My father, Zhu Di, was granted a second life by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Chapter 119 Zhu Di Requests Imperial Decree for Zhangbeiping

After the banquet, relatives and guests dispersed, and Prince Zhu Su of Zhou accompanied the old emperor back to the Qianqing Palace.

When Prince Zhu Di of Yan saw that his father had no intention of letting him stay, he left the palace in a huff.

Zhu Gaoxi sent Sanbao and Li Hui to the Prince of Wu's mansion to introduce sweet potatoes, mimeograph machines, and charcoal pencils to his adoptive father. These three innovations had dedicated production areas in the mansion.

Although both were sons of Consort Gong, they held different weight in the old emperor's heart; Zhu Su was far more favored than Zhu Di.

Zhu Di won battles through genuine ability, earning his father's approval, while the old emperor's affection for Zhu Su was innate.

From the moment Zhu Su was born, he was the old emperor's most beloved son, without exception.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Zhu Su was so confident that he did not study military strategy, but devoted himself to the study of medicine and plants. He never needed to prove himself to his father, the emperor, because he was born to be the son that the old prince cared about most.

Seeing the deep affection in the old emperor's eyes, Zhu Gaoxi couldn't help but feel sorry for his adoptive father.

Shortly after his father-in-law, Bianyi, got married at the age of sixteen, he went to the northern grasslands with his father-in-law, Xu Da. While the Kings of Qin, Jin, and Zhou were enjoying their wealth and luxury in the capital, Bianyi was enduring wind, snow, and sand on the northern frontier.

Guan Tong said that the Prince of Yan was particularly familiar with the northern grasslands and often made almost instinctive reactions and judgments on the grasslands.

Based on cloud changes, weather conditions can be predicted for several days. By distinguishing the footprints of various animals, plants that can provide sustenance can be quickly located, and drinkable groundwater can be accurately pinpointed.

If one hadn't spent many years on the grasslands, how could one have developed such skills?

Feeling wronged or complaining is useless. Calm down and focus on doing your job well.

As for favoritism, that's something that can't be forced. For example, talent—if it's given, you accept it; if it's not, you can't force it.

Mozart composed music at the age of six, and Picasso's oil painting skills at the age of fourteen were already close to Rembrandt's. That's because God was feeding him talent; there's no comparison.

The biased old emperor, holding his long-lost son's hand, chatted animatedly about the little anecdotes of their lives.

It's surprising that the old emperor has such a down-to-earth side. I thought he was a natural workaholic with only work on his mind, but it turns out he just chose not to speak up because he hadn't met the right person yet.

Knowing the situation, Zhu Gaoxi wisely withdrew from the Qianqing Palace, not wanting to disturb the father and son's reunion, and went back to the vegetable garden to take a nap.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jingyan hadn't left yet. Upon seeing Zhu Gaoxi, she excitedly ran over and asked, "Auntie said that all your property will be mine from now on."

Zhu Gaoxi was both amused and exasperated. What kind of teaching did Miaojin have?

"Didn't Auntie say anything else?" Zhu Gaoxi asked jokingly.

"What else?" Xu Jingyan asked, puzzled.

"If I owe debts that I can't repay, I can use you as collateral," Zhu Gaoxi teased her mischievously.

"Why should I?!" Xu Jingyan asked angrily.

"We're family, we share the good times and the bad," Zhu Gaoxi coaxed gently as he tried to scare her.

"My parents, my aunt, and I are one family," Xu Jingyan corrected earnestly.

"If you don't believe me, ask your aunt," Zhu Gaoxi said without arguing with her, beckoning Yunlu to bring over the snacks.

Xu Jingyan didn't answer, his eyes darted around for a while, then he suddenly smiled slyly, revealing a few sparse teeth: "Then I'll stay here and not leave."

"I need Aunt's permission first," Zhu Gaoxi said, looking around but not seeing Miaojin. Where did she go?

"Have you seen the Crown Prince?"

Zhu Gaoxi would bet that Miaojin was definitely having a romantic time with Hehe in some secluded corner.

"In the backyard," Xu Jingyan raised his hand and pointed behind him.

