Chapter 295: Another Year

In the sixteenth year of Hongwu, Spring Festival.

Before dawn, Yingtian Prefecture was already filled with the crackling of firecrackers.

Zhu Yong lay on the bed, listening to the faint bustle outside the window, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

Another year.

The familiar voice in his mind sounded right on time.

"Ding… Sign‑in for the sixteenth year of Hongwu is now open, would you like to claim the reward?"

"Claim it."

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Basic Processing Principles + Blueprint for Basic Machine Tool Construction.

(Including full sets of blueprints and processing techniques for lathes, milling machines, planers, drills, etc.)."

Zhu Yong closed his eyes, letting the information flood into his mind.

Lathe, milling machine, planer, drill…

Gear drive, belt drive, lead‑screw feed…

Precision grades, machining allowances, heat‑treatment processes…

Page after page of blueprints, line after line of text, ran through his mind.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and stared at the dust‑laden ceiling.

Basic machine tools.

These are far more important than those single‑technology items before.

With a lathe, we can machine precise components.

With a milling machine, we can fabricate complex parts.

With a planer, drill…

Combined, these form a complete mechanical processing system.

The earlier steam engines, Flintlock Guns, and steel‑making furnaces were built, but many parts relied on hand‑polishing, resulting in low efficiency, poor precision, and short lifespan.

With these machine tools, production can be standardized, raising both output and quality.

More importantly, this prepares us for future power plants.

Generators require precise rotors, stators, coils, and magnetic cores; without machine tools, making them by hand is very difficult.

"Prince, you're awake?" Xiao Zhu's voice came from outside.

"Mm." Zhu Yong replied, rolling over to sit up.

Xiao Zhu and Xiao Ying entered carrying hot water, attending to his dressing and washing.

"Prince, today is the New Year; the Princess said you should wear that newly made woven gold python robe." Xiao Ying said while handing him a towel.

Zhu Yong nodded, letting them fuss over him.

The woven gold python robe has a dark base, gold thread embroidered with a five‑claw cloud python, a jade sash at the waist, and a Gold Crown on the head.

Dressed neatly, he stepped before a bronze mirror.

Twenty‑eight years old, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a square face, and a full palate.

It's been over ten years.

From the hungry, simple boy in Fengyang Mountain Village to now the Great Ming Wu Prince, Grand General Zhenglu.

The journey feels like a dream.

"Let's go, let's head to the main courtyard."

……

Zhu Yong's family first went to the Eastern Palace to pay New Year's respects to his older brother, then followed his brother's family to the imperial palace.

In Kunning Palace, Empress Ma was doing her makeup.

Seeing her two sons bring in their wives and grandchildren, she smiled with her eyes narrowed to slits.

"They're here, they're here! Come in, warm up!"

Everyone saluted, and Empress Ma lifted each of them in turn.

"Jiong Jiong has grown again, even sturdier than your brother Xiong Ying when he was a child."

Zhu Qiong Jiong puffed out his small chest, a look of pride on his face.

Zhu Xiongying laughed beside him, not minding at all.

Empress Ma looked at the whole family, her eyes growing a bit moist.

Just then, a eunuch's voice came from outside: "His Majesty has arrived..."

Zhu Yuanzhang strode in, wearing a dark‑red everyday robe, looking vigorous.

He glanced around the hall, nodding with satisfaction.

"Everyone's here, good! Let's go to Qianqing Palace; we'll have the Imperial Kitchen prepare dumplings, and eat while we chat."

When they arrived at Qianqing Palace, they saw a table laden with sumptuous dishes.

While eating, Zhu Yong suddenly pulled out that stack of blueprints from his bosom.

"Father, this morning, White-bearded Old Man gave me something again."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up as he took the blueprints; this is an indispensable part of the yearly ceremony.

He opened the first page, glanced a few times, and was stunned.

The paper showed some odd shapes and winding lines.

Lathe, milling machine, planer, drill… He recognized each term, but together they made no sense.

"What is this?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked up at Zhu Yong.

Zhu Yong said naively, "White-bearded Old Man said this is called basic machine tools; with these, we can make more precise parts. Steam engines and Flintlock Guns will no longer need to be hand‑polished."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "Can't we use our current steam engine and Flintlock Gun?"

"It can be used, but many components are hand‑ground, so efficiency is low, precision poor, and lifespan short. With these machine tools, we can standardize production, and both output and quality can rise a notch," Zhu Yong explained.

Zhu Yuanzhang flipped through a few more pages, still couldn't understand, so he simply handed them to Zhu Biao.

"Biao‑er, take a look."

Zhu Biao took it, examined it carefully, and his brow furrowed as well.

"Second brother, can the people of the Ministry of Works understand these things…?"

Zhu Yong thought for a moment and said, "It'll probably be too much at first, but we can take it slowly, first select a few clever and agile craftsmen to guide them specifically."

"Alright, you brothers handle it as you see fit; we don't care whether we understand. Whatever you wrestle out will end up being good."

He paused, then laughed, "Yong Er, you White-bearded Old Man, giving us things every year, we all want to worship him."

Zhu Yong gave a simple smile and said, "Father, I don't know where he is either; as long as he gives, I take it, and once taken I bring it back."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said no more.

……

After eating.

The children couldn't stay seated; Zhu Wenwen held Zhu Huanhuan's hand and whispered something.

Zhu Qiongjiong also shuffled over, and after being scolded again by the two older sisters, pouted and ran to find Zhu Xiongying.

Zhu Xiongying took his hand and led him to a side to play.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his grandchildren, his smile deepening.

"Little sister, look at this whole family, how wonderful."

Empress Ma nodded, "Indeed, wonderful."

After sitting a while longer, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Yong Er, have you heard about Feng Sheng's nephew?"

Zhu Yong was startled and asked, "Feng An? What happened to him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression grew complex; he sighed, "That kid has killed someone."

Zhu Yong frowned.

Feng An is Feng Sheng's nephew; a few years ago Zhu Yuanzhang arranged his marriage to Lv Ben's daughter, Lu Chan.

Lu Chan, historically the birth mother of Zhu Yunwen, that deep‑thinking member of the Lu Clan.

In this life, Lv Ben's Nine Clans were exterminated, Lu Chan should have been implicated and executed, but Feng Sheng pleaded, so Lu Chan was spared.

Zhu Yuanzhang, saving face for Feng Sheng, spared Lu Chan's life and let her go.

Unexpectedly, not long after, another incident arose; a few years ago Lu Chan had poisoned Feng An's concubine, and now what happened again?

"Killed whom?" Zhu Yong asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and said, "The Lu Clan, that child, and a steward from the Feng household."

Zhu Yong was stunned.

Child?

Born of Lu Chan?

He looked at Zhu Biao.

Zhu Biao nodded, whispered, "The Lu Clan gave birth to a son last lunar month; when he was born, Feng An felt something was off, that child didn't look like him nor like anyone from the Feng family."

He endured for a month, finally couldn't resist investigating, and discovered that the Lu Clan had an affair with a steward in the household, and that child was the steward's.

Zhu Yong remained silent for a moment, then asked, "And then?"