In the Imperial Garden, the white snow has begun to melt, and the warm winter sun has set. It has snowed for a few days, and been cloudy for a few days. Finally, the warm sunshine is ushered in.
The prince's health has improved a lot recently. Taking advantage of the warm sunshine today, he came to the imperial garden to bask in the sun. The maids were guarding the side with a large screen. Whenever the wind blew, they would open the screen to block it, so as to prevent the prince from blowing it.
cool breeze.
The slightest aroma passed into the prince's nose, and Zhu Gaoxu became more energetic: "Zhan Ming, give me some mutton skewers for dad."
At this time, Zhu Zhanzhen was letting Sang Yu eat the kebabs.
Zhu Zhanzhen chewed the mutton in his mouth: "Father, the barbecue is too irritating. Mother told you not to eat it."
The prince had been silent for a while, so he smacked his lips and said, "Zhan Ming, a man can't just listen to a woman, even your mother."
"Ahem."
The sound of the Crown Princess coughing came from behind the screen. Zhu Gaochi pretended that nothing happened, and started playing by himself while holding the Bachelor of Baimao Pavilion in his arms.
Coming out of the back, Princess Jiaxing jumped up to Zhu Zhanzhen and said, "Fifth brother, I want to eat this too."
The Crown Princess said with a hint of blame: "You should eat less of these grilled things."
"I understand, mother."
The princess glared at Zhu Gaochi and left with Princess Jiaxing.
Zhu Gaochi was in low spirits: "Zhan Ming, what do you think of the documents that were sent back?"
"The emperor said that people from other countries should take part in the imperial examination. My son thinks that this is not a bad idea, and he can even vigorously promote it. Those who can learn our culture will be our promotion ambassadors for the Ming Dynasty in the future."
"Then what if there is someone who is really talented and beats all the other heroes and wins the first prize? Where will I put my dignity as a scholar in the Ming Dynasty?"
"Father, there is nothing to worry about. If it is possible, just give him the title of No. 1 Scholar, and publicize it vigorously, make him an official, reward him with money, and let literati from other countries know the benefits of learning our culture."
Zhu Zhanzhen's opinion was the same as Zhu Di's.
Zhu Gaochi was still struggling. The ministers were divided into two groups on this matter, and Zhu Di had to make the final decision.
Zhu Zhanzhen suddenly thought of a way: "Father, do you think this will work? In the name of the Ming Dynasty, we will buy a piece of land in Jiaozhi, North Korea, Jianzhou and other places to build schools. Local students can study here and learn science."
Examination, government examination, select the outstanding ones to take the scientific examination in Beijing."
"At the same time, this place also dispatches officials to maintain long-term contact with the local court and conduct diplomatic activities. It is called an embassy."
"Embassy?" Zhu Gaochi muttered rather doubtfully.
"There are actually some similarities with the chief envoy. The policies and culture of the Ming Dynasty court need this diplomatic ambassador to maintain. He also represents the face of Ming Dynasty outside. Anyone who dares to invade the embassy is invading the land of Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Gaochi thought for a while: "Jianzhou Jurchens and the three Uliangha tribes are already under the jurisdiction of Nuergandu commander and envoy. They can also set up embassies to promote culture. If you want to try it, you can do it in North Korea and Jiaozhi first.
"
"Father, you can go to Japan and give it a try."
"Japan? Why?"
"Our understanding of Japan is limited. We first sent people there to understand the customs, landforms and maps of Japan, just like the Japanese envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty. Japan knows a lot about us, but we know very little about them."
Zhu Gaochi frowned slightly: "I'm afraid it's not that easy to set up an embassy in Japan."
"There is a delegation of envoys coming from Japan in the New Year, so I must give it a try."
"This matter still needs to be discussed in detail."
Zhu Zhanyi didn't say much. Zhu Di wanted to export foreign trade and culture. The functions of embassies in this era were definitely different from those in modern times, but they could be combined with Zhu Di's policy of allowing literati from other countries to take imperial examinations. Zhu Zhanyi
I think it's feasible.
"Have you sent anyone to prepare the cotton and other supplies your grandpa wants?"
Zhu Zhanzhen pointed to the coal for barbecue, which included ordinary coal and honeycomb briquettes: "It's ready. My father is cold in the north and has a huge demand for coal. I asked Zhang San and others to think of a way to add slaked lime and yellow briquettes.
The made briquettes are simple to make and have low smoke. I believe the demand in the north will be huge."
"Why should it be made into this weird shape like a lotus root?"
Naturally, Zhu Zhanzhen couldn't tell him that increasing the air contact area would make the burning more repetitive. Instead, he made an excuse: "Zhang San and other craftsmen have tried and tested again and again, and this way the fire is more intense."
Zhu Gaochi saw the effect with his own eyes and said, "It's good. It can be used for burning fires in winter. Let's send it to the north."
"Father, there is a large amount of coal produced near Shuntian Prefecture. I plan to directly put the production of briquettes in Shuntian Prefecture, and then transport it to Jianzhou, North Korea, Ulyanha and even Oara for trade. This is also the mutual trade that the emperor hopes."
Zhu Gaochi nodded: "It's feasible. It's smokeless coal, and it's cheap and has a huge market. But you have to keep the recipe secret, otherwise others will learn it."
"It is certainly possible to keep it secret for a short period of time, but because the actual production of briquettes is simple, it is estimated that it will not be kept secret for long."
