The ploughing ceremony in March of the sixth year of Hongji was unprecedentedly grand.

A mighty royal procession set off from Wumen Square, left Beijing through Zhengyangmen, and headed straight for the Shanchuan Altar on the west side of the official road.

Even for a short journey, heavy troops were arranged, and countless people and students had already visited both sides of the road to welcome the Son of Heaven Hongzhi passing by.

Zhu Youzhu was dressed in a dragon robe, wearing a golden crown to travel, and slowly entered the gate of the mountain and river altar by taking the golden chariot, and from the golden chariot, he was in front of the Tai Sui Palace.

In addition to the Tai Sui Palace, there are also the Divine Kitchen Warehouse, the Cultivation Place, the Cultivation Terrace, the Gufu Palace, the Qingcheng Palace, the Divine Warehouse and the Sacrificial Vessel Warehouse, the Altar and so on.

"Respectfully, St. Ann!" Liu Zhong, the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, has already led a group of relevant officials to be respectful here for a long time, and they seem to be polite.

With a gentle smile on their faces, they know that the cultivation ceremony is not only a ritual, but also an emphasis on agricultural production and concern for people's livelihood.

Now the emperor can personally come to participate in the cultivation ceremony, which is not only a blessing for the people of the world, but also a tribute to their Ministry of Agriculture.

Zhu Youzhu attached great importance to today's ploughing ceremony, and after bowing the jaws of the officials who knelt to greet him, he immediately ordered the ceremony to begin.

The cultivation ceremony is not only a kind of etiquette, but also one of the publicity platforms of the Ming Dynasty agriculture, which can be used by the "Ming" magazine to announce the details of the ceremony to the world.

The spring is bright, and the one-acre three-point field is selected from the black soil of the northeast, and under the careful care of the relevant personnel, the soil quality now appears to be very fertile.

Zhu Youzhu changed into different clothes according to the process, and finally stood on the cultivated land, holding the plow with his own hands, driving the obedient old ox in front of him to draw neat ravines on the land.

When the soft soil is turned up, the air is filled with the smell of earth, and this is also the smell of the times.

The hundreds of officials in the audience suddenly turned their heads to each other, because they saw that the treasure seed was taken out by the eunuchs and officials, which caused them to be very excited.

For the sake of these three seemingly ordinary treasures, the imperial court not only spent a lot of money to build three Mingyuan treasure ships, but also sent officials and crews across the East China Sea to the mysterious continent to find the treasures.

It took two years, and after losing more than half of the crew, Liu Zhang brought back the treasure seed, and now everyone is full of expectations for the treasure seed.

"A tree is harvested, and the valley is also; One tree has ten gains, and the wood is also; A tree is a hundred gains, and people are also; A tree is a thousand gains, and the treasure is also a seed! ”

"Don't exaggerate, I heard that the yield of a thousand catties per mu is not as exaggerated as the one tree you heard!"

"You are not a farmer, you don't know the difference between a yield of 500 catties per mu and a yield of 1,000 catties per mu, doubling the harvest is not just raising twice the number of people!"

……

Although the officials who were watching the ceremony had not been verified, after getting the yield data of the treasure seed per mu from Liu Zhang, their hearts were already full of optimism.

In the past, they might have questioned things that had not been confirmed, but this was Taizu's dream to His Majesty, not to mention that Liu Zhang had also confirmed it.

There is a new continent on the other side of the East China Sea, and the new continent really has the treasure seed described by His Majesty, and now the treasure seed has been brought back by Liu Zhang for two years, and this kind of thing is enough to dispel their immature suspicions.

It is precisely because of this that they all believe Liu Zhang's statement that the treasure seed yields thousands of catties per mu, and they are also full of expectations for the treasure seed that grows in the New World of the East China Sea.

Liu Zhang, who was wearing a first-class official uniform, stood among the officials in the front row, but there was no joy on his face.

Since he drove the treasure ship back to Tianjin Port, he was ceremoniously welcomed by the imperial court, especially when he returned to the capital, he was greeted by hundreds of officials led by the Son of Heaven like Liu Zhong back then.

What a glory it was, enough for him to glorify his ancestors.

This time, he returned from the successful completion of the mission, and the imperial court not only promoted him to the left servant of the Ministry of Agriculture, but also was awarded the title of new earl of Tu, and now he is responsible for cultivating and promoting the cultivation of the treasure seeds brought back in Daming.

Because he was awarded the title of prince and prince by the emperor, and now he is also an official from the first grade, so his position is still ranked in front of Liu Zhong, the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, and he has become a real high-ranking official of the imperial court.

"Why are you so sullen, New Tubo?" Jia Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of Works, noticed that this former subordinate had a serious expression, and asked curiously.

In fact, when Liu Zhang returned from overseas this time, he could obviously feel that Liu Zhang seemed to be a little different, and often showed a preoccupied look.

