First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Zhu Biao was a little astonished, but had no choice but to turn around and run away.

Zhang Ximeng had a smile on his face, and said in a low voice: "My lord figured it out so quickly, it's really beyond my expectation, I'm still thinking, you'll have to struggle for a while!"

Old Zhu sighed heavily, pulled Zhang Ximeng, and sat on the stone pier next to him. After pondering for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Sir, why do you say that we are the emperor? To put it simply, you say that we, the emperor, are not as good as ordinary people. , what's the difference?"

Zhang Ximeng laughed loudly, "Your Majesty doesn't want to be restrained by the law, and doesn't want to abolish the eunuchs. In fact, it's a bit difficult to understand, right?"

"Yes!" Zhu Yuanzhang said bluntly: "Why do other emperors do whatever they want and say what they say? Why do they act recklessly and don't care about anything... We treat ourselves like this, give up everything, what can we gain? "

Lao Zhu's roar of filial piety echoed in the flower hall.

Zhang Ximeng laughed suddenly, "My lord can take over the world!"

"The world?"

"Yes! The real world!" Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Five continents and four seas, an unprecedented territory, billions of people, hundreds of ethnic groups, the great emperor who all respect together!"

Chapter 889 Nine Cauldrons

"Sun Xiang, Mr. Song, Da Ming has come to this day, and the merits of all ages are very important. This last step is just missing. I hope you two can put the state affairs first and help me do this well. Please!"

Zhu Biao actually stood up and bowed deeply to Sun Yan and Song Lian.

The two bowed down in a hurry, and hurriedly said: "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will definitely do my best. This matter is not only a major event for Your Highness, it is also a matter of the honor of the ministers in their lives. Don't dare to play tricks!"

Sun Yan and Song Lian did not lie, one of them is the chief assistant, and the other is in the middle of the matter. They are indeed standing at the apex of civil servants, and it is impossible to go any further.

And the most important thing right now is the matter about the royal property. If it is done well, it will indeed be a merit for all eternity, and it will be praised in whatever situation it is.

Conversely, if they mess up and miss the opportunity, they will only have endless regrets in this life, and they will even be blamed by future generations.

Because of Zhu Biao's insistence and Zhang Ximeng's hard work, Lao Zhu reluctantly agreed to clear up the royal property and clarify the property rights.

On the surface, this is just for the convenience of tax collection, but the deeper meaning is beyond words... First of all, the royal family is no longer special, at least in terms of property, it must be bound by the laws of the country.

This alone has solved the great drawbacks of the imperial power over the past dynasties... that is, the problem of wasting the country's money and squandering the people's fat and anointing.

Like Lao Zhu, there are not many emperors who can restrain themselves.

If there are stalls that can play and make trouble, it is easy to run out of money and empty the treasury.

Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty was like this, Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty was like this, and the emperors of Tang and Song Dynasties, including all the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty, almost all had this virtue.

There is a problem here. For example, if the emperor wants to have more 500 million taels, live a better life, and use the power of a country to support one person, will the trouble really be exhausted?

Is it exaggerating the problem?

In fact, things are not so simple. For example, the emperor wants to ask for 100 million taels more, and orders to collect it. When it comes to the common people, it will be 1000 million taels, or [-] million taels!

The Chongzhen Dynasty in history was like this... The emperor levied three additional payments, killed 100 rebels, and sang triumphantly, but also created 1000 million rebels and [-] million refugees... The harder you work, the more corrupt the world will be, So much so that the sky collapsed and the earth fell apart, irreparable.

And this time the division of property is tantamount to cutting off the little hands of the emperor who amassed money.

Although it is impossible to completely eliminate hidden dangers, the effect is absolutely immeasurable.

According to the proposed norms, real estate like the Imperial Palace, Taimiao, Xinggong, Huangzhuang, etc., all belong to the imperial court, but the right to use belongs to the Tian family, and the imperial court cannot refuse.

