In the forty-first year, Zhu Jianshen was originally going to inspect Nanzhou with the Nanzhou inspection team, but the prince died of illness, which delayed his trip.

It wasn't until he was filial piety in a year that he embarked on a journey overseas again, but this time not to Nanzhou, but to Dongzhou.

For the royal family, the importance of Dongzhou was far greater than that of Nanzhou, because Nanzhou was mainly a fief of the clan and nobles. Dongzhou, on the other hand, is a complete Ming territory, and the feudal lords here are all royal descendants.

Only a few islands in Dongzhou have been divided, and the rest of the continent does not have any noble fiefdoms.

Such a huge piece of land, according to the new weights and measures standard of the Ming Dynasty, the total area of the two continents in the north and south of this land has reached more than 44 million square kilometers, far exceeding the 25 million square kilometers of the Ming Dynasty itself.

In contrast, most of the 7 million square kilometers of Nanzhou are deserts and wastelands, and their importance is far lower than that of Dongzhou.

Nowadays, there is a proverb in the Ming Dynasty: Dongzhou is stable, and the world is stable.

However, Zhu Jianshen knew very well that if going to Nanzhou was a gilded trip, then choosing Dongzhou for the first time as a grandson was a difficult trip.

The clans and nobles of Nanzhou restrain each other, and they are very close to the Ming Dynasty, so all the families dare not disobey any policies of the imperial court.

But there is only a prince in Dongzhou, and there is only one governor's palace and two admiral's palaces in the imperial court. The imperial court does not have all levels of government offices here, so the princes here do not have a fuel-efficient lamp.

Even if they know that they have no chance to ascend to the big treasure, they have no worries about their status, and they are not afraid of Zhu Jianshen's complaints, so no one can say what kind of attitude they will face Zhu Jianshen.

Zhu Jianshen was also helpless with these imperial uncles, because except for the imperial ancestor, none of these imperial uncles could speak well, let alone him, a junior.

He, a junior, was already in a weak position in the face of these feudal overseas imperial uncles without the absolute authorization of the emperor and when he did not ascend to the throne.

Of course, Zhu Zhanji will not give him absolute authorization, this trip to Dongzhou was originally to increase Zhu Jianshen's experience in handling things.

Zhu Jianshen also understood this, so his attitude on this envoy was very correct.

First of all, you can't fall into the face of your grandson, and secondly, you must let all the imperial uncles know that this nephew is not a waste.

For this mission, he brought with him most of the subordinate officials of the Jamesburg Mansion, including Peng Shi, who was the deputy assistant of the cabinet, the Jamesburg James, and also his teacher.

Peng Shi has been the champion and the first in the orthodox twenty-five years and has entered the official career. In general, he served the country diligently, was upright and upright, tried to uphold justice, preserved the general situation, was not afraid of the powerful, and spoke out.

In terms of personal morality, he never talks about political affairs with his children, and he does not let the parties know about any arguments or recommendations. There is no laziness in living in peace on weekdays, and his daily life is very frugal, he does not like to sing and dance, and he has the demeanor of an ancient minister.

In today's court, although he is slightly inferior to Qian in terms of reputation and is a step away from the Zhen period, he is known as the new three heroes with Li Xian and Shang.

Of course, this new Sanjie is only relative to Yu Qian, who is already over sixty years old, and in fact, Peng Shi is now fifty-one years old.

Departing from Otenfu, we arrived in Toei Edo in five days.

In the thirteenth year of orthodoxy, the eighteen-year-old Prince Akihito of Dongying was escorted back to Dongying after being married by Zhu Zhanji.

Although Mingren was allowed to return to Dongying to govern, the Ming Dynasty still added many restrictions to the Dongying royal family. For example, in the future, the princess of Dongying must marry from the noble class of the Ming Dynasty, for example, the children of the royal family of Dongying must be educated in the Ming Dynasty.

Akihito's wife is Yang Qing, the granddaughter of Yang Rong, the former secretary of the Ministry of War, Yang Qing has been smart since childhood, and she is a famous talented woman in the Ming Dynasty, with the same long flower and moon appearance.

