Mei Kejia walked on the road for more than half a month, which was considered relatively fast.
When he left the capital, he didn't even think about coming back.
In the past few years, traveling across the ocean and traveling here and there has brought me some life.
Recalling that when he was chased by Zhang Tao, a guarding eunuch, in the northwest, he never thought that the dignified governor of Zhejiang would care about what he said.
After arriving in the capital, Zhu Houzhao summoned him in a pavilion on the east side outside Wenhua Hall.
The emperor has grown up.
This was Mei Kejia's first feeling.
Compared to the childish and frail prince back then, the emperor now has the appearance of an adult, with an upright posture and a rosy face, just like the renewed vitality of the Ming Dynasty.
The sea ban has been lifted, and now it seems that it is too late after Xia Liang. Tan Wenyi, Yu Zichu and others have arrived in Zhejiang and Fujian to serve as capital commanders. It is estimated that they have just arrived, and it will take some time to control the situation.
According to Yang Tinghe's original proposal, if the summer grain was too late, then the autumn grain would be harvested. It would be immature to be anxious about such a big event.
So Zhu Houzhao approved it.
Before such a big event, Zhu Houzhao asked Mei Kejia to return to Beijing for two purposes.
One is that he wants to see this person again. Can he still believe it after not seeing him for several years?
The other one asked Mei Kejia to meet his family and Mei Huaigu, after the meeting. Even for the sake of Mei nostalgic, he will act cautiously.
While Mei Kejia looked at the emperor,
The emperor was also sizing him up.
"You are getting darker and older."
"It doesn't matter. I'm a rough-skinned man but thick-skinned. As long as the job is done to His Majesty's satisfaction, it doesn't matter if he's darker or older."
"Can you play chess? Come and play with me."
Mei Kejia didn't hesitate so much, because he knew that today's Holy Master was different. Since it is what you are told to do, just do it.
So the two people sat down on the stone table.
Zhu Houzhao is not proficient in chess. He just uses it to pass the time in his spare time. He brought it out today to eliminate some embarrassment between the two people who have not seen each other for a long time.
"I have done everything I promised you." Zhu Houzhao spoke slowly, "Nostalgia has become my trusted minister. The Mei family is safe in the capital. Your money that Zhang Fu did not steal back then will only be stolen by me." I haven’t touched anything about your son’s defeat.”
Mei Kejia put down the chess piece, lifted up his robe and knelt down, "Your Majesty is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and is rich all over the world. I never thought that the wealth belongs to the Mei family. Only if your Majesty says yes, then it is. Your Majesty says no. , the villain will surely serve you in full!"
"Sit down and play chess." Zhu Houzhao crossed his legs and said with a slow smile: "I don't mean to miss your little money when I say these words. I am not that poor yet. What I mean is seven years. I remember the agreement we made before. Do you remember it?"
"I remember, little one!"
"You have indeed done well over the years, but since Wei Bin's death, your identity has been hidden no matter whether you are in Zhejiang or the capital. In this case, you are allowed to return to the capital. Are you home yet? ?」
"When I entered the capital, I came to see the Holy One first. This time, I also brought a gift."…
"Oh? What is it?"
"The villain is so bold that he has been brought into the palace."
Zhu Houzhao was slightly surprised.
An ordinary stupid person will know what the person is going to fart as soon as he lifts his butt.
But Mei Kejia is a man who dominates shopping malls. It's really hard to guess what he is going to do.
So I was curious, "How about taking it out and taking a look?"
Mei Kejia left the pavilion, ran down and turned a corner, and when he came back, there was a young and beautiful girl behind him!
The girl was slender, wearing a very bland blue gown, and her hair was extremely thick but without any decorations, it was simply tied up and draped on her back.
"Lao Mei, you gave me the wrong treasure this time."
Doesn't Mei Kejia know about his two daughters?
"The little girl Meng Ying, please bow to your Majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao was waiting for Mei Kejia's explanation.
"Your Majesty just said that you have not forgotten the agreement made seven years ago. The villain has not forgotten it either, and the villain has always remembered the other two things that your Majesty said. They are the two crops called potatoes and sweet potatoes that your Majesty mentioned."
Zhu Houzhao's heart moved. No way.
"Did you find the seeds?"
While talking, the girl named Meng Ying took out an embroidered cloth with a white background from her cuff. She slowly unfolded it, then grabbed the two corners with both hands, and opened it completely in one click.
"Is this what Your Majesty said?"
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but rush from the pavilion to the piece of embroidered cloth, because it really looked like two sweet potatoes on it!
Although it is said to be a painting, it really is!
Long, spindle-shaped with a big middle and small ends!
This is a great thing. Although it is said that eating sweet potatoes for a long time is bad for the human body, what can I say? What can I eat for a long time to be good?
And we always start from the subjective feelings of modern people and feel that this thing cannot work. How can it be! You know, many people don’t have enough to eat at this time!
What don't you eat when you're starving? Bran, wild vegetables, bark, soil!
All are edible!
It’s only been a few years since I got tired of eating instant noodles! How many of us have memories of having a bag of instant noodles when we were young, sharing it with our brothers and sisters!
