The official body means too many things to a businessman like Mei Kejia, and in a sense, a few taels of silver can't get into his eyes. Therefore, the emperor actually had this reward, and Mei Kejia was not as calm as before, but his emotions were turbulent and he couldn't stop crying.

There is no need to say how unkind Zhu Yuanzhang is to businessmen. This peasant grandfather, except for loving his family for fear of suffering a little, he is not good to all other classes.

With this background, Mei Kejia was so excited this time, he kowtowed and said: "The villain's tricks can be appreciated by His Majesty, and he is even given an official body, and he feels inexplicable in his heart, without him, he will die for His Majesty all his life!" ”

Because they are all their own people, there is no Wenchen, so Zhu Houzhao's posture is very casual, he is half lying on a wooden chair, swaying very leisurely, and said to Mei Kejia, who is kneeling in the side direction: "I am a little short-sighted, and sometimes it is difficult to completely care about right and wrong." No matter what, I always have to love my own people. Of course, I can't give it to you as a big official, because the official itself is also a malaise that I want to get rid of. But I don't care, because you've done a great job for me. ”

Mei Kejia didn't expect the emperor to take a little name, and he was even more moved and impressed in his heart.

"Also, last year, a pair of sisters born of one of your maidservants were stained with some rumors because of some strange things. The folk all say that the life of the parents is the words of the matchmaker. I still have to go through you to settle this matter. ”

I had heard about this matter when Mei Kejia entered Beijing last time.

The reason, of course, was that Uncle Huaiyuan wanted to come to the door to rob people, and finally asked His Majesty to save him.

Even if the facts are indeed innocent, these two will not be able to get married. Because no one will be sure whether the emperor has anything to do here.

Probably not.

But what if there is a fuck?

It's just a woman, the status of the old society is not high, and no one will fight for this.

Unless Zhu Hou gave it to anyone according to the holy decree, or took the initiative to come forward to say goodbye to him.

It turned out that there was such a possibility, but he had been to Meifu once, and after seeing it, he was reluctant to do so. Since ancient times, heroes love beauties, two little girls are beautiful, why are they cheaper than others?

It's strange to say,

Because few emperors themselves come forward to talk about this kind of thing, those who don't understand it think that the emperor is very moved. But Mei Kejia also knows the reason, probably in addition to thinking it's wonderful, there is also a kind of ...... felt that he had hit the feeling of luck, he actually didn't have enough sense of security, and with this relationship, he wouldn't have nightmares from time to time.

There are also people who say that the future is not known whether it is a blessing or a curse. But now that the situation was like this, he had no other choice.

replied: "The posture of the little girl Pu Liu, and the humble background, it is already the luck of stealing the sky to be able to serve the heavenly family, and the ministers are subject to His Majesty's arrangement." ”

"Nothing else, it's just me...... It is true that the seal cannot be too high, otherwise there will always be a trouble in the court. Zhu Houzhao is not lying, anyway, to tell the truth, "I hope you can understand me at this point." ”

Mei Kejia was slightly shocked, "Weichen is panicked!" ”

"Hey."

Zhu Houzhao didn't know how to continue talking, he had never married a wife as an emperor in his previous life, and now in this situation, the words are serious, he feels that he is too much, and he is too light, and he shocks the other party, which is really difficult.

But the hard ones have to be done.

He still remembered that Empress Dowager Zhang had reminded him earlier that since there was such a rumor outside, it was better to approach the palace earlier.

What's wrong with the emperor summoning two women?

Although she is the daughter of a merchant, as long as she is not crowned queen, the minister will not have an opinion.

If the time drags on for a long time, it will make people think that the emperor wants to pay the bill when he puts on his pants.

Again,

As soon as the New Year passed, many courtiers emphasized the inheritance of the royal heirs.

Now doing this kind of action is exactly in response to four words: logical.

"Don't be afraid. When I go back today, I will explain to your two daughters what I mean. Also ...... "The emperor thought about it," ...... There is no need to rush them into the palace in a few days, you have just come back, or give some time for your father and daughter to spend some time together. Wait until you feel like it's almost there, and hand over a message to Liu Jin. I will order Liu Jin to pick up people. ”

The arrangements are very personal.

