Chapter Seven: The Assassin

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  Zhu Yinglong didn't expect Shi Kefa to do so well as the steward of the Wangfu, everything was arranged in an orderly manner, not a single thread out of place. As for accounting, Zhu Yinglong had some insights, although his grades were poor in later life, he once held the position of president of the university's science association, and thus taught Shi Kefa the three-linked accounting method and Arabic numerals of later generations. After using them, Shi Kefa was thoroughly convinced by Zhu Yinglong, changing from respect to utmost reverence. Moreover, Zhu Yinglong's teaching on the use of punctuation marks and the use of Chinese pinyin to give tone to Chinese characters made Shi Kefa astonished beyond measure. Although he couldn't accept it all at once, if this method were adopted, the education of children would be greatly shortened, which was of great significance for imperial examination education and cultivating national talents. Shi Kefa became more and more disbelieving in rumors, if the king in front of him was said to be a foolish prince, then he wasn't even as good as an infant. Zhu Yinglong also knew that these super-era things would cause chaos if they were spread out, at least until he became emperor could they be vigorously promoted, now it can only be tested on a small scale in the Wangfu, but fearing there are ears of Wei Zhongxian among the eunuchs, so these prophecies are first spread among the three princesses and several close maids.

  Zhu Yinglong made three rules with the three women: First, they must get along harmoniously and not be petty or temperamental. Second, everything he taught them was strictly confidential and could not be shared with anyone, including relatives and parents. Third, they had to be frugal and avoid extravagance. At the same time, he also allowed them to go out more often and not stay cooped up in the palace all day. The three women were already surprised that their husband was not stupid, but now they were even more delighted by his display of talent, magnanimity, and tolerance. Ye Lianyi's expression towards Zhu Yinglong was no longer as cold as ice. Zhou Yuning had completely accepted this talented and caring husband. As for Tian Shulan, she didn't need to say anything - she was the most affectionate with Zhu Yinglong, and also the prettiest. She relied on him the most, and several times almost couldn't help but throw herself into his arms. However, for the sake of their future happiness and well-being, Zhu Yinglong restrained himself from giving in to this temptation.

  After talking to Shi Kefa, Zhu Yinglong only knew that the Ming Dynasty had already rotted from the bones. The officials were corrupt, and there were many greedy officials who oppressed the people, collected taxes and bribes, and the land was severely concentrated, with heavy taxes and levies, and the people were suffering. There were countless bandits and outlaws, such as the White Lotus Rebellion in Shandong. He now understood why Chongzhen lost the country due to historical limitations. It was not easy for Chongzhen to hold on for 17 years under such circumstances. The eunuchs were untrustworthy, and the ministers only fought for power and interests. The reliable ministers were either dead or killed. In his heart, he was very sad. Otherwise, he could have escaped from Beijing and would not have hanged himself on Coal Mountain. He had no choice but to die, rather than become a ruler who lost his country. This kind of courage is rare in later generations.

  The Han nation is a nation that has suffered many disasters and hardships, but its inclusive nature allows it to stand forever. However, the Han nation has never been proactive in being inclusive of others, but rather has always been forced to accept others, only to be assimilated later. Every time Zhu Yinglong compares history to this point, he can't help but sigh. Why can't we change this phenomenon? Maybe I can change all of this within this historical space-time. Zhu Yinglong's heart is filled with some expectation. Having lost many battles, yet continuing to fight, Zeng Guofan was able to persist and ultimately defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Can't I do the same?

  On July 24, Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou and Wei Dazhong were killed in prison. When the news arrived, Shi Kefa cried bitterly. Zhu Yinglong secretly helped to retrieve their remains and bury them. Then, Yuan Huaizhong and Zhou Chaorui were also killed one after another. Gu Dachang was forced to commit suicide. Thus, all six East Lin gentlemen were killed.

  During this time, Zhu Yinglong gave up his intention to buy an iron shop and instead searched for some skilled craftsmen. He entrusted the specific matters to Wang Cheng'en, who was not afraid of Wei Zhongxian knowing about it. At most, another Tianqi Emperor would emerge, and Zhu Youjian was obsessed with carpentry, allowing Wei Zhongxian to monopolize power. If he also developed such a hobby, Wei Zhongxian might be delighted and even secretly assist him. Once Zhu Yinglong figured this out, he began searching for craftsmen and Daoist priests who could refine elixirs under the pretext of alchemy, as China's chemistry originated from refining elixirs. Rumors spread in the streets that the young king was obsessed with alchemy, seeking immortality. Upon hearing this news, Tianqi Emperor sighed and said, "Let him be." He decided not to intervene further.

