King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty: My father, Ming Taizu

"Fifty thousand taels? Lord Liu, you want to give me a discount even though my father asked for it?"

Zhu Tan slammed the table, puffed his beard and glared.

Liu Sanwu complained in his heart and thought to himself, "Ancestor, as long as you are happy."

Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare to make fun of you!

But the silver in the national treasury didn’t come from the wind!

"Your Highness, you also know that although the national treasury is full, military pay, disaster relief, and water conservancy repairs all cost money. You just asked for 50,000 taels, this... this..."

Liu Sanwu wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to reason with this ancestor.

But who is Zhu Tan? He is a well-known devil, and reason doesn't work with him at all.

"Hey, Lord Liu, please don't complain about being poor to me. I'm doing this for the sake of the national treasury and the future of the Ming Dynasty!"

Zhu Tan raised his head and spoke with such righteousness.

"For the national treasury? For the future of the Ming Dynasty?"

Liu Sanwu was stunned when he heard this.

"Of course! Just think about it, if this laboratory of mine is built, I will be able to develop all kinds of strange and bizarre things! By then, let alone 500,000 taels, even 5 million taels, wouldn't that be easy to get?"

Zhu Tan spoke with great excitement, as if mountains of gold and silver were already piled up before him.

Liu Sanwu rolled his eyes when he heard this. This old man really dared to think of something weird?
How much is it worth?

There are still five million taels left, why don’t you go and rob them!
"Your Majesty, please stop teasing me. Tell me what this laboratory is!"

Liu Sanwu was really confused by him.

"Hehe, Lord Liu, do you really want to know?" Zhu Tan leaned close to him and said in a low voice.

Seeing him acting mysterious, Liu Sanwu became even more curious and nodded quickly, saying, "Your Majesty, please speak. I am all ears."

Zhu Tan cleared his throat and said in a pretentious tone, "Master Liu, have you ever wondered why the stars in the sky shine?"

Liu Sanwu was stunned. Why did this kid talk about the stars?
"This... this old minister does not know, please let Your Majesty know clearly."

"Hehe, I don't know either."

Zhu Tan chuckled, but choked Liu Sanwu almost to death.

"But!" Zhu Tan changed the subject, "I can do research! This laboratory is used to study these things! Just think about it, if we could pick the stars in the sky, how much would they be worth?"

Liu Sanwu was stunned. Is this kid crazy? Picking stars?
"Your Highness, you...you are not kidding, right?" Liu Sanwu asked stutteringly.

"Do I look like a joker?" Zhu Tan glared.

Liu Sanwu was speechless. You don’t look like it, but you are!
"Master Liu, don't worry. I know what's going on! Just think of this fifty thousand taels of silver as an investment. Within a year, I promise to return it tenfold, including the principal and interest!"

Zhu Tan patted his chest and assured.

What else could Liu Sanwu say? This ancestor dared to deceive even the emperor, so what could he, a small minister of the Ministry of Revenue, say?
"Well, since Your Majesty is determined to do so, then I will boldly allocate 50,000 taels of silver to Your Majesty!"

Liu Sanwu gritted his teeth and said with a painful look.

"Hahaha, Lord Liu really knows how to deal with current events! Someone, prepare a carriage for me. I will go back and start building a laboratory!"

Zhu Tan achieved his goal. He waved his hand and left with a group of eunuchs.

Only Liu Sanwu was left standing there, looking at his receding back, wanting to cry but without the tears.

Fifty thousand taels of silver, just gone like that!

Liu Sanwu didn't dare to think about it anymore and could only pray that this ancestor would not let him down!
After Zhu Tan got the money, he acted decisively and immediately began to plan the construction of his "laboratory".

He first ran out of the city and chose a Feng Shui site surrounded by mountains and rivers. Then he spent a lot of money, recruited hundreds of skilled craftsmen, and started a vigorous construction.

This laboratory, although called a laboratory, is actually more like a luxurious manor.

The high walls enclosed the entire manor, and the vermilion gate, with its carved beams and painted buildings, was magnificent.

As you walk through the gate, the first thing that catches your eye is a huge garden.

In the garden, there are exotic flowers and plants competing for beauty, and there are also rockery, flowing water, pavilions and towers. It is simply like a paradise on earth.

Walking through the garden, you will see buildings of different styles.

