Zhu Youxiao said: "In the final analysis, these people are still selfish."
"I just want to confine the people to farm in my own village, and hope that the people will never know the outside world! I don't want the country to be strong and the people rich, I just want to get rich secretly, and I only think about business. , has no responsibility, no interests, and is not afraid of invasion by external forces. If there is an invasion, just change the tablet and burn incense like Yan Shenggong did."
"But although they refuse to change, it does not mean that this era will not change. Sooner or later, humans will build steam engines, and sooner or later their tenant farmers will be taken away and turned into workers."
"Fortunately, I and my court did not tie the people to the land like them, nor did they turn a blind eye to the people who went to sea. Enlighten the people's wisdom and make science and technology emerge in China. Only then can we annex the world and restore the Qin Dynasty. Great cause, encompassing all the wealth in the world!”
"However, because I, the emperor and the imperial court, are leading all of this, what follows is that government-run industries develop rapidly, a large amount of the world's wealth is concentrated in the treasury, cutting-edge technology is also concentrated in government-run factories, and high-level technical talents are also concentrated in government-run factories. Concentrated in the government sector, the private sector is getting weaker and weaker. It cannot compete in terms of technology, capital, and influence in the officialdom!"
"It can be said that from the moment they were selfish and had no regard for the country and the nation, it was inevitable that the country would be strong and they would be weak!"
"The common people are short-sighted and only know how to live their own lives, which is really not what they should be!"
Zhang Daodi asked: "But the imperial court is like its parents, why not be more lenient and benefit the people, so as to make the people of the world richer?"
"Isn't the preferential treatment and mercy given to them by the Ming Dynasty enough?"
"Not to mention the regulations on preferential exemptions for gentry in the past, even now, when has the imperial court not invested millions and tens of millions of taels of silver for those who are willing to run industries and develop technology with peace of mind? But what is the result? Until now, there are still not many Well-known private manufacturing giants have appeared, and each of them only knows how to use money to speculate and make quick money, and has not thought about investing too much in technology research and development! Now, they still think that the money given by the court is not enough, and they think the court will not settle accounts. , regardless of whether it’s cost-effective or not, just build bridges and roads everywhere!”
"That's ridiculous! This money was earned by the imperial court, it has nothing to do with them."
Zhu Youxiao said and looked at Min Xuancheng again: "Min Xuancheng, tell your masters that if they are greedy for national money, they can directly raise an army to grab it! Otherwise, they can't decide how the national money is spent!"
"Your Majesty! I am a minister of the Ming Dynasty, not someone else's lackey. Your Majesty's words make me feel ashamed! Wuwu!"
Min Xuancheng cried.
Zhu Youxiao ignored Min Xuancheng and left the hall directly.
As for how to deal with people like Min Xuancheng, there is no need for him, the emperor, to take action himself.
…
"He really said that?"
Zuo Jingzu, a wealthy businessman in Suzhou, asked Wu Nandai who came to see him very disappointed.
Wu Nandai nodded and said, "Not only did the emperor reject your idea, he also sent you to deal with it."
"Can you blame us?!"
"How can we imagine that there is a way to obtain more wealth without relying on land? We also don't know that we can gain greater benefits by not tying those untouchables to the land!"
Zuo Jingzu said angrily.
"That's right! Fooling the people is a technique that has been tried and tested throughout the ages to control the people! With this technique, peace can be exchanged for a hundred or even two hundred years. This is a fact recorded in history. We did not expect that fooling the people would make ourselves stupid in the end. Be conservative!"
Hu Dan, a wealthy businessman from Suzhou, also argued.
Zuo Jingzu continued to ask: "What else did he say?"
"He said that he has actually helped you a lot, but you just don't live up to your expectations. You only want to speculate and make quick money, and are unwilling to work hard on scientific research. Now you deserve it if you can't compete with the government! If you say that you are really greedy for national money, you can directly Raise an army and go rob it."
Wu Nandai replied.
Zuo Jingzu was quite depressed after hearing this.
"Listen, do you think this is what a decent person says? It's just nonsense, the most muddled thing!"
Hu Dan also clenched his fists and fluttered to the ground, yelling, thinking: "If we have the ability to rob openly, do we still need your teaching?"
"Research, research, research again!"
"If it hadn't been for him, how could those with eccentric skills and promiscuous skills have reached the heights of elegance and become the most sought-after knowledge at that time!"
"First it was the steam engine. Then it was the internal combustion engine. He was still not satisfied. Now he is spending a lot of money to build a better airplane! How far does he have to develop technology before he is satisfied!"
"It can be said that the failure to control the people with the art of fooling them is because of him!"
