“Pork is more expensive than beef and mutton?”

Zhu Youjian was a little stunned. He didn't expect pork to be so expensive.

Faced with the question, the flag officer could only smile helplessly and said: "Your Highness, I don't know, beef and mutton have a strong taste and need to be marinated with spices."

"Beef and mutton are not expensive, but the spices for marinating are expensive."

"Although pork is expensive, if you take it home and get some ginger slices, onion, garlic and salt, you can cook it directly."

"After a year, I save four or five taels of silver. In the twelfth lunar month, I buy five pieces of cloth and spend one tael of silver. My family will also have a few new pieces of clothing."

After the chief flag officer finished speaking, Zhu Youjian did not expect that the people in the late Wanli period were actually living a pretty good life.

But then he thought about it, this man was talking about his life. As the commander-in-chief, he was a seventh-rank official of the imperial court, so it was natural that he lived a good life.

Thinking about it, Zhu Youjian asked: "What you are talking about is yours, what I want to ask is the common people."

"For example, can the woodcutter receive one or two taels of silver a year?"

"Your Highness, you must underestimate them." The flag officer explained with a smile:

"These woodcutters can go into the mountains in three days, pick up a hundred kilograms of dried firewood and bring it to Beijing, and they can sell it for a hundred kilograms."

"It's not difficult to earn eight or nine taels of silver in a year."

"The most difficult thing is that if farmers have their own farmland and pay land tax and capitation tax per acre, they will only have a hundred and twenty coins left."

"Therefore, some peasants can only go to the countryside to do some work in their free time. Occasionally, the imperial court imposes corvee labor, which delays the crops."

"As a result, it only costs six to seven hundred yuan a year. At most, I can buy a piece of white cloth and some oil and salt, and then it's all spent."

"In the early years of the Emperor Shenzong's reign, the welfare institutions had good welfare. Many refugees even worked as beggars to trick them into entering the institutions because they could not support themselves by farming."

"Are there many people taken in by the almshouses in Beijing?" Zhu Youjian frowned slightly, disgusted with such people who did not work but became beggars.

As for the nursing home, it is an ancient welfare institution. In the first year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict: "For those who are widowed, lonely, disabled, and sick and cannot support themselves, the official will provide them with care."

Zhu Yuanzhang included it in the "Da Ming Code", which stipulates: "Anyone who is widowed, lonely and seriously ill, who is poor and has no relatives to rely on, and cannot survive on his own, and who should be adopted by the court but not adopted, will receive sixty sticks; if he should be given food and clothing but the official

Those who derogate from it are considered to be stealing by guarding."

Under Zhu Yuanzhang's initiative, many prefectures and counties established almshouses during the Hongwu period.

During the reign of Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, the construction of Yangjiyuan was improved, and Yangjiyuan was “all found in prefectures, prefectures and counties all over the world.”

Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty also issued an edict during the Tianshun period that each county should set up an almshouse to provide rice for cooking, two meals a day, utensils, firewood, vegetables, etc., all of which were managed by the local government.

For homeless people, orphans, and the elderly in almshouses, those who are sick are treated by doctors, and the deceased are buried in coffins.

It can be said that the orphaned old man in the nursing home accounts for a large amount of expenditures of the local government.

Zhu Youjian just asked casually, and the flag officer responded:

"The almshouse in the capital supports more than 20,000 people, who need to eat tens of thousands of kilograms of food every day. A few days ago, the Yin of Shuntian Prefecture reported to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and requested to resettle fields for them, but the Ministry of Civil Affairs rejected the request."

"So many?" Zhu Youjian couldn't help but be speechless, while the flag officer shook his head and said:

"Most of the almshouses in the capital are filled with lazy people, such as those with disabilities, orphans, and the elderly. Most of them have been pushed out to the prefectures and counties around the capital."

"And in recent years, the border guard's almshouse needs to support many orphans every year, and some generals..."