  During the late Ming period, under the influence of Wang Yangming's "Xinxue" (Mind and Nature Learning), women were relatively open-minded and less restricted. Zhou Yingning and the other two girls were still in their educational years. Among them, Tian Shulan had a higher cultural level, so she was asked to teach the other two girls. With the help of Chinese phonetic notation, Zhou and Ye learned very quickly. Ye Lianyi was skilled in martial arts, so he taught the other two girls some simple yet effective physical exercises. Additionally, Zhu Yinglong abolished the practice of foot-binding for women in the household, including Tian Shulan's bound feet. Another surprising discovery was that Zhou Yingning was extremely good at managing finances and was very sensitive to numbers. Therefore, Zhu Yinglong entrusted her with handling all matters within the household, big or small. The household became well-organized and tidy. Under Zhu Yinglong's arrangement, the three girls formed a sisterly bond based on their age order: Zhou Yingning as the eldest (and also the main wife), Ye Lianyi as the second, and Tian Shulan as the youngest (third). After becoming sworn sisters, they gradually eliminated their misunderstandings and became closer. Their feelings for Zhu Yinglong also warmed up rapidly, basically acknowledging him as their husband. However, there was still a distance between them before they could truly love Zhu Yinglong.

  Clean up the treasury, except for the reward to the servants and maids, silk and cloth, leave enough, sell the rest, in preparation for Zhu Yinglong's start-up capital.

  After further investigation, Zhu Yinglong was delighted to discover that this era already had glass production technology, but it could only be produced on a small scale by hand, and most of them were luxury goods, mostly small containers and decorative items. The price was also quite high, and there were transparent glassware, but they were relatively rare, mostly seen in Guangdong and Fujian provinces that traded with foreigners. However, these things did not conform to the aesthetic concept of Chinese people, even if they were rare items, Chinese people were not interested, and these blond-haired and blue-eyed foreigners had not realized this yet. They mainly sold porcelain, tea leaves, silk and other goods to the Ming Dynasty, while introducing potatoes, peppers and other foods that they ate on their ships into China.

  It's a bit difficult for him, as an undergraduate student of this generation, to talk about inventions and creations. However, reforming the glass production process to make it suitable for mass production and producing something that meets Chinese people's aesthetic standards is still achievable, Zhu Yinglong believes he can do it and will definitely make a fortune before those foolish foreigners understand.

  After in-depth research, Zhu Yinglong found that the existing native glass and the glass of later generations were different. The glass of later generations was mostly "calcium glass", while the one he held was "lead glass" belonging to two different glass systems. This kind of glass was colorful, light, brittle, and fragile, and could not withstand high temperatures. It was only suitable for making decorative items, gifts, and burial objects, and was a byproduct of smelting bronze. After long-term practice and exploration, the production technology of this era's glass was formed, known as "Liuli". Zhu Yinglong was worried, he only remembered that the raw materials for later generations' glass were quartz sand, limestone, and pure alkali, but he couldn't remember the manufacturing process. This was a matter of life and death! In this era, there was no pure quartz sand, yellow sand was used instead, limestone was easy to find, and pure alkali had not been produced yet, so baking soda was used as a substitute. Glass production required over 1000 degrees Celsius, fortunately, the alchemy industry in this era was well-developed, and crucibles were abundant. After Zhu Yinglong's difficult exploration, he finally managed to produce a grayish glass. As a chemistry student, although he had abandoned his studies for two years, once he got started again, various theories began to emerge in his mind, and each time he did better, the formula became more accurate. Unfortunately, there was no computer, otherwise, he could have used SAS software to calculate the optimal formula. When he made a nearly transparent glass, before he could even shout with excitement, he suddenly felt an icy sword blade on his neck.

  He was taken aback by this sudden turn of events and broke out in a cold sweat, saying: "Who are you to dare intrude upon the king's residence?"

