Back Lake.
Luo Yan'er breathed in the fresh air and looked at the peach blossoms on the island not far away. She felt much better. She stretched out her hand to caress her swollen belly. The sun shone on her face that was a little more plump. , overflowing with happiness.
"Sister Qiao, pick a peach blossom for me."
Luo Yan'er ordered.
The maid Qiao Hui, who had been with Luo Yan'er for many years, agreed and arranged for other maids to carefully help her pick the peach blossoms. Luo Yan'er put the peach blossoms in her ears and asked with a smile: "Is it okay?"
Qiao Hui hid her smile and said, "Sister is naturally beautiful, why do you need this peach blossom to complement her."
Luo Yan'er patted Qiao Hui's hand. She was naturally beautiful. She described Yizhen'er and A Xiaomu as being similar. She was the daughter of a troubled family: "Jurong wrote a letter a few days ago, saying that my grandmother's health is not as good as before. You He said, if you ask for permission, can your Majesty allow her to come to the palace and be looked at by the imperial doctor?"
Qiao Hui knew that Luo Yan'er's grandmother Guo Feier was old. After all, she was nearly seventy years old. It was understandable that she was in poor health.
"If sister asks for an edict, the emperor will definitely grant it. The concrete road from the capital to Suzhou and Hangzhou has been completed. The road is very smooth. As long as the old man gets on the carriage, there will be no bumps along the way and he will reach the capital. However, sister, right now, I have been pregnant for eight months, but I have no time to take care of my grandmother. It will only make her worried and worry more. It is better to request an imperial doctor to go to Jurong."
Qiao Hui glanced at Zhu Yunwen who was talking to Liu Changge of the Security Bureau in the distance, and softly persuaded Luo Yan'er.
Luo Yan'er thought for a while and decided that it might be safer to arrange for the imperial doctor to go there. After all, the journey was not far and she could go back and forth on the same day. She planned to discuss it with Zhu Yunwen later.
Zhu Yunwen didn't take his eyes off Luo Yan'er and asked Liu Changge who was standing beside him: "What's the urgent matter that can't be reported after we get back?"
Liu Changge hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "The news just came from Jurong that Mrs. Feier Guo has left."
"What?"
Zhu Yunwen was a little surprised.
I was just sick the past two days and had no major worries. Are you leaving today?
"Tell Yang Shiqi to arrange for officials from the Ministry of Etiquette to attend the funeral. In addition, the news must be sealed tightly to prevent this matter from reaching Concubine Shu!"
Zhu Yunwen knew that Luo Yan'er and Guo Feier had a good relationship. Once he learned the bad news, he would definitely be in a bad mood. She was only a month or two away from giving birth, so she didn't dare to tell her.
Liu Changge agreed and said: "Where is the queen..."
Mrs. Guo is gone, and the Queen needs to express herself, and she cannot get around this matter.
"I will go and tell the Queen personally."
Zhu Yunwen was a little sad.
Liu Changge understood and turned around to arrange for someone to do it.
Zhu Yunwen suppressed his worries and walked towards Luo Yan'er. Hearing Luo Yan'er's request, Zhu Yunwen was slightly lost in thought, and then agreed: "I will arrange for the imperial doctor to go to Jurong."
Looking at the smiling Luo Yan'er, Zhu Yunwen felt inexplicably sad.
Now the news is being covered up for the sake of Luo Yaner and her unborn child. But after that, if she learns that she covered up the matter, will she feel resentful?
After returning to Kunning Palace, Ma Enhui listened to Zhu Yunwen talking about this matter and made Zhou Xiang's arrangement: "I will arrange for the harem to send some consoling gifts to Jurong from the servants in the name of my concubine and concubine Shu. And explain the current situation to Guo and Luo."
Zhu Yunwen sighed: "Mrs. Guo will not abandon the Luo family because of poverty or disaster. She is loyal and kind. When she came to the capital, she also took care of Wen Kui. Now that she is gone, if it is not handled well, I will feel sorry for her. Ashamed."
Ma Enhui said carefully: "How about arranging for a minister to attend the funeral?"
Zhu Yunwen pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "Forget it, I'll go there myself."
"This, this is against the rules."
Ma Enhui quickly dissuaded him.
