Chapter 6

"Ahem!"

Feeling the awkward and peculiar atmosphere in the hall, Emperor Zhao Yuansi of the Great Wei Dynasty cleared his throat, unsure if it was to ease his own discomfort: "Those ten palace maids sent to the palace are currently attending to your various concubines..."

Zhao Hongrun innocently blinked his eyes, displaying an expression of "I didn't ask anything," which only made Emperor Zhao Yuansi more frustrated, turning his frustration into a fierce glare and sternly staring at the outspoken Yu Ziqi.

Yu Ziqi, drenched in cold sweat, quickly changed the subject: "Your Highness, Your Highness, let's talk about this... trade, yes, trade!"

Zhao Hongrun laughed heartlessly and then said seriously: "What Yu Ziqi just said, in my view, is just mutual aid and repayment between countries, and cannot be considered a proper commercial trade."

"What is a proper commercial trade?"

"Making a profit!... I use goods worth one copper coin to exchange for money or goods worth several times more. This is the essence of commercial trade."

Yu Ziqi was taken aback: "Who would be so foolish as to buy something worth only one copper coin for several times its value?"

"Not necessarily." Zhao Hongrun shook his head and pointed to the kite he had made: "For example, this kite. The production cost is forty taels, but I want to sell it for four hundred taels. Do you think anyone would buy it?"

Yu Ziqi suddenly understood: "I see!... This thing is novel and can make ordinary people fly, unprecedented and unparalleled. Even for four thousand taels, there would be many wealthy people vying for it. ... Your Highness means that our Great Wei should trade some novel things with other countries?"

"Where are there so many novel things to trade? Besides, this thing is just for show and has no practical use." Zhao Hongrun pursed his lips.

"Then what does Your Highness mean?"

Zhao Hongrun said seriously: "As the saying goes, rarity is valuable. The things we trade with other countries should be something that other countries do not have or have very little of, but our Great Wei has a lot of."

Yu Ziqi immediately understood and nodded repeatedly: "Our Great Wei produces a lot of cotton, which can be sold to Qi and Han..."

But before he could finish, Zhao Hongrun interrupted him.

"Doesn't Chu also have a lot of that? ... If you sell it to Qi and Han at ten times the value, and Chu hears about it and sells it at eight times the value, wouldn't Chu benefit instead?"

"Uh..." Yu Ziqi's face stiffened, and he said awkwardly: "Your Highness means to choose something that only our Great Wei has? ... Our Great Wei, though vast and rich in resources, does not have anything that other countries do not have..."

"You really are stubborn." Zhao Hongrun looked at Yu Ziqi helplessly and pointed to the kite: "Do other countries have the materials to make this kite, such as bamboo and cloth?"

Amidst the sneaky laughter of He Xiangxu and Lin Yuyang, Yu Ziqi nodded awkwardly: "Of course they do."

"Can they make it?"

Yu Ziqi was slightly stunned, as if he understood something.

Seeing that he seemed to have grasped it, Zhao Hongrun further instilled new ideas in him: "I'm not telling you to sell the materials. Materials are worth very little. For example, wood is found everywhere in other countries. But if you gather a group of skilled craftsmen to carve the wood into lifelike wooden sculptures and sell them to other countries, what do you think?"

"Your subject is enlightened." Yu Ziqi felt as if a veil had been lifted from his mind.

At this moment, the Left Chancellor Lin Yuyang, excited by the prospect, could not help but interject: "Your Highness's suggestion is excellent, but if other countries can also replicate the wooden sculptures, what then?"

"This involves technical issues." Zhao Hongrun turned to look at Lin Yuyang and said: "If we can ensure that the craftsmanship of the wooden sculptures sold by our Great Wei far exceeds that of other countries, the problem raised by this official will be solved."

"Technical?" Lin Yuyang's face showed deep confusion, as if he did not understand.

"Let me give another example, weapons! The level of technology in weapons directly affects the combat capabilities of soldiers from both countries. This is the most obvious demonstration of technological prowess. ... I hear that our Great Wei has already developed 'ten-fold iron'?"

Lin Yuyang thought for a moment and said with a hint of pride: "To be precise, it's not just 'ten-fold.' In terms of iron smelting techniques, few can match our Great Wei!"

Zhao Hongrun grinned and said, "That's even better. ... If we forge a batch of weapons made from ten-fold iron and sell them at a high price to countries that cannot forge such weapons, what do you think?"

Lin Yuyang's face changed dramatically, and he exclaimed in shock: "Your Highness, you cannot! Military equipment is a matter of national importance and cannot be sold casually. If those weapons end up in the hands of enemy countries, wouldn't it be aiding the enemy? At that time, the weapons we developed would be used to kill our own soldiers. How can we explain this to our ancestors?"

