"The old man didn't say anything, did he?"

"Did you and your son blame me?"

"Is the second child really paralyzed, I heard that it is very serious, and he can't move."

At the gate of the East Palace, Zhang, who had long known that his son's husband was coming back today, took his daughter-in-law Tag Elis, who had just entered the palace, and looked forward to the direction of the door.

When he saw Zhu Fatpang and Zhu Zhangui walking in, he hurriedly greeted him, his mouth was like a machine gun, and he asked several questions.

Zhu Chupang looked at his daughter-in-law's expectant eyes, shook his head helplessly, and walked to the house with his back hand.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?"

"The meal is ready, it's ready to eat!"

"Also, tomorrow when the eldest grandson comes back, do you want to prepare a little more preparation for the lesson, and teach him tomorrow."

It's a pity that no matter how Zhang asked, Zhu Fatpang didn't pay attention to her, just silently walked into the study and closed the door.

"What's wrong with your father?"

Seeing that her husband ignored her, Zhang thought something had happened, and came to Zhu Zhangui's side and asked in a whisper.

"My dad may be in a good mood and hasn't come back to his senses for a while!"

"I'm in a good mood, although it's a good thing that the second child is paralyzed, but this thing can't be shown on the face, so that your grandfather should be angry when he sees it."

Zhu Zhangui shook his head, looked left and right, and saw that only Tag Elis was beside him, so he leaned into his mother's ear and whispered.

"It's not just about the second uncle, when I came back in the morning, my grandfather said in front of several of us that he would be the family for another year next year, and let my father succeed him the year after."

"In other words, my dear mother, my son will be able to call you the queen mother in the next year."

Zhang covered his mouth in surprise, looked at Zhu Zhangui in disbelief, and asked in a low voice in the lowest voice.

"Is your grandfather really going to retire?"

Zhu Zhangui nodded seriously, holding his mother's hand with one hand and Tag Elis with the other, and whispered as he walked towards the restaurant.

"The matter of the second uncle has stimulated my grandfather a lot, and coupled with the great achievements of my grandfather during his reign, my grandfather has no regrets in his heart."

"Actually, my grandfather mentioned this a few years ago, but after mentioning it, I never talked about it again, and my father and I thought that the old man deliberately ignored it, and he didn't dare to think about it."

"But I didn't expect Grandpa to say it directly today, and many palace people and guards around heard this, it seems that Grandpa is true this time."

"Whew!"

Hearing his son's analysis, Zhang exhaled heavily, it has been more than ten years and nearly 20 years, and her husband has finally come out.

understood the reason, she was unhappy just now when her husband ignored her, and she was directly left behind.

After being married for so many years, she knows very well how bitter her husband is, and now that she is bitter, it is normal for her to not accept it for a while.

When he came to the restaurant, Zhang asked the maid to take the plate, and while picking up the dishes, he said to the two: "You guys eat first, I'll go and bring some food to your father, I've traveled so far, how can I do it without eating something."

Zhu Zhangui nodded, and sat down for dinner under the service of Tag Elis.

After eating a few bites, and waiting for his mother to load, Zhu Zhangui looked at Tag Elis, who was waiting for him next to him, and squeezed his eyes at his mother, who was already about to leave.

It's been almost a year, so I guess it's about the same.

At first, Zhang didn't understand what his son meant, but when he saw his son's eyes, he kept skimming Tag Elis, and instantly understood the meaning.

Rolling his eyes angrily, Zhang reached out and poked Zhu Zhangui's head.

"Just like your father!"

"Although you can, you must also pay attention to moderation, the body is the most important."

After speaking, he glanced at Tag Elis, who was next to him and didn't understand what it meant, and walked down the study with a plate and a smile.

Today is really a good thing for Donggong.

The second child who has been against Donggong is paralyzed, and the son who has been fighting outside has also returned, husband

After more than ten years, I finally came out, and the family added another population, which is simply four joys.

Zhang, who originally learned that the second child was paralyzed and was still very worried that the old man would punish her husband and son, instantly relaxed.