"Yes, Your Majesty Weichen Xie is considerate!"

Zhu Hou looked at the sky outside, "You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Stay with me a little longer. ”

Gu Dayong and Mei Kejia didn't dare to accept it, because today's reward was not light. Any more, and it won't be affordable.

But Zhu Houzhao insisted, "I said, we are our own people." ”

However, in the end, they still did not dare to share the table with the emperor.

Zhu Houzhao doesn't pay attention to those forms, or in a comfortable state that people can do, otherwise it will be difficult to sit still, what's the point of eating this meal? This led to the removal of two slightly lower tables for them to sit on either side.

The height has dropped, and the hearts of Gu and Mei have been put down a lot.

"Useful."

"The slave is here."

"After going to Zhejiang, Hangzhou Weaving, which is in charge of Meiji, is also under your management. But you don't care how he does business, you and I don't do business, and even I don't care how he buys and sells. You're going to manage a few pieces of the Imperial Estate for me. ”

This matter is already in the process, "Zhejiang has confiscated some acres of land this time, and roughly calculates that there will be at least 250,000 acres of paddy fields." There are few fields in Zhejiang, these Huangzhuang I don't want you to pay more grain, after all, they still hire local landless people, let them serve the land, the court tax must not exceed 20 taxes, and the excess is left to the people. ”

In the Ming Dynasty, the land tax in the Jiangnan region was heavy, and the approximate number was about 20% of the total weight, so twenty taxes and one was a proper low tax.

If it was before, Gu Dayong would have cried out to act, what praise the emperor for loving the people like a son or something, but he was reprimanded once last time because of this, so he didn't dare.

"The slave and maid understand that His Majesty attaches the most importance to the people, and the slave and maid just have no brains and dare not make money out of the people's mouths."

Anyway, I talked while eating.

Zhu Houzhao also said casually, "Zhejiang has arrested many people this time, and I know that many people say that the emperor is too strict, as if he is eyeing Zhejiang." I didn't look into the rumors behind them, and I didn't bother to look them up. In the end, the words still have to be said by the people who cultivate these imperial estates themselves. ”

"Moreover, after the opening of the sea, the business of Zhejiang and Fujian will be more prosperous, and the people need some surplus wealth. When there is a real effect, the future things will be easy to do. Therefore, it is not a complete love for the people, but you should remember this verse first. ”

Mei Kejia nodded, he knew the emperor's style, that is, what he did would plan ahead.

"In addition, the Governor's Office of Zhejiang and Fujian and the Governor of Zhejiang jointly sent me a message, saying that they would ask for silver to expand these cities, and I would agree. Now that I have an extra 2.4 million taels of silver, I am full of confidence. For the two of you, that is, Hangzhou Weaving and Meiji, you can also pay attention to the construction of Ningbo Mansion. ”

Mei Kejia comprehended, "Your Majesty is saying that the construction that the Jingshi has been doing in the past two years?" ”

"Not bad. After the opening of the sea, internal and external exchanges must be frequent, people and wealth will also gather, as I am concerned, I always hope that Hangzhou and Ningbo will become more and more prosperous. ”

"Wechen understood."

In fact, in essence, it is the result of the opening of the sea that the emperor wants to show.

Only when visible and tangible benefits emerge can the emperor's prestige be continuously strengthened in the process.

There are so many shortcomings of the Ming Dynasty, of course Zhu Houzhao wants to change it more and more easily, rather than changing it more and more effortlessly.

The land south of the Yangtze River is full of commercial prosperity, and only commercial prosperity can slowly give birth to the so-called capitalist germ. Whether capitalism can really be produced, or whether it is good or bad, is another matter.

Zhu Houzhao just remembered that when he used to read, he saw the sentence 'the sprout of capitalism at the end of the Ming Dynasty' and felt it was a pity.

At that time, I didn't know anything about sociology, economics, and the culture behind it, and I had only one thought in my heart: our nation was really a little worse.

So it didn't become a great power. When we have strength, peace and development will become the main theme again.

And in the current Zhengde years,

The West has just begun its great voyages.

The wealth brought by the Age of Discovery is actually secondary, and the most important thing is that human science and technology have advanced by leaps and bounds in the past few hundred years, and he wants that knowledge to come in.

