Ciqing Palace.

Sawdust flies and dances in the air like snowflakes. The eunuchs who were in charge of cleaning around closed their eyes and held their breath to avoid the possible damage that these sawdust could cause to them.

But there was a ten-year-old boy who wandered around as if nothing had happened.

"School brother." A soft call came from a corner in the distance.

"Mother." When Zhu Youxiao saw his mother Wang Cairen, he happily rushed out of the sawdust and snowflakes, and even took some of them away, like a hunting dog loyal to him, running with him.

However, sawdust is not an eagle dog after all, it is not a sharp tooth and claw, and it cannot even keep up with the footsteps of the little master. They soon fell to the ground, but Zhu Youxiao had already run into the darkness.

"Your father is looking for you." Wang Cairen fanned his son off the wood chips attached to his body, but some of them couldn't be cleaned, "Hey, you kid, you are also a royal noble, why do you like to do these things like to do these axes and saws to paint?" ”

"It's not that my mother doesn't know. The emperor's grandfather has never liked his father. Maybe one day, the third uncle will be a treasure. ”

"No nonsense." Wang Cairen reprimanded sternly, such things related to the throne can actually be said nonsense.

"What can't be said? My father wasn't ready to fight him. Let me learn some carpentry, so that I can earn money to support my fifth brother in the future. In the future, there is no one at home who knows how to protect the lintel. ”

Wang Cairen's face was even more ugly, but her rebuke sounded more like the singing of a yellow bird, and it was not lethal in front of her clever and clever son.

In the end, she didn't have much anger, and finally turned into a sigh. The Emperor's House, is this kind of thing still missing?

Her husband is also the crown prince, but Emperor Wanli has always wanted Zhu Changxun, the third son born to Concubine Zheng Guifei, to inherit the throne. has been fighting for the national capital for more than ten years, and the dust has not settled until now.

Even though Zhu Changluo is already the crown prince, in the eyes of Wang Cairen and many outsiders, the blessed king Zhu Changxun is closer to the throne of the Ninety-Five Emperor than him.

She had such an opinion, and it would be a little strange if there was a time-traveler by her side.

Although the battle for the national capital has not yet been completely settled, isn't the blessed king Zhu Changxun already over? What other ability does a prince who has left Jingshi have to threaten the status of the crown prince?

If she really heard the words of the traverser, she would definitely be furious, Rao is usually very good-tempered, and she would also scold angrily: "When will King Fu leave Beijing and become a vassal?" Are you waiting to open your eyes and tell nonsense? Or do you bully me, a woman in the palace, who doesn't know what's going on outside? ”

The traversers must have shouted that they were wronged: "According to the information we have, Zhu Changxun, the king of Fu, should have left Beijing on May 2, 1614 in the 42nd year of Wanli, and on May 2, 1614 in the Gregorian calendar. How could it be wrong? ”

Although Wang Cairen didn't know what the Gregorian calendar was, she was sure that King Fu was in the capital. The reason why Zhu Youxiao's father was looking for him was precisely because King Fu sent someone to report, saying that he was going to come to visit the day after tomorrow.

The traversers will not believe this fact, but this is the truth.

"School brother." When the crown prince Zhu Changluo saw his son being brought over, he said expressionlessly, "Your imperial uncle is coming to our Ciqing Palace as a guest." ”

Zhu Youxiao let go of his mother's hand and said, "I guessed, he will come at this time every year." ”

"But this time it's different. Ye Xianggao couldn't send him there, and the new Fang Congzhe didn't have that ability. ”

Zhu Youxiao knew what his father was worried about, but he had been clever since he was a child, and immediately reminded his father: "The child doesn't know what his father means? As long as the imperial uncle is in Beijing, the gentlemen of Donglin will not give up the attack. The Zhejiang Party left by Shen still has a certain foundation, and it will not easily admit to the matter of fighting for the country. Ye Xianggao is good, and Fang Congzhe is also good. Even if you are the first assistant, it is impossible to disobey the will of the ministers. Otherwise, how could Ye Xianggao be swept away under the impeachment of Qi Shijiao? ”

"Yes." Zhu Changluo said, "The ministers still support me. After all, I am the eldest son of the emperor. ”

"It's not because my father is the eldest son of the emperor, but because my father is easier to deal with than my third uncle."

When Zhu Changluo heard his son say this, he was immediately stunned.

"What? I'm easier to deal with than your Third Emperor Uncle? ”

"These Wenchen, I wish the emperor was easy to deal with, so they could engage in their own small actions in private. Therefore, my father must not be too public, but should put on the appearance of being bullied everywhere. ”

Zhu Changluo is used to being honest, and he really can't accept his son's logic for a while. But he vaguely felt that what his son said was right.

So he complimented, "My son is so bright." It's a pity that being a father may not be able to win you the supreme position. ”

Zhu Youxiao said with a smile: "The child only wants to be a carpenter, as for the supreme position, I am fortunate to have it, and I have lost my life, that's it." ”

Zhu Changluo sighed: "It's a pity, some people definitely don't think so." ”

As he spoke, he looked at the outside of Ciqing Palace.

