The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated before asking a question that he was particularly concerned about:

"What if we're replicating inanimate objects like gold and silver jewelry?"

Zhu Ming slowly turned his head and looked his father up and down for a long time with a gaze as if he were looking at an idiot.

Then he asked in a serious tone, "What? Are you worried that the silver will jump up and punch your knee?"

Zhu Yuanzhang was taken aback.

Yes.

Gold and silver jewelry, firewood and rice, these things don't have legs or thoughts, so what does it matter whether they are opposite or not?

Whether a piece of gold is inside or outside the mirror, it is still a piece of gold.

If a bag of rice is copied, does it mean it can crawl out of the rice bin and take a bite?

His question just now was indeed stupid.

Even Zhu Biao, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Empress Ma Xiuying, sitting at the head of the table, burst into laughter, showing no respect whatsoever to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Seeing his wife and son laughing at him, Old Zhu stiffened his neck and gave a cold snort, his tone fierce but his heart weak:

"Laugh! What's so funny?!"

"Is it wrong to ask more questions and be cautious about such a dangerous item?!"

You know what, Zhu Yuanzhang was quite good at finding excuses for himself.

But jokes aside, Old Zhu's mind was already racing with calculations.

It's true that a mirror can't replicate a person. But what in this world can exist without the word "thing"?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

First, there's the issue of grain. The country has just experienced over a decade of war, and how much land is lying fallow with no one cultivating it?

Simply place a single rice seed or a single wheat stalk in a mirror, and you can generate 10,000 portions of grain.

By replicating plowshares, waterwheels, and oxen, the barren fields can be fully replanted within three years.

At that time, not only will people go hungry, but every household will have surplus grain.

Secondly, there's the matter of goods. The national treasury is empty? No need to increase taxes; just directly reproduce gold, silver, and copper materials to pay salaries, military pay, and disaster relief, without having to squeeze money from the people anymore.

Oh, and what about the Northern Yuan, who's still eyeing us from the north?

Weapons, armor, arrows, swords, and spears—make as many as you need.

Three hundred thousand border troops, each clad in fine steel armor, let's see if the Tartars still dare to march south to graze their horses.

And then there were those massive projects. Building the Great Wall, taming the Yellow River, constructing palaces—each of these required the conscription of hundreds of thousands of laborers.

Bricks, tiles, wood, stone, nails, and iron parts—you can see them all just by looking in the mirror.

People no longer have to go hungry and be forced to work hard on construction sites.

As the crown prince, Zhu Biao naturally understood this principle.

However, being a steady person, he couldn't help but add another word of advice:

"Father, gold and silver cannot be reproduced indiscriminately. If there are too many goods and too much money, prices will skyrocket, and in the end, it's the common people who will suffer."

"Of course!" Old Zhu was beaming, his eyes gleaming. He waved his hand, "We're not stupid. Enough money is enough. What's important is grain, land, farm tools, and military armor! The more of these things we replicate, the more secure the people's lives will be!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and slapped his thigh:

"With this mirror, why should our Great Ming Dynasty worry about not recovering within three years?!"

Old Zhu became more and more excited as he thought about it. He looked down and saw Zhu Ming still standing to the side. Without saying a word, he stretched out one hand, spread his five fingers, and looked at his son expectantly.

Zhu Ming was taken aback.

Looking at the outstretched hand, and then at the half-eaten osmanthus cake in her own hand, she struggled with a look on her face.

After hesitating for a while, he finally placed the half-piece of osmanthus cake gently into Old Zhu's palm, as if it were a piece of his own flesh, with a heavy heart.

Unexpectedly, Old Zhu didn't even look at it, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the osmanthus cake aside with a "smack".

That's not what he wants.

What he wanted was that replica mirror.

Zhu Ming's gaze followed the pitiful half of the osmanthus cake that had rolled on the ground, slowly moving over, her little face filled with heartache.

He raised his head, looking at Old Zhu accusingly, his eyes clearly saying:

You should have said you wanted a replica mirror earlier!!

My osmanthus cake!!

Zhu Yuanzhang, seeing his sixth son's sullen expression, paused for a moment, then immediately turned and shouted towards the door:

"Mao Xiang! Get to the imperial kitchen immediately and have them bring over everything they can—the newly made pastries, cakes, and candied fruits! Hurry!"

After sending Mao Xiang away, he turned back to him, hunching over and clenching his buttocks, his voice as soft as cotton:

"Ming'er, my good son. Now that you've promised your mother, then... let's take out that replica mirror and give it to your father, okay?"

Zhu Ming shook his little head like a rattle drum.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed instantly, and his voice suddenly rose eight octaves:

"You want to back out?!"

"I'm not going back on my word," Zhu Ming said, spreading his hands with an innocent look. "It's just... that mirror isn't with me anymore."

"It's not here with you?!"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly squatted down, gripping Zhu Ming's two small arms tightly with both hands, his eyes wide open, and his voice cracking:

"Where is it?! Was it stolen, or lost?!"

Even Zhu Biao, who was standing next to him, turned pale instantly and quickly stepped forward.

This is a treasure that could change the fate of the entire Ming Dynasty!

If it were really lost, he and his father would be heartbroken on the spot.

Zhu Ming's head was shaken so badly by his father that he finally let go. He rubbed his little arm and said irritably:

"What's the rush? The mirror isn't lost; it's still in Qingshui County."

"It's helping me recreate the banquet."

Old Zhu was taken aback: "A banquet?"

"Hmm." Zhu Ming counted on his fingers, "Didn't Mother just tell you that I'm hosting a feast for the people in Qingshui County? There are so many people, tens of thousands of them."

He clicked his tongue, as if recalling that grand scene:

"Even if I worked myself to death, I couldn't feed tens of thousands of people just by conjuring up food from my food cloth."

"But now that we have a copy mirror, things are different."

"I just need to conjure up a banquet table, arrange everything neatly on it, and then place a mirror in front of the table. It will continuously reflect one identical banquet table after another."

"At that time, I won't have to do anything. I'll just have to arrange for people to serve the dishes, one trip after another."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned again:

"That won't do! Such a precious treasure, left all alone in Qingshui County, what if some heartless person sees it, gets greedy, and sneaks away with the mirror in the middle of the night?! That would be terrible!"

Zhu Ming waved his hand dismissively:

"What are you afraid of? Sister Miaoyun is there looking after me, nothing will happen."

"Xu Miaoyun?" Upon hearing this name, Zhu Yuanzhang became even more uneasy. "A delicate young woman, with fair skin and tender flesh, if she were to encounter bandits or thugs who kill and rob, could she possibly be a match for them?!"

"Hurry up!" The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He slapped Zhu Ming on the back of the head, not caring that Zhu Ming was angry. "You go back on your cloud right now and get the mirror back for us properly! We'll only feel at ease if it's on you!"

Zhu Ming turned his head away and refused to go no matter what.

"I'm not going."

"I left quite a few magical treasures on Sister Miaoyun; ordinary people are no match for her at all."

"Besides, I've also arranged for Wang Defa and Huang Zi'an to guard the area with their men. It's perfectly safe; what could possibly happen?"