"The ancestors were probably not as knowledgeable as him back then. They didn't know the consequences of opening up the sea to develop science and technology. They just didn't want to break the noble status of Confucian scholars. What's hateful is that the ancestors couldn't stop him back then, so that today The Great Ming is not our Great Ming.”
Zuo Jingzu also complained.
"It's useless to talk about it now. There is so much money, and I heard that the gold is worth hundreds of millions. How can we just watch them turn into railways, highways and bridges? We still have to find a way to hide this wealth among the people!"
Wu Nandai couldn't help but say something.
Zuo Jingzu, Hu Quan and other wealthy businessmen in Suzhou all nodded.
"In my opinion, we can only start with him, but we can no longer try to convince him, but we should let him be controlled mentally by us!"
Suddenly, Zuo Jingzu had an idea and said.
Hu Dan and Wu Nandai asked at the same time: "How to control it."
"I know a master chemist. He has created a liquid that makes people extremely happy after injection, but also causes serious dependence! We can find a way to inject this liquid into him and make him addicted from now on. This medicine is under our control!"
Zuo Jingzu said.
"This is a way. The question is, how can we inject it into him? He is a ninety-five-year-old man. It is difficult for ordinary people to even get close, let alone inject an injection into him."
Wu Nandai replied.
"I have an idea."
Hu Dan said at this time.
Zuo Jingzu and Wu Nandai both looked at him.
Hu Dan asked in a low voice: "You must know Taishi Hua in Wuxi?"
Zuo Jingzu and Wu Nandai both nodded.
"It just so happened that I got acquainted with the third young master of Grand Master Hua's residence, and since Your Majesty has come to Jiangnan, he must have gone to see Grand Master Hua."
Hu Dan replied.
"you mean?"
Wu Nandai suddenly realized and asked half a sentence.
"That's right!"
Hu Quan had already understood what he meant.
"Then do this! And you have to hurry up and control Master Hua first!"
Zuo Jingzu also understood and said.
"Well, it's hard to say whether this will succeed or not. The key depends on whether we can control the third son of Hua first and make him willing to give Taishi Hua an injection. If this works, the matter will become a three-pointer; if Hua If Grand Master is successfully injected, then this matter becomes five points; if Grand Master Hua is controlled by us and is willing to listen to our mercy, then it becomes seven points."
When Wu Nandai said this, Zuo Jingzu added: "If Taishi Hua is willing to use needles on the emperor, he will be 80% sure."
"Worth a try!"
Wu Nandai slapped the table and replied.
"Well, if the last two points fail, it's just that the emperor doesn't trust Taishi Hua. He doesn't know what this liquid is, and Taishi Hua must not dare to admit it."
Zuo Jingzu replied.
…
"Your Majesty, where do you want to go next? I'd like to make arrangements."
Humble Administrator's Garden.
Du Yinxi came to Zhu Youxiao this day and asked.
Zhu Youxiao thought for a moment and said, "Go to Wuxi."
"Your Majesty is going to see Taishi Hua?"
Du Yinxi quickly understood and confirmed it.
Zhu Youxiao nodded.
The older I get, the more I love nostalgia.
Zhu Youxiao is no exception.
He is now very willing and eager to meet those ministers who chose to support him when he was young and would rather be scolded as treacherous ministers by people of the same class, and those elderly ministers who now have to retire because they are older than him.
For Zhu Youxiao, these people can also be regarded as his like-minded friends.
Everyone has needs for friendship.
Even if Zhu Youxiao is the emperor, he is not exempt from vulgarity.
And he wanted to see Hua Yuncheng, one of the few "old friends" he had since coming to this world.
Zhu Youxiao naturally wanted to see him.
Of course, regardless of personal friendship, the heavy industry base located in the capital of the Ming Dynasty has become the world's largest heavy industry base and has millions of heavy industry technical talents. This is all the foundation laid by Hua Yuncheng, the first governor of Tianjin. Zhu Youxiao also needed to see him for his contribution to the empire's finances as Bi Ziyan's assistant.
Zhu Youxiao knew that although scholar-bureaucrats had read books about sages since childhood, it was difficult for them to truly serve the country and the people.
Therefore, he never hesitates to reward those who truly achieve it.
It is supposed to be a first-grade official title such as Grand Master, which can only be conferred after death.
When he was the emperor, as long as he made great contributions, he could obtain a first-grade official title during his lifetime.
However, civil servants basically only receive the rare honor of Grand Master after becoming official.
Hua Yuncheng was able to obtain the title of Grand Master when he became an official, naturally because Zhu Youxiao valued him very much.
