If the fireworks have evolved but the development of cannons has stagnated, he would truly be so angry that he might pass out.
Zhu Ci also had little interest in these fireworks, glancing at what was written on the list: Popcrackers, Fire-Starter, Earth Mouse, Pearl Forest, Lotus Picking Festival, Bright Moon, Thousand-Staff Chrysanthemum, so on.
Gao Lin also took a look and said, "Just looking at the fireworks is boring; firework plays are what's interesting. It would be great if we could find some people to perform a firework play."
Zhu Ci glanced at him and thought to himself that he clearly hadn't been beaten enough if he still dared to act up.
Ma Tai, however, said, "Fireworks might not be inferior to firework plays. My father has been leading people to research a new type of firework lately, it should be nearly finished. When it is presented to His Majesty, Your Highness should be able to see it."
Gao Lin immediately said, "The mechanical fireworks are almost finished? Have you thought of a name for them?"
Mechanical Fireworks?" Zhu Ci finally showed some interest. "What kind are they?
Ma Tai smiled. "I cannot say. My father won't let me speak of it, please forgive me, Your Highness."
Gao Lin, however, said, "There is nothing you can't say. It's just that you've started using those rockets; you'll have to be careful then, so you don't blow yourself up. Those things pack quite a punch."
Hmm? Rockets?
Author's Note:
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Zhu Ci: Keyword detected. Kitty pretends to be indifferent and quietly twitches its ears. jpg
Next update tomorrow at noon
Chapter 14
Zhu Ci immediately asked with great interest, "You actually used rockets? Their power would be immense."
Ma Tai waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, we just referenced the craftsmanship of those rockets. Who would dare to actually use rockets?"
Zhu Ci nodded and said, "That just means the power has been reduced. Huh? Isn't that perfect? We also want to use cannons with less power. Old Ma, when you go back, see if there are any non-classified blueprints we can use for research. If not, just bring the original blueprints; we'll try to improve them ourselves and aim to have it finished before the New Year."
Zhu Ci acted as if he didn't care much when saying these things, so if Ma Tai's tone was off, he could still make an excuse.
As it turned out, Ma Tai said quite nonchalantly, "That won't be a problem; I'll bring them over tomorrow."
Ma Tai was indeed a man of his word, arriving the very next day with a stack of blueprints.
Zhu Ci fell silent for a moment upon seeing those blueprints. As the Crown Prince, he found it harder to obtain gunpowder blueprints than the grandson of the Grand Secretary, making him wonder what the point of being such a useless Crown Prince even was.
The most outrageous part was that these blueprints contained not only the rocket series he had mentioned before, but also cannons and birdlock guns.
Over there, Ma Tai was still muttering, "When the time comes, let's get some low-power Birdlock Guns too. What kind of warfare is it without cannons and Birdlock Guns?"
Since you're so enthusiastic, why don't you go and fight the Manchus?
Zhu Ci almost couldn't help but blurt out those words.
Sigh, never mind, Grand Secretary Ma is actually quite capable; he can please the Emperor and keep the realm stable, at least ensuring no peasant uprisings occur.
It was already quite good that this broken court of the Hongguang Era could operate smoothly under his governance.
Zhu Ci had previously regarded Ma Shiying as nothing more than a sycophant, the books had written him that way as well, but upon actual contact, he discovered that Ma Shiying also had his impressive side.
Even if he felt that both he and Gao Hongtu had their merits, Zhu Ci had no intention of staying on the shipwreck with them.
Even if he were to kill Zhu Yousong, he wouldn't be able to contend with those two old foxes alone, without any military or political power.
Once he had obtained the blueprints, he would have to find a way to leave—no, to leave with some gold, silver, other valuables.
In this world, he wouldn't be able to survive without money either.
Of course, he was also very aware that carrying gold, silver, jewels was not the best choice; the best choice was to carry money, specifically copper coins.
Although the Hongguang Tongbao has begun to be minted and promoted, it has not been very successful due to its short period of circulation; it is used somewhat more frequently in Nanjing, but that may not be the case in other places away from Nanjing.
In that case, the Chongzhen Tongbao is still better.
But.. never mind. If he had a bunch of Chongzhen Tongbao stored away, Zhu Yousong would probably find something to complain about again.
