Chapter 416: Those Who Understand the Times are Wise

Zhu Yijun chatted with Liu Xian for a long time. Regarding the new medicine, Zhu Yijun said that he had severely criticized the Grand Physicians of the Medical Institute! Furthermore, he had replaced it with more precious medicinal ingredients for the treatment.

Liu Xian went to the Five Military Commissions to take up his post. The functions of the Five Military Commissions had been replaced by the Ministry of War over a long period, but the Five Military Commissions had always existed, serving as a place symbolizing the supreme ruling power of the Great Ming's military.

Liu Xian actually knew that the Emperor was deceiving him. Liu Xian had also had people inquire about the efficacy of that medicine; it was very effective. However, old men were like half-grown children; they couldn't let go of their pride. Since the Emperor said it had been changed, this was a step down for him. Everyone stepped down, which could be considered as laying a good foundation for the medical treatment.

In the end, everyone ended this audience with a tacit understanding.

The Great Ming's Grand Physicians were still trustworthy when it came to treating illnesses. Whether it was Tan Lun or Ling Yunyi, both received extremely comprehensive care. The Great Ming was innovating and changing with each passing day, and Liu Xian was also willing to see more of this magnificent landscape. The world he had spent his life protecting was flourishing, which was the greatest affirmation and comfort for his life.

Liu Xian liked the current Great Ming very much, and he also hoped that the Great Ming could continue to be prosperous and strong.

As the New Year approached, a violent explosion occurred at a firework and firecracker factory outside Zhaoyang Gate. The earth shook and the mountains swayed. Everyone in the civilian houses outside Zhaoyang Gate heard the violent roar. Sand flew and stones rolled, and fire lit up the sky. Afterwards, the Great Ming's Beijing Garrison began to evacuate the nearby commoners, because the greatest secondary damage from a firecracker factory explosion was fire.

The entire disaster relief process lasted for a full day before it ended. The Shuntian Prefecture Southern Yamen, which had already been on holiday, didn't need to celebrate this New Year either. Everyone gathered at the thatched huts outside Zhaoyang Gate and began to investigate the case. Such a big incident had happened right outside Zhaoyang Gate; even if they wanted to hide it, they couldn't. In the afternoon, Zhu Yijun received the memorial from Shuntian Prefecture Vice Magistrate Wang Yie.

The production of Great Ming's firework and firecracker factories all had to be approved by the imperial court. In a manual workshop with a maximum of thirty catties of gunpowder, they had actually produced three thousand catties of gunpowder in the warehouse!

Merchants pursued profit, and this mismanagement directly led to the explosion. The explosion directly killed thirteen people, and the subsequent fire caused thousands of people to be pulled out of bed by the Beijing Garrison's elite soldiers in the middle of the night to avoid danger. The fire caused by the explosion resulted in eleven deaths, totaling twenty-four deaths and over one hundred and fifty injuries.

A terrible major case! Heaven had sent a heavy snow not seen in years without freezing anyone to death, yet this explosion directly caused over one hundred and seventy casualties.

Zhu Yijun did not pay attention to the cursing, because he was focusing on the cause and effect of this gunpowder explosion case. There was clearly only a permit for thirty catties of gunpowder, yet this firework factory outside Zhaoyang Gate had actually hoarded three thousand catties of gunpowder. The owner of the firecracker factory, who lived in the Western City and was surnamed Chen, was arrested by the yamen runners that very day. And the source of the gunpowder for the firework factory was not saltpeter, but toilet ash.

This case also sparked a discussion on the management of civilian houses outside Zhaoyang Gate. This was a weak area of imperial court management, and there was no specialized yamen to manage it. The commoners in the grass markets were mostly displaced people, and various vicious incidents occurred from time to time. In the Great Ming's capital region, counting the commoners in the grass markets, there were already over two million people, and most of them lived outside Zhaoyang Gate.

This was to prevent the imperial court turmoil brought about by the Emperor's intense conflicts. Great Ming's imperial uncles all liked to rebel, and they also needed brothers to be of one heart.

