The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

Zhu Di almost lost his composure.

But he is, after all, an older generation.

In front of outsiders, he still put on a very serious face.

He stroked his beard and said calmly.

"Zhan Jun's words make sense."

Zhu Di glanced at the workshop and suddenly whispered.

"Zhanjun, do you still need to invest in your Shengchang Company?"

Zhu Zhanjun looked wary.

"Grandpa Emperor, you have a share in my Jade Snow Hall."

"You want this Shengchang ship too?"

"In ordinary households, it's usually the old man who gives money to his grandson."

"You're really something, squeezing money out of your grandson."

[Ding! You have obtained a silver treasure chest!]

Zhu Di: "..."

His face flushed red.

Fortunately, his years of military service had given him a rough, dark complexion, so it wasn't noticeable.

Zhu Di rubbed his hands together.

"Zhanjun..."

"Okay, Grandpa will make things convenient for you."

"Grandpa Emperor's words are the policy."

"Tell Grandpa what policies you want, and Grandpa will fully support you."

"Grandpa Emperor only wants 40% of your shares!"

Zhu Zhanjun coughed lightly.

"Grandpa, talking about money will hurt our feelings."

Zhu Di nodded.

"Zhanjun, that's what my grandfather meant too."

"This Ming Dynasty all belongs to our Zhu family."

"Do you really care about such a small amount of money?"

"We're father and son, our bond is really deep..."

Zhu Zhanjun continued.

"Grandpa, talking about feelings costs money."

[Ding! You have obtained a silver treasure chest!]

Zhu Di: "..."

He said seriously.

"Zhanjun, time will tell, and a person's true character will be revealed over time."

"Would my imperial grandfather possibly covet your money?"

"Grandfather Emperor did it all for the sake of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Zhanjun said earnestly.

"Grandfather, it is Shang Yang who knows the strength of a horse, and Bi Gan who sees the heart of a person."

[Ding! You have obtained a silver treasure chest!]

Zhu Di: "..."

Damn, what kind of hellish words are these?

He coughed lightly.

"How about this, Grandfather will take 30% of it."

"Let Grandpa Emperor take advantage of you."

"Okay!" Zhu Zhanjun readily agreed.

Zhu Di: "..."

Damn it, that's too little.

He twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Zhanjun, you agreed so readily. Were you just teasing your imperial grandfather?"

"Grandpa, how did you know!" Zhu Zhanjun asked without hesitation.

[Ding! You have obtained a silver treasure chest!]

Zhu Di: "..."

I often get played like a fool by this kid.

She does look younger.

.....................

About half a month later.

The Shengchang ship was operating at full speed in Nanjing.

The power of machines far surpasses that of human hands.

In less than half a month, the Shengchang ship had already exceeded nearly a thousand people.

Most of them were married women from Nanjing.

Unmarried young women are subject to strict etiquette and rarely appear in the workshops of Shengchang Company.

The Eastern Palace.

Snapped.

Zhu Zhanji slammed the copy of the "Da Ming Xin Bao" newspaper he was holding onto the table.

hateful!

What exactly was added to the "Da Ming Xin Bao" newspaper?

Even he's addicted.

Zhu Zhanji had dark circles under his eyes.

He didn't sleep a wink last night, and he didn't even read a book.

I only read the "Da Ming Xin Bao".

A series of footsteps sounded.

Zhu Zhanji glanced at the person and saw that it was Jin Ying.

Jin Ying cupped her hands in greeting.

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess has instructed you to bathe and change. The young lady from the Hu family has arrived."

Zhu Zhanji was stunned for a moment before he remembered who the young lady from the Hu family Jin Ying was talking about was.

Ever since that day he fell into the water and was kissed passionately by Zhu Yi, the daughters of noble families have been avoiding him like the plague.

Although as the eldest grandson of the emperor, if he really took a fancy to someone, the other party would have no way to refuse, but what kind of person is Zhu Zhanji?

The eldest grandson of the Ming Emperor!

The future emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

Doesn't he have any self-respect?

He doesn't want anyone who dares to look down on him.

Although those young women maintained a good expression, they were all naive girls with little cunning. They couldn't hide their true thoughts from him at all.

Of course, it's all that bastard Zhu Zhanjun's fault!

The matter of choosing a principal wife for him was then put on hold.