"By the way, mother, the second aunt will come over from the fiefdom in a few days, and then you go over to appease it, after all, it has come to this point, and the previous grievances and grievances will be over."

"And when you talk, don't laugh out loud without holding back, everyone will be embarrassed."

Zhang, who was about to walk out the door, nodded.

"Don't worry, my mother has managed the harem for so many years, and she is not the kind of person who has no brains, I know what to do."

In the next few days, as Zhu Zhangui expected, the news that Zhu Fatpang was about to inherit the throne the year after tomorrow quickly spread throughout the capital.

Hearing this news, many people have very mixed feelings.

If there is no new learning, the civil and official groups will definitely celebrate.

But since the new school threatened the status of Confucianism, the civil and official groups were slightly dissatisfied with the prince who did not oppose the establishment of the new school, and even faintly supported it.

But what about dissatisfaction?

This is the national policy set by the old man, and the century-old cause promoted by the grandson is also faintly supported by His Royal Highness the Prince.

Three generations work together, and unless the civil servants have the ability to change the dynasty, they will not be able to shake this national policy at all.

Originally, some officials were already planning to go to the King of Han, thinking of increasing the power of the King of Han, fighting against the crown prince, and seeing if they could turn the tables around.

But now that the King of Han is paralyzed and has withdrawn from the duel on the throne, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has no competitors at all.

As for Lord Zhao, okay.

Many people are not optimistic about him, and no one even thinks about him at all.

Zhu Gaosui: I'm also a prince anyway, can't you have some confidence in me?

Now that the old man is planning to abdicate, the matter that the crown prince is about to become a new generation of emperors has been completely condemned.

Although the officials have their own thoughts on this, they can't change it, and they can only hope that the influence of their side can affect the prince, and don't pay too much attention to the new learners.

In the past few days, there are many people who want to go to the East Palace to meet and worship the mountain in advance.

They can't do it in the snow, and they still have to take the last train with the icing on the cake.

In the face of these officials' visits, Zhu Fatpang didn't see any of them, and they all found various reasons to postpone it.

In the end, he directly announced to the public that he would go to the ancestral temple to fast and meditate to prepare for the big sacrifice at the end of the year.

Zhu Panpang even told Zhu Zhangui that if there is no need, try not to contact the officials.

The more cautious it is at this time, otherwise the old man will feel that this is the father and son who thought it was a foregone conclusion and began to float.

Zhu Panpang's actions, although the old man didn't say anything, but from the old man providing Zhu Panpang with warm vegetables, it can be seen that he is very satisfied with his eldest son's actions.

Zhu Zhangui has not seen the minister in the past few days, except for the second aunt's family when they came, they went to greet him, and Zhu Zhangui spent most of his time in the craftsman camp, studying the problems of steam engines with those masters.

After several years of research, as well as the experience of the ironclad steam engine, the fourth generation of Daming train locomotive was officially finalized.

The shape and structure of the locomotive are exactly the same as the locomotives in the industrial age materials that Zhu Zhangui saw.

The reason why it is the 4th generation is because the first three generations are only experimental products at short distances, and the 4th generation is officially on the road.

The first three generations were not used, and there are various reasons for this.

The first generation is not able to do anything, there is no speed, there is no transportation power, there is no transportation capacity, except for the novelty, it is a kind of goods.

The second generation is equipped on ironclad battleships, but due to the lack of experience in air pressure, it is easy to burst if it is not controlled well, and it is too dangerous to produce it on a large scale.

And the 3rd generation was ready to be put on the horse some time ago, and it turned out that in the first two days of the trial, the craftsman camp was there

When I did the inspection, I found a problem again.

The 4th generation is the current generation.

After hundreds of masters worked day and night, it took more than a month to finally set the 4th generation steam locomotive.

The locomotive weighs 22 tons, and the maximum peak speed of the empty car can reach 60 kilometers per hour, if the transportation of personnel, the speed is about 50 kilometers per hour, and if the goods are full, it may be reduced to more than 30 to more than 40.

However, Zhu Zhangui is also satisfied with this.

Everything is studied from generation to generation, and you can't eat a big fat person in one bite.