The five hundred thousand catties of gunpowder in the Wang Gong Factory began to be gradually transferred to various small armories. The gunpowder management system would be changed to prevent any hidden dangers from occurring.

As His Majesty gradually grew up, Shuntian Prefecture gradually became a loyal Shuntian Prefecture.

After the Great Ming's first heir inherited the throne, the second heir had to reside in the capital for a long time, waiting until the Crown Prince grew up a bit before taking up his fief.

Zhu Yijun was accustomed to this quietness, but the Great Ming commoners were not accustomed to it at all. The Emperor's imperial edict was naturally cursed again, cursing the imperial court for being too meddlesome.

Consort Liu, Consort Li, and Zhu Yijun were all very young. In any case, they had to meet every month, and there were still plenty of opportunities.

The child whose due date was in the twelfth month only arrived in the first month of the ninth year of Wanli. The child weighed only five catties and seven taels. Both mother and child were safe. Because it was a male, the Empress Dowager specially issued an imperial edict to the court to rejoice with the subjects.

Saltpeter was a gunpowder raw material strictly managed by the imperial court. Even the fact that Laojun Mountain had nitre-boiling caves was relatively secret information. However, the white ash on the walls of civilian toilets did not belong to the scope of control. This explosion at the firecracker factory immediately aroused the vigilance of the imperial court. The "dung road masters" of all major cities immediately fell into bad luck. Regarding things like toilet ash, after the dung road masters collected it, they were not allowed to buy, sell, or hoard it privately. They had to sell it to the yamen to be transported to the Directorate of Imperial Armaments to be centrally manufactured into gunpowder. Those who violated the order would be punished for privately hiding firearms and armor.

This Owner Chen would be beheaded after the New Year. Someone had to be responsible for this explosion case, because the main reason for the explosion was mismanagement. When the open fire appeared, the clerk in charge of the warehouse ran off to drink, and when it exploded, he sobered up.

The reason for not being favored was also simple. Zhu Yijun indeed did not like the cold and aloof manner they carried. It wasn't that they were putting on airs; at this age, they didn't know how to serve people well. Consort Liu liked poetry, and every time she wanted to recite poems and compose couplets, while Consort Li liked music, and every time she wanted to play and sing. In order to please the Emperor and fully display their shining points, the more they liked to show off, but Zhu Yijun was not very good at these two aspects, so they became increasingly out of sync.

For example, after Zhu Zhanji ascended the throne, Prince Xiang Zhu Zhan'an and Prince Zheng Zhu Zhanjun took up their fiefs in the fourth year of Xuande; for example, after Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne, Prince Cheng Zhu Qiyu lived there until the fourteenth year of Zhengtong, becoming Emperor after the Tumu Crisis; for example, after the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun inherited the throne, his younger brother Zhu Yiliu lived in the capital for nearly twenty years until he took up his fief in the seventeenth year of Wanli; for example, Prince Xin Zhu Youjian lived in the capital the whole time. The Tianqi Emperor died without heirs, so the younger brother succeeded the elder brother.

The red-hot and lively explosion case, which had been making a fuss for half a month, finally stopped. The Great Ming woke up from the atmosphere of the New Year. The imperial court ended its holiday on the fifth day of the first month, and officially began to check attendance on the sixth.

Consort Liu and Consort Li also had no one to guide them, so they became increasingly at a loss. Zhu Yijun even specially chatted with them, but the results were minimal. The two of them were still a bit unable to let go. The two of them did not receive imperial favor, so they became even more cautious and even more unable to let go. Because they couldn't let go, they couldn't receive imperial favor, and because they couldn't receive imperial favor, they became even more cautious. In the end, it all became an unsolvable vicious cycle.

This was a matter worth rejoicing. After the Great Ming experienced the Xiaozong's only son, the Wuzong's lack of heirs, the Jiajing Emperor's side branch entering the main line, the Daoist Emperor's eight sons being reduced to only one, and the Longqing Emperor leaving only two sons, the Great Ming imperial family's main line finally had flourishing descendants!

