eldest son of Ming dynasty

Chapter 97 Hunting the Southeast Project ([-] words, please subscribe!)
Mei Kejia understood the crown prince's phrase 'send your youngest son here'

He had three sons, the youngest of whom was his favorite and most intelligent,

Is this a coincidence?

Maybe.

But Mei Kejia didn't think in the direction of 'others are stupid', he would rather think that the prince did it on purpose.

This is actually telling him that it is not a lie that I investigated you clearly.

"Do you have anything to ask me?"

Zhu Houzhao paced at the gate of the hall, talking as he walked.

Mei Kejia thought to himself that he had a lot to ask.But this is the East Palace, and you can't ask everything, let alone ask endlessly.

After much deliberation, he picked a question.

"Little man, there is indeed a problem."

Zhu Houzhao smiled and gestured, "Ask."

Mei Kejia raised his eyes to confirm the prince's mood,

He was very careful in what he said, and judging by his face, if something was wrong, he would quickly ask another question.

To some extent, this is not a scheming, but a habit over the years.

For the moment, the crown prince seems to be in a good mood.

"The villain has the guts to ask His Highness. Why did you search for the villain from thousands of miles away, and what will happen if the villain refuses?"

"The biggest problem with smart people is dishonesty." Zhu Houzhao pointed at him with some teasing, "You have two problems."

"The villain made a mistake! Your Highness, please forgive me!" Mei Kejia quickly knelt down.

"Okay, get up. You will understand me in the future. As I said, you can ask any questions you have. Let me just say this first question, I asked you to come here because of what I want you to do, People who are not extremely smart can't do it. Such a person is hard to find. I found you when I received the Northwest Report, so I chose you. Of course, if you don't want to work for the East Palace, then you can leave , as long as you abide by the law and don’t really secretly inform the Tatars, I won’t kill you either. But I know, you will definitely agree.”

Mei Kejia wondered, "Why is Your Highness so sure?"

"Because I am the prince, you are willing to work with Zhang Di, but you don't want to be attached to me as the prince? There is no such reason in the world."

For Zhu Houzhao,

It's not an expensive thing either.
If he doesn't agree, just get another one.Some people want to climb the lintel of the Eastern Palace.

As for Mei Kejia going out and talking nonsense... a smart person would not do such a thing.

With too much exposure to this terrible thing, he wouldn't be able to live today.

"Your Highness is brave and wise, and the villain is convincing." Mei Kejia then asked: "But I don't know, can the villain know now, why does His Highness appoint the villain?"

"No." Zhu Houzhao turned around without hesitation, and walked over to his desk, "You can go down. When your youngest son is sent to the capital, I will let you know everything."

Mei Kejia: "..."

This is... so straightforward,

For so many years, he had never met such a person.

"Yes, the villain retire."

"Go back and take care of your body. You are so weak, no matter how smart your brain is, you can't do anything." Before leaving, the prince warned.

"Yes."

Zhu Houzhao naturally knew that the corporal should be courteous,

But he also knows that being a master does not depend on being nice to him blindly.He also needs to have a kind of style, which should be respected by them.

It is the subordinates accommodating themselves, not themselves accommodating the subordinates.

So Mei Kejia entered the palace in a muddleheaded way, and left the palace in a muddleheaded way.However, the years of ups and downs will not make him overly anxious. The crown prince doesn't say that he doesn't have a bento yet, so he can relax for a few days and calm his mind.

……

……

"If Your Highness wants money, this servant has a way."

When Liu Jin was serving Zhu Houzhao's meal, he suddenly made such a remark.

The prince glanced at him from the corner of his eye, "What way?"

"Look, servant girl, many noble children or people from the palace will beg the emperor for rewards when they go out on errands. Since they can ask for it, why can't His Highness ask for it?"

One piece of land, one piece of salt.

This is the Hongzhi period, like to give rewards to feudal lords, nobles and eunuchs.

Perhaps in the eyes of people of this era, it is common for royal people to take some of these things, which is nothing.

Liu Jin's thoughts should have no other intentions.

But Zhu Houzhao still refused, "I came to Mei Kejia, saying it was for money... Actually it wasn't."

"Didn't His Highness use him as an imperial merchant?"

"In a few days, his youngest son should also arrive. You can bring him over and listen to him when the time comes."

Liu Jin was surprised, did the prince have any more clever intentions?And we must wait until Mei Kejia's child arrives before speaking.

"Yes."

"Recently, is anyone begging for salt?"

"...If the vassal kings from various places have a big wedding, the emperor will usually give him salt."