[The problem of slow update of new chapters has finally been solved by changing the source. Download huanyuan.change the source here and view the latest chapters of this book on multiple sites at the same time. 】
If you really have sweet potatoes, you won't be poisoned. That's a good thing!
At least it’s still sweet!
"There are seeds?!"
Meng Ying shook her head, "This is what my father saw overseas. The place is called Borneo, which is further south on Luzon Island. This painting was also made by my father."
"What about others?" Zhu Houzhao suppressed his emotions.
"My father... was arrested by the magistrate of Hui'an in Hui'an County, Quanzhou Prefecture."
Zhu Houzhao was stunned, what is this? You came all the way here to save someone with this?
You can't whet the emperor's appetite by whetting anyone's appetite!
"Lao Mei, you should be able to tell me that you have cultivated sweet potatoes there, right?"
Mei Kejia was a little stagnant, "I have only seen this piece of embroidered cloth. This time I am also confirming with Your Majesty whether the sweet potatoes you mentioned are like this. Because they seem to be called sweet potatoes."...
Zhu Houzhao's brows dropped.
Then he turned to the girl and said, "What about you? Are you nurturing at home?"
Meng Ying replied: "My father did bring back a few. They are crispy and sweet, and they have been eaten now. Please spare my life, Your Majesty! But my father did say the same thing as the Holy One. Fujian has many mountains and few fields. If we can have such things, It will definitely benefit all people."
"Lao Mei, you really make me love and hate you at the same time."
Mei Kejia probably also knew that he was not flattering enough, "This villain is not considerate enough, please punish him."
Zhu Houzhao's mood gradually calmed down, and he thought on the contrary, it was actually good to find clues. As long as he followed this path to find it, he would always be able to see it in his lifetime.
After thinking for a moment, he called Liu Jin over.
"His Majesty."
"Send a letter to Fengxi in the name of the Superintendent of Ceremonies, asking him to inform the Hui'an County Government about Meng...Meng..."
"Meng Ping." The girl reminded.
"Release a man named Meng Ping and ask him to go to Borneo to find sweet potatoes. He must bring back the seeds and cultivate them in the Central Plains."
Zhu Houzhao reached out and took out the piece of embroidered cloth and gave it to Liu Jin, "This is a token. Let the man named Meng Ping bear his guilt and make meritorious service."
"My slave obeys the order."
The emperor was not very satisfied with the result and only gave him a punishment of meritorious service.
But when you arrive in Borneo, who do you care who the Ming emperor is? So using embroidered cloth as a token means that Meng Ying should not go back.
That's probably what Mei Kejia thought about. How can I put it? The emperor's methods were fierce and he didn't even have the slightest pity.
Zhu Houzhao didn't care about so much,
It matters a lot whether we can get the sweet potato seeds back. Release all of you, and you will be free. Labor and management are waiting in the Forbidden City with great anxiety.
In fact, he doesn't have much idea of 'detaining people'. He just puts the people here to let them know that time is tight and move quickly!
"...Anyway, you still have great merit." Zhu Houzhao waved his hand, and Liu Jin took the man named Meng Ying down with him.
Afterwards, it was back to the situation where he and Mei Kejia were playing chess.
Mei Kejia felt a little embarrassed, "The villain failed to understand His Majesty's holy will. He should offer it to Your Majesty after finding the seeds."
"So many people say that if you don't do it well, it's better not to do it. If you don't mention it, it's just a matter of waiting a few more years. Besides, you won't just come back with a piece of news that I don't know whether it's true or not. ?」
Of course not, Mei Kejia would not be so arrogant.
"There are also silver coins that I will bring with me to present to His Majesty. Thanks to Zhongcheng's escort, I will have less to worry about along the way."
"How much silver?"
"Four hundred and sixty thousand taels. There will be more next time. After three or four merchant families in Zhejiang were caught violating the court's laws, the villain took over their original business. So this time it is relatively less, and the extra silver taels will be used. Came to restock. But..."
After saving it for seven or eight years, Zhu Houzhao's small treasury originally contained more than three million taels, which was only about a few hundred thousand taels every year. Now it only has 460,000 taels. It seems that it is indeed necessary to lift the sea ban.
"But what?"
Mei Kejia said slightly suspiciously, "Theoretically, the purchase of raw silk this year should be much better than in previous years, but it is not the case. It seems that some people are also purchasing raw silk."
They must be smugglers, but they are all grasshoppers after the autumn and can't live for a few days. The decree to open the sea was in conjunction with the crackdown on smuggling.
"You can handle the business matters as appropriate. Gu Dayong and Wang Dehua are both here. As for the 460,000 taels of silver, leave it to me as usual."
The official horse farm in Shaanxi is in need of a sum of money.
"The villain obeys the order."
"In a few months, I will issue an imperial edict and lift the sea ban. When you return to Zhejiang this time, be prepared."
Mei Kejia had some indescribable feelings. To be honest, it was probably admiration. There are several people in this world who do things from beginning to end, from when they were first mentioned to today's implementation.
The emperor never forgot.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
"Sage?"
Mei Kejia was very sure, "Sage. I am a low-class businessman in the northwest. I don't know where I got the luck to come to His Majesty and witness this wise act."
….
royal hired cat