"Ahh Zhu Changxun was checking the accounts, but for some reason he suddenly sneezed, and muttered without thinking, "Who is thinking about me?" ”

The old eunuch on the side laughed: "Who else can there be?" Naturally, it's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. ”

"What does the royal brother want me to do? Father's Spring and Autumn Period is already high, what he should think about more is not the ninety-five position? ”

"If you don't go out of Beijing to become a vassal, he just got the position of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, I'm afraid he won't be able to sit down in his heart."

Zhu Changxun sighed and said: "I am only interested in gold and silver merchants, and I am not interested in the ninety-five position. Big brother should know. ”

The old eunuch laughed with a grin, causing Zhu Changxun to ask, "What are you laughing at?" ”

The old eunuch said: "Your Highness, I know that you are sincere in what you say, but the question is, does anyone believe it?" ”

Zhu Changxun sighed helplessly and said, "That's it." Don't mention it. ”

I saw him casually drop the ledger in his hand and quickly turn to the back of the screen. There, several maids were ready to change his clothes.

It's just that ordinary people wouldn't have thought that the dignified Ming Dynasty's Fu Wangye, the emperor's most favored son, asked the subordinates to prepare the clothes for her to be dressed as an innkeeper.

"I'll go to the shop outside Chongwenmen." Zhu Changxun, who was dressed properly, explained to the old eunuch and was about to go out, but he heard the old eunuch behind him ask: "There are hundreds of shops in the capital, why does the prince want to go outside Chongwenmen?" ”

Zhu Changxun turned around and explained, "I forgot to tell you." Wang Fu, who was sent to the White Lotus Sect to go undercover a few years ago, suddenly came to Beijing today. Eighty percent of the people who accompanied him were from the White Lotus Sect. I am very interested in the purpose of their visit to Beijing. The one in particular, called Corning, made me feel a sense of familiarity. ”

The old eunuch nodded silently and took all the words to heart.

Seeing that the old eunuch was no longer silent, Zhu Changxun knew that he just wanted to ask about the reason for his abnormality, so that he could immediately think of a targeted solution when he had a situation.

There are very few eunuchs in the entire palace who observe meticulously like this. This man was specially given to him by his father.

Putting this aside, what Zhu Changxun has to do every day is also inseparable from Emperor Wanli's entrustment.

Although the Ming Dynasty often boasted that it was a superior country, the land was vast and rich. But the treasury can starve rats to death. Otherwise, Zhang Juzheng would not have learned from Wang Anshi to carry out reforms. The situation in the Northern Song Dynasty is actually similar to that of the Ming Dynasty, but the rats in the treasury of the Northern Song Dynasty can still "run and walk", while the counterparts in the treasury of the Ming Dynasty are sent to the ground.

So, who robbed these "big rats" of their jobs? Naturally, that is the "big rat" in the bureaucratic system.

Successive dynasties have never relaxed the control of corruption. However, it had little effect, and Zhu Yuanzhang's peeling and grass failed to stop it, which shows that the scholars at that time still regarded "fat wife" as the main purpose of being an official.

Since it was difficult to make a substantial breakthrough in this area, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, especially Wanli, who had the most serious financial crisis, came up with a lot of ghost ideas.

Whether it is to store gold and silver treasures under the palace or the upcoming mining tax system, it is an attempt made by the Wanli Emperor. However, Emperor Wanli was stunned to find that his financial talent was far inferior to that of his son Zhu Changxun.

So under the instruction of Wanli, Zhu Changxun began to carry out tentative business activities in various fields. Whether it is a store that is clearly set up or a business that is run privately, the profits are often shared between father and son.

Zhu Changxun, the blessed king, also pulled the heart of Emperor Wanli in this way.

But now Zhu Changxun is not thinking about how to create a new business field to continue to win over his father, but with that person in his head.

Corning.

Zhu Changxun has been pretending to be a shopkeeper since he was a teenager. And his shop involves all aspects, so there are many people to deal with.

This allowed him to develop a rare ability to recognize people in the clan.

After Wang Fu confided his true identity to him, he became more and more interested in this leader of the White Lotus Sect.

Although he couldn't explain to himself why he felt this way.

However, if there is a person who does not look like you, but you can give yourself the illusion of looking in the mirror, shouldn't you dig deeper?

"Shopkeeper." Seeing Zhu Changxun coming, the shopkeeper stepped forward to report, "Kang Ning and his party have returned." It's easy to look at the expression. I think it's done. ”

"That's it." Zhu Changxun nodded, indicating that he had taken it off, and then asked, "Then, has that Wang Fu come back?" ”

"It's back. We're waiting for you at the counter. It is said that I want to discuss with you some practices of Huizhou cuisine. ”

Zhu Changxun smiled, Kangning's Huizhou dish, maybe it really has to be done well.