Li Rong, the third son of the emperor who was not yet eight years old, raised his head and looked at Shen Yi curiously after being helped up. He thought for a moment and asked, "Is your uncle General Shen?"
Shen Yi has been an official for more than ten years. He has been called by countless names, but this is the first time he was called a general. He couldn't help but smile and said: "Your Highness, my surname is Shen, but I am not General."
Li Rong scratched his head: "Isn't uncle Shen Yi?"
The emperor on the side coughed and frowned: "There are no rules, how can you call your elders by their names?"
Shen Yi quickly smoothed things over and said: "Your Majesty, the prince is above the ministers, so there is no problem in calling him this way."
Li Rong bowed his head to Mr. Shen and said, "Uncle Shen, my nephew said the wrong thing. I just want to know who you are."
Mr. Shen looked at this little guy curiously and said with a smile: "How come I have become a general in the eyes of His Highness?"
"Because I heard someone said that my uncle led troops to fight in the north, defeated the Qi people, and captured a large area of land."
The third prince said in a sweet voice: "In the book, those who lead troops to win battles are all generals."
Mr. Shen smiled hoarsely and replied softly: "It is not necessarily the general who wins the battle. I am a civil servant of the imperial court, and civil servants can also lead troops."
The third prince thought for a moment and wanted to say something else. The emperor on the side came over and said with a smile: "Okay, that's it. You all can go back."
"I'm taking a break during the Chinese New Year, but don't read at all. You should read more books in your free time."
The two princes, one behind the other, lowered their heads and saluted Emperor Hong De: "Yes, Father."
Before Li Wang left, he looked at Shen Yi, bowed his hands to Shen Yi, and bowed very low. Then he took his younger brother and silently retreated.
Mr. Shen looked at the two brothers leaving, thoughtfully.
The emperor sat down, looked up at Shen Yi's expression, and said softly: "Did Shen Qing see anything?"
Shen Yi hesitated for a moment and replied: "The third prince seems to be very smart and has a lively temper."
"His Highness, on the other hand, is much quieter than the last time we met. He doesn't talk much anymore."
Emperor Hongde nodded slightly: "In private, he is still willing to speak, but in front of his elders, especially in the past two years, he has been silent a lot."
At this point, the emperor frowned slightly: "Maybe it's because he is the boss, or maybe it's because his mother has influenced him and he has become more and more disciplined."
"A child of only ten years old."
The emperor shook his head slightly and sighed: "I am also the eldest son. When I was his age, I was like a demon king in the palace, but he was very well-behaved."
Shen Yi smiled: "Your Majesty is the eldest son, so it is naturally different."
The throne of Emperor Hongde could not be more righteous, because he was not only the eldest son, but also the only legitimate son. For Confucianism, he was the chosen heir.
Let's put it this way, if the late emperor had not made him the crown prince in the early years, the old men in the court would have wished they had crashed to death in the Golden Palace.
For this reason, Emperor Hongde was still a little naughty and even a little arrogant when he was young. Until a few years before he inherited the throne, his temper was not restrained. The inexplicable Northern Expedition in the seventh year of Hongde is an example.
Perhaps, it was precisely because of Hongde's great defeat in the seventh year that he woke up the Emperor Chen. After that, Emperor Hongde's temper gradually became more restrained, and his methods became more mature day by day.
His Majesty the Emperor lowered his head and took a sip of tea. He did not answer Shen Yi's words, but said to himself: "As for the third child... Shen Qing, your assessment just now was quite right."
"Seems pretty smart."
His Majesty the Emperor said calmly: "It is for this reason that the Queen chose him instead of the second child."
"I just don't know if his early wisdom at a young age is a small cleverness or a great wisdom."
Shen Yi coughed, put down the tea cup in his hand, and explained: "Your Majesty, what I just said seems to have different meaning from what you are using now..."
The emperor raised his head with a smile and looked at Shen Yi: "I think it means the same thing."
He lowered his head to drink tea and couldn't help but sigh: "After becoming a parent, I can't stop thinking about something every day. Sometimes I can't sleep because of the future of these children."
"When I was young, I would never have had the understanding I have now. Only now, I can somewhat understand the feelings of my father, queen and mother."
Shen Yi said softly: "The late emperor should not have the worries that your majesty has now. It is a great blessing for Chen to have a wise king like your majesty in office."
"You."
The emperor smiled and said: "Flattery is always appropriate."
Mr. Shen smiled and did not answer.
The emperor stood up, stretched, and said: "You have not been in the court for the past two years. I have nothing to say to those old men. I have kept a lot of words in my heart and I feel very uncomfortable. Now that we have talked, I feel much more relaxed. Already."
