Chapter 265: The Wu King's Car Arrives

……

When I returned to Wu Wang Fu, the sky was already completely dark.

The mansion was brightly lit, and from afar I could hear Zhu Qiong Jiong shouting, "I won! I won!"

Zhu Yong walked in and saw two small Stone Locks placed in the courtyard; Zhu Xiongying was sitting on the ground panting, and Zhu Qiong Jiong was standing beside him, waving his arms.

"What's wrong?" Zhu Yong asked.

Zhu Huanhuan ran over, laughing, and said, "Dad, Brother Xiong Ying and little brother had a Stone Lock lifting contest, and little brother won!"

Zhu Xiongying stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and said with a wry smile, "Second uncle, Jiong brother's strength is too great; I only lifted it twenty times, and he's already lifted it fifty times."

Zhu Yong laughed heartily, patted Zhu Xiongying's head and said, "Competing with him in strength, isn't that asking for trouble? You should compete with him in recitation."

Zhu Xiongying's eyes lit up and said, "Right! Jiong brother, let's compete in recitation!"

Zhu Qiong Jiong's little face fell and said, "No…."

"The Thousand Character Classic, I'll recite first! Heaven and Earth are dark yellow, the universe is vast and wild, the sun and moon wax and wane, the constellations are arranged…" Zhu Xiongying began without hesitation.

Zhu Qiong Jiong covered his ears and ran away.

Zhu Huanhuan laughed so hard she could barely stand upright.

Guanyin Nu stepped out of the house, laughing, "Stop messing around, come in and eat."

The group entered the dining hall.

The table was piled with dishes, steaming hot.

Zhu Xiongying and Zhu Huanhuan sat on one side, Zhu Qiong Jiong sat beside Zhu Yong, clutching a large chicken leg and gnawing it until his mouth was slick with oil.

"Xiong Ying, your father has been busy these days; you must study diligently in Dabentang and not cause trouble for the teacher." Zhu Yong said.

Zhu Xiongying nodded, "Second uncle, rest assured, nephew understands; I've memorized all the books the teacher taught."

"It's good that you remember; when you're a few years older, second uncle will take you to the battlefield." Zhu Yong said.

Zhu Xiongying's eyes brightened, "Really?"

"Really… but you have to get past your father's hurdle first." Zhu Yong laughed.

Zhu Xiongying's little face fell again.

His father's hurdle… is too difficult.

Zhu Biao, though he cared for him, never went easy on him when it came to studying.

Isn't this second uncle just fooling him? How does it feel like the second uncle is becoming just like his own father?

……

It was late at night.

Zhu Yong sat in the study, gazing at the bright Moonlight outside the window.

Guanyin Nu brought in a cup of tea and placed it beside him.

"Prince, what are you thinking?"

Zhu Yong came to himself and smiled, "I'm thinking about what big brother said today."

"What did Crown Prince say?"

"He said, 'All the things I've contributed over the years have each changed the shape of Great Ming. Actually, I want to say these things aren't my sole achievement; they're thanks to big brother, dad, and the people of the Ministry of Works, who built them together.'"

Zhu Yong lifted the tea cup, took a sip, and said.

Guanyin Nu whispered, "Prince, you're being modest."

Zhu Yong shook his head and said nothing more.

Of course he knew how these things came about.

The system's sign‑in shows each item is technology that surpasses this era.

But he also knew that having only the Blueprint is useless; someone must be able to understand it, build it, and put it to use.

The people of the Ministry of Works, though they didn't understand at first, never resisted.

They tried again and again, revised repeatedly, and stubbornly turned the Blueprint's designs into real objects.

That is the most valuable.

"By the way, tomorrow have someone push that steam car from the mansion to the Ministry of Works, let the craftsmen install rubber wheels and test the result," Zhu Yong suddenly remembered.

Guanyin Nu nodded, "I've noted it."

Zhu Yong stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the moon in the sky.

