Rule over Ming Dynasty

As night falls, Qianqing Palace is as bright as day.

At this time, the place seems to come alive from the lifeless state during the day, and a group of palace maids and eunuchs are busy performing their duties.

Zhu Youtang has now fully adapted to life here. He comes back here every day to enjoy dinner and take a bath, and then goes to Dongnuan Pavilion, which is warm in winter and cool in summer, to read information from all over the world.

Niu Mengmeng is becoming more and more adept at taking care of Qianqing Palace. Before Zhu Youtang arrived, he had already taken care of everything, and the air would be filled with a pleasant smell of sandalwood.

Zhu Youtang lay on the soft couch habitually, and then flipped through the information in front of him.

Although the capital city is never peaceful, as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it is natural that he cannot only focus on the capital city. He must look down on the entire land of China and always pay attention to the movements around him.

The two capitals and thirteen provinces have now entered a stable period. Although water transportation is still delayed and cannot be dredged, the river governor's office is finally regulating the Yellow River.

If we put aside the lack of food in the capital, he has no objection to the actions of Bai Ang, the governor of the river. After all, the matter is a dilemma. If I really have to choose between protecting the canal and regulating the river, I am completely inclined to regulate the river.

Zhu Youtang did not get too entangled in the river information and continued to open the next one.

When he read the Jiangxi intelligence content, even though he had always wanted to develop the mental quality to remain calm despite the collapse of Mount Tai, his body was trembling slightly at this moment.

Huh?
  Niu Mengmeng liked to stand here and watch the candlelight to accompany Zhu Youtang every night. Now seeing Zhu Youtang's reaction, he couldn't help but curiously look at the information in Zhu Youtang's hands.

It's just that although she is literate, she is too far away, so it is impossible to know what kind of information angered the emperor.

Zhu Youtang quickly realized that he had lost his temper, but he glared at the innocent Niu Mengmeng.

"My slave, don't tell me!" Niu Mengmeng was like a roundworm in Zhu Youtang's stomach, and immediately covered his mouth.

It wasn't that Zhu Youtang was really afraid that she would tell her, he was just trying to make a scapegoat for his failure to keep his emotions and emotions a secret, so he continued to read the information.

In fact, intelligence is not all bad news, there will also be some good news.

In the past, the Great Wall was almost closed, so we didn't know the situation outside the pass. But now that the two sides have established trade relations, the locust plague in August not only affected Shandong, Beizhili, Shanxi and other places, but also caused countless cattle and sheep to starve to death in the prairie.

If it were in the past, the Mongolian tribes would probably organize people to go south to plunder, but the current border troops are not what they used to be.

Not to mention that the mental outlook of the Jiubian soldiers has been completely renewed. Now they have the best weapons and solid granaries as support, and they are not afraid of the Mongolian cavalry at all.

If a battle ends with all the suffering being borne by oneself, then no matter how heroic the soldiers are, their morale will be low.

But now, they can easily win against the Mongolian cavalry, and they can also get generous rewards, so what reason is there not to fight for the blood?
  Although Dayan Khan died and their sons succeeded to the throne, an infant did not have much cohesion after all, which led to growing cracks in the interior of Beiyuan.

It was also thanks to Manduhai's reputation and her skills in running the army that tribes large and small still chose to surrender, otherwise Beiyuan would have fallen apart.

There was a sudden locust plague this time. Too many cattle and sheep died of starvation in Beiyuan, and the food could no longer satisfy the existing population. Originally the most effective way was to purchase grain, but Beiyuan and Ming Dynasty had a trade deficit.

Not to mention that they solved their own food crisis by purchasing grain. In order to obtain Ming Dynasty's iron products and cotton clothes, some people could only sell cattle, sheep and horses to Ming Dynasty.

Although Manduhai was an ambitious woman, she also had a heart of love for the people. In the end, she was unwilling to sit back and watch some Mongolian people die silently in the cold winter, and asked the Ming Dynasty for [-] stones of grain and [-] pieces of cotton clothing.

Zhu Youtang knew that the other party was asking for a high price, so he immediately gave instructions: "Although Concubine Beishun and King Beishun are half-fathers, they are brothers and sisters from the same mother. If Concubine Beishun is willing to let her brothers and sisters gather in the capital, this matter can be discussed! "

This is actually a test of Manduhai and a bargaining gesture.

Although Beiyuan is no longer a concern, Manduhai was able to allow Dayan Khan to unify Mongolia for a time, which shows that this woman is not simple. If her son can be used as a hostage, then a real containment can be formed.

With the only bloodline of the Golden Family in hand, even if Manduhai really unified the grassland, she would not dare to mess around and would still have to be controlled by the Ming Dynasty.

Whenever night falls, although Qianqing Palace is the most dazzling existence, there will always be a concubine who comes from her own residence to sleep in this palace.

