The positive significance of paying tribute to a vassal state is very great. Whether it is civil servants, military commanders, or even the common people in the capital, they are all honored.
In order to show the benevolence and generosity of the Celestial Kingdom, all the officials presented Zhu Di, and the return gifts must not be shabby.
Li Qing disapproved of these face-saving behaviors, but he couldn't stop them. After all, diplomatic relations had just been restored. In order to better communicate with overseas countries in the future, it was okay to suffer a little loss.
In ancient times, a good reputation was better than a good fortune, and Zhu Di was not exempt from this custom. His return gifts to several vassal states were quite generous. Even if the price difference was put aside, they were worth twice the tribute.
The envoys from various countries smiled happily and expressed their gratitude again and again before saying goodbye and leaving.
Li Qing was afraid that these people would pay tribute at every turn in the future and collect Ming wool, so he suggested to Zhu Di to impose restrictions on tribute.
——Pay tribute once every five years!
The ministers refused and said: The country in heaven is tolerant and should not turn people away for the sake of gain or loss. As long as people come, they are welcome at any time.
But not all ministers are against Li Qing. For example, Xia Yuanji is very supportive of Li Qing.
Not only him, but also Dao Yan and Xiao Pang all supported Li Qing.
There are not many people who support Li Qing, but they are very important.
Zhu Di has a good face, but he is not a stupid son of a landlord. After some thought, he chose the right one.
——Pay tribute once every three years!
…
Weaving Bureau, Porcelain Kiln, Longjiang Shipyard... Li Qing was paying close attention to them all, and he had a deep understanding of the feeling of vitality and prosperity.
However, the imperial court's expenses were indeed high, and money was spent like water.
Xia Yuanji saw this and felt pain in his heart. He repeatedly told Zhu Di to stop editing the book first, but Zhu Di firmly refused.
Sometimes Zhu Di was annoyed and sent Xia Yuanji to western Zhejiang to supervise flood control matters, which made Xia lose his temper at all.
Li Qing occasionally went to Wenyuan Pavilion to read and repair books in his spare time.
The total number of book editors has reached a terrifying three thousand. They are all well-educated people and their handwriting is quite beautiful.
Moreover, editing books is different from Li Qing's imagination. It is not simply copying books, but first sorting and summarizing the collected books, then translating them, and re-copying them using the current grammar.
As he learned more about it, he became more and more aware of the significance of repairing books.
Because the books of this era are not like those of later generations. Although printing has become popular, the phenomenon of self-preservation is too serious. Many books are only copies and have not been disseminated.
But who made Zhu Di the emperor? A decree issued: Those who hand over books will be rewarded, and those who collect books will be punished!
A large number of isolated copies were continuously transported to the capital, ranging from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the previous dynasty, and all kinds of books appeared in the world.
It is foreseeable that without this general mobilization for book revision, many books would gradually disappear in the long river of history as time goes by.
What surprised Li Qing even more was that many truths hidden by the rulers came to light with this book revision.
You must know that history books are not only compiled by the official government, but also by many well-educated people among the people who secretly compile the history books and then pass them down from generation to generation.
They are more authentic than official political correctness.
Zhu Di also made a positive decision on this phenomenon. When conflicts arise, one should not judge right or wrong based on one's origin. Which one is more logical and reasonable should be used as the standard.
If this dynasty is not involved, officials can naturally follow orders without scruples.
In order to enable these people to work better, Zhu Di ordered Guanglu Temple to prepare meals for them, and the eunuchs would bring them to their mouths, while the book editors only had to eat.
At the same time, Zhu Di also sent Jin Yiwei to protect their safety, and the treatment was extremely good.
Editor-in-chief Xie Jin, producer Yao Guangxiao, and well-educated people from the Hanlin Academy were all involved. It doesn’t matter how these individuals are officials, but their knowledge is truly top-notch.
In addition, those folk talents are not much inferior, especially the handwriting, every stroke and every stroke is pleasing to the eye and has an excellent perception.
After collecting books from all over the world and using thousands of talented people to compile them, we can foresee how vast this book will be.
Li Qing couldn't help but sigh: There will be no other books besides the Grand Ceremony.
"Yongle Dadian" is known as the first encyclopedia in history, and its influence on China is immeasurable. Although most of it was lost in the end, it still left an indelible contribution.
Such as: "Old Tang Book", "Old History of the Five Dynasties", "Song Hui Yao Compilation", "Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian", "Shui Zhu Jing", "Xue Rengui's Conquest of Liao Dynasty"...
These books were either excerpted from the "Yongle Dadian" by the Qing Dynasty after they were lost; or they surfaced when the Dadian was compiled and passed down to later generations.
Moreover, Li Qing also noticed that many people copied and memorized every sentence and tried their best to remember the content.
In this era, there is no entertainment corrosion. The ancients went to bed early and got up early. Especially these scholars, who have good memories, it is not difficult to memorize an article.
A smile appeared on Li Qing's lips, and he felt more deeply about the positive significance of the ceremony.
He breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to himself: "I may not be able to change the so-called general trend, but I can still save this book."
"What are you mumbling about?"
Li Qing was startled, and in a blink of an eye he saw it was Dao Yan, and said angrily, "How come you, an old man, walk silently!"
"You are so obsessed with your thoughts, what do you have to do with this poor monk?" Dao Yan thumped his waist and sat down, complaining, "It's true that Your Majesty left a young man like you alone, but chose to use me, an old man who is almost seventy years old.