At this point, the general flag officer shut his mouth in time and did not dare to continue talking, but Zhu Youjian understood the meaning of his words.

Local frontier generals need to train servants, and these orphans of generals who died in battle are naturally the best source of soldiers.

You don't need to spend too much money, you just need the general to send some things every now and then, cultivate some feelings, and when these children are sixteen or seventeen years old, they can be recruited into the military camp to become servants. They are very loyal.

This kind of little trick can't be hidden from anyone. Zhu Youjian also came up with an idea and suddenly said to Wang Chengen:

"Cheng'en, find an opportunity tomorrow and go to Qianqing Palace to talk to the emperor."

"Let's just say that the eunuchs in Yumajian are on empty wages and the Yumajian is short of manpower. Therefore, they want to recruit some children of soldiers who died in the war from border towns such as Xuanfu, Datong, and Jiliao, and then ask some students from the Imperial College to teach them. ."

"In addition, the fields of Yumajian and Huangzhuang need to be cultivated. Those orphans whose husbands and sons died in the war can be moved to Beizhili, and Yumajian will allocate the land."

"Just tell the emperor brother that if he agrees, you will do it. If he doesn't agree, forget it."

"My slave takes orders." Wang Chengen responded quickly after hearing this, but Zhu Youjian didn't pay much attention to it.

If he shows too much concern, he may be impeached by the rural party civilian officials in the DPRK.

Thinking of this, Wang Chengen suddenly said: "Your Highness, the Ministry of Industry is here."

"Yeah." Seeing this, Zhu Youjian was about to get off the car. Wang Chengen was helped out of the car by the Jin Yiwei. After setting up the horse stool, he helped Zhu Youjian get out of the car.

Although Zhu Youjian was wearing a white round-neck uniform, the style with which he appeared immediately made the sergeant of the Wucheng Soldiers and Horses Division guarding the entrance of the industrial department realize that there was a big shot, and he hurriedly reported it.

After a while, a sixth-grade director of the Ministry of Industry trotted out with several minor officials.

When he saw Zhu Youjian, he quickly ran out and saluted: "Your Highness..."

He could recognize Zhu Youjian because he had seen Zhu Youjian in Jiyan Hall during the national funeral. Zhu Youjian did not find it strange, but explained his purpose:

"Brother Huang asked me to take a look at the design and drawings of the imperial mausoleum. In addition, you asked someone to show me the list of all the materials used in the imperial mausoleum design."

"Yes, I will take care of it now." Hearing what Zhu Youjian said, the director of the Ministry of Industry sighed secretly, but he could only do as he was told.

"Your Highness, please come this way." He led the way, and Zhu Youjian walked in with ten imperial guards and Wang Chengen.

This official was half a body behind Zhu Youjian, but he led the way leisurely. It was obvious that he was stalling for time.

Zhu Youjian was not afraid. He had already thought of a way to draw out the fire, and even if these ministers of the Ministry of Industry were so covert, they could not stop him.

"I have met with His Highness the Fifth Highness, Wang Zuo, Minister of the Ministry of Industry."

Suddenly, at the corner, an old man in his fifties wearing the official uniform of a minister brought a group of officials to pay homage. Zhu Youjian nodded upon seeing this:

"I'm here to see the design and drawings of the imperial mausoleum. Wang Shangshu should go and do his own business. Just ask the director of the Ministry of Industry to bring me the list of materials and craftsmen."

"In that case, I will resign..." Wang Zuo saw that Zhu Youjian did not want him to accompany him, so he had no choice but to disperse everyone.

Officials from the Ministry of Industry returned to their studies, while Zhu Youjian, accompanied by the director of the Ministry of Industry, came to a courtyard where the imperial mausoleum was designed.

On the table in the courtyard room, there are sand tables and models of imperial tombs, as well as a thick stack of books.

Obviously, the people from the Ministry of Industry wanted to embarrass Zhu Youjian, but...
Chapter completed!