Ming Dynasty: Tanks blocked the door and you said to me, "Long live Ming Dynasty"

He picked up the pen, wrote the full amount on the IOU in a flamboyant manner, left his name, and wrote today's date.

【IOU】

I have borrowed 10 million taels of silver from the Western Factory, with an annual interest rate of 3% (compound interest), and I am required to pay it back within three years. If I default, an additional penalty of 10% of the total amount unpaid will be added each year as penalty interest.

Borrowing department: Account Department

Person in charge: Guo Yunhou

June 19, the eighth year of Tianqi

After confirming that the IOU was correct, he carefully blew dry the ink and presented it to Zhu Youxiao with both hands.

"Your Majesty, please take a look!"

"Only borrowing 10 million taels?"

Seeing the numbers above, Zhu Youxiao was very dissatisfied!

Your uncle's!

If this is the case, then don't I have to send someone to send the remaining property back to the capital?

Won't the food and drink expenses along the way have to come from my pocket?

No, I have to think of a way...

But there is no rush for this matter. The trip to Shanxi and Shaanxi has just begun, and there are still several vassal kings waiting for my patronage!

Hearing these slightly disgusted words, Guo Yunhou fell completely silent.

The only emperor who is thinking about spending money every day is probably this one...

He took a few of his clerks with him and piled the 10 million taels of silver he had just borrowed aside.

These required the conscription of local laborers to be transported back to the capital.

It must not be confused with His Majesty's private money...

Otherwise, if there was a penny missing, he would have to pay for it out of his own pocket.

There was only silver and money in the Prince Dai's Palace, and as for food, it was pitifully small. After all, this was a prince's palace, not a warehouse.

We learned from the servants in the palace that most of the grain was stored in the farm under the name of King Dai.

Afterwards, the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent troops out of the city to search.

Before I knew it, it had gotten dark.

The Prince of Dai had been sent to Beijing, and the entire Prince of Dai's Palace was vacated.

Zhu Youxiao's bed was also moved to the Changchun Palace at the back.

Compared to the empty Chengyun Hall, this place is smaller, but more suitable for doing something at night.

Of course, the bed that the King of Dai slept on, the quilt he covered himself with, and the utensils he used were also replaced with Zhu Youxiao's own things.

Liu Yue prepared a table of delicious dishes herself.

Chicken stewed with mushrooms, stir-fried yam, smashed cucumber, and garlic prawns were served one after another, making Zhu Youxiao very greedy.

Although the King of Dai prepared a sumptuous meal the day before, Zhu Youxiao only took two bites of the meal before he fell to the ground due to "poisoning".

After being inspected, the food was all thrown into the garbage.

Although it may seem like a waste, who would dare to eat it when even His Majesty has been "knocked down"?

Therefore, the meal in front of him was the first good meal he had had in these days.

Liu Yue, who had just been canonized, was also pulled by him to sit down at the table.

"I can't finish it all by myself, sit down and eat with me!"

Liu Yue's expression had become much more natural, but there was still a slight blush on her face. After sitting down, she waved her hand to send the other doctors away and served Zhu Youxiao herself.

There are not many dishes, only four.

But there are both meat and vegetarian dishes.

Add a bowl of tomato and egg soup, which was very much to Zhu Youxiao's liking.

But just after taking two bites, he saw Youtong walking in from outside, hunched over.

"Your Majesty!"

"A group of Taoist priests came to the palace, saying that they were fellow disciples of Li Daowei from the Imperial Observatory, and they came to see the emperor under his command!"

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Youxiao was overjoyed. He put his chopsticks back on the table and said to Liu Yue.

"You eat first, I'll go out and take a look!"

After hearing this, Liu Yue didn't dare to sit there and eat alone, so she stood up quickly.

"I respectfully send you off to Your Majesty!"

At this time, there were thirteen Taoists standing outside the Chengyun Hall. The oldest was over fifty years old, while the youngest was only twelve or thirteen years old.

Most of these Taoists have calluses on their hands and their robes are covered with patches.

Although they are monks, they still look very restrained as they stand at the temple gate.

Only the young ones were looking at everything around them curiously.

Hearing footsteps coming from the side, the Taoists quickly turned around and looked over.

Seeing Zhu Youxiao surrounded by the crowd and wearing his uniform in the color of the Ming emperor, they immediately came over to greet him.

"I, Daoji, and my fellow disciples from Qingxu Temple are here to see Your Majesty!"

Chapter 350: Awakening (Part )

For some reason, Zhu Youxiao felt inexplicably familiar when he saw the tattered patches on these cow noses.

He smiled and waved at them, pointing at Chengyun Hall.