After Akihito and Yang Qing got married, they respected each other like guests, and the two had a total of eight children, all of whom survived.

After each child is six years old, he is sent to the Ming Dynasty to study, except for the son, who can return to Dongying at the age of eighteen.

However, most of them were reluctant to return to poor Dongying, and were willing to stay in Daming as a rich man.

Now the four daughters who have grown up are all married to the Ming Xungui family.

Almost everyone in the world knows that Akihito is actually Zhu Zhanji's species, but this is only an open secret.

The original Dongying royal family is now withering badly, except for the lineage, the rest of the branches have declined.

Moreover, Zhu Zhanji was very good to this son, and when Akihito returned to Toei to govern himself, he built a new palace for Akihito in Edo, so that he did not have to face the complicated situation in Kyoto.

In recent years, Akihito has been focusing on Edo and vigorously developing his own forces, although there are still some opponents in Toei, but none of them have become a climate.

Moreover, the major names of Dongying are all looking forward to the Ming Dynasty, and their support for Akihito is naturally great. His throne is much more stable than Zhu Jianshen's grandson.

After Toei moved its capital to Edo, it was renamed Tokyo. Relying on the Edo Plain, vigorously developing agriculture and commerce, although the current grain is still not self-sufficient, but with the support of the Ming Dynasty, there is no risk of food shortage.

Moreover, Dongying vigorously develops the export of labor services, and the children of Dongying are the favorite laborers of the Ming Dynasty. They are disciplined and hardworking, and they are the most popular, whether in the mine or in the factory.

These people can bring back a large amount of gold and silver to Dongying every year, so that Dongying's economic development will rise steadily.

There is no shortage of food, the economy is improving, the people are living a stable life, and Akihito, the king of Toei, is also loved by the people.

When Zhu Jianshen came to Edo, Akihito personally went to the port to greet him, and Zhu Jianshen saw that the people of Toei showed their respect for Akihito by kneeling.

Nowadays, except for formal occasions, it is no longer popular to bow down in the Ming Dynasty, but in Dongying, the people here are still used to this.

From the port to the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Zhu Jianshen saw that the shops on both sides of the street were basically Chinese signs. Although it is not as prosperous as Yingtianfu, and most of the houses are wooden, at a cursory glance, there is almost no difference from the Ming Dynasty's mansion.

"Master Peng, in your opinion, how long will it take for this Dongying to be fully sinicized?"

Peng Shi, who was looking out of the car window, retracted his gaze and said with a smile: "This mainly depends on the needs of Daming." …… Today's Ming Dynasty needs a labor output place, and it needs a territory that shows that the Ming Dynasty is advanced, slightly inferior to the Ming Dynasty, but full of hope. If you wait until the Ming Dynasty has more vassal states like Dongying, in order to show the favor of the Ming Dynasty, Dongying will be directly included in the rule. ”

"That is, everything is in the service of politics?"

Peng Shi nodded and said: "In addition, it also depends on economic development, if Dongying will not become a burden to Daming, it is natural to merge Dongying into Daming." ”

"If that time comes, I'm afraid Dongying won't be willing to merge into Daming, right?"

Peng Shi nodded and said, "So, it depends on the vision and means of the people in power." If Dongying's potential is sufficient, of course, it must be held before their economy develops. His Majesty is now vigorously promoting educational reform in Daming, the purpose of which is to make Daming's economy, science and technology, and take a leading position.

It's not so easy to be a world leader. It is not only necessary for those in power to be sober at all times, but also to maintain a sense of pressure at all times. Your Highness, it is difficult to fight the country, and it is even more difficult to sit on the country.

His Majesty spent 40 years to develop the Ming Dynasty into the most advanced country in the world, and it took 40 years to form the power structure of the Ming Dynasty, Dongzhou, Nanzhou, and Xizhou, and it took another 40 years to form a progressive level of civilization between the Ming Dynasty and the subject countries.

And you, with the expectations of His Majesty and the pressure of the foreign vassals, need to do all that needs to be done to maintain the existing balance. So, you don't need to show your talent, you don't need to show your excellence, the only thing you need to show is your balance. ”

Zhu Jianshen nodded, and sighed again: "The emperor raised the starting point too high, which made me feel more stressed......"

