The wheel of history is quietly turning, and a conspiracy to overthrow the Ming regime has slowly unfolded.

Only two days later, the eunuchs of King Ning's Mansion went out one after another, and a wedding card was sent by King Ningcheng, known as the Little Forbidden City, and King Ning decided to hold a birthday banquet in advance.

Zhu Dianpei has reigned for forty-four years, and now it is a rare year, and now in the name of a birthday banquet, there are really few people who dare not give face to this old king of Ning.

In addition to the governor of Jiangxi and the general army of Jiangxi, the invited Jiangnan officials were senior officials such as the political envoy who undertook the proclamation of the political envoy department, the probationary envoy department, and the envoy department.

Those who know the inside story this time have already understood that the Hongmen banquet set up by Zhu Dianpei, the king of Ning, will be set up in the palace, and Nanchang City, which belongs to the capital of Daming Jiangxi Province, is about to change hands.

Once Zhu Dianpei, the king of Ning, rises up in Nanchang, and the capital cooperates, the Ming Dynasty, which has been in power for more than 100 years, will enter a great turmoil.

At the end of November of the fifth year of Hongji, it was already late autumn.

The autumn sun shines through the ancient eaves and the shadows of the trees of Ban Ti, and is shining on a bluestone paved road parallel to the canal, shining with golden points of light.

The leaves of the old trees along the canal slowly turn yellow and red under the caress of the autumn wind, like flowing oil paintings. Whenever the breeze blows, these leaves fall lightly, covering the bluestone pavement, and also fall on the canal and go down the water.

In the send-off of the officials and citizens of Suzhou City, the resplendent imperial ship set off again, slowly heading towards the last destination, which is also a famous gastronomic desert for later generations.

"The grass people send off Mingjun, long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

The people of Suzhou City are more than when they greeted it, and now Suzhou City is a real empty alley, and it is to kneel down to the imperial ship that is slowly heading south.

"Farewell, Suzhou!" Zhu Youji, who was wearing a dragon robe, felt the love of these people for him, and waved his hand at his people.

Although Zhu Youji, the Son of Heaven, left, he also gave a generous gift to the merchants of Suzhou City.

The royal money bank also followed the south this time, but his mission was not to protect the monarch, but to shoulder a new mission - to boost the Chinese economy.

Since the purpose is to ban the circulation of silver, it is necessary to find a way to inject new silver dollars into the market, and the most effective way is to issue low-interest loans to the target group.

According to later economic principles, low-interest loans made it easier for firms to obtain capital, thereby encouraging them to make capital expenditures and expand production.

This helped boost production capacity, increase jobs, and drive economic recovery, and Suzhou became a new testing ground for the Ming Dynasty.

It was Hongzhi, the fifth year of Hongzhi, who toured south to Suzhou and issued low-interest loans through the Royal Bank, thus successfully injecting a boost into Suzhou's economy.

The biographies of the famous silk kings Li Jiacheng and the steamship kings Chen Daming alone can be seen to understand the importance of this economic choice, and it was also an important turning point in Chinese history.

Li Jiacheng is an ordinary silk workshop owner in Suzhou City, and has always adhered to the principle of integrity management and quality first, and has won a good reputation in the industry.

However, with the increasingly fierce competition in the market, there has been a wave of mergers by large silk mill owners, and various means have been used to achieve the target merger workshops.

Li Jiacheng's Li Silk Workshop attracted a group of loyal weavers to follow him with its exquisite weaving skills and honest business philosophy. These weavers are all skilled and hard-working people, and they are also the strongest guarantee of the quality of Lee's silk.

The Xu Silk Workshop saw the value of the Li Workshop and the potential threat of the Li Workshop, so it decided to annex Li Jiacheng's Li Silk Workshop.

Unbeknownst to him, he bought the land of the Li family's silk workshop from the original owner at a price much higher than the market price, and then increased the rent significantly.

Li Jiacheng was forced to accept the rent increase because he had to meet the construction deadline to maintain the credibility of Li's silk, which increased the operating costs.

As a result, half a month later, he lost a large number of goods due to Xu's set, and now the cash chain has been broken, but Xu's asked him to increase the rent.

In the face of rising rents, he knew that if he did not move to a place where the rent was more reasonable as soon as possible, the operation of the workshop would face a huge dilemma.

However, the cost of relocation is undoubtedly a heavy burden for the current Li Jiacheng.

Just when Li Jiacheng was anxious about this, he was surprised to learn that the newly established Royal Bank had introduced a policy of low-interest loans. For him, it is like a ray of light in the darkness, a lifeline in the event of drowning.

With the mentality of giving it a try, he immediately went to the royal bank to submit a loan application, accepting the new arrangement or teasing of fate.

"Can I really borrow money from Noble Bank?"

