Chapter 135: New Candidate for Grain Transport Governor

"What are you doing now?"

Empress Zhang, her belly swollen, watched Zhu Xu's small frame huffing and puffing as he carried things in one by one, and asked with curiosity.

Not just anyone could enter Kunning Palace. In Zhu Xu's own palace, Yao Qingqing was the only woman and she had to mind the place, so Zhu Xu had to do everything himself.

He carried in three baskets, wiped his sweat, and introduced them one by one: "Sister-in-law, this is fine milk, good for the body. Drink one bowl every morning and evening before and after childbirth—one bowl, mind you. These are the best eggs. At noon, have a bowl of ginger egg soup—you must drink it. This is twenty catties of snakehead fish, make snakehead fish soup, once every two days, without fail. This is..."

"Enough, enough," Empress Zhang waved her hand to stop Zhu Xu, smiling sweetly. "Could my palace possibly lack these things of yours? Come sit here, look at all this sweat on you."

As Empress Zhang spoke, she took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Zhu Xu's forehead.

Zhu Xu grinned, tilting his head up. "Those people aren't diligent. I feel safer doing it myself. Sister-in-law, you must drink it."

After Zhu Xu finished speaking, the imperial physician on the side walked over, took out a prescription, and said, "Your Grace, your pulse is fairly stable. As long as you keep a cheerful mood and eat moderately from now on, there should be no problems."

Some things went without saying, especially matters concerning whether the Empress could deliver safely.

Empress Zhang nodded slightly and said, "Huan'er, see Physician Li out for me."

"Yes, Your Grace." Huan'er curtsied lightly, took the prescription, and said to Physician Li, "Physician Li, please."

Physician Li bowed once more to Empress Zhang and Zhu Xu, then withdrew.

Empress Zhang smiled at the corners of her mouth, gently stroking her belly, and said to Zhu Xu, "Sit down quickly, you'll eat here with me today."

"Alright." Zhu Xu sat down with a smile, but his gaze lingered on Empress Zhang's belly. Inwardly he mused, 'Can sister-in-law really deliver safely? If only there were a way to do a cesarean, perhaps the risk would be smaller...'

Empress Zhang sat across from him, picked up a pair of exquisite little shoes, looked at them in her hands, and picked up her needle and thread to continue embroidering. She looked up at Zhu Xu and laughed. "Little monkey, what are you thinking about now?"

Zhu Xu tilted his face up and said, "I'm wondering whether it's a prince or a princess in sister-in-law's belly."

Empress Zhang's face radiated maternal glow, as if she were certain she would deliver safely. Hearing this, she looked down and said softly with a chuckle, "We'll know in half a month."

Empress Zhang needed to keep her mood stable, so Zhu Xu naturally wouldn't spoil it. He nodded repeatedly, keeping Empress Zhang company with cheerful topics to amuse her.

After finishing lunch, Zhu Xu accompanied Empress Zhang on a short stroll before leaving Kunning Palace.

On the way out of the palace, Cao Wenzhao followed alongside and said, "Your Highness, the court deliberation still has no result."

Zhu Xu looked left and right, unconcerned. "Still arguing fiercely at court?"

"Yes," Cao Wenzhao also glanced around and said in a low voice, "Wang Huazhen still has a few partisans at court. Their voices aren't loud, but they all carry some prestige. His Majesty had no choice but to order the Three Offices to hold a joint retrial."

After hearing this, the corners of Zhu Xu's mouth curled up.

The Three Offices—the Censorate, with ** Xing having just been transferred from Left Chief Censor to Minister of Personnel not long ago, could be said to be his stronghold. Minister of Justice Wang Ji was still in office, and the Court of Judicial Review was heavily entangled with Wei Zhongxian. Calculating it this way, it was still within the Donglin Faction's scheming. Before long, Xiong Tingbi would likely be released from prison.

"Let's go, first to Uncle's place." Zhu Xu said.

Every time he left the palace recently, someone was watching him. He had to switch carriages repeatedly before he could feel at ease, ensuring he shook off anyone following.

When they arrived at the Fu residence, Fu Changzong had not yet returned from the Ministry of Revenue, but Fu Tao had been waiting since early morning.

"Your Highness."

