Of course Lao Zhu knew that for the people, the most important thing was a bowl of white rice, and everything else had to come later.
"Since the shipping tax has been set long ago, it cannot be changed at will. From now on, there is no need to say similar words."
Lao Zhu knew exactly what these officials from Jiangsu and Zhejiang were planning. He looked at the man indifferently and then rolled up his sleeves and said.
"Okay, everyone go back."
If it weren't for the lack of people in the court now, the man in front of him should go back to farming.
That's all, just bear with it.
If everyone is gone, who will serve him as the emperor?
Although the Jiangsu and Zhejiang officials did not dare to raise their heads, they felt the emperor's eyes, and cold sweat immediately soaked their entire backs.
Not daring to say another word of nonsense, he left in a hurry.
I just have some complaints against Gu Chen in my heart. He came to be an official all the way to get rich. Everyone is the same. Who doesn't have an industry?
What's wrong with doing it for convenience? Why bother to be aggressive?
I want to pretend to be noble!
After everything was ready, Lao Zhu asked the prince and hundreds of officials to go to Yuequan Port to preside over the ceremony of opening the sea, offering sacrifices to the sky, worshiping Mazu, and praying for the first batch of caravans to go to sea.
Although sending the prince out for this matter was a bit overkill, Lao Zhu still felt it was necessary. After all, things are not like before.
The city shipping tax still had to go through several hands, and when it got to the Ministry of Household Affairs, I didn't know how much was left, but now the tax can go directly to the national treasury.
Then...the status is very different!
"We really want to go and take a look, but there are too many things in the court that cannot be separated from people. Boss, go take a look on behalf of dad."
When this group of caravans returns from their trip, more and more countries will know about it.
He had already started to restart the maritime market in Ming Dynasty, and then came to Ming Dynasty to buy things.
They can collect taxes themselves when they buy things, and the taxes they receive can be used to give favors to the people, build firearms, and allow soldiers to go to the north.
Thinking of this, Lao Zhu couldn't help but sigh: "When you become emperor in the future, I'm afraid you won't have much chance to go out."
In addition to power and glory, the word emperor also has constraints on their actions.
They have to stay in the palace and deal with political affairs and cannot run around at all.
Zhu Di: "Ah, yes, yes, dad is right."
Zhu Houzhao: "Yes, yes, our ancestors are absolutely right."
Qianlong: "Yes, yes, Ming Taizu, you are right..."
Seeing that his father had said this, Zhu Biao naturally had no choice but to agree.
"Dad, it was Gu Chen who proposed opening the sea. My son wants to take Gu Chen with him."
Departing from Ningbo Port to Yuequan Port, the round trip and the time spent on doing things will not take more than ten days at most, so there won't be much delay.
"Of course." Lao Zhu had no objection, he patted Biao'er on the shoulder: "You can arrange such small things yourself.
"There's no need to discuss it with dad, and there's no need to talk about this between father and son. As long as it's what you want to do, there's nothing wrong with you or me."
He was not Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, so he had to beware even of the heirs he had trained.
Lao Zhu is also very open-minded. He will eventually grow old. This world must be given to his son. Why should he be afraid that the son he personally cultivated will overshadow his own shine?
The prince is promising.
Whether as a father or as an emperor, he should be happy.
I'm glad that my son is better than his master, and I'm glad that there are talented people to succeed him.
Li Shimin is good at everything, but one thing is that he is too narrow-minded about his own children.
Not as good as yourself!
Gu Chen was happy to be able to go to Fujian with Biao'er, thinking that he would be able to see Liao Yongzhong this time, but he didn't know how he was doing.
By the way, he is already sixty-three this year, so he has reached the age to retire, right?
"I'm afraid it won't work." On the ship to Fujian, Biao'er stood on the deck and said to Gu Chen: "My father made Liao Yongzhong the Duke of Qing, and his eldest son Liao Quan was sent to Liao Yongzhong for training four years ago. "
"Over the years, they have become quite capable. My father is actually very optimistic about them and his son, and has great hopes for their future."
To put it bluntly, his father placed most of his hopes of winning Japan on Uncle Liao, which is understandable.
The most powerful naval officer in the Ming Dynasty is Liao Yongzhong. Can't you point your finger at him?
Liao Quan in history should have disappeared for some reason in the seventeenth year of Hongwu. Now he is not only alive, but also reused by Lao Zhu, which is also an accident.
"Liao Hou should be happy."
Gu Chen laughed casually and said, after being the marquis for so many years with fear, Lao Zhu finally gave up the idea of killing him.
Can you be unhappy?
"He should be happy, but what about you, Guangxi?" Seeing his confusion, Zhu Biao asked with a smile, "Do you want a title?"
To be honest, Gu Chen had made great contributions to the country. He always felt that the rewards given by the royal family were too thin and should be more generous.
Hearing this, Gu Chen hurriedly waved his hands to show that he was self-aware.
"I'm just a little civil servant. I can't lift my shoulders or carry it with my hands. A trip to Liaodong is so difficult, how can I deserve to be crowned?"
However, his brat said that he would fight for a title at home in the future.
It's still too early and I don't know if it will work?
Zhu Biao smiled and said nothing. As long as his family was willing to give it, he didn't care whether it was worthy or not.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince." Gu Chen hurriedly changed the topic and talked about Fujian's beliefs: "I heard that Fujian people believe in Mazu. If you ask him to swear to God, he may swear falsely."
"But if you make him swear to Mazu, he will never lie."
He saw this on some short videos, and he didn’t know whether it was true or false.
"Is there such a thing?" Zhu Biao was stunned at first, and then expressed his understanding: "If that's true, it's normal. Fishermen's luck when going to sea is inherently unclear."
"If something happened at sea, not to mention the body, even the ship might not be able to find it, and the family wouldn't even be able to leave a thought."
"Mazu is in charge of the sea and helps fishermen return home safely. This is the common people's wish and blessing for themselves and their families."
"Just like scholars who take the first prize in the exam all worship Wenchang, and those who do business worship the God of Wealth, those who make a living by going to sea will naturally worship Mazu."
Here, Gu Chen and Zhu Biao were chatting happily, while Zhan Hui, who was watching from a distance, felt a little unhappy. It was the displeasure of being left out.
"Tell me, what are His Highness the Crown Prince and Mr. Gu talking about?"
What ability does this Gu Chen have that he can coax the prince to be so close to him, standing closer than a personal eunuch?
"What else can we talk about? Just flattering." Su Song looked down upon Gu Chen very much and mocked: "As a civil servant, he is so flattering. He really has no character at all."
The same goes for His Highness the Crown Prince. How could he like such a smooth villain?
It is clear that people like Mr. Zhan who are upright and dedicated to serving the country are more worthy.
In addition to being accompanied by civil servants this time, Huaixi nobles naturally also had to protect the prince. After all, the prince was the most proud son today.
This is still the lifeblood of the emperor, and there is no room for any mistakes.
Fu Youde is the leader of the prince's protection this time. Today's weather is cloudless and the sea is calm, just like his state of mind.
"Dad, look at those civil servants, they have jealousy written all over their faces."
Fu Zhong looked down upon Zhan Hui very much. His Majesty made it clear that he wanted Zhan Hui to be loyal to the prince, so he promoted him so quickly.
But what about him?
He actually often quarreled with His Highness the Crown Prince. He was really mentally ill.
