Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 177 Improvement
It was nothing new for the Crown Prince to leave the city. In the past two years, Zhu Yunhuan had not left the city very often, but it was not a small number. To be honest, it was more than the previous thirteen or fourteen years combined.

But all of these were serious matters, even outings, which basically carried certain political implications. It was impossible to really travel around, and Zhu Yunhuan knew this.

It is naturally impossible to complain. After all, the position he is in now means that he needs to take responsibility.

Looking at Zhu Chong riding on a tall horse, Zhu Yunxun asked, "Second Uncle, it's a bit unpleasant not to be able to ride a horse, right?"

"That's right. I still like to ride a horse and lead my warriors to charge into battle." Zhu Chong said directly, "Although this imperial horse looks fat and strong, it is not as good as my war horses."

Then Zhu Chong glared at Zhu Su, who looked a little depressed, and said, "You had a great time visiting the brothel, but now you are so listless when I ask you to go to the farm. What kind of talk is this?"

Zhu Su felt so wronged, "Brother, I just went there to listen to music and drink, but I didn't expect to be so unlucky to be seen by someone."

It was really not a small move by Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Yunhuan, but Zhu Su met the son of an official in a brothel and was probably recognized. It is estimated that there will be various impeachments against him in the next two days.

All I can say is that if you stand by the river often, you will get your feet wet, and you can’t blame others for this.

Zhu Shangbing followed behind and laughed. In fact, he was not a very honest person. He was honest in Yingtian Prefecture and Fengyang, but he could act without any restrictions when he arrived in Xi'an.

After all, his father was not a serious man, so when Zhu Shangbing was in Xi'an, he rushed around, went wherever was interesting, and tried anything he was curious about. His father would at most give him a few words of advice.

When they arrived at the imperial farm, Zhu Yunhuan gloated over the misfortune, "Second uncle, I don't know how to farm, would you like to help me?"

Zhu Chong was so angry that he could only say, "I don't know how to do it either. If you give me one mu of land, I'd be lucky if I can get one dan of rice in two seasons."

"Then the emperor will definitely punish you." Zhu Su followed suit and gloated, "Second brother, why don't I teach you. I'm not as good as you in leading troops in battle, but I do know a thing or two about farming."

There is nothing wrong with what he said, not only because Zhu Su himself was interested in herbs and plants, but also because he had been sent back to his hometown before. Although he had no worries about food and clothing after returning home, it was still somewhat like labor reform, and he had to work.

Zhu Chong was even more unhappy. "I forgot that you like to go back to your hometown the most. It just so happens that I won't be able to leave for a year or two this time. You should tell me where to have fun in your hometown and where to go to kill time."

They were brothers in distress. They were all driven back to their hometowns after making mistakes. Among the royal princes, Zhu Su was the first and Zhu Chong was the second. Zhu Shouqian, the Prince of Jingjiang, was another case. He had been driven back to his hometown again and again, but this local tyrant had already passed away.

When arriving at the imperial farm, the natural thing to consider is farming.

Zhu Yunhuan called the manager of the imperial farm and asked him carefully about a series of basic situations of the imperial farm, paying special attention to a series of things he had arranged, namely the newly prepared experimental fields, the fertilizer testing sites, etc.

These are the key issues that Zhu Yunhuan needs to be concerned about, rather than expecting a large output in the short term. What he needs to find is a method that can be promoted, which Zhu Yunhuan has always been very clear about.

Just when Zhu Yunhuan was about to ask more questions, Zhu Chong said stealthily, "Your unmarried daughter-in-law said she was also at the imperial manor."

This surprised Zhu Yunhuan, "Why is she here? I didn't let her come."

Although he said so, Zhu Yunhuan still said to Zhang Fusheng, "Let the Crown Prince's Consort come over."

Zhu Chong and others were speechless. If Zhu Yunhuan became shameless, then there would be no chance for anyone else.

Even though the marriage was settled, the specific wedding date had not yet been decided. Many people only speculated that the wedding date would be set after the mourning period was over, which would have to wait until the marriages of Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yourong, Zhu Youling and others were completed.

However, Zhu Yunhuan didn't seem to care about it and just addressed him like that in such a semi-formal occasion. But others could only pretend not to hear it. Only a short-sighted person would think of correcting the address at this time.

Naturally, someone would go and summon Xu Miaojin, and Zhu Yunhuan didn't need to worry too much about these matters.

As for the officials, those who were supposed to accompany the delegation were accompanying the delegation, and those who were supposed to do their own jobs were doing their own jobs. None of them were idle.

Xu Miaojin came over quickly, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Long live His Royal Highness."

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "Why are you here?"