Before he could finish speaking, Miao Jin and You Dun walked out hand in hand, and she softly asked Xu Jingyan, "What did you just say?"

"He said he wanted to use me to pay off his debts," Xu Jingyan complained righteously.

"Don't be afraid, he wouldn't dare," Miao Jin reassured him confidently.

"If he dares to talk nonsense again, we'll sell him and get the money," Xu Jingyan said with great satisfaction.

You Dun chuckled upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxi raised his arm, and Xu Jingyan hid behind his aunt with a mischievous grin, sticking out his tongue and making a face in protest.

Miao Jin led Xu Jingyan out of the palace and left. Zhu Gaoxi discussed with Youdun again about taking three thousand guards to the Wu Prince's mansion the next day. Then, together with Youdun, they dismantled a water-powered spinning wheel that had been transported from Huai'an.

"Why not hand it over to the craftsmen?" Youdun felt there was no need to do it personally; it was enough to allocate talent appropriately.

"Technical matters are of utmost importance, and we must be fully aware of them," Zhu Gaoxi shook his head and gestured for Yishiha to bring out the tools.

"Grandfather always prioritized handling state affairs, believing these things to be mere frivolous pursuits," Zhu Youdun gently advised. "Do you remember the palace clock made by Emperor Yuan Shundi?"

"The one that was destroyed by Grandfather?" Zhu Gaoxi asked after a moment's thought.

Zhu Youdun nodded and said, "Grandfather is worried about repeating the same mistakes."

"What about the waterwheel?" Zhu Gaoxi asked in return.

"If it can produce more grain, it is definitely worth promoting," Zhu Youdun pondered. "What use is a palace leak? It's nothing more than being more exquisite, but it's all show and no substance."

"What if it could be improved and used for automatic timekeeping during navigation?" Zhu Gaoxi asked with a leisurely smile.

"That's naturally practical," Zhu Youdun seemed to understand something, and suddenly realized.

"That palace water clock, the water clock is placed in the middle of a wooden cabinet, it runs on water, and floats to the top on time. At night, it is rung by ringing bells and gongs. It runs automatically, saving manpower," Zhu Gaoxi took a sip of milk and continued, "Only when we deeply understand the knowledge behind the technology can we draw inferences and develop more applications. What I have done is to understand the design concept. The specific manufacturing is still left to the craftsmen. In the future, when we open a school, we will specialize in teaching practical technologies in various aspects."

After listening to the story, Youdun admitted his inferiority.

"Brother, don't underestimate yourself. Among the people I know, very few can compare to you," Zhu Gaoxi sincerely praised.

You Dun smiled modestly, picked up his tools, and began to disassemble the spinning wheel.

The water-powered spinning machine is an automatic textile machine that uses water flow as its driving force. It was invented in the Southern Song Dynasty and became popular in the Central Plains during the Yuan Dynasty. It was mainly used for spinning hemp yarn and processing silk.

Regarding the construction and operating principles, Wang Zhen wrote in "Agricultural Treatise": "It is the same as the method of water-powered milling."

The water jet is placed at the water flow point, and the spinning wheel is driven to rotate through the coupling.

Cotton fibers are short and have low tensile strength, so water-powered spinning machines need to be improved before they can be used to spin cotton yarn.

Zhu Gaoxi vaguely remembered reading about water-powered cotton textile factories during the Industrial Revolution. Although he couldn't recall the technical details clearly, the general research direction was correct.

He planned to thoroughly understand the water-powered spinning machine before gathering craftsmen to brainstorm ways to improve the design and transform the water's propulsion into a continuous power source for cotton spinning through a series of transmission devices.

The two were very interested and kept busy until late at night before returning to their room to rest.

The next day, Zhu Gaoxi woke up late in the morning and had not yet finished washing up when he saw Sanbao rushing back from outside, his face full of anxiety. "The prince has gone to the palace to ask His Majesty for permission to return to his fiefdom as soon as possible."

Why is my cheap father in such a hurry to go back? I haven't heard any urgent reports from the border.

Zhu Gaoxi was utterly astonished.

Could it be that he understood the old emperor's suspicion and wariness?