Chapter 397: Zhu Shuang Returns

In the twentieth year of Hongwu, the ninth day of the third month.

Yingtian Prefecture, Wu Wang Fu.

Just as dawn was breaking, Zhu Yong awoke.

He lay on the bed, staring at the dust on the ceiling, his mind turning over the blueprints of the internal combustion engine.

It had been almost a month since his return, and he went to the Ministry of Works every day.

Song Li, that old man, was truly diligent; he drew more than thirty craftsmen from the various departments who could read blueprints, and specially established an internal combustion engine Workshop in the southeast corner of the Imperial City, not far from the Imperial Hospital.

Zhu Yong went to take a look yesterday; the Workshop had already been erected, bricks, tiles and timber piled across the courtyard, and the craftsmen were laying furnace bricks and assembling workbenches.

Song Li said that in another month or so they could start construction.

He sat up quietly.

Guanyin Nu was still asleep, her belly already prominent; the doctor said the fetus was stable, but since she was an elderly mother, they had to be careful.

Every morning before leaving, Zhu Yong reminded Xiao Zhu and Xiao Ying to look after the princess and not let her become fatigued.

After dressing and stepping out of the room, in the courtyard Zhu Qiongjiong was already practicing martial arts.

The twelve‑year‑old boy, bare‑chested, lifted a 180‑jin Stone Lock, one after another, his face unflushed and his breath unlabored.

Next to him lay a sixty‑jin Wolf Fang Club, its head polished to a shine.

"Father..."

Seeing Zhu Yong emerge, Zhu Qiongjiong set down the Stone Lock and ran over, asking, "Are you still going to the Ministry of Works today?"

"Yes, I'm going to see the internal combustion engine Workshop. What about you? Going to Dabentang today?"

"Going, the teacher said we have a policy essay exam today, and Xiong Ying said he'll guard me..." Zhu Qiongjiong grinned.

Zhu Yong nodded.

The boy had studied at Dabentang for half a year; his handwriting was still crooked, but his policy essays had improved considerably.

The last essay he wrote, "On Land Reclamation," earned him a "B‑plus" from the teacher, ranking third in the class.

Zhu Xiongying was first, Zhu Gaochi second.

Zhu Gaochi, only ten years old, wrote policy essays better than many classmates several years his senior; Zhu Di wondered in which past life he had cultivated such luck.

"Go then! Do well on the exam, and return after; your third uncle arrives today,"

Zhu Qiongjiong's eyes lit up as he said, "Third uncle, has he returned from Australia?"

"Yes, he arrived in Tongzhou last night and entered the city today. Your emperor is holding a banquet at Qianqing Palace, and we all must go," Zhu Yong patted his son's shoulder.

Zhu Qiongjiong responded with a nod and ran into the house to wash and change.

Zhu Yong stood in the courtyard, looking at the old locust tree.

Tender buds had already sprouted on its branches, and a few sparrows chattered noisily from the twigs.

Zhu Shuang has returned.

The last time they met was in the fifteenth year of Hongwu; that boy had been transferred from Xi'an to Australia. When Zhu Yong left Australia, his eyes were red, and he said, "Second Prince, rest assured, I will manage Australia well."

In his heart he was actually uncertain; five years had slipped by.

He often heard people talk about the situation over in Australia.

After Zhu Shuang went, the new city expanded threefold, more than a dozen mines were opened—copper, iron, coal—continuously shipped back.

The natives were also tamed; the obedient were kept to work, the disobedient were sent to the South Sea to grow rubber.

Last year a gold mine was discovered, its grade terrifyingly high; the first batch of ore was shipped to Yingtian Prefecture, and the Ministry of Works officials stared in amazement.

A faint smile tugged at Zhu Yong's mouth.

That boy had become promising.

At Chen Hour, Zhu Yong led Zhu Qiongjiong out the door.

Zhu Huanhuan stayed at home to keep Guanyin Nu company, saying that third uncle would be seen that evening, so there was no rush for this moment.

Riding a horse through the streets, Yingtian Prefecture was livelier than the previous month.

Many new storefronts had opened along the street, selling all sorts of goods.

An old man selling roasted sweet potatoes pushed his cart around the corner, the aroma drifting far.

