"Here comes the roast goose!"
At this moment, there was a shout, but Queen Ma came over with a plate of steaming roast goose. Upon seeing this, Chang Qingling and Xu Miaoyun let go of Xiao Han to avoid blocking Queen Ma's way.
"Sister-in-law, why did you send it here in person?"
When Xu Da saw Queen Ma, he couldn't help but ask.
"Hey! This roast goose has been your sister-in-law's and my specialty over the years. The palace maids are very careless, so I don't worry about them giving it to me. I just happened to deliver it in person to take a look at you."
"Don't worry, the other dishes are almost as good and will be served soon."
Queen Ma said with a smile.
"After all these years, the roast goose cooked by my sister-in-law is still so delicious."
Chang Yuchun sniffed next to Queen Ma's roast goose.
"Well, it does taste good, but even this roast goose is usually not eaten for free."
Xu Da curled his lips.
In the past, every time Empress Ma personally cooked roast goose, she would always have something to say. Xu Da would ask Zhu Yuanzhang to take something away, so that when he saw the roast goose, Xu Da immediately felt a little unhungry.
"Hey! How can you lose a piece of meat for you to eat?"
"Eat what you have, you have more to do every day."
Chang Yuchun glanced at Xu Da.
"Hey! Why are all this large circle of people standing here?"
"Sit down, do you want to eat standing up?"
Just as Queen Ma walked down, Zhu Yuanzhang walked out.
"Aren't we waiting for you, big brother?"
"If you don't come, no one will dare to sit down."
Xu Da chuckled.
"Daming, is there anything you Xu Da dare not do? Why didn't we know about it before?"
"We remember that this emperor didn't have the face to come here to Xu Da. Back then, a can of wine was poured on our heads in public."
Zhu Yuanzhang grinned and said.
"Hey! You're making fun of us again. You and your wife are like this every time. One is the good guy and the other is the bad guy."
"In the end, we, Lao Xu, can deal with it."
Xu Da rolled his eyes.
"Okay, stop talking so much and sit down. Isn't this chair enough? How about we sit down next time?"
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head, with a smile on his face.
After fighting all the way and conquering the world, it is probably a good thing that this group of old brothers can still be by their side and have a bite of roast goose together.
"Let everyone come this time, there is no other meaning."
"You also know that now we are an emperor in name, but in fact all the affairs of the court have been handed over to the prince, so there is no emperor Zhu Yuanzhang here, only your big brother, the cattle herder Zhu Chongba."
Zhu Yuanzhang and everyone else took their seats before speaking.
"Then we are the little brothers who follow the big brother and eat the calf."
Chang Yuchun said with a big grin.
"Today, these old brothers are missing Tang He. Let me just say a few words. First of all, although Meng Yuan has been beaten away by us, there are still large grasslands in the north, and his power cannot be underestimated. You can’t slack off.”
"Secondly..."
…
Zhu Yuanzhang leaned on the chair and began to speak.
"Okay Zhongba, you can do just two sentences, but I'm getting tired of listening to you."
"Stop talking and let everyone eat."
After Queen Ma finished serving the food, she sat down next to Zhu Yuanzhang, thinking about waiting for Zhu Yuanzhang to finish speaking before starting. As a result, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to be happy to see these old brothers. He talked about the situation in the Ming and Yuan Dynasties, the political style of the Ming Dynasty, and then back again. Understand the situation of Ming and Yuan Dynasties.
At this time, Queen Ma couldn't hold herself any longer and interrupted Zhu Yuanzhang directly.
"What are you looking at?"
"Have a meal!"
"Your sister-in-law is the leader of Kunning Palace. Don't you understand the rules?"
As soon as Queen Ma spoke, the whole place fell silent. Xu Da and Chang Yuchun both looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, who curled his lips and said.
"Eat, eat."
Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Chang Yuchun immediately waved his hand, indicating that the children who came with him could start using their chopsticks, and Xu Da also started to greet them for dinner.
Zhu Yuanzhang's speech was interrupted by Queen Ma. Zhu Biao and Xiao Han also breathed a sigh of relief and started to eat with their chopsticks.
"You three girls, don't be polite. Eat more. I'm telling you, your body is a little thinner. If you put on more meat, you'll be less likely to get sick in the future."
