Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chang Sen, with a beard, came to the Wenhua Hall with an arrogant attitude, but no one seemed to think there was anything wrong with it.

Chang Sen saluted politely, "I, Chang Sen, the former assistant of the Military Governor's Office, greet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live long."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and nodded, "Stand up."

After Chang Sen stood up, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chang Sen with a smile, "Third uncle, it seems that you are more comfortable in Fujian. You look more majestic."

Chang Sen was not embarrassed and said frankly, "Your Highness, I am safe in Fujian, but I have gained some weight."

Zhu Yunhuan joked, "Some things were hard to say before, but now I can say them. Third uncle should hurry up and have a child sooner rather than later, so as to relieve my grandmother's worries."

Although Chang Sen was a little embarrassed, he still said, "Thank you for your advice, Your Highness. I am not slacking off here either, and I am also thinking about having a child."

After a brief chat, Zhu Yunxun asked, "Are there many people from Fujian and Guangdong going out to sea?"

Chang Sen replied solemnly, "Your Highness, I have seen a lot. I have also heard that many clans have children going to sea. If they have achieved some success, they will take their clan members over."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't seem to find anything strange about this. All this was indeed within his expectations, so there was naturally nothing to be surprised about.

Zhu Yunhuan knew very well that in Fujian and even some areas of Guangdong, going out to sea to make a living had a long history, and now many people's first choice was naturally to go to Southeast Asia.

Hundreds of years later, it was the same. As long as Mazu did not object, those people would pack their bags and set off. No matter if they had a visa or not, as long as they arrived at their destination, it was fine.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't intend to say much about this matter. Some things cannot be controlled at the government level.

The key is to develop the Ming Dynasty better. However, considering the huge population base of the Ming Dynasty, it is not surprising that some people want to run away.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to ask, "If those people go out to sea and come back, how have you investigated the matter?"

Chang Sen immediately replied, "Your Highness, I have checked very carefully. I have found out what kind of boat to use, which waterway to take, and how long it will take to get there. Most of those people were going to Srivijaya, but I heard that Srivijaya was destroyed last year."

Srivijaya was originally a big country in Southeast Asia, but a dynasty also has its ups and downs. Last year, Srivijaya was destroyed by Majapahit.

Listening to Chang Sen's detailed report of the situation, Zhu Yunhuan's expression became a little strange.

According to the information, some of the places they went from the Central Plains Dynasty were not just Malaysia and the Philippines, but they should have even gone to places like Malacca.

Moreover, many people who left the Central Plains dynasty did have some abilities, and some of the achievements they made made it hard to know how to evaluate them.

When Srivijaya was about to be destroyed, more than a thousand Chinese living in Srivijaya supported Liang Daoming, a native of Nanhai, Guangdong, as the King of Srivijaya. Liang Daoming led his troops to defend the northern territory of Srivijaya and fight against Majapahit.

Chen Zuyi, a Chaozhou native, fled to Southeast Asia with his family. He first joined the Bolin State of Manazhe Wuli as a general, and then proclaimed himself a chieftain. Now he claims to have hundreds of warships and over 10,000 people. Not only does he occupy the Strait of Malacca, but he also often plunders some small Southeast Asian countries. Those rulers can only surrender to Chen Zuyi and pay tribute.

Historically, Chen Zuyi was defeated by Zheng He and escorted back to the Ming Dynasty for execution. This pirate who dared to rob the Ming Dynasty fleet had it all his own fault.

As for Jiugang, it was also under the rule of the Ming Dynasty in history, and had the Jiugang Xuanweisi. However, this overseas enclave of the Ming Dynasty was also abandoned by Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Qizhen, father and son, and the Jiugang Xuanweisi was destroyed by Majapahit.

Even the Malacca Kingdom once paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty built fences and warehouses as transit stations for the fleet. Unfortunately, this was abandoned after the voyages to the West were called off.

It’s so painful to think about it. It’s such a good resource, it’s a pity to give up like this.

The farthest known destinations during Zheng He's voyages to the West were East Africa and the Red Sea. There are even many opinions that Zheng He's fleet actually reached the Cape of Good Hope.