As for the blueprints.. Zhu Ci could only find a way to commit them to memory; they could not be put on paper.
After committing all of this to memory, Zhu Ci no longer paid much attention to that so-called gambling game project.
Although it had been claimed that it would be completed before the end of the year, in reality, the selection of the site had already dragged on for a month.
If possible, he indeed did not want large-scale construction, the Donglin Party did not want it either.
After all, they still wanted to enthrone a new emperor, but all the court's money had been spent by Zhu Yousong; what would happen to their new court?
As for why they opposed Zhu Yousong so much, according to Zhu Ci's understanding, it seemed the Donglin Party had significant conflicts with Zhu Yousong previously. Zhu Ci did not look into the specifics, as they were not important.
If the era he lived in was the one in the book rather than real history, the male protagonist Guarialja A'na should still be fighting north of the Yangtze River. However, once the New Year passes and the north is pacified, the Qing army will move south.
He must find a way to leave Nanjing just as the Qing army begins its southward advance. If there are no other opportunities, then he must delay the progress of the project until after the New Year; that way, he can use the excuse of inspecting the construction site to leave the capital after the New Year.
However, delaying the construction would certainly result in a scolding.
Zhu Ci found a moment to prepare to go and offer his apologies.
As it turned out, he had just reached the entrance of Wenhua Hall when he heard Zhu Yousong's roaring voice coming from inside: "Absurd!"
Zhu Ci paused his steps. This tyrant's mood seemed to be quite poor; wouldn't going in now just be walking straight into his wrath?
However, the New Year was fast approaching; who would be so tactless as to cause the Emperor such frustration?
Lately, the Donglin Party has been somewhat quieter.
He tossed a silver bead to the young eunuch guarding the gate and asked in a low voice, "Who has provoked the Emperor's wrath this time?"
The young eunuch struggled to suppress the corners of his mouth as he whispered, "Grand Secretary Ma is inside."
He stopped there.
Zhu Ci nodded. If Ma Shiying was inside, the safety margin would be higher; after all, it was impossible for Ma Shiying to provoke Zhu Yousong's anger.
He stood outside the door waiting to be summoned, before long, a young eunuch came out and said, "Your Highness, please."
Zhu Ci paused for a moment as he stepped over the threshold of Wenhua Hall. Inside, the hall was in complete disarray, with broken porcelain shards scattered across the floor. Men, women, eunuchs alike huddled cautiously to the sides; even those with cuts on their bodies or faces did not dare to move an inch.
He carefully avoided the porcelain shards, feigning ignorance as he asked, "Who has angered Father Emperor this time?"
Zhu Yousong's expression remained gloomy upon seeing him, he asked, "What business do you have?"
This tyrant was indeed in a foul mood; one had to be careful not to become his target for venting frustration.
Zhu Ci said casually, "I came here to ask for Imperial Father's instructions on whether to add some Birdlock Guns to the gambling games; otherwise, having only fireworks would be far too monotonous."
Zhu Yousong glanced at him. "It's not that I'm asking you to take full charge; you can just decide."
Zhu Ci immediately said, "After all, this involves gunpowder, which is of paramount importance. I would feel more at ease if Father Emperor personally appointed someone to handle it."
Zhu Yousong didn't know what had come to mind, but he let out a cold snort and said, "Exactly. If I were to leave it entirely to the Construction Bureau, I might just die of a sudden collapse."
Zhu Ci quickly knelt upon hearing this, as Ma Shiying had already knelt.
Ma Shiying hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Zhu Ci also asked in great trepidation, "Why do you say that, Imperial Father? Who would dare to commit treason?"
Zhu Yousong slammed the dragon chair in frustration and said, "If even Prince Xianhan can rise from the dead, what else would they not dare to do?"
And who exactly is Prince Xianhan?
He turned to look at Ma Shiying, Ma Shiying explained in a low voice, "Gao Mengji, the Junior Grand Heir of the Court of Imperial Visitors, submitted a secret memorial stating that Prince Xianhan has drifted to Hangzhou and is being sheltered by him."
Although Zhu Ci did not know who this Prince Xianhan actually was, he considered Zhu Yousong's attitude and judged that this person must be an existence capable of shaking Zhu Yousong's imperial throne.
