King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 528 The old man doesn’t believe me

Introducing the errands of the Shipping Department, Lu Tong received the order at noon, giving him less than an hour to prepare.

In this short period of time, the six eunuchs of the Supervisor of Ceremonies, plus the thirteen eunuchs of the inner library, reviewed a large amount of information from various shipping departments, and prepared the report "information" within half an hour.

After repeated deliberation by several eunuchs, it was submitted to two eunuchs who held pens for deletion and revision, and finally it was submitted to Lu Tong.

Therefore, what Lu Tong just introduced is definitely the most comprehensive, true and detailed situation about the Ming Dynasty Shipping Department.

The emperor knew this, so he smiled and said: "Get up, don't be so modest here!"

"Yes!"

Lu Tong consciously stepped aside, and then heard the emperor say: "Lao Liu..."

"My son is here!" After hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan left his job and came to the emperor.

"Did you hear about the situation in the Shibo Division just now?"

"My son has heard it and has a rough understanding of it!" Zhu Jingyuan said very cautiously.

"After the new year, you don't have to stay in Beijing. You can go work in Yingtian Mansion by yourself!"

Then he mentioned the two brothers from Qianqing Palace. They didn't speak until they walked out of Qianqing Gate.

Nowadays, whether it is the war situation in the northwest or the current Qingzhang cause, there is a great need for stable court order.

Several shipping companies were put in charge of myself...

"If nothing happens, you can go down first!" Zhu Xianming said calmly.

The most important thing is that driving the two of them to Jinling can make the court quiet for some time.

But he didn't expect such a high profit, so he was moved at this time.

So Zhu Jinghong immediately replied: "My son has received the order!"

Zhu Jingyuan knew very well how important this matter was, so he knew that money could be made, but the job must also be beautiful.

Upon hearing the news, Zhu Jingyuan almost thought that he had heard it wrong, and then his heart was wrapped in joy.

Although he talked a lot, the main content has not changed. Matters regarding sea trade will be led by Zhu Jingyuan.

After Zhu Jinghong and the others left, Zhu Xianming dismissed everyone in the hall and sat alone to think.

Several shipping companies have a lot of money, and if they can loosen their hands a little bit, they can make a lot of profits...

"Old Thirteen!"

"Yes!"

At the very least, after I take over, I will pay my father more money every year.

Zhu Jingyuan was not stupid either. Hearing the old man's arrangement, he also realized that something was not right.

His judgment was indeed correct. The emperor did let the two of them check and balance each other and use their abilities to get things done.

"Lao Liu... I can let you put aside the matter of revising books in Jixian Hall for now. I plan to let you take charge of this matter!"

Zhu Jingyuan's thoughts at this time are very consistent with his character and current personality.

"Lao Shisan's disciple went to the sea twice and made tens of thousands of taels of silver. This shows how profitable sea trade is..."

After Zhu Jinghong finished speaking, Zhu Xianming looked at Zhu Jingyuan, and then said: "The two errands of the City Shipping Department are not doing well now. I plan to send capable people to prime ministers of the City Shipping Department to earn more money for the court. return!"

Now that he finally had something practical in hand, and no one to restrain him outside the capital, he could develop his power more boldly.

But he was pushing for the construction of the Navy. If he refused to go at this time, it would inevitably appear that he had bad intentions.

So this incident was a double blessing for Zhu Jingyuan. Fortunately, he tried his best to hold back his laughter.

The emperor's arrangement could be said to kill two birds with one stone, but it made the two princes present uncomfortable. They both wanted to go but were reluctant to go.

"Thirteenth brother, what exactly is the old man's plan for making such an arrangement?"

"The Jinling Navy is going to expand its forces, and a new shipyard is ready. You and Lao Liu will go to Jinling after the year!"

It is said that money can make the world go round, and it is said that a penny can make a hero, which shows how attractive money is to the world.

The emperor didn't know what his son was thinking, so he was still making detailed arrangements at this moment.

His arrangement was a temporary one, but it was also carefully planned and included deeper considerations on his part.

In Prince Rui's palace, there were too many places where money needed to be spent. He was worried about money almost every day, and he had enjoyed the emperor's "treatment" early on.

This is obviously asking Old Thirteen to check and balance me... Zhu Jingyuan made the first judgment.

Arranging Lao Liu to go to Jinling, and also getting himself there, what is the old man's plan?

Compared with training the Jinling navy, Zhu Jinghong was more concerned about the northwest war situation, so he didn't want to go to Jinling at all.

"My son is here!"

After briefly talking about some things about sea trade, Zhu Xianming asked Zhu Jinghong to speak again. The latter could only tell the story exactly what he said in the morning.

"Yes!" Zhu Jingyuan replied respectfully.