"Since there are ancestral laws, it should be so." Wan Shihe had no objections. His Majesty was not forcibly seizing commoner women. The matter of the main line multiplying was itself a major event that left the imperial court in a state of exhaustion. When the Longqing Emperor took in so many concubines, no one said anything. If the Great Ming's main line did not flourish and another side branch entered the main line, the Great Ming really couldn't bear it.

Zhu Yijun discovered a strange thing. Clearly, there had been no rehearsals, but this kind of congratulatory message was always able to be so uniform. Everyone was an old hand; they knew in their hearts what kind of words to say on what occasion, which was why there was such uniformity.

In the inner palace, Consort Liu Liu Mengshu and Consort Li Li Jin, these two secondary consorts who entered the palace during the grand wedding, still had no official titles, no pregnancies, and were even less favored.

To be responsible for the explosion case, it was either this profit-obsessed owner or the Shuntian Prefecture Southern Yamen that failed to supervise. Someone had to be responsible, so Owner Chen had to be beheaded.

"The Empress Dowager's imperial edict arrived at the Wenyuange yesterday, saying that she wanted to take in two more concubines for His Majesty. According to the old Jiajing system, it is indeed necessary to complete the system of four consorts and nine concubines. What does the Ministry of Rites think?" Zhang Juzheng looked at Minister of Rites Wan Shihe.

Empress Dowager Li really liked children. Consort Zhou Defei was eight years older than the Emperor, but just because she gave birth to a princess, she received Empress Dowager Li's approval.

"We subjects congratulate His Majesty, and congratulate the Great Ming." Zhang Juzheng led the officials to say in unison.

Wang Chonggu looked at the memorial with knitted brows, his expression calming down. He had wondered what the matter was! Just this little thing, and they wanted to topple him, the Vice Grand Secretary?!

There was another group of people who fell into bad luck, and that was the dung road masters who sold the toilet ash this time. The toilet ash was collected by them, and the toilet ash was also sold by them to the firecracker workshop. This time, Owner Chen was arrested, and the dung road masters were also arrested together. This was truly a disaster from heaven. The dung road masters had been doing their dung tyrant business well, only to suffer such a great disaster.

This child's weight was not even as much as his elder sister Zhu Xuanying's. Empress Dowager Li was a bit worried that he would die prematurely, so she issued an imperial edict, adding two silver coins to the "Everything Goes Well" box, which could be considered as borrowing the imperial court's fortune to block disaster for the child.

A day's plan lies in the morning, and a year's plan lies in the spring. The Great Ming's spring had arrived, and a new year had begun.

On the day the Emperor issued the imperial edict, the Great Ming's Five Cities Military Commissions began to search for firecrackers house by house. Zhu Yijun was also not afraid of the captains taking the opportunity to rob, because the Great Ming's Embroidered Uniform Guards were following behind, asking if any property had been lost, etc., while outside the city, it was the Beijing Garrison's elite soldiers who were collecting them.

He handed the memorial to Feng Bao and said: "His Majesty has long known about this matter."

In the Emperor's vocation, there was the item of multiplying descendants. Regardless of whether they died prematurely or not, it was better to have more. Having an heir was much better than having none at all.

After an urgent discussion, it was decided that the prefecture-level yamen of Tongzhou would manage it for the time being, and the Ministry of Personnel would resolve this issue after the New Year.

The reason why Empress Dowager Li had this imperial edict was also related to the recent shortage of people in the palace.

On the sixth day of the first month of the ninth year of Wanli, the Great Ming's first court session was staged again day after day. Prince Lu Zhu Yiliu did not participate. Every three, six, and nine days, he would rest and not participate in the court session. He had made up his mind that he was destined to enjoy life. If they wanted him to be a donkey in a mill, they could forget about it!

"Good news: on the third day of the first month, Consort Ran gave birth to an imperial heir. He is virtuous and prudent, and has been named Zhu Changchao. Respectfully receiving the Empress Dowager's compassionate edict, Consort Ran is virtuous. It is hoped that she will cultivate virtue and self-restraint in the future, maintain harmony in the palace, be diligent and prudent in serving the Emperor, and continue the imperial line." Feng Bao first announced a piece of good news.