It's just that the identity of the other party is not what it used to be after all, and the two-year experience overseas may also change a person, so it has been difficult for him to break it directly.

However, today, seeing that Liu Zhang was still depressed on this happy day, he couldn't help but ask directly.

Liu Zhang was slightly stunned at first, and then squeezed out a little smile and said: "Jia Shangshu, I'm afraid that you have misunderstood, the lower officials are very happy in their hearts, but they are not good at showing it on their faces!" ”

"Originally, we all thought that the matter of the feudal uncle could be delayed, and it would not be too late to give the reward when the treasure seed was harvested, but His Majesty gave you a knighthood despite public opinion. Your Majesty is a great grace to you, and you are not because of yourself, are you? Jia Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, suddenly became energetic, and simply analyzed openly and honestly.

Liu Zhang didn't expect this former boss to speak so bluntly, so he immediately nodded and said: "The lower official has not only been knighted by His Majesty, but also promoted his official position, and has also received a lot of additional rewards, how can he be dissatisfied!" ”

It's just that when he said this, he suddenly realized that the nodding just now was inappropriate, isn't this tantamount to admitting in disguise that it was because other people were unhappy?

"It seems that the old man guessed correctly, you are because of Su Can's family! Last year, the Jiangnan case involved a wide range of people, and Su Can's family was also involved, and his uncle was suspected of cooperating with the White Lotus Sect to plant gunpowder in the canal, so it was impossible for the imperial court to spare Su Can's family! Jia Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, thought of Su Can, who went to the American continent with Liu Zhang, and also sighed.

Since Su Can's career, Su Can's family has a certain status in Jiangnan.

Because Su Can's uncle not only joined the Jiangnan business, but also participated in the assassination of the emperor, he became a person involved in the Jiangnan case, and Su Can's family was implicated.

Because the Mingyuan treasure ship went to the American continent for nearly two years and did not return, everyone thought that Liu Zhang and Su Can had committed treason, or had already died in the ocean.

But who would have thought that not long after the beginning of the year, he learned the news of Liu Zhang's return.

Although Su Can has died overseas, Su Can has made such a great contribution to the imperial court's treasure hunting, and his family members really shouldn't be killed.

It is precisely in this way that although the court's approach is inappropriate, it can be regarded as fate.

"There is nothing wrong with what the imperial court has done, and the lower officials are not dissatisfied!" Liu Zhang already knew the whole story, and he seemed bitter to take a stand.

Jia Jun, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, glanced at Liu Zhang deeply, and patted him on the shoulder again: "Your Majesty is leading the Ming Dynasty to create a prosperous era, and those who are not loyal to Your Majesty today are the countercurrent of the courtiers and the public enemy of the people, I hope you can think twice!" ”

Liu Zhang was put on his shoulder by this hand, and suddenly felt Wan Jun's strength, and a sweat slid down his forehead silently.

It was at this time that the emperor's pro-ploughing ceremony ended, and it was the turn of their important ministers to participate in it.

It is said that the emperor is not close to farming, but in fact, these important ministers have already gone through a pampered life, and naturally they don't know how to work.

Fortunately, they are able to stand in this position, and all of them are smart and studious people, and naturally they will also prepare in advance to know how to farm.

Wang Yue is an exception, when he tried to cut rice with Hu Daniu, he naturally knew how to plow the field.

Perhaps it was the experience of living in the house that made him understand the difficulties of the lives of the people at the bottom, and he understood how wise the emperor was to spend a lot of money to find the treasure seeds.

When it comes to planting, this year is different from previous years.

Since Zhu Youzhu added cotton seeds in the first year of Hongzhi, three kinds of treasure seeds were naturally introduced this time. Due to the limited land of one acre and three points of land, in addition to planting three kinds of treasure seeds, only cotton, barley and rice were left.

The current "Ming" journal is also edited by Xie Qian, who also recorded this change.

Due to the addition of the Ministry of Agriculture in the imperial court, the sowing process was mainly operated by Liu Zhong and Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang, the left waiter of the Ministry of Agriculture, is also in charge of this one-third of an acre of land, so he worked hard and carefully planted the seeds in his hands.

His fate has been deeply tied to the treasure seed, not only because of the recovery of the treasure seed to get the title of the new Tu Earl, but also as the Ministry of Agriculture Zuo Shilang is responsible for the cultivation and promotion of the treasure seed.

It's just that when he was planting potatoes, he wanted to speak several times, but suddenly felt a piercing gaze.

When Liu Zhang turned his head to look over, he saw Su Can staring at him coldly, but when he thought about it carefully, he found that there was no Su Can in the crowd.

"What's going on with Liu Zhang?"

"He feels weird to the old man!"

"I heard that I was frightened on the American continent, and it should be good if I was late!"

……

The civil and military officials present noticed Liu Zhang's abnormal behavior, but they only thought that Liu Zhang had experienced two years of hardships and obstacles, and they also expressed their understanding.