At the current level of these masters, it is still no problem to fiddle with the steam engine, but if you throw an internal combustion engine at them, they will definitely be at a loss.

"Your Highness, what did the minister say to you, how did you think about it!"

Xia Yuanji, who bet on Zhu Zhangui today, looked at the steam engine that was gradually taking shape in the busyness of various masters on the track, asked in a low voice, holding the drawings in one hand, and pointing to Zhu Zhangui assembled by the masters.

Zhu Zhangui was unhappy with this guy.

"Old Xia, don't think about it, I won't merge the craftsman battalion into the Ministry of Industry."

At the beginning of this year, Song Li, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, was recuperating due to illness, and Zhu Fatpang did not find a replacement for a while, so he let Xia Yuanji lead the first place.

Because of this, Xia Yuanji became the first person in the Yongle Dynasty to receive two Shangshu positions.

The reason why this guy is in charge of two is because since the rise of the craftsman battalion, the Ministry of Industry has become a dispensable existence.

Most of the craftsmen in the country were recruited by Zhu Zhangui, and the Ministry of Industry was almost dug up.

Now the entire Ministry of Industry, except for those few officials, has become an empty shelf.

Don't say that others, including the old man, give orders to the craftsman camp for everything.

Like the manufacture of armor and water conservancy transformation, as well as the construction of cities in various places, all of them are done by artisan battalions.

Over time, there was only one left on the Ministry of Works, repairing houses for the royal family and the magnates, and no one was looking for them for other errands.

In fact, even if they did, no one would do it.

The previous Song Li, because of the craftsman camp, was blocked and fell ill directly, and in the end he couldn't get angry, so he went home directly.

He's not playing anymore.

Since the establishment of the artisan battalion under Zhu Zhanguigui, the idea of this old goods is to send the craftsmen's income to the Ministry of Industry.

As a result, it has been a few years, and not only has the craftsman camp not been dug up, but the Ministry of Industry is almost empty.

There are rumors among the people that he is the most useless Ministry of Industry in the history of China.

The excitement of the gossip outside, as well as being laughed at by other colleagues every day, Song Li, an elderly man, naturally couldn't bear it.

The old man Song Li left, and the Ministry of Industry naturally became vacant.

If it had been before, this position would definitely have been snatched up, after all, this yamen was only slightly worse than the household department.

But now that the vacancy is down, Zhu Panpang has waited for several days and no one has recommended him, let alone Mao Sui's self-recommendation.

The reason is that Zhu Chupang also knows it in his heart.

Who would want to do it in a department where there is only a name, no power, and no people under it.

But one of the six can't be empty, Zhu Fatpang thought about it, so he asked Xia Yuanji to pick it up first, and when he turned around and found someone, he was taking over the position.

Zhu Fatpang originally thought that Xia Yuanji was also the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, so he would put it aside and only take care of the affairs of his own household yamen.

didn't expect this old guy to be a guy who does a line of love and love.

On the second day of his tenure as secretary of the Ministry of Industry, this veteran proposed to merge the craftsman battalion into the Ministry of Industry, and also proposed various development plans.

How could Zhu Fatpang agree to this.

Not to mention that the craftsman camp is his son's hard work, and he is reluctant to be assigned to the Ministry of Industry in terms of the value that the craftsman camp has now.

Didn't row over, the craftsman camp still belongs to the East Palace, although the old man often uses it, but the household

The ministry is giving money.

But once it is assigned to the Ministry of Industry, the craftsman battalion belongs to the imperial court department.

Zhu Chupang, who has been in charge of officials for most of his life, knows very well about those low-level officials who have no fart skills but are first-class in sabotage.

Zhu Chubby can be guaranteed with his feet.

The artisan battalion was assigned to the Ministry of Industry, and it will be destroyed by these guys in no more than 10 years.

In the past 10 years, he and his son have supervised, and if the two do not supervise, I am afraid they will not be able to hold out for five years.

The prince didn't agree, Xia Yuanji was not discouraged, Zhu Zhangui came back a few days ago, and he ran directly to the door.

