Chapter 160 The Imperial Court is Really Out of Money
Old Zhu has been very happy recently and always has a smile on his face, which makes the people who serve him very unhappy.
Because Lao Zhu is really too abnormal. After all, many times, when Lao Zhu has a smile on his face, it means he wants to kill someone!
But Zhu Yuanzhang has not killed anyone recently, which has left everyone puzzled. Even Empress Ma was a little puzzled by Zhu Yuanzhang's behavior.
During dinner that day, Empress Ma saw Zhu Yuanzhang eating and suddenly burst into laughter, and she couldn't help herself.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong with you lately? You seem to be in a good mood. Did you encounter something happy? Tell me about it and let me be happy!"
"Hahaha..." Old Zhu heard Empress Ma's question and waved his hand, saying, "I lost control of myself. It's a happy thing."
"It was just a while ago that we were always worried about the weapons. Now that the problem has been solved, if the Beiyuan people don't behave themselves, we will make them pay for it!"
Zhu Chong's steelmaking workshop made him no longer have to worry about the preparation of military equipment.
The current Zhu is not afraid of the Northern Yuan Dynasty making trouble. He even hopes that they will come again, so that he can let them have a taste of how powerful the Great Ming Master really is!
When Empress Ma heard what Old Zhu said, she felt strange. "Didn't they say that the Ministry of Works was short of steel and couldn't build it in time? How could Qin Kui find a solution so quickly?"
"What can Qin Kui come up with?" Old Zhu sneered. "With his skills, by the time he finishes his work, I'm afraid the Northern Yuan people will have already attacked!"
"Hmm?" Empress Ma heard the hidden meaning in Old Zhu's words and was curious. "Your Majesty, are you saying that someone helped Qin Kui? Who has the ability to help the Ministry of Industry obtain so much steel? Does the Ming Dynasty still have such a capable person?"
"Hahaha... Queen, guess who this person is?" Old Zhu kept the secret and looked at Queen Ma with a playful expression.
Seeing the unsound look in Old Zhu's eyes, Empress Ma couldn't help but spit softly. But after thinking about it carefully, her eyes suddenly lit up and she blurted out, "Could it be that it's our second son?"
Old Zhu's smile froze instantly. He looked at Empress Ma with an expression that instantly became incredulous. He blurted out, "How did the Empress guess that?"
Upon hearing what Old Zhu said, Empress Ma knew she was right. She shook her head and smiled, "That brat has been quite reliable lately. Besides, if it weren't for that brat, would Your Majesty be so happy?"
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard what Empress Ma said, he immediately realized that the problem was indeed with him, as Empress Ma had seen through it.
After all, if it were someone else, Lao Zhu would not be able to be happy for several days no matter what.
The person who can make Lao Zhu happy is either his bedmate or his closest relative. Zhu Chong, once the child that gave Lao Zhu the most headaches, has now become the son that makes him proud. How could Lao Zhu not be happy?
Empress Ma smiled faintly and then asked, "Your Majesty, please tell me how the Second Prince did it. He managed to accomplish something that even the Ministry of Works couldn't do. Could it be that the Second Prince can also make steel himself?!"
"What the Queen said means that our son can't do it?" Old Zhu didn't like what Queen Ma said and directly refuted it.
"Did he really train him? The second son is quite wild now!" Queen Ma was really shocked this time.
She really couldn't understand, with such a huge gap in the Ministry of Industry, how could her own second son possibly fill it?
After hearing Empress Ma's question, Old Zhu laughed again and explained to her that Zhu Chong had built a steel furnace.
"Your Majesty, are you saying that the guy built a furnace and then made up for the steel shortage in the Ministry of Works?" Queen Ma was puzzled.
Family members know their own affairs. As a mother, how capable is Zhu Chong? How could she not know? So she asked Zhu Yuanzhang more curiously.
When asked this question, the Queen really asked Old Zhu the right question. In fact, he did not take a closer look. Of course, Zhu Chong would never let him take a closer look. The steel furnace was not a place to joke. It could easily result in loss of life!
"Your Majesty, you don't even understand it, but you conclude that the second son can fill the gap in the Ministry of Works?" Queen Ma was even more shocked.
"No!" Old Zhu was a little anxious and quickly explained to Empress Ma, "Your Majesty, you didn't see the warehouse of the Baochao Tizhusi. It's already full of steel. The steel in that warehouse is definitely enough for the Ministry of Works."
"It's mainly because the second brother won't let us get close to the steel furnace. The temperature is too high. If we get too close, we'll melt!"
After hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's explanation, Empress Ma was skeptical. Seeing that Empress Ma asked so carefully, Zhu Yuanzhang simply told her the whole story in detail.
After hearing this, Empress Ma raised her eyebrows slightly, "It seems that our second son has really grown up. He is so smart that he can build such a furnace by himself, solving His Majesty's urgent need!"
"That's right." Old Zhu nodded repeatedly. "In fact, it was only after listening to that kid that I realized there were so many twists and turns in steelmaking. I was just overthinking it before."
"Everyone says that steelmaking requires a thousand hammerings before it can be successful, but no one has ever thought carefully about why it must be so hammered and tempered. Isn't there a more convenient way to use it? Unexpectedly, our second brother has an idea!"
Empress Ma also nodded, "Indeed, that child is quite clever. She was able to come up with such an idea. No wonder Your Majesty has been so happy for so many days."
Old Zhu laughed heartily, but his expression froze quickly. "By the way, Queen, if you get a chance, give that brat a good beating for us. He actually bargained with us in a place like the Baochao Tizhusi in front of so many people!"
Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang told Empress Ma that Zhu Chong insisted on getting money from the Ministry of Works.
As a result, Empress Ma laughed so hard that she shook with laughter. She couldn't help but slap Old Zhu on the shoulder and said, "Your Majesty, that child is making trouble. Why are you following him?"
"How can we be blamed for this?" Old Zhu cried out in injustice, "It's really because our court is so broke!"
"The Northern Yuan Dynasty invaded every year. We tried countless ways to pacify the northern desert, but in the end, we were just struggling to survive. In order to get some money for the court, we almost made a big mistake!"
When Empress Ma heard what Old Zhu said, she couldn't help but feel strange. "Your Majesty, I don't understand what you are saying. Is there something else I don't know?"
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard what Empress Ma said, he realized that he had not mentioned the previous matter to Empress Ma, so he told her everything about the treasure notes.
After hearing this, Queen Ma's eyes suddenly lit up...
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