Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 671 Extra Story ([-]) Crown Prince
"Recruiting workers! The daily wage is [-] renminbi, including board and lodging,"

"It's time to leave, take a break at noon, don't miss it if you're looking for a job!"

On the carriage, Zhu Heyin could see shops recruiting workers everywhere, but few passers-by stopped by. It seemed that they were all living a very healthy life and did not need to work to support themselves.

In Zhu Heyin's eyes, Xijing City is very prosperous. Although its population is not as large as Ming's Liangjing and Suhangyangyi, the people dare to spend.

The entire Xijing city is properly planned, and the government offices, residential buildings, government schools, temples, squares, pavilions, streets, alleys, shops, and ditches on the surface are all natural.

The underground subway system extends in all directions, enough for Xijing City to use for nearly a hundred years.

Apart from these basic facilities, what surprised Zhu Heyin the most was that there are a lot of gardens in the city of Xijing.

The small gardens cover an area of ​​more than ten acres, and the large ones cover an area of ​​hundreds of acres.

In addition to these, there are government-run polo fields and Cuju fields.

The existence of these makes the city of Xijing full of places where the common people can have fun.

The life of the people is nothing more than eating, drinking and having fun, and once the fun is matched, eating and drinking will naturally not stop.

The streets of the [-] square cities in Xijing City are basically vendors who set up stalls to sell things. They clearly mark the price, and the price is affordable.

Zhu Heyin has seen that although the wages in Qi State are often around [-] Wen, the things that can be bought with [-] Wen are more than the things that Daming can buy with [-] Wen.

"Although I know that Qi people have more people than Tu people, it's not possible to provide so many jobs and let so many people live leisurely, right?"

On the carriage, Zhu Heyin curiously pointed to the common people wandering in the street and asked.

Regarding his question, Zhu Cixuan smiled:
"Qi's industry has not yet reached the level that can provide so many jobs. Most of these people are self-cultivated farmers from outside Xijing."

"Owner?" Hearing these three words, Zhu Heyin was taken aback.

He didn't expect that the state of Qi had already started to let farmers go to the city to consume, or he didn't expect that the consumption power of farmers in the state of Qi was so high.

"These self-cultivating farmers have less than ten acres of land, and as many as more than a hundred acres. Whether they are renting or farming by themselves, they have sufficient gold and silver for consumption."

"The prosperity of Xijing City was created by them, not the merits of our officials in the Qi Kingdom."

Zhu Cixuan bluntly stated the reasons for the prosperity of Xijing City, but Zhu Heyin was still puzzled:
"If so, then self-cultivating farmers should be rich. Given the situation in Qi, where can the grain produced be sold?"

"Of course it's Europe and West Kunlun." Zhu Cixuan said without thinking:

"Right now, Qi State can produce more than [-] million shi of wheat and rice, and more than [-] million tons of vegetables and fruits every year."

"Except for the food, vegetables and fruits consumed by the people of Qi, Qi can still export more than [-] million shi of grain and more than [-] million tons of vegetables and fruits every year."

"So many?!" Zhu Heyin couldn't believe it, but Zhu Cixuan explained without concealment:

"The fruits of Qi are mainly in the south. If you go to Europe by sea from the south, you can reach Libens in less than ten days."

"Among them, oranges, dragon fruit, apples, pomelo and other fruits are all best-selling products for export."

"Franjima (Spain) alone consumes about 50 tons of fruits and more than [-] million tons of vegetables every year."

"This country alone can bring an income of 800 million taels to more than 200 million native fruit farmers in the south every year."

Zhu Cixuan introduced everything he knew, but Zhu Heyin asked back:

"Currently, Franji has lost Dongzhou (America), so can he still come up with so much gold and silver?"

"It's definitely possible to get it out, but the trade between Qi and European countries is mainly based on animal husbandry." Zhu Cixuan replied:
"Last year alone, European countries exported more than [-] cattle and more than [-] sheep to China."

"In addition, Qi also earned more than [-] taels of gold and more than [-] million taels of silver from Europe."

"This trade surplus has lasted for more than ten years, but it has grown from small to large."

"According to my father's estimate, the value of gold and silver looted from Dongzhou by Franji alone was no less than 15 million taels 8000 years before the apocalypse."

"Including the Netherlands (Netherlands), Klein Franz, Franz, Anelia and other countries, the amount may have already exceeded [-] million."

