After eating and drinking, Zhu Biao said goodbye to his father, the emperor, and his mother and returned to the East Palace. It was none of his business whether Lao Zhu could rest in Kunning Palace tonight, but he expected there would be no problem.
Don't look at Comrade Lao Zhu flaunting his machismo in front of others, but Zhu Biao, who has watched many of them since he was a child, knows that after all the slaves have dispersed, Lao Zhu will still say some sweet words to coax his wife, but it will be very embarrassing. , when Zhu Biao was still Xiao Zhu, he would spit out milk after listening to it...
Winter is about to come, and it is windy and cold at night. Zhu Biao is wearing a red dragon cloak and holding an exquisite Fu Lu Shou sleeve stove in his sleeve. The heat is continuously transferred to the whole body. I heard Liu Jin said that it was specially made by a famous craftsman from the Internal Casting Bureau. This year only cast It became three.
The thickness of this furnace is even, and the pattern is fine. The whole furnace does not require inlays or welding. It is all hammered out by hand. The carvings on the furnace cover are very fine, but they do not shrink with a foot pedal.
The lid is very tight and will not loosen even after being used for a long time. What is particularly surprising is that although the charcoal fire in the furnace is burning very brightly and the heat transmitted is also very high, it does not feel hot when you touch it. The heat is the same as the temperature of the charcoal fire. Average when hot.
The East Palace got two such treasures, one for the prince and one for the princess. The remaining one Zhu Yuanzhang did not keep for his own use, but gave it to Queen Ma. Everyone in the court lamented the solid and orthodox love between the emperor and the empress.
After returning to the East Palace, he entered the main hall and waved to the large number of palace ladies and eunuchs who were following him to go back and rest. After the low-priced coal came out, even the ordinary eunuchs and palace ladies could have a warm winter.
Chang Luohua came out to greet you with a big belly: "I respectfully welcome Your Highness."
Liu Jin, who was behind him, helped him take off his cloak. Zhu Biao put the sleeve stove aside and said with a smile: "The dinner was eaten in the mother's harem. It's cold and windy outside, so I didn't invite you over."
The two of them talked for a while and then rested. The next day, Zhu Biao did not go to the morning court but went to meet the old craftsmen of the ticket office summoned from Jiangnan. These people were precious, and they all signed death contracts with the master's family. People control the basis of anti-counterfeiting manufacturing of various ticket numbers.
As we all know, each bank has its own unique set of anti-counterfeiting methods. Some are banknote materials, patterns and monograms, and some are printed with bright and dark flowers and watermarks. In short, each has its own heirloom method.
It is said that this kind of craftsman will basically never leave the main house in his life. That is to say, Zhu Biao was able to ask the Jiangnan nobles to make an exception and send these people here. They accompanied the princess directly to Wuying Palace after breakfast.
In addition to officials from the Ministry of Industry, there was also Wu Bozong from the Hanlin Academy. Zhu Biao strode into the hall and sat down at the top. His eyes fell on the people kneeling on the ground and said, "Go and invite them in." ."
A director of the Ministry of Industry accepted the promise and left. The others continued to look down at the ground. Zhu Biao looked at Wu Bozong and said: "I know that you want to serve in Qintian Prison, but there are not many people available now, so I will appoint you first." You’ve done this.”
Wu Bozong prostrated himself: "I will do my duty faithfully and live up to His Highness's trust!"
Zhu Biao nodded with satisfaction. Wu Bozong was no more ambitious than Guo Chong, Zhang Fan, Li Jin and others. His ambition was to study astronomy and calendar. He heard that he had recently had close exchanges with Madrudin and others from Turkey.
It’s interesting to say that in the second year of Hongwu, Madrudin and his three sons came from Turkey. At that time, Feng Sheng, the Duke of Song Dynasty, captured Lintao, Gansu Province. They were taken as prisoners and taken to the capital because of their different languages. Zhu Biao heard about it and sent them to Lintao, Gansu Province. They let it out.
Although communication is difficult, Madrudin is indeed a talent. He is proficient in Christian teachings and is especially good at astronomy and calendar calculations. The Ming Dynasty was quite weak in this aspect. After all, most scholars since ancient times have not been thinking about the stars in the sky. Career at your feet.
It just so happens that the calendar still used in the world is still the time-telling calendar established during the reign of Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty. Officials in the court have long proposed that it be revised, so Lao Zhu specially set up a Huihui Qintianjian for them, and translated the "Huihui Calendar" and "Longitude and Latitude" , "Astronomy" and other books.
While they were talking, officials from the Ministry of Works led a group of bent craftsmen in. They were generally older, but they still looked energetic. Although they looked a little frightened, they were far better than some ordinary people.
"The common people are waiting to see His Highness the Crown Prince. May His Highness be blessed forever."
Zhu Biao smiled softly and said: "Everyone, please get up without courtesy. It's hard work for you to come from afar."
"The ordinary people do not dare to be treated so politely by the Crown Prince, and are willing to serve His Highness to the death!"
Those who can reach the top in all walks of life are not just ordinary people. These old craftsmen are also treated with courtesy in their respective masters' homes. They have plenty of food and drinks, more than two or three concubines in the greenhouse, and several apprentices under their command. Ten, now that I really see the crown prince, I don’t even dare to answer.
"You all know the reason why Ti specially called you here. It is to make banknotes for the imperial court. You are all experts in this field. I hope you can work together to complete the task. I will not be stingy with rewards after the task is completed."
Naturally, no one dared to say the reward they wanted at this time, but the voice of the promise was indeed a bit louder. To them, the words of the majestic prince were almost the same as those of the emperor. They were all golden words. It seemed that when the matter was completed, Rewards are indispensable.