Tonight's heroine is Concubine Jing Su Yuner, a smart woman who knows how to advance and retreat.

Earlier, her family applied for a financial license and planned to engage in lending. Although Zhu Youtang only told her family to operate in compliance with regulations, she still asked her to stop.

Judging from this choice alone, this woman has been proven.

As the most beautiful woman in Suzhou City, she completely replicates the image of Jiangnan beauty that everyone imagines. She has skin as fair as snow and a delicate and delicate face.

Su Yun'er just glanced at Dongnuan Pavilion, but she knew the rules and did not disturb her. Instead, she followed the palace maid towards her dormitory tonight.

Zhu Youtang has very good hearing. Although the sounds outside are very subtle, he can still hear some with his heart. Now those who dare to make the slightest noise in Qianqing Palace are naturally Concubine Jing and her entourage who came to bed.

Thinking of these four beauties who are like those described by Tang Bohu, a warm current surged in my heart.

Zhu Youtang did not expose himself this time, and quickly looked through the information from the night department.

Although they sent the crown prince of Joseon back as agreed, the king of Joseon Yi Suo contracted smallpox, and today the epidemic has completely spread in Seoul.

The crown prince of Joseon learned the news halfway back, but suddenly chose to return to Shanhaiguan, hoping that the Ming Dynasty could vaccinate him.

Zhu Youtang did not think that the crown prince of Joseon was afraid of death, but this approach actually delayed the transfer of power, and Korea was likely to have a situation where the ministers were strong and the emperor was weak.

When a country enters a period of decline, it is often caused by an imbalance in the relationship between the monarch and his ministers. Even if the government is not overthrown in the end, the vitality of the entire country will be seriously damaged.

Zhu Youtang does not intend to annex North Korea by force now, so it is in the best interests of North Korea to have a weak king and strong ministers. The most important thing now is to plunder North Korea's food.

The land in North Korea is actually not that attractive, but North Korean rice is what I hope to get most.

For the Ming Dynasty, food needs in the north have always been met by allocating food from the south. It's just that whether the food in the south is transported by water or by sea, there is actually a lot of loss.

The demise of the Ming Dynasty was largely due to over-reliance on food from the south, which ultimately led to excessive transportation losses and financial problems becoming more and more serious.

Zhu Youtang's current policy is to build a Northeastern granary and purchase a batch of grain from North Korea every year, so that North Korea can completely get rid of its dependence on southern food.

The lights flickered, and the night was slowly getting darker.

Niu Mengmeng was already accustomed to the current life. He changed shifts with a palace maid, and then returned to his small residence to rest with a big yawn. Sometimes, she found that she lived more relaxedly than the emperor.

As long as she takes care of Zhu Youtang's few hours in Qianqing Palace every day, the rest of the time almost belongs to her, and now she can go to bed earlier than Zhu Youtang.

rustle……

The subtle sound is like a nocturne, playing in the Dongnuan Pavilion.

Li Jin, the Marquis of Xiangcheng, or Zhang Mao, the British Duke?

Zhu Youtang's attention returned to the capital, but he did not intend to get rid of Prince Xing without any reason, but instead set his sights on the leader of the Wuxun Group.

The raid on the Jiang family this time was particularly aimed at the Jiang Bin and Zhu clans. This move has scared some powerful people out of their wits. Especially these days, almost no nobles dare to step into Prince Xing's mansion.

Zhu Youtang knew that not everyone was a conspirator. After all, these nobles had the secrets in their hands, so they could not really fight to the death with his emperor.

Now that he has made them understand that they have no ability to fight against him, and that the consequences of going against him will be like the Jiang family, they naturally obey him.

After Zhu Youtang determined the final candidate, he opened the overseas intelligence, and what caught his eye was the news that the fleet led by Wang Shouren and Zhao Kuo had successfully sailed south.

Although there is still no news about the fleet heading to North America, plans to explore Australia have been put on the agenda.

Since the financial situation has been very improved, not only the gold mines in Luzon have been successfully mined, but also the implementation of the new currency has been smooth, so there is enough funds to support the exploration of Australia.

Zhu Youtang knew that China had sufficient iron ore, but if China wanted to become the number one exporter of weapons and iron products, it had to acquire Australia's iron ore.

In fact, it is not only the needs of overseas markets. Nowadays, Ming Dynasty is also the country with the largest demand for iron in the world. Therefore, mining the highest quality Australian iron ore in the world will help the productivity of Ming Dynasty leap forward.

But the last piece of information was not a surprise, but a shocking news.

"It is rumored that some maritime traders saw the Mingyuan appearing in the Nanyang waters, and the American Governor Liu Zhang was standing on the deck. The direction of the giant ship was from east to west!"

Starting from the Spring Festival this year, the fleet led by Liu Zhang went all the way south. After completing supplies in Luzon City, it entered the vast sea from the east of Luzon Island.

