Chapter 87: Climbing the Mountain

Zhu Xu stepped forward, and Cao Wenzhao reached the gate first.

In fact, the people in the courtyard had already spotted them, and hurriedly opened the gate. Cao Wenzhao gave a few instructions, and the group instantly grew excited—yet not one of them was disorderly. They stood straight as arrows, as if awaiting Zhu Xu's inspection.

Zhu Xu walked over with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding the imposing bearing of a prince.

These men were all former subordinates of Cao Wenzhao from Liaodong, who had withdrawn from Liaodong for various reasons to seek refuge with Cao Wenzhao, and had ultimately been arranged here by him.

"Your subordinate pays respects to His Highness Prince Hui!"

One of them—a heavyset middle-aged man in plain clothes—ran over, knelt on one knee, and called out respectfully.

Zhu Xu knew this man. He had been a Company Commander in Liaodong, and because he had offended a superior, his entire squad had been stripped of their military registration.

Zhu Xu smiled slightly and said, "Mm, you've all worked hard. I'll have Commander Cao reward you with five thousand taels of silver. In a few days I'll give you some leave—you can go into the city and enjoy yourselves."

The man was overjoyed at this and said, "Your subordinate thanks Your Highness for the reward!" In Liaodong, it had been over military pay that he'd gotten into trouble; coming to the capital was precisely so he could earn silver without worry.

Zhu Xu waved a hand and strode inside with the air of a man with money to burn. There weren't many people in this courtyard—just over twenty, serving a defensive purpose. As Zhu Xu passed, each face wore a look of delighted reverence. Before, they had known through their connection to Cao Wenzhao that they must not offend Zhu Xu, or they'd lose their meals. Now they knew that following His Highness Prince Hui meant they'd have food—and good food at that!

Cao Wenzhao knew Zhu Xu's method of winning people over: he habitually bludgeoned them with silver.

He glanced at the somewhat agitated fat middle-aged man, thought for a moment, and said, "Hu Shanhai, you lead the way."

Hu Shanhai hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Highness. I'll lead you up. Uh, the mountain path isn't easy to walk—how about I carry you on my back?"

"No need," Zhu Xu said, hands behind his back. "A walk is fine."

"Yes, yes." Hu Shanhai walked in front, with a soldier's roughness but also a touch of the streetwise merchant. As he walked he said, "Your Highness, on this mountain, the daytime is fine, but at night the fog is thick and the dew heavy—the footing is slippery. I've only been up once myself."

Zhu Xu nodded. This weapons workshop was one he had opened privately—it was not the Bureau of Military Equipment—so secrecy naturally had to be maintained to the greatest extent possible.

Yao Qingqing had been visibly nervous the whole way, occasionally pursing her lips, looking up ahead, clutching at her clothes, her face a mix of worry and delight.

Zhu Xu was delicate of body and, being young, rarely exercised. Before long he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"Your Highness, how about I carry you?"

Cao Wenzhao had been watching Zhu Xu the whole time. The moment he saw this, he stepped close and said in a low voice.

Zhu Xu waved a hand, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, "No need. When we get back, find me some martial arts manuals. I'm going to practice peerless martial arts."

Cao Wenzhao and Yao Qingqing had both been with Zhu Xu long enough to know this was a joke. But Hu Shanhai ahead heard it and shook his head, saying, "Your Highness, those are useless. If you ask me, get a wooden dummy, take a saber, and chop at it every day—that works better than anything."

Zhu Xu, still panting, glanced at him and laughed. "Not bad. I'll try it when I get back."

Hu Shanhai beamed with joy, turning his head as he walked to add, "Your Highness, really, you don't need to train much. It's not as if you have to do anything. A place like this—with your status, you don't even need to come."

Zhu Xu smiled without replying, protected in the middle of the three men, following step by step up the mountain.

After who knew how long, Yao Qingqing, also panting, said at his side, "Your Highness, we're almost there."

Zhu Xu's small frame made him feel he had never walked this far in his life. He looked up and indeed saw a large courtyard appear before his eyes.

"Well, at least this way it's safer." Zhu Xu consoled himself. If not for something called dignity holding him up, he would have lain down right there and slept.

He forced himself on for a long while more before Zhu Xu and his party reached the courtyard halfway up the mountain.

Bi Maokang had also received word and came rushing out, bowing to Zhu Xu. "Your subordinate Bi Maokang pays respects to His Highness Prince Hui."

Zhu Xu, gasping for breath, waved a hand and said, "Enough. I've just come to have a look. You go catch up with Sister Qingqing first—I'll rest a while."

Bi Maokang had also spotted Yao Qingqing. Seeing that Zhu Xu was indeed exhausted, he bowed slightly and said, "Yes, Your Highness. Please follow me."

Bi Maokang led Zhu Xu into the courtyard and settled him in a room to rest, then led the nervous Yao Qingqing away.

"Your Highness, have some water." Cao Wenzhao poured a cup of water and handed it over.

Zhu Xu lay there, took a sip, rested for a while, then suddenly forced himself up again, full of enthusiasm. "Come on, let's go eavesdrop."

Cao Wenzhao knew Zhu Xu's mischievous tastes ran deep. Seeing that he could barely even stand, he still said, "Your Highness, you should rest first."

Zhu Xu waved a hand. "Quick, quick—help me over there."

Cao Wenzhao had no choice. He helped Zhu Xu sneak out the door, creep toward another room, and quietly sit beneath the window.

