Chapter 53: Astonishing Profits! Old Zhu Was Tempted!

What?
What do you mean, "What happened"?
What the hell do you mean by that?
That was the solemn and majestic Fengtian Hall! Is that a place for you to run advertisements?
"You little rascal!" Hearing this, Old Zhu flew into an absolute rage. He sprang to his feet, clenched his fists tightly, and raised his hand to discipline Zhu Gaochi once again. But right at that moment, he caught sight of Empress Ma glaring fiercely at him. Her gaze was like a piercing blade, instantly bringing him back to his senses.
With a helpless sigh, Old Zhu had no choice but to sit back down, forcefully suppressing the raging fire in his chest.
"That is the Fengtian Hall, the place where state affairs are deliberated! Is that a place for you to go running advertisements?" Old Zhu roared, his face flushed red and the veins on his neck bulging. "It is simply outrageous! You waste your days in idleness, knowing nothing except—"
Before Old Zhu could finish, he was rudely interrupted by Zhu Gaochi.
"A single glazed mirror is worth five thousand taels." Zhu Gaochi lazily stretched out his fingers and casually calculated the accounts for everyone present. "Once this advertisement goes out, the nobles in the capital will scramble to buy our glazed mirrors. We can easily sell eight or ten thousand of them, which comes out to forty or fifty million taels!"
"I gave Brother Ying a ten percent cut, which is at least four or five million taels! Tell me, was this advertisement worth running?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was utterly dumbfounded!
What on earth?
Ten percent was four million taels?
For a moment, the bedchamber fell so quiet that the drop of a pin could be heard distinctly.
Everyone's eyes were wide open, their faces plastered with shock and utter disbelief.
Fifty million taels!
My good lord in heaven!
The entire annual tax revenue of the Great Ming Dynasty, when converted, only amounted to around eighteen million taels!
Just by relying on the mirror right in front of them, they could make enough to cover three or four years of the Ming Dynasty's tax revenue?
Old Zhu's face was red and swollen. His mouth hung slightly open as he wanted to say something, but he was struck completely speechless by the shock, resembling a rooster choked by the neck, capable of emitting only muffled, indistinct squawks. His eyes stared straight at the glazed mirror before him, filled with a mixture of shock and ecstasy, as if he were looking at a mountain of glittering gold and silver.
Crown Prince Biao fought hard to suppress the turmoil in his heart. His hands trembled slightly of their own accord, and he subconsciously pressed on, "Chi'er, have you truly mastered a mature manufacturing process for glazed glass?"
Zhu Gaochi couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind. He simply rolled his eyes at him and turned his face away.
Ultimately, Zhu Yingying nodded. After all, this was his own father, so he puffed out his chest with a proud expression and said, "That's right. We can have as many glazed mirrors like this as we want."
In front of Crown Prince Biao, Zhu Xiongying always eagerly sought to prove himself.
A son naturally wished to win the approval of his father; there was nothing more normal than that.
"And this is just within the capital city alone. Once the fame of the glazed mirrors spreads far and wide, nobles and wealthy merchants across the realm will fight to purchase them. It won't just be a matter of forty or fifty million taels anymore."
Upon hearing this, Old Zhu drew a sharp breath, clutched his chest, and collapsed weakly onto the daybed.
Holy mother of god, this was practically a mountain of gold and silver!
Whoever dared to call his grandson idle and unlearned again—
He would fight them to the death!
Thinking of this, Old Zhu instantly changed his tune.
He cleared his throat, plastered an ingratiating smile across his face, and coaxed, "Ahem, Chi'er, isn't this ten percent cut a bit too little?" As he spoke, he used the corner of his eye to furtively observe Zhu Gaochi's reaction. "Look at how Ying'er has been running back and forth working hard for you, yet you only gave him ten percent..." There was a tentative probing tone in Old Zhu's voice as he attempted to persuade Zhu Gaochi to change his mind.
Empress Ma and Crown Prince Biao both rolled their eyes in speechless exasperation, instinctively turning their faces away to avoid looking at Old Zhu's greedy, money-grubbing expression.
Empress Ma gently shook her head, sighing inwardly to herself: This old man is truly incorrigible, even trying to snatch things away from the children...