Just as Zhu Biao and Xiao Han were taking a few bites of the food, Queen Ma's eyes had already looked from Chang Qingyun to Chang Qingling and then to Xu Miaoyun, and she spoke.
Hearing Queen Ma mention this, Xiao Han and Zhu Biao couldn't help but stop their chopsticks at the same time. What was supposed to come came anyway.
"Biao'er, Fengxue, this period of time has been hard on you."
"Although the affairs of the country are busy, the affairs of the family cannot be left behind. Look, when will these three beautiful girls be married to my mother?"
Sure enough, Queen Ma opened her mouth to ask questions to the two brothers.
"Ahem!"
"Mom, our Ming Dynasty is currently carrying out the imperial examination reform. The local area is in turmoil. I supervise the country and govern the country. I can't slack off. Why don't we let Feng Xue get married first? It just so happens that he has to take two, and deal with the difficult ones first. ”
Zhu Biao coughed twice and said to Queen Ma.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"You are the boss of our old Zhu family, there is no reason to jump you over."
"As for the turmoil of reform, isn't your father still here?"
"When the palace examination is over, let him go back and continue to take over the government. You finish the marriage first."
While speaking, Empress Ma glared at Zhu Yuanzhang as though she was dissatisfied, obviously dissatisfied with Zhu Yuanzhang's behavior of leaving all the burden to Zhu Biao.
"Ahem!"
"That mark, your mother is right. Dad is not too old yet and can still control our Ming Dynasty. After you finish presiding over the imperial examination, we will resume the court. The first thing is to arrange your marriage." It’s solved, then there’s the snowstorm.”
Feeling Empress Ma's gaze, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately became righteous.
There is no way, Empress Ma has the final say in this harem, even Lao Zhu has to obey orders when he comes.
"Fengxue, don't just sit around and enjoy yourself."
"These two girls, Qing Ling and Miao Yun, are your wives. I have already thought about it. When the time comes, you will marry them both and then have the bridal chamber together."
Queen Ma glanced at Xiao Han, who was suppressing a smile, and said.
"Cough cough cough!"
Upon hearing what Queen Ma said, Xiao Han suddenly coughed violently, and was then glared back by Queen Ma.
"sister in law!"
"This isn't right!"
"It's okay to take them together, but what's the point of having a bridal chamber together? There has never been such a saying!"
Xu Da suddenly raised his eyebrows and said.
Something is wrong, this is so wrong. Who would marry a girl and take her to the wedding with her?
Chang Yuchun said nothing and frowned, waiting for Queen Ma's next words.
“If there is no explanation, can’t we create explanations?”
"Why, your girl, are you still afraid of his girl looking at her?"
Queen Ma's eyes passed over Xu Da and Chang Yuchun one after another.
In fact, there is no way to do this. Logically speaking, Chang Qingling and Xu Miaoyun are both Xiao Han's wives. In order to prevent the family from having any grudges about marrying one first and then marrying later, they can only choose to marry at the same time.
However, this raises the question of who will be the next bridal chamber, which is embarrassing.
So in the end, Empress Ma simply didn't want to think about it anymore. The British Duke's mansion was not a small place anyway, so she simply wrapped the three of them in Xiao Han's bed and slept together.
"No, I didn't mean that, but I think, this, this is not good, right?"
The corner of Xu Da's mouth twitched slightly and he hesitated.
"There's nothing wrong with it. I just feel good about it. That's it."
Queen Ma spoke and made a decision directly.
"Let's put aside the question of whether... mother... is okay. With Feng Xue's physical condition, aren't you afraid of being taken away by him overnight?"
Zhu Biao leaned close to Queen Ma's ear and spoke quietly.
Although it was in the form of whispering, Zhu Biao's voice was not too quiet. At least Xiao Han and Zhu Yuanzhang could hear it.
"Oops! I almost forgot about this. It's okay. Mom will prepare a supplement for Feng Xue when the time comes."
After listening to Zhu Biao's words, Empress Ma finally remembered Xiao Han's physical problems. With Xiao Han's physical condition, it might be too much to deal with together. If this was done to balance the Chang and Xu families, Xiao Han would be involved, which would be more than worth the gain. Ah, Queen Ma said immediately, but she didn't lower her voice at all, which made the people at the table have different expressions.
