"Don't hide it, Xiao Ke was born in a poor family, the eldest son in the family, and there are two younger brothers below, and the burden on the family is especially heavy after the death of his father......"

The little official said, tears couldn't help but fall.

His father died young, and he had an old lady and two younger brothers, and he was not yet married.

Because he had just become an official, his income was limited, and in a place where Beijing had high consumption, the old lady did not want to implicate him, and took care of his two younger brothers in his hometown alone.

"I can't afford to take care of my mother, I'm really unfilial!" The little official wept and blamed himself.

is still a big dutiful son...... Zhu Yunxi commented in his heart.

He asked: "The officials are on vacation, although you can't go back to your hometown, you can also go back to your residence, why are you in Yamen?" ”

From the 28th day of the lunar month to the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the official affairs of the imperial court were disposed of after being pressed, and the General Administration Department no longer played affairs.

Except for the military department and the governor's office of the five armies, the yamen of the various ministries did not deal with official affairs at all.

The little official said: "A few years ago, His Royal Highness the Emperor Taisun presided over the national immigration, and the official documents of the yamen in some places were still on the way, waiting for the household department to sign for accounting, so Xiao Ke waited here, so as not to wait for several days after the official mission arrived in Beijing, delaying the major affairs of the imperial court." ”

Zhu Yunxi's current focus is on the Great Immigration.

Not only did they emigrate from Shanxi to Shaanxi, but they also migrated to the north from Zhejiang, Zhili, Jiangxi and other provinces, prefectures, prefectures, and counties with large populations to make up for the gap between the north and the south.

The project is huge.

According to the statistics of the national population of the 26th year of Hongwu.

The Ming Dynasty has two capitals and thirteen provinces, with a total population of 60 million.

Among them, the population of Zhili is 10 million, the population of Zhejiang is 10 million, and the population of Jiangxi is nearly 9 million.

These three provinces alone account for nearly half of the country's total population.

Zhejiang, in particular, had the smallest area in the country at that time, but its population density far exceeded that of other provinces.

In Yunnan province, there are only 260,000 people.

Therefore, this wave of immigration led by Zhu Yunxi is not only aimed at the north, but also mobilized all over the country.

But it is not directly from Zhili to Shaanxi immigration.

Rather, for example, immigrants from Zhili to nearby prefectures and counties in Henan Province with small populations, and then from prefectures and counties with large populations in Henan Province to Shaanxi.

Short-distance immigration.

In this way, you can avoid the trouble of too many differences in customs, dialects, living habits, etc.

The same is true for southward migration.

Hearing the little official say this, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Wait a few days, maybe you won't be able to delay the major events of the court, but your annual leave is really gone." ”

The little official's expression showed seriousness: "The big plan of immigration, benefiting the country and the people, Xiao Ke was originally a student of the Guozijian, fortunately trusted by the imperial court, and was able to enter the household department on an errand, if it is a mess, wouldn't it be worthy of the trust of the imperial court?" ”

After Zhu Yuanzhang heard the explanation, his heart couldn't help but fluctuate.

I didn't expect such a small official to have such a great sense of responsibility.

Diligent and kind, in a low position, caring for the people of the country.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw that he was extraordinary, so he asked, "What's your name?" ”

The little official said: "Xiao Ke's name is Xia Yuanji." ”

Zhu Yunxi's eyebrows moved.

Sure enough, these historical figures are unusual!

Xia Yuanji, the head of the household department in the early Ming Dynasty, had outstanding political achievements, especially financial management, and was an advocate of economic reform.

"Okay, Xia Yuanji, thank you for your Magu wine, it tastes very good, it's worth the trip!"

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't comment too much, and got up to leave after thanking him.

Zhu Yunxi followed behind and smiled at Xia Yuanji.

He knew that this guy was going to be promoted!

The grandfather and grandson continued to shop.

After the year, the capital was particularly lively.

On the streets, pedestrians weave and shuttle endlessly, and the sound of merchants is everywhere.

In addition to ordinary edible items, there are also various regular items.

On the side of South Street, there are many people holding it, and the crowd is like a blockage.

"The garan incense of the city of Zhancheng is thirty taels of silver per catty."

"The gold and silver incense of the old Hong Kong country is twenty-five taels of silver per catty!

