"Are these the overseas products that Westerners know about?"
In the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Houcong looked at a stack of drawing paper with interest, compared the shapes, and then looked at the name Zhu Yunming marked on it.
"My servant asked each Westerner this question to give them a good time to think about it. When the drawings are ready, I will let them all read it again and then make corrections. That's all."
Wei Bin and Zhu Yunming were waiting aside.
Zhu Houcong nodded, and after reading it, he handed it to Gao Zhong: "Compile these and print them into a booklet."
Wei Bin knew what to do, His Majesty had said it before. After the Sea Trade Company starts operating, it will begin to take on the responsibility of collecting overseas products for His Majesty.
Zhu Houcong looked at Zhu Yunming again and saw that he looked quite tired.
I don't know if he was frightened or stimulated in this specific work. Maybe it was Wei Bin's method of asking those Europeans?
"It will take some time for them to come by boat if the decree reaches the south." Zhu Houcong smiled, "It would be a grand event for the four great talents in Wuzhong to gather in the capital again. Unfortunately, one of them has already left."
Zhu Yunming was frightened every day, not knowing how the emperor would deal with the matter of "Wild Notes".
"Your Majesty, I have little talent and little knowledge. It's just gossip from others. I let you bear this unearned reputation."
Zhu Houcong was noncommittal and asked Wei Bin: "How is the cleanup in Xiyuan going?"
"According to His Majesty's decree, everything has been cleaned up." Wei Bin reported back, "North of the Wanshou Palace, the Tiger City, Sheep House, Leopard House, and Tianpeng House have all been cleaned up, and the built palaces and houses have been It has been rearranged and made suitable for living.”
"Zhu Yunming, just go and live there first. Gao Zhong, take him there and let him choose an elegant home. Whatever furnishings he wants should be simple."
Zhu Yunming had no idea what it meant, but he heard the word leopard room.
Anxiously, Gao Zhong led him to the west. After leaving the palace gate, he saw Taiye Pond, and he couldn't help but ask: "Eunuch Gao, I wonder what your Majesty's arrangements are for allowing me to live in Xiyuan. ?”
Gao Zhong replied with a smile: "Congratulations, Mr. Zhu, you are the first celebrity who has the honor to live here. Last year, the courtiers requested that the late emperor's leopard house set up here be demolished. His majesty cherished the people's money and money, so it was decided." Use it for other purposes. After Wei Eunuch was transferred to the Internal Affairs Bureau, he spent most of his time cleaning up this place. Now we don’t know what your Majesty wants to use this place for, but since it was planned by His Majesty himself, it is naturally very important. Unexpectedly, His Majesty actually asked Mr. Zhu to live there, it seems that the answer to the mystery will soon be revealed."
Zhu Yunming followed him across the Yuhe Bridge in confusion. Gao Zhong pointed to the right side and introduced: "This is the Yuxi Palace. In front is the Xishiku, the wine room and the flower room are also here. On the left is the Guangming Palace, Wanshou Palace. Our family heard from Eunuch Wei that in the future, this imperial city and the Xiyuan area will probably be used."
He stared blankly at this huge royal garden. In terms of area, the Xiyuan Garden plus the water surface is larger than the three Forbidden Cities.
What does Your Majesty want to use this Xiyuan for?
Zhu Houcong also left the Forbidden City now, and the place he arrived was outside the west wall of the Forbidden City.
Adjacent to the palace wall are many direct rooms, where the Shangshan Superintendent has set up a dessert room and many other pastry rooms that do not require hot food. To the south of them is the imperial prison, which specializes in manufacturing various utensils for the palace, and to the north is the military war bureau.
As one of the twelve supervisors, four divisions and eight bureaus, the Bingzhan Bureau is known as the "little imperial supervisor".
In the eyes of ordinary people, the Bureau of War and War and the Bureau of Arms of the Ministry of Industry were the two major arms manufacturing departments of the imperial court, but in fact, the Bureau of War and War was also responsible for the manufacture of other copper and iron utensils in the Forbidden Palace.
Such as hammers, pliers, scissors, needles...all the sharp tools that are convenient for killing people.
Another example is the locks, gongs and drums, bells and drums in the palace...
