Chapter 32: Greatness

After Zhu Shuang finished speaking, Yang Shiqi remained silent, but Tie Xuan waved his sleeve and shouted angrily, "If Your Highness truly intends to repeat the disaster of the Xuanwu Gate, then please step over my corpse first."

Seeing the surrounding soldiers resting their hands on their hilts with menacing expressions, Yang Shiqi pulled him aside and urged, "Dingshi, why must you go to such lengths?"

"The nation's external threats are not yet quelled, and now that the regional warlordism of the princes has taken root, I fear it will breed further conflict. I, Tie Xuan, am willing to stain this ground with my blood today to awaken the people of this city and join in condemning a traitor to the state."

Zhu Neng, enraged, was about to draw his saber to strike off Tie Xuan’s head, but Zhu Shuang shook his head to stop him. He clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "A fine, iron-willed official indeed. Hahahaha!"

Tie Xuan glared at him and said, "A loyal official and a filial son has met his end; what is there for the Prince of Qin to laugh at?"

"I laugh at your inability to see the situation clearly. Your blind loyalty is truly laughable."

"Is the Prince of Qin a rebel against the Imperial Court? Has he committed any atrocities against the people? Are those under his rule not the people of the Great Ming? Dingshi, you are deluded!" Yang Shiqi scolded, frustrated by his stubbornness.

In his heart, Yang Shiqi thought: Is the domestic business of the Zhu family really something for minor officials like us to interfere with?

Zhu Shuang mused to himself that it was no wonder the "Old Fourth"—whom he admired in his past life—had been so infuriated by Tie Xuan that he eventually had him minced into meat paste. To put it kindly, he had backbone; to put it bluntly, he was a blockhead. It was no surprise that while he rose to fame earlier than Yang Shiqi, their ultimate fates were worlds apart.

"Uh... this official was reckless," Tie Xuan finally lowered his head in apology.

"Finished? Zhu Neng, lock him in the stables for a few days to sober up."

After the "iron rod" was dragged away, Zhu Shuang stood in the center of the platform and announced loudly, "Although there were some minor hiccups, today's meeting was a complete success. I have one final announcement to make."

"Starting today, the first official decree issued by the Military Administration Office is to abolish the four classes of society and end the hereditary status of craftsmen and soldiers. From now on, there shall be no distinction between noble and commoner; all are equal."

The workers below were moved to tears, unable to speak. Although their incomes had increased, their social status had remained akin to that of the lowest caste; their descendants were forbidden from taking the imperial examinations and were destined to remain craftsmen. Almost all craftsmen were essentially the private property—or rather, slaves—of officials and nobles.

The soldiers responsible for security maintained their discipline, but their eyes were already red. Since the Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the military household system had dictated that sons inherit their fathers' roles; year after year of conscription meant that in some families, the men were nearly wiped out, and female relatives were often forced into remarriage or dragged onto the battlefield.

Zhu Shuang knew that whether it was the craftsmen or the soldiers—even the later garrison system established by the Old Emperor—these systems effectively blocked all avenues for upward mobility. Even though soldiers in the mid-to-late Ming dynasty could theoretically take the imperial examinations, the distribution of land and the quotas for the exams were controlled by hereditary commanders, making the Ming army little more than servants to their officers. It was no wonder that by the Jiajing era, the military had rotted to such an extent that fifteen Japanese pirates could chase thousands of Ming troops while attempting to attack Nanjing.

Ever since Qi Jiguang trained the Qi Family Army from the Yiwu militia, the Ming garrison system had existed in name only.

Zhu Shuang believed that only a professional military could be the path of the future, and only workers with the status of free citizens could drive an industrial revolution.

He looked at the cheering crowd and prepared to step down, but the workers surged forward, lifted him high into the air, and shouted in unison:

"Long live the Prince of Qin!"
"Long live the Prince of Qin!"
"Long live the Prince of Qin!"

The surrounding soldiers also raised their arms and chanted:

"Long live the Commander!"
"Long live the Commander!"
"Long live the Commander!"

The Anmin Army camp in the distance ceased their training and collectively shouted:

"Long live!"
"Long live!"
"Long live!"

The sound wave surged like a tsunami toward Kaifeng City, and the tens of thousands of refugees whom Zhu Shuang had provided for joined the roar.

The cries of "Long live" were incessant.

Yang Shiqi was utterly stunned by the scene of such fervent emotion shaking the heavens.