It is actually not a secret that sea trade can make money, at least Zhu Jingyuan knows this very well.

After hearing the emperor's arrangement, Zhu Jinghong felt mixed emotions. He was clearly the one who took the lead, but now he was being "picked" by others.

If we don't explain it clearly to the queen, this matter will never end.

As an emperor, he can arrange all these at will, but as a father, the situation is different, so he has to go to Kunning Palace.

"Isn't this clear? You want me to get money for him, let me build a water division for him, and then get more money for him!"

Zhu Jinghong spoke straightforwardly and answered the questions seriously, but these were not what Zhu Jingyuan wanted to hear.

But hearing that Zhu Jinghong's knowledge was so shallow made Zhu Jingyuan feel relieved.

It would be a great thing to separate Lao Shisan from his "scheming princess". As for Lao Si who remains in the capital, there is nothing to worry about... Zhu Jingyuan thought this way.

Patting Zhu Jinghong on the shoulder, Zhu Jingyuan said: "The so-called brothers fighting tigers, father and son soldiers in the battle... Since the old man has entrusted us with an important task, you and I brothers must cooperate sincerely!"

"Goodbye, Sixth Brother!"

The two brothers exchanged a few words casually, and then parted ways east of Chongzheng Hall, and Zhu Jinghong walked back to Daiyu's residence.

"Master Thirteen is here!"

As soon as Zicuckoo finished her voice, Zhu Jinghong entered the room, causing Chai and Dai's laughter to stop abruptly.

"What are you talking about? So happy!"

Zhu Jinghong was really surprised, because the closeness between the two people just now really surprised him.

Not a love rival? How come they were reconciled so quickly?

Perhaps in order to enhance the sense of distance, Daiyu said: "What are we talking about? What does it have to do with the Thirteenth Master?"

Zhu Jinghong said helplessly: "Girl Lin, have I offended you? Why are you so aggressive?"

Daiyu stood up, hugged Baochai, held her head high and said, "Even if you haven't offended me, you won't be able to offend Sister Bao!"

"Baochai...have I offended you?"

With a slight smile on her face, Baochai replied: "Girl Lin said she was offended, so she must be offended!"

Sitting on the chair next to him, Zhu Jinghong took the tea cup from Zijuan and said, "You two, sing and harmonize. I can't beat you!" Baochai said in a yin and yang tone: "If you don't have diamonds, don't take the porcelain job." Well!"

In the following time, Zhu Jinghong seemed to be an outsider, being "double beaten" by Chai and Dai, and finally became speechless.

Half an hour later, when Daiyu felt sleepy, Baochai suggested leaving for now.

After the two left together, they got on the carriage after leaving the palace gate and drove straight to the other courtyard outside the city.

The couple kept chatting along the way, but Zhu Jinghong did not disclose the contents of the Qianqing Palace discussions.

After the two of them returned to the other courtyard and had dinner after a busy time, Zhu Jinghong took Baochai with him to the back garden for a walk to eat.

He asked the chamberlain and others to follow him from a distance, and when he walked outside a pavilion, Zhu Jinghong suddenly said: "The old man doesn't believe me anymore!"

Just now they were talking about Daiyu, and now Baochai was surprised when Zhu Jinghong said this out of the blue.

"How to say?"

"Just now the old man summoned me and Lao Liu in Qianqing Palace and arranged some things..."

"Ask me and Lao Liu to go to Jinling later. I will be responsible for rebuilding the Jinling Navy, and Lao Liu will be in charge of several municipal shipping departments along the coast..."

Zhu Jinghong spoke calmly, but Baochai looked surprised. Apparently she had not expected this result.

"So you think that His Majesty doesn't trust you and suspects that you have the intention to seize the throne, so he demoted you from the capital!"

"Isn't it?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

"His Majesty fought in consecutive battles, but was dismissed from his post due to the suspicion of the Supreme Emperor. He had no choice but to farm in the palace for several years, walking on thin ice every day with fear..."

"Your life now is much easier than His Majesty's back then, and you are also allowed to be responsible for rebuilding the navy. How can you say you are not trusted!"

Hearing Baochai's analysis, Zhu Jinghong's worries receded a lot. When he thought about it carefully, it was indeed true.

From ancient times to the present, the son of an emperor has been tainted by military power. It is definitely rare for him to live such a carefree life.

Feeling a little more at ease, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Then what do you think... what is the old man's plan?"

After being silent for a while, Baochai replied: "I think it's been over the past six months that there have been too many turmoils in the court. Your Majesty just made this arrangement in order to eliminate disputes..."

Zhu Jinghong actually thought of this, and when he saw that Baochai thought so too, he felt much more at ease.

"I hope so!" Zhu Jinghong sighed.