"Then wouldn't this allow others to learn from it?"
Zhu Zhanzhen nodded: "Yes, but father, please see if it is feasible for Ming Dynasty to monopolize coal mines."
"Monopoly on coal mines?"
Zhu Zhanzhen gave a different solution from the confidential formula, energy monopoly.
"Steamships need coal mines. The more steamships there are in the future, the greater the demand for coal mines. Taking advantage of this time, the Ming Dynasty will monopolize the coal mines first, and those outside the Great Wall will also find ways to obtain development rights either for profit or development."
Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhu Zhanzhen in confusion, wondering how his son could think of so many things. He always seemed to be one step ahead.
"Are you going to let the Cao family do it?" Zhu Gaochi asked bluntly.
Zhu Zhanzhen was a little shocked but immediately returned to his original state. How could this matter escape the eyes and ears of the prince? And he had no intention of hiding it.
"Father is really powerful, nothing can be hidden from your eyes."
Zhu Gaochi laughed: "You asked the quartermaster to contact the Cao family, who can you hide it from? Just wait for your grandpa Huang to come back and blame you."
"Everything in the Cao family has been handled very well, how could Grandpa Huang blame him?" Zhu Zhanzhen said with an "innocent" smile.
"You, don't rely on your cleverness to act clever."
"Father, I have hidden nothing from you and Grandpa Huang."
Zhu Zhanzhen continued to explain: "The reason for supporting the Cao family is that they agreed to help me set up a supply and marketing cooperative. As I told you some time ago, the market model of gathering common people to share shares and public accounts and sharing of shares can increase taxes."
"But if these wealthy businessmen don't see the benefits, they won't be able to do their best, so this time I want to let them taste some sweetness, including this time the briquettes. The coal mine must be in the hands of the court, but
Mining rights and processing rights can be allocated to private businesses to increase everyone's enthusiasm."
Zhu Gaochi became more and more satisfied with Zhu Zhanzhen. He knew very clearly which ones must be kept in the hands of the court and which ones could be separated.
There is nothing wrong with him making some money. Who among the princes and nobles of the Han Dynasty and Zhao Dynasty did not rely on their royal status to make some money. Compared with this, the money Zhu Zhanzhen earned was like buying new silk stockings - clean and breathable.
"The Cao family is willing to be a supply and marketing cooperative."
"Leave the cotton and briquette matters to them. Their business has increased a lot, so naturally they are willing. After the steam engines are mass-produced, they will be sold to them first. Now the Cao family is already starting to build a supply and marketing cooperative."
"As long as they are willing to do it, you can support them, but remember, even if you are just pretending, don't let others see too much of your connection on the surface. People's words are scary, and other people will be jealous. There is no guarantee that something will happen and something bad will happen.
Your own reputation."
"I understand, father."
"Let's get started with the briquette matter. The court will take over the coal mines in the north. As you said, the energy must be in the hands of the court."
"Father, I have one more thing to do. The New Year is approaching. Are we going to have a big banquet for all the ministers this year?"
"I have reported this matter to Your Majesty, and everything remains the same." Zhu Gaochi was a little eager to give it a try. The banquet meant that he could have a good meal.
When it came to food, Zhu Gaochi felt neither sleepy nor tired.
"The chefs selected for this year's Golden Knife Competition can come in handy this time."
Zhu Zhanchen said helplessly: "Father, we have to give orders to Guanglu Temple earlier."
However, Zhu Gaochi of Honglu Temple had a look of disgust on his face: "Just ask someone from Guanglu Temple to give orders as usual. The food at Guanglu Temple is very unpalatable. I would rather be hungry than eat it."
The prince is so principled.
At this time, Zhu Zhanquan came over. He was very worried about the failure of Jiangxi's bandit suppression. He had already requested orders from Zhu Gaochi twice to personally supervise the army.
He also said that he wanted to imitate the emperor's grandfather and lead a personal expedition, which made Zhu Gaochi very angry.
Although Zhu Di's personal expedition was expensive, Zhu Di was really capable of fighting and led the army to conquer the barbarians. But you, Zhu Zhanquan, have no experience in fighting at all.
I asked him to briefly review the tactics of war with the Ministry of War before, and there were a lot of flaws. He asked you to lead the troops. If you can't even wipe out the thieves on the mountain and have someone fight them back, you will really lose your face.
Zhu Gaochi's face was also dull.
Although we can't wipe out the bandits in a short time with the bandits surrounded now, the losses on our side are not big. This winter is very difficult, so why be aggressive.
Seeing Zhu Zhanju, Zhu Gaochi got a headache.
"Father, the Cochin Army has reported for duty."
"What's going on?"
"It's still relatively stable. There's been a fight within the rebel army. They're fighting in the nest right now. If we send out troops at this time, we might be able to win it in one fell swoop."
Zhu Gaochi frowned slightly as he watched the military report that there was internal chaos on the other side. It was indeed a rare opportunity, but the risk of starting a war on the northern and southern fronts was too great. In the end, he shook his head: "No, let's keep it as is."
"Father, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"What our army needs is not a good opportunity. With the strength of our army, we can solve the rebellion by freeing up our troops to attack the border."
Zhu Zhanzhen once again had a disagreement with the prince, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was just aggrieved.
After a while, he said again: "Father, the envoy from Japan has arrived."
Zhu Gaochi looked at him doubtfully: "Why is there no news? Where did you learn about it?"