Before Zhu Gaochi could open his mouth, Zhu Xiongying chimed in first, "Imperial Grandfather, it's not too little at all. Grandson hasn't done a thing, and this ten percent cut was something Gaochi gifted to me..."
Hearing this, Old Zhu immediately glared at him. This boy was usually so sharp; why was he acting like a fool now?
Zhu Gaochi shot Old Zhu a half-smile, his gaze tinged with mockery, and retorted, "Old bastard, stop daydreaming. I've already distributed all the shares: maternal grandfather Xu Da holds thirty percent, the Duke of Cao holds thirty percent, I, the technical expert, hold thirty percent, and Brother Ying gets ten percent."
As he spoke, he triumphantly shook his head. "If your mouth is watering, go take it up with Grandfather Xu and the Duke of Cao! In any case, our four shares are not moving—unless you dare to rob us in broad daylight!"
As soon as these words dropped, Old Zhu flew into a towering rage.
This murderous little fatty was deliberately trying to disgust people!
Ask him to reach out his hands to Xu Da and Li Wenzhong?
Even Old Zhu couldn't bring himself to do something so shameless!
Seeing this, Crown Prince Biao couldn't help but step in: "Ying'er, Chi'er, the national treasury is empty right now and the court's finances are stretched to the limit. As members of the imperial family, you should also share the burdens of the state..."
His voice carried a mixture of helplessness and earnest appeal, attempting to sway the two youngsters with a sense of higher righteousness.
Well, so-called higher righteousness was nothing more than moral kidnapping!
"Get lost, you useless Biao!" Zhu Gaochi immediately cursed back. "Stop trying to morally blackmail me here!"
"By your logic, why don't you go begging on the streets and donate the money to the imperial court to share the state's burden? Why do you still live in luxury every single day?"
"You reckless rascal..." Crown Prince Biao flew into a rage. He abruptly stood up, clenching his fists as if he intended to charge forward and discipline Zhu Gaochi right then and there.
Unfortunately, both father and son had forgotten that the true backing of the two youngsters was Empress Ma herself.
Empress Ma spoke up with a placid expression, "Chi'er is right. This is an enterprise they built through their own hard work and sweat. You want to snatch it away with a mere phrase about sharing the state's burden? Don't you find that utterly ridiculous?"
"Biao'er, when did you learn to mimic those pedantic, corrupt Confucian scholars? Knowing only how to shout high-sounding slogans while openly plundering other people's property?"
Every single word she uttered was like a sharp blade, pricking Crown Prince Biao until his face flushed a deep crimson.
Faced with Empress Ma's reprimand, Crown Prince Biao was scolded into complete speechlessness. Blushing furiously, he lowered his head.
Following that, Ma Xiuying shifted her gaze to Zhu Chongba and directly laid down the law.
"I don't care about anyone else, but no one is allowed to touch the four shares belonging to these two children. Did you hear me?"
Upon hearing this, Old Zhu and the useless Biao immediately nodded with awkward, sheepish smiles.
Seeing this, the two youngsters immediately burst into applause.
"Grandmother is mighty!"
"I'll carry the banner for Grandmother!"
Old Zhu and the useless Biao exchanged glances, silently communicating with their eyes.
That being the case, the only things left were the sixty percent shares held by Xu Da and Li Wenzhong.
One was Xu Da, and the other was Li Wenzhong—neither of them was easy prey!
Xu Da went without saying; he was a renowned and distinguished founding general of the Great Ming Dynasty. Not only was he on exceptionally good terms with Old Zhu, but he had also long since formed a marital alliance with the imperial house. No matter how one looked at it, they were family.
Most importantly, this fellow did not have an easygoing temper.
As for Li Wenzhong, Old Zhu and Crown Prince Biao felt even more embarrassed to make a move against him!
This was Zhu Yuanzhang's own biological nephew, who had fought across the length and breadth of the country for him and established monumental military exploits!
Yet when he thought of the terrifying profits of the glazed mirrors, Old Zhu truly felt unreconciled!
For a moment, Old Zhu was torn to the absolute extreme.
That murderous little fatty was simply here to torture people on purpose!