King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 763 Eastern Tour
After a while of cuddling on the couch, the two of them hugged each other tenderly.

It was early spring and the weather was still relatively cold. Zhu Jinghong's body was like the scorching sun, and Baochai felt extremely warm as he hugged him.

"The other day, the wife of Minister Gao from the Ministry of War came to my house and said..."

The two of them did what they loved to do and now started chatting about some trivial matters.

Finally, Baochai mentioned the matter of Korea.

"I say... are you clear about the situation in North Korea? Don't let the people below you keep it from you!"

"Now the situation has finally been reversed. If more people are forced to rebel, it will be another loss to the court!"

Although she kept her distance from Cui Xiuqing, Baochai listened to and thought about the advice of the Korean princess, so she spoke out to remind her at this moment.

"So for this matter, you have to..."

When she was halfway through her speech, Baochai looked up at Zhu Jinghong, only to find that he had closed his eyes.

"Hey hey...are you listening to what I say?"

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong still closed his eyes.

"Do you know the situation in North Korea?"

"The true situation in Korea has been reported to the Southern Pacification Office, the Andong Xingdu Office, and the Liaodong Provincial Administration Office. I naturally know what the situation is!"

“Is what Cui Xiuqing said true?”

Zhu Jinghong replied: "It's basically true!"

Seeing that Baochai was still looking at him, Zhu Jinghong continued to explain: "Korea and Japan want to use troops, and the court has its own difficulties. It is inevitable that they will bear a heavy burden!"

"We can only... make North Korea suffer a little longer. Once the rebellion is quelled, they can enjoy peace!"

After a moment of silence, Baochai spoke again: "There are some questions...I don't know whether I should ask them!"

"Just ask!"

"An Dong Xingdusi, how much military rations does it consume in a year?"

Looking up at Baochai, Zhu Jinghong asked, "The food for people and horses, plus the loss, is about 250,000 dan!"

“How much is North Korea supplying?”

"The rated amount is 150,000 koku!"

Hearing this, Baochai was surprised and said, "But Cui Xiuqing said that they actually paid 200,000 shi, and it has become a regular practice!"

Seeing that Zhu Jinghong didn't say anything, Baochai asked, "You know this!"

"Ok!"

Seeing Baochai still staring at him, Zhu Jinghong said, "Korea wants to send troops. I don't want to spend even a tael of silver on the food, clothing, and rewards and pensions for tens of thousands of troops!"

The old emperor's idea coincided with that of an old man in later generations, which Zhu Jinghong summarized as "Ming Dynasty first."

"From last year to this year, the old man calculated carefully and only paid half a million silver to the An Dong Xingdusi, but this is not enough, so..."

Zhu Jinghong didn't say anything else, but Baochai understood everything, and then he sighed.

"I remember that the imperial court has had a surplus in the past two years. Why is Your Majesty still like this?"

"The old man said that in order to protect the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, the money and grain stored in the imperial treasury must be converted into silver of more than 60 million, and the silver in the inner treasury should be 20 million!"

When Baochai heard this exaggerated number, her mouth turned into an O shape in shock.

In the tenth year of Zhengtong, one tael of silver was exchanged for about two thousand coins. In recent years, the price of silver has fallen due to the influx of silver, but it has remained at around eighteen hundred.

The introduction of new crops in the past two years, although still on a pilot basis, has also led to a drop in food prices. As a result, the purchasing power of silver remains strong.

Therefore, the 80 million taels of inventory set by the emperor was an extremely exaggerated astronomical figure.

What Zhu Jinghong said was the top secret of the Ming Dynasty. At least in recent years, all major decisions of the court were based on the "80 million plan".

"You really are..." Baochai didn't know what to say at this moment.

"Now the imperial court has countless places to spend money, and such a great undertaking may take ten years to complete!"

Zhu Jinghong smiled and replied: "Saving money step by step is indeed very slow!"

"Then how can we make money quickly?" Baochai asked.

As the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the Ming Dynasty, the tone of their conversation at this moment is no different from that of a wealthy man who is calculating carefully.

Zhu Jinghong smiled and then replied: "Of course...exchange what we have, create claims, promote the king's rule, and pacify the world!"

"Ah...are we going to...are we going to have to fight a war?"

In fact, Baochai wanted to say "rob", but she expressed it in a tactful way.

Zhu Jinghong lowered his head slightly and glanced at Baochai in his arms. He looked at her like a fool and asked, "Why else would I build so many warships?"

…………

In the blink of an eye, another half month had passed and it was February of the nineteenth year of Zhengtong.

During this half month, Li Huizhen originally planned to take action, but was discovered and persuaded by Park Jinying, which prevented her from making a mistake that would last a lifetime.

Although Park Jin-young had no official rank, she was the head female official in Yin'an Palace and knew Zhu Jinghong's preferences better than the concubine Li Huizhen.

After listening to Park Jin-young's analysis, Li Huizhen felt a chill on her back and forgot about Choi Soo-qing's instructions.

