Chapter 27: Culture Submerged in History

"Excellent!" Zhu Yunxiao laughed heartily upon hearing this, his face brimming with excitement. "Then we shall entrust this task to Minister Du."

Turning his gaze toward Ma Sanbao, he commanded, "Sanbao, give Minister Du ten thousand taels as research funding. Once it is crafted, he shall be handsomely rewarded."

"As you command, Your Highness."

Although it pained him, Ma Sanbao retrieved a stack of banknotes from his sleeve and began counting them out. Seeing the banknotes extended toward him, Du Ze’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

While Zhu Yunxiao had not dipped into the national treasury to build toys for himself, Du Ze still felt that spending ten thousand taels on such a contraption was recklessly extravagant. How much tax revenue did the Great Ming collect in a year, and how much could the private imperial treasury actually spare? During the late Emperor's reign, every single copper coin was treated as if it were worth splitting in two; yet, before Zhu Yunxiao had even officially ascended the throne, he was already squandering wealth on his own amusement...

"Minister Du, there is no need to worry. Just take the money; we never treat a meritorious official unfairly," Zhu Yunxiao said with a smile, noticing Du Ze’s hesitation.

He had not the slightest inkling that in Du Ze’s eyes, he had just branded himself a profligate spendthrift over a mere ten thousand taels. Of course, even if he had known, he likely would not have cared—if they wanted to call him a spendthrift, so be it. He had the money, and they could say what they pleased.

Du Ze eventually accepted the banknotes, though his opinion of Zhu Yunxiao’s reliability plummeted further. He sat in silence on the silk-covered stool, waiting for the Prince to speak again.

After a moment of reflection, Zhu Yunxiao continued. "The second matter is quite simple. Minister Du, as the Minister of Works and a man of great learning, surely you are familiar with the late Yuan Dynasty scholar Wang Zhen?"

Du Ze’s interest was finally piqued. After pondering for a moment, he replied, "I have heard of this man, Wang Zhen. But why does Your Highness mention him?"

"It is nothing of great consequence. I happened to hear that during his lifetime, Wang Zhen authored a book titled the 'Book of Agriculture.' I am quite interested in this work, so I would like to ask you to help search among the craftsmen across the empire to see if you can locate the book, or perhaps even find the descendants of Wang Zhen," Zhu Yunxiao said with a faint smile.

It was no surprise that he knew of the "Book of Agriculture" and Wang Zhen. In his previous life, his university professor had mentioned them while lecturing on the origins of the spinning jenny, even praising the large water-powered spinning wheel described in the "Book of Agriculture" as a technological marvel comparable to the spinning jenny—a device that could have sparked an industrial revolution.

The professor had even expressed deep regret at the end of the lecture, lamenting that if not for the tyranny of the Yuan Dynasty, the injustice toward the Han people, and the general disregard for technology, the spark of the industrial revolution might not have fallen to Europe. The professor had been so heartbroken that he looked as if he had lost a close relative, which was why the memory of the "Book of Agriculture" and Wang Zhen remained so vivid for Zhu Yunxiao.

Even during his time in obscurity, Zhu Yunxiao had never abandoned the search for the book, but his influence at the time was far too small. Now that he held power and commanded the vast machinery of the state, he was determined to find it.

Although the Great Ming was gradually recovering under the governance of Zhu Yuanzhang, the prosperity was largely confined to areas near Yingtian Prefecture. In remote regions, the common people were still suffering from the aftermath of the late Yuan wars. Many could not even secure the most basic clothing to keep warm; this was the true reason for his urgency.

However, Zhu Yunxiao was unaware that when he spoke of finding the book, Du Ze did not attribute it to a concern for the people, but rather assumed the Prince had heard there were some amusing trinkets described within its pages.

Du Ze’s disappointment deepened, and he even harbored fleeting thoughts of resigning to live in seclusion. Yet, as a trusted official praised by the late Emperor, he suppressed these thoughts, bowed, and said, "I shall do my best. Wang Zhen has been gone for over a century; I cannot guarantee that the book can be found."

"Very well! Your willingness is enough. I will have the Embroidered Uniform Guard assist in the search as well," Zhu Yunxiao said with a wave, appearing unconcerned.

The more nonchalant he seemed, the more Du Ze became convinced that this was merely a pursuit of pleasure. After all, if it were not for mere amusement, why would he treat the matter so casually?

"I understand. Does Your Highness have any other instructions?"

"Not for now. You may go."

Zhu Yunxiao waved his hand, signaling that Du Ze could leave. In truth, he had more matters to discuss, but he felt it was unwise to place too much pressure on his subordinates. He was not one of those "people's entrepreneurs" from the future who drove their staff to work themselves to death.

Du Ze rose hastily, offered a few polite phrases, and departed with the blueprints in hand.

Watching him leave the Qianqing Palace, Ma Sanbao could not help but mutter, "Your Highness, you are the future Emperor. The entire Great Ming belongs to you. Why must you pay the Ministry of Works just to build a small toy?"

Zhu Yunxiao glanced at him with a faint smile. "What? Are you pained by the cost?"

"Not at all!" Ma Sanbao’s words were clearly insincere.

Over the years, he had endured great hardships by Zhu Yunxiao’s side, and back in the Eastern Palace, he hadn't even received a basic monthly stipend. The money he possessed now had been accumulated bit by bit only after they left the palace under the pretext of guarding his father's tomb. Even though they had earned nearly two hundred thousand taels in less than two months, Ma Sanbao, accustomed to a life of poverty, had never spent such a sum all at once.

"Hahaha! You, oh you..."

Seeing Ma Sanbao’s aggrieved expression, Zhu Yunxiao burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he couldn't stand straight, eventually leaning on Ma Sanbao’s shoulder and saying, "Sanbao! You are the person closest to me. You must broaden your perspective!"

"It is only ten thousand taels! Today, I will teach you a principle: money is a trifle—if it is gone, you can always earn more..."

"But, Your Highness..."

"Enough! The item I have asked Minister Du to create will earn back hundreds, even thousands of times that amount. It is merely a pittance; why grieve over it?"

Zhu Yunxiao patted Ma Sanbao’s shoulder again, his smile fading as he said, "Go, have someone summon Zhan Hui, Liu Sanwu, Ren Taiheng, Qi Tai, Jian Yi... tell them I have matters of great importance to discuss with them."

Hearing that Zhu Yunxiao had official business to attend to with his ministers, Ma Sanbao finally set aside his heartache and trotted off to carry out the order.