He said without a second thought, "Whether he is real or not, just deal with him directly."
Ma Shiying sighed and said, "I do not know how the news was leaked, but Gao Hongtu and the others are requesting that His Majesty send someone to bring Prince Xianhan.. cough, to bring Zhu Ci back. But who knows if this Crown Prince is real or fake? Your Majesty, the only solution now is to send someone to investigate."
Hmm? Zhu Ci? Isn't he the Emperor Chongzhen's legitimate eldest son, the true Crown Prince of the Great Ming?
Prince Xianhan.. must be the posthumous title given during the Hongguang Era.
According to the original work, this Crown Prince was real; he was intentionally sent over by the male protagonist for the sole purpose of disrupting the Hongguang court.
Although the Qing army was rampaging in the north, their eyes were always fixed on the south; once the north was stabilized, they would definitely move south.
The Hongguang court was an obstacle to their southward advance. Although the Hongguang Era was riddled with internal problems at this time, its strength on paper remained quite formidable; the Qing army had no certainty of victory and thus conceived a plan to dismantle it from within.
Zhu Ci served exactly this kind of role. With him around, the Donglin Party would certainly support the "legitimate succession," but Ma Shiying might not be willing to, conflict between the two sides would surely lead to another period of bloodshed and carnage.
The Southern Ming's original policy was to ally with the barbarians to suppress the rebels; under these circumstances, they were even less inclined to deal with the Qing army.
Tsk, even the Qing army is well aware of the factional struggles within the Ming Dynasty, they can even exploit them.
As for what would happen if Zhu Ci won the throne and turned against them.. the male lead, Alna, had indeed considered this possibility, which was why he left behind so much incriminating evidence.
The book says that what Alna left behind was evidence of his intimacy with Zhu Ci. Well, the male lead is quite the libertine, indifferent to gender.
However, aside from the fact that this male protagonist seemed to have left something behind, it was a pity that Zhu Ci could no longer quite remember it.
He only remembered that he had felt extremely uncomfortable at the time; the Crown Prince of the Great Ming was being humiliated by a Niu Lu E Zhen of the Qing army. From that point on, he basically stopped reading further, the little bit of plot he did learn later was from spoilers he saw while passionately cursing people in the comments section.
After thinking about this, Zhu Ci felt a sudden spark of inspiration. This.. seemed like a great opportunity.
Zhu Ci immediately echoed Ma Shiying: "Imperial Father, since the news has leaked, the Donglin Party will certainly not let this go. It would be better to send someone to investigate. Regardless of whether it is true or false, we should find an opportunity to eliminate them."
Ma Shiying hesitated at this moment. "If it is false, then it is fine, but if it is true.."
Zhu Ci immediately said, "Whether it is true or false, he has already been titled Prince of Song by Li Zicheng. What use is there in seeking a Crown Prince who has surrendered to the enemy? Furthermore, how could he escape the pursuit of the Qing army all by himself? Could he have been captured by the Qing army long ago and is now intentionally here to sow discord within my Great Ming?"
Zhu Yousong was also somewhat dissatisfied with Ma Shiying's hesitation. Hearing Zhu Ci's words, he immediately said, "Exactly! How can we allow ourselves to fall into the barbarians' trap? Dealing with this swiftly is the best course of action."
Ma Shiying had a different view. He did indeed love to seize power, but he was also a loyal subject of the Great Ming; he could not bring himself to let Zhu Ci be killed.
That is the legitimate Crown Prince of the Great Ming, raised with meticulous care since childhood; he is far more reliable than the current Emperor and Crown Prince standing before us.
Ma Shiying said, "If this person dies, whether he is real or fake, the Donglin Party will confirm his identity, at that time, His Majesty will be the one placed in a passive position."
Zhu Yousong struck the imperial desk. "This won't do, that won't do—just how exactly are we to proceed?"
Grand Secretary Ma was also somewhat uncertain at this moment and said, "There are still several old retainers of the Eastern Palace in the imperial court. Why not have Your Majesty select them? Whether it is real or fake, they will certainly be able to tell."
Zhu Yousong glanced at him and waved his hand irritably, "Go and make the arrangements."
Ma Shiying bowed and took his leave, but Zhu Ci did not move at all.
Zhu Yousong gave him a strange look. "What else do you want?"