Therefore, the Ming Dynasty also had to participate in the Great Voyage.

"What's going on with your shipyard?"

Mei Kejia replied: "It was also after the opening of the sea order, many large merchants needed to buy ships to go to sea, but unfortunately the sea was banned for many years, and there were very few craftsmen who could build ships. Speaking of which, many people are begging Weichen to hand over the ship, but Weichen really has no ship to deliver. ”

Speaking of this, Zhu Houzhao can only sigh.

This is just like the decline of some industries in later generations, and the most difficult thing to rebuild is how to cultivate a considerable number of industrial talents.

As long as there are people, they can recover quite quickly, such as Germany and Japan after World War II; For example, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine have a large loss of technical talents, and they can't fix their own things if they are broken.

But there's no way around it. After the imperial court banned the sea, the shipbuilding industry was nothing more than building some ships on the Grand Canal, and there was no such a big 'market', so naturally there would not be so many people.

"In the past, the imperial court had a long-term ban on the sea, and even the Ministry of Industry must not have many craftsmen who can build ships at the moment. However, after a few years of training, there can always be more and more people. I hope that one day the Ming Dynasty will be able to rebuild Zheng He's treasure ship. ”

Zheng Hebao's ship is said to be more than 100 meters long, and it is really an ancient aircraft carrier. In the Jiajing period, it was recorded that the envoys of the Ming Dynasty sent an envoy to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and the "sealed boat" they took was only 45 meters long and 10 meters wide.

The appearance of the fleet will also promote the development of artillery, because if there is a dispute at sea, you must still rely on artillery, you can't shoot arrows, you can't shoot fish, let alone people, and it is impossible to carry a knife to cut. So it is more convenient for the armed forces at sea to be artillery. The world's first battleship with broadside guns was built by the British in the present era.

The Ming Dynasty must participate in this process, even if it leads to war. Because at the extreme, war is also a form of technological exchange and integration.

After Gu Dayong and Mei Kejia left,

Zhu Houzhao thought about it alone for a long time.

Before the sea was opened, he thought that it was to open the sea. When the sea really opened, he was fantasizing about the invincible armada of the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Jin persuaded him to go to bed several times but failed, but later Qiuyun came over, because the night was too deep and he couldn't stay up longer.

Three days later,

A big incident happened in the imperial court, and a military report came from Datong.

Zhou Shangwen led 8,000 troops and fought a small battle with the Tatars on the steppe, in which more than 140 soldiers were killed, but more than 300 enemy soldiers were beheaded. In terms of battle losses alone, the Ming army was victorious. Of course, the Ming army still retreated to Datong, and there would be no change in the national border.

It looks like a sacrifice in vain, and it is all a loss of elite cavalry, but after reporting to the Jingshili, the emperor didn't say anything, just gave a pension as usual.

Zhou Shangwen is still different from Yang Shangyi, Yang Shangyi was originally stationed in Datong to defend the main body, of course, there will be border patrols, but the border patrol is a team, it is really caught, and the loss is not big.

And Zhou Shangwen will lead a slightly larger cavalry to the north of the Great Wall to seek an opportunity to meet the enemy, this time is once, and there is also one in September of the eighteenth year of Hongzhi.

The ministers of the court were a little reluctant, feeling that Zhou Shangwen was sloppy in his use of troops and eager to make meritorious contributions, which was really not steady enough. The first time I went out 80 miles, this time I went straight 180 miles.

To put it mildly, if someone is ambushed, then what's the point?

But these pieces were blocked here by Zhu Houzhao.

He would rather Zhou Shangwen be like this, raising these soldiers for use, not for being used as ancestors. An army under the leadership of such a commander can fight repeatedly and fiercely, and in the end it can become a division of a hundred battles.

The Tatars had been on the border many times in previous years, and after the First World War in the northwest, they were a little more honest, and the Datong direction was Dayan Khan's troops, and if Zhou Shangwen did not appear belligerent and could fight, he might be beaten in the face by the Tatars again.

Wenchen wouldn't like such a general, so he kept saying something about it.

And three more days passed,

Mei Kejia handed over the note and entered the palace.

Zhu Houzhao only glanced at it and asked Liu Jin to do something.

