Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Chapter 1290 Cutting off the source of wealth

"Your Highness," a trusted aide whispered, "This design is incredibly exquisite. If this porcelain kiln could truly be built, our wealth would…"

"Wealth?" Helu interrupted suddenly, his voice hoarse. "You think this is wealth? This is a death warrant!" He grabbed the pattern and almost tore it to pieces. "How many eyes are staring at me, up and down the royal court? The Khan is already suspicious, and now the Emperor of Daqian has sent this thing, is he worried that I won't die quickly enough?"

The staff fell silent, and a deathly stillness fell within the tent. At this moment, a message came from outside the tent. It was the High Priest who had sent someone to inquire when the Snow Mountain Ganoderma Lucidum, bestowed by His Majesty, could be delivered to the temple for refining.

Helu's eye twitched. Ganoderma lucidum... porcelain kiln... He waved the visitor away, pacing anxiously. The high priest was determined to obtain the Ganoderma lucidum, and the porcelain kiln's glaze formula required Ganoderma lucidum as a medicinal ingredient... This was clearly a trap carefully laid by the Daqian Emperor, intended to offend both the high priest who wielded divine power and the already suspicious Khan!

"Your Highness," another more composed elder minister mused, "Now that things have come to this, perhaps... you could present the designs to the Khan as a token of your loyalty? If the porcelain kiln is completed, it will benefit the kingdom, and Your Highness can also claim some of the credit..."

"Achievement?" Helu laughed bitterly. "If I present the design, will the Khan believe me? He'll only think it's irrefutable proof of my collusion with the Great Qian! What's more..." He lowered his voice, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Those two porcelain craftsmen are the Great Qian Emperor's men! What truth can they possibly tell? Is this glaze formula real? What if the porcelain turns out to be unsightly, or the kiln explodes... who will bear the responsibility?"

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Whether he accepted the Daqian Emperor's move or not, it would be a dead end. If he accepted, the kiln construction would fail or spark internal strife in the imperial court, and he would be the culprit. If he didn't accept, he would be immediately charged with concealing the designs and resisting the "Heavenly Kingdom's gift"!

"Your Highness, perhaps... we can contact Daqian secretly..." The aide made a secret gesture.

Helu's eyes glared, and after a long silence, he slowly shook his head. "Contacting them now would be like walking into a trap. The Emperor Daqian is waiting for us to make a mistake." He took a deep breath, as if making up his mind. "The porcelain kiln... must be built. But not now, and not under my leadership."

He summoned the old minister and whispered, "Go to the Khan and tell him… that the Great Emperor has gifted the blueprints and craftsmen. His intentions are unpredictable. To prevent fraud, please send reliable craftsmen to study the blueprints with the Qian craftsmen. The selection of the site and construction of the kiln will also be the sole responsibility of the royal engineering officials. I… am willing to share the blueprints, simply to contribute my humble contribution to the kingdom, with no desire for personal gain."

The old minister took his orders and left. Helu watched him from behind, his eyes shifting. This was a risky move. Handing over the initiative might temporarily alleviate the Khan's suspicions, but it also meant losing control of the porcelain kiln's potentially enormous profits, and perhaps even being completely marginalized. But right now, saving his life was paramount.

News quickly reached the Great Khan, Duobi. He was quite surprised by Helu's willingness to offer the drawings and cede authority, and his suspicions were somewhat alleviated, but he was not completely reassured. He accepted the drawings and assigned a trusted official to take over the kiln operations. However, he also placed the two Daqian porcelain craftsmen under the supervision of the royal court and subjected them to strict interrogation.

Meanwhile, the high priest's desire for the Snow Mountain Ganoderma Lucidum grew increasingly urgent, and he repeatedly sent messengers to urge Helu. Caught in the middle, Helu was overwhelmed. Rumors spread within the royal court that Zuo Xian Wang had fallen from favor and was being schemed against by Daqian, causing some of the forces previously attached to him to waver.

A few days later, even worse news arrived. The market in Hexi, Daqian, suddenly drastically lowered the price of highland barley, citing "poor quality" as the reason. This directly impacted the numerous tribes of Hehan that relied on the highland barley trade, and resentment grew among the people. Naturally, all this was blamed on Zuo Xianwang's previous provocation of Daqian.

