Chapter 43: Turning the World Upside Down! Doing Business in Partnership with the Emperor!

Old Zhu wore a continuous smile on his face. After all, it was truly no easy feat to hear this little brat praise him for once.

However, he still couldn't hold back, letting out a cold hum: "You little brat speak so smoothly, how could Us not know the logic behind this?"

He straightened his posture slightly, fixing his piercing gaze on the person before him, and continued: "But have you thought about it, brat, building roads requires massive capital input, and mobilizing unimaginable amounts of manpower, material resources, and financial power. At present, our Great Ming's imperial treasury is empty, with expenses needed everywhere, making things already rather tight. Where on earth would there be surplus wealth to build these roads?"

Old Zhu shook his head as he spoke, a helpless expression emerging on his face: "Would you believe that if We were to summon that iron-cock of a Biao over right now and casually mention road construction to him, that iron-cock would dare to curse us right to our face and spit all over us?"

In truth, how could Old Zhu not want to build roads in his heart? It was simply that the reality lay right before him—the imperial treasury genuinely had no money.

Crown Prince Biao was currently acting as regent, overseeing state affairs. While he didn't pay excessive attention to military matters on ordinary days, he cared deeply about civil administration, especially the household department's funds and grain. Without his direct command, no one stood a chance of withdrawing a single penny or grain from the imperial treasury.

Of course, as the Emperor, Old Zhu was naturally capable of doing so, but he was also deeply aware of the Ministry of Revenue's hardships.

Ever since the founding of the Great Ming, there had been endless southern campaigns and northern expeditions, alongside repeated northern foraches, not to mention the pacification of displaced refugees and the restoration of production. It would be a miracle if the imperial treasury wasn't empty.

Now that Zhu Gaochi had suddenly proposed building roads, even a fool knew it was an impossible feat.

At this moment, Zhu Gaochi's pupils rolled around, and wicked thoughts instantly sparked within his round eyes. "Old bald-ass, that useless Biao lacks the capability! He has been acting as regent and managing state affairs for so many years, yet we've never seen much income flowing into the imperial treasury!" As he spoke, he even gestured with his hands, a trace of cunning on his face.

"How about this, grant me the supreme authority of the regency, and I guarantee to make the imperial treasury rake in mountains of gold every day. In the future, whenever you want to wage war, you can wage war, and whenever you want to build roads, you can build roads. You won't have to look at the court ministers' faces and that useless Biao's expression anymore..."

Before he could finish his sentence, with a sharp *thwack*, he received a heavy blow right on top of his head. The pain made him shrink his neck, and he instantly became well-behaved.

Old Zhu glared, his eyes wide enough as if he wanted to devour someone, and roared loudly: "You goddamn half-grown kid, your hair hasn't even fully grown yet, and you still want to act as regent?"

"Then don't ask me for strategies!" Zhu Gaochi said with a face full of displeasure, his lips puckered high.

This old bald-ass—when he needed someone, his dear precious this and dear precious that, but he wouldn't part with a single benefit.

Overcome with sudden anger, Zhu Yuan璋's face flushed red, and he quickly kicked off his boot, preparing to strike someone again.

Just at that moment, Empress Ma, who had been sitting quietly to the side and watching all of this unfold, frowned slightly and stopped Old Zhu with a glance. That gaze carried a trace of reproach, yet was tinged with gentleness.

"Chi'er, what you said just now was quite right. Our dynasty has indeed constructed quite a few post roads and imperial highways over the years," Empress Ma said softly, her voice gentle yet carrying a conviction that made people willing to submit. "But have you considered that the lands of Yunnan and Guizhou are situated amidst hundreds of thousands of treacherous mountains, and they are far from being as flat as the roads in the Central Plains? The cost of building roads there would likely multiply dozens or even a hundred times over. Coupled with the lack of cooperation from local native chieftains, where on earth are the funds and men supposed to come from?"

One had to admit that Empress Ma was truly a worthy and capable assistant to the Hongwu Emperor; her personal vision and insight far surpassed ordinary people.

Facing such a virtuous empress and a stern mother who disciplined her children, Zhu Gaochi dared not put on a cheeky and frivolous face with her. He immediately put away his previous devil-may-care demeanor, turning solemn as he explained righteously: "As the saying goes: If you want to get rich, build roads first!"

This phrase was uttered with resounding force, concise and succinct, yet pregnant with deep meaning.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu unconsciously stroked his beard, his fingers gently brushing through the hairs as he nodded slightly, seemingly pondering something.

***

"As early as the Qin Dynasty, the First Emperor understood the benefits of transportation for military affairs and the people's livelihood, and thus built the Qin Direct Road from Xianyang to Jiuyuan Commandery. That could well be considered the ancient version of a highway!"

"Aside from this direct road, there was also the First Emperor's 'trackway'. The distance between the wooden sleepers happened to match the stride of horses. Once a horse pulled a cart onto the tracks, it would involuntarily enter a state of 'self-excited oscillation' and had no choice but to gallop at full speed, making it nearly impossible to stop. One can only imagine how fast that speed was..."