"understood."

These are things waiting for him to reform.

In fact, there are many things that the crown prince can see and touch gradually.

For example, last year, in the tenth year of Hongzhi, the country’s annual income was about 1900 million shi, 890 million shi, 3600 jin of silk, and 265 million jin of cotton.
One of them is shocking, that is, the income from farming is 293 million shi.

Zhu Yuanzhang proudly said that I raised millions of soldiers without spending a single grain of millet on the common people. Zhu Houzhao found it strange to raise millions of soldiers with less than 300 million shi of grain?Just kidding.

So I went to look up Taizu's memorabilia, and he was dumbfounded this time.

During the Hongwu period, the country’s military colonies earned more than 2000 million shi of grain, and during the Yongle period there was also a record of 2300 million shi. How long has it been?There is only so little left!

He was not a person who liked to kill people everywhere, but with such profound interests, once he wanted to move, it was unimaginable not to bleed.

Of course, money is not the only source.

Our great Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou, once said a very interesting sentence: The profit of the market is the greatest. If it is handled properly, the income will be in the millions. Wouldn’t it be a victory for the people?

That is to say, the profits of sea trade are huge.

But maritime trade was very difficult in the Ming Dynasty and Hongzhi.

About twenty days later,
Zhu Houzhao finally met Mei Kejia's youngest son, who was said to be three years older than him.

The child is very 'beautiful', with a high nose bridge, red lips and white teeth, almost making people wonder if the son was replaced by a daughter and sent in.

Mei Kejia also said that a child is like a mother, Zhu Houzhao thought, it seems that this Mei Kejia is also a pure womanizer.

The child was led aside by the eunuch.

Liu Jin followed the crown prince, and Mei Kejia was at the end. The three of them wanted to have a serious talk.

"...The child's name is Mei Huaigu, who named it?"

Mei Kejia said, "It was started by my father."

"Good name."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your compliment."

"You accepted my errand, and you probably won't be able to come back for at least three to five years. The family will settle down in the capital in the future. As long as you are still a member of the Eastern Palace, they will live with more peace of mind and comfort than when they followed you , at least not more than worrying about someone coming to catch them."

"The villain thanked His Highness for your kindness! Your Highness's kindness and virtue, the villain will be like a cow and a horse in this life to repay it."

Zhu Houzhao rolled his eyes, "Okay. Don't say the words you usually use to coax Zhang Qian in front of me."

Mei Kejia was a little dumbfounded, what kind of routine is this prince.

"Every word of the villain is from the heart."

Zhu Houzhao's tone turned slightly harsh, "Mei Kejia, you are a smart person, so don't pretend to be a fool in front of me. These people were taken as hostages in the capital, so you really appreciate me so much? When I saw you for the first time, I spoke and acted very directly, because I know that none of my tricks can fool you. Why, do you think you are smarter than me, and you can fool me?"

such,

Mei Kejia couldn't speak anymore.

Everyone is acting, but the prince does not intend to act.

"His Royal Highness is of outstanding quality, rare in the world, villain, I admire him!" He finally stopped crying, no longer as fake as before.

Zhu Houzhao prescribes the right medicine,

If it is Wang Jia, he can talk about the country, righteousness, and the people,

For a businessman like Mei Kejia, just talk to him directly about costs, benefits, and transaction terms.

"My behavior is not very noble, even a little despicable. But I told you when I first met you, I don't trust others easily, and what I want you to do is very important. I hope you can understand. You Don’t think it’s a prince who said it, you should say it as your business partner. But then again, I won’t make so many detours if I want to harm you, so don’t worry, they only need to live in the capital. No one will bother."

Mei Kejia's face was solemn and solemn, and after hitting a nail once, he knew what people like the crown prince liked to hear, "The little man understands. To put it bluntly, if His Highness doesn't put my family in the capital, I still think it's What's the trap?"

"Look," Zhu Houzhao raised his head and followed Liu Jin and said, "This is his true face! I was thinking how the crown prince, Ben Gong, would count him."

"Your Highness, forgive me." Mei Kejia laughed along, "I'm really used to being on guard. Now that I understand, the villain is just a businessman, and he's not worthy of His Highness' schemes."

"It's okay. If you are smart, I don't want you."

Not to mention the above,

Then get down to business.

The crown prince deliberated for a while, and organized his words, "...After much deliberation, I should just say, Mei Kejia, what I want you to do is to do business along the southeast coast."

"May I ask Your Highness, what kind of business are you doing?"

"Business at sea."

At these words, both Mei Kejia and Liu Jin's eyelids trembled.

