Rebirth of Zhu Di's son

Chapter 154: Is it profitable to go overseas?
Yongle third year, the second day of October.

early morning.

"The current top priority of the imperial court's political affairs is to address all five issues simultaneously."

Zhu Di sat on the golden platform, looked down at the princes and ministers in the court, and said loudly.

"The first thing is that Zheng He returned from a cruise with great honors, which is enough to prove that the opening of the sea is beneficial to the country and the people. There are countless rare treasures in the sea, which can not only nourish the body, but also the people, and even the world."

"The second thing is that the "Dacheng Documents" has been compiled for more than two years, and the number of collections is only more than a thousand volumes. Most of them are classics and articles by sages from past dynasties. It seems too narrow and a bit stingy."

"Isn't there a book that scolds me? If there is, then it should be included! We must let future generations see what the book that scolds me is like, why they scolded me, and let future generations comment on the merits and sins of thousands of years."

As the crown prince, Zhu Gaoxu sat on the second step to the left of Zhu Di.

At this time, after hearing Zhu Di's majestic words, he found that there were still many gaps between himself and Zhu Di. For example, Zhu Di's broad mind was worth learning from.

"It is said that without books it is not enough to know etiquette, and without etiquette it is not enough to educate."

Zhu Di continued: "Xie Jin, when you compile the canon, you must collect the essence of all ethnic groups and places. Only by blending with each other can you learn from each other's strengths and complement each other's weaknesses."

"How can accumulating gold and jade compare to the enlightenment of books? The purpose of compiling the "Dacheng Document" is to pass it on to future generations. This act of immeasurable merit must not be done casually, but must be dealt with solemnly."

Xie Jin came out of the queue and bowed: "Wei ministers accept the order!"

Zhu Di continued: "The third thing is that immigration to the border areas must continue to be implemented, especially to increase immigration to Guandong (Nurgan) and Guanxi (Hexi Corridor)."

"The fourth thing is to promote the reform of the imperial examination, the Royal Bank, and the Ministry of Account Bank, and gradually spread them to the provinces and counties around Zhili, so that all the people in the world can enjoy the imperial court's policies that benefit the country and the people."

"The fifth thing is that the construction of the fourth-level official roads and various prefecture and county academies and other projects cannot be slackened and must continue."

"I will obey your orders!"

Officials from the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Rites said in unison.

"His Majesty."

Yu Xin, the Minister of Household Affairs, bowed and said.

When Zhu Di saw Yu Xin's speech, he said helplessly: "Since Yu Qing wants to settle the score, then let's settle it!"

"Your Majesty, the spices, pepper, sappan wood, medicinal materials and other goods brought back from overseas by the fleet led by Zheng He are still piled up in a simple temporary warehouse near the dock after being unloaded."

Yu Xingong said: "If there are heavy rains and strong winds, it will inevitably cause immeasurable losses. In addition, the losses caused by floods, droughts, and locust plagues in Guangdong, Yunnan, Shandong and other places cannot be recovered within three years."

"Zheng He spent more than two million taels of silver on this cruise, and there is still no way to make up for it. At this time, His Majesty has to compile the Grand Ceremony, and it costs money to build official roads and academies in various places, but where does the money come from? ?Can’t we just live off the national debt?”

Having said this, Yu Xin bowed and said: "I can't sleep at night, I can't even think about it. Your Majesty, Yongle has done too many great things in one day, so leave something for your descendants to do!"

"After all, it's still the same old tune. When I sent Zheng He on a cruise, you used the same old tune."

Zhu Di pretended to be unhappy.

"The old minister did say that at the time, but His Majesty said at that time that if Zheng He succeeded overseas, he would definitely be able to bring back a large amount of money. But now he has brought back a lot of foreign goods, but there is no money."

Yu Xin said bluntly: "Not only do we have no money, we also have to spend money and manpower on management. We spend money when we go, and we have to spend money when we come back. It's really not worth it to 'lose money and make money'! Your Majesty!"

"Prince, what do you think?"

Zhu Di did not want the royal trading house to have too much power, so he did not plan to hand over the goods shipped back by Zheng He to the trading house for sale. He wanted the officials to also taste the benefits of going to sea.

At present, Ouyang Lun is already discussing with various companies under the commercial bank to sell the freight to the mainland. Once this is done, Zhu Di's internal transportation warehouse will make huge profits.

Zhu Gaoxu naturally knew what Zhu Di was thinking, so he pretended to be perfunctory: "Father, I have gone to the dock to see the foreign goods. Let me think about it before making a decision."

Zhu Di nodded, then looked at Zhu Gaosui in the Zongwang class, and asked: "King Zhao is in charge of the Quanzhou Shipping Department, does he have a foolproof plan?"

"Father, I think that there is no need to go to such trouble for this matter. Isn't it enough to build a large and strong warehouse and move the goods in?"

Zhu Gaosui replied respectfully.

As soon as these words came out, many officials in the hall laughed politely.

Ning Wang Zhu Quan sighed secretly, feeling a little disappointed with Zhu Gaosui, whom he had not seen for several months.