Just listen to Baochai say: "It's a pity... I can't go with you!"

She was pregnant now, and her body couldn't hold on after all the hard work, so she could only raise the baby in the capital.

"Who are you going to send to accompany me?" Zhu Jinghong asked with a smile.

"How about sending Lin girl?" Baochai joked.

"Okay... you sisters are of the same mind. If she goes, it means you go!" Zhu Jinghong said with a smile.

"Don't be ashamed to talk nonsense. This girl hasn't entered the house yet!"

After saying this, Baochai couldn't help but pinch the soft flesh of Zhu Jinghong's waist, but the latter had rough skin and thick flesh and could hardly feel it.

"When will we set off?" Baochai asked.

Zhu Jinghong replied: "The old man only said after the new year, but did not say when he would leave!"

The couple was silent for a while, and finally Baochai said: "I heard you say that the situation in the northwest is tense now, and the court has mobilized troops many times. Maybe the situation will change after the year, and you will not go to Jinling... but return to the northwest. !”

Compared to going to the northwest, Baochai actually preferred Zhu Jinghong to go to Jinling, at least it was much safer there.

But she also knew that the northwest was the place where achievements were made, and Zhu Jinghong himself preferred to go there, so she said this.

"I invited the old man to drink in the morning, and he said, 'It's a blessing that I am his son.' It shows that I am already a master of great achievements..."

Zhu Jinghong said sadly: "So even if there are changes in the northwest, I'm afraid the old man won't use me!"

At that time, he understood the meaning, and he still had to laugh and laugh like a normal person, which is enough to show that his acting skills are already very proficient.

There is no doubt that Zhu Jinghong's words are more pessimistic, showing his inner hesitation.

Zhu Jinghong is the God of Prince Xiang's Mansion, and even more God of Princess Baochai.

There were dark clouds in the "sky" about this, which made Baochai feel worried and unconsciously grabbed Zhu Jinghong's hand.

Although Baochai didn't say a word, Zhu Jinghong still felt her worry.

In the final analysis, although Baochai is a princess, she is still a weak woman in essence, and Zhu Jinghong is the backbone at the critical moment.

The woman in front of me is pregnant with her child. Since I consider myself an upright man, how can I let her be afraid of me... Zhu Jinghong thought this way.

So the next moment, a confident smile appeared on his face again, and then he said: "Although the old man is on guard against me, the situation is not too critical!"

"An old man is in his prime in spring and autumn, but it is still unclear whose family the flowers will fall on..."

"Secondly, there are fires everywhere in the Ming Dynasty, and I am setting fires everywhere, but I am the only one who can put out the fires. The old man doesn't believe me even if he doesn't need me!"

"Three things, as long as you plan early and plan carefully..."

At the end, Zhu Jinghong's eyes were cold and his tone was still cold.

But his appearance made Baochai feel a lot more at ease, and she subconsciously asked, "How is it?"

"Given time, even if the situation goes against me, we can turn things around!"

Although she already knew the answer, Baochai still felt a little uncomfortable when she heard Zhu Jinghong's words.

Although she was not an innocent person, she couldn't help but ask herself at this time, did she have to follow this path because she was born into the royal family?

Even if you win, people will grow old. Do your sons have to experience something like this?

Seeing that Baochai looked troubled, Zhu Jinghong had no choice but to hold her in his arms and say a few thoughtful words to comfort her.

In the eyes of outsiders, they just thought that the princess and her husband were just chatting with each other and not talking about anything important.

What happened in Prince Xiang's Mansion also happened in Prince Rui's Mansion.

But unlike Baochai, Chen Zhi was very happy that Zhu Jingyuan was going to Jinling, because it could relieve the financial pressure on the family.

Of course, Chen Zhi is also aware of Zhu Jingyuan's worries, so she is trying to solve her man's problems at this time.

"No matter what the old man thinks, as long as you continue to make friends with officials and strengthen your momentum... then you will definitely make money without losing money!"

“Since you are guaranteed to make a profit without losing money, what else do you have to worry about?”

Zhu Jingyuan said in a deep voice: "Having said that, I'm still uneasy. Maybe the old man has other plans, especially since the prince stays in Beijing!"

Chen Zhi said with great disdain: "So what if the prince stays in Beijing? If he could form a clique for personal gain, if he could buy people's hearts, if he could play with people's hearts... you would have been defeated long ago!"

"As long as you complete your errands and receive praise from both the government and the public, then you will still be the wise king of the Ming Dynasty, and it is not impossible that your reputation will surpass that of the prince!"

Chen Zhi's idea was "beautiful" and made Zhu Jingyuan's heart dissipate a lot.

"I'm just afraid...the old man doesn't believe me anymore!"

(End of this chapter)