Mei Kejia was even more surprised, "But Your Highness... the sea ban is the imperial government's national policy, and it is also the ancestral system. This business at sea... how to do it?"

"You can do what the merchants in the southeast do." This sentence of the prince has rich connotations.

The two people who heard this were all smart, and they understood it all at once.

smuggling!

At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that "people near the sea are prohibited, and they are not allowed to go to sea privately." When he arrived in Yongle, Emperor Taizong also emphasized the national policy of sea ban many times. It can be said that this is really the ancestral system.

It is not generally difficult to change the ancestral system in such a political and moral environment.

Although it was indeed changed in Longqing. . .

At this moment, both Liu Jin and Mei Kejia knew why the crown prince had to wait until Mei Kejia's family arrived in the capital to speak out.

This is probably related to the secret plan in the prince's heart,
Others don't have to know, but those who know must be the Donggong's own people.

Ke Mei Kejia didn't have much contact with the East Palace, so he could only control it through that method.

"Please make it clear, Your Highness!" Mei Kejia had to know what the purpose behind this was.

Is it silver?
It can be said so, but how difficult can silver be for a prince?
It could only be...

"My palace, we must move this national policy!"

The candlelight in the room flickered for a while, passing over the faces of the three people, either resolute or shocked.

Liu Jin knelt down with a slap, "Report to Your Highness! This matter is not trivial, please be careful, Your Highness!"

This is not of the same nature as going out of the palace and killing a few corrupt officials.

In public opinion, this is the ancestral system.

In terms of interests, there are still a large group of vested interests in Zhejiang and Fujian who oppose it. If it is not done well, many Japanese pirates will emerge overnight.

But Zhu Houzhao knew,

If the sea ban cannot be opened, and the benefits of sea trade cannot be obtained, let alone other reforms.

Land merger also involves the whole country, is it difficult?Is it difficult to check those in the military?There are many lands occupied by generals.At least the sea ban only involves individual coastal provinces, which is better than going to war across the country.

In the final analysis, until now, it is difficult unless you lie down.

"Get up, I didn't say I'm going to move now." Zhu Houzhao has never been an impulsive person.

For such a big event, if you don't plan it well, how can you move so easily?
After Mei Kejia was shocked, she also wanted to understand, "In my opinion, His Highness's plan should take several years, so I said that the villain may not be able to come back in three to five years... But the villain I still don't understand, I don't know how His Highness wants to change it?"

Zhu Houzhao was also willing to explain, otherwise Mei Kejia didn't understand the gist, so how could he just leave?The guiding ideology is wrong.

"The policy of banning the sea has not been changed since Emperor Taizu Gao made it. Only during the Chenghua period, Qiu Jun asked to restore the proposal of the Song and Yuan City Maritime Division, but nothing came to nothing. Because please open The first difficulty of the sea ban is that it violates the ancestral system."

"However, under the national policy of banning the sea, do merchants in Zhejiang and Fujian really stop doing business? In that place, there are seven mountains, two rivers and one field, and they live by the sea. How can they eat enough by growing grain? So I know that the southeast There's actually a lot of smuggling going on along the coast."

By the time of Hongzhi, the central government's control over the local area was weakened, and smuggling became more rampant.

"So the second difficulty in opening the sea ban is the obstruction of wealthy businessmen on the southeast coast."

It's a bit paradoxical to say that they clearly need to do overseas business, but they oppose Kaihai.The reason is that the sea ban makes their smuggling more profitable. After all, it is illegal, and only a few people who have relations with the government can do it. It is actually a kind of monopoly.

Mei Kejia was inexplicably shocked, "There is such a ridiculous thing..."

"However, the ultimate purpose of this palace is not just to ask you to smuggle." Zhu Houzhao also has a third purpose, "Think about it, you two, what will happen after the sea is opened?"

"Japanese pirates!" Liu Jin knew this.

In fact, it is not particularly accurate, Japanese pirates... partly because of the sea ban, ordinary people have no land to grow, and are not allowed to go to sea to make a living, so they can only be Japanese pirates.

Opening the sea will reduce some of these people.

Of course, there are still Japanese pirates overseas.

Zhu Houzhao nodded, "The imperial court does not have a decent navy, nor does it have the money to build a decent navy. If you open the sea rashly, but don't have the strength to protect the merchant ships, what's the use of spending so much effort? Wouldn't it be fattening in the end and relying on plundering?" The pirates who were born?"

Hear this,

Mei Kejia was no longer in admiration, but in disbelief.