While Zhu Cixuan was explaining, their carriage also came from the bustling commercial street to a long street dedicated to eating.

Zhu Heyin became interested, raised his hand to stop him and said, "Can I have dinner here?"

"If the grandson of the emperor wants to, then of course it is possible." Zhu Cixuan couldn't deny it, and at the same time opened the door for Zhu Heyin.

Zhu Heyin was also polite, got off the carriage immediately, and then chose a second-floor restaurant called "Shangshan Garden" and walked in.

Zhu Cixuan didn't rush in, but looked at Zhu Cihuang: "You take brother Xi back to the palace first, dad misses you."

"Okay!" Zhu Cihuang became anxious when he heard the news of Zhu Youjian's illness. The reason why he didn't show his dew was just that he pretended to be calm.

So when he heard his second brother say that, he didn't get out of the car with Zhu Hexuan, but let the palace coachman drive to the palace after nodding his head.

Seeing them leave with his own eyes, Zhu Cixuan didn't know why, and suddenly sighed, then turned and walked into the restaurant.

When he walked into the restaurant, Zhu Heyin had already been assigned a seat on the second floor by the fence.

Sitting here, you can clearly see what the guests on the first floor are eating, and this is also Zhu Heyin's intention to eat here.

The restaurant can not only hear a lot of news, but also see how the people live.

Since it was a meal time, there were almost no empty seats on the first floor, which greatly facilitated Zhu Heyin.

While Zhu Cixuan was ordering, he took the opportunity to glance at the first floor.

Among the guests on the first floor, there are friends gathering, and there are family members who don't want to cook at home and come out to eat. In short, there are all kinds of people.

Zhu Cixuan glanced at their dining table, but found that almost all of them were ordered by people.

If there are two people, then order three dishes, and if there are five people, order six dishes, almost adding a soup dish while ordering according to the number of people.

Whether it is a family meal or a gathering of friends, there are always meat and vegetables on their dinner table, and there is more meat than vegetarian.

Zhu Ciran watched a family of seven order eight dishes, including one soup dish, four meat dishes, two vegetarian dishes, and one cold dish, which is not extravagant.

"It's ready, take a look and see if it still tastes right."

After Zhu Cixuan finished ordering, he handed over a menu card with paper sandwiched between it.

Zhu Heyin took it and looked at it roughly. There are six dishes in total, one soup, three meat and two vegetables.

Some of the dishes he knows, some of which he doesn't know, probably Qi's own local dishes.

"Could it be too much?" Zhu Heyin felt that it was too much, and Zhu Cixuan smiled gently when he heard the words: "Then let's cross out one meat and one vegetable as appropriate."

After finishing speaking, he took the menu card and crossed out one meat and one vegetable on it, leaving two meat, one vegetarian and one soup.

"Another small bucket of rice."

Zhu Cixuan skillfully handed the menu card to the waiter who had been waiting for a long time, and the guy took the menu card to write and draw, then tore off the white paper on the menu card, and clamped it to a triangular hollow ornament.

The number "12" is written on the ornament, which should represent the table number.

Zhu Heyin picked up the decoration, wanting to see what the clerk wrote.

When he picked it up, he found that the guy wrote some numbers on the back of the name of the dish, and finally wrote "36" underneath.

"Is this the table number and price?" Zhu Heyin raised his head and asked Zhu Cixuan. Zhu Cixuan nodded and poured Zhu Heyin a cup of scented tea from the restaurant.

"It's really cheap..."

Seeing that the price of the four dishes on the white paper was only 36 Wen, Zhu Cixuan couldn't help thinking of the people of Ming Dynasty while sighing.

36 words, if it is a restaurant of the same standard in Beijing, I am afraid that I can't even eat a dish or a soup...

Zhu Heyin was silent for a long time, and after returning to reality, he did not ask Zhu Cixuan any questions, but quietly listened to the discussion of the people in the restaurant.

Different from the work discussed by the people of Ming Dynasty, the people of Qi State are all discussing where the scenery is good, where the fruits are fresh and sweet, where the native people are simple and so on.

"Is there no guide in Qi?"

Zhu Heyin asked about Zhu Cixuan, after all, Daming still has the guide system.

"No, because fewer people commit crimes." Zhu Cixuan took a sip of tea and shook his head at the same time.

It just so happened that the food was also on the table at this time, and amidst the yelling of the waiter, a plate of deep-fried beef the size of a washbasin appeared in front of Zhu Heyin.