Inside the room, Yao Qingqing and Bi Maokang sat facing each other. Bi Maokang's expression was slightly grave; Yao Qingqing's face was tense.

"So, you were brought into the palace by His Highness Prince Hui." Bi Maokang nodded thoughtfully after hearing Yao Qingqing's account.

Yao Qingqing nodded gently. "It happened not long after you left. His Highness takes good care of me. There aren't many people in His Highness's Jinghuan Palace. I usually cook and do the laundry—nothing much else."

Bi Maokang nodded. His Highness Prince Hui was only seven years old—what could there possibly be to do?

Having finally met after so long, he didn't want to dwell on the matter between them and make the atmosphere awkward, so he made conversation. "Has anything interesting happened in the city lately?"

Yao Qingqing rarely left the palace either, and unless something made a huge stir, she wouldn't know of it. And Zhu Xu had many matters he'd told her not to mention. She thought for a moment, then said, "The court conducted a raid on lawless merchants in the capital. The various government offices had hidden away a great deal. His Highness Prince Hui, by imperial decree, searched all the offices in the capital. They say the recovered illicit silver exceeded ten million taels."

Bi Maokang's face changed drastically. "Are you serious?" Bi Maokang was a man well-read in history and long seasoned in officialdom—he naturally knew the affairs of every reign of the Great Ming. The moment he heard this, he understood what the court was up to, and he knew full well that the various offices would certainly be guilty of corruption and fraud. But he had never imagined that that seven-year-old young prince would dare so much.

"And then what happened?" Bi Maokang pressed.

Yao Qingqing shook her head slightly. "I'm not too clear on that. But His Highness has been confined to his quarters by Her Majesty the Empress for over half a month now."

A show for the outer officials!

Bi Maokang instantly formed a confident conclusion about the matter in his heart. The Emperor had learned of the corruption in the various offices but couldn't act directly, so he had used Prince Hui's hand—then punished lightly as a warning, and let the matter quietly drop.

"It seems His Highness Prince Hui is not only deeply favored by Her Majesty the Empress, but is also a trusted confidant of the Emperor." Bi Maokang murmured to himself, then looked up. "So, what is His Highness's purpose in coming this time?"

Yao Qingqing was disappointed that Bi Maokang didn't bring up the matter between them, but at least she had seen him—that brought some comfort. She said softly, "You may not know yet—His Highness's maternal uncle, Lord Fu, will soon be promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Bi Maokang's expression subtly stirred with excitement at this. He felt that the Emperor, having endured so long in patience, would soon be able to control the court and truly work openly and aboveboard for the great revival of the Ming.

"Good, good." Bi Maokang stood and paced a few steps. "His Highness has come to see the firearms, hasn't he? Very well—I've just cast a new one. I'll bring it out for His Highness to see in a moment."

Zhu Xu listened for a while and shook his head inwardly. How had this Bi Maokang made Yao Qingqing wait for him so devotedly for ten years?

Zhu Xu waved at Cao Wenzhao and got up to head back.

But not long after Zhu Xu returned, Bi Maokang followed him in, his face respectful yet tinged with excitement. "Your Highness, take a look at this—I cast it just yesterday." So saying, he handed over a black long-barreled firearm.

Zhu Xu glanced at Yao Qingqing beside him, whose face could not hide its plaintive resentment, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He decided that when he got back, he would definitely read more books and become a man of letters!

Cao Wenzhao took the firearm, fiddled with it in his hands for a moment, then passed it to Zhu Xu.

Zhu Xu still hadn't fully recovered his breath, but he was excited nonetheless. He took it and examined it over and over.

With the Great Ming's current craftsmanship, casting a smoothbore was still very difficult, which made loading awkward. Zhu Xu could only require that it be made as short as possible, so as not to fail against a cavalry charge.

He felt it for a while, then shook his head again — it still fell far short of his requirements.

Zhu Xu looked up and asked, "How far can it shoot?"

Bi Maokang replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, we tested it last night — two hundred zhang, not quite three hundred."

Zhu Xu frowned slightly. One zhang was roughly one meter, so that meant a bit over two hundred meters; the effective lethal range was probably less than one hundred meters.

"What about the front sight?" Zhu Xu asked again.

Bi Maokang hesitated, then said, "We haven't measured it yet, but judging from last night, it probably can't be controlled."

Zhu Xu nodded. Such a flintlock most likely had no front sight. But even without one, that didn't mean it lacked killing power — especially when cavalry charged in large numbers, its power would be tremendous.

Zhu Xu thought for a moment, then said, "You still need to find a way to improve the barrel. The stock can be lengthened, and you'll have to try other methods for cooling — experiment more."

"Yes, Your Highness." Bi Maokang agreed; this was also the problem that had been troubling him all along.

Zhu Xu glanced at him and said thoughtfully, "If it came to large-scale casting, how many could you produce here?"

Bi Maokang was startled. Looking at Zhu Xu, he pondered and said, "This official can't cast many here. Once the blueprints are perfected and handed to the Bureau of Military Equipment for casting, it would be much faster — one to two hundred pieces a month would be no problem."

Zhu Xu naturally wouldn't hand it to the Bureau of Military Equipment. That would be no different from simply telling Zhu Youxiao he was planning to rebel.

'It seems I'll need to build a new arsenal that can mass-produce firearms.'

Zhu Xu pondered inwardly, while nodding outwardly and saying, "In a few days, I'll find a way to get you a red-barbarian cannon. Study it thoroughly then, and maximize its power."

First update — typos and such, I'll come back to check tomorrow~~