"Grand Attendant Zhang has already taken the 'Everything Goes Well' boxes to all the yamen, which can be considered as sharing the joy. You gentlemen, remember to collect them after the court session." Zhu Yijun waved his hand, signaling everyone to be excused from the salute.

The New Year of the eighth year of Wanli was a quiet year. Zhu Yijun was actually very accustomed to this quietness, because ever since the Wuzong Emperor lit fireworks during the New Year and lit the Qianqing Palace, the Great Ming Imperial Palace had completely banned fireworks for decades.

After the roar of three thousand catties of gunpowder, on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, the Great Ming Emperor issued an edict completely banning the setting off of fireworks in the capital. Soon, this ban was extended to thirty-two cities with populations exceeding one million, and strict regulations were carried out for the production of any firecracker factory.

Recently, the only one serving in the bedchamber was Empress Wang. Consort Zhou Defei, who gave birth to a child in the tenth month, was undergoing postpartum recovery, and Consort Ran was in confinement.

Zhu Yijun thought about it and did not object, nodding and saying: "Then let's do as Mother says."

"The Huaiyi Prince Tuman Khan, in the name of Baotu, submitted a memorial stating that he would enter the court to pay tribute. A total of twenty-seven people will reside in the capital forever, and the remaining three hundred Keshik guards will be transferred to Tatar officials after entering the capital, and will be settled in various anti-Japanese defense guards in Shandong. The memorial says that he thanks His Majesty for the grace of bestowing iron pots, and also said some... bad things about the Vice Grand Secretary." Zhang Juzheng took out a memorial, looked at Wang Chonggu, and handed the memorial to Wang Chonggu first.

The dung road masters did not end up with their heads moving house, but they would have to go to Luzon to be dung road masters in the future.

Tuman Khan's real name was Borjigin Tumeng, and he changed his Han name to Baotu. There were only twenty-seven people who entered the capital to reside forever; these were his brothers, nephews, and daughters. The number was not large. He submitted a memorial specially thanking the Emperor for the grace of bestowing iron pots to spend the winter.

From Zhu Yuanzhang until the fifth year of Longqing when Altan Khan was enfeoffed as a prince and border trade was opened, the Great Ming implemented a trade embargo on the grasslands for two hundred years, which directly led to the grassland's food processing capacity returning to the Stone Age. And iron pots were top-tier luxury goods on the grasslands. They were reluctant to throw them away even when they were broken. Whenever the Great Ming could not hold the border, the Northern Barbarians would go south, mainly to plunder iron pots.

It is said: "The pots are broken and damaged, and they use a hundred ways to patch and use them. They have no choice but to use leather to store water and boil meat for food. This is something that all the border guards know."

Altan Khan once asked the Han man Zhao Quan, who had been with him for twenty years: "After my ancestor Jamukha won the Battle of the Thirteen Wings, he used dozens of large pots to boil the captured hostile nobles to death. Is this true?" Zhao Quan said: "It must be."

Altan Khan asked again: "Why don't I, this Great Khan, have so many large pots? And why do I use leather pots more often?"

Using various leather goods to hold water, throwing red-hot stones into the water, and throwing meat into the water to eat it half-cooked—this was the grassland's leather pot.

It wasn't until Altan Khan relied on his own bravery to break through the Yanshan defense line and fought with the Great Ming for more than twenty years, and finally Altan bowed his head and became a subject, exchanging it for the opening of border tribute trade, that they finally had iron pots. But along with the massive influx of iron pots, salt, cloth, tea, and other items, there was also the usury of the Shanxi merchants.

Misfortune is where fortune lies; fortune is where misfortune hides.

In the memorial, Tuman Khan cried and complained about the crimes of the Shanxi merchants! They were simply not acting like human beings; they didn't act like humans at all.