So she made up her mind to win over this sister at all costs, so that she could strengthen the strength of their faction.

Of course, Zhu Jinghong would not know about these things that happened in secret. After all, although he was only a prince now, his heart was already filled with the whole country.

On February 17th, the emperor summoned the Shanglin Garden for hunting as usual. However, due to his old age and poor health, he attended the event but did not hunt in person.

After playing a few tricks, Zhu Jinghong didn't get involved too much. After all, his status was already transcendent, and there was no need for him to show off in these aspects.

So the father and son, who had some free time, built an enclosure on a hillside in Shanglin Garden, admired the vast fields in the sunset, and chatted about matters inside and outside the court.

There was wine and meat on the scene. The meat was elk hunted by Zhu Jinghong. It was cleaned by the imperial chef and tied to the grill, and Zhu Jinghong personally participated in the grilling.

There was no one around, and the nearest eunuch was twenty steps away, allowing the father and son to speak freely while eating and drinking.

Before being officially named the crown prince, Zhu Jinghong had gradually taken over power, and the current situation was that military affairs were basically handled by him, while political affairs that offended people were implemented by the emperor.

At this time, what they were talking about were the various major policies of the current court, including but not limited to the 23 provincial governments of the Ming Dynasty.

At the end of the conversation, Zhu Xianming talked about the land survey and expressed his concerns about these matters.

The reason is that the implementation in the past year has been better than Zhu Xianming expected.

The original plan was to basically complete it within five years, but only one year has passed since its full implementation and it has been reported that more than half of the work has been completed.

In other words, we only need to wait until next year and this big thing will be accomplished.

Looking at the generals galloping on their horses in the distance, Zhu Xianming said calmly: "Father has an idea and would like to hear your opinion!"

"Son, I'm all ears!"

"The scholars, the culture and the wealth of the world are all concentrated in the southeast. I want you to go on a tour to Yingtian and see the real situation of the world along the way. What do you think?"

The emperor's summary was very accurate. The main force of the scholar-officials is in the southeast, and it is indeed necessary to inspect or give them a warning.

"My son is willing to go!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

Nodding, Zhu Xianming continued, "But you can only watch and not interfere, so you must choose a capable person to accompany you and deal with all illegal matters!"

If you do something, you may make mistakes, but if you don't do something, you won't make mistakes. Zhu Jinghong understood this principle very early, so he nodded in agreement. "I have two candidates. One is Jia Yucun, the current vice minister of the Ministry of Justice. He is talented and cunning, and is a sharp knife that can be used easily!"

It’s no wonder that the emperor was very good at judging people and he grasped Jia Yucun’s true nature.

"The second is Wang Pei'an, the current governor of Yunnan. He is honest and reliable... He is a precious sword!"

One is a sharp knife, the other is a precious sword. Although they are both capable ministers, they are evaluated completely differently.

"These things offend people, Jia Yucun may weigh the pros and cons, so using him may cause trouble!"

"Wang Pei'an is your teacher. He has already offended many people in the court. If you let him take charge of this matter, he may not have a good result in the future!"

Looking at his son who was thinking, Zhu Xianming sighed, "How to choose? Think about it!"

"Yes!"

After a moment of silence, Zhu Xianming pointed to the barbecue grill. Zhu Jinghong understood and took a knife to cut the meat and then brought it to the old man.

"There is one more thing. I have not made up my mind yet. I want to hear your opinion!"

"That's what you said, Dad!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

"It has only been a few years since the opening of maritime trade, and the annual revenue of the imperial court has increased by tens of millions of taels. The prosperity of maritime revenue... there is no limit to its future!"

After taking a sip of wine, Zhu Xianming continued, "It seems that you are right. The future will be an era of the ocean. The Ming Dynasty must seize the opportunity!"

Zhu Jinghong replied: "Dad, the expansion of the navy is now proceeding as planned, and we are already seizing the initiative!"

"Speaking of the navy, you must pull them out on your eastern tour this time and test their quality. You spent so much money on it, don't let it be for show!"

"Son, I understand!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

When he thought that the emperor was only talking about the navy, Zhu Xianming said, "Just now I said that the future revenue will be from the sea, so I am thinking about... restoring the system of the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty!"

From the time when Emperor Taizong moved the capital to Luoyang until the last period of the Lingshu people, the Ming Dynasty implemented the two capitals system. However, after Emperor Shizu, Nanjing was abolished and downgraded to the current Yingtian Prefecture.
Restoring the dual capital system is not just about changing the name, but also about re-setting up the six ministries and other government offices, which is a very complicated matter.

The emperor wanted to restore the two capitals, but in fact he wanted to take advantage of the geographical advantages of Yingtian Prefecture to strengthen his control over all maritime affairs.

Zhu Jinghong certainly supported this decision and admired the old man's strategic vision.

But the emperor's next words made Zhu Jinghong realize that he had still underestimated his father.

