I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of?" Qian Lai smiled, a rare occurrence. "Since the boss dared to take on this job, he must have his reasons. Just go ahead and do it. If you need anything, tell Steward Guo. If you get stuck, tell the boss."

He suddenly lowered his voice: "I heard His Majesty said personally, 'Do what you can for me, Master Sun, this is no ordinary job.'"

Sun nodded repeatedly.

He returned to the workshop in the rear building, called the two old craftsmen over, and read the Ministry of Works' official document to them word by word.

After they finished reading, all three fell silent.

Finally, an old craftsman with white hair and beard spoke, his voice hoarse:

"Master Sun, our lives have been worthwhile."

Sun San didn't say anything, but patted his shoulder hard.

That afternoon, a new blueprint appeared on the workshop wall.

Above the drawing is Zhu Zhanji's childish handwriting:

Four-wheel steering grain transport vehicle - prototype

Below are Sun San's numerous annotations and questions:

What type of wood should the steering axle be made of? Elm or jujube?

"How many layers of shock-absorbing leather are appropriate? Three layers are too soft, five layers are too hard."

"What size cargo box would be the most economical in terms of material? Would a length of six feet, a width of four feet, and a depth of three feet be too heavy?"

He planned to ask his employer about these issues in person the next time he met him.

At the same time, Qian Lai was receiving another guest.

Madam Shen.

She didn't ride in a sedan chair today, but instead entered Mingyue Tower directly through the back gate in an inconspicuous blue-curtained carriage.

Inside Tingxue Pavilion, the tea has been brewed.

Madam Shen took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and got straight to the point:

"Manager Qian, I heard that your master has advised the Emperor that the northern inspection army will need to use wound-clearing ointment?"

Qian Lai did not deny it: "Madam is well-informed."

"What connections?" Madam Shen smiled wryly. "With 50,000 taels of imperial funds allocated to the Ministry of Revenue, all the medicinal herb merchants in the capital have gone crazy. The Shen family has some connections in the south. I'd like to ask your master if you need the Shen family's help in procuring the raw materials for the Cleansing Dew?"

Qian Lai was slightly taken aback.

He was not without experience in dealing with such tests.

But Madam Shen's question took him by surprise.

"Madam, this is..." he said, carefully choosing his words.

"Manager Qian, let's not beat around the bush," Madam Shen said sternly.

"The Shen family are businessmen, not officials. We don't inquire about the formula or try to claim exclusive rights. We just want to occupy an inconspicuous position on your esteemed client's ship."

She lowered her voice: "Manager Qian, the world is so big, there are always places where the imperial court cannot intervene but merchants can. Your boss must have a lot to do in the future."

Qian Lai fell silent.

He recalled what his boss had said: "Mingyue Tower is the face, Mingyue Workshop is the heart, and what's missing is a channel to sell our goods all over the world."

Madam Shen's words were tantamount to handing this channel to us.

"I understand what you mean, Madam," he said slowly. "Please allow me to inform my master and then give you a reply."

"No rush." ​​Madam Shen stood up and took a small brocade box from her sleeve.

"These are some new Southeast Asian spices that the Shen family recently received at Quanzhou Port. I heard that your workshop is making perfume balms, so perhaps we can use them."

She placed the brocade box on the table and said softly, "Whether your master agrees or not, this is a token of the Shen family's sincerity."

Qian Lai got up to see him off.

Watching the blue-curtained carriage disappear into the alley, he turned back to Tingxue Pavilion and opened the brocade box.

A strange fragrance, unlike anything I'd ever smelled before, wafted towards me.

He carefully closed the lid, a smile playing on his lips.

As my boss once said, sometimes what comes to you on your own isn't necessarily trouble.

It could also be an opportunity.

On September 24, the Northern Inspection Army officially set off.

On this day, banners fluttered like clouds and armored soldiers stood like a forest outside Desheng Gate.

The five battalions, three thousand battalions, and Shenji battalion of the Beijing Garrison each selected their elite troops, totaling 15,000 men, to accompany the emperor.

In addition, border troops from Xuanfu and Datong garrisons accompanied the group in sections according to the itinerary.

Zhu Di, dressed in military attire and riding a jet-black imperial horse, inspected the troops outside Desheng Gate.

After the inspection, Zhu Di reined in his horse and turned around, his eyes searching through the procession.

He saw Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, Prince of Han Zhu Gaoxu, and all the civil and military officials.

Then, he saw that small figure at the edge of the queue.

Zhu Zhanji, dressed in a smaller version of the black riding and archery uniform, stood respectfully beside Zhang.

Zhu Di suddenly spoke: "Zhanji."

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Zhu Zhanji looked up.