Seeing the portion of this dish, Zhu Heyin realized that he was a little reckless.

As far as the amount of this dish is concerned, if it is placed in Daming, it may cost more than [-] yuan for one dish.

In his somewhat emotional gaze, four dishes of two meat dishes, one vegetarian dish and one soup were served one after another. The portions of each dish were extremely heavy, and one dish was comparable to the two dishes of Daming.

"That's only 36 words... The price of goods in Qi is really..."

Zhu Heyin didn't know what to say, but Zhu Cixuan smiled:

"In the future, when the country develops all the land, prices will continue to fall."

"I hope..." Zhu Heyin shook his head, as if he felt that he might not be able to see that day.

Seeing him like this, Zhu Cixuan stopped talking, and the two fell into a brief silence.

For two quarters of an hour, the two ate by themselves. After eating, it was dusk.

The evening drum sounded in the city, and Zhu Cixuan and Zhu Heyin got into a new carriage.

Hearing the familiar sound of evening drums, Zhu Heyin breathed a sigh of relief, as if he was happy because he finally found the same policy as Daming in Qi.

"The drumbeat of the curfew is annoying, but fortunately, it may not be heard in more than ten years."

On the carriage, Zhu Cixuan's sudden opening made Zhu Heyin's expression froze.

"Why?" Zhu Heyin asked awkwardly.

"When electric lights, power plants, and wires are researched, the curfew should be lifted." Zhu Cixuan responded with a smile:

"I hope that the grandson of the emperor will come to Qi to make an evaluation."

"Hehe, it must be..." Zhu Heyin was a little embarrassed, but he still bit the bullet and agreed.

He turned his eyes to the sides of the road to ease his embarrassment, and watched as fewer and fewer pedestrians on both sides of the street hurried home until there was no one there.

When the sound of the evening drums stopped, only the fire carriages patrolling in horse-drawn carriages, government servants' carriages, and soldiers and horsemen patrolling on horseback remained on the street.

Before the sky completely darkened, Zhu Cixuan brought Zhu Heyin to the Qi Palace, the highest point in Xijing City.

The tall palace walls made Zhu Heyin sigh a little, especially when the gate of unknown length was opened, the towering palaces inside were even more daunting.

All the palaces in King Qi's Palace are rammed up with rammed earth layer by layer, then poured with cement foundation and built with marble steps.

Therefore, each palace seems to be built on top of a hill.

Passing through a series of palace gates, when Zhu Heyin appeared on the square of Chengyun Palace, the Chengyun Palace above the 490 nine steps required Zhu Heyin to raise his head to look up.

The 49-acre Chengyun Palace Square gave Zhu Heyin a feeling of boundlessness. It can be said that in terms of the palace city alone, the Qi Palace is far better than the Forbidden City, and can even be compared with the Weiyang Palace and Daming Palace in the Han and Tang Dynasties.

It is worth mentioning that since it was a state banquet, even though it was already dark, the palace of Qi Palace was decorated with lanterns and festoons, just like daytime.

The Jinwu Guard, known as the tiger of the Qi State, stands on the left and right sides of the palace road in the middle of the square, holding ritual vessels, very solemn.

"The important ministers and brothers have been waiting in the Chengyun Hall for a long time."

Zhu Cixuan explained the reason why no one greeted him, and then the carriage drove towards the long corridor on the right side of the high platform of the Chengyun Hall.

Through the long corridor, the carriage can go straight to the entrance of the carrier hall, but this kind of treatment is not available to everyone.

As the carriage got closer and closer to the entrance of the Chengyun Hall, bright fireworks appeared in the sky, illuminating the entire square of the Chengyun Hall.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Chengyun Hall at this time, but after getting up, Zhu Heyin discovered that the area of ​​the entrance of the Chengyun Hall alone is several acres, like a small square.

Here, Zhu Heyin saw more than a hundred officials who greeted him here, and they were headed by a 27-year-old young man with a body like jade and a very beautiful appearance.

Standing beside the young man, Zhu Heyin seemed to reveal the identity of the young man, and Zhu Heyin was also very familiar with him.

"Grandson Chitose, Chitose, Chitose..."

"Nephew He Yin, I met Uncle Wang."

All the officials saluted Zhu Heyin when he got off the car, and Zhu Heyin also saluted Zhu Cihong as his nephew.