With the end of the ploughing ceremony, the emperor's guard of honor returned directly to the palace.

Zhu Youzhi is now the engine of this empire, and although the central and local yamen have their own duties, he still starts important things.

Since the emperor entered the West Garden, the pattern here has also been constantly adjusted.

On the south side of the Yang Xin Palace, an independent office of the cabinet was built, but now there is a courtyard built on the opposite side, which is the newly established military aircraft department.

Anyone can see that the emperor's establishment of the Military Aircraft Department is not only to strengthen the country's military decision-making ability, but also to decentralize the power of a single cabinet.

There are only three members of the Military Aircraft Department, namely Wang Yue, Zhao Chengqing and Zhang Yong.

Wang Yue naturally did not have any objections, if it weren't for the fact that he was born as a non-minister, he should be the head of the cabinet now. The newly promoted Yasukuni Duke Zhao Chengqing relied on military merit to be promoted, and he was also qualified, and there was opposition from the eunuch Zhang Yong.

Zhang Yong was originally a eunuch in the palace, but because Zhu Youji, who had just ascended the throne, wanted to control the military camp, he sent Zhang Yong and other twelve eunuchs to serve as the commander of the twelve battalions.

Because of his outstanding performance, when Zhu Youzhu built the Heavy Cavalry Aegis Battalion, Zhang Yong was directly promoted by the emperor to be the first commander of the Aegis Battalion.

The Aegis Battalion has won a hundred battles in the north and south over the years, and has become the first army recognized by the entire Ming Dynasty as the first in combat power, and the people of the Ming Dynasty are also proud of the Aegis Battalion.

Although Zhang Yong's election as a member of the Military Aircraft Department was criticized to a certain extent, the prestige of Emperor Hongzhi was enough, and even if some officials expressed dissatisfaction, they were easily suppressed.

In fact, the voice of opposition mainly came from the civilian official group, and the military generals did not raise objections, and even the military generals such as Pingliao Bo Tiexiangshan supported Zhang Yong very much.

Zhang Yong's combat style is very strong, and the leader can have won everyone's unanimous recognition, if he hadn't been born as a eunuch, he would have been made a marquis a long time ago.

Due to the formation of the Military Aircraft Department by three heavyweights, the power of the Military Aircraft Department is now faintly overpowering the cabinet led by Yin Zhi.

After the ploughing ceremony ended, the eyes of the empire naturally fell back to the north.

Summoned by Zhu Youji, the three people from the Military Aircraft Department passed by the door and came to the heart nourishing hall filled with sandalwood.

Zhu Youji, who was wearing a dragon robe, sat in front of the desk to deal with the recitals of the two capitals and twelve provinces, and saw the little eunuch leading the three people to meet him, so he gently put down a recital in his hand.

Although the Ming Dynasty is now stable, it is not without any problems.

Jiangnan's ban on silver has paid off, but it will take time for the new currency to be fully implemented across the country, and some minor problems still need to be dealt with properly.

It is gratifying that the construction of the national debt has been recognized by the general gentry and the common people, and now the new currency and the interests of the people are actually quietly bound.

Zhu Youzhu saw the three people who appeared, so he went straight to the point and said: "The Queen Mother of Beishun has replied, she said that the last raid on Jizhen was a personal act of Yi Buyin, and now she has deprived Beishun of the status of the Taishi, and promised to send troops to help us encircle and suppress the Yi Bu Yin Department, what do you think of this?" ”

This time, he also led his troops to raid Jizhen, which can be regarded as the Northern Yuan tearing up the peace talks.

Although Zhu Youzhu has always had the idea of annexing Mongolia, the cost is too high, and he does not want to gamble on the fortunes of the country with his own selfishness.

Now what the Ming Dynasty needs is to develop its national strength, if it costs hundreds of millions of silver taels to take Mongolia, not to mention that Mongolia's output value cannot be filled at all, and Mongolia may have to be fed by the imperial court's finances.

What's more, there is still one of their favorite concubines sandwiched between the two countries, especially since that crazy night, Concubine Bei's stomach seems to have moved.

It is precisely because of this that now Manduhai has taken the initiative to draw a clear line with Yi Bu Yin, and has even expressed that he can send troops to support, and he can not lead his troops to raid Ji Town, which can be interpreted as a personal behavior that does not stab Yin.

"Our military aircraft department unanimously thinks that it is not appropriate to start a war against Beishun State, and our Ming Dynasty will not be able to clean up the Ministry this time!" Wang Yue and the three exchanged glances, and Wang Yue replied.

Zhu Youzhu knew that the three of them were important ministers who could take care of the overall situation, so he nodded lightly: "Since this is the case, then we will discuss it today and formulate a strategy to eliminate it!" ”

As soon as these words came out, it was foreshadowed that there would be a war in the sixth year of Hongzhi, a crazy revenge against the Mongols going south. (End of chapter)