At this moment, Xiao Han's face turned dark. Zhu Biao must have done it on purpose, it must be!
Wait, when did Xiao Han suffer such a loss? When he goes back, he will pick up two tons of wool from him.
But it was not until this moment that the outspoken Queen Ma realized what she was doing when she saw everyone's faces, and looked at Xiao Han apologetically.
"Brother Fengxue, eat this, it's delicious."
Chang Qingling was silent for a while after listening to Queen Ma's words, and took a handful of leeks from the table to Xiao Han.
"Brother Fengxue, eat this, this is the most delicious."
Seeing Chang Qingling's actions, Xu Miaoyun was not willing to be outdone and gave Xiao Han two oysters.
Xiao Han:…
"Have you two seen the essential techniques of Ming Dynasty agriculture?"
Xiao Han's mouth twitched slightly.
"Ah? How do you know?"
Chang Qingling replied in surprise.
"That book...I wrote it..."
Xiao Han sat there, his face stiff, and he secretly regretted it in his heart.
I really have nothing to do, so why would I write down these unconfirmed claims from later generations? This time, it's better. I didn't catch up on the charm of attracting readers' interest in reading, and directly gave myself to the underworld. It's like shooting myself in the foot.
"Pfft! Haha! Hahahaha!"
On the side, Zhu Biao couldn't hold himself any longer and started laughing.
Obviously, this guy also focused on the descriptions of Ming Dynasty's agricultural science.
"Biao'er, what are you laughing at?"
Queen Ma was a little confused, but she still gave Chang Qingyun a wink, as if to say that she would also get involved with Zhu Biao.
ah?
Seeing Queen Ma's eyes, Chang Qingyun hesitated slightly, "This, this is not necessary, right?"
But soon, he came into contact with Queen Ma's serious gaze again.
After some hesitation, Chang Qingyun finally decided not to make the same thing as her two sisters, so she directly gave Zhu Biao a pork kidney.
Suddenly, Zhu Biao's smile froze on his face, but the smile did not disappear, but moved to Xiao Han's face.
Seeing such a scene, among the three old men, Zhu Yuanzhang, the only one who had seen the essentials of Ming Dynasty agriculture but remembered it somewhat unclearly, finally changed from confusion to enlightenment.
"Brother, no, this...why are you laughing?"
Chang Yuchun looked confused and asked Zhu Yuanzhang.
Hearing that Chang Yuchun asked about his doubts, Xu Da also looked at Zhu Yuanzhang.
"Hmm...it's okay. Our son is discussing the key techniques of Ming Dynasty agriculture and academic exchanges. He has gained new insights. He is very happy."
As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he glanced at Queen Ma quietly, and then picked up an oyster.
This family banquet arranged by Lao Zhu's family, because Lan Yu and Mu Ying were not present, did not involve a lot of drinking.
After Empress Ma made the decision to get married, she quickly got married amidst laughter and laughter. Before it got dark, everyone was driven back by Zhu Yuanzhang.
After returning to his British palace, Xiao Han was still sober because he had not drunk much, so he began to write and draft the examination questions for Zhu Biao on the Ming Dynasty's agricultural science, the Ming Dynasty's political outline and the Ming Dynasty laws.
The Political Outline of the Ming Dynasty and the Laws of the Ming Dynasty are relatively easy. After all, they are relatively clearly written knowledge. When Xiao Han came up with questions, most of them directly imitated later generations to make theoretical questions.
When it came to the Essentials of Ming Agricultural Science, Xiao Han hesitated for a while, but finally decided to ask some practical questions.
Speaking of agricultural practice, Xiao Han himself is not very good at it. Fortunately, he had in-depth exchanges with farmers from all over the Ming Dynasty to understand it. Therefore, in conjunction with Xiao Han's knowledge of later generations of biology and agronomy, he also The calculation was so easy that it took an hour to basically figure out the test questions, and after some revisions, they were completely settled.
"Snowstorm."
Xiao Han just put down his pen, when Zhu Biao walked in from outside.
"Why are you here? Didn't you ask someone to send you there?"
Xiao Han looked at Zhu Biao who suddenly visited again and asked.
"I thought I would have to drink a lot today, so I said that before, but today is okay, so I came over by myself, just in time to listen to you explain these test questions in detail."