When Zhu Youxiao thought about going to see Hua Yuncheng, he couldn't help but think of people like Fang Congzhe, Xu Guangqi, Sun Chengzong, Yuan Keli, and Bi Ziyan.
Among the ministers who have been highly valued by him since he took the throne, Hua Yuncheng can only be regarded as second-tier.
However, who allowed him, the old emperor, to live long enough?
Even though the life spans of people like Fang, Xu, Sun, Yuan, and Bi have been extended due to improvements in medical technology and the emergence of antibiotics, they still have not hindered the finite natural law of life.
As a result, the only remaining veterans of Zhu Youxiao were middle- and lower-level officials who had worked behind the ministers.
Looking at the yellow lotus trees in the Humble Administrator's Garden, Zhu Youxiao was not very sad about it.
But he is still very satisfied with his life. After all, he really changed history, avoided many tragedies, and made Ming Dynasty unprecedentedly powerful.
So much so that even the most wealthy Suzhou merchants were looked down upon by him.
The Kunqu opera played through the wall made him feel much better, and he said: "First pass the message to Taishi Hua. Then all the complicated etiquette will be waived. There is no need to go out to greet him. I will go directly to his house to see him."
"According to the order."
Because times have changed, the Ming Dynasty royal family did not add new eunuchs. The eunuchs Zhu Youxiao was familiar with were all old, so there were no eunuchs with him. Moreover, the twenty-four yamen of the inner court were also abolished, and the inner court The corresponding functions were divided, and some tasks that could be handed over to foreign ministers were placed in the newly established Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was at the same level as the Sixth Ministry and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Du Yinxi also served as the chief minister of internal affairs, so he accompanied Zhu Youxiao.
Du Yinxi retreated after replying.
Historically, he was supposed to be a civil servant, but because Zhu Youxiao expanded his enrollment and changed the imperial examination system after he came to the throne, he had the opportunity to enter the central government.
…
Hua Fu is a prominent family in Wuxi.
And it is still the most prominent family in Wuxi.
The reason is naturally that many Jiangnan nobles did not take the right path and chose to go against the emperor. Those who had their homes confiscated and their families exterminated were exterminated.
Only scholar-officials like Hua Yuncheng who really took the country and the country at heart were able to enjoy the honor and dignity until now because they took the right path and persisted even at the risk of being expelled from the family tree. So much so that his family had to hold their noses and continue to recognize him as a member of the family, and was able to survive and become the most prominent family in the local area.
Now, after the Washington government heard that the emperor was going to stay at his home, they felt even more glorious. They started a grand project and spent their money like water.
Of course, under normal circumstances, the emperor would reward him a lot, which would naturally not cause the family to suffer a loss. Otherwise, these people in Washington would not be so active.
Since the whole of Washington was preparing to pick him up, no one bothered to search for him.
Hua Caixun is now crying and kneeling in front of a loan shark named Ding Guofei: "Please, please, please give me another shot, ah, give me another shot, I will give it to you Money, I have money, but if I can’t, I’ll give you double the money, okay?”
"I know you have money in Washington, but we don't want money. We want you to do what we ask."
Ding Guofei raised Hua Caixun's chin and said, then he took out a metal syringe that had appeared as early as the Ming Dynasty, and waved it in front of Hua Caixun.
Hua Caixun looked at the syringe with longing eyes. He seemed to be able to see the liquid inside, and even wanted to grab it.
But Ding Guofei took his hand back.
Hua Caixun cried even more painfully: "My eldest father is already in his nineties! How can I bear to harm him? Hit him with this. Isn't it enough for you to harm one of me? Why? You want to harm my great father!"
"You don't have to ask so many questions. You just tell me whether you agree or not."
Ding Guofei replied.
"No."
Huacai replied.
But at this time, Ding Guofei pumped out some of the liquid in the syringe, which made Hua Caixun's mouth go dry and he said: "No, no, I promise, I promise you!"
…
Half a month later, Zhu Youxiao arrived at Wuxi Washington as scheduled, and met Hua Yuncheng surrounded by local officials, celebrities and key members of the Washington government.
"Ai Qing has become much thinner, but at this age, it is not easy to still be able to breathe. You deserve the longevity."
Zhu Youxiao held Hua Yuncheng's hand and said.
But Hua Yuncheng just pursed his toothless mouth, full of tears.
Seeing this, Zhu Youxiao brought his ears closer.
Only then did Hua Yuncheng speak.
After Zhu Youxiao heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then he pretended to smile excitedly and said, "Really? It's some sort of elixir of longevity. Is there any more? Let me take a look too! Hurry!"