The royal palace in Dongying was personally determined by Zhu Zhanji and presided over the construction of the palace. Located in the heart of Tokyo, the Imperial Palace is surrounded by water and covers an area that is only slightly smaller than the Imperial Palace.

However, in terms of the regulations of the royal palace, it was still built according to the regulations of the county palace, but later, after the increase of the number of princes, several annexes were built under the regulations of the prince's palace.

Zhu Jianshen was arranged in the 30th year of orthodoxy, and Zhu Zhanji lived in the West Imperial Garden when he arrived in Tokyo, and after a little freshening, he was welcomed to the main hall by Akihito.

The grandson enjoyed the rules of the prince, and Akihito, the outer king, originally belonged to the prince of the county, but because of Dongying's special status, he was promoted to the prince, and he was the highest status among the kings of the Ming Dynasty.

So at this time, there were no outsiders, and it was the junior Zhu Jianshen who took the lead in saluting Akihito, and Akihito accepted half a salute and returned the salute.

Akihito knew from a very young age that he was actually His Majesty's own son, and when he was a child, he was a little envious of his other brothers, because they could all call their father and emperor without any scruples, while he could only call His Majesty.

However, because of this, His Majesty has been a little more merciful to him since he was a child. And he studied with other brothers since he was a child, and if they bullied him, his father always stood by his side.

When he grew up, he knew his responsibilities and was even more glad about his identity.

Because even if other brothers are crowned kings, they don't have power, but they are a veritable prince who holds great power.

In Dongying, he is a veritable one-handed coverer.

Over the years, he has also been lost in power. However, he married a good wife, and with the assistance of his wife, he had more and more power in his hands, but he was not corrupted by power.

He is very aware of his responsibilities, and over the years, he has not only spared no effort to promote Han culture, but also moved closer to the Ming Dynasty.

Because of the strength of the Ming Dynasty, because of the relaxation and inclination of the Ming policy after his pro-government, the people of Dongying began to live better, and they no longer had to go hungry, and he easily won the support of the Daimyo and the people of Dongying.

He is very aware of the predicament that his nephew is facing now, his grandfather is too capable, Uncle Wang is too much, he is young, and his prestige is not high.

It is not an easy thing to get the approval of more than 70 Uncle Wang.

And, more importantly, he believed that none of his brothers wanted a capable heir, because the more capable the heir, the less room those brothers could get.

If it is an ordinary heir who can't restrain them, that's the best result.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for Taisun's trip to Dongzhou to have a good result.

He didn't know if Zhu Jianshen had seen this clearly, anyway, these were none of his business, the relationship between Dongying and Daming was stable, not like Dongzhou.

He doesn't need to tie up with Zhu Jianshen, who has not yet ascended the throne, even if Zhu Jianshen is on the throne, he needs to come to him first, and he doesn't need him to tie up Zhu Jianshen.

Zhu Jianshen actually knew this very well in his heart, so in the face of this Uncle Wang, he showed great respect.

Because the basic national policy between Daming and Dongying will not change greatly, there is not much interest between this Uncle Wang and him, he just needs to let this Uncle Wang know that he knows the balance between the two countries very well in his heart.

He doesn't need to be too flamboyant and express himself too much. Because the emperor's health is still very good, in his opinion, for more than ten years, he does not need to face the throne directly, and he has enough time to enrich himself.

With a clear understanding of this aspect, the two sides naturally get along much more harmoniously.

Zhu Jianshen spent three days in Tokyo, gaining an in-depth understanding of Toei's current agricultural, industrial, and economic priorities, and completing his inspection of Toei.