If the emperor is meeting other ministers, stretching or yawning is usually a sign of seeing off the guests, and the ministers will also stand up and say goodbye very discerningly. However, when he met with Shen Yi, he was relatively casual and did not have these bends. Wander around.
Mr. Shen raised his head, glanced at the emperor, and said, "Your Majesty is prosperous in the Spring and Autumn Period, but his heirs are not prosperous. Should we consider selecting beautiful girls to enrich the harem?"
The emperor smiled hoarsely: "Why are you suddenly concerned about the affairs of my harem?"
Although he said that, the emperor thought for a while and answered Shen Yi's question: "The Queen Mother has mentioned this matter to me many times, but now the country is at war and there is a shortage of money everywhere. This draft girl , it will cost a lot of money to do it, and when the time comes, you will be rewarded with various rewards."
"That's all, let's talk about it in a few years."
He shook his head and said: "In the past few years, what I have been most worried about is money. When Shen Qing comes back to the court, you must think of a way for me to get more money for me to spend."
Master Shen had an idea and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this is easy."
"When I was suppressing Japanese pirates in the southeast, I heard from several Japanese pirate captives that there were many silver mines on Dongying Island. One of the huge silver mines had just begun to be mined, with a total amount of probably hundreds of millions of taels. After the imperial court rested for a few years, it could be emptied. When we take action, we might as well occupy Japan Island..."
"Firstly, the Japanese pirates have been causing trouble for decades, and we have a good reputation. Secondly, by occupying this Yinshan Mountain, no matter what we do next, it will be much smoother."
In a closed economy with a constant total amount, if a large amount of money is injected without increasing productivity, it will definitely lead to severe inflation and currency depreciation.
However, Dachen is not a closed economy. It has connections with foreign countries. Therefore, if a large amount of silver flows in, a considerable part of this silver can be converted into physical assets.
Therefore, if you can get silver from Japan, it is almost equivalent to getting money.
Of course, if one day comes, Shen Yi will not do it himself. He will most likely choose a general from the Huai'an army to conquer Japan.
The emperor's eyes lit up and asked: "Is it true?"
He didn't quite understand the concept of inflation. When he heard about the silver mine, he immediately became jealous.
Shen Yi smiled and said: "In the past two years, I have sent people to Dongying Island to inquire about it. After making sure it is clear, I will report back to Your Majesty."
"Okay, okay."
The emperor put his hands on his hands and smiled and said: "If a large sum of money can be transferred to the imperial court every year, I will be more confident in reducing or exempting local money and food."
At this point, the emperor changed the topic and said with emotion: "There used to be no Di Newspaper Division. Since Shen Qing, you established the Di Newspaper Division, I can often see some local rumors and stories sent by Di Newspaper Bureaus from various places. Only then did I know In the seventeenth year of this dynasty, a large number of people in various places still do not have enough to eat."
The Di Newspaper Bureau that the emperor was talking about was not the Di Newspaper Bureau that Luo Yong was in charge of, but the real Di Newspaper Bureau that was responsible for publishing the Di Newspaper on the surface.
Now, after ten years of development, the Di Newspaper Company has grown vigorously. In addition to the Di Newspaper Company in Jiankang, the Di Newspaper Company in various places will continuously send the "materials" they collect to Jiankang. Come.
Emperor Hongde liked reading these very much and read them often.
Perhaps because of this, His Majesty the Emperor, who rarely leaves the palace, can actually feel some of the sufferings of the people's livelihood.
Just as Shen Yi was about to answer, Eunuch Sun Jinsun hurriedly walked in. He glanced at Gao Ming first, then knelt on the ground, lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of War and the Fifth Army Governor's Office have been notified, and they are all on their way to the palace now. , where do you think we will arrange to meet them?"
"Just go to the Manna Hall."
The emperor waved his hand and said: "When they arrive, let them wait at the Manna Hall. I will go to the Manna Hall to meet them in half an hour."
Sun Jin lowered his head and got up: "Yes."
After that, he stepped back with small steps.
After the emperor finished speaking, he suddenly saw Shen Yi looking at Sun Jin who was leaving, so he smiled and said: "Gao Ming is old and can't remember many things, so I will ask Sun Jin to help him."
Shen Yi bowed his head respectfully: "The affairs of the inner court are all your Majesty's family affairs."
The emperor pulled Shen Yi to sit down and said with a smile: "Come, let's continue chatting."
"In a moment, let's go to Ganlu Palace together and argue with them about the candidate for Henan Dushuai."
"Several suitable lieutenants from the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion have also arrived. You can take a good look at them for me later."