THE EXPERIMENTAL BOTANICAL GARDEN

Hu Nayin kept watching Zhu Su's crumpled face along the way when they returned to Kaifeng.

She knew exactly what was making Zhu Su anxious. "Your Highness... do you still worry Yi Wang who wanted to harm you?"

The hum of the majestic chariot wheels they were riding on combined with the swoosh of blowing cold wind. Slowly, Zhu Su nodded.

"But he is still afraid of your threats? So he won't expose that matter, will he?"

"At first I also thought the same. But it turns out he's still trying to do so. Even though I know the reason why he did it is, he was afraid that I would move to Luoyang and interfere with his blasphemous pleasure." Zhu Su was looking aimlessly at the scenery outside which was dominated by arid rice fields and the small houses of the people nearby. "And Brother Di appeared to dislike my refusal to go to Luoyang. Was he offended? But he isn't a sensitive person. After all, he is unlike the usual at that time..." Or, it was him who was oversensitive? Had he mistranslated Zhu Di's weird expression?

His stunned gaze caught the sight of some figures, they were quickly enticing his attention. A group of burly soldiers was dragging lots of skinny, lanky men.

"Hey, we're not in Luoyang, right?" Zhu Su kept observing the inhumane scene. "How come Yi dare to drag people from the area far away from his Fan Wang Guo? We are still at Yingtian border area, for Godsake?..."

Hu Nayin also looked outside. "But, the uniforms worn by the soldiers are different from Luoyang soldiers'?"

Hu Nayin's words prompted Zhu Su to take a closer look. She was right, these soldiers seemed to be in higher ranks than the Fan Wang Guo soldiers. And they were dragging the skinny, ugly and disheveled malen, Zhu Yi would never want to throw a lewd party with such kinds of players. So... these people should be drawn by different people, for different purposes. Then, who were doing this?...

"Sirs! If you take them all, nobody will plow the fields and support our family, then children and elders will starve to death!..."

This time, he saw several elders were kneeling to the soldiers. But before Zhu Su had time to pay any further attention, the carriage had left them behind.

"Stop!" Zhu Su shouted.

The cortege, which was very majestic and lengthy like a dragon, stopped immediately.

"Take few steps back!" Zhu Su shouted again. And one more time the cortege carried out the Fan Wang's orders.

After confirming that he could straightly watch the violence that occurred between the soldiers and the commoners, Zhu Su shouted again. "All right, we stop here!"

"Would you like to tell us what happens, Your High..." Quickly approaching him, Wu Qu also widened his eyes as he saw the brutality of the soldiers, who shouted, "Shut up, all of you! The whole land in Ming belongs to the Emperor, so you also belong to the Emperor. You must obey whatever the Emperor orders! Moreover, your work is very honorable - you will become the heroes, the builders of the most magnificent palace in the world!"

Zhu Su pursed his lip; he knew exactly what was going on right now. But even though he felt sorry for the elders whose pitiful screams were ignored by the soldiers, this time it was different from Zhu Yi's problem, he could not change it.

"They have no energy, Sirs! My children are frail because of hunger, please have mercy on them!" An elder screamed.

But his scream was cut off because the soldier had kicked him violently to the ground.

Those elderly people were certainly no match to the soldiers. They were like robots that had been programmed, no humanity still remained in their hearts so they would not be compassionate with others' sufferings. The orders they got were to recruit people to build the New Palace, and everything it took, they had to complete the job.

Zhu Su, Hu Nayin, and Wu Qi kept watching the occurrence, until all of them were totally out of sight.

Zhu Su's face turned more cloudy as he said, "Go ahead."

"You've seen it by yourself, Nayin," Zhu Su said slowly as he looked at the dense white clouds floating above the carriage. "Liu Ku suggested me to use Absolute Order. Does the Absolute Order end this problem?" He sighed. "In fact, the Absolute Order is designed only to satisfy the desire of the Lord, let him do whatever he wants. Brother Di, Younger Brother Yi… they are all the products of the Absolute Order being put into effect. Then does it solve the problem? What happens afterward is the problem worsens. My aim is to prosper the people, not to make the people suffer!"

Zhu Su's enthusiastic words were greeted by Hu Nayin with an excited nod. "You are right, Your Highness! I can't agree with you more!" Well, Master Yun, can you see it? Zhou Wang is a real good person. It's so cruel if you insist on slandering him as a cruel ruler.

"I've been firm with my decision. Despite everything, I won't use Absolute Order. Instead, I'll shut my ears tightly and ignore whatever kind of criticism they come up with. This is indeed a crazy idea, an idea that nobody has ever thought of, and needs courage to realize it. Yes, it will incite pros and cons. I just need to strengthen my mind. Deafen my ears. It's up to them to criticize anything, but I'm sure this idea makes no harm to anyone... it will even bring success if I persistently do it to the end!"

***

"I agree with you, my Lord. And more. You better stop going out of your Fan Wang Guo."

Xiong expressed his opinion, while the other members of the Team of Wellbeing nodded in agreement.

Zhu Su sighed. "Well... that is indeed a very risky act... I don't want to die before this mission is fulfilled..." He sipped his tea.

"You don't need to be confused about how to get the medicinal herbs from other areas," Rui continued. "You can tell us to do the searching."

"Ah, that's a great idea!" Han Zhong snapped his fingers. "The Fan Wang is not permitted to leave his Fan Wang Guo... but not with his subordinates. Your Highness, just leave the duty to us! We will search for them wherever you command!"

All members of the Team of Wellbeing nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Your Highness! Please leave it to us!"

"Besides, we can also take a tour of other cities!" Lin continued. "Wow, such an amusing task!"

"Hey, we're not traveling for fun, Babe!" Qing gently punched Lin's hand.

Zhu Su's mouth curved into a smile. "Your suggestions are all very good. Well then! Go all over the country, take whatever herbs you can find as much as possible, and bring the whole parts of them, even including the roots. Since I mustn't leave here, I will plant them in the Palace to research them. Yes! I will turn the Palace Gardens into Botanical Garden for Research!"

Everyone was awestruck. "Botanical Garden... for Research?!?"

"Is it your own idea, Your Highness?..." Guo Songmi fell in awe. "I don't think I've heard of such a garden..."

"Oh, really? So this idea has never been realized before?" Zhu Su blinked. He also got awestruck at the beginning. After a while, he smiled. "It turns out that the order for the Fan Wangs not to leave their respective Fan Wang Guos instead allows me to make a revolution and let me become a pioneer... Alright! It makes me more excited to do it. Come on! Let's get it started, right now!"

The whole room hailed in joy. "Yeaaahhh! We'll make it!"

It was the beginning of the Botanical Garden built by Zhou Wang Zhu Su, which is said to be an extraordinary breakthrough in the history of science in China, and it becomes one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world.

However, Zhu Su's struggle was not over yet, it even just started. The struggle to reach a more prosperous goal, was about to begin.