"Your Majesty... The country will be in the country tomorrow, but overseas is a land of barbarians. It is really inappropriate to rob it."
Hearing what Gu Zuo said, Zhu Houzhao was stunned for a moment.
this……
"Then don't talk about robbing, talk about exchanging." The emperor was a little dumbfounded. "Sea trade, sea trade, trade itself is mutual exchange. Our Ming Dynasty's treasures are also jealous when they see them, so they often rob them at high prices."
"What the Emperor said is absolutely true."
Gu Zuo saw the so-called sweet potato for the first time and asked, "Your Majesty, I wonder what the magical use of this thing is?"
"I also read in an ancient book that there is a sweet potato in overseas countries. It is drought-resistant, easy to grow, has a high yield, and is edible."
"Oh? There is such a strange thing."
"I will talk to you in detail when I get it back. Now, please step aside, Mr. Li, and keep a close eye on the matter in the city that never sleeps. If the rent cannot be collected, the young man's money will be wasted."
"Yes, your Majesty, don't worry."
After sending these two away, Mao Yuwen was almost announced to the palace.
It was very late, but Zhu Houzhao didn't want to delay it until tomorrow, so he just gave him a few words.
And also because of the sweet potato matter, he takes it very seriously.
To be honest, even if you have it in your hands today, it will still take a few years to promote it. It may not be until seven or eight years before a real jump in grain production capacity is achieved. What's more, he has not even seen his shadow now. arrive.
Fortunately, now that the imperial court has opened the sea, exchanges at home and abroad have increased, and it is easy for Jinyiwei to place a few people on merchant ships.
So after thinking about it carefully, I decided to leave it to Mao Yuwen.
In addition, as an emperor, his understanding of overseas countries is limited to the memories he brought from his previous life, and he doesn't know if the memories are correct, which is actually maddening.
So in fact Mao Yuwen received two tasks.
One is to send people overseas to understand the national and military conditions of each island country. The second is to find sweet potatoes and bring them back.
In real history, the Spaniards did control the spread of this crop. Anyway, it is an old tradition for these white people to carry out various blockades.
"I want to formulate an action to be executed by Beizhen Fusi. Some time ago, the imperial court reorganized Jinyiwei, and the most important Beizhenfusi is in your hands. In addition, Jinyiwei originally had the function of spying on military intelligence, and it was not a concern overseas in the past. , but after the imperial court opened the sea, its exchanges with overseas countries increased. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you be victorious in every battle, so you have to select an elite team to follow Mei Ji's merchant ship south."
Zhu Houzhao took out the sweet potato painting he had gotten before and said, "After we go there, we will try to find something like this. This can be grown and eaten, and I need live seeds. Remember? To explore the national conditions. And look for this thing. You have to personally care about this matter, select the personnel yourself, and never allow the news to leak. This operation is named Operation Sweet Potato, do you understand?"
The emperor spoke in a serious tone. Mao Yuwen actually didn't quite understand what happened. He just took the painting in a daze and said, "Your Majesty, since this matter is important, why don't you go in person?"
"Well... not necessarily."
Because the man named Meng himself is also looking for it.
Jin Yiwei also went to look for it.
It's enough to prepare both hands.
Whether Mao Yuwen went there in person is not the key factor.
"You still stay here. There will definitely be a lot of things happening this year. I still need you."
Mao Yuwen was greatly encouraged after hearing this, "In this case, I will dispatch three teams, each with seven people, all working separately. Even if they lose their lives, they must complete the errand assigned by His Majesty."
The execution plan of three teams is not bad.
Zhu Houzhao didn't expect it for a while, because he gradually got used to staring at someone directly, and how to accomplish it was their business.
In fact, in addition to introducing seeds as soon as possible, you can also make some preparations yourself. For example, the process of promoting planting can actually be prepared in advance.
From Chenghua to Hongzhi and Zhengde years, the problems of Huangzhuang gradually became prominent, and civil servants had great opinions on this.
It's just that Zhu Houzhao is from the sea and the city that never sleeps. He makes too many bells and whistles, which to a certain extent makes Huangzhuang a trivial matter that is easy to be ignored.
In fact, Huangzhuang can be used as a pilot demonstration. Once you see the actual results, things will be much easier to do.
This idea flashed through Zhu Houzhao's mind, so he called Yan Song.
"Your Majesty." Yan Song knelt down beside Mao Yuwen.
"Suddenly I remembered something. Wait...after a while." Zhu Houzhao rubbed his chin and thought, "After a while, please remember to remind me that I need to take a comprehensive look at the Imperial Village, including the area, area, and current situation. When you go down, do some research first and be prepared."
"Yes! I obey the order."
Mao Yuwen carefully looked at the things in his hands and said that they were edible, but he had never eaten them anyway.
"...Operation Sweet Potato has the highest goal of bringing back seeds from overseas places in Borneo. Since the three teams are operating separately, in order to prevent them from competing for credit and destroying each other, you can continue to say that as long as it is accomplished, these twenty-one I will reward everyone generously, and if anyone unfortunately dies, his wife, children, and parents will also be supported by the imperial court!"