Zhu Biao said a few words of encouragement and asked Wu Bozong to lead them back. The imperial court had designated a courtyard near the Ministry of Industry, and Zhu Biao also specially arranged for government army guards to guard them.
There was no time limit this time. The imperial court's current silver tael was simply not enough to serve as a reserve for issuing banknotes. The sudden cold disaster in the north disrupted Zhu Biao's plan.
But it doesn't matter. The private sector has just begun to resume commercial trade, and the volume of transactions is still small. The copper coins mined and minted by the court can still survive for another two years. The most important thing is that the court's credit has not been completely established.
Zhu Biao doesn't want the banknotes he issues to go the way of the treasure banknotes, so it's not a bad thing to do a longer preliminary preparation work. The more stable the currency, the better.
Zhu Biao specially met these craftsmen in Wuying Palace to show the civil and military officials of the imperial court, so as to save them from making random decisions. As the imperial court purged the officials, life became more and more difficult for these guys, and they wanted to take advantage of any opportunity.
Even the civilians Tan and Zhu Biao took two officials from the East Palace to scare the monkeys, and scolded several nobles before the parties stopped. But it was only on the surface, and there were countless people who wanted to reach out secretly. They just knew that the prince was now Just don't look too strict.
Human nature is like this. No matter how severe the punishment is, there will always be those who are motivated by profit. Sometimes it is difficult for Zhu Biao to understand. Is money really worth risking your life for a chance?
After everyone had gone down, Zhu Biao sat on top and drank a cup of tea to warm up before he got up and went to the Fengxian Hall. Today is the day to worship ancestors. Logically speaking, the emperor should stop for one day and have the emperor personally offer sacrifices, but he was pushed to Zhu Biao.
This sacrifice lasted for more than two hours. Zhu Biao kowtowed so much that he felt confused. He just listened to the ceremonial officials singing praises and kept saluting. After kowtowing at the Fengxian Hall, he knelt down at the Ancestral Temple. After kowling at the Ancestral Temple, he knelt down in a circle at the Sheji Altar... …
Finally, he returned to the Rouyi Hall to bathe and change clothes. Zhu Biao sighed comfortably after soaking in the warm soup. Two copper heaters were placed in the inner hall, and Tegon's animal gold charcoal was burning inside to make the room as warm as spring and summer.
Liu Jin put cold-repelling solid external medicinal powder taken from Tai Hospital into the bathtub. After a while, the soup changed color. Zhu Biao sighed helplessly. Fortunately, there was a bucket of clear hot water next to it.
"How was your morning today?"
"King Mahemosha of Bangni sent his minister Yisi Mayi to pay tribute to cranes, tortoise shells, peacocks, plum blossoms, borneols, rice brains, bran brains, Western white cloth, and incense yellow wax."
"The king of Champa, Ata'a, sent his minister Taban Guapunong to come to the court and say: The Ming Emperor ascended the throne and caressed the four seas, just like the heaven and earth covering the sky and the sun and the moon shining on Ata'a, like a grass, fungus, and Qinmeng sent envoys to him. The golden seal expresses the king's gratitude and joy for eternity.
"The situation is that Annan invaded the territory with troops, killed and plundered the people, and prayed for the emperor's mercy. He used weapons and musical instruments to entertain people, so that Annan knew that the city I occupied was the place where Shengjiao was sent tribute. It was a place protected by the heavenly kingdom. Then Annan If you don’t dare to bully our country anymore, Fu Wei respectfully wishes His Majesty the Ming Emperor eternal prosperity!”
Zhu Biao sat back in the tub with his eyes closed, his long black hair hanging outside the tub. The mist in the palace was steaming like a fairyland. Liu Jin slowly and clearly read the letter of King Zhancheng that the Champa envoy stumbled over in the morning.
When he was chosen to serve His Highness, the Crown Prince of Wu, it was because of his extraordinary memory that he stood out. Otherwise, who wouldn't know that being able to serve the Crown Prince personally would be extraordinary in the future.
After Zhu Biao digested the news, he thought about the situation in Nanyang. Unexpectedly, Annan himself had frequent domestic turmoil, but he still had the energy to invade the captured state. Is this a transfer of internal conflicts?
It's just that Yunnan has not yet been recovered, and it is impossible for the Ming Dynasty to cross Yunnan to bring justice to Champa, unless it is by sea, but the gain outweighs the loss.
Annan is not weak. The matter of canonizing King Annan was quite unpleasant last time. Although Annan tolerated it due to the power of the Ming Dynasty to destroy the Yuan Dynasty, it was also because it did not touch the fundamental interests of King Annan.
After all, the Ming Dynasty has already sat on the throne without conferring titles on others. It is just that it is worried about the various situations after the Ming Dynasty regains Yunnan in the future, so it tolerates Old Master Zhang. Now he wants to mediate the war between Annan and Champa, and even let Annan eat it. It is not easy to give up the city.
If the Ming Dynasty sends fewer troops, they may be humiliated. If it sends more troops, it will waste money and food to benefit others. However, if it is ignored, the power of the Ming Dynasty in the Southeast Asian countries will be weakened, and they may even support the Liang King in Yunnan.
Therefore, he could either wait for a while and wait to recover Yunnan and dominate the Nanyang countries, or he would not hesitate to maintain his majesty. Both of these are actually not very good. Swallowing the tiger is also an option.
After all, the size and potential of the Ming Dynasty are obvious, and some people want to build relationships in advance. During the Yuan Dynasty, which of the Nanyang countries was stronger was not based on their own national strength, but on who had a good relationship with the Yuan Dynasty.
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