For this guy's shamelessness, Zhu Zhangui is also enough.

When he was the secretary of the Ministry of Households, this guy was worried about his money, and now he is also the secretary of the Ministry of Works, so he began to dig his roots.

Lao Xia is no one else.

Xia Yuanji didn't care about this.

In the words of this old man, if he is in his position and becomes an official of any department, he must be responsible, otherwise he will be sorry for the trust of the court and the fortune of the court.

"If you think about it again, if they want to join the Ministry of Industry, they are not ordinary craftsmen, but they are status officials."

"And if they work hard and make political achievements, they can also be promoted, which is a great incentive for them, maybe they can be motivated here, and their research and development capabilities are stronger."

Xia Yuanji did not give up, licked his face and continued to persuade him.

"Gotta gotcha, don't talk about it, there's nothing to say about it, if you don't have anything else to do, you can go back quickly, you have two hats, I guess you have a lot of things."

No matter what Xia Yuanji said and persuaded him, Zhu Zhangui just shook his head and disagreed.

That is, this person is Xia Yuanji, if it was someone else, Zhu Zhangui would have been unable to stand the nagging and kicked him out.

Seeing that there was no hope of success today, Xia Yuanji didn't care, and took out a drawing from his sleeve with a smile.

"Your Highness, the minister has something!"

Zhu Zhangui: "......"

"Next time you have something to say, don't mess with those empty heads, be careful that I beat you."

Looking at the drawings handed to him, Zhu Zhangui took them angrily.

Eighty percent of this goods is for this matter, and the previous things are just mentioned in passing, and it is best to succeed if it can't be successful, and if it can't succeed, deepen it, the impact of things in Zhu Zhangui's mind.

Unfold the drawing, which depicts a map of the territory owned by the Ming Dynasty.

It's just an abbreviated version.

On the drawings, there are 10 routes criss-crossed, and the existing territory of the Ming Dynasty is summarized in a so-so way.

"What are you?"

Zhu Zhangui, who didn't understand, glanced at Xia Yuanji suspiciously.

"The route map!"

"This thing has such a strong transportation capacity, as long as it is laid according to the above route, the taxes from all over the Ming Dynasty can be paid quickly."

"And in this way, the consumption is also greatly reduced, and the court can save a lot of money."

Xia Yuanji, who was very excited, rolled up his sleeves and kept pointing out the lines, talking about future plans.

Especially for the train route from Jinling to Asan, Xia Yuanji emphasized that this railway must be built as soon as possible.

As long as this railway is built, the grain and minerals on Asan's side will be continuously transported to Daming.

More importantly, with this railway, the control over the Asan area will also be greatly strengthened, and there is no need to worry about things happening in the Asan area.

Xia Yuanji thought freely: "Your Highness, you think, as long as this railway is repaired and anything happens in the Asan area, our imperial court can quickly send troops over, and there is no need to bother to let the army go over step by step."

Listening to Xia Yuanji's eloquent talk, Zhu Zhangui unexpectedly glanced at this old thing.

This old guy is very picky on weekdays, why is he willing to spend a lot of money to build a railway?

And the eye of this old guy too

It was very ahead of its time, and many ministers of the DPRK and China did not understand what a train was, and this old man had already begun to plan a national railway network.

And the route is also very reasonably designed, the train route on the map is the main route in the tic-tac-toe line, and the others are bifurcated according to these routes, connecting the entire Ming Dynasty.

This old guy probably put a lot of thought into this.

Rolling up the map in his hand, Zhu Zhangui looked at Xia Yuanji, who was looking forward to it, hesitated, and asked.

"Lao Xia, do you know how much it will cost the imperial court to build these railways?"

"Do you know how much manpower is required to build these railways?"

"Do you know how long it will take to finish these railways with the current steel production of the Ming Dynasty?"

A triple question made Xia Yuanji stunned in place.

He only considered the question of ease of transportation, as for how much to spend, how much manpower is needed, how much time is needed? He didn't think too much of it.

After all, it seems to him.

It took only one year for the railway to be built from Jinling to Beiping, and it should have been easy to build.

