"Fifth brother, he..." Zhu Biao paused, thought for a while, and then continued: "Fifth brother is very lazy every day, or sleeps until midnight, or reads some story books on the market. Occasionally, he I went to West Street incognito and wandered around for a while, but there wasn’t much else going on.”
"Oh?" Lao Zhu raised his eyebrows, "This bastard is living a good life!"
"...Foster father, adoptive mother." Mu Ying lowered her head and thought for a while, then said to Lao Zhu and Queen Ma: "Let me dare to say something, I think the fifth brother has nothing to do with us. If we wait, Whenever I asked something, he always taught me everything he could. These days, he told me many methods for improving firearms, such as the 'paper-wrapped gunpowder method', the 'post-loading method', the 'flint method', and the more advanced ' Rifling method', 'pointed projectile', etc. are all good methods that can greatly increase the power of firearms."
"Fire gun is an important weapon of the military. No matter which one of these methods, it is worth tens of thousands of gold, which is enough to determine the success or failure of a national war. If the fifth brother has other desires in his heart, how can he tell the whole story like this?"
"Yes. Although the fifth brother is also naughty, he has always been very close to his brother Erchen. Even Erchen's wife, the fifth brother is very caring." Zhu Biao also said.
"Just now, he even pulled Erchen privately and asked him to get more cow and goat milk, saying that it can strengthen the physique of pregnant women. If Erchen was not a close relative, how could he have such careful thoughts?"
Both his son and adopted son expressed their support, and even his wife, Ma, looked at his face. Lao Zhu looked slightly ashamed and thought for a moment, "Time is still short, let's take another look."
"Biao'er, we have asked the palace to make the soap that Lao Wu made. When we look back on this business, we will incorporate it into the imperial property according to Lao Wu's method."
"Let Lao Wu be responsible for this matter. Don't let him have too much time alone. If this person is idle, he will inevitably become idle."
"But he is still young, so you should take a look at him first. On the surface, he will be treated as a business that you are in charge of."
"...Yes." Zhu Biao nodded. Mu Ying couldn't bear it for Zhu Su, so she raised her head and said, "Won't the foster father call the fifth brother to have a private chat?"
"...There are many things going on in the DPRK right now, and we have a lot of things to worry about...let's wait until later." Lao Zhu thought for a while and said.
Zhu Biao and Mu Ying were speechless. The carriage has also arrived at the palace gate. Zhu Biao and Muying stood up to say goodbye, while Lao Zhu and Queen Ma drove straight to Kunning Palace.
"...Chongba, are you really still doubting Xiao Wu?" Previously, her son's adopted son was still alive, so it was difficult to question her husband. But now that her son and adopted son were gone, Empress Ma finally spoke.
"Before Xiao Wu left the palace, he specifically asked Ping'er and the others to take good care of me. In recent days, Ping'er and the others have come to my palace to take stock in the morning and dusk no matter what the weather. They think they can't bear this. It’s because of brother’s advice.”
"That child is sincere to us. If he knew about our doubts, wouldn't it chill that child's heart?"
"...We don't want this either." Lao Zhu sighed.
Lao Zhu opened the window and took in the watery night outside the window into the house. But he was still extremely confused in his heart. "The methods that Lao Wu told me are indeed effective. Not to mention the methods of improving firearms that Ying'er mentioned, let's just say that the cabinet is now getting on track. It only takes a few more years to control the prime minister. Replace me. From now on, I, the Ming Dynasty, will not have to worry about the prime minister’s power."
"He told us that the household registration system has shortcomings and that military households will become a big problem in the future. We also sent people from the Guards Department to check with the people. The Ming Dynasty has only been a country for a few years, and now there are already craftsmen who are registered as craftsmen and do not know their craftsmanship. The military households in remote military households were oppressed by thousands of households, and some civilians were annexed by large households and their fields were merged, and they could not find roads to bring them to their relatives."