The imperial court needs to undertake maintenance, necessary renovations, and reconstruction tasks after damage. If it cannot be completed on schedule, it must compensate the royal family.

In addition, such as crowns, armor, seals, weapons, and important ritual utensils that demonstrate the royal majesty, display and furnishings also belong to the imperial court. Similarly, they need to be maintained.

That is to say, Lao Zhu's jade seals, dragon robes, armors, the main displays in the Fengtian Temple, the state gifts presented by the vassal states, and even the phoenix crown and Xiapei of Empress Ma, all belong to the imperial court.

There are only some uniforms, jewelry, manuscripts, and private collections, which belong to the personal property of the royal family.

In addition, the part about the trusteeship of Zongzheng Temple also belongs to the royal family.

It's just that this part of the industry is not considered private, but belongs to the entire royal family. The dividends generated every year are controlled by the royal family.

After such a lot of tossing, the royal family can get 300 million guan per year on the surface, and with Zongzheng Temple's dividends, it looks like more than 400 million guan.

Overall, it was only [-]% of what it was before, and more than [-]% was cut off.

However, due to the maintenance of the palace and the expenses of the ceremony, all the expenses were thrown out.

There is more money that can be spent on the people in the palace.

In the past, ordinary palace people would not eat meat a few times throughout the year, but now they can eat meat every now and then.

Ordinary eunuchs, maids, and guards were all overjoyed, and the concubines below could also get more money for rouge and gouache. It can be said that everyone is happy.

But things are naturally not that simple!

"Sister, we built this brick by brick, but now we have to let it out easily. Our hearts are always empty." Zhu Yuanzhang sighed helplessly, "To be honest, we don't know what's so interesting about being the emperor. gone."

Empress Ma is not in good health these days and has been recuperating, but she is still very clear about such a big matter.

"Chong Ba, you also had nothing at the beginning. In 30, you were sitting on the nine continents and all over the world, and you were alone in the world. Now that you let all these out, you will still have your reputation for generations to come. In the glorious history, you must be the Emperor Hongwu. A sum of money. It is an honor for me to marry you and accompany you to this day!"

Old Zhu was stunned, and said with a smirk, "That's nice to hear, but it's still a little empty... We still have so many children, and now we have nothing, what should we do?"

Empress Ma couldn't help laughing, "Chong Ba, you are so honest, now that the imperial court has allocated money to us, there is a lot of spare money in the palace. I am thinking, take it out and invest it, not to mention, invest it in the fourth child , or Zhu Ying’s side, can they still lose money? It’s not impossible to buy some real estate for the children when there is more money in hand! It’s just that the name of the royal property is gone, so you can rest assured .”

Zhu Yuanzhang sullenly said, "You're right, but we still can't bear the name! Sister, do you think you can live without fame and fortune?"

Empress Ma groaned slightly, and snorted, "Well, Zhu Chongba, you are just greedy for fame and fortune, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang widened his eyes, and argued: "How can you talk like that? Coveting fame and fortune is coveting what doesn't belong to you. We are a majestic emperor. Once the emperor, it should be ours. How come you become a villain who covets fame and fortune?" gone?"

"Who said you are a villain? Who said that?" Empress Ma was also impatient, "You have the surname Zhu, you dare to slander, don't you?"

Now Lao Zhu was embarrassed, "We, we didn't mean that, don't talk nonsense!"

"I can't speak anymore, why don't you find someone who can speak?" Queen Ma stretched out her hand to push him.

Old Zhu was extremely embarrassed, "I'm an old husband and wife, why are you still so unreasonable!"

"Okay! Zhu Chongba! How dare you say I'm old? Okay, go find young ones, there are plenty of them in the palace and outside! You have the ability to learn from Sima Yan, and you can also build a harem with tens of thousands of people and drive a sheep cart." , Wherever you want to go! Don't let me wrong you!"

As he said that, Empress Ma really pushed Zhu Yuanzhang, making Lao Zhu have no idea at all, so he could only run away in embarrassment!

"You, you are too good at bullying!"

