The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 30 Zhu Yuanzhang Flees!

"This sweet potato is unique in the world. Right now, only I have it. People are curious and willing to try it. Even if the price is a bit high, people will still buy it. That's the business opportunity."

"I have a business strategy here. I set a high price first and sell to wealthy families and the children of officials to make a quick profit. Then, as more people plant, I gradually lower the price. This way, I can ensure a sufficient profit margin in the early stages and make it affordable for ordinary people in the later stages. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bowen exchanged glances. After careful consideration, they realized that Zhu Yao's words were indeed reasonable. They understood the principle that scarcity increases value, but they hadn't expected there to be so many intricacies involved.

Zhu Yuanzhang opened his mouth, wanting to refute again, but found that he couldn't argue with Zhu Yao at all. He could only sigh helplessly and mutter to himself: This unfilial son is more astute in business than I am.

But that makes sense. Let's use these sweet potatoes to ruthlessly exploit those high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen first!

Since he couldn't win the argument with Zhu Yao, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped arguing about the price and changed the subject, saying urgently, "Alright, alright, we'll go with the price you said. But Yao'er, you have to give me some sweet potato seeds and planting techniques. I want to grow some myself so I can buy more and make more money."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao readily nodded: "What's the problem? Leave it to me!"

"I've prepared the seeds for you, and I'll also provide you with the planting techniques."

"Let's get rich together, father and son!!"

After saying that, Zhu Yao turned and went into the house. A short while later, he came out with a thin book and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Father, this is the sweet potato planting technique. It is written very clearly, from seed selection and seedling cultivation to planting, fertilization, and pest control. Every step is included. If you follow the method in the book, you will definitely be able to grow them successfully."

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly took the book with both hands, carefully tucked it into his robes, and exclaimed with great joy, "Good! Good! That's wonderful! Yao'er, thank you so much!"

"With this planting technique and seeds, Dad will definitely be able to promote sweet potatoes and make a lot of money!"

Liu Bowen stood aside, watching the father and son reach an agreement, and a gratified smile appeared on his face. He secretly rejoiced that Young Master Zhu had relented, and the sweet potatoes could finally be used by the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yao continued to admonish, "Dad, you can use it to make money, but don't be too flashy. Old Zhu's knife is sharp!"

"My son really doesn't want to have another meal."

......

Night was falling.

The entire Liu family was fast asleep, except for a dim light in Zhu Yuanzhang's room. He quietly packed his bags, clutching the sweet potato planting manual tightly to his chest, and instructed Erhu to be quiet and not disturb anyone.

Under the cover of night, the two slipped out of the Liu residence and boarded a carriage that had been prepared beforehand. Erhu whipped the horse and the carriage slowly drove away from Chenzhou City, heading towards Jinling.

Inside the carriage, Erhu couldn't help but turn to look at Zhu Yuanzhang, his face full of doubt. He asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, why do we have to leave secretly? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to say goodbye to Young Master Zhu directly?"

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned against the carriage wall and sighed softly, his tone full of helplessness: "What do you know? If I don't sneak away, that rebellious son will definitely not let me leave."

"He's stubborn. If he knew I was in a hurry to go back to Nanjing to promote sweet potatoes and implement those good policies, he would definitely stop me. He would either try to persuade me to stay or he would ramble on about a bunch of risks. Rather than getting entangled with him, I'd better leave tonight to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Upon hearing this, Erhu asked again, "What about the three princes? Isn't it inappropriate to leave them at the Liu residence like this? Your Majesty, should we go back and bring them with us?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened, and his tone was full of disdain: "Take them back? Forget it! These three bastards are fine to stay with Yao'er. If they come back to Jinling with me, they'll just turn Jinling upside down and cause trouble everywhere. Then I'll have to take time to clean up their mess."

Erhu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, but the three princes are unruly. If they stay with Young Master Zhu, what if they turn the Liu residence and Chenzhou City upside down? Wouldn't that just cause trouble for Young Master Zhu?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, his tone laced with calculation: "It's good to cause trouble. Zhu Yao refuses to come out of seclusion to help me, so having him take care of these three younger brothers is perfectly fine. It's also a way to give him something to do."

"If he can't even take care of his three younger brothers, then it means he doesn't have any real skills. I overestimated him before."

"If he can discipline these three unruly sons, it will be a great help to me, killing two birds with one stone."

After saying that, Zhu Yuanzhang patted the handrail of the carriage and urged, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. We must get out of Chenzhou before dawn, or that brat will catch up with us."

Erhu dared not say another word and quickly sped up the carriage. The carriage sped through the night, rushing towards Jinling, leaving only the Liu residence standing quietly in the night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhu Yao stretched and slowly walked out of his room. As soon as he reached the courtyard, the butler, Chen Zhong, rushed over, his face full of panic.

"Young Master, something terrible has happened!" Chen Zhong said breathlessly, "Last night, the Master and his men secretly ran away, leaving behind a carriage and some luggage. They've vanished without a trace!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yao's lazy expression vanished instantly. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, speechless for a moment, his lips twitching slightly: "He ran away? This old man, he really came and went in a hurry. I thought I could spend a few days with him this time, but I didn't expect him to run away so quickly, without even saying goodbye."

He shook his head, feeling somewhat helpless but not too concerned. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang was always decisive and efficient, never dragging his feet in his work.

Chen Zhong quickly added, "But young master, although Master Zhu has run away, your three half-brothers are still in the manor. This morning when I went to wake them up, I found that they were still in their rooms."

Zhu Yao waved his hand and said in a calm tone, "I know. Since they've stayed, take good care of them. Don't let them go hungry or cold, and don't let them run around and cause any trouble."

No sooner had he finished speaking than three servants rushed in, their faces filled with anxiety, repeatedly shouting, "Young Master, something terrible has happened!"

Zhu Yao's heart sank; he had a bad feeling. He rubbed his throbbing temples and asked helplessly, "What's the panic? Tell me slowly, what happened?"

The first servant hurriedly said, "Young Master, that Second Young Master Zhu caused trouble in the street early this morning. He provoked the city management officers and even smashed a roasted sweet potato stall on the street. The city management officers surrounded him and gave him a beating, but now he's throwing a tantrum in the street and refuses to get up!"