"Japan's Sumu, only forty taels per catty!"

"The Pepper ...... of Kozhi Country"

Several boxes were laid out, and various spices were displayed inside.

Bearded merchants shouted from their stalls: "Come and buy it!" Come and see! A real fine item, a Western treasure! ”

One of the onlookers complained: "Who buys it if it's so expensive!" ”

Thirty taels of silver per catty is completely a luxury!

The merchant glanced at the interrogator with disdain, and said, "Your Excellency has seen too little! ”

He pointed to the Garan incense in front of him and said: "This spice is called Garan incense, which is one of the agarwoods, but it is produced in a large mountain of Champa City, and there is no source in the world!" ”

The merchant pointed to a spice again: "This is the gold and silver incense of the old Hong Kong country, and I can't get out of the Ming Dynasty and other countries!" ”

In the crowd of onlookers, someone was asking, "Where is the old Hong Kong country?" ”

A well-informed person said: "It is a small country in the South China Sea, thousands of miles away from here!" ”

In Beijing, there is no shortage of rich people.

Listening to the introduction of the merchant and smelling the wonderful fragrance, someone was immediately willing to pay for it.

Seeing more and more people buying spices, Zhu Yuanzhang was a little surprised: "Business is so good? ”

Zhu Yunxi said: "Grandpa doesn't know, these spices are extremely profitable, and the maritime merchants buy them in the West, at most only one or two silver catties." ”

"Wouldn't that be dozens of times more profitable?" Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed.

Zhu Yunxi nodded: "Sea trade is so profitable. ”

Merchants pursued profits, and private merchants went to sea no slower than the official fleet of the imperial court.

In order to seize the opportunity, they are currently only doing business with neighboring vassal states.

The imperial court opened the sea for more than half a year, and maritime merchants from all over the country have gone to the sea several times.

And Ma He, with the fleet of the imperial court, did not know where to go.

In addition to doing business, he also had to visit overseas countries one by one to promote the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty and the policy of opening up the sea, which was inevitably time-consuming.

Spices were the backbone of the economy of Western countries or regions, and they welcomed the arrival of the Ming fleet to trade with them.

The spice trade carried out by the Ming Dynasty overseas was mainly carried out in the form of barter.

Western countries are very fond of porcelain, silk, tea, etc. produced in the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, many vassal states of the Ming Dynasty accepted the treasure money of the Ming Dynasty and regarded it as a treasure.

The imperial court used official ships to carry these goods overseas.

On the return trip, the official ships also bought or exchanged some spices, dyes, precious stones, ivory and exotic beasts that were in short supply in the Ming Dynasty.

Often lucrative.

Zhu Yunxi knew these things, but Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know.

Before seeing the actual effect with his own eyes, before seeing the silver of the white flowers, Zhu Yuanzhang had reservations about the benefits of opening the sea.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor, can be said to be the real Asian co-master.

Korea and the Ryukyus to the east were hardcore vassal states of the Ming Dynasty.

Whether the king ascends the throne or diplomatic strategy, he must first get the approval of the Ming Emperor.

The Muromachi shogunate of Japan enshrined the Ming Dynasty as the Shoshuo in the national letter, called the minister Nagong, and established trade relations between Tomorrow and Japan.

The Ming Dynasty gave Ashikaga Yoshimitsu a gold seal of "King of Japan".

Even the most disobedient Mongols in the north, the Tatars and Warats, submitted to the Ming Dynasty and paid tribute, and the chieftains Mahamu and Arutai received official titles.

The country of Hami in the west, under the blow of the Ming army, Hongwu for 25 years the Ming Dynasty tribute horses, please sin, the king was awarded the Ming Dynasty loyal to the king.

In the 24th year of Hongwu, the third Khan of the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, the son of Hei, sent the envoy Hamari Din to the Ming Dynasty to worship and pay tribute to horses and things.

Even the Timurid Empire, the overlord of Central Asia, also paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and sent the chieftain Dieli to pay tribute to Emperor Hongwu.

Not to mention the vassal states of Annam and Siam in the south, they knelt earlier than anyone else.

From steppes to rainforests, from the Persian Gulf to the Yellow Sea.

They were all vassals of the Great Emperor of the Central Plains.

Although they were sometimes disobedient, they officially recognized the co-lordship of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.