Zhu Biao said to Xiao Han.
It can only be said that Zhu Biao is indeed a good student and is indeed rigorous in his work.
"Actually, it's not that good. My answers are quite clear. If you read it once, you should be able to understand most of the questions."
Xiao Han said and handed the test questions directly to Zhu Biao.
"Um…"
Zhu Biao took the test questions handed over by Xiao Han and looked through them.
“This, the last question of the Ming Dynasty’s Agricultural Science, is the reason why high-quality cultivated seeds must be sourced from planting fields without any additional conditions.
Progeny, segregation of traits, what does this mean, and what does self-pollination mean? "
Zhu Biao pointed to two of the last few test questions and asked.
"Well..."
"It will be more complicated to explain. I did not explain it in detail in the Essentials of Ming Agricultural Science. I just explained the operation method."
"This is the final question. You just need to know that this is to prevent bad seeds from appearing."
"Do you still remember that I told you that I actually have a way to create a variety that is both high-yield and disease-resistant? After a while, I plan to start cultivating it, and I will recruit a group of people to help me cultivate it. After the farmer’s field, I will get another book for additional explanation.”
"If there are candidates who want to do more serious testing, just leave it to me."
Xiao Han looked at it and said.
Regarding Mendel's theory, Xiao Han found it troublesome to explain, especially the process of hybridizing high-quality varieties, which involves the hybridization process of several linked genomes, even if Xiao Han himself did not actually implement it. I couldn't fully explain it before, so I simply didn't explain it to Zhu Biao.
After all, hybrid rice is a simple thing in principle. Mendel's theory can be explained to any high school student of later generations.
But in practice, it is not an ordinary trouble. Otherwise, it would not take so many years to succeed at that level.
Xiao Han added these questions. On the one hand, he wanted to show off his skills and show those candidates how powerful Ming's technology was through super-outline questions. On the other hand, he also wanted to see if he could understand Mendel's three points on his own. Genius at its core.
"Okay, if that's the case, then I'll listen to you."
Zhu Biao nodded slightly, and sure enough, Feng Xue, this kid, still had a hand.
"Then let's talk about land reclamation."
"Refugees from various places have been recruited in large numbers. This spring, we can directly open up wasteland and expand farmland."
"How do we choose this land reclamation site? Should we all reclaim land near the state capital, or gather some refugees to a certain place for dedicated land reclamation."
Zhu Biao asked Xiao Han.
"Um…"
"This is how I think about it. Half of the refugees will open up wasteland on the spot and restore the farmland holdings in each state capital. The other half will gather together to mobilize their enthusiasm for land reclamation by allocating more fields."
"As for where to go..."
Xiao Han said, walked to the maps of the Ming Dynasty hanging in his study, and stretched out a finger.
"Go here."
Xiao Han pointed to somewhere on the map.
"Lingnan?"
"That place is sparsely populated and has a lot of wasteland. It is indeed a good place to open up wasteland."
Zhu Biao nodded and spoke in agreement.
"not only that."
“In my opinion, Lingnan has three advantages.”
"First, the climate in Lingnan is warmer than in the north, and it is humid enough to produce three crops a year. Even if the climate gets colder, if there is enough fertile farmland here, it can be maintained even if there is a large area of cold disaster in the north. Sufficient food production.”
"Secondly, as you said, Lingnan is sparsely populated and the power of powerful families is relatively weak. We can create more ordinary people who obey our Ming Dynasty and serve as our Ming Dynasty's rear area with stronger control."
"Third..."
When Xiao Han said this, he paused slightly and moved his finger down again.
"Do you know these countries?"
Xiao Han asked Zhu Biao.
"This is...the Kingdom of Yue (the name of the Chen Dynasty was Dayue, and it had not yet surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, so it is called the Kingdom of Yue instead of Annan), the Kingdom of Cham, the Kingdom of Lancang, the Kingdom of Ava and the Kingdom of Bago."
Zhu Biao looked at it and said to Xiao Han.
"You know quite a lot."
Xiao Han chuckled.
"That's right, I have read a lot of books. Although I don't know as many as you, I still know the surroundings of Ming Dynasty."
"What, are you going to subdue these countries as vassals of my Ming Dynasty? Or... directly integrate the Han and Tang Dynasties of Yue into the territory of my Ming Dynasty?"