Some even believe that Zheng He's fleet had circled the world and reached Australia, but these are very controversial.

But what is certain is that the current Ming Dynasty has the ability to organize a large fleet for ocean voyages, and there will definitely be no problem traveling to the Middle East and the Arab region.

It is not necessarily the case of Zheng He, but during the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties, there were a large number of maritime merchants, who also had some trade relations with overseas. The Middle East and the Arab region were the Maritime Silk Road.

Zhu Yunhuan was very satisfied with Chang Sen's work, and it could even be said that it was beyond his imagination a little bit, because Chang Sen was really very dedicated to this matter.

Some things can be handled with more confidence by family members, because some of Zhu Yunhuan's seemingly unreasonable and informal arrangements will also be taken to heart by his family members.

Of course, Zhu Yunhuan also understood that this was only the Chang family. Sometimes, even one's own family members might not be absolutely reliable.

"I'll take care of the arrangements. Third uncle, go back and rest for a few days." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I'll have the Jinyiwei screen the people you brought back again."

Chang Sen immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness, I'd better go and help screen them. Those merchants are the most cunning, especially the Pu family. Many of them are foreigners and have treacherous minds!"

Zhu Yunhuan did not object. Since his third uncle was willing to help with the trial, he might be able to obtain some new and useful information.

Zhu Yunhuan had definitely put in a lot of effort in preparation for the next voyage, and his preparations were very thorough, taking into account all the necessary considerations as much as possible.

Not only the route and the ship, but also the navigation technology, the destination, some information along the way, etc., were prepared as completely as possible, because he did not want any accidents to happen during this voyage.

Being more prepared is definitely not a bad thing. Zhu Yunhuan believes that it is a necessary task.

After Chang Sen left, Zhu Yunhuan said to Xia Yuanji, "The East Palace still has some money, you can go and buy some goods. It is said that a trip to the sea can often bring several times the profit, so the East Palace should not refuse it."

Xia Yuanji hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Highness, if this gets out, it might not sound good. People might say that Your Highness is amassing wealth and competing with the people for profits."

Zhu Yunhuan sneered and said, "Competing with the people for profit? Who are these people? Are they the aristocratic families, the merchants, or the common people?"

Xia Yuanji didn't know how to respond, because he knew some things, and some people just said one thing and did another. But Xia Yuanji said with some worry, "Your Highness, if we go out to sea this time, we should focus on promoting our national prestige and contacting the countries in Southeast Asia. If we go too far in business, it won't sound good."

This is true. Many people subconsciously believe that if the imperial court sends out a fleet, it must be mainly for the purpose of promoting national prestige and establishing some tribute systems of the Ming Dynasty. This is the serious matter in the eyes of some people.

If people knew that the fleet was carrying a large amount of goods, and that many of them were purchased by the Crown Prince, and that they were going there for trade and to make money, it would be a bit embarrassing.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't care and said bluntly, "If maritime trade is a good way to make money, the Ming Dynasty should pay attention to it. With more financial and tax channels, the court will be more comfortable."

Lack of money. The Ming Dynasty is very short of money now. Xia Yuanji, as the crown prince's confidant, is naturally very clear about this.

After all, Xia Yuanji is in charge of a lot of financial matters now. He is simply the future Minister of Revenue. He knows a lot of things better than others.

It now seems that the Ming Dynasty has a lot more national strength and treasury with a lot more money and grain, but sending troops costs money, and a series of large projects also require money, so most of the time the Ministry of Revenue cannot come up with more money, and it is really poor.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "If the court doesn't do these things, the merchants will do it. They won't give the money they earn to the court."

The fact that commercial taxes are too low is one thing. On the other hand, it is naturally not easy to regulate some things now.

Commercial taxes and so on are sometimes difficult to verify like grain taxes and so on. Sometimes, even if you want to verify them, it is quite difficult.

The money that should be earned must be earned. The cost of a large-scale voyage to sea is not low. Zhu Yunhuan does not want to rely solely on subsidies from the court to facilitate the voyage.

What he hoped more was to form a virtuous circle and gain sufficient benefits from going out to sea, so as to drive the Ming Dynasty to continue to explore overseas, rather than simply relying on the will of the ruler.