"Hahahaha, fellow Taoist priests, please stop being so polite!"

"You've had a hard time along the way. Let's talk inside!"

After saying that, he turned around and told Youtong to prepare tea.

After entering the hall, Zhu Youxiao sat on a chair and looked at the people in front of him.

Especially the little guy who looked only twelve or thirteen years old was very interested.

"What's the name of the young Taoist priest?"

The little guy was startled and quickly stepped forward to answer.

"In reply to your majesty, I am the 31st generation disciple of Qingxu Temple!"

Zhu Youxiao picked up a plate of snacks on the table and had someone bring it over.

"You must be hungry after all this journey. Take this and eat it."

"Tell me what you do on a daily basis."

Seeing this, Jueming couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and his Adam's apple moved up and down at a speed visible to the naked eye, but he refused Zhu Youxiao's reward.

"Your Majesty, when I was in the mountains, I got up at 1:00 a.m. every day and recited scriptures!"

"Have breakfast at 7:00 PM, and then learn martial arts from the master."

"After lunch, I will go to the back mountain with my master to collect herbs and learn pharmacology."

"At night, if people come to the temple to seek medical treatment, I will make medicine for them and do odd jobs for the master."

"As for......."

Having said that, he looked at the plate of snacks with some reluctance, and then secretly glanced at Dao Ji.

Then he swallowed and spoke seriously.

“As for this snack…”

"Master said, without merit, no reward, no hunger..."

Seeing him wanting to eat but not daring to, Zhu Youxiao laughed heartily.

"Hahahaha, then did your master tell you that you shouldn't refuse a gift from an elder?"

Hearing this, Jueming's face turned embarrassed. He pinched the corners of his clothes with both hands, not knowing how to answer.

Instead, Dao Ji stepped forward, took the snacks handed to him by the eunuch, and bowed to Zhu Youxiao.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have been practicing in the mountains since I was young and have never seen the world. I would like to thank Your Majesty for the reward on his behalf!"

Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and smiled, "It's okay. I heard from your junior brother that you can make Liuyi mud?"

Upon hearing this, Dao Ji hurriedly took out a gray object from his arms and handed it to the eunuch.

"Your Majesty, I only know a little bit."

"This is what the Liuyi mud looks like after it dries up. I wonder if it suits your majesty's taste."

Taking the piece of Liuyi clay, Zhu Youxiao curiously picked up the inkstone and smashed it a few times.

This action was seen by Yutong who came in to serve tea, and his eyes widened immediately!

That is the best chengni inkstone!

An inkstone is worth at least fifty taels of silver...

Not only him, but even Dao Ji and other Taoist priests looked confused.

Isn’t it said that the national treasury is empty now?

Why did His Majesty act like this...

Spendthrift?

But the next second, there was a snap, and the clay inkstone in Zhu Youxiao's hand cracked.

However, the dry Liuyi mud was only slightly crushed into powder!

Zhu Youxiao ignored their reactions, holding the Liuyi mud in both hands, he laughed and waved to Dao Ji.

"Hahahaha, good stuff, good stuff!"

"Come, come, come closer and tell me what this thing is made of!"

Dao Ji's mouth twitched involuntarily.

This inkstone is enough to support the temple for half a year...

But in response to Zhu Youxiao's question, he still walked forward a few steps, came to the other side of the table, clasped his fists and answered.

"In reply to your Majesty, Liuyi Mud originally came from Huangdi Jiuding Shendan Jing, and was later improved by Ge Hong, a master in the Jin Dynasty, and recorded in Baopuzi Jindan."

"Use realgar water, alum water, Rong salt, brine salt, alum, oyster, red ochre, talcum powder, and Hu powder, several dozen kilograms each, to make a 6:1 mud."

After saying that, he took off a cloth bag from his waist and poured out a bunch of things from it.

These are exactly the materials needed to refine the Liuyi Mud that he just mentioned.

Zhu Youxiao opened his eyes wide and listened carefully to his explanation of each material.

But as he listened, he became a little confused.

Dao Ji started quoting from all kinds of classics. Apart from the names of each ingredient, he could understand less than 20%!

But it was not easy to interrupt, so I could only listen while staring at the things in front of me.

He knew that realgar could be used to make arsenic.

Talc, if I remember correctly from chemistry class, seems to be a silicate mineral.

Hu powder, seems to be lead carbonate.

Alumite, potassium aluminum sulfate dodecahydrate.

As for Rong salt and brine salt, he directly passed them up. He only remembered that table salt was sodium chloride.

Oysters, calcium carbonate?

Red ochre is red and blocky, and looks similar to clay. According to Dao Ji, this thing also plays a bonding role in the Liuyi mud.