In June this year, the Mingyuan, a ship responsible for logistics supplies, returned successfully. Although it ran aground in the waters of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it successfully returned to the Tianjin Shipyard after emergency repairs.

However, the Mingyuan's voyage inspection revealed that the hull was seriously damaged, which cast a shadow over the prospects of Liu Zhang's fleet.

It is almost the end of the year, and although the fleet's exploration trip to America will indeed take a lot of time, all kinds of speculations have not stopped.

Some people say that the fleet has hit the rocks and capsized, some say that the fleet was sunk by a storm, others say that the fleet was buried in the belly of a sea monster, and some even say that Liu Zhang established himself as king in Guam.

Zhu Youtang knew that what the emperor was most afraid of was groundless suspicion, so he had been trying hard to restrain himself from believing these rumors, calming himself down and waiting for Liu Jin to return before he fulfilled his mission.

But now that the news came again, and a Ming maritime merchant saw it with his own eyes, his heart suddenly became cold.

It was late at night, and there was another violent storm.

Su Yun'er is a very considerate Jiangnan woman. Just from the way Zhu Youtang bullied her, one can roughly guess Zhu Youtang's mood.

The emperor who had always been gentle and elegant was gone. He was indeed a bit like the tyrant rumored outside. He actually suppressed her and bullied her for nearly half an hour before changing his position.

Zhu Youtang still couldn't let it go, and finally fell on his dragon bed, and even sighed.

"Your Majesty, what's on your mind? Can you tell me, my concubine?" Su Yun'er actually has a bit of a masochistic tendency. While feeling happy, she also doesn't forget to share your worries.

Zhu Youtang gently hugged this gentle and jade-like woman and spoke out what was on his mind.

Whether it is Su Can or Liu Zhang, they are actually the result of their own careful consideration.

The former is from a grassroots background and not only has good sailing experience, but also has strong resilience. Although the latter has the timid side of the literati, he also has the idealistic side of the literati, and he can be regarded as a resilient and smart person.

Unfortunately, Liu Zhang turned out to be a deserter, and his most important plan to revitalize China went bankrupt.

"Don't trust the people you employ, don't trust the people you suspect!" Su Yun'er learned the whole story, then she stood up and said seriously.

Zhu Youtang smelled a faint fragrance and looked at the Jiangnan beauty in front of him who had just been bullied by him: "I'm afraid this time it's not unfounded!"

"My concubine's ancestors were engaged in silk business, and the most courageous ancestor was Su Bancheng. At that time, the competition in Suzhou's silk industry was fierce, and silk shops in other places often experienced problems, and even Suzhou was at the point of life and death. My grandfather Su Ban Cheng just took over the family business, and despite all the opinions, he appointed two newly hired shopkeepers to go there. In the end, he found that all the shops in other places were caused by the corruption of domestic slaves. Since then, my Su family's business has grown bigger and bigger, and the shopkeepers we choose will be very knowledgeable. No matter how close or distant he is, he will always be trustworthy and take charge of the accounting books and the profits and losses of the business!" Su Yun'er wanted to share Zhu Youtang's worries, so she also told a story about the rise and fall of her family.

Zhu Youtang found that the women around him were trying to relieve his worries, and just sighed with a wry smile: "In your opinion, this rumor is false?"

"Did your Majesty treat Liu Zhang badly?" Su Yun'er did not answer directly, but asked seriously.

Zhu Youtang didn't even think about it, but just shook his head: "Of course not! In order to save him from worries, I gave her mother an imperial edict in advance, and sent her two sons to the Imperial Academy. Even his embezzlement of money to settle down was just a pretense. I don’t know!”

"Your Majesty, how can a maritime merchant recognize the dignified minister of the Ministry of Industry? I think your Majesty is wiser than my ancestor Su Bancheng, and he can accomplish the treasure seed thing!" Su Yun'er saw Zhu Youtang's courage in doing things, and she was very happy. Be sure and authentic.

Zhu Youtang looked Su Yun'er up and down, and suddenly realized that this woman was not only beautiful, but also spoke nicely.

"If His Majesty is seeking immortality, and Liu Zhang may think that there is no hope of immortality, it will not be possible in the end! It is just that His Majesty is searching for treasure seeds for the common people in the world. Liu Zhang has this idea, and he also knows that... he must not look back!" Su Yuner thought that Zhu Youtang did not believe it. He added again.

Zhu Youtang looked at the beautiful woman in front of him, but suddenly raised his hand and instructed: "Get up and turn around, don't look back!"

"His Majesty?"

"I want the Yellow River to flow to the sea tonight!"

That night, the dragon bed was filled with waves.

While Xiangcheng Marquis Li Jin and others were still racking their brains as to where the capital's food came from, the puzzle turned out to be in front of a group of ordinary dock workers, because they were actually taken to the Tongzhou Granary. (End of chapter)