What he didn't want to see even more was a situation where the seemingly majestic fleet going out to sea became a burden to the imperial court.

Therefore, this time, not only the Eastern Palace will purchase some goods, but some government offices of the imperial court will also be involved, and even some nobles and merchants can get some benefits from it.

This was an attempt, and it was also something Zhu Yunhuan thought he had to do.

A steward like Xia Yuanji naturally knew what to do. He was Zhu Yunhuan's confidant, and his performance in the past two years was also good. Moreover, he was also a talent appreciated by the Minister of Revenue Yu Xin.

Therefore, it is actually more convenient to let him do and coordinate some things, and communication will be smoother.

Leave professional matters to professionals. This is Zhu Yunhuan's usual practice. He prefers to formulate strategies and let others execute them.

After a busy day, Zhu Yunxun returned to the East Palace and said, "I told Xia Yuanji that the silver in the East Palace treasury will be used to buy some things in a few days."

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "I understand. Just hand it over and enter it into the account."

Zhu Yunhuan was sometimes a hands-off boss. He really didn't worry about many things. Basically, it was Xu Miaojin who took care of things in the Eastern Palace, including some of Zhu Yunhuan's "private money".

"I'm going to the Xiaoling Mausoleum in two days, so you can't go there." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Just focus on your pregnancy now. Your parents will be happy when they find out."

Xu Miaojin did not try to be brave. Right now, she really did not need to earn performance points. She had Zhu Yunhuan's flesh and blood in her belly, which was her greatest confidence. Now she just needed to take care of the baby with peace of mind, which was also the most important thing.

Xu Miaojin also said, "I cannot go to worship my father and mother, I can only copy some filial piety scriptures to show my filial piety."

Zhu Yunhuan did not object to this. Now Xu Miaojin just took a short walk every day and occasionally handled simple affairs of the Eastern Palace.

It's not like she can do nothing at all. If she just rests all day, she'll probably be anxious. Doing something is definitely not a bad thing.

Zhu Yunhuan lazily sat on the chair and said, "My two sisters don't seem to come back as often as before these days?"

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "My sisters came back this morning and gave me a lot of things. They also advised me not to go to worship my father and mother this time."

Zhu Yunhuan was happy at this. Although his two sisters were not outstanding in their abilities, they still understood some common sense and knew what to do and what not to do.

Zhu Yunxun also laughed, "That's right, the two of them will naturally go with them. Wait until next year, and then we can bring Wen Yao over to pay homage to his grandfather and grandmother."

Xu Miaojin said worriedly, "I'm afraid the emperor won't allow it. He'll probably let Wen Yao go when he's older."

Hearing what Xu Miaojin said, Zhu Yunhuan also said, "That's right, we can only worship in Fengxian Hall first."

This is the art of speaking. It is obvious that Xu Miaojin does not want Zhu Wenyao to go to Xiaoling Mausoleum to pay homage at such a young age. But he cannot speak directly, so he uses Old Zhu as an excuse.

However, even if Old Zhu heard what she said, he would not think there was anything wrong with it. The main reason was that it was a mausoleum after all, and sometimes people would indeed feel a little taboo.

There are some things that really don't need to be considered too much now, just let it go. If the time comes, Zhu Wenyao can worship in Fengxian Temple, after all, it is the family temple. When he grows up, he can worship in person, which is also right.

When you really grow up, you have to go back to your hometown in Fengyang, especially now that you are in Yingtian Prefecture, and the future crown prince also has to do some things.

After all, the most important affairs of a country are sacrifices and wars. Sacrifices are not just for peace of mind, they are also a form of etiquette and ethics, and a proof of identity.

I talked to Xu Miaojin about some things, which was a small relaxation for me. After I came back, it was good to have someone to talk to, so I wouldn’t be alone.

While Zhu Yunhuan was resting peacefully, there were still many people busy with things and they had no time to relax.

The things that the Crown Prince has instructed us to do must be done well. For those who want to climb up, it is very important to do their job well and not let the Crown Prince down.

If you want to become a confidant or an important official, you must work hard to show yourself. After all, the last thing the Crown Prince lacks is people, and people who can get things done deserve more attention! (End of this chapter)