"Not bad! Since you are in good standing, we at the Royal Money House can grant you a loan for the relocation workshop! ”

After a relatively simple wait and review, Li Jiacheng got a low-interest loan, which immediately made him ecstatic, and he also saw the hope that Li's silk workshop would become bigger and stronger.

This time, he confidently rejected Xu's unreasonable request for a rent increase, and after getting a loan from the Royal Bank, he immediately set about the relocation of the workshop.

With enough money to find a place closer to the pier, he started arranging the relocation the same day, which quickly brought him good fortune.

Throughout his life as a business legend, the era of Lee's silk was based on this, and Lee Ka-shing and weavers worked together to create a silk brand that resounded throughout the world.

As for the other character, it belongs to the era of Chen Daming, the king of ships in Beijing and Hangzhou.

Although the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has all kinds of shortcomings, it also nourishes the people and nourishes many people who are active on the canal.

Daming's economy is thriving now, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is full of boats, and people of all colors gather here, forming a unique canal culture.

Among these many ship owners, Chen Daming is actually an extremely inconspicuous one.

Chen Daming has followed his father to make a living on the canal since he was a child, and has accumulated rich experience in shipping, especially with a pair of discerning eyes comparable to weather forecasting.

Because of his boldness and righteousness, he also made a group of like-minded brothers, who together ran a cargo ship and traveled north and south on the canal, although it was hard but also enjoyable.

However, in recent years, Chen Daming's fleet has encountered unprecedented difficulties.

Operating costs are high due to the ageing and deterioration of the vessels, frequent repairs keep the operating costs high, and large transport orders are repeatedly missed due to the poor condition of the vessels.

Chen Daming saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart.

He knew that if he couldn't update the cargo ship in time, let alone make a lot of money by taking big orders, his livelihood would be in trouble, and he might even die on the canal with the goods.

On this day, Chen Daming transported the goods to Suzhou City, and heard in the teahouse that the Royal Money House began to lend money to the outside world, and the interest rate was very low.

His heart moved, but he was a little skeptical. After all, it is tantamount to a fantasy for ordinary people like him to want to borrow money from the imperial court's money bank at a low interest rate.

Over the years, I have traveled from south to north, and I know more or less that today's son loves the people like a son.

Although it was incredible, Chen Daming decided to give it a try and went to the Royal Bank to inquire about the loan.

In the bank, he first introduced his basic situation, and the person in charge explained to him the application process, conditions and repayment methods of the loan.

"Copper coins, food stamps, cloth stamps, gold and silver dollars are all acceptable, and the only thing we will not accept is the return of silver!" The person in charge of the money village is from the capital, and he speaks in a Beijing dialect.

Chen Daming nodded again and again, as if he was in a dream.

The loan process was much simpler than expected, and after proving his identity, he successfully applied for a large low-interest loan from the Royal Bank.

After Chen Daming got the money, he was no longer in a hurry to take orders, but immediately bought a brand new cargo ship, and this cargo ship did not accept silver settlement.

Soon, Chen Daming's fleet was rejuvenated and re-active on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

With rich transportation experience and good reputation, he soon received a large number of orders, and he began to build a fleet, moving towards the status of the king of Beijing and Hangzhou.

These are just two of the many rising businessmen in Jiangnan, a large number of small merchants in Jiangnan have been loaned at low interest rates from the royal bank, as if they are butterflies that have broken out of their cocoons, and have created their own business legends.

It's just that these people and things belong to the afterword, and now the perspective returns to the southern tour of the Son of Heaven.

Since the Imperial ship re-headed south, a crowd has been added to the front of the procession.

The prisoners were almost unkempt and ragged, their hands tightly bound by rough chains, and every step seemed extremely difficult.

"These traitors really deserve a thousand cuts!"

"These evil things have been done, and they are really in vain!"

"Fortunately, thanks to the wisdom of the Son of Heaven, my Xiaocui was able to return safe and sound!"

……

When the people along the way saw the prisoners at the front of the line, their eyes were full of anger and dissatisfaction, and the voices of discussion came and went.

There are many women abducted here, like Zhao Liusi who saw his daughter Xiaocui being sent back by the government, not only to thank the wise son of heaven, but also to take a look at these beasts.

"I thought the beast looked good, but I didn't want to be a handsome boy!" Some people are also curious about what the traitor looks like, and after seeing Hou Haotian and Hou Jie, they can't help but sigh with emotion.

This has been the case since ancient times, some traitors and evil people thought that they had bad words written on their faces, but they may be gentlemen, or even a kind of righteous and awe-inspiring officials.

After Hou Haotian and Zheng Jie and other core personnel were arrested and returned to Suzhou, they originally hoped that someone would save them, but they became the negative teaching materials of the Son of Heaven's southern tour.