The thirteenth year of Hongwu, June.

The Hu Weiyong case had settled, the cabinet ran smoothly, and new technologies kept emerging.

Everything was developing in a positive direction.

"When that car can run, I'll take dad and mom for a spin; the old man will definitely be happy," Zhu Yong muttered to himself.

Moonlight spilled over him, stretching his shadow long and long.

In the distance, the Imperial City's lights flickered in the night sky.

Great Ming's future continues onward.

……

Early the next morning, Zhu Yong went to the Ministry of Works.

The steam car had already been fitted with rubber wheels, and several craftsmen were circling around it.

"Prince, we've tested it; after installing the rubber wheels, it's much steadier! Please give it a try?" the lead craftsman said excitedly.

Zhu Yong jumped onto the car and sounded the steam whistle.

Wooo...

With a long blast, the steam car slowly started, moving forward along the concrete road.

The wheels rolled over the road, and indeed it wasn't that bumpy.

Zhu Yong drove faster and faster, the wind whistling past his ears.

Pedestrians on the roadside stopped in droves, staring dumbfounded at the iron contraption spewing white smoke that could move on its own.

A child chased after the vehicle, shouting as he ran, "King Wu's car is coming, King Wu's car is coming..."

Zhu Yong laughed heartily.

If this were a monster, it'd be a good monster.

After covering ten li in one breath, Zhu Yong finally turned the vehicle around.

Back at the Ministry of Works, Zhu Biao was already waiting there.

"Second brother, how is it?" Zhu Biao asked.

Zhu Yong jumped out of the car, patted its body and said: "Steady! Big brother, you may invite Father to see it."

Zhu Biao nodded, smiling: "Alright, tomorrow afternoon, Imperial Father will happen to be free."

Zhu Yong grinned: "Done."

……

The next afternoon, the sunshine was perfect.

Zhu Yuanzhang, accompanied by Empress Ma, Zhu Biao, and Zhu Yong, arrived at the courtyard of the Ministry of Works office.

In the courtyard stood the steam car, polished to a gleam.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked around the car, tapped the boiler curiously, and said: "Second brother, this iron lump now is far sturdier than that wooden frame you had before."

Zhu Yong leapt onto the car, blew the whistle and said: "Father, Mother, come up, I'll give you a ride around."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily, lifted his foot and climbed into the car.

Empress Ma also tried to get on, but Zhu Biao steadied her.

"Girl, be careful."

Zhu Yong, after they were all seated securely, pulled the control lever.

"Wooo..."

The steam car started slowly, rolled out of the Ministry of Works office and onto the cement official road.

The wind brushed the face, warm and pleasant.

Empress Ma watched the fields on either side rush backward, her eyes wide, and said: "This… this is much faster than riding a horse!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a while, then suddenly said: "Yong Er, do you know what we're thinking?"

"What?"

"We wonder, if back when we fought wars we had this thing, how fast could we transport grain and troops? The Northern Expedition wouldn't have been so hard."

Zhu Yuanzhang said slowly.

Zhu Yong laughed: "Father, it's not too late now! In future campaigns, all grain, fodder, and equipment can be hauled by this car, saving so much effort."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then shook his head: "Unfortunately this thing requires iron and coal; we still can't produce many of them now."

"Take it slow; when there's more steel and more roads, we can make them," Zhu Yong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his goofy son and suddenly laughed.

"Yong Er, in this life, our greatest blessing is having you few good sons."

Zhu Yong scratched his head, saying nothing.

The car moved forward, heading toward the setting sun.

Golden sunlight spilled onto the car, onto the road, onto everyone's faces.

In the summer of the thirteenth year of Hongwu, a steam car billowing white smoke carried the Great Ming Emperor, Empress, Crown Prince, and King Wu, racing along the brand‑new cement official road.

In the distance, the outline of Yingtian City.

Farther away, the vast endless mountains and rivers.

Great Ming's future is moving farther along this road.