Zhu Yunwen shook his head slightly: "I'm going there in my own name. There are some problems with the Jurong limestone mine. I'm not worried, so I went to take a look."
“What could possibly go wrong in a limestone mine?”
Ma Enhui was a little surprised.
Zhu Yunwen said with a bit of sadness in his eyes: "You also know that Jurong has relied on limestone in recent years, and the people have become much richer. However, limestone is mainly monopolized in the hands of the Luo family and the Guo family, out of the need to pursue profits. , they often forced people to work. The Security Bureau came to report that at least 30 people were buried in the mines, and some people died of exhaustion. The local magistrate did not dare to say anything, and the people took the money, so naturally they would not say anything. . The censor went there several times but didn’t find it.”
"This is too much!"
Ma Enhui was furious.
In order to take care of the people, the imperial court spent countless lives just to let them live a good life. But he died after just a few days of good times. What does this mean?
Zhu Yunwen leaned back in his chair: "You also know that the advantages of concrete roads have been highlighted. Every place hopes to build concrete roads. In addition to the imperial plan, local envoys have also begun to use part of their financial resources to promote the construction of concrete roads. Lime has always been the The supply exceeds demand. Some businessmen and local officials often give gifts in order to get lime earlier."
"According to secret investigations by the Security Bureau, in order to increase the supply of lime, the Luo family and the Guo family have reached out to surrounding counties to recruit people to go to Jurong. They have also made promises to help recruit people and provide benefits, so that some The people in Yahang turned into bandits and robbers, and even some people passing by Jurong were caught in the mines and became slaves who never saw the light of day."
Ma Enhui covered her mouth, shocked.
In this bright world, I really can’t imagine that something so frightening could happen!
"Then why don't the people report it to the officials?"
Ma Enhui asked quickly.
Zhu Yunwen was extremely bitter: "Who should I report to the official?"
"Of course it's Jurong Guo and Luo..."
Ma Enhui was stunned, something seemed wrong about this. If the official reports the Luo and Guo families of Jurong, isn't that equivalent to suing Concubine Shu? If you think about it further, isn't this just a case of suing Zhu Yunwen?
Zhu Yunwen looked at Ma Enhui who didn't believe all this. He sat up straight and shook his hands: "Look, my hands are stained with blood. Not only that, I also arranged for the Security Bureau to investigate the coal mines of the next king Zhu Gui and other vassal kings. For minerals, the problem seems to be more serious.”
"this……"
Ma Enhui could not imagine it.
Zhu Yunwen did not tell Ma Enhui more. The old black slaves who appeared in later generations have now appeared again to cultivate businessmen. The businessman group began to show its strength. The floating force was implemented sharply and hard, giving the businessman group a heavy blow and making it more honest. But the minerals monopolized by the government and highly monopolized by local gentry have become the blood-sucking demon of capital.
In later generations, not everyone disappeared out of thin air and was later found deep in the mine. Some people want to find a job and make some quick money, but they are dragged into the mine for no reason. They cannot get out and can only be manipulated like slaves, mining and mining day after day!
Even if the person died in the mining accident and was buried, no one would know!
A bloody lesson!
Zhu Yunwen does not allow the development of the mining industry to harm the people, but what can the vassal king and local gentry do? Only relying on the limited slaves in hand, only relying on limited craftsmen, and the power of the people who come and go on their own initiative, it is impossible to even think about making big money.
"The Emperor needs to resort to thunderous means. This kind of thing cannot be allowed to happen."
When Ma Enhui thought about the scene of being pulled away while standing on the roadside, she couldn't help but be afraid. If she was taken away and sent to a mine, wouldn't it mean that she would never see the light of day again?
Zhu Yunwen nodded solemnly and said, "So, I need to go to Jurong to see how serious the problem is, and also to give other vassal kings a warning. If I don't rectify the mineral resources, I will become the person targeted by thousands of people." "
Ma Enhui quickly comforted Zhu Yunwen.
In the dead of night, Zhu Yunwen tossed and turned unable to sleep, and did not fall asleep until very late. As a result, he had another nightmare, encountering a mine collapse, and countless craftsmen were hidden deep in the mine.