It's not about marrying the queen, this matter is actually quite simple.

But this matter has to go through the Ministry of Rites, the so-called heavenly family has no selfish affairs, because it wants to give people a title.

In the Ming generation, there are many levels of harem concubines, which can be roughly divided into queens, imperial concubines, concubines, concubines, concubines, Zhaoyi, Jieyu, beauties, talents, nobles, servants, and ladies. There are some variations from time to time, but in general.

Zhu Houzhao felt that it was not good to give someone a position that was too low, after all, Mei Kejia was in charge of a lot of his silver, and he made a contribution.

So it's not necessary for a lady to be at the first level, as for the selection of waiters, it seems that there is a person surnamed Li, who always sounds like a play, so don't want to.

Finally, he sealed the title of a nobleman.

Zhu Houzhao's way of thinking is this, even if it is his own woman, the reward is not easy to give, because the reward must have a reason, otherwise it will be messed up. The meaning behind this is that the harem must also have rules, and he, as the emperor, must take these rules seriously.

In a word, he didn't come here to engage in palace fighting.

In this case,

Mei Huaixiao and Mei Huaiyan's two girls' families were taken to live in the palace. The emperor does not have a concubine yet, so the West Sixth Palace has a place to live, and they are given the Yongshou Palace. Emperor Xiaozong's biological mother, Ji, lived here for a short time.

The things on the face have to be taken care of, so on the first day they entered the palace, Zhu Houzhao set off for Yongshou Palace after the review, and asked Liu Jin to bring the snacks he ate before leaving.

This is probably the old habit, don't be empty-handed when you see a girl.

The emperor drove to Yongshou Palace, and the palace maids and eunuchs who were assigned to serve in Yongshou Palace knelt on the ground outside. Mei Huaixiao and Mei Huaiyan were not in a hurry.

That's it, Zhu Houzhao knew that he must have taught Mei Kejia before entering the palace.

"Flat, let's all go inside."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two girls got up, this was the second time they had seen the emperor, and they were still a little nervous.

When he arrived in the house, he didn't know what to say, so he lined up on the emperor's side.

"Which of you is smiling?"

After a long time, he forgot, and these two people looked alike, they looked a little similar, and they were still wearing the same clothes, where did he remember.

"The concubine is smiling." She's on the right, and if there's anything special about it, it's a very light mole on the tip of her nose.

My sister doesn't.

Both of them have an unusually bright white complexion, because their mother was Mei Kejia who bought it from the Western Regions, so the daughters born are not as flat as the Han people, but very three-dimensional, and they are larger than the average Han women.

"Then you're a face." Zhu Houzhao turned to the left.

Looking at it like this, the girl's big eyes dodged slightly, and there was shame on her face, "Back to Your Majesty's words, yes." ”

"Today you have just entered the palace, I thought about coming and taking a look, and from now on you will stay here, and if you need anything, you will tell them to do it. If it's something you want to do but don't know if you can do it, ask me. As for how to get along with me, you should use your own brains, in a word, be obedient and follow the rules. ”

Huai Xiao and Huai Yan knelt down, "The concubine must obey His Majesty's orders." ”

"Get up." The emperor also stretched out his hand and pulled them, "You don't need to kneel like this." Oh, by the way, I also brought some snacks, so you can eat together. ”

"The concubine thanked Your Majesty."

It's probably because I've been taught, so the etiquette is really in place.

However, the two of them were very stiff like this, which actually made Zhu Houzhao scratch his head a little, "Then let's do this today, I still have some state affairs, you eat first." ”

】

So the two men went to the door again to see each other off.

And when the emperor returned to his bedroom, he made Qiuyun and the others scramble.

Qiuyun was very strange, and he didn't know what to say, "...... Your Majesty is ...... How did this come back? ”

"Can't I come back?"

"How dare the slave say that. It's just weird. ”

"What's so strange, fetch hot water, I want to soak my feet."

So a group of people hurriedly brought basins and water and towels again.

Maybe it's a matter of the length of time they get along, but in fact, Qiu Yun is more natural, or maybe he has been used to serving him over the years. After finding out his character, Qiuyun dared to say some things.