It wasn't until he was about to board the ship, saying goodbye in the harbor, that he made a slight gesture of favor to Akihito. "King Dongying, my nephew has been presiding over the work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for many years, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs is preparing to increase the cultivation and capture of seafood on Ezo Island, but Dongying's industry is backward, because of the shortage of resources, it is not easy to develop. My nephew thinks that a little more support for seafood farming and fishing is a good idea. ”

Akihito looked down on this benefit, glanced at the black smoke on the Yongle, and said, "Dongying is short of resources, but Nanzhou is not lacking. If the Ministry of Internal Affairs allows Dongying to directly import resources from Nanzhou without going through the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, then I will accept your favor. ”

Zhu Jian groaned for a while, but still shook his head and said: "Using the Internal Affairs Office to control the overall economic balance in the Ming Territory is the issue that the Emperor has always attached the most importance to. Although the nephew can do some convenience in some small things, he can't call the shots in this regard. ”

Akihito nodded and said, "Then I can only have the opportunity to go to Daming and ask His Majesty directly." ”

Zhu Jianshen hesitated for a moment and asked: "King Dongying, buying goods from the hands of the Internal Affairs Office is not much more expensive than you buying them directly, why do you want to think about trading directly?" ”

Akihito shook his head and said with a smile: "It's true that forming my own fleet to go to Nanyang and Nanzhou to transport resources can't save much silver than from the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but you forgot, so that I can form a fleet, and at least 100,000 people can directly benefit, and millions of people will live a better life." ”

Until Zhu Jianshen boarded the Yongle, he was still thinking about this issue. "Master Peng, the industrial adjustment plan mentioned by King Dongying doesn't seem to have any loss to the Ming Dynasty, but why would the Emperor Ancestor insist on letting it go through the hands of the Internal Affairs Office?"

"His Royal Highness Taisun, as a ruler, economic issues cannot be ignored, but they are never the most important!"

At this moment, Zhu Jianshen suddenly realized. This time, he also completely saw the difficulties of his uncles, a king of Dongying who did not have too many conflicts of interest with him, and he still wanted to pit him from time to time to obtain more benefits for himself.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs controls the economy and will never give up this power as long as it is in its own hands.

It's not about profit, it's about domination.

The Yongle continued to travel northeastward, and Zhu Jianshen had been studying the conflicts of interest between the various uncles in Dongzhou during this time.

As the grandson, the intelligence system of the Consultation Department, the General Administration Department, and Jinyiwei is all open to him, and any information can be queried.

And after each dispute, what interests and grievances are involved, after Peng Shi's analysis, he explained it to Zhu Jianshen in detail.

Of course, this is just Peng Shi's job, and Zhu Jianshen needs to make his own analysis of everything he knows, and then count it into a book, which Peng Shi will comment on, and finally be bound up, and after he comes back, he will be handed over to Zhu Zhanji for reading.

This Ming Dynasty is not the Ming Dynasty that was distorted by Confucianism in history, and the inheritance and education of the emperor have strict procedures and systems.

From the royal education when he was a child, until he entered the public university to receive education as an adult, and then there was the ideological education from the perspective of various rulers, and the horizons were broadened.

As long as you are not an idiot, after receiving such an educational process, you will basically not be mediocre.

Although Zhu Jianshen is not well-known now, it is not because he is mediocre, but because he has no opportunity to perform.

In the past, the prince was alive, he was just a grandson, of course, he had to keep a low profile.

But now that the crown prince is dead, Zhu Zhanji has given him a stage to perform, and he can't help but stand up.

However, nothing is so simple, even if he wants to express himself, to what extent, what kind of personality to reveal, these need to be considered holistically.

In June of the 42nd year of Yongle, Zhu Jianshen arrived in Laizhou Mansion.

This Laizhou Mansion is not the Laizhou Mansion of Shandong, but the Alaska of later generations. The fiefdom of Laizhou belonged to King Lai. This Zhu Zhanji's sixty-four sons belonged to the prince who was not taken seriously because of the early death of his mother.

He was sealed in this bitter cold place, and he did not complain too much, but according to Zhu Zhanji's instructions, he developed fisheries and exploration, and basically relied on imports for grain.

Alaska is a famous gold mining area in later generations, and Laizhou Mansion seems to be desolate, but over the years, King Lai, with his 3,000 guards and their families, has lived a more comfortable life than many princes by fishing and mining.

Moreover, this place is the closest to Daming, and every three or five times, they can take the opportunity to transport seafood and furs to Daming to sell and return to Daming to enjoy a few days of Qingfu.