Zhu Yuanzhang left in a hurry. As soon as he left, Zhu Biao quietly came out from behind, "Queen Mother, please talk to Father Emperor carefully, why are you arguing with him if you have nothing to do?"

Empress Ma rolled her eyes, sat down panting heavily, and snorted coldly: "Biao'er, you are also an idiot! I have wasted so much effort on this kind of thing, but it doesn't work. Your father doesn't dare to quarrel with me. But he doesn't necessarily listen to me."

Zhu Biao was stunned, "Mother, you can't persuade father, who can? Isn't this a bad thing!"

Empress Ma stared at her son, and suddenly laughed, "You are such a fool! Who else can do this except your master?"

"Master?" Zhu Biao was stunned. "Empress Mother, you can't convince me. What does my master think? Is he closer than you and Emperor Father?"

Empress Ma smiled, "I don't know whether to kiss you or not. Anyway, your master is full of evil ideas, and His Majesty can't beat him." How to convince His Majesty, just wait and see! His ability is enough for you to learn for a lifetime."

Zhu Biao naturally recognized that Zhang Ximeng was indeed clever, but taking the matter in front of him as an example, he had no idea how to make his father happy, he just didn't know what to do, sir!

……

"My lord, why are you drinking alone? Just get some peanuts and two more dishes, and I will accompany you to drink!"

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head, squinted at Zhang Ximeng, and snorted coldly: "There is nothing else to do, this poor wine has a special taste, you can sit down if you want to drink it! Leave if you don't want to drink it!"

Zhang Ximeng could only smile, sat opposite Lao Zhu, poured himself a glass, and drank it down.

"My lord, do you still remember one thing?"

"what's up?"

"Even if I said back then that it is not necessary to hand down the national jade seal, it is good to collect gold from all over the country and cast a gold seal!" Zhang Ximeng said with a smile.

Indeed, when the Northern Yuan Dynasty was wiped out, Zhu Yuanzhang was obsessed with finding the jade seal. If there is no jade seal passed down to the country, it means that there is no formal establishment. Old Zhu is naturally not reconciled.

At that time, Zhang Ximeng encouraged Lao Zhu, saying that conquering the territory, collecting gold from various places, and casting gold seals were enough to command the world, and it was more meaningful than passing on the jade seal of the country.

Of course Lao Zhu remembered this, "Sir, why are you bringing this up? Our seal has already been returned to the imperial court, so it is not considered our private property, don't you know?"

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "Of course I know, I just saw that the amount of gold and silver overseas is too large, far more than Daming... I suddenly had a whim, can you cast Jiuding?"

"Nine cauldrons?"

"Yes, it is the Jiuding made by Dayu back then, but it was cast in bronze at that time, and the Jiuding has been lost... After thinking about it, if I can recast the Jiuding, and cast it in gold, it will definitely be passed on to future generations and will last forever!"

As Zhang Ximeng said, he stood up unexpectedly, walked to the front of Kunyu Wanguo Quantu with big strides, and pointed excitedly, "Look, my lord, there are so many huge lands in this world. We take gold from all over the world and cast nine huge golden tripods." , displayed in the Daming Ancestral Temple to show orthodoxy, wouldn't it be more glorious and great than when Qin Shihuang ruled the world?"

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, and walked over involuntarily, "Sir, do you mean to use this nine tripods to symbolize the unification of the world and the return of all surnames?"

Zhang Ximeng nodded again and again, "That's true, Jiuding, plus a golden seal, represents the supremacy of China and will be passed on forever, what do you think, my lord?"

Old Zhu was staring at the map, Tong Kong shrank slightly, and then released, a strange light flashed in his eyes!

8 Chapter Ninety Looking at the World

Zhang Ximeng came out of the palace, wobbled, and returned to the mansion. He was not worried at all. The foreshadowing left by him back then is finally time to recover. With such a big net, I am not afraid that you, Old Zhu, will not jump in.

Huaxia Jiuding is definitely a treasure that surpasses the Jade Seal of Chuanguo.