  "Don't talk too much, quickly give this young lady the golden medicine." The voice was clear and crisp, belonging to a young woman, but her face was covered, making it impossible to see her features.

  "Miss, do you know how serious a crime it is to threaten the imperial court and the vassal kings?" Zhu Yinglong said calmly.

  "Are you going to take it?" The masked woman's sword tip advanced a few more inches, and Zhu Yinglong could already feel its chill on his neck. There were still bloodstains on the blade, and a bloody smell rushed into his nostrils. He knew that the Zhu Yijian of history would never have encountered such a situation. Due to a series of unfortunate events, he had possessed Zhu Yijian's body two years ahead of schedule, which was why he had ended up in this predicament. His mouth hurriedly said: "Take it, take it! Miss, please put your precious sword away first, then I'll go get the medicine."

  "No way, you think I'm a fool? I'll go with you!" The masked woman said.

  "Alright, be careful, girl. The things here are important to me." This secret room was what Zhu Yinglong called his small alchemy chamber, also where he did research. Outside there were several larger rooms, those were for deceiving others. Since it was an alchemy chamber, there were some medicinal materials, of course, including golden elixir medicine, so he had to go to the outer alchemy chamber.

  Zhu Yinglong suddenly saw that every step the masked woman took behind him left a bright red footprint on the ground, and exclaimed in surprise: "Miss, you're bleeding."

  "Less nonsense, faster..." Before the word "go" was even spoken, the treasure sword on Zhu Ying's neck fell to the ground with a "ding", and the masked woman had already fallen unconscious.

  Save or not? Of course, he had to save her. Zhu Yinglong hurriedly picked up the unconscious black-clad woman with a veil over her face. If it weren't for his training over the past few months, he wouldn't have been able to carry her. In the secret room, there was a small bed where he rested, and he first laid the woman flat on the bed. After checking, he found that the veiled woman had one knife wound each on her waist and shoulder. Disregarding any concerns about male-female propriety, he quickly used scissors to cut away the torn fabric around the wounds and hastily stopped the bleeding. Just as he was about to further dress the wounds, the door of the secret room was suddenly knocked urgently.

  Zhu Yinglong picked up a thin quilt to cover the woman's face, and casually hid the sword that had fallen to the ground. He also used yellow sand to cover the bloodstains and footprints on the ground. Only then did he go to open the door, where he saw Wang Chengen standing outside with a big sweat, and asked: "What happened?"

  "Your Highness, a group of Imperial Guards in brocade uniforms has arrived outside the main gate, saying they are here to search for the escaped prisoner." Wang Cheng'en reported.

  Zhu Yinglong's heart tightened, and it turned out that this woman was going to rob the Beizhen Fu Si's great prison, but he didn't know who she was going to rescue. A flash of lightning-like thinking flashed through his mind, wondering whether or not he should save this woman, which would be an extremely daring thing to do.

  "Your Highness?" Wang Chengen saw a hint of color on Zhu Yinglong's face and called out in a low voice.

  Zhu Ying Long's eyes flashed with a stern glint, and he said: "Go and have someone guard the entrance of the palace tightly. No one is allowed to enter this palace half a step. Also, send me a set of clean clothes, one for men and one for women, quickly."

  Wang Chengen looked at Zhu Yinglong with a suspicious gaze, but Zhu Yinglong didn't have time to explain and kicked him forward saying "Hurry up and go!"

  Wang Chengen handled things very quickly and soon brought over two sets of clothes. Zhu Yinglong changed out of the bloody set he was wearing, and didn't hide from Wang Chengen that there was another person in the secret room. As clever as he was, he should have guessed it when he asked him to bring a male and female set of clothes. He instructed Wang Chengen to wash away the bloodstains in the secret room, then quickly moved the person on the small bed to the underground secret room. This way, even if the Brocade Guards came to search, they wouldn't find anything.

  Zhu Yinglong was calm from start to finish, while Wang Chengen's nose had already sweated out cold sweat several times. Privately hiding a fugitive prisoner was a serious crime! How could the prince be so confused? If Wei Zhongxian were to catch wind of this, it would be disastrous. In the palace, Wei Zhongxian didn't even spare the emperor's most favored concubine. Alas, his own fate had already been tied to that of Prince Xian, and he could only follow Zhu Yinglong's orders.