The First Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Zhu Yi changed into the court attire worn by princes and nobles when they came to court.

Before he could even see Zhu Houzhao, he first encountered Qian Ning, who was looking at him with a hint of hostility from a short distance away.

"Brother Yi, it's been a long time." Zhu Yi took the initiative to walk over and greet him.

Qian Ning said in an almost mocking tone, "Your Highness, I cannot accept your address as sworn brother."

Zhu Yi knew, of course, that it was his excellent performance just now that made Qian Ning feel the impending crisis. Historically, Qian Ning was not the kind of magnanimous person, but it is true that he was implicated in the rebellion of the Prince of Ning's mansion, imprisoned and had his property confiscated by Zhu Houzhao, and then executed by Zhu Houcong.

In other words, this person is still usable for him.

However, it is important to grasp the right approach and the right measure.

Zhu Yi smiled and said, "My sworn brother introduced me to His Majesty, which has given me this opportunity today. This favor is truly extraordinary. I have some ideas regarding the development of new firearms. I wonder if my sworn brother would be willing to discuss them with me?"

"What did you say?" Qian Ning frowned.

Zhu Yi said, "If Your Majesty feels that these flintlock muskets are still usable, you will surely want to manufacture a batch. I wonder if the court can provide enough funds, grain, and manpower to produce new firearms?"

Qian Ning asked doubtfully, "You have the money? You're not going to have Prince Ning pay for it, are you?"

"No, I hope that you, my sworn brother, will take on this task. You can not only earn merit before His Majesty, but also demonstrate your ability to manage finances, and... there's also profit to be made..."

I'll give you a chance.

I'll give you the task of manufacturing flintlock muskets, and I'll provide you with the methods and techniques. Not only will you gain favor with the emperor, but you can also profit from it.

This is an opportunity, do you want it or not?

Qian Ning said with a dismissive expression, "You? Your Highness, don't be so sure of yourself."

Zhu Yi said, "I'm new here; surely His Majesty wouldn't assign me to oversee the manufacture of firearms?"

"That won't work." Qian Ning understood the trick perfectly.

Even if Zhu Yi is about to become a prince, the problem is that Zhu Yi is still from the Prince of Ning's mansion. Would the emperor feel at ease entrusting such an important matter as the manufacture of firearms to a young boy from a princely family?

But if it's Qian Ning who comes out...

"Tell me your method, and I will reluctantly take a look at it for you. If it is truly effective... you will also receive some benefits."

Qian Ning was obsessed with money.

Even if he thought Zhu Yi was bragging, he still felt that the Ning Prince's mansion was very wealthy, and it was not impossible for the Ning Prince to secretly support the emperor in developing new firearms.

I'll take all the credit and make a profit from it... How wonderful!

……

……

The two sworn brothers discussed things for a long time.

Qian Ning's expression gradually changed from pessimistic, disappointed, and gloomy to enthusiastic, and finally his eyebrows were raised.

"Gentlemen, why aren't you going? His Majesty is getting impatient!"

Zhang Yong came down from the high slope and saw Qian Ning, who had just been criticizing Zhu Yi, chatting happily with Zhu Yi. He couldn't help but walk over and urge him on.

"That's good, that's good!"

Qian Ning had a broad smile on his face.

Zhang Yong frowned and looked him over, as if asking, "Aren't you angry with this young prince anymore?"

"Your Highness, would you please move? Let me show you the way." Qian Ning's expression suddenly turned obsequious, fawning over him like a lackey.

Zhang Yong was completely dumbfounded.

He was also wondering, wasn't the man surnamed Qian the most petty and narrow-minded? How could he have so quickly reconciled with this young prince?

"Eunuch Zhang, shall we go to meet the Emperor together?" Qian Ning asked Zhang Yong with a smile.

Zhang Yong nodded.

He thought, "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. I'm not worried that you'll find fault with me in front of the emperor and displease everyone."

……

……

Zhu Yi's first audience with Zhu Houzhao.

This can be considered the first time that the "father and son" have met in a formal setting.

"A handsome young man, very good. Guards, bestow upon him the reward!"

Zhu Houzhao seemed to have prepared a gift for his stepson long ago.

Then Zhang Zhong came over holding a jade ruyi.

Zhu Houzhao said, "This is a reward for your performance just now. You don't need to refuse; it's what you deserve."

Zhu Yi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your reward."

Zhang Zhong then handed the jade ruyi to Zhu Yi, who held it in his hands without handing it to anyone else.