Zhu Qiongjiong bought one, split it in half, gave one half to his father, and chewed the other himself.

"Father, third uncle over in Australia—did he get very tanned..." he asked, chewing the sweet potato indistinctly.

Zhu Yong, hearing this, couldn't help scratching his head and said, "He should be darker than when he left. Your third uncle was originally fair-skinned; the sun over in Australia is fierce, a few years of exposure would make him dark."

"What about fourth uncle? Fourth uncle is in the East Sea—did he also get tanned?"

"Your fourth uncle was already dark-skinned; whether he sunbathed or not makes no difference."

Zhu Qiongjiong grinned.

Upon arriving at the Imperial City, Zhu Yong went to the Ministry of Works first.

The internal combustion engine Workshop was in the southeast corner of the Imperial City, originally a warehouse that had been cleared and repurposed.

The courtyard was small but tidy, with blue bricks laid on the ground and a few locust trees just sprouting new buds.

Song Li was directing the craftsmen in the courtyard to lay the furnace when he saw Zhu Yong enter, and he hurried forward to salute.

"Prince, you have arrived."

Zhu Yong waved his hand and walked around the courtyard.

Half of the furnace had been built, using refractory bricks shipped from Jingdezhen.

The workbenches were assembled in neat rows, perfectly orderly.

A few enlarged blueprints hung on the wall—cross‑sectional drawings of the internal combustion engine that Zhu Yong had had drawn for the craftsmen's reference.

"Is the manpower sufficient..." he asked.

Song Li replied, "We have enough. I selected thirty‑seven craftsmen from the various departments who can read the blueprints, and recruited more than twenty young apprentices from Yingtian Prefecture. They will first learn by following, and gradually become proficient."

"The materials?"

"The copper and iron have been requisitioned from the Ministry of Works' storerooms; as for the special steel, I had people forge a batch according to the Blueprint's formula. Prince, rest assured, I'm keeping an eye on it."

Zhu Yong nodded, walked to the enlarged Blueprint, and stared at it for a moment.

The four‑stroke principle: intake, compression, combustion, exhaust—four strokes, one cycle.

Zhu Yong had read about it in books in his previous life and thought it was obvious; now, looking at the Blueprint, he finally understands how complex it is.

"Minister Song, this isn't urgent; take your time. First produce a prototype that can turn, and that will count as success. The rest can be discussed later."

Song Li nodded repeatedly.

Leaving the Ministry of Works, Zhu Yong headed toward Qianqing Palace. Halfway there, he ran into Zhu Biao.

The Crown Prince, dressed in moon‑white everyday robes, was coming from Wenhua Hall, holding a folded paper in his hand.

"Second brother, I'm going to see the internal combustion engine," Zhu Biao said with a smile as he walked over.

Zhu Yong nodded and said, "We've seen it; the Workshop is up, and Song Li said it could start construction within a month."

"The people of the Ministry of Works have been harassed enough by you these years; from steam engines to internal combustion engines, each is more complex than the last," Zhu Biao handed the folded paper to the eunuch behind him and walked forward side by side with Zhu Yong.

Zhu Yong laughed, "All this tinkering is good; without it there'd be no steam engine, no train, no internal combustion engine. Big brother, you say if the internal combustion engine were truly built, mounted on a carriage, traveling from Yingtian to Sa Ma Er Han, how fast could it go?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and replied, "If the roads are good, covering a few hundred li a day is no problem—faster than horseback, and you wouldn't need to change horses."

"Then it'll be convenient for me when I return."

Zhu Biao glanced at him and said, "Indeed! When the Imperial Mother misses you then, it will be convenient as well."

Zhu Yong gave no reply, only smiling and nodding.

That means the Tie Mu Er residence can't be left unattended.

That vast region, only newly conquered a few years ago, hasn't fully won the people's allegiance yet.

Zhang Wuhe and Chen Heng are capable, but they are military generals; governing territories isn't their strong suit.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to Tie Mu Er's residence.

"Just wait a bit longer, until the railway reaches Sa Ma Er Han, and I'll return," Zhu Yong said with a smile after a long pause.

Zhu Biao nodded and said nothing further.