"So you're also stubborn." Zhao Hongrun pursed his lips in annoyance: "The wealth gained from selling those weapons can be used to continue developing iron smelting technology! Develop twenty-fold, thirty-fold iron as soon as possible. Even if enemy countries have ten-fold iron weapons, what can they do? When we develop fifty-fold iron, we can sell the twenty-fold and thirty-fold iron weapons. This is called recouping research and development costs. Do you understand? ... Ensure that our soldiers are always equipped with the most advanced weapons, and sell the outdated ones to countries with backward iron smelting technology. This is a way to make other countries pay for the development of our iron smelting technology. ... In other words, transfer the cost of research and development to those countries that need weapons."

"This..." Lin Yuyang was speechless.

It must be understood that currently, to prevent the phenomenon of aiding the enemy, unless it is an alliance, it is absolutely forbidden to sell military equipment to other countries. The outdated military equipment either piles up in the armories, rusting, or is melted down and reforged. However, because melting down and reforging weapons is more expensive and of lower quality than forging new ones, most countries eventually melt the outdated military equipment into farming tools and sell them to the people at a low price, making full use of the iron resources.

Compared to the reuse methods proposed by the Eighth Prince Hongrun, this method was far inferior.

The three chancellors saw a bright path ahead, filling them with enthusiasm.

"Iron ore shortage..."

"Trade with countries rich in iron ore. Our Great Wei sells finished weapons, and they pay with iron ore."

"Coal..."

"Handle it the same way as iron ore."

"Transport and trading locations..."

"Border trade, with heavy military protection."

"What about countries with no money or resources? Should our Great Wei trade with them?"

"Why not? We don't need copper coins; they can mint as many as they want. We just need iron and coal, jade, gold, and silver. People can also be included, not just beautiful women, but the population in general. ... Additionally, horses, stones, and even cities, as long as the other party is willing to give them, we can accept them!"

The three chancellors were stunned. They raised one problem after another, but to their surprise, the Eighth Prince Hongrun always had a solution and answered quickly, as if he already knew everything.

"Is there really someone who knows everything from birth?"

The Chancellor He Xiangxu was deeply moved and exclaimed with a sense of awe. He strangely felt that he had lived his whole life without having the insight of a fourteen-year-old child.

Emperor Zhao Yuansi of the Great Wei Dynasty was already stunned.

Although he had a sixth son, Hongzhao, who was called a "Qilin child" for his talent in poetry, calligraphy, and music, Hongzhao was not as outstanding in state affairs as the three chancellors. The Eighth Prince Hongrun, who had always been criticized for being uneducated and unruly, could now discuss state affairs with the three chancellors and even discuss matters of national importance.

More incredibly, the three chancellors looked at him as if he were a divine being, admiring him to the utmost.

No matter how amazed he was, the suggestions made by Zhao Hongrun were, in the eyes of Emperor Zhao Yuansi, unparalleled state policies. He wondered where this clever child had learned these things. Could he really be a genius, as He Xiangxu suggested, who knew everything from birth?

However, when he thought about this genius's lack of interest in studies and state affairs, and his willingness to indulge in pleasure, Emperor Zhao Yuansi felt a headache.

What was even more headache-inducing was that he seemed to have encouraged this child's aversion to learning and play.

"Thank you, Father Emperor. From tomorrow, your son can officially skip the palace school." Zhao Hongrun smiled and thanked him.

"..." Emperor Zhao Yuansi opened his mouth but had no words to say, his expression twisted.

He turned to look at the three chancellors.

'Did I... just say that?'

The three chancellors responded with innocent eyes.

'Yes, Your Majesty, you did...'

"Words of a ruler cannot be taken lightly!" Zhao Hongrun's words blocked any attempt by Emperor Zhao Yuansi to retract his words.

'Well, well! With this child's talent, going to the palace school is no longer necessary...'

Emperor Zhao Yuansi sighed, as if convincing himself, and nodded: "Hongrun, since you have answered, as I promised, you can... you can skip the palace school..."

"Father Emperor, there's another promise." Zhao Hongrun reminded him at the right moment.

'This little brat...'

Emperor Zhao Yuansi shook his head helplessly: "Fine! What do you want me to promise?"

In Emperor Zhao Yuansi's view, such a promise was merely a reward of some kind.

But who would have thought that Zhao Hongrun would kneel and say seriously: "Father Emperor, your son requests to leave the palace!"

'Leave the palace?!'

Emperor Zhao Yuansi's face changed, and he immediately rejected it without a word.

"No!"

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