They were escorted in prison clothes, stared at by the people along the way, and even rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves kept flying, as well as fresh cow dung.

No one wants to leave the stench for 10,000 years, but in the face of the accusations of the people, these voices are sharp and piercing, like countless sharp arrows shot into their hearts.

Although most of them have already regretted it, it seems that it is too late, and the end of the southern tour of the Son of Heaven is Hangzhou, which will also be the end of their lives.

After a period of sailing, the imperial ship finally came to the last stop of the southern tour - Hangzhou.

Since the establishment of county governance in the Qin Dynasty, Hangzhou has a history of more than 1,800 years.

In the process, the name of Hangzhou has also undergone many changes. In the Qin period, a county was established, which was called "Qiantang", and later renamed "Qiantang". In the ninth year of the opening of the Sui Dynasty, Tang County was abolished and Hangzhou, and the name of Hangzhou appeared for the first time in history.

Historically, Hangzhou was the capital of the Wu Yue Kingdom and the Southern Song Dynasty, and has hosted a wealth of political, economic and cultural activities. Especially during the Southern Song Dynasty, Hangzhou became one of the most prosperous cities in the world at that time, and was praised by Marco Polo as "the most beautiful and luxurious heavenly city in the world".

In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Hangzhou became the capital of Zhejiang Province, and has been the political, economic, and cultural center of Zhejiang Province ever since.

During the Ming Dynasty, the city of Hangzhou basically followed the urban structure at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, abolished some city gates, such as Qianhu Gate, Tianzong Gate, and Beixin Gate, and changed Yuhang Gate to Wulin Gate. Since then, the city gates of Hangzhou have been fixed as Wulin Gate, Genshan Gate, Fengshan Gate, Qingtai Gate, Wangjiang Gate, Hou Chao Gate, Qingbo Gate, Yongjin Gate, Qiantang Gate, Qingchun Gate, a total of ten, that is, the "Ten Gates of Hangzhou" that people are now familiar with.

Hangzhou City is the provincial capital of Zhejiang, so there are three divisions and yamen here, as well as Qian Sen, the prefect of Hangzhou, who is responsible for governing Hangzhou, so there are hundreds of officials large and small in Hangzhou.

It's just that no matter how big the officials are, they can't compare to the cabinet elders who were sent out at the beginning of the year, and Yin Zhi, a scholar of the cabinet of the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, has already led officials to greet him here.

Zhu Youzhu has been accustomed to seeing cards along the way, and it has become commonplace to greet these officials, that is, to directly stay in the palace that has been repaired.

He met Yin Zhi in the palace and looked this loyal little old man up and down: "Elder Yin Ge, our monarch and ministers have not seen each other for nearly a year!" ”

"The old minister always remembers His Majesty, and now I am very happy to see Your Majesty walking in a tiger step!" Yin Zhi was very happy when he saw Zhu Youji, and he was also genuine.

Although the time of the monarch and the minister is not long, and there is no reputation as a teacher and student, in the relationship between the monarch and the minister during that time in the capital, the pair is very compatible.

This time to the south to sit in Zhejiang, after Ningbo City Bosi was lucky to catch an important breakthrough, the effect of the ban on silver in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was actually stronger than that of Nanzhili.

Zhu Youzhu thought of the loyal Wan An, and also told seriously: "Yin Ge is a little older!" It is rare for a virtuous minister of the Ming Dynasty, and it is even more difficult to find someone who is willing to do things for me, and I hope that Yin Ge can take care of his body more! ”

"Your Majesty's words, the minister is enough, and I am willing to follow Your Majesty with a stump to the end of the lamp, never two masters!" Yin Zhi was slightly moved in his heart, and said with a statement.

Zhu Youzhu knew that the next situation was complicated, and said with a smile: "There are no two masters? If something happens to me, will my son be unfaithful? ”

"Your Majesty, don't joke with this, even if the minister is bone powder, he will not let His Majesty have the slightest mistake!" Yin Zhi's face was straight, but he said seriously.

Zhu Youzhi realized that his joke was too big, so he changed the conversation: "Can things be arranged?" ”

"Things have been arranged, everything is expected by Your Majesty today, and they can't afford to set off the storm!" Yin Zhi's eyes flashed with a fierce look, and he looked very confident.

Zhu Youzhu held back all the way, and decided to tell the worst situation: "Before leaving, Dongfang Dao made a hexagram, saying that although we have a plan this time, we are afraid that we will suffer twists and turns, and we really can't really get rid of it!" ”

Although Dongfang Dao is unreliable on the issue of his own heirs, he has to admit that Dongfang Dao can indeed get a glimpse of a little opportunity, so this southern tour is actually accompanied by uncertain risks. (End of chapter)