To him, such a gift was impractical and extravagant.

Zhu Houzhao smiled and looked at Zhang Mao beside him, saying, "Duke of Yingguo, you were just praising him in front of me. I have an idea now, which is to temporarily appoint him as the commander of the Shenji Battalion and put him in charge of the daily training of the Shenji Battalion soldiers. What do you think?"

"this……"

Zhang Mao never expected that his compliments would become a stinging bullet aimed at his head.

So the emperor was waiting here?

As the commander of the Beijing Garrison, my power had already been weakened by Jiang Bin and his group. If I were to hand over the Shenji Battalion as well, I would have very little actual military power left.

Yang Yiqing reminded him, "Your Majesty, this young prince is not yet capable of training troops. Some things need to be cultivated gradually."

Zhang Mao glanced at him with gratitude.

He was thinking, "It's rare that you're still speaking up for me at a time like this."

Qian Ning said, "However, Lord Zhang's health is declining day by day, and he has probably neglected archery and horsemanship for a long time. Wouldn't it be better if someone shared the burden with him? Besides, is Lord Zhang very skilled in using these new firearms?"

"Cough cough."

Zhang Mao never expected that he would be directly attacked by Qian Ning.

He thought that the emperor and Qian Ning had planned this beforehand and were putting on a show for him.

Little did they know that Qian Ning simply wanted to help the emperor seize military power, and had not discussed it with him beforehand.

Zhu Yicheng replied with trepidation, "Your Majesty, I fear I do not possess such ability."

Zhu Houzhao said, "Indeed, you do not yet hold an official position in the Commander-in-Chief's Office. For the time being, I have only adopted you into the palace and cannot yet grant you the status of a prince. However, this does not prevent me from finding you a position in the Commander-in-Chief's Office. You are originally a member of the imperial family, and now you are working for me in the capital. I will have you train the Shenji Battalion soldiers. I will temporarily appoint you as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Vanguard Commander-in-Chief's Office. What do you all think?"

The emperor still liked to ask for the opinions of those around him.

But his inquiries seemed more like seeking affirmation after the fact, rather than genuinely seeking advice from others.

Zhu Houzhao was the kind of decisive emperor.

Yang Yiqing glanced at Zhang Mao, a hint of mockery in his eyes, but still said sincerely, "Your Majesty, this matter should be discussed further. We don't have many new firearms at the moment, do we?"

Zhang Mao quickly added, "Yes, Your Majesty, firearms haven't been manufactured yet. This is likely a considerable expense, and I'm afraid the court won't be able to afford it in the short term."

Unless new firearms are introduced, there's no need for someone like Zhu Yi to help with training.

This would allow him to escape the predicament of having his military power stripped.

"Too."

Zhu Houzhao looked slightly disappointed and sighed, "How much silver would it cost to make such a new firearm?"

Yang Yiqing said, "The Ministry of War needs to do a detailed calculation. Because the technology is not yet mature, the initial construction costs will likely increase significantly."

Zhu Houzhao looked Zhu Yi up and down and said, "Minister Zhu, you speak."

"I believe that Minister Yang is absolutely right. The initial construction costs must be too high, probably around ten taels of silver per pole," Zhu Yi said.

Zhu Houzhao sighed, "To see initial results, we'll need at least ten thousand poles, which would cost one hundred thousand taels of silver. It's indeed not easy to get the court to spend that much money."

Hearing this, Qian Ning, who was standing nearby, became very excited.

He thought to himself, "This young prince is truly a genius."

How could he guess that?

His Majesty has seen the merits of this new musket and the next step is to build it. He happens to be short of money and manpower, so isn't this an opportunity given to me for free?

"His Majesty."

Qian Ning quickly stepped forward, a responsible expression on his face, and said, "Your subject is willing to undertake this task. The court will not need to spend a single tael of silver; I will manufacture the initial batch of ten thousand new muskets!"

Zhang Mao was initially feeling fortunate to have escaped a disaster.

Upon hearing this, he looked at Qian Ning with surprise.

Even Yang Yiqing looked puzzled.

This Qian Ning...

Did you change your mind today?

Who doesn't know how capable he is?

Even if the imperial court gave him enough manpower and resources to supervise the manufacture of new firearms, he still couldn't accomplish it.

He actually thought he could complete this task by himself without any external assistance?

Are you just asking for trouble? Or are you just making a fool of yourself?