The usury of the Shanxi merchants made the grasslands a mess. From top to bottom, from princes to ordinary herdsmen, everyone was in a state of exhaustion and debt. Altan Khan was the Shunyi Prince, and Tuman Khan was the Huaiyi Prince. The little money that these two Great Khans of the left and right wings tossed about every year was only enough to pay off debts. Moreover, the Northern Barbarians had a relatively low average level of culture. Whatever the Shanxi merchant creditors said, it was. They couldn't calculate it themselves. When the accountant's abacus clicked, it made people tremble.

Originally, I borrowed money based on my ability, why should I pay it back! These Northern Barbarians were people who grew up on horseback. If I couldn't pay it back, I wouldn't pay it back!

But as the Great Ming became stronger, the Great Ming Emperor kept beating them on one side, while the Shanxi merchants on the other side were fox-like and tiger-like, relying on their power to bully others, often saying: "Wait until my heavenly soldiers arrive, I will definitely report your crimes to the General!"

The Great Khan could only force the Khalkha Wanhu to pay it back, the Khalkha Wanhu forced the Battalion Commander to pay it back, and the Battalion Commander forced the herdsmen to pay it back. And for tribes that didn't pay back the money, the border trade controlled by the Shanxi merchants wouldn't sell to this tribe. This tribe could only go to other tribes to resell it. This back and forth was just reselling it twice, which was not as good as paying back the money.

The entire grassland was tossed about like this, which could be considered as having its limbs amputated below the eyebrows.

And the most excessive thing was those Datong women!

"Datong women" was a collective term for prostitutes in Xuanfu and Datong. Often, those prostitutes who had fallen ill would follow merchant caravans to the grasslands to earn their last sum of money. This was equivalent to individual biochemical mothers spreading poison on the grasslands. Moreover, the Northern Barbarians, who had been in conflict with the Great Ming for two hundred years, had never seen the tricks of the Central Plains. Even if they knew there would be problems, they would still go and play, which led to many people becoming infected and their bodies being particularly weak.

Tuman Khan listed the crimes of the Shanxi Party in the memorial. Wang Chonggu was not panicked at all. The Shanxi Party and Shanxi merchants did these things that were "born without an anus." His Majesty knew it clearly. After Zhang Siwei died, Wang Chonggu asked His Majesty if he should continue to do so, because the San Niangzi San Niangzi San Niang had also complained to the imperial court, accusing the Shanxi merchants of evil deeds.

The Emperor's answer was no answer.

His Majesty was the master of all people, the object of admiration for hundreds of millions. Not explicitly prohibiting it meant permission, and even secretly promoting it.

This Tuman Khan's surrender was not just a military threat, but also economic and centrifugal forces gradually increasing. Plus, Altan Khan was the first traitor of the Golden Family. This Tuman Khan was a wise man who understood the times!

Zhu Yijun shook his head and said: "The Northern Barbarians have no hundred-year fortune. The biggest problem with this kind of system design where the whole clan revolves around one or two geniuses is that it cannot be systematized at all. Producing high-level talents and improving productivity—the speed of corruption and decay is unimaginable to the Central Plains dynasties."

Was Genghis Khan strong? Of course he was strong. After Genghis Khan died, Tolui and Möngke were very strong, but not strong enough, so they were all a mess.

The reason why Tuman Khan emphasized leather pots was because the grasslands used cow dung as fuel. It was cow dung burning stones thrown into leather pots to boil food to eat. And the reason why the grasslands didn't use ceramic pots was because they often migrated, and these fragile items were not easy to carry.

Zhu Yijun was good at empathy. This way of thinking was not possessed by natural nobles. For example, Zhu Yiliu couldn't learn this way of thinking.

"Tuman Khan also said one thing in the memorial: there were too many displaced people near this Lama temple, which led to more than half of them dying in this plague. Tuman Khan listed several drawbacks of the grasslands, hoping that the imperial court could solve these things after he paid tribute. Of course, looking at Tuman Khan's meaning, after entering the capital, he probably wouldn't care about anything and would just live his own life in peace." Zhang Juzheng stated his insights.

This was the final handover of power, his final voice for the grasslands. After this, the affairs of the grasslands would have nothing to do with him, Baotu.