She squinted her crescent-like eyes and said with a smile: "Your Majesty must not understand the girl's thoughts, she has gone to the palace, why don't you stay in the Yongshou Palace?" The two nobles are both fairy-like people. ”

"Can't you keep it?"

Qiuyun rubbed his legs and said, "Your Majesty wants to give birth to a prince, how can you give birth to a prince if you don't stay?" ”

Zhu Houzhao smiled in his heart, "Do you have to stay as a prince?" How do you live if you stay? Why don't you teach me? ”

Qiu Yun was stunned for a moment, and then blushed instantly. But when she saw the emperor's smile, she knew that something was wrong, so she said lightly, "Your Majesty is actually doing evil!" ”

"I think it's okay for people to adapt, step by step, and there's no need to rush. Tomorrow, if you have time, talk to them first, I will be very busy these days. ”

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the slave and maid know."

When the emperor said that he was very busy, he meant that the imperial court had recently been discussing the government affairs in the first year of Zhengde.

After the opening of the sea, the emperor did not have any unpleasantness with the ministers in major aspects, with his style and personality as the emperor, as long as there were no such things, the ministers recognized him very much.

For he was industrious, thrifty, loved the people, and was relatively obedient.

It's a little strange to say that he listens to persuasion, but in fact, most things Zhu Houzhao does listen to persuasion.

For example, Li Dongyang asked for a question of 'participation'. To put it simply, some powerful people and ministers will occupy the official army at will. This is actually a manifestation of unruliness, a malaise that has been present since the Orthodox years. After Zhu Houzhao understood it clearly, all the quasi-plays.

There are also more than 1,800 people who have been asked by Lin Hanjuan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, to remove the "weaving and fasting". The so-called Jiao is actually a practice of things, people in the Taoist temple. After Chenghua, there were more and more ministers, to put it bluntly, the emperor was good, and then he gave these people an official position.

A major event like the opening of the sea is not a daily routine, and there are still some ordinary government affairs in the daily life, under normal circumstances, Zhu Houzhao will agree if he understands it clearly.

Therefore, in the first year of Zhengde, Yin Shi, the monarch and the ministers above the court were harmonious.

Until Zhu Houzhao saw a note, it was not someone else who wrote this note, it was Gu Zuo, the head of the household.

After seeing it, Zhu Houzhao did not make a noise, but first found someone to bring him to the palace, and the two of them played alone, in order to avoid the eyes and ears of the eunuchs and attendants, the emperor simply summoned him in the pavilion.

Gu Zuo probably knew why, so when he arrived in front of the emperor, he was not as relaxed as usual, and knelt down honestly, "Gu Zuo, the servant of the Weichen Household Department, see Your Majesty." ”

Zhu Houzhao didn't tell him to get up, but reached out and took out the letter from his arms, "Gu Liqing, if you can go to this note, I promise you that there will be your name in the "Biography of Famous Ministers" of the Ming Dynasty." ”

Gu Zuo's heart was shocked, "Wechen does not fight for the name of this eternity, and Wechen wants to fight for the good governance of my Ming Dynasty." ”

"When others say this, I don't believe it. But you say, "I believe." Zhu Houzhao raised his hand, "You tell me first, why do you want to be so sparse?" ”

Gu Zuo seemed to be a little encouraged, and said excitedly: "Because Your Majesty is a rare virtuous monarch and a wise lord, Weichen believes that as long as it is a good government that is truly beneficial to the country and the people, Your Majesty will implement it no matter what." Your Majesty has rectified Ma Zheng and trained the Beijing camp, and there has been nothing without difficulties since he ruled the country. Your Majesty is like this, let alone Weichen? ”

"The Salt Transportation Division is under the management of the Ministry of Households. You must have been holding back for a long time in the household department for so many years. It is not easy for a courtier to dare to play such a sparse performance, and I must encourage it. Okay, then today, our monarchs and ministers will spend some time and listen to you explain this salt method clearly! ”

Gu Zuo heard this, and his heart was happy!

This is Mingjun's demeanor!

The boring national politics day after day are willing to listen, be willing to think, and be willing to deal with them. At this moment, Gu Zuo did not envy those ministers who left their names in history, what Wei Qing and Wei Zheng...... Because the Ming Jun that those people met, he also met!

===

There are some things that still need to be mentioned in this chapter.