Chapter 44 Is Chongzhen Up to His Old Tricks Again?

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang immediately said, "I truly admire your skills. Since you hold no official post, from now on, serve at the Firearms Research Institute!"

"I will grant you the rank of Third Rank Guest of the Crown Prince!"

"As for your two sons, they seem quite sharp. Let them start as Commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! If they prove meritorious, they will be rewarded further!"

Upon hearing this, Bi Maokang was overwhelmed with joy.

At his age, he had almost no ambitions left; the only thing he worried about was the future of his descendants.

Unexpectedly, with just a word from Zhu Cilang, the employment of his son and two grandsons was secured.

His son was even granted the prestigious position of Third Rank Guest of the Crown Prince!

This brought him immense happiness.

After all, the Crown Prince was destined to become emperor; following him meant an unlimited future!

Regaining his composure, Bi Maokang hurriedly urged his son and grandsons, who were still stunned, "What are you standing there for? Kneel down and express your gratitude!"

Only then did Bi Wenxuan and his two sons come to their senses and quickly knelt, kowtowing to show their thanks.

"I, Bi Wenxuan, thank His Highness the Crown Prince for the promotion!"

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"I also thank Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Though somewhat shocked, Bi Wenxuan, being older, soon recovered.

His two sons, however, could barely hide their excitement, their voices trembling as they spoke.

It was understandable—just days ago, they were mere street rascals, and now suddenly officials; their father and grandfather had become high-ranking officers. How could they not be thrilled?

"Enough, rise!" Zhu Cilang smiled and waved his hand.

Then, looking at Bi Wenxuan, he said, "Tomorrow, I will teach you the materials and methods to make crystal glass. You must work hard."

"Do not disappoint me!"

Bi Wenxuan quickly clasped his hands again.

"I will not fail Your Highness’s trust!"

After a few brief instructions, the four generations of Bi's family left with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Back in his chambers, Zhu Cilang remained deeply excited.

"Ma Bao, bring brush, ink, paper, and inkstone! Send someone to fetch Li Ruolian immediately," he instructed.

Since sleep eluded him, he decided to finalize the glass-making process first.

Soon, the writing materials arrived.

Zhu Cilang recalled the method to make glass and began to write.

Fortunately, his background in physics made the glass manufacturing process no trouble at all.

---

Glass requires quartz sand, soda ash, limestone, and charcoal.

Even in ancient times, these raw materials were relatively easy to obtain.

Quartz sand, the main component of glass, could be found in rivers and beaches. Since this was Beijing, Zhu Cilang only mentioned rivers and noted the characteristics of quartz sand.

Soda ash could be produced by burning natural alkali or plant ashes, which was no problem—natural alkali had long been in use since ancient times.

Limestone was even more common; by the Ming Dynasty, it was already widely used as a building material.

Charcoal was easy to acquire too, plentiful in the Eastern Palace from leftover supplies used during winter.

In addition, a heat-resistant container was needed, which the Armory Bureau already possessed.

After listing the required materials, Zhu Cilang placed the paper aside and began writing the glass-making procedure on another sheet.

By the time he finished, Li Ruolian arrived.

"I, Li Ruolian, pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!" Li Ruolian said respectfully, though he looked a bit weary, as if he hadn’t slept well for some time.

Zhu Cilang casually handed him the sheet filled with the materials list.

"I have three tasks for you."

"First, send people overnight to prepare everything listed here. I need it by tomorrow."

"Second, send someone to find a man named Wang Zheng. I wish to meet him."

"Third, I want to build a new government office. Find a suitable location."

"The new office must be larger and more important than the Ming Daily News headquarters, requiring round-the-clock guards."

"I’m allocating three hundred thousand taels of silver for this. If it’s not enough, come to me immediately."

Li Ruolian was somewhat stunned by this barrage of orders.

He hadn’t even completely settled the Ming Daily News matter yet—now there were new tasks?

But since these were orders from the Crown Prince, he would obey without question.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard feared not having enough tasks, but rather having none at all.

Because no tasks meant being abandoned by the emperor, which was far more dangerous.

With this in mind, Li Ruolian quickly gathered himself.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, rest assured; I will accomplish these tasks," he said respectfully.

"Go now," Zhu Cilang waved him off.

Once Li Ruolian left, Zhu Cilang could no longer resist and returned to bed.

Though tired, he felt it was all worthwhile.

The thought that in the future, Ming soldiers would be equipped with new flintlock guns and telescopes filled him with immense satisfaction.

---

Soon, he fell into a deep sleep.

Time passed swiftly, and dawn arrived.

With the sound of the court bell, the ministers filed in one after another.

Zhu Cilang sat above them and yawned discreetly, his face heavy with fatigue.

He had stayed up until after two in the morning the previous night, then risen early, so exhaustion was inevitable.

Fortunately, nothing urgent occurred today; the ministers gave brief reports, Zhu Cilang responded with a few words, and then court was adjourned.

Like yesterday, Xue Guoguan left for the palace gates immediately after the audience.

Zhou Yanru stood at the hall’s entrance, frowning as he watched Xue Guoguan depart.

His curiosity about what Xue Guoguan was up to grew stronger.

But he would soon find out, for he had arranged for someone to follow Xue Guoguan.

Sure enough!

When Xue Guoguan left the palace and boarded his sedan chair, the tailing agent, waiting nearby, silently followed.

However, shortly after, a cloth bag flew down from above, enveloping the tailing man completely.

What followed was a fierce barrage of punches and kicks.

Within moments, the man was unconscious and was tossed aside like garbage against a wall.

The attackers were none other than several Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Before the first edition of the Ming Daily News was published, Zhu Cilang wished to avoid any trouble and had explicitly instructed the Embroidered Uniform Guards to maintain secrecy.

Therefore, when they noticed someone shadowing Xue Guoguan, they acted immediately.

Still, they exercised some restraint and did not deal a fatal blow.

---

Elsewhere, Zhu Cilang, having just finished court and preparing to return to the Eastern Palace, suddenly saw a eunuch rushing toward him.

He recognized this eunuch as the one previously assigned to guard the harem.

A flicker of unease stirred in Zhu Cilang’s heart. Could there be trouble in the harem again?

Before he could think further, the eunuch reached him.

After kowtowing, the eunuch hurriedly reported, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, I have an urgent matter to report!"

"Speak," Zhu Cilang replied with a hint of weariness.

At the same time, he inwardly cursed his unreliable father, suspecting that Emperor Chongzhen was causing trouble once more.