Zhang was quite anxious, but fortunately, her father Zhu Gaochi said something that made her realize that the future empress of the Ming Dynasty could not be from a noble family.

Before this, his mother, Lady Zhang, had been determined to arrange a marriage between him and a powerful noblewoman to solidify his position as the Crown Prince. However, no one knows a son better than his father, and his grandfather would never allow the future Empress of the Ming Dynasty to be born into a noble family.

Therefore, the young lady Hu today, having heard that her sister was a palace official and her father was a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was from a very ordinary family in Nanjing, but was quite virtuous, which is why she was chosen by Madam Zhang.

They brought him into the palace, ostensibly to see his sister, but in reality to select a concubine for him.

Zhu Zhanji was actually not interested.

He got along well with Mrs. Sun.

But he couldn't ignore what Zhang said.

All I could do for the moment was to say listlessly.

"understood."

....................

In a secluded imperial garden within the Daming Palace.

A young girl, dressed in a brand-new but slightly oversized light apricot-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), sat properly on a stone bench.

My mother and sister have told me countless times that today the Crown Princess is looking at me, so I must behave calmly and have the demeanor of a lady from a noble family.

She tried to straighten her small back, placed her hands on her knees, and stared at a cluster of autumn chrysanthemums in full bloom in front of her, trying to make herself look like a lady in a painting, dignified, elegant, and motionless.

However, almost an hour had passed since they were sent to the palace at dawn and led to this garden to wait.

During that time, the Crown Princess only briefly met with her once before disappearing.

She had eaten breakfast in a hurry, and her stomach was already empty.

The warm afternoon sun shone on her, making her stomach rumble.

Hu Shanxiang secretly swallowed, his gaze falling on the exquisite pastries on the stone table.

On the porcelain plate are several pieces of crystal-clear, soft and tempting osmanthus sugar cake.

The pastries are adorned with delicate golden osmanthus blossoms, like stars scattered on a jade plate, gleaming with a warm glow under the afternoon sun.

The sugar cake has a delicate texture, with a faintly visible dense pattern inside. It exudes a sweet and rich aroma, with honey and fresh osmanthus flowers blending together, along with a subtle hint of rice fragrance.

This was delivered by a palace maid.

It looks so delicious, it makes you want to eat it!

However, her older sister Hu Shanwei reminded her that she had to be careful about the rules at all times in the palace, because there might be someone secretly watching her!

If she can be favored by the Crown Princess and the eldest grandson of the Emperor when she enters the palace, the Hu family will rise to prominence!

but......

It smells so good!

Hu Shanxiang cautiously glanced around out of the corner of her eye.

The garden was quiet, with only the occasional bird song coming from afar.

The palace maid who led her there has disappeared and seems unlikely to return anytime soon.

At the other end of the stone path, the flowers and trees were lush, but there was no one in sight.

"Just a small bite...it should be okay, right?" she told herself quietly. "My sister said it's okay to eat when no one's around, and I didn't see anyone anyway."

She waited patiently for a little while longer, and when she was sure that no one was paying attention to her, Hu Shanxiang finally couldn't resist. She picked up a piece of pastry, put it in her mouth, and took a small bite.

The sweet and glutinous taste made her eyes crinkle into crescent moons.

So delicious!

Her father, Hu Rong, was just an ordinary commander of the Imperial Guard.

He even got this official position through his sister, Hu Shanwei.

Her older sister, Hu Shanwei, was twenty years older than her and was a Shanggong (a high-ranking official) in the Shanggong Bureau. She had been highly valued by Emperor Taizu. Otherwise, how could her father, an ordinary craftsman, have been granted an official position?

My elder sister is meticulous in her dealings and has never thought of favoring her own family. That's why she has been trusted in the palace and has stayed there steadily for so long.

The Hu family in Nanjing could only rely on their father's meager salary.

They were better off than ordinary families, but with seven or eight members, they still had to maintain a semblance of respectability and social obligations, so they didn't have much to enjoy in terms of food. They could only eat something good during holidays!

Hu Shanxiang had never eaten such delicious pastries before!

She squinted comfortably, taking small bites of her food, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel, completely forgetting her sister's instructions.

Just as she was enjoying her meal, a voice suddenly rang out beside her.

"Tsk, who are you?"