Hearing that this meant that it was such an important matter, Mao Yuwen himself wanted to make a contribution himself.
"Weichen understands!"
Zhu Houzhao walked back and forth in the Qianqing Palace. He couldn't think of anything but couldn't completely rest assured. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Mao Yuwen thought for a while and lowered his head and said: "This painting... seems to have been embroidered by a woman. I am so bold. Does it look like someone gave it to His Majesty?"
"A folk woman should be in Mei Kejia's house."
"Chen, I want to see her."
Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and said, "Okay. But she is not guilty, so don't torture her."
"Your Majesty, don't worry, I have my own solution."
"Okay, then you will be solely responsible for this matter."
Mao Yuwen took over the task and felt energized again.
After the events in Jiangxi and Zhejiang, he took a break for nearly two months and almost fell ill. When people are free, they tend to think wildly, fearing that the emperor will be dissatisfied with him.
After seeing it today, all the gloom has been swept away.
Such an important matter was still entrusted to him. Beizhen Fusi was still the most comfortable sword for the emperor.
In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Houzhao was ready to take a rest after reading the last few memorials.
There was a letter of apology from Liu Jian. He said that he was old and could not stand standing for six consecutive days. He also cared about the people of Shandong and wanted to return to Shandong as soon as possible to handle government affairs.
Zhu Houzhao groaned slightly when he saw it,
"Liu Jin,"
"My slave is here."
"Does Liu Xixian have any heirs?"
"Reply to Your Majesty. Duke Xixian has three sons, but one of the youngest sons is premature. The other two sons are dead, and there are two grandsons. Unfortunately, the eldest grandson also doesn't live long. At this point in time, he only has a little grandson with him. Running around.”
"It's better than Li Ge. At least he has a grandson. What is his status now? Joining the court as an official?"
"What status..." Liu Jin thought carefully, "It shouldn't be an official status. Last time I heard that I was a scholar."
"Okay, I understand."
He also had a purpose in asking this. In the Ming Dynasty, the royal family would be kind to the descendants of these ministers, which can be regarded as a reward. It's just that he has just been promoted to governor, so the rewards don't need to be so intensive and frequent. Let's talk about it later.
For him, having such a person to guard Shandong is the most important thing.
As for Liu Jian, his imperial meeting has ended, and the armaments on the seventh day cannot be said to have nothing to do with him. However, as an old man from the former dynasty who has lost his political future, it is self-defeating and meaningless for him to offer opinions in this regard. .
To be honest, from now on, except for things in Shandong, anything he says will be redundant.
This should be the meaning of the previous memorial.
It seems that he knows that he will live in Shandong forever.
After all, he is the chief minister of the cabinet, and he has a good grasp of the emperor's mood and government affairs.
So this night, Liu Mansion was packing things.
His little grandson is named Liu Chengxue, who is also in his twenties. Seeing this scene, he feels strange, "Grandpa, there is no reply from the palace at this late hour. There is no beginning or end. He will not show up at the meeting tomorrow." Wouldn’t that seem disrespectful?”
Liu Jian was lying on a rocking chair, shaking from side to side. He is old, and the old man's emotions seem to be easily overflowing. So he could also understand the emperor's emotions when he said those words.
Although many words were not stated clearly, he could read them through his tone of voice and his eyes.
The emperor... pitied him very much,
She should have hated him, but the emperor actually showed that emotion. Moreover, it is easy to say that Kong came first and Liu came later. In fact, how could he do it without abandoning his old life in Shandong?
Therefore, even though the emperor took pity on him, he still decided to keep him in Shandong.
It just means one thing - when he comes to the capital, he will be in the way.
These things are actually unthinkable and unthinkable, forget it. But he wanted to get it, and although he said he didn't have any big opinions, he still felt a little disappointed after thinking about it...
"Your Majesty, he knows everything." Liu Jian closed his eyes.
The little grandson was a little confused, "You know everything?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, he knows whether grandpa respects him or not."
"real?"
"Chengxue, you have to remember. Today, I am a sage and wise king comparable to Taizu Taizong. Since ancient times, which wise king has not been respected by my ministers?"
Lying on the rocking chair, Liu Jian suddenly recalled the past. He once thought about working together with the emperor to do something practical for the people of Ming Dynasty. It's a pity that God did not fulfill his wish.
The old man turned his eyes and saw his little grandson pinching his leg, who was in a daze. "Do you want to see His Majesty?"
"...Well! My grandson reads history books, and every time he reads about the saint king, his blood will boil. Now I can follow my ancestors, and my grandson admires him very much. If I have the opportunity to meet a hero, that will be a great pleasure!"
"I'll see you." Liu Jian said quietly. He knew in his heart that his academic qualifications were mediocre. Although he was honest and honest, and devoted himself to his studies, he always missed the point, and it would be difficult for him to become a great scholar in the future.
So he probably has to work harder, so that when he dies... he might have a chance to see the emperor.
