Originally, Fu Youde had doubts about the emperor's general Han Du staying and helping him with civil affairs.
Han Du is well-known in the capital, and Fu Youde has heard a lot about Han Du. However, these things are mostly related to making treasure banknotes, rectifying the Jiaofang Department and the Shibo Department, etc. Almost all of these things are related to money, and they are also called "good money boys". Han Du went to sea several times to eliminate Japanese pirates, which also made Fu Youde feel that Han Du's naval warfare capabilities were pretty good.
But from beginning to end, Fu Youde never heard that Han Du knew anything about civil affairs.
Therefore, Fu Youde was also afraid that Han Du would not do well, so he assigned many officials to Han Du. He was afraid that Han Du would mess up and be punished by the emperor in the future.
Now it seems that Han Du has done really well? Fu Youde couldn't believe his ears. A man who knew both business and naval warfare was actually good at civil affairs... What is this? Isn't this what he is?
Well, if it had been ten years in the morning, this would be what everyone calls the talent of the prime minister.
"I'll go and have a look too." Fu Youde couldn't sit still for the magical fire kang that was rumored by everyone, and he eagerly wanted to take a look.
If the fire bed is really as magical as people say, it is no small thing.
Why is Liaodong called a bitter cold land? Isn't it because it's too cold in winter? Many people freeze to death every winter. If the people had not been forced to live in the pass, they would not have chosen to come here.
But if this fire bed can really make the winter in Liaodong feel as warm as spring, then Liaodong will no longer be a bitter cold place, and sooner or later it will truly become the granary of northern Ming Dynasty.
Also, it’s not just Liaodong where winter is difficult. Even within the Ming Dynasty, the cold winter days are very difficult to endure. If the fire kang can really solve this problem, it will be great news for the people of the entire Ming Dynasty.
Fu Youde quickly rode out of the city, found a nearby house that had just been repaired, and got in.
After feeling the warmth of the fire bed, Fu Youde stood at the door and roared three times.
After returning to the city, he began to write a memorial to Lao Zhu: "My minister Fu Youde paid his respects thousands of miles away... Han Du used ingenuity to build a fire kang to resist the wind and snow..."
In the memorial, he also wrote down clearly how to make a fire bed, and asked Lao Zhu to issue an order to the world to let the people build a fire bed to survive the cold winter.
After writing, Fu Youde gently dried the ink, collected the memorial and placed it in a special wooden box.
"Someone is coming."
"General." The guard at the door came immediately and saluted with cupped fists.
Fu Youde handed the wooden box directly to the guard's hand, "Eight hundred miles to the capital as a rush."
The guard nodded in response, took it with both hands, and turned around to make arrangements.
Fu Youde stood there, looking at the gloomy sky outside the door, with a smile on his face, "There is no hurry. If we can catch up with the time, the people will be able to spend a warm winter this year."
...
In Qianqing Palace, Lao Zhu was still burning the midnight oil to review memorials.
The old eunuch came in hastily holding a memorial.
"What's wrong?" Lao Zhu didn't even raise his head, his eyes still fell on the memorial in his hand, his voice was loud and powerful, echoing in the hall.
Even though the old eunuch has been with the emperor for a long time, he still can't help but feel a pressure every time the emperor speaks.
"Your Majesty, Duke Ying's memorial is urgent."
Lao Zhu suddenly raised his head and looked at the old eunuch with wide eyes.
Fu Youde's eight-hundred-mile expedited operation meant that something big must have happened in Liaodong. In Liaodong, there is now Lan Yu leading hundreds of thousands of Ming troops stationed in Jinshan. If something big happens. It's probably related to the Puppet Emperor of the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and maybe it's the massive attack by Yuan soldiers.
Therefore, there is no reason why Lao Zhu is not nervous.
Nowadays, almost all the elites in the northern part of the Ming Dynasty are in Liaodong. If something goes wrong, it's hard to say that the outcome will be the overthrow of the north.
Facing the emperor's gaze, the old eunuch suddenly felt his shoulders sink.
"Bring it here."
Lao Zhu had a serious look on his face and suddenly opened the memorial and took a look.
"Huh!" Seeing that it was not a military report from Liaodong, I felt relieved.
After calming down a bit, Lao Zhu continued to read patiently. The more he looked, the more joy appeared on his face, and the more he looked, the more surprised he became.
The old eunuch waited on the side cautiously, and was surprised to find that the emperor's face slowly smiled. He knew that there must be good news in the memorial.
"Hahaha..." At the end, Lao Zhu actually laughed and stood up.
He glanced around and found no one who could share his mood at the moment. He didn't even care about the memorial that he usually looked at very much, and took Fu Youde's eight hundred miles and hurried to find Queen Ma.
Empress Ma no longer looks like she did a few years ago, her demeanor is gradually getting older, and the hair on her head is beginning to turn white. But even so, Lao Zhu still likes to come to her the most.
"Why is the emperor so happy today?" Queen Ma heard that Lao Zhu was coming and hurried to the door to greet him. Holding Lao Zhu's hand, he asked while walking inside.
"Yes, I am really happy today." Lao Zhu deliberately kept it secret and did not tell Queen Ma clearly.
Instead, he said with a teasing smile: "Aren't you saying that Han Du doesn't understand civil affairs, and leaving him in Liaodong will be of no use, and that he should be brought back as soon as possible?"
"See for yourself. If I hadn't left him in Liaodong and asked him to come back, wouldn't I have missed his contribution?" Lao Zhu handed the memorial to Queen Ma and motioned for her to take a look.
After seeing it, Queen Ma also became happy. Seeing the emperor's proud look, she could only follow his wishes and said: "Okay, okay, okay, the emperor is very good at recognizing people, how can I dare to compete with you?"
When Lao Zhu heard this, he smiled flatteringly. He found out that Queen Ma was teasing him, but he couldn't refute. When it comes to discerning people, Queen Ma is truly powerful. When he continued to assist with talents, it was Liu Bowen who was highly valued by Empress Ma at a glance. She even went to the house in person to ask for help, so she invited Liu Bowen to help.
Later it was proved that Liu Bowen indeed made great contributions during his campaigns in the north and south. Even when it was difficult to make a choice several times, it was Liu Bowen who stood up to help him analyze the pros and cons, and finally took the most critical and correct step.
At this point, Lao Zhu can be confident in front of others, but in front of Queen Ma, he always feels short of breath.
Seeing that the emperor knew that he was in the wrong, Queen Ma let him go and said, "I really didn't expect that Han Du knew about civil affairs. How did the emperor know?"
"How do I know?" After the words were said, Lao Zhu stopped blaming himself in front of Queen Ma and told the truth.
"Then why did the emperor leave him in Liaodong in the first place?" Empress Ma asked strangely, "Your Majesty, do you know? It was because he left Han Du in Liaodong. After An Qing gave birth to the child, he did not bother to cultivate himself well and came here. I've been looking for him several times."