After waking up, Zhu Yunwen did not feel sleepy at all, and did not disturb Ma Enhui. He got up, dressed, and walked out of the hall. He looked up at the starry sky, pondered for a long time, and then went to Wuying Hall to deal with the memorials one after another.
The Ming Dynasty was a big country and there were many things. Even after being filtered by the cabinet, there were still more than a hundred things that needed to be handled by Zhu Yunwen every day. For some difficult issues, ministers had to be summoned for discussion, which often lasted from sunrise to sunset. It is impossible to finish the government affairs on the same day without working overtime.
Everyone envied the emperor's three palaces, six courtyards, and three thousand beauties. But who would have thought that there were many promising monarchs in history who did not have much time and free time to enjoy themselves. State affairs and the country were the most important, not words. Talk about it.
Many people imagine the happiness of the emperor, but never think about the difficulties, helplessness, hardship and pressure of the emperor.
When the sun rises, the court meeting begins.
When Zhu Yunwen came to court, officials came to play.
There are not many big things and many small things.
Reporting to Chen Jizhi on the matter: "Fengyang Mansion has not had a single rain since the beginning of the new year. The land is getting drier and there is a possibility of another drought. The court should make arrangements early to avoid refugees and the people suffering."
Fengyang!
"Drought has always plagued Fengyang. Is there a permanent and complete solution?"
Zhu Yunwen had a headache. This place had just been normal for a year, but was it going to have a severe drought again?
Lian Zining, the censor of Youdu, came out: "I believe that wells and canals should be built in Fengyang Prefecture to irrigate crops during droughts. During floods, ditches, ponds, etc. can be used to store water and conserve water sources, which can resolve the problem of Fengyang. Drought and flood are stubborn diseases.”
Zhu Yunwen also had this intention and looked at Xia Yuanji.
Xia Yuanji grimaced and walked out helplessly: "Your Majesty, the treasury is in difficulty this year. The construction of water conservancy projects will cost too much, and I'm afraid it will be unbearable..."
Zhu Yunwen knew Xia Yuanji's difficulties. Although Jianwen's five-year finance had reached a new high, it was because of the recruitment of people to cut down trees in various provinces and the gathering of hundreds of thousands of people to build a new capital in Beiping. In addition to the concrete construction and city gate construction in the northwest, the new army's The further expansion of the policy, the Navy's largest-scale expedition to sea... consumes too much money.
At the beginning of this year, the army is setting out again, and the Western Expedition has begun. How long the war will last, to what extent it will be fought, and whether additional troops will be recruited to the northwest or Datong will follow. These are all unknowns. It is impossible for the Ministry of Revenue to spend money on repairs. water conservancy.
"But the drought waits for no one. Building wells and canals at this time can still save part of Fengyang's summer grain. If it is delayed and the drought changes, there will be no harvest. The court will adjust grain support and arrange disaster relief. It will also be a big deal." pin."
Lian Zining said eagerly.
Xia Yuanji sighed and said to Lian Zining: "You all know how many things will happen this year. You all know how much wealth there is in the household department and how it is distributed. Fengyang Mansion's water conservancy construction project was mentioned by the emperor during his northern tour. The Ministry of Revenue has also made calculations with the Ministry of Industry. If we want to protect the people's livelihood and crops in Fengyang Prefecture, at least three million taels will be needed, but the Ministry of Revenue cannot come up with it, so it can only use the disaster preparedness bank and draw one million taels at most."
"So much?"
Lian Zining was a little shocked. Three million taels was comparable to the cost of using an army of 300,000 to march south.
Huang Fu, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, came out with evidence: "It is true that as Xia Shangshu said, the construction of water wells and ditches is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the cost of a single well is quite high. If the water conservancy is overhauled in Fengyang Prefecture, one million taels will not be enough."
The ministers discussed a lot that such a large expenditure really put the Ministry of Household Affairs in a difficult position. The disaster preparedness fund was used just at the beginning of the year, but if something happened later and the court had no money to use, what would it do?
Zhu Yun looked at Xia Yuanji, pondered for a while, and said: "One million taels is a little less, but the Fengyang issue really shouldn't be delayed any longer. Let's go to the Ministry of Household Affairs and borrow two million taels..."
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