Chapter 22: Want to Plunder in Broad Daylight? Ask General Xu Da!

Silence reigned in the grand hall.

Old Zhu stood with his hands behind his back, brows slightly furrowed, his deep eyes shimmering with contemplation. Beside him, Crown Prince Biao wore a solemn expression. Both men were still reeling from the impact of Lan Yu’s impassioned words.

Unlike the gentle, refined Crown Prince Biao, who excelled in court politics, Old Zhu had clawed his way up from a battlefield drenched in blood and gore. A veteran of countless campaigns, he understood perfectly why Lan Yu was so agitated. In the brutal reality of war, intelligence was the anchor of victory. To foresee the enemy’s every move and track their path was to know oneself and the adversary, ensuring an invincible position. This miraculous "thousand-mile mirror," with its ability to see far and clear, meant that a handful of scouts could cover vast territories, exponentially increasing their reconnaissance efficiency.

Zhu Gaochi stood to the side, his face beaming, his eyes squinting into thin slits on his chubby cheeks. He nudged Zhu Xiongying with his elbow, winking playfully as if sharing a secret.

In this era of the Great Ming, technology lagged far behind future times. Reconnaissance relied on the naked eye, requiring soldiers to be at perilously close range to detect enemy movements. Often, large enemy forces could hide in dense forests or traverse obscure mountain paths to launch devastating surprise attacks. Classic strategies like the "Empty Fort Strategy" or "Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats" were effective precisely because generals relied on such limited sight. But with this telescope, from a high vantage point, every enemy movement would be laid bare. Its military significance was beyond measure. Zhu Gaochi was certain that even Old Zhu could not resist such a powerful tool.

"What is this telescope made of?" Old Zhu asked after a long pause, lifting the device to examine it closely. He stroked it delicately and muttered, "This is too extravagant. It is made of glass? Such pure, top-tier glass is extremely rare, and it has been polished so flawlessly..."

Old Zhu shook his head with a look of regret. "A pity. While its utility is immense, this glass is far too expensive. Such pure, high-quality crystal is scarce; we could never mass-produce these."

Crown Prince Biao nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it is a great shame. Such pure glass is worth its weight in gold. To use it for a telescope—the entire Ming Empire could not produce more than a few."

"Top-grade glass is too costly, and there is too little of it."

The father and son echoed each other, seemingly lamenting the situation.

Zhu Gaochi’s heart blossomed with joy, his chubby face brightening further. He nudged Zhu Xiongying, who suddenly snapped out of his reverie.

"Grandfather, Father, who said this top-grade glass is rare?"

The words hit the room like a stone dropped into a calm pond, stirring a thousand ripples. The gazes of Old Zhu, Lan Yu, and Crown Prince Biao locked onto him instantly.

"Grandson, what do you mean?" Old Zhu looked at Zhu Xiongying with burning, expectant eyes.

Zhu Xiongying tapped his small chest and smiled. "Grandfather, Gaochi and I have mastered the production process. We have as much of this top-grade glass as we need, and the same goes for these telescopes!"

The three men exchanged stunned glances, their expressions frozen, rendered speechless by the shocking revelation. After a long silence, Old Zhu was the first to react, bursting into hearty laughter.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"You truly are my fine, worthy grandson!"

"This time, you have rendered a monumental service!"

Zhu Xiongying blushed and waved his hand dismissively, taking care to pull Zhu Gaochi forward. "Grandfather, this is Gaochi’s merit as well. Without his ideas, I would never have known how to do this..."

Old Zhu cast another deep look at Zhu Gaochi, his eyes filled with gratification. To have one such brilliant grandson was a blessing from the heavens, but to have another so exceptionally clever? The heavens were truly favoring the House of Zhu!

In his delight, Old Zhu did not forget his business. His expression turned serious. "Grandson, write down the formula for this glass and hand it to the Ministry of Works. I must rush production for the Yunnan campaign..."

Before he could finish, Zhu Xiongying shook his head like a rattle.

"Grandfather, don't even think about it!"

The smile on Old Zhu’s face stiffened, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

Crown Prince Biao, fueled by a sudden, nameless anger, stepped forward and scolded harshly, "You child, why can’t you see the urgency of the situation? This object is useful to the court; you should hand it over immediately..."

Before he could finish, a sharp, jarring voice interrupted.

"Heh, Uncle, that’s a fine way to put it. Does that mean if the court takes a liking to something, the common people must obediently hand it over? How is that any different from outright robbery?"

Zhu Gaochi looked at the Crown Prince with a playful, mocking smile, showing no trace of reverence.

The Crown Prince was taken aback, as if choked by the words. He suppressed his rising fury and tried a more tactful approach. "Ying’er, Chi’er, as members of the royal family, you should consider the bigger picture. This object is indeed of great use to the court..."

"Oh, my," Zhu Gaochi sneered, "Uncle, please spare us the moral blackmail. Didn't you just say we were 'wasting our potential on toys'? If we are just two children wasting time on toys, how can we bear such a great responsibility? Perhaps you should hand that responsibility to Yunwen instead, since you follow his mother’s every word anyway..."

"What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat?" The Crown Prince finally lost his composure, his face turning beet red with bulging veins as he pointed an angry finger at Zhu Gaochi.

"You brat!" Old Zhu turned to the Crown Prince and barked, "If not for you, why would these two children hold such resentment?"

The Crown Prince was left speechless, his face cycling between pale and red, forced to glare silently at the two youngsters. Zhu Gaochi stared right back, even brandishing a large gold brick in his hand.

Old Zhu, after berating the Crown Prince, turned to look at Zhu Gaochi with a beaming smile. As the Hongwu Emperor, he saw through the charade immediately. This was clearly orchestrated by Zhu Gaochi—from the staged "heavenly fire" performance at the academy to provoke that mother and son, to gifting the telescope to Lan Yu to turn the tide in court. It was a masterstroke. Now, they were left in an awkward position, dying to have the telescopes but unable to demand them.

"Chi’er," Old Zhu said with a gentle smile, "I know you worked hard on these telescopes, surely for the sake of the court, right? If you have any requests, just say them."

"Don't play games with me. Just lay your cards on the table!"

Zhu Gaochi smiled back, his eyes curving into crescents. Talking to a smart person was always simple.

"You can forget about the formula, Grandfather. As for the telescopes, we can sell them to the court at a fair price."

"Oh? A fair price?" Old Zhu looked surprised. "You really have the nerve to ask?"

"Indeed." Zhu Gaochi held up five fingers. "Fifty taels each, non-negotiable!"

"Why don't you just go rob the treasury?" Old Zhu roared, his eyes wide.

Fifty taels each? With thirty thousand troops in the southern expedition, they would need at least ten thousand units. That was five hundred thousand taels of silver!

Zhu Gaochi remained calm, unmoved. The grandfather and grandson stared each other down, neither willing to yield an inch.

Finally, Old Zhu sneered, "Little fatty, don't think I wouldn't dare seize them..."

"You wouldn't dare!" Zhu Gaochi picked his nose. "Forgot to mention, this is an enterprise of the Duke of Wei’s estate. All the artisans are under their control!"

"If you dare to seize it by force, just wait for my maternal grandfather to return to the capital and give you a hard time!"

Old Zhu: "???"

Crown Prince Biao: "???"

*What the hell?*

*Xu Da’s estate?*

*This little fatty is truly calculating!*

One link after another—they were trapped. Short of giving in to his demands, the court truly had no other options.