The gate to Helu's residence grew increasingly deserted. He felt like a fly caught in a spider's web, each thread gently plucked by the Daqian Emperor weakening his struggle.

At this moment, in the West Warm Pavilion, Qin Ming was listening to Ying Qi's report.

"The Left Wise King of the Black Khanate has submitted the designs, and the Great Khan has taken over the kiln operations and is overseeing them very strictly. Within the Black Khanate, resentment against the Left Wise King is growing due to fluctuations in barley prices."

Qin Ming nodded slightly, his eyes falling on a newly submitted memorial, which was about the regulations for the graduation examination of the first batch of students in the Department of Physics of the Imperial Institute of Technology.

"Tell Meng Zhi that the price of highland barley can be adjusted back a bit in due course."

"Tell those two porcelain craftsmen," he said, his lips curling up slightly, "the glaze formula... can be 'accidentally' leaked to the Black Khan's craftsmen, but make sure... their first firing will fail."

"Here."

Qin Ming picked up the red pen and wrote the word "approved" on the assessment regulations.

Inside the workshop of the Black Khanate's royal court.

Hassan, the chief craftsman sent by the Great Khan Duobi, was furious at a failed porcelain piece. The glaze was cracked, the body was tilted, and this was the seventh failure. Two Daqian porcelain craftsmen stood by with their hands down, their faces terrified.

"There's definitely something wrong with this formula!" Hassan grabbed a piece of porcelain and slammed it to the ground. "Is this all the craftsmen from Daqian can do?"

The older dry craftsman Zhang Cheng said tremblingly: "Sir, calm down... The amount of this Snow Mountain Ganoderma Lucidum is extremely difficult to control. One more and the glaze will flow, one less and the color will dry out..."

"Bullshit!" Hassan grabbed his collar. "Are you guys deliberately..."

"Sir!" The young dry craftsman Wang Shun suddenly knelt down. "I...I had a dream last night where the kiln god appeared and said...that this Ganoderma needs to be soaked in virgin blood for three days before it can..."

"Shut up!" Zhang Cheng shouted, but a strange light flashed in Hassan's eyes.

The news quickly reached Duobi. This Khan, a believer in witchcraft, actually believed the lies and ordered the conscription of virgins. The royal court was immediately in uproar, with the high priest leading the opposition, calling it blasphemy.

At this chaotic moment, an urgent report came from the border: the Daqian Black Armor Army suddenly held a large-scale exercise at the border, and the roar of the new "Thunder Cannon" could even be faintly heard by the Black Khan Royal Court.

Dubi was filled with shock and anger, believing this was a threat from Daqian. What made him even more uneasy was that the former subordinates of Zuo Xianwang began to secretly collude, claiming that only Helu could deal with the crisis.

"What a great plan that kills three birds with one stone." In the western warm room, Qin Ming listened to Ying Qi's report and gently stroked the newly fired blue and white porcelain vase on the table. "It can cause internal strife in the Black Khanate, test the military's strength, and force Helu to reveal himself."

"Your Majesty, should we allow the porcelain maker to continue..."

"No." Qin Ming interrupted, "It's time to close the net. Zhang Cheng 'accidentally' broke the last piece of Ganoderma lucidum, and Wang Shun 'accidentally' got burned by the kiln fire. As for Helu..." A cold light flashed in his eyes, "It's time for him to make a choice."

That night, at the Black Khan's royal court, the gravely wounded Wang Shun, in his final moments, drew a strange wolf head pattern on the wall with his blood—the totem of the Zuoxian King's tribe. Almost simultaneously, news arrived from the border: the Daqian army had retreated thirty miles, leaving behind a "secret letter" addressed to Helu.

Duobi was furious and finally ordered the arrest of Helu. However, in desperation, Helu actually broke through the siege with his confidants and fled to the border of Daqian.

"Your Majesty, Helu and his entourage have arrived at the border. Should we..."

"Let him pass." Qin Ming said calmly, "Tell Meng Zhi to 'entertain' this 'guest' well."