Some of these buildings are towering into the clouds, while others are exquisite and unique. They were all designed and built by Zhu Tan according to his wild imagination.

As soon as Zhu Tan left, the entire Ministry of Revenue was in an uproar.

Fifty thousand taels of silver is not a small sum. It is enough for ordinary people to have food and drink for several lifetimes.

But now, Zhu Tan, this prodigal son, is trying to "pick stars". It is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!

Everyone in the Ministry of Revenue sighed and lamented, feeling sorry for the court's money.

Liu Sanwu was even more anxious and felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Fifty thousand taels of silver is not a small amount of money. It would be fine if Zhu Tan could really make a name for himself.

But I'm afraid that this gentleman is just in a momentary mood, and the money will be wasted, and he, the Minister of Revenue, will become a sinner for all eternity.

Zhu Tan didn't care about all this. After he got the silver, he immediately had people post notices at the city gate and in the streets, saying that he was offering a large sum of money to recruit skilled craftsmen from all over the world. As long as one had a skill, no matter their background, they could come to his "laboratory" to show their skills.

As soon as this notice came out, it caused an uproar.

The people were talking about it and saying all kinds of things.

"Is His Royal Highness Prince Lu crazy? Why is he recruiting so many craftsmen instead of staying in the palace?"

"Who knows, maybe he's going to come up with something new?"

"I think it's probably true. His Royal Highness Prince Lu has always loved tinkering with strange things. This time he might have come up with something incredible!"

……

The people were talking about it, most of them just wanting to watch the fun.

However, when this news reached the ears of some people, it caused a huge storm.

The Duke's Mansion is full of carved beams and painted buildings, exuding majesty and luxury everywhere.

When Li Shanchang heard the butler report Zhu Tan's "heroic feat", a sneer suddenly appeared on his face, which had been as calm as water.

That smile was full of ridicule and disdain.

"Fifty thousand taels? Haha, this kid really dares to ask! Picking stars? How could he think of such a ridiculous thing!"

Li Shanchang threw the book in his hand onto the table with a dull sound, which frightened the maids serving on the side and made them lower their heads, not daring to breathe.

"Master, is His Royal Highness Prince Lu insane? How can you pick the stars in the sky casually?"

The butler answered carefully, with a hint of worry in his tone, but he couldn't hide the meaning of gloating.

Li Shanchang glanced at him and snorted coldly:

"He has always been like this, acting absurdly and without any rules. He only knows how to eat, drink and have fun all day long, which ruins the reputation of the royal family! I'm afraid that these 50,000 taels of silver will be thrown into the water by him again, and not even a sound will be heard!"

Seeing that Li Shanchang was angry, the butler did not dare to say anything more. He could only stand aside and listen quietly.

Li Shanchang paced back and forth in the room, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

Zhu Tan's absurd behavior, in his opinion, was not only stupid, but also a contempt and provocation to him. As a founding hero, he held a high position and power, but Zhu Tan, relying on his status as a royal relative, dared to act so recklessly and had no regard for the law!
Thinking of this, a cold light flashed in Li Shanchang's eyes. He waved to his confidant Chen Ning and whispered a few words in his ear.

After Chen Ning heard this, he showed a look of surprise on his face, but then he quickly regained his composure and nodded:

"Don't worry, my lord. I know what to do."

As night fell, in the study of the Duke's Mansion, the dim candlelight illuminated two serious faces.

"Chen Ning, tell me, what exactly does Zhu Tan want to do?"

Li Shanchang stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the dark night outside, and asked in a deep voice.

Chen Ning bowed and replied:

"My Lord, I have learned that His Royal Highness Prince Nalu has recruited hundreds of skilled craftsmen to build an extremely luxurious manor outside the city. He said he wanted to build a 'laboratory' to study how to pick stars."

"Pick the stars?"

Li Shanchang sneered, turned around, his eyes full of mockery:
"Who does he think he is? A god? He dares to use such a ridiculous thing to deceive people. He is so stupid!"

"My Lord, Zhu Tan's behavior clearly shows that he doesn't take you seriously and even disregards the laws of the court! In my opinion, why not take this opportunity..."

When Chen Ning said this, he deliberately lowered his voice, and a hint of viciousness flashed in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang raised his eyebrows slightly, pondered for a moment, and said:

"I understand what you mean. This matter is of great importance. We must not act rashly. We need to think carefully..."