The Bingzhan Bureau's territory is actually quite large. Currently, this location is just the office space for Zhang Yin and others and a manufacturing site for some small items in the palace. To the east of the Forbidden City, the Bingzhan Bureau also spans six alleys, and the Gunpowder Bureau under its jurisdiction is also there.
"This servant is here to greet His Majesty."
When the emperor arrived, Zhao Yunfa, the military commander, and his subordinates knelt at the door to greet him.
"Get up and come into the house to talk."
Zhu Houcong entered the room and sat down. The accompanying eunuch of Qianqing Palace put all the refreshments silently on the table aside.
Zhao Yunfa stepped forward and bent down and said: "Your Majesty's wedding requires ritual utensils. I am ordering my servants and craftsmen to work hard to make them..."
"...Okay, you can arrange these as usual." Zhu Houcong asked, "I heard from Zhang Jin that it would be troublesome for you to imitate the Western guns and ammunition shipped from Guangdong?"
Zhao Yunfa then replied respectfully: "Reporting to your Majesty, that is exactly the case. In fact, since Xuande, more and more craftsmen have fled their residence, and the military craftsman service has become increasingly unusable. If not for this, there would not have been various border openings during the Zhengtong years. An example of self-made copper generals' magic guns. In the fourth year of Hongzhi, Huguang and Guangxi were allowed to make their own. In the sixth year of Zhengde, Qingzhou Zuowei was allowed to make their own. In the seventh year, Xuzhou. In the twelfth year, Liangzhou."
He first seized the opportunity to show off his expertise, and then said: "Your Majesty, if you are not a slave, you cannot do your job carefully. If the Military War Bureau had not been allowed to allocate Yu Ding from the 47th Guards in Beijing to learn firearms and other military equipment, In the future, I am afraid that most of the weapons manufacturing will have to be left to local governments to make their own weapons, and the servants will only be able to make some copper and iron utensils for daily use in the palace."
After Zhu Houcong heard this, he thought about it first.
Zhao Yunfa waited anxiously, complaining was very thankless. But His Majesty has arranged the task of imitating and improving Western guns and ammunition. If he just agrees but fails to do it well, the consequences will be even more serious in the future.
"It's just counterfeiting at first, but it's also a big problem?"
"Your Majesty, all the slaves and master craftsmen have read the secrets sent by Commander Luo." Zhao Yunfa carefully replied, "This gun and ammunition is a delicate work. The measurements used by Westerners are different from those of our country. The slaves need a lot of time. Go and explore. These prisoners only know how to use them, but they don’t know how to make them. I ask your majesty’s permission. At least one of the two people from Guangdong who persuaded Guangdong to surrender must come to the capital."
He quickly added: "The slaves can probably imitate it using the usual methods, but I'm afraid it will be a little worse. The copper, iron and manpower consumed will probably be more. The slaves know that your majesty is re-establishing three major camps. In the future, We will definitely need a lot of firearms. For long-term reasons, this servant is afraid to ask for help."
"Then tell me what you have in mind."
Zhao Yunfa boldly said: "I don't know much about this. From my humble opinion, the root cause is still in the craftsmen's registration and the salary and exemption policy of the craftsmen. Only in this way can the craftsmen's families not run away and have no successors." At least, craftsmen working in Beijing need to be given more salary."
Zhu Houcong nodded: "I will ask the courtiers to discuss it. If you dare to say these words, you are a capable person. Pay more attention to this matter first. Not much has been captured this time. You can try to build one first, and then compete. Let’s improve.”
After rewarding Zhao Yunfa with some silver to reassure him, Zhu Houcong continued walking towards the Long Live Mountain in Taiye Pond.
Looking at this elegant royal garden scene, everything seems quiet and peaceful.
If you don't have any pursuits, being an emperor is really satisfying.
But as long as you have some sense of responsibility and want to do something well, it will be difficult every step of the way.
Regarding the artillery and ammunition captured in the Tuen Mun naval battle, from measurement standardization to casting technology, from gunpowder formula to future manufacturing capacity, the War and Military Affairs Bureau and the Ordnance Bureau talked about the same issues.