"No wonder the First Emperor was able to effectively manage a massive empire without practicing the enfeoffment system, frequently launching large-scale mobilizations of hundreds of thousands of people at the drop of a hat. It was precisely because his infrastructure was built so well..."

The crowd listened in a daze, and the imperial couple exchanged looks of utter bewilderment.

What on earth was this "highway" thing?

Zhu Gaochi shifted the topic, returning to the lands of Yunnan and Guizhou.

"We all know that the terrain of Yunnan and Guizhou is filled with perilous mountains and dense forests, making transportation extremely difficult. This is the true reason why successive dynasties were never able to completely and permanently conquer them."

"If our Great Ming follows the former dynasties and, after conquering Yunnan and Guizhou, merely adopts the system of loose rein and native chieftains, sooner or later those chieftains will stir up rebellion again."

"Even with my three-step strategy, if we don't build roads, it will be utterly impossible to implement. To put it in the simplest terms, if the local barbarians and commoners remain isolated from the Great Ming, how can they ever enjoy the government's preferential policies, and how can they communicate normally with the authorities?"

Hearing these words, Old Zhu fell into silence.

He leaned back in his chair, his brow tightly furrowed, his eyes revealing deep contemplation.

This was precisely where the crux of the problem lay. The three-step strategy could thoroughly pacify the Southwest, but the prerequisite was that imperial highways and post roads had to be constructed in the lands of Yunnan and Guizhou; otherwise, this strategy could not be carried out at all.

"You little brat, what exactly is up your sleeve?"

Growing impatient, Old Zhu directly pressed for an answer, a hint of urgency in his tone.

Anyone understood grand principles, but the question was where the money and grain for building these roads were supposed to come from?

Zhu Gaochi rolled his eyes at Old Zhu, and then chuckled lightly: "I know of a certain substance, which is the absolute finest material for road-building. Not only is it indestructible, but it can also greatly shorten the construction period. It couldn't be more suitable for building roads!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Old Zhu leapt to his feet in excitement, even causing his chair to sway violently. "Chi'er, is what you said true?" His voice trembled slightly, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Hehe, don't get excited, old bald-ass, that comes with a separate price tag!" Zhu Gaochi waved his hand, looking completely calm and showing zero favoritism—the silver that needed to be paid had to be paid!

Upon hearing this, the smile on Old Zhu's face instantly stiffened, as if frozen in that exact moment.

This little brat! He had just wasted all that excitement for nothing!

Empress Ma cast a reproachful glare at him, her gaze full of helplessness, and scolded with an amused smile: "You child... have you really fallen entirely into the eyes of money?"

Zhu Gaochi chuckled foolishly, then extended his chubby little hand toward her—chubby and plump. "A total of twenty thousand taels of silver, thank you, Imperial Grandmother!"

Empress Ma raised her delicate brows and reached out to poke his head, her gesture both gentle and laced with pampering. "Fine, fine, fine, I'll give it to you."

***

Old Zhu, however, felt rather dissatisfied and complained: "This little brat hasn't even mentioned that material yet, how can you just hand the silver over to him directly?"

"It's all your fault for trying to swindle even a child!" Empress Ma glared at him with a look of rebuke, causing Old Zhu to instantly fall silent, resembling a child who had done something wrong.

Seeing this scene, Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Xiongying burst into laughter in unison, their merry chuckles echoing throughout the room.

After a brief pause, Zhu Gaochi took the initiative to speak.

"Imperial Grandfather, how about we go into business together on this venture?"

Old Zhu: "???"

Everyone: "???"

What the hell?

You really have the nerve to say that!

Going into business with the Emperor of Great Ming?

Old Zhu's expression shifted, and he sneered coldly: "We are proudly the Son of Heaven of Great Ming, how could We engage in the affairs of merchants..."

"Um..." Zhu Gaochi counted on his chubby fingers, calculating to himself: "This stuff is top-tier material. Not only can it build roads, but it's also a precious treasure for constructing bridges, founding cities, and building houses. If we open a single factory, it can easily net several million taels in profit every single year..."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu paused. His previously upright torso leaned slightly forward, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as he forcefully swallowed back the words he hadn't yet finished uttering.

"Ahem, Our good grandson, actually, it's not entirely out of the question for an emperor to do business. Since you have this kind of heart, We will just go along with you." As he spoke, he nodded slightly, an unnatural smile surfacing on his face.

Goddamn it, several million taels! Who wouldn't want to do this kind of business?!

Instead, Zhu Gaochi mocked him: "Aigoo, Imperial Grandfather doesn't need to force yourself. At worst, I'll just go into business with Grandfather Xu's family instead..."

"He wouldn't dare!" Old Zhu glared and barked, his voice reverberating through the hall: "That bastard Xu Tendan has already taken advantage once, does he still want a second round?" He stood up and placed his hands on his hips: "No way, we must partner up for this business! We are the Son of Heaven of Great Ming, don't you have any sense of discernment at all, kid?"

Watching Zhu Yuanzhang's flustered and exasperated appearance, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Xiongying, and Empress Ma exchanged glances. A trace of a smile flickered in all three of their eyes, and then they all let out a low chuckle together.

Only then did Old Zhu realize that he had been played by this little brat once again!