"This minister doesn't know very well, does it take a lot?" Xia Yuanji asked cautiously.

Zhu Zhangui glanced at him, handed the map in his hand to Hu Yu behind him, and stretched out his finger.

"Well, I'll do the math for you!"

"The railway from Jinling to Beiping is nearly 2,000 li (not kilometers) long, and according to the report given to me by the railway department, it costs an average of 4,000 taels per mile."

"This is still in addition to the wages of the workers, plus the food is a little worse and a little bit of saving. After all, they are all captives and criminals, and we don't need to pay for their salaries."

"If it is replaced by ordinary people, this price will be increased by at least 100 taels."

"The construction of this railway, I used all prisoners and criminals, a total of nearly half a million people, built in multiple sections, day and night in two shifts, it took nearly a year!"

"According to the final calculation, this railway is expected to cost 8 million taels, and it will need frequent maintenance in the future, at least tens of thousands of taels per year."

"8,000,000 taels!"

Xia Yuanji's mouth opened into an O-shape, and he plucked his ears in disbelief.

Zhu Zhangui nodded, "It's just a lot, not counting the locomotive, and the later train carriage and station construction investment, if you add these, it will cost at least 9 million taels of silver."

Taking the map in Hu Yu's hand, Zhu Zhangui spread it out and dotted it.

"Your route, to be honest, is very good, but I don't know if your household can bear the money and food consumed."

"You didn't give me how many miles you would need to build, but based on your graphics, I roughly estimated that it would take at least 120,000 miles."

"Let's not talk about anything else, let's build it at the price I'm using now."

Zhu Zhangui stretched out his hand, took the abacus in the guard's hand, and counted it with a snap.

"120,000 li per mile is 4,000 taels, which is 124,000."

Bang bang, the sound of an abacus dialing sounded.

Zhu Zhangui put the abacus in front of Xia Yuanji.

"These railways planned by your old man will cost nearly 480 million taels, and if you add the various configurations of the railways, it is conservatively estimated that it will cost 500 million taels."

Xia Yuanji's eyes widened, he looked at Zhu Zhangui with a serious face, looked at the abacus again, was stunned for a long time, reached out and took the drawing in Zhu Zhangui's hand, and stuffed it into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I'm disturbing you because of something in my household!"

Looking at the back of the embarrassed escape, Zhu Zhangui couldn't help laughing.

But then I thought of that terrifying number, and I couldn't help but feel a pain in my teeth.

Nima, the matter of the national railway, there is a long way to go!

Moreover, 120,000 li is only a preliminary construction, and if you want to run the whole country, you need at least 1780,000 li (not kilometers).

Thinking of that terrifying number, Zhu Zhangui couldn't help but scratch his scalp that was a little numb.

He also felt that the imperial court had recently become rich and had a little money, and after ascending the throne, he could rest and squander it.

But now, the court's money doesn't seem to be nothing.

And that's just about building the railroad.

There are also the construction of local roads, the reorganization and replacement of the whole team, and the gold-swallowing beast of the navy.

After calculating one item after another, Zhu Zhangui suddenly found that the imperial court seemed to be really poor.

Zhu Zhangui also thought that when he ascended the throne in the future and the court became rich, he would reduce or exempt the people's agricultural taxes as the welfare of his accession to the throne.

The result is this count.

Yes, let the people suffer for a few more years.

"Money, money, where can I make money?"

Thinking that he would need money everywhere in the future, Zhu Zhangui pondered how to make money.

Izumo's annual output is so-so enough for the imperial court's own use.

In terms of minerals, the railways are not repaired, and even if they do, they have to rely on sea transportation, which is time-consuming and laborious.

There is a saying in later generations that is really true, if you want to get rich, build roads first, the roads are not passable, and no matter how good things are, they will be blind if they can't be lucky.

Looking at the locomotive that was gradually taking shape, Zhu Zhangui pondered for a long time with his hands behind his back, and looked to the west.

"I originally wanted to leave you to my children and grandchildren to fight, but now that I am short of money, I can only use you to cut you, you have signed so many treaties, and now it is time to pay it back."