The root of this problem is probably due to Zhu Yuanzhang's ancestral system of dividing the world into various types of household registration. After the class has been solidified, the only way to rise is the imperial examination.
If there are no military households, craftsmen households, and kitchen households, then judging from their current income level and social status, the source of soldiers and craftsmen will become a problem.
Today's situation is stable under certain preferential and exemption policies for military households and craftsmen households.
The biggest and biggest problem is actually money and food. Ordinary people cultivated very few fields and were under great pressure from land tax and corvee distribution.
And the large class of officials and gentry were powerful supporters of him as a feudal emperor. He himself is the largest landowner in the world.
Zhang Fujing killed so ruthlessly in Guangdong, why are some people still emboldened and ready to take action? Because in their opinion, it doesn't matter which official is killed, it doesn't matter which official is killed, but they are the iron foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
A butcher's knife cannot solve the fundamental problem, but a very hard butcher's knife is necessary to suppress counterattacks in the future.
Looking at the original location of the Leopard Room not far away, Zhu Houcong ordered: "Go to Xuanluo'an and meet me here."
Time flies by very quickly, and it’s already the end of February, but with the start of the draft, and with Guangdong’s new law approaching the “real” stage, the world is restless.
Zhu Houcong was in the forbidden palace of the capital, understanding the dynamics of the world through the returns of various lines.
He can imagine certain situations in the future that have been played out in history. Fang Muxian really did him a favor last year, allowing some things to be revealed so easily.
Otherwise, there are at least nine local ways to make it impossible for him, the emperor, to figure out what happened. Even if the Minister of Punishment went to investigate, it would only take several months to find out a specious and difficult result.
The emperor can overturn the old chessboard of the power struggle in the court, but can he overturn the old chessboard of the Ming Dynasty and the people's livelihood?
Zhu Houcong could only look for opportunities to break the game and create a few more pieces to create a killing game.
"Your Majesty!" Luo An came.
Zhu Houcong recovered his thoughts and looked at him: "What are the results of those people I asked you to look for?"
"According to His Majesty's decree, I ordered the Jinyi Guards everywhere to pay close attention to the people they visited. I don't know if the people I visited are in line with His Majesty's wishes."
"There is no need to worry about these, just have the first batch." Zhu Houxuan said with a smile, "pass it on and let them declare my will. I like miscellaneous studies and set up the Royal Wanfa Museum in the West Garden of the Forbidden Palace. We must treat it with courtesy. Wait, I invite you to offer it to the royal family and prepare for my consultation."
"...Your Majesty, those old farmers and craftsmen?" Luo An really couldn't associate the word "royal tribute" with old farmers.
Zhu Houcong just glanced at him, and Luo An lowered his head: "I know."
It is difficult to destroy the ascending channel at once, so take advantage of the fact that you are still young and can still "play nonsense" and do something with your own money.
The emperor is just curious and has mixed knowledge. Isn't that better than the Zhengde brothers setting up a leopard room?
…
Yan Song was reminded by Huang Jin.
Pay attention to the memorials submitted by the provincial inspectors and governors. There are mentions of people who have been sent indiscriminately during the Yuan Dynasty, drafts, and weddings. List the names and provinces.
Therefore, His Majesty’s talent show and wedding are one pole and several threads.
He also noticed that Wang Shouren and Zhang Bi did not get this reminder.
Therefore, the caring person Yan Song understood the purpose of the emperor's reminder: Your Majesty still has the Royal Guards and the inner factory, can you really only know how the place is through memorials?
This is to know who is loyal, who is greedy and stupid, and who has bad intentions.
The most important thing is to give him Yan Song a chance to remind those loyal ministers through his words when criticizing Zhu, and to accumulate his own team as soon as possible through his status as the chief of the imperial study!
His old cousin Xia Yan from Jiangxi went south with this clearer purpose.
Yang Tinghe had just received a letter from his son, and now he looked at his colleagues at the national policy meeting, with an expression on his face as if he was wondering who was going to cause trouble again.
In March of Yangchun, Li Chongsi, who had just arrived in Beijing, walked into the imperial study room. He looked up and saw the "Great Wall of the South Sea" inscription on the national policy that would last forever, and he was in a trance for a moment.