"Tuman Khan entered the court to pay tribute. How did Altan Khan react?" Zhu Yijun asked with a solemn expression.

Minister of War Tan Lun said: "Altan Khan had no reaction."

Altan Khan didn't want to stop it. He was cursed as a grassland traitor every day. In the end, you, Tuman Khan, surrendered even faster. Altan Khan was also unable to stop it. Fighting a war required money, and fighting a war on the grasslands also required money, and the money was all in the hands of the San Niangzi San Niangzi San Niang.

As the Great Ming became stronger, the Northern Barbarians could no longer plunder the Great Ming. For Altan Khan, using force was just looking for death. Robbers were always like this; once they couldn't plunder enough goods, they would have internal strife.

"Then continue to prepare for Tuman Khan's tribute to the capital." Zhu Yijun gave instructions. Regarding the many problems of the grasslands, the Great Ming would not have major changes before completely solving Altan Khan. Yes, the grasslands were very bitter, and the gentlemen knew it clearly, but the border people would have to continue this bitter life until the main contradiction was resolved.

"His Majesty is wise." Wang Chonggu bowed and said. His Majesty's meaning was very clear: the Shanxi Party and Shanxi merchants would continue to lend money on the grasslands, and the Great Ming would arm them to collect debts.

Minister of Revenue and Grand Secretary Wang Guoguang took out a memorial and said: "Your Majesty, Sun Kehong, the merchant leader of the Songjiang Ocean-Going Firm, and Sun Keyi, the Shipping Commissioner of the Nagasaki Shipping Office, submitted a memorial stating seven things about the development of the Yuanxu Islands."

"First, settle the commoners and herd the people. After opening up plantations, we should teach them how to plant, especially rice, palm, and sugarcane."

"Second, sun-dry salt at salt fields. The island barbarians eat sea fish to supplement salt, but sea fish are mostly fish oil and are mostly transported to China, so we should sun-dry salt."

"Third, expand the fleet. The Yuanxu Islands are a country of a thousand islands, with many spices and suitable for planting. We should harvest as much as we plant, so that we can help each other in the same boat."

"Fourth, establish People's Benefit Medicine Bureaus. Firstly, to seek profit—selling medicine is very profitable; secondly, to avoid the early death of native servants."

"Fifth, promote culture and education. The barbarians have no writing, let alone language. This development should promote culture and education, conform to the Great Ming, and if the education is successful, Yuanxu will flourish."

"Sixth, widely move Han people. Encourage Han people to go to the Yuanxu Islands to stabilize the world's society and stabilize the Yuanxu order."

"Seventh, send more ships to explore. Overseas there is much gold, silver, copper, and suitable land. Merchant ships are based on profit."

Wang Guoguang explained the reasons for these seven points in detail. For example, for the People's Benefit Medicine Bureaus, according to the merchant ship exploration of the Yuanxu Islands, the Yuanxu natives basically died in their twenties, and some didn't even live to be twenty. They clearly still had more than ten years of work time, but it was wasted. So, send more medicine there to let the natives live longer and make sufficient contributions to the expansion of the plantations.

"No, I remember that when we first talked about it, it was to plunder. It was precisely because merchants pursue profit that we let them plunder. Are they trying to engage in construction now?" Zhu Yijun felt that something was wrong after hearing these seven things about development. It was clearly going out to sea to plunder, but after these seven points came out, the taste of plundering immediately faded.

"Merchant Leader Sun said it was to make money." Wang Guoguang said very firmly: "He has quite a vision. There is a difference between being full every meal and being full for one meal."

Each of these seven points was for long-term stability. It seemed that the initial investment was large, but the benefits were calculated in hundreds or even hundreds of years. Especially when the servants on the plantations were all castrated slaves, these lands would be the Great Ming's "since ancient times" hundreds of years later.

Zhu Yijun keenly noticed that the Great Ming's overseas expansion was different from the West's overseas expansion. Everyone was eating people, and no one was more noble than anyone else, but the Great Ming would at least give the natives a way to live.