The location of Lae Chau is in the later Anchorage because it is a natural harbor and because of the influence of the Pacific Ocean Current, which makes the climate better than other places.

With the experience of Dongying, in the face of Uncle Lai Wang, who had been complaining, Zhu Jianshen did not dare to make the slightest promise.

It is right to show favor to these uncles, but there must not be any promises that have too much impact. Otherwise, if you promise one person, there will be more than seventy of them behind!

Don't suffer from widowhood but suffer from inequality, promise a family, don't promise a family, that's the real offense.

Along the coastline of Dongzhou all the way to the south, Zhu Jianshen, who came to Dongzhou for the first time, saw the magnificent scenery of Dongzhou at the same time, but also saw the different performances of various uncles.

Benefiting from the strict inheritance regulations, these uncles have no chance to become a treasure, they have no expectations, and naturally they don't have too much jealousy of this nephew, so they naturally won't be embarrassed.

It's nothing more than that some Uncle Wang wants benefits and has a closer attitude, and some Uncle Wang has no desires and no desires, so they are naturally colder.

However, no matter what, Zhu Jianshen clearly felt the benefits brought to him by the Ming inheritance regulations this time.

In the tenth year of orthodoxy, Zhu Zhanji revised the law of the Ming Dynasty for the first time, and determined the uniqueness of the inheritance laws of the Ming Dynasty.

In this order, only the eldest son has the irreplaceable right of inheritance, and the other children have the right to inherit property.

Yes, children. For the first time, Zhu Zhanji determined that women also have the right to inherit, and even in some families, women also have the right to inherit titles after the men are extinct.

However, when it comes to the generation of women's children, the title cannot be renewed. The patrilineal inheritance of the East cannot be changed.

When there is no heir in the first line, there is no right of inheritance in any collateral lineage.

This completely cut off the rationality of other collateral families to obtain inheritance rights by force, and also made the princes of each family lose the reason to fight.

Thirty years have passed, and now the civil inheritance laws of the Ming Dynasty have also followed the royal family, and the equal division of family property has become a common practice, which is nothing more than the inheritance of the eldest son and eldest grandson.

With this death clause, other princes thought that Zhu Di rebelled and obtained the throne at that time, and it was not recognized. Moreover, Zhu Zhanji has too many sons, seventy-nine sons have been crowned kings, and there are still seventy-four still alive.

When they became adults, they were sent to Dongzhou, and they had no power in the Ming Dynasty, and no one had a chance to compete for the throne.

By the time the winter of the forty-second year of Yongle came, Zhu Jianshen finally finished patrolling the major state capitals on the west coast of the North Continent of Dongzhou with the inspection team, and arrived at the Governor City of Dongzhou.

Although it was already winter, the Governor's City was like summer all year round, and Yang Dao put on the most solemn etiquette to welcome Zhu Jianshen, the grandson who came to Dongzhou for the first time.

I hadn't seen Yang Dao, the governor of Dongzhou, for five years, and when I met again, Yang Dao's hair was much grayer, but his body was still strong.

In the face of the most famous naval commander of the empire, Zhu Jianshen did not dare to have the slightest arrogance. Not to mention his merits, just because his son married Princess Yongheng, he would be two generations higher than him Zhu Jianshen.

Even Peng Shi, when facing this old handsome, was very humble.

When he was born, Yang Dao had already joined the army, he was still studying, and Yang Dao had already become a naval commander.

The earliest coastal map of Dongzhou was drawn by Yang Dao and his army. In the face of this old handsome, no one has the qualifications to be arrogant.

Yang Dao obviously already knew what Zhu Jianshen had done after he came to Dongzhou, and he was quite satisfied with the performance of this grandson.

A grandson, after coming to Dongzhou, he is not arrogant because of his identity, whether he is facing the people or facing the prince, he is neither humble nor arrogant, and he acts in moderation, which His Majesty has taught well.

"Your Highness, the officers and men of the Dongzhou Navy are very much looking forward to the arrival of His Highness, and now that the Governor's Canal is wide open, the soldiers on duty in the canal are looking forward to His Highness's parade."