"The details will be known gradually, let's talk about the rules first. You can speak freely in the imperial study, and no secrets will be leaked outside the imperial study." Zhu Houcong paused and then looked at the others, "But the New Year's Eve banquet was given because he was not in the imperial study, so Are all the places now so dedicated to donating fragrant tea? Why did I ever say that I would set up a tea garden in the Imperial Garden, so that in some places, centuries-old tea trees are still being dug to prepare for the donation?"
Li Chongsi was confused.
He couldn't understand.
Cui Yuan found that he liked seeing this look more and more: Here comes another person who can't keep up, and has a lot of lessons to make up for.
But now it is Yang Tan who is embarrassed, because he was the one who asked for the fragrant tea.
Flattering the emperor and making good friends with the cabinet ministers is not shabby for Yang Tan, who is expected to become a cabinet minister in the future.
The Minister of the Ministry of Personnel has too much power and will basically not join the cabinet. The second official position is the Minister of the Ministry of Hubu.
Even if the new law is only implemented on a trial basis in Guangdong within three to five years, its impact will be so great that it will definitely lead to changes in the central government.
Cui Yuan looked at the emperor and sighed silently in his heart: Even if he is already one of the eighteen important ministers, there are still too many overt and covert struggles under the surface of this national policy meeting.
"... The local government presumes on its own intentions, and I will definitely reprimand him more." Yang Tan could only express his position like this first.
Sun Jiao had a frown on his face. Like Yang Tinghe, he also suspected who was creating the momentum for him to appear at the forefront of the storm in advance.
Why did Yang Tan do this?
Zhu Houcong said calmly: "Tell the governors and inspectors everywhere that my wedding is a happy event. Anyone who takes advantage of my happy event to expropriate people's wealth and harm the place is pouring blood on my happy event. Anyone who makes a happy event for me in this way will not be punished by me." I don’t like it very much.”
Zhang Lun, the new Zuodu censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate who succeeded Chen Jin, immediately replied: "I accept the decree."
He said things like pouring blood on happy events. One can imagine the emperor's anger, although his expression did not change.
Yan Song thought about some of the lists he had carefully recorded...
Li Chongsi only felt that the atmosphere at the national policy meeting was very strange.
The chief minister of the cabinet was preoccupied, and the other important ministers were also quite nervous.
Listening to what the emperor just said, some news was spread that shouldn't have been spread? Is it related to the emperor’s wedding?
Before he had time to think about it, he heard the emperor continue to say: "Li Qing has also arrived. Let's start discussing what to do next in Guangdong. We only cleared some fields, but you have caused so many things again. Always follow me. You all agree that the monarch and his ministers are united in their efforts to reform and strengthen themselves. Is this what you are doing? Or is it really like what Fang Muxian said, I am trying to use your fields? "
Li Chongsi was frightened. How could he say such a thing?
Fang Muxian knew that at the end of February it was published in the Di Di newspaper that the mastermind behind the spread of "Wild Notes" in the south of the Yangtze River and instructing his comrades to kill officials and collude with Japanese pirates was hiding in the Houning Mansion of Shouning and preparing to disrupt the descendants of Fang Xiaoru in the Ming Dynasty.
What did Fang Muxian say? Let the emperor touch the fields in the homes of important ministers?
Yang Tinghe felt aggrieved, and said something that made Li Chongsi even more frightened: "Last year's war in Tuenmen was originally funded by taxes. Important officials from Guangdong and Guangxi were brought to justice, and local officials and people were waiting to be appeased. But this year His Majesty is getting married. , from the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the amount of materials sent by various ministries to Guangdong was unusual, with an increase of 10 to 30%. The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Households, and the Ministry of Industry should all understand that the situation in Guangdong is! Guangdong has reported that public resentment has arisen!"
He said to the emperor with great righteousness: "Yuan Taibao was seriously ill at the time, and he may not have been able to think carefully about the official affairs of the Ministry of Rites. However, the Ministry of Husbandry, the Ministry of Works, Yang Shangshu and Li Shangshu all knew practical matters. I don't know why they sent to Guangdong to hinder Zhang Fujing. !”
(End of chapter)