Xu Miaojin was not afraid of the stage, and said calmly, "Your Highness had previously asked me to try to improve farming tools. I have also been thinking about it for a long time, and now I am discussing some ideas with craftsmen and farmers." Zhu Yunhuan was very happy with this answer, "Is that true, or you have the intention. Whether it is my royal family or the Zhongshan Palace, we are all from Fengyang farmers, so we should not forget our roots."

Of course, this is just some polite talk. Nowadays, no one really regards the royal family and the Xu family as farmers. Even if they have such a background, it only adds some legend.

Xu Miaojin continued, "I have collected a lot of farm tools, and I think it would be great if I could improve the plowshare a little bit."

Zhu Yunhuan was even more interested. Many people know about the curved plow, which was invented in the Sui and Tang dynasties. Its most significant achievement was the formation of a technical system for intensive cultivation of paddy fields in the south. The application and promotion of the curved plow greatly improved labor productivity and the quality of cultivated land.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, there were also some minor improvements and perfections, which made the plow structure lighter, more flexible to use, and more efficient in farming.

Xu Miaojin had someone bring the plowshare over and said, "I think it would be best if the plowshare could be double-sided, but I spent a lot of time and effort to forge an iron plowshare, and I'm afraid it won't be easy to roll out across the country."

Zhu Yunhuan observed carefully that the traditional plowshare was single-sided and could plow the land in one direction. However, the plow made by Xu Miaojin had a slight arc, which looked like a triangle smashed into a certain arc, so the two sides were naturally extended and double-sided.

Zhu Yunxun asked again, "Besides the difficulty in manufacturing, are there any other areas that need to be improved?"

Xu Miaojin immediately replied, "I am asking someone to plow the fields now, but it seems that this plow is not very durable."

Seeing Xu Miaojin looking a little frustrated and disappointed, Zhu Yunxun smiled and comforted her, "This is already very good, it would be great if there are some improvements. This is how it should be now, and we are also thinking that we will not get the benefits if we are impatient. We know there are still some shortcomings, so we can think of ways to improve them a little bit."

This was Zhu Yunhuan's real thought. He naturally wanted to make rapid progress in science and technology. He also understood that breakthroughs in science and technology required continuous accumulation and exploration, and sometimes also required a bit of luck.

So there is no need to be too anxious to see any results now. It is already a very good thing to have some small progress like now.

It’s not that Zhu Yunhuan had low requirements, but that he was quite pragmatic and just needed to do a series of basic work in a down-to-earth manner.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xu Miaojin and asked with concern, "Is there anything you need from me or the court?"

Xu Miaojin immediately said, "Your Highness, it would be best if the Ministry of Works could help. Many master craftsmen are in the Ministry of Works, so I can only ask my brother to invite them."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately looked at Yan Zhenzhi and said, "The Crown Princess cares about the people. She remembered what I just said casually before. There are some things you should know. She often sends people to get books from the main hall and often reads agricultural books and ancient books. You people should also pay more attention. You can't let her do these things alone."

Xu Miaojin blushed. It was true that they hadn't gotten married yet, not to mention that they hadn't even got a betrothal letter. How could she address him directly in public? But think about it, this grandson had been outspoken more than once or twice.

Yan Zhenzhi and other officials from the Ministry of Works quickly knelt down, praising Xu Miaojin for his concern for the people and apologizing to Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunhuan was too lazy to say anything more. In fact, Yan Zhenzhi and others also had their own opinions. The court still had many projects to do. Some craftsmen and so on were indeed not easy to "borrow".

The previous example is that Tang He, the Duke of Xin, privately mobilized soldiers to build a mansion for Li Shanchang. Tang He was indeed fine, but that was one of Li Shanchang's crimes. Others may not take it to heart, but Yan Zhenzhi and others must take it as a warning. These principled mistakes must not be made. After all, the thoughts of the emperor and the crown prince are too difficult to guess.

The brothers Zhu Chong and Zhu Su looked at each other, then left with Zhu Shangbing. If other officials wanted to follow the crown prince, these two princes would probably take action.

Even Xu Zengshou, who sent Xu Miaojin to the imperial farm, left directly with great foresight. Although they did not know the term "light bulb", they still understood the general meaning.

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "Is it Grandfather's idea to come here today?"

Xu Miaojin answered honestly, "I was originally tilling the fields at my home, and it was His Highness who ordered me to come here."

"It's my fault. I didn't ask too much after I talked about these things before." Zhu Yunhuan felt a little guilty, but it was gone in a flash. "I still need to pay more attention to these things. I will think of a solution."

Obviously, I came here to inspect some work, but now it seems like I'm having a date.

But Zhu Yunhuan's date place was not only farmland, but some places also smelled very bad. Even if you covered your nose, you could still smell the stench.

There is no way. Zhu Yunhuan is the Crown Prince who works hard, so these things should be like this.

(End of this chapter)