The Jiuding was lost early, and the jade seal has been passed down for many generations, and it has long been difficult to tell whether it is true or not. , is the best footnote.

At that time, Lao Zhu will definitely be promoted one step higher, soaring to the ninth five, and from then on, he will no longer be at the same level as ordinary emperors.

If it was Qin Shihuang who ruled the world and ushered in the era of great unification, then this time he ruled the world and ruled the world, which would definitely represent the new pinnacle of Chinese civilization.

Not to mention Zhu Yuanzhang, a sage and hero, even an ordinary emperor would not be able to bear it.

As long as Lao Zhu has an idea, don't worry about him being unable to figure it out.

Zhang Ximeng really got hold of Lao Zhu.

He had a good night's sleep, and woke up early the next day, feeling refreshed. He also punched once to move his muscles and bones.

Zhang Chengtian has already gone to Jiangxi to take office.

The wife was still busy, and Zhang Laosan and Zhang Laosi were picked up by their grandfather.At this moment, Zhang Ximeng was left alone in the Zhang family, and he didn't want to trouble him, so he just ordered some Yangchun noodles and was about to eat when Lao Zhu came.

At this moment, Lao Zhu's eye circles were red, and his eyeballs were covered with bloodshot eyes. It was obvious that he hadn't slept all night.

Zhang Ximeng is indeed harmful. You painted such a big cake, which made Zhu Yuanzhang sleepless all night.

In the first half of the night, he kept thinking about his status, thinking about his achievements beyond the past and the present... In the second half of the night, he thought about the difficulty of this matter.

If we want to control such a large territory, we don't mean that we can't fight it. We don't know how much time it will take just on the road. I guess we won't be able to walk through such a huge land after Lao Zhu dies... We won't be defeated again. Was Mr. Zhang lied to?

Before Zhu Yuanzhang had time to rest, he came to Zhang Ximeng and asked him to give an explanation.

If there is no feasible plan, we will not agree!

"My lord, don't be impatient." Zhang Ximeng filled Zhu Yuanzhang with a bowl of noodles, then took out a head of garlic and handed it to Lao Zhu.

Zhu Yuanzhang took it over, a quick noodle and a mouthful of garlic, it was really refreshing.

While Lao Zhu was eating with his head down, he suddenly heard a sentence, "My lord, do you remember? You said that if you forget your original intention, I will ask you to have Dunmen, Yangchun noodles!"

Zhu Yuanzhang vibrated violently.

He finally remembered that there was indeed such a thing.

Lao Zhu lowered his head and snorted, "Sir, are you blaming us?"

"Of course not." Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "The lord has a heart for the common people, and he can be regarded as a model for the virtuous monarchs of the past. It's just that the minister thinks that the lord wants to rule the world. To control the world steadily, more secure arrangements are needed."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a long time, thought over and over again, and finally nodded vigorously, "Mr. is right, but what exactly is going to be done, can you explain it clearly?"

"My lord, actually, this matter is not as difficult as I thought."

Zhang Ximeng brought over the map he had prepared long ago, and counted down bit by bit with Lao Zhu... First of all, the American part, which Zhu Ying had already discovered when she was sailing around the world.

It is not difficult to deal with the native Americans.

The main thing is that the native Americans have been in the Stone Age for a long time, and they lack large livestock. Their civilization level is very low, and they are basically in a state of slash-and-burn farming.

Including Oceania, these three regions are roughly the same.

"My lord, as long as we trade and trade, it is enough to establish control, and the most important one is to provide some iron farm tools!"

"Iron farming tools?" Old Zhu pondered for a while and said, "Mister, are you planning to teach them iron smelting technology?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled slightly. Of course there are very good iron mines in America, but the natives at this time have not discovered and utilized them.Moreover, the land of America is vast, and the fertile fields are more than thousands of miles away!

Provide the natives with iron farm tools, let them grow crops extensively, and then traffic the agricultural products produced to Daming.