"Let him try it first. If it works well, use it more." Zhu Yijun thought about it and approved these seven points.

The development trend of the Ocean-Going Firm made Zhu Yijun feel a bit surprised. They seemed to retain a trace of the pride of the Celestial Empire and were not very willing to do that kind of "extinction" business. This development was beneficial to the Great Ming because the Great Ming needed more food.

Hai Rui took out a memorial and did not speak, but handed it to Feng Bao. All the gentlemen pretended not to see it. Everyone knew what was said inside: the Great Ming's censors were cursing the Emperor again.

Zhu Yijun flipped through it a few times, picked up the vermilion brush, and said: "I accept the criticism from the officials."

The officials cursed the Emperor, but they were relatively tactful. First, they flattered him, saying that under His Majesty's leadership, the Great Ming had achieved such and such achievements. Then, the tone changed, and they touched upon it lightly: The Great Ming's winter-proof items were not enough to use, yet they were given to the border people. Was this a case of "giving to friendly nations rather than to one's own slaves"?

Censor Chen Zeming mentioned the winter of the twentieth year of Jiajing, when heavy snow accumulated five feet deep and did not melt. There were three consecutive snowfalls, the wells froze, the ground was like a mirror, and many people froze to death. There were corpses on the road. In Changping County alone, hundreds of families froze to death. From the inner palace to the various princes' mansions, three or four people froze or starved to death every day. The commoners had little clothing and short firewood. They should take care of the common people instead of bestowing grace on wolves with wild ambitions.

The heavy snow in the winter of the twentieth year of Jiajing even caused palace maids to freeze to death. It was mainly because there was not enough winter clothing. In the poor families in the grass markets outside the city, clothing was mostly filled with reed catkins and thatch to keep out the cold, and they were in a state of disrepair. This was also referring to these poor-quality winter-proof items. Cotton quilts and cotton clothes were valuable household items. In poor families, most families only had one or two pairs of pants. They had to carry firewood very far, coal and firewood were very expensive, and most of them didn't cook soup to eat, eating only cold dishes all year round.

This censor was not criticizing the Emperor to gain fame, but had gone deep into the civilian houses outside Zhaoyang Gate. It was only after an in-depth visit that he wrote the memorial. He was an official, and when he entered the commoners' homes, the female family members lay in bed and did not greet him. When he asked the reason, he learned that it was because they had no pants. There were only two pairs of cotton pants in the family. When they saw this high official, they would bare their legs because the weather was too cold.

Chen Zeming believed that His Majesty had given the border people more than one hundred thousand cotton items, and he shouldn't have given so many. This year, the snow was heavy and no one froze to death, but if it snowed three times in a row, without savings, how could they provide relief? They couldn't just because the imperial court's finances were becoming more abundant, and then not know how to save.

Zhu Yijun gave a small portion of the cotton items to the border people and did not give away all the cotton items stored in the capital. The border problem had to be solved; otherwise, under the scourge of war, it would also be a disaster for the people. Chen Zeming's question looked similar to the kind in later generations: some people couldn't get enough to eat, so why develop atomic bombs, aerospace, etc.? But it was not like that.

The premise of Chen Zeming's words was that he was conducting in-depth visits to the commoners and thinking about problems from the perspective of "the people are the foundation of the state." He hoped that the Emperor would care about the lives of the poor, rather than opposing the Great Ming's "civilizing" of the Northern Barbarians, and even less was he opposing the Emperor for the sake of opposing.

This was the fundamental difference. Discussing problems with research and practice, rather than opposing for the sake of opposing—this was what a scholar should do. Treating problems with facts as the foundation was worth encouraging.

If they stepped on Zhu Yijun, this great Emperor, to brush up their fame, Zhu Yijun would let the "cheap scholars" know that his sword had not yet been blunt.

But if they went deep into the commoners and regarded the people as the foundation of the state, Zhu Yijun was very willing to accept criticism.

This world's affairs, in the end, are that one person's wisdom is short, and the crowd's wisdom is long.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 417 =====