Zhu Biao asked Xiao Han.
"No! I plan to conquer all these countries in the future and bring them under the direct rule of my Ming Dynasty."
"Therefore, large-scale land reclamation in Lingnan to increase population will also facilitate our preparations for immigrating to these places in the future."
Xiao Han said with a serious expression.
"Is this... possible? The Yue Kingdom is fine. After all, it has a history of belonging to the orthodox dynasty of the Central Plains for thousands of years. Those other countries have never belonged to us."
Zhu Biao hesitated slightly.
"Why...our Highness the Crown Prince is afraid?"
“These are all good places, with a warm and humid climate. They are all agricultural treasures that can produce three or even four crops a year.”
"Qin Shihuang was able to conquer Baiyue in the south and bring countries that were not under the jurisdiction of the Zhou Dynasty into the Qin Dynasty. Can't I, the Ming Dynasty, do the same?"
Xiao Han chuckled and said.
Xiao Han planned to capture all of these places while he was alive.
For no other reason than to have more food production areas when the weather gets colder. Even if the north is in chaos, the south will be as stable as Mount Tai and extend the life of the Ming Dynasty.
Later generations have said that the Ming Dynasty died during the Little Ice Age.
This statement is actually a bit exaggerated, but it is undeniable that successive years of natural disasters and cold climate have indeed dealt a heavy blow to the Ming Dynasty.
Xiao Han's move was intended to make preparations in advance so that the Ming Dynasty in future generations would not fall into the embarrassing situation of being without money and food due to years of poor harvests and being subject to the powerful families.
"Afraid?"
"You, the Duke of the Ming Dynasty, are not afraid of me, but the future Taizong of the Ming Dynasty will be afraid of me, the Prince of the Ming Dynasty?"
"The Qin Emperor, Han Wu, Tang Zong and others can destroy dozens of countries and sweep across thousands of miles. Naturally, I am not afraid."
Zhu Biao puffed up his chest and said.
"Actually, there is another Meng Yuan."
Xiao Han looked at Zhu Biao and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Then there's no need to be afraid. As the future emperor of the Han family, why should we be afraid of expanding our territory?"
"The enemy can go, so can I!"
Zhu Biao became even more excited when he heard Xiao Han mention Meng Yuan.
"Actually, in conquering these places, our Ming Dynasty has an advantage that cannot be matched by Emperor Qin, Wu of Han, Tang Zong and even Meng Yuan."
Xiao Han slowly spoke to Zhu Biao.
"What's the explanation?"
Zhu Biao's eyes lit up slightly. Now that Ming Dynasty had an advantage, he suddenly became interested.
"Let me ask you, where was the capital of the Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties?"
Xiao Han asked Zhu Biao.
"Xianyang and Chang'an are both in Guanzhong."
Zhu Biao spoke directly as he knew all the treasures from his family. As the prince of the Ming Dynasty, he was familiar with almost all the history books of the past dynasties.
"Where is the capital of Meng Yuan?"
Xiao Han asked again.
"Dadu."
Zhu Biao looked at Xiao Han strangely.
"Then where is Daming?"
Xiao Han asked again.
"Yingtian, Jinling City."
Zhu Biao said, his pupils suddenly shrank, and then a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.
"Understood, the Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties had their capitals in Guanzhong, and the Mongolian and Yuan Kingdoms were all in Dadu. To them, those places were remote and frontier, but for my Ming Dynasty, whose capital is in Yingtian Prefecture in the south of the Yangtze River, those places don't count. It’s too far, naturally, after my Ming Dynasty conquers these places, I will have stronger control over them.”
"This geographical relationship is even closer than Qin Shihuang's southern expedition to Baiyue."
Xiao Han chuckled and spoke.
The capital of the country is in Yingtian Mansion. This is indeed an advantage that neither the Qin, Han, Tang, nor the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties can match.
To a certain extent, the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties had their capital in Guanzhong. After Qin Shihuang conquered Baiyue, they were unable to go south. Because they were beyond reach, they could only go north and wage war with the northern barbarians year after year.
If not, in history, Zhu Di later moved the capital to Beiping, the emperor guarded the country, and the king died in Sheji, after Annan was included in the territory, he might have been able to completely conquer it.
(End of chapter)