The two of them plotted in the study for a long time, the flickering candlelight stretching their shadows longer and shorter.

……

At the foot of the city wall, a ragged man curled up and looked around vigilantly like a stray dog.

His name is Lu San. He hasn’t had a hot meal for several days. His skinny body looks like it will fall down at the slightest breeze.

"Please, give me some food..."

Lu San stretched out his hand tremblingly to a wealthy woman passing by.

The woman waved the handkerchief in her hand in disgust and cursed in a shrill voice:

"Get out of here, you stinky beggar! Don't dirty my new clothes!"

After saying this, he walked away with his maid in a haughty manner.

Lu San dropped his hands weakly, his eyes full of despair.

At this time, a child ran past him with half a steamed bun in his hand.

Lu San's eyes lit up, and he pounced on it like a hungry wolf seeing its prey.

"Ah! My steamed bun!" The child was frightened by this sudden change, and the steamed bun in his hand rolled to the ground.

Like a starving ghost, Lu San threw himself desperately at the dusty steamed bun.

But before he could touch it, he was stepped hard on the ground by a foot.

"You stinky beggar! You even snatched the buns from children, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"

A burly man appeared in front of Lu San and started punching and kicking him.

"Please spare my life, I'm just too hungry..." Lu San protected his head weakly, his voice intermittent.

"Hungry? Can you steal things just because you're hungry? You deserve to starve to death!"

The man attacked even more fiercely, and each kick seemed to be on Lu San's heart, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

More and more people gathered around, but no one stepped forward to stop it. They just pointed and talked.

"Are beggars so rampant these days?"

"That's right, they even snatch children's things. This is really a downfall of the world!"

Lu San was beaten till his head was bleeding and his consciousness gradually faded, but he still stared at the dusty bun.

I don’t know how long it was before the man got tired of beating me and left cursing.

Lu San collapsed on the ground like mud, dying.

Just when he thought he was about to die, he heard a noisy discussion.

"Hey, have you heard? His Royal Highness Prince Lu wants to build a laboratory and recruit people!"

"Laboratory? What is that?"

"Who knows? But I heard the salary is very generous. Not only is the food and accommodation provided, but there is also a salary of two taels of silver per month!"

"Two taels of silver? My God, this is almost as much as the county magistrate's salary!"

"That's right, His Royal Highness Prince Lu is really..."

……

Laboratory? Two taels of silver?

Lu San struggled to open his heavy eyelids and looked hard in the direction where the sound came from.

Not far away, there was a striking imperial edict posted on a wall with the words "Lu Wangfu Recruitment Order" written in large letters.

Lu Sanqiang held on to his last breath and crawled over using his hands and feet. With trembling hands, he read the contents of the imperial edict word by word:

"Your Highness Prince Lu wants to recruit skilled craftsmen from all over the world to build a 'Star-picking Laboratory' to study the mysteries of heaven and earth and benefit the people..."

"Anyone who is sixteen years old or above and in good health, regardless of their background, can sign up..."

"Once hired, food and accommodation will be provided, and the monthly salary will be two taels..."

When Lu San read this, a light of hope suddenly burst out from his cloudy eyes.

He grabbed a passerby beside him and asked in a hoarse voice: "Big brother, is what the imperial edict says true?"

Passersby saw his miserable appearance and waved their hands impatiently:
"Really, really, don't you see who issued the imperial edict? It was issued by His Royal Highness Prince Lu. How could his words be false?"

When Lu San heard this, he was so moved that he burst into tears.

He stood up tremblingly and looked at the imperial edict, as if he saw hope of life.

"Your Highness Prince Lu... Star Picking Laboratory..."

He muttered to himself, and suddenly the strange and ingenious skills passed down by his ancestors flashed through his mind, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"I... Although I have fallen to this point, my ancestors were once wealthy! My ancestors were..."

He looked around, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously:

"But I am a descendant of Lu Ban! I have been learning various mechanical techniques since I was a child, but my family fell into poverty later..."

When the people around heard what he said, they were stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Him? The descendant of Lu Ban? I think he's more like a dog in front of Lu Ban's door!"

"That's right, why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? You don't even have a decent item on your body, and you still dare to say that you are the descendant of Lu Ban?"

"I think he was just crazy about money and deliberately made up a lie to get into Prince Lu's mansion!" (End of this chapter)