The two bowed at close range, and the figure in Zhu Heyin's memory gradually overlapped with Zhu Cihong at this moment.

"I haven't seen Uncle Wang for several years, but Uncle Wang hasn't changed at all..."

Zhu and Yin had mixed feelings, and Zhu Cihong smiled warmly like a gentleman when he saw this:
"The state banquet is ready, Brother Yin please come inside..."

"Okay..." Hearing Brother Yin's address like this, Zhu Heyin felt a lot more relaxed.

Perhaps in this country of Qi, only Zhu Cihong can call him that.

He followed Zhu Cihong into the Chengyun Hall, which was more than ten feet high, and the Chengyun Hall, which was about ten feet taller than the Huangji Hall, had a huge space, probably occupying no less than ten mu, three times the size of the Huangji Hall.

The hall is decorated with lanterns and festoons, and there are fixed tables on the left and right sides. It is obvious that the Qi Dynasty will be held by sitting.

Zhu Heyin was taken by Zhu Cihuang to the jade platform under the throne, where two sets of temporary tables and chairs had already been placed.

Zhu Cihong and Zhu Heyin sat down, and there was a plate of square meals on the table, each plate was more than three feet long and less than two feet wide.

A wooden square of four inches in length and width was placed on the plate, and each square was filled with small dishes and small bowls of soup, a total of thirty.

If the menu is taken out separately and the dishes are served on a larger plate, it may look very grand, but this way of arrangement seems a bit out of reach.

"Although it is a state banquet, it cannot be extravagant and wasteful."

Zhu Cihong's words sounded in Zhu Heyin's ears, Zhu Heyin turned his head to look, saw him humbly smiled and said:
"This kind of state banquet with small bowls and dishes was proposed by my father, and I can't change it."

"It's okay..." Zhu Heyin responded with a smile: "I may not be able to finish a whole dish every time I eat, but such a small dish allows me to taste every kind of food. Uncle is right .”

As he spoke, Zhu Heyin moved his chopsticks, and Zhu Cihong also asked the musicians on the left and right sides to start playing.

It seems that the food in the Palace of Qi is very appetizing, so even though Zhu Heyin was full half an hour ago, he has been eating for a long time now.

If Zhu Cihong hadn't raised the wine glass, Zhu Heyin might still be "fighting" with the food on the table.

"I came to Qi State and found many dishes that I have never seen before. Are they created by the common people?"

Holding the wine glass, Zhu Heyin asked curiously, but Zhu Cihong shook his head and said, "It's all created by my father in his spare time."

"So that's how it is..." Zhu Heyin suddenly realized, and he didn't find it strange. After all, some of the dishes he ate in the Imperial Dining Room of the Forbidden City were related to King Qi.

Among them, for example, the rice noodles and rice noodles made by Zhu Youjian for Zhu Youxiao were the common meals on Zhu Heyin's dinner table.

"My father was suffering from a cold, and the imperial doctor said that he needs to rest for five days before seeing any guests, so I have neglected you."

Zhu Cihong didn't have too much red tape when talking to Zhu Heyin. After all, no matter in terms of status or seniority, Zhu Cihong was not comparable to Zhu Heyin.

Although Zhu Heyin is the grandson of the emperor, he knows very well that his status as the grandson of the emperor is not stable.

He didn't have the good luck of his royal grandfather and father. The two younger brothers in Donggong were looking at the chair eagerly.

If it wasn't for the fact that my royal grandfather hated his brother's quarrel very much, I am afraid that my two younger brothers could not wait to start expressing themselves.

However, although his two younger brothers hid it relatively deeply, they couldn't hide it from their royal grandfather after all.

Touring the country of Qi, this is the method used by his royal grandfather to help himself.

In the current era, to be the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty not only needs internal approval, but also external approval from the feudal vassals.

Among the feudal clans, the Qi clan is the strongest. If the Qi clan chooses to support him, then among the clan clans, the clans that are close to the Qi clan will all choose to support him.

As long as you have the support of all the vassals, no one can take away your position as the emperor's grandson.

Therefore, Zhu Heyin must get the support of Qi Fan, and if he wants to get the support of Qi Fan, he needs the nod of his uncle.

Thinking of this, Zhu Heyin unconsciously became nervous.

Qi Wang Zhu Youjian...

As long as he speaks, he will be the future crown prince of Ming Dynasty...

(End of this chapter)