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

Chapter 34 Harvesting Sweet Potatoes

After Zhu Ying left, Zhu Gaoxi felt inexplicably lost. He remembered that when he was a child, the exam papers used to be printed on wax paper. The faint smell of ink seemed to still linger in his nose, and those exam papers seemed to be from just yesterday.

He couldn't build a mimeograph machine without help.

Zhu Ying was clearly making excuses, sharing the same concerns as Zhu Yunwen, fearing that he would get into trouble.

If he fails in his tinkering with these things, he might be labeled as wasting his time on trivial pursuits; even if he succeeds, the promotion and application of these technologies will still require the support of power.

If you can't maintain a good relationship with the Crown Prince, this power will become something you can only dream of but never reach.

Moreover, it might be too conspicuous and arouse Zhu Yunwen's suspicion.

Seeing Zhu Gaoxi's dejected and anxious expression, Sanbao glanced at the sweet potatoes in the vegetable garden and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He walked over and whispered, "Young Prince, the sweet potatoes are ready to be dug up."

Yes, it's sweet potato harvest season.

If Sanbao hadn't reminded him, he would have almost forgotten about it.

The time has come to test the results of our work.

That's something to look forward to!

Zhu Gaoxi said happily, "Go quickly, go quickly, dig up a few."

Sanbao smiled and gestured to Li Hui.

"I've seen the materials for printing that the young prince wrote. I know people in all twenty-four departments of the palace, so finding the materials shouldn't be difficult. Why don't you let me give it a try?" Sanbao whispered to Zhu Gaoxi.

This is great! I was just worried about not having anyone to help me. Zhu Gaoxi's eyes lit up immediately. "Good, good. You can spend all the money Grandpa gave you. As long as you get the job done, don't worry about how much it costs."

As long as there's a way, Zhu Gaoxi will spare no expense to make this happen.

The development of the printing industry was of great significance in enlightening the people.

Only when the overall literacy rate in society increases can technological progress be possible, and new processes and technologies can be applied to production on a large scale, powerfully promoting economic development and improving people's lives.

His disappointment just now was simply because he lacked available resources.

Those princes and grandsons, whenever they encountered any situation, would first consider the emperor's rules and the feelings of the crown prince, and dared not take the same risks as him.

It was incredibly boring.

How incredibly boring!

Having received full authorization from Zhu Gaoxi, Sanbao was greatly encouraged, saying, "This servant will definitely find a way to accomplish this."

"The biggest uncertainty we have about mimeographing is the choice of ink. It's different from the ink used in woodblock printing. It requires repeated mixing. We'll try both soybean oil and animal fat. We're not in a hurry. We'll take it slow. If we can succeed, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to bestow upon you the title of Duke." Zhu Gaoxi felt increasingly that it was necessary to do his best to secure the position of Crown Prince.

The title of Duke is the highest nobility a minister can be granted.

Since being castrated and entering the palace, Sanbao thought his life was over, but he never expected to have such an opportunity.

Sanbao's eyes welled up with tears of emotion. "This servant thanks Your Highness for your kindness."

"Young Prince, Young Prince," came Li Hui's slightly tearful voice. Zhu Gaoxi turned his head and saw that he was holding three large pieces of sweet potato. "Your Highness, look how well they are grown, such big pieces."

Zhu Gaoxi stood there stunned, as if he were dreaming.

He pinched himself hard.

It hurts! It's not a dream.

Today is truly a day of double good fortune.

Zhu Gaoxi walked over quickly, picked up the sweet potato, and examined it over and over again.

"Quick, quick, wash it clean, steam it, and give it to Grandpa to eat," Zhu Gaoxi shouted.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huang Liang walked in, asking with a friendly smile, "Young Prince, what treasure do you wish to present to His Majesty?"

"Grandpa Huang, sweet potatoes! Look, sweet potatoes! They've been planted! Look how good they are, how big they are!" Zhu Gaoxi was so excited that he was almost incoherent.

Huang Liang took two quick steps and looked at the sweet potatoes piled up like a small mountain on the ground. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, such a small plot of land can grow so many? This is truly..." Huang Liang slapped his forehead and said with uncontrollable joy, "This is truly an auspicious sign. We must quickly report this to His Majesty. Your Highness, hurry up and come with me to the Qianqing Palace."

As Huang Liang spoke, he gestured to the young eunuch beside him to fetch sweet potatoes.

Li Hui sensibly handed over a bamboo basket.

"Young Prince, His Majesty will be overjoyed to see you," Huang Liang said, following Zhu Gaoxi as they walked out.

As they reached the intersection and turned the corner, they heard Princess Zhu Jingyi of Jiangdu shouting loudly, "Little one, you see your sister and don't say a word, do you?"

Zhu Gaoxi was walking too fast and didn't notice her behind him.

"Sister, are you going to see Grandpa?" Zhu Gaoxi stopped and turned to ask.

"Of course, I made delicious mung bean pastries for Grandpa," Zhu Jingyi said proudly. "If you want to eat them, you have to call me 'sister' ten times, not even once less."

Zhu Gaoxi laughed and said, "Then I'll wait until my sister leaves Qianqing Palace before we eat."

He stayed in the Qianqing Palace at night, so this little bit of trouble was useless against him.

Zhu Jingyi had only been joking around, but she was quickly drawn to the bamboo basket the young eunuch was carrying and asked curiously, "What's that?"

"Sweet potato, sister, you must try it, it's especially delicious," Zhu Gaoxi earnestly invited.

"What's a sweet potato?" Zhu Jingyi looked at the bamboo basket. "Give me one to see."

The young eunuch obeyed and put down the bamboo basket.

Zhu Gaoxi personally went over and took a piece, handing it to Zhu Jingyi. "This was just dug out of the ground, it's still covered in dirt and hasn't been washed clean. Sister, take a look at it like this, be careful not to get the book dirty."

Zhu Jingyi gave him a doting look and said, "Your sister isn't that delicate." She then took the sweet potato, examined it several times, and put it back in the bamboo basket.

"How do we eat this?" Zhu Jingyi asked.

"You can steam it, boil it, or roast it. You can also make it into dried sweet potatoes and eat it as a snack. It's so delicious!" Zhu Gaoxi said with great enthusiasm.

"You're quite filial; Grandpa didn't spoil you for nothing," Zhu Jingyi praised after hearing this.

Zhu Gaoxi took Zhu Jingyi's hand and they walked forward together.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunwen was about to leave when he saw Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Jingyi walking over intimately, chatting and laughing. A hint of displeasure flashed across his face.

"Brother!" Zhu Gaoxi called out, "Brother, look what I brought! Sweet potatoes, the sweet potatoes I grew, look how big they are!"

Zhu Yunwen suppressed his displeasure, walked over and glanced at him, and said softly, "My younger brother is very intelligent, we can't waste his talent. If he plays all day long, won't he end up like Zhong Yong? I'll talk to Grandpa later and let you study with Mr. Huang. It won't be difficult for you to start your education early."

Does this person know how to chat?

To deliver a crushing blow, negating all of someone's efforts.

This is so discouraging!

Zhu Gaoxi was momentarily at a loss for words.

To everyone's surprise, Zhu Jingyi added fuel to the fire, saying, "How old is he? You're making him study, you're spoiling him too much."

This careless older sister is truly speechless.

Every time they try to help, they end up making things worse.

A classic example of good intentions gone wrong.