"We originally thought that our system is seamless. As long as we follow this system, it will be enough to make the Ming Dynasty difficult. Unexpectedly, there are already some problems in just a few years. If this is really passed down, It must be completely rotten as Lao Wu said!"
"That... doesn't it prove that what Su'er said is true?" Queen Ma said. "It's better to reassure him!"
"What he said is true." Lao Zhu rubbed his furrowed eyebrows. In order to make up for the holes in the system these days, he spent a lot of effort and felt quite powerless. "But he doesn't know why. He always hints at us to be militaristic, tempting us to covet the mountains and rivers outside the Central Plains..."
"I asked the Hanlin Academy to search through ancient books, but they couldn't find the 'golden mountains', 'god seeds' and the like that Lao Wu mentioned. Those Hanlins thought I was asking for a fairy mountain, and they all told me that everything in the Central Plains is omnipresent. Yes, everything outside is a barbaric land. This is the consensus of sages of ancient and modern times..."
"We are thinking that the things said by so many generations of Han ancestors are more trustworthy than those spoken by Lao Wu alone, right?"
"Those civil servants were also frightened. We set up a Maritime Affairs Department that has not yet been seen. These days, the memorials from those officials are like snowflakes. They all say that the Ming Dynasty has finally expelled the Mongolian Yuan, and the national strength has not yet been restored. Since ancient times, Those who are willing to fight will inevitably perish. At this time, it is time to rest with the people first... He also quoted scriptures and said that throughout the ages, which dynasty after unifying the Central Plains, the first thing was not to rest and recuperate, but to make enemies on all sides without stopping? "
"This is what the Sui Dynasty did, but a small Goguryeo completely destroyed the Sui Dynasty! Yesterday we revealed something to Mr. Li, and Mr. Li immediately turned pale and told us that we should rest with the people and take advantage of the country. The most important thing is the country..."
"Are you saying that Su'er has ulterior motives in taking advantage of external benefits to lure you into becoming an expansion hero?" Queen Ma raised her eyebrows. "Isn't this possible? Even if there is a demon, with Emperor Yang Yin Jian in front of you, you, Emperor Zhu, can't fall into this trap, can you?"
"But that guy from Lao Wu really persuaded me." Lao Zhu smiled helplessly. "Sister, we have been repairing these holes in the Ming Dynasty these days. I didn't notice them at first, but now the more I look at them, the more I feel that our Ming Dynasty is just a big straw basket with holes everywhere!"
"I patched up the top and leaked the bottom, and patched up the left and leaked right. The more I patched up, the more I thought, even if our generation made the Ming Dynasty like an iron barrel, what if there really were filial sons and grandsons like Jiajing Tianqi, Qian Qianyi? Killing talented and dogged officials, no matter how reliable the system is, it cannot stand the test of time!"
"Su'er is right when he says something. No system is everlasting! The more we think about it in the past few days, the more we feel that the imperial system has its limits!"
"In this case, why not save more family property..." Lao Zhu looked at the "Kun Yu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Map" hand-painted by Zhu Su on the screen under the moonlight, and drew a big circle on the map with one hand , including Europe, Asia, Australia, the United States and other continents. "As long as the family fortune is big enough, even if there are descendants of a prodigal family, it can support them for a few more years!"
"Then you want to..." Queen Ma looked at his back, somewhat confused as to what Lao Zhu was thinking.
"We can't make up our mind either..." Lao Zhu smiled bitterly. "We used to be cattle herders in Fengyang, but now we are the emperor. Back then we were willing to take risks, but now the higher our status, the more we feel like we are walking on thin ice."
"If we decide on a national policy of expanding everywhere, what if Lao Wu is really a monster who brings disaster to the country, and all the troops are sent out, but there is no gain, wouldn't the Central Plains fall into war again? Our Lao Zhu family will become the property of all Han people sinner!"
"When we become the head of a big clan like Huaxia, we have to bring peace to all the Han people in the world! Besides, how can such a big matter be decided by the words of a mere kid?"