Zhu Di was also disappointed. He thought Zhu Gaosui had made some progress, but judging from his current reaction, he probably didn't understand what he meant.

Zhu Gaosui is not stupid, but very smart.

When he saw many ministers whispering around him, his face turned red, and he asked Yu Xin in embarrassment: "Yu Shangshu, do you think Xiao Wang's suggestion is okay?"

Yu Xin bowed and said: "If we follow His Highness King Zhao's suggestion, Fanhuo will just change his place to sleep, and it will still require manpower to manage. Therefore, this suggestion is equivalent to not being mentioned."

"Then what do you think we should do?" Zhu Gaosui asked.

Yu Xin bowed his hands to Zhu Gaosui, then turned around and faced Zhu Di on the golden platform, bowing and saying: "Your Majesty, I thought that the goods were brought back by Zheng He. What should I do? It's better to ask Zheng He first."

At this time, Zheng He found that he was called by Yu Xin, so he had to walk through the corner door on the side, bowed to Zhu Di, and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, there are only two kinds of foreign goods piled up on the dock.

"The first is the tributes contributed by overseas countries, and the second is the personal goods carried by tribute envoys from various countries on ships."

"The tributes presented to His Majesty by tribute envoys on behalf of the King are actually very small. Since the Hongwu period, Emperor Taizu has established the rule of giving more to His Majesty, in order to be consistent with our status as the Great Tomorrow Kingdom. So on the surface, the tributes received by the imperial court are not as large as the rewards given by your majesty to the foreign countries. This is what Yu Shangshu just said about 'making a profit at a loss'."

"As for the personal goods carried by tribute envoys from various countries on ships in the past, they often exceeded the tribute by dozens of times. They were all bought by those merchants at the Ming port in order to make personal gains."

Yu Xin heard that Zheng He wanted to change the old rules set by Taizu, so he immediately reminded him: "Zheng He, these are the rules set by Emperor Taizu Gao."

However, Zhu Di supported him and said loudly: "Zheng He, please keep talking."

"Yes." Zheng He bowed.

Then, he continued: "Your Majesty, I led the Ming Dynasty treasure fleet to patrol the Western countries, and I saw that many countries use taxation methods."

Zhao Wang Zhu Gaosui responded: "Yes, foreign countries collect our taxes, and we also collect their taxes!"

"Your Majesty, in the seventh year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu ordered the closure of the Shipping Department, which had followed the management of foreign trade in the Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties. From then on, only tribute and gifts from the imperial court were allowed. Since then, fewer and fewer envoys have come to the DPRK. Now is a good time to be friendly to our neighbors and pay tribute to our envoys. I think it would be better not to impose taxes at the moment."

Zhu Di nodded and said: "Only those from far away can come to court from all nations. Your suggestion is a far-sighted one."

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you to count the personal goods brought by envoys from various countries and set aside half of them to allow them to trade on their own within seven days."

Zheng He bowed and said respectfully.

Yu Xin asked: "What about the other half?"

Zhu Gaosui responded rudely: "Father, I suggest that the other half be confiscated by the court and turned into the national treasury."

“If His Royal Highness King Zhao’s words are followed, who will dare to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty in the future?”

Zheng He immediately explained: "Therefore, Wei Chen suggested that the imperial court buy the other half at the official price, and then sell it on the market. The difference between the two prices must be a lot of profit." Zhu Di nodded and said: "That's an idea. When it comes to Fanhuo, it still doesn’t lose the etiquette of the Ming Dynasty. It can be said to be the best of both worlds.”

"Although this is a good idea, who will manage the buying and selling?" Yu Xin asked again.

"Of course it's the Shipping Department!" Zhu Gaosui said quickly.

Zhu Di frowned slightly when he heard this.

He found that Zhu Gaosui had become a bit domineering now, and there was no comparison with Zhu Gaoxu, who was sitting firmly on the mountain below his left hand.

Yu Xin said: "Where does Shibosi come from near the capital?"

Zheng He bowed and answered: "The Ministry of Household Affairs can send officials to manage it on our behalf."

"What does Eunuch Zheng mean by asking all ministers and workers in the household department to do business?"

Yu Xinyi said sternly: "One buys and one sells, just like a small businessman. How can it be reasonable?"

Zhu Di was silent.

Censor Guizhan came out and said: "Your Majesty, this is not allowed. Since ancient times, a gentleman has been known for his righteousness, and a villain has been interested in profit. What kind of decency would it be to let the officials of the Ministry of Household Affairs go out to do business?"

He continued: "Furthermore, using foreign goods to make money from the people of our capital, how is this different from 'taking advantage of the people'? Such a left-handed approach has not earned a single cent for our Ming Dynasty from overseas merchants. money!"

"This statement is completely ridiculous! I dare to ask Yushi Gui, how many ordinary people can afford these goods?"

Zhu Gaosui retorted loudly.

Zhu Di finally nodded, indicating that Zhu Gaosui's words were more to the point.

Watching the debate in the court, Zhu Gaoxu knew that if he did not change his concept of focusing on agriculture and suppressing business, it would be difficult for the court to achieve real prosperity.