.”
"Who makes you the master?" Li Qing laughed, picked up the teapot and gave him a cup of tea, and asked, "How long will it take to repair the book?"
Dao Yan smiled bitterly: "It will take a long time."
"..." Li Qing rolled his eyes. Seeing the tiredness on the old monk's face, he advised: "Take a rest when you are tired. Don't do your homework when you go back to the temple in the evening."
"That won't work." Dao Yan shook his head, "When I do my homework at night, my mind is peaceful and I am completely mine."
Li Qing teased: "You brought this on yourself. You can always be a green lantern and an ancient Buddha. Who makes you restless?"
"Uh..." Dao Yan said sarcastically, "It is true that a poor monk cannot practice well, so he has to work even harder."
Li Qing nodded amusedly. At this age, it is really commendable that Dao Yan still has such energy and energy.
He has no feelings for Buddhism and feels that the Taoist spirit is more in line with him and reality, but he does not want to interfere with other people's beliefs.
Li Qing took a sip of tea and joked: "I heard that the emperor rewarded you with several beautiful women, are you really indifferent?"
After a pause, "If you have any unspeakable secrets, I can prescribe medicine for you. With your physical condition, it shouldn't be a big problem after you stay."
Dao Yan's face was full of dark lines, "You have good intentions, I don't need it."
"Look at you, I have good intentions!" Li Qing was very interested in seducing the monk. "Buddhism also has Happy Zen. You don't look like an honest person. I don't believe you have never practiced it..."
"Your uncle...!" Dao Yan broke his guard, "We are a Taoist priest and a monk, so we can't talk much about each other."
"Hey, hey, don't leave." Li Qing said coquettishly, "Let's chat a little longer!"
Dao Yan said bitterly: "Don't force this poor monk to speak dirty words."
Li Qing: "..."
At this time, Xiaopang walked over slowly and sat down on the chair, "You two go to the imperial study room."
"What's going on?"
"You'll know when you get there." Xiaopang added a cup of tea for himself and drank it in one gulp, "Go quickly!"
Li Qing nodded and saw that he had no intention of getting up, "Aren't you going?"
"I'll go after a while." The fat boy crossed his legs with a contented look on his face.
Li Qing picked him up and said, "More exercise will be good for you. Let's go, let's go..."
…
Royal study room.
Zhu Di was dealing with the memorial. When he saw three people coming in, he waved his hands gently, and the palace maid and eunuch immediately left.
"Everyone, sit down!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty (Father)." The three of them said a familiar phrase, pulled up a chair and sat down.
When the three of them sat down, Zhu Di said: "I want to fight!"
Li Qingdaoyan looked at each other with confusion on his face.
Dao Yan said doubtfully: "If the emperor wants to go to the north, he should ask the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Households, the generals, the ministers and the Marquis of Yongqing to take care of the military affairs."
"It's not the Northern Expedition, but the capture of Annan." Zhu Di said solemnly, "I am bound to win Annan."
Li Qing was confused, "Why?"
Zhu Di glared at him and said, "Let me ask you, do treasure ships have to go along the coastline when going to sea?"
"hold head high."
"Is Annan on the coastline?"
Li Qing suddenly realized and suggested: "Your Majesty, starting from Yunnan, it will be better to expand a little bit!"
When Xiaopang saw that I was about to get angry, he quickly took over the conversation: "Li Qing doesn't know yet, but the Ming Dynasty has established military and civilian consolation missions in Laos, Mengyang, Mubang...
In the southwest of the Ming Dynasty, a total of three Xuanfu Divisions and six Military and Civilian Xuanwei Divisions were established, such as the Jiugang Xuanwei Division..."
Li Qing was dumbfounded. The officials of the Xuanfu Division were appointed by the imperial court. In other words, several places had been included in the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Xuanwei Division was served by local leaders, it was actually under the control of the Ming Dynasty.
(ps: Xuanwei Division is similar to an autonomous region.)
Li Qing digested Xiaopang's words and was extremely shocked. In other words, Ming Dynasty now controls Southeast Asia.
No, I have only been away from the court for eight or nine months. The imperial army cannot be so fast... Li Qing swallowed, "Little...Prince, when did this happen?"
"Not long ago." Xiaopang saw the shock on his face and explained with a smile, "Actually, the imperial court almost didn't send troops. It just sent some people to go through the motions symbolically. As soon as Father's imperial edict came, they agreed."
"As for those farts, I won them because I think highly of them." Zhu Di glanced sideways at Li Qing and said with force, "Isn't it surprising?"
Li Qing was sincerely convinced: "Your Majesty, Shenwu!"
Although Lao Si is a bit of a rogue, he has made a lot of money by conquering Southeast Asia in this way. Of course, the reason why the other party is so obedient is because they are too weak and have no capital to compete.
Coupled with his strong mentality, he had no objection to joining the Ming Dynasty.
With this, there is an outlet for the Indian Ocean!
But Annan is different.
Firstly, his population is relatively large, almost one-tenth that of the Ming Dynasty. Secondly, since he is far away from the Ming Dynasty, this strategy will not work.
Li Qing muttered: "Your Majesty, please tell me what difficulties you have in the campaign against Annan. Let's put our heads together and we may be able to resolve the Emperor's concerns."
"The main reason is that the teacher came from nowhere." Zhu Di said with a headache, "Emperor Taizu designated Annan as a country without conquest, and they have always been honest. I... have no excuse!"