Fu Tao piled a large stack of account books onto the table, then looked at Zhu Xu and said.

Zhu Xu knew this meant a report was coming, so he said, "Go ahead, I'm listening."

Fu Tao picked up an account book and said, "First, the Huitong Trading Company. Currently there are already seven branches. The ones in Da and Tong will soon be prepared as well. Fu, Jian, the two Guangs, Zhe, Jiang, and Zhang, Jia Kou have all officially opened for business, though business isn't very good yet. The head office in the capital currently holds eight million taels of silver in deposits, still slowly increasing, with profits of one hundred fifty thousand taels."

"The Huimin Merchant Association—channel construction is still expanding. We're using methods similar to Beijing's, starting to organize merchant associations throughout Jiangnan, though resistance is considerable and we're still working on solutions. Current profits are thirty thousand taels."

"The Huiyun Shipping Company—business is currently very good, even better than expected. Ships aren't enough to meet demand, and profits have already exceeded one million taels."

"Private salt—not much is being moved yet, and the books still show losses."

Zhu Xu nodded as he listened.

A single trading company or merchant association was indeed hard to grow big and strong in a short time. They had to be bound together, using each other's advantages to form a combined force.

In grain transport, countless people had to defer to the Huiyun Shipping Company's whims—their silver should be deposited in the Huitong Trading Company.

Likewise, the various franchised merchants of the Huimin Merchant Association should also deposit in the Huitong Trading Company.

At the same time, the Huitong Trading Company's silver, when lent out, should also support the channel construction of the other two.

After Fu Tao finished, Zhu Xu said, "Elder Brother, in a while, arrange for Wei Liangqing, Zhou Jianyu, and He Yunshan to meet. Have the three of them cooperate fully and promote each other. I want to see results from them in a short time!"

Fu Tao pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Good, I'll have someone arrange it when I get back." Just after saying this, he added, "Your Highness, recently several of the companies have had cases of collusive embezzlement, taking kickbacks, and even absconding with funds..."

This didn't surprise Zhu Xu—such things were unavoidable anywhere. After thinking it over, he said, "After I return, I'll write up a method for prevention and auditing. You can refer to it then and implement it according to the situation."

"Yes, Your Highness." Fu Tao's eyes lit up.

Not long after, Fu Changzong returned, looking travel-worn.

Sitting in the main hall, Zhu Xu looked at him and smiled. "Uncle, did you rush all the way back this time?"

Fu Changzong took a sip of cold tea and sighed. "You don't know—this year's tax silver hasn't even been collected yet, and the various government offices have already started discussing how to divide it up. The Grand Secretariat wants the Ministry of Revenue to produce detailed regulations. I haven't had a single peaceful night's sleep these past few days."

Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice, and the Ministry of Revenue wasn't even clever—it was outright a resentful wife.

And it still had to bear its burden without complaint.

Fu Changzong was only voicing a complaint, then said, "What you mentioned—wanting to promote sweet potatoes and corn on a large scale—was rejected. Not just the Ministry of Revenue—the Grand Secretariat doesn't agree, and the regional officials all oppose it collectively. There's not a shred of room to maneuver."

Zhu Xu nodded. He truly wasn't surprised at all. He said, "Then, keep buying land. Buy as much as we can. Next year, we'll strive to completely drive down prices in the capital."

The capital was, after all, the capital of the Great Ming. As long as grain prices here were thoroughly suppressed, the official-merchant bloc would see the profit and be pushed to plant sweet potatoes and corn.

Fu Changzong nodded in agreement. This year their reserves were insufficient, but with this year's accumulation and expansion, next year they could indeed accomplish something.

"Also," Fu Changzong glanced at Zhu Xu and said, "someone has proposed transferring Minister of Justice Wang Ji to the post of Grain Transport Governor-General."

Zhu Xu's eyes flew wide open. The very reason he could maneuver within the grain transport system was that the post of Grain Transport Governor-General was vacant. If a Grain Transport Governor-General arrived and the grain transport office started operating, even the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue probably couldn't get a hand in. If a new Governor-General truly took office, then all his painstaking efforts before would likely go down the drain.

Zhu Xu immediately let out a cold laugh. "That must be ** Xing's deathbed struggle to protect Wang Ji. What wishful thinking!"