If the court does not have enough money, it will naturally be difficult to support the war and climb the technological tree.

If things continue like this, the imperial court's fiscal deficit will continue, and it will be like the Ming Dynasty in history, which will eventually be dragged into the quagmire by military expenditures and disaster relief, until the Ming Dynasty overthrows!

"That's it for the seven-day transaction."

Zhu Di glanced at Zhu Gaoxu and saw that the latter was silent, so he made a decision loudly: "Buy the goods at the official price and then list them for trading."

When he said this, he looked at Gui Zhan and said: "I allow the Fan people to sell goods near the capital, but I do not prohibit the people of the Ming Dynasty from selling goods to the Fan people. When the people of the Ming Dynasty make money, they can realize that I have The benefits of Haizhice.”

At this time, Zhu Di suddenly stood up, looked down at the courtiers, and said loudly: "Since all the ministers keep saying that they want to share the worries of the emperor and father, well, starting from this month, the salaries of all officials in the country will be paid with the goods shipped back by Zheng He. The official price is discounted. This is called discounting salary from extra goods, so you can share my worries!"

He looked at Yu Xin and Gui Zhan, and continued: "Since you think that doing business is an insult to the name of a gentleman and goes against the way of being an official. Then I will do this business!"

Seeing Zhu Di getting up, Zhu Gaoxu also stood up quickly.

Zhu Di said: "Prince, you take charge of this matter for me."

"My son, take your orders!" Zhu Gaoxu bowed.

Afterwards.

Hall of Spring Harmony.

Prince's study.

Zhu Gaoxu is discussing matters with Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Household Affairs.

"His Royal Highness, since the last state banquet until now, according to statistics, there are more than 580 pieces of dishes, wine cups and other tableware missing. These envoys from various countries are really unbecoming!"

Xia Yuanji grimaced, stood up and raised his hands and said, "I would like to ask Your Highness to ask Zheng He to tell the tribute envoys about my Chinese etiquette."

"If people don't like those china dishes, who will take them?"

Zhu Gaoxu said with a smile, and raised his hand to signal Xia Yuanji not to be polite, but to sit down and talk.

Xia Yuanji said: "I only know that no matter how much you like it, you can't steal it."

"The word steal is inappropriate."

Zhu Gaoxu deliberately said with a straight face: "My father's wish is not only for them to take it, but also to give it away."

"Your Highness, Zheng He brought back so many tribute envoys from overseas. Their food and accommodation were all provided by the imperial court. They had a small banquet every three days and a big banquet every five days. How much money will be spent in the long run?"

Xia Yuanji said with a frown.

Zhu Gaoxu joked: "Shilang Xia, do you know what many officials in the capital call you in private?"

"I don't know." Xia Yuanji said respectfully.

Zhu Gaoxu smiled and said: "I call you Xia Abacus."

Xia Yuanji laughed at himself: "Wei Chen likes to make careful calculations, so the nickname of 'abacus' is quite appropriate."

"You settled a small account, not a big one."

Zhu Gaoxu explained: "It is a feat that attracts worldwide attention when envoys from foreign countries come to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty. When these foreigners come and go back, they will become our envoys of the Ming Dynasty and spread the civilization of the Ming Dynasty overseas. In this way Come, it will save Zheng He from traveling by sea, how much money will this save for the Ming Dynasty?"

Xia Yuanji was stunned when he heard this. He never thought that the accounts could be settled like this.

"I don't agree with this, but what if it spreads out? Don't we still have to live our own lives?"

Xia Yuanji said: "During the Hongwu period, Emperor Taizu couldn't stand this kind of business where he was losing money to make a profit, and he was desperate to save face and suffer punishment, so he ordered a limit on the number of tribute envoys from various countries to come to China. Also, Taizu did not allow the use of foreign goods because he was afraid Indulging in extravagance.”

He paused and then added: "Your Highness is unaware that as foreign merchants began to sell foreign goods in the capital, the folk customs on both sides of the Qinhuai River have been affected to a certain extent."

"Xia Yuanji, what you care about is food, clothing, housing and transportation, but what you feel sorry for is the more than 500 plates."

Zhu Gaoxu said something first, and then asked three questions in a row.

"How much is the prestige of the Ming Dynasty worth? Have you calculated the prospects of carrying on the past and opening up the future if the ministers are united as one? Can you calculate how much wealth can be created if the people from all over the world are at peace and the world is peaceful?"

Xia Yuanji was suddenly asked.

Zhu Gaoxu asked again: "Xia Yuanji, have you gone to see the overseas treasures displayed outside the Meridian Gate?"

"I have all met." Xia Yuanji said respectfully.

Zhu Gaoxu continued: "Then let me ask you, how much do you think those rare treasures are worth?"

PS: There are too many opinions on whether Zheng He's voyages in history made money or lost money, whether it was good or bad.But I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and it is profitable.Otherwise, where did Zhu Di get the money to conquer Mobei, build the new capital, build Wudang Mountain, and build the imperial mausoleum?It's just that the money was made by the royal family, and the officials did not receive the dividends.

(End of this chapter)