How could the current prince have such thoughts? !
"Your Highness," he got up, lifted his robe and knelt down, "Your Highness thinks too much of a villain. According to what His Highness said, a villain will be more than just a businessman..."

"That's why I said that people who are not extremely smart must not do it. Mei Kejia, there is no medicine for regretting at this time, you already know it. You can only accompany Ben Gongbo to make a glorious ancestor. It is said that businessmen like to take risks, you I have lived for more than 30 years, are you willing to follow me to accomplish this great event?!"

"Of course the villain is willing! Your Highness, please order! Your Highness is a direct person, and the villain must keep his word - go through fire and water, and do whatever he wants!"

"Okay!" Zhu Houzhao said his real request at this time, "First, I will give you a sum of money. It doesn't matter if it's 50 or 80. You've done business, and you decide the amount yourself. I They will also ask you to bring some people to protect your safety. On weekdays, they use the banner of the Imperial Horse Supervisor in the palace, and the magistrates naturally dare not touch you too hard. After you go, the palace does not care what business you do, porcelain , silk, tea...all are fine, in short, you start your business. The competition between merchants is your old line of business, and I can't help much in the capital."

"The villain understands." When Mei Kejia said this, he was quite confident, after all, he was also a very powerful businessman.

"Secondly, maybe three years, maybe five years, you will hear the voice of the imperial court banning the sea. At that time, there will be people in the southeast coast shouting opposition, and even resisting orders with force. Therefore, during these three to five years , You have to find out the details of the wealthy businessmen on the southeast coast, if someone wants to start a private soldier, or pretend to be a Japanese pirate to make trouble, I must at least know who the enemy is. This is your second task."

"Thirdly, after the business grows, you need to build a fleet at sea. Once the sea ban is lifted, the people along the coast will definitely go to sea to make a living. At that time, I don't want to be a prince who can't protect the people. But this section I can't plan, you can only play by ear, the important thing is to strengthen your strength."

Liu Jin was horrified when he heard this,

If this is done,

Isn't Mei Kejia equivalent to a prince holding a heavy army? !

"On the day you succeed, I will reward you with a title when you come back!"

Noble...Noble title? !

Mei Kejia didn't even dare to hear the word,

His father was a businessman, and he was only a businessman, title!

These two words can make him tremble all over!
"Your Highness... Your Highness..."

"You don't have to answer right away, think about it. But you should be able to understand some simple things, such as why you must keep your family in the capital, Ben Gong. If it were you, why wouldn't you do that?"

Mei Kejia's heart was agitated, he originally thought that His Highness the Crown Prince sought him out as a businessman just for money.Even if you ask him to do something, you just want to find an imperial merchant.

Who would have thought that such a big game of chess was being arranged? !

And it started planning a few years in advance.

Who the hell can beat him with this kind of thinking and planning? !

Will there really be a day when the wealthy businessmen on the southeast coast can imagine that the Prince of the East Palace would have moved his mind on them in the spring of Hongzhi 11th year?

"Mei Kejia, what do you say?!"

Mei Kejia took a few deep breaths, and then saluted very formally, "The villain is lucky in this life! I would like to conspire with my Prince Ming for great things! It is not in vain for me, Mei Kejia, to live this life. What is the point of being a rich man like before? mean?"

"Okay!" Zhu Houzhao patted the table, "In May, you set off to go south. I'll give you a month to reunite with your family. Before you leave, I have to explain to you when you enter the palace again."

"Yes!"

Merchant Mei Kejia kowtowed deeply!
With turbulent emotions in his heart, he left the East Palace.

On the other hand, Liu Jin is about to speak at this time.

"Your Highness, such a plan is no small matter. Mei Kejia was born in the northwest and is not familiar with the southeast. What if it fails? Is this a different person?!"

Zhu Houzhao said quietly: "Familiar with the southeast... If you want to find someone who is familiar with the southeast, who can be familiar with the local people? But the local people... no one will draw their swords at themselves. Mei Kejia was born in the northwest, it is A blank piece of paper. I sent him to do business in the southeast, and to put it bluntly, he was just a tiger's mouth, so besides relying on the capital, who else can he rely on for this blank piece of paper?"

That's right, you can't fail to send one person and be assimilated by others.

Liu Jin's lips trembled slightly. This... so it was specially found from the northwest.

"But what you said is right. If he fails, I can't hang him from a tree." Zhu Houzhao didn't finish his sentence for a long time.
Zhang Yong's voice came from outside the hall.

"Slave Zhang Yong, see Your Highness!"

(End of this chapter)