Tie Xuan, who was just about to feed the horses, saw the crowd roaring toward the sky and slumped to the ground in despair. He murmured, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, how can human strength possibly resist the might of the Prince of Qin?"

Zhu Shuang, feeling quite dizzy from being hoisted up, was taken back to the Prince of Qin's mansion in a carriage by Ma Sanbao.

"Sanbao, I only did a little bit of work. Was it really worth them getting that excited?"

Ma Sanbao smiled, a rare sight, and said, "For generations, they have been like people locked in a windowless iron house. You not only gave them a torch but kicked the door down to let them out."

Zhu Shuang pointed at his own nose in surprise, "Am I really as great as you say?"

"In this servant's eyes, you are the greatest person in the world."

"I'm not. The man at Orange Island Head is."

Ma Sanbao felt confused and curious about this place name.

Zhu Shuang pushed open the study door. Xu Miaoyun was checking account books at the desk, while Minmin was lying on a small bed with her legs propped up, eating watermelon. She pointed at him and said, "How can you just walk in without knocking?"

Zhu Shuang asked strangely, "Do I need to knock to enter my own room?"

Minmin pouted and said cheekily, "What if I were doing something naughty with your sister? Wouldn't you blame me for cuckolding you?"

Xu Miaoyun’s ears turned red; this sister of hers was perfect in every way except for her habit of touching people and kissing everyone randomly.

"What can you even do with that belly? You useless woman, all you know is eating, eating, eating." Zhu Shuang snatched the watermelon from her hand and finished off the remaining bite.

Minmin kicked him and said with dissatisfaction, "All you know is snatching food from us mother and child. You wretch."

"Didn't Doctor Du warn you to eat less cold food? Be careful or I'll enforce the house rules."

Minmin rubbed her belly and frowned, "Tch, go ahead. If you have the guts, kill your own child, and I'll suffer a little less. I'm only eight months along, and I can't even go out. I want to eat something good, but I can't do this or that."

She loved to imitate Zhu Shuang’s catchphrases.

"Fine, fine, fine. Just bear with it for one more month, Your Majesty. Once the baby is born, I’ll buy you whatever you want to eat every single day."

Minmin’s eyes sparkled, "I heard the dragon bed in the Jade Virtue Palace is made of gold. What if I want to live in Dadu?"

"Fine, fine, fine. I will definitely conquer it for you."

"Pinky swear, don't lie to me. If you lie, you're a little puppy."

Pregnant women were known for their whimsical and mercurial moods. Zhu Shuang was speechless, but he extended his pinky and hooked it with hers.

Minmin was happy and returned to her room to sleep. Xu Miaoyun covered her mouth and giggled, "Brother Prince of Qin really dotes on Sister."

"Yes, yes, yes. You’re the one who understands me; I’m spoiling her, not fearing her."

Xu Miaoyun paused for a moment. Zhu Shuang ruffled her hair and said, "What’s wrong? My little teacher isn't jealous, are you?"

"Was Sister the one managing the money before? How is it that not only is there no deficit, but there are an extra six hundred thousand taels in the treasury?"

Zhu Shuang was stunned as well. He had scraped Kaifeng City to the bone, so where did all this wealth come from? Suddenly, he thought of someone. No way, it couldn't be... could it be the secret treasury that his poor "great sucker" of a father-in-law, Chahan, left for his brother-in-law?

Thinking of the historical Wang Baobao—that seemingly indestructible cockroach—returning to find his home robbed, he thought, *Damn, marrying Minmin was probably the best thing I’ve done in this life.*

"Have you learned the multiplication table and the double-entry bookkeeping method I taught you?"

"Brother Prince of Qin taught me, and I have been studying very carefully."

Zhu Shuang patted his thigh and said with a lecherous look, "Come here, I need to check how well you've learned."

Xu Miaoyun was pulled into his arms, shyly saying, "Brother Prince of Qin, we aren't married yet. Men and women should not touch."

"Mhm, I know."

"Brother, can you take your hand out of my clothes?" Xu Miaoyun looked like a startled fawn, her face as red as a cloth, staring at him with watery, misty eyes.

Zhu Shuang said with a simple, honest face, "I’m just checking to see if you’ve been eating well. I’m relieved now; I’ll go to the courtyard to practice self-discipline."

"Self-discipline makes me happy."

Zhu Shuang grabbed the stone locks with both hands, lifted his legs in the air, and performed a Thomas flair.

"Mhm, I’m only eighteen. I guess this counts as a sweet romance between a high schooler and a middle schooler."