"Restore the two capitals system. If the taxes paid by sea exceed those paid by land in the future, it is not impossible to move the capital to Yingtian!"

Seeing that Zhu Jinghong didn't say anything, Zhu Xianming asked, "What do you think?"

After a few moments of silence, Zhu Jinghong replied: "Dad, I'm not trying to flatter you, I just want to say one thing at this moment!"

"What?"

"My Holy Emperor!"

"Hahaha……"

At this moment, Zhu Xianming smiled happily. After all, his son was too outstanding, and it was not easy for him to respect him from the bottom of his heart.

But after laughing, Zhu Xianming's mood suddenly turned bad, and he sighed: "It's a pity that I, your father, will not be able to see... the day when our Ming Dynasty truly dominates the world and overpowers all nations!"

"Dad, you are in your prime, why bother..."

Before Zhu Jinghong finished his persuasion, he saw Zhu Xianming shaking his head and said, "Since your mother passed away, I have been exhausted. I have been handling state affairs for the past two years. I just feel that I am running out of energy and it is difficult for me to cope with it easily!"

"In the past two years, I have slept less and sometimes I can't sleep all night..."

"My health isn't very good. I feel uncomfortable after sitting for half an hour. I need to take a break!"

"I coughed the night before yesterday and my lungs almost burst. It was really..."

Now it is the 19th year of Zhengtong, and Zhu Xianming is already 58 years old. Under current medical conditions, he is considered a relatively old person.

What's more, he had fought in many battles in the past and had suffered many hidden injuries, so he aged faster than ordinary people.

Zhu Xianming kept talking. At this moment, in Zhu Jinghong's eyes, the emperor was just an ordinary old man.

One was talking and the other would occasionally interject a few words. Time passed quickly and in the blink of an eye the sun was about to set.

The six hunting teams, including the Imperial Guards, the Capital Camp, the Five Cities Army, the Imperial City Guards, and the Dragon Guards, all returned at this time, and their gains were counted by the Imperial Stables.

The person specifically in charge of this matter was Zhang Ping'an, the former eunuch in charge of Prince Xiang's palace, who is now the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables.

The final result was that the first was the Imperial Guard, followed by the Dragon Guard, and then the Beijing Camp.

Of course, in addition to these six teams, there are also royal family members, military honors, envoys and others participating in the hunt, but these "scattered soldiers" do not participate in the ranking.

The last thing to do was of course a banquet. At the banquet, the emperor was still majestic and displayed the majesty of an imperial emperor.

But as the banquet progressed, it became clear that he was talking more to the old officials, mainly the veteran generals and brothers from the royal family.

Zhu Jinghong, on the other hand, was drinking to his heart's content with a group of young people, and the lively atmosphere of the banquet was entirely due to him.

According to convention, the spring hunting in Shanglin Garden lasted for more than two days, but this time the emperor was not energetic enough, so the hunting ended on that day.

The next afternoon, Zhu Jinghong was summoned to the palace again to discuss specific matters regarding the eastern tour.

Zhu Jinghong returned to his mansion only when night fell.

After having dinner with the girls, they chatted for a while and then left. Zhu Jinghong talked to Baochai about the eastern tour.

Baochai was a little surprised when she suddenly heard about the eastern tour, so she asked about the details.

"So... we're going in mid to late March?"

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong nodded.

Baochai asked again, "How long will this round trip take?"

"About... a year!" Zhu Jinghong made a rough estimate.

He was inspecting all the way, looking at military and political affairs in various places, so he certainly couldn't travel fast.

Hearing this, Baochai was of course reluctant, but she still nodded.

Just as she was about to tell Zhu Jinghong to go and rest assured that she would take care of the affairs in the mansion, the latter said, "You come with me!"

"Hmm...hmm?" Baochai thought she had misheard.

Zhu Jinghong continued, "To tame those people, you have to be ruthless. If you show some kindness to them, maybe it will be more effective!"

The emperor plays the good guy and the queen plays the bad guy. This is the unspoken rule of the Ming Dynasty. For example, this is the case with Zhu Xianming and his wife.

This is a pressure-relieving mechanism that gives officials something to look forward to and helps avoid extreme situations.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong expected that Daiyu, the daughter of the third place in the imperial examination, would be more suitable for this task, but considering the overall situation of the harem and Daiyu's health, he rejected this idea.

"But this job of taking care of the ladies outside the court ..."

Zhu Jinghong replied: "Just return it to the palace!"

After nodding, Baochai continued, "How about letting Daiyu take charge of the affairs of the mansion?"

The affairs of the Crown Prince's palace are actually very tedious and complicated, and must be decided and handled by a dedicated person. The two concubines are suitable candidates.

In comparison, Yang Jingting is more suitable. After all, she is older and more experienced, and can control people better than Daiyu.

Baochai recommended Daiyu, which shows that she was wary of Yang Jingting.

Zhu Jinghong replied: "You decide for yourself!"

(End of this chapter)