Prince Yan's Consort and Emperor Yongle

"They really should be locked up for a few days."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then added, "And on top of that, we ought to send someone with a whip every day to give them a lashing. Otherwise, it's hard for them to truly learn their lesson."

Soon, after a few more casual remarks, Qin Ning ultimately left with Li Lizhi and the other two, returning to the future.

Inside the Grand Qin Villa.

Fu Su wasn't there, but not long ago, Zhu Biao and Li Chengqian had arrived in the future. Now both were staying here, their rooms next to Fu Su's.

Besides these two crown princes, the capital had also sent over a few specialists who resided here as well. From now on, they would be responsible for teaching Zhu Biao, Fu Su, and Li Chengqian.

Zhu Wanning and Li Lizhi picked up some pastries and fruits and followed Qin Ning into the Grand Qin Villa.

Since classes hadn't officially started yet, the teacher wasn't there at the moment. They first handed Zhu Biao and Li Chengqian a few compiled reference materials they had prepared, asking them to look them over.

Right now, Zhu Biao and Li Chengqian were absorbed in carefully going through these materials, the more they read, the more engrossed they became.

"Big brother?"

Qin Ning and the others approached, but Zhu Biao and Li Chengqian didn't notice until Li Lizhi called out, snapping them back to reality.

Li Chengqian and Zhu Biao put down their books and slightly bowed to Qin Ning, "Master."

"No need to be so formal. Still studying this late?" Qin Ning said with a faint smile, waving his hand.

"Yes, Master. These are the materials the teacher left for us to review first. Tomorrow they'll teach us the specifics. I have to say, these materials really are useful and have brought us great inspiration," Zhu Biao replied.

Qin Ning nodded, "Good to hear they're helpful."

"Big brother, Wanning and I brought you some food. Try it," Li Lizhi said as she set down the fruits and pastries.

Li Chengqian smiled, "Alright, thank you, Lizhi. Just leave them there for now. Zhu Biao and I will eat while we read later. We already had dinner over there with Kestrel and the others."

"By the way, Master, during dinner earlier, Xiongying mentioned that Fu Su went back to Grand Qin for a while. Why isn't he back yet?" Zhu Biao asked.

"Oh, him..."

Qin Ning paused, then said, "He probably won't be back for a couple of days."

He then briefly explained how Fu Su had led a group to set fire to Hu Hai's palace, nearly burning down the entire Xianyang Palace.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian and Zhu Biao were both dumbfounded.

"This Lao Si sure knows how to stir up trouble," Zhu Biao said helplessly.

Li Chengqian added, "That rascal Chumo is also causing trouble. They sent him to Grand Qin to help out, and he ends up getting involved in something this big."

"It's fine. Engineers have already rushed over overnight. The Xianyang Palace will be rebuilt in a few days," Qin Ning said.

After chatting with them for a bit longer, Qin Ning left with Li Lizhi and Zhu Wanning.

...

The next day, after having breakfast with Qin Fei and the others, Qin Ning headed to the Ming Dynasty.

Inside the Kunming Palace.

Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang were there.

They weren't alone; two others had joined them.

It was the Yongle Emperor and his grandson, Zhu Zhanji.

They had arrived early in the morning and were now having breakfast with Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.

Seeing Qin Ning appear, Zhu Di immediately stood up to greet him, "Master, have you eaten breakfast? Would you like to join us?"

"No need, I've already eaten."

Qin Ning waved it off, "On the Yongle front, the army is still on its march back, isn't it? Why did you come over directly?"

"We haven't started moving yet. According to the plan, we're supposed to march at noon. So I took the chance to bring Zhanji over. Yumuchuan is a thousand li from the capital, so it will take a while to get there. Otherwise, I would have brought my eldest to see His Majesty and Her Majesty as well," Zhu Di said.

"You reminded me—it's a minor issue. Once you're done eating, I'll come with you, and directly take you and Zhu Zhanji back to the capital. As for the army, just let them continue marching toward the capital. The numbers are a bit large, not that I couldn't bring them, but if too many people learn of my existence, it wouldn't be good for your Yongle reign," Qin Ning said.

Zhu Di nodded seriously, "Indeed, matters of the divine shouldn't be known by too many. Otherwise, it would hinder the development of science and technology in my Ming Dynasty."

"Not bad, not bad. You understand the importance of science and technology. It seems you've earned the title of Yongle Emperor," Qin Ning said with a smile.

Zhu Di replied, "Of course. Science and technology are the foundation of national power. The firearms used by my Divine Engine Battalion are a tangible example of that."

At this point, Zhu Di turned to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Father, the firearms my Divine Engine Battalion uses are far more advanced than the ones from your era—greater range and power. Once I return to the capital, I'll immediately send craftsmen with blueprints to help you improve yours, what do you think?"

"Hmph..."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head proudly, "No need, Lao Si. I have no interest in your outdated toys. What are flintlocks and caplocks compared to that? I'm already mass-producing them now. Once the industrial and other sectors catch up, I'll start making bolt-action rifles."

"Flintlocks and caplocks? What are those?"

Zhu Di was puzzled, "And what are bolt-action rifles? Are they far superior to the firearms used by my Divine Engine Battalion?"

"They are indeed much better,"

Qin Ning explained with a smile, "Flintlocks and caplocks are far more advanced than the firearms you know. Range and power are just one aspect; the main improvement lies in their ignition methods."

"As for the bolt-action rifle..."

"Old Zhu is bluffing you. This sort of thing, also called the Type 38 rifle, isn't easy for the current Ming Dynasty to produce. It requires a full support chain of industries."

"Compared to firearms, this is a product of a whole different era. Its maximum effective lethal range reaches over a thousand meters, roughly two li."

Hearing this, Zhu Di was visibly shaken, "What? An effective lethal range of two li? Master, could you perhaps..."

"Don't even think about it. Not for now, anyway. We don't have enough manpower. The future world has already sent many people to Grand Qin, Great Tang, and the Ming Dynasty to develop all three fronts simultaneously. Your Yongle era is just a secondary timeline, so you'll have to wait. We'll get to you later," Qin Ning said.

"Alright, alright. No rush, Master. After taking your elixir, I can afford to wait now," Zhu Di said excitedly.

"Let's go. I'll come with you to the Yongle era and take you back to the capital. Then you find me a spot, and I'll set up a portal between Hongwu and Yongle," Qin Ning said.

Zhu Di and Zhu Zhanji stood up, bowing farewell to Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang.

Just as the three were about to leave, the portal in the Kunming Palace faintly shimmered, and a young woman stepped out.

It was Yan Princess Xu Miaoyun.

She had just dropped off Xu Miaojin, Zhu Xiongying, and a few other little ones at kindergarten and was now on her way to pay her respects to Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma.