More than a million dollars have been spent, but the emperor and his ministers have to litigate for more than 100,000 yuan. It sounds ridiculous, but the finances of the Ming Dynasty are like this now. If you are a little extravagant, there will be holes.
In the main hall, Zhu Yunxi walked back and forth with a wry smile on his face.
Because he remembered those Qing palace dramas he watched in his previous life. When the monarchs and ministers discussed matters, they spent millions on military expenses and tens of millions on garden repairs, but what about him?
The Qing Dynasty's financial raising ability is indeed better than that of the Ming Dynasty, and it is not yet the Age of Discovery when silver from all over the world is pouring in. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty does not collect taxes, especially commercial taxes.
The old man's stubbornness is something outsiders would never imagine. On the one hand, he despises businessmen, but on the other hand, he does not charge heavy taxes. In the final analysis, business is beneficial to the people, and not collecting taxes is also to hide wealth from the people.
Zhu Yunxi walked to the screen, picked up his ink pen, and wrote two lines of words.
"Bei Yuan, official administration, weaving, vassal king!"
After reading it for a long time, these old men would take their time to draw it. They sighed and said to the solemn bastard, "Erase it!"
"Yes!" Wang Bashi took a piece of fine cloth and wiped it hard a few times. The writing on the screen was eliminated and returned to its original state.
"Where is the old man?" Zhu Yunxi asked as he took a sip of tea.
"Go back to the master, the old prince is in the imperial garden!" Wang Bashi said, "Early in the morning, he took Eunuch Pu over there!"
"Let's go and have a look!" Zhu Yunxi said.
No one believed it when I told you that there were several acres of crop land hidden in the Imperial Garden in the Forbidden City. As early as when Empress Ma was around, there was a vegetable garden there. Later, the old man personally led people to organize it, and crops were planted there every year.
Now is the time for spring plowing. Although the old man has become the emperor, no one can stop him from working in the fields. In his words, as an emperor, you need to know how much to plant in the spring and how much to harvest in the autumn. Based on the output, you can judge the people this year.
of harvest.
Farming is the same as fighting. When a general is commanding the central army, he eats the same food as the soldiers. If the general is hungry, then the soldiers on the front line must have been hungry long ago.
Zhu Yunxi took the palace servants and walked into the imperial garden. As soon as he entered, he saw the old man working in the fields.
The old man was dressed in old coarse cloth, with his trousers and sleeves rolled up high, just like an ordinary old farmer. A hemp rope was slung on his shoulders, and the old man walked forward, pulling the rope tied behind the hemp rope...
....people!
Behind the hemp rope is a plow, and behind the plow is Pu Bucheng pushing hard. The old man is in front, and he is behind. Wherever the two of them pass, the soil is turned up. And on the edge of the field, countless palace people
He lowered his hands and lowered his head, like a stone statue, silent.
"Grandpa Huang, don't be tired!" Zhu Yunxi quickly opened his robe and ran over in a few steps, "You are already this old. You can just let others do these things. Look at your shoulders! Oops, you thought
Are you a young man?"
Farming is a laborious job. One person pulls the plow and the other pushes it. Even an adult man can't do much in a day. What's more, the old man is over sixty.
"Who let you in?" The old man not only didn't appreciate it, but said angrily, "Look, you stepped on the ridge that was just created!"
Zhu Yunxi lowered his head and saw a line-like ridge, which made him look completely different after just a few steps.
He quickly stepped aside and said, "Grandpa Huang, come up here!"
"You unlucky kid!" The old man shook his head and said, "This side has been trampled down again. That's where we kept the wedding seedlings. It was deliberately higher than the other side." He said, waving his hands impatiently, "Let's go.
, don’t make trouble here!”
"I..........."
"Your Highness, please wait for a moment!" Pu Bucheng wiped his sweat like a skinny old farmer and said, "There is still half a ridge. The slave and the emperor will go up after plowing!"
There was no other way, so Zhu Yunxi could only carefully step on the ridges and return the way he came, "Grandpa Huang, you won't plant paddy fields this year?"
The old man in the field continued to pull the plow and shouted, "Plant some wheat and beans this year. The land in our palace is usually taken care of very carefully. It is used to drive away birds and water fertilizers. The yield is higher than that of ordinary people's homes."
As he said that, the old man suddenly exerted force, and the plow brought out a stone. "Our land has a high yield, but we can't see anything! This year, we will plant some wheat and beans that are easy to take care of. We don't need so many people to wait on us. Let's see."
How much can you give out?"
"Or can you be the emperor?" Zhu Yunxi sat down on the recliner beside the field, "You are the one who cares about the people the most!"
"Haha!" Mr. Tanaka laughed, very proudly.
Zhu Yunxi was not a flatterer. There were so many rebel military leaders at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, all of them were heroes, but in the end it was the old man who was relatively weak at the beginning who took over the world. In addition to military affairs, the old man's ability to know the subtleties also played a big role.
Great effect.
At this time, Zhu Yunxi looked around. Apart from stools and chairs, there was not even a pot of hot tea around him.
"What's going on?" Zhu Yunxi said angrily, "There's not even hot water? How can we serve you?"
Others did not dare to speak. Caiyun, who had only been serving the old man for a few days, timidly said, "Your Highness, you are not a slave who is reckless and careless, but a concubine..."
"Zhao Ning'er?"
When Zhu Yunxi was puzzled, he saw a girl carrying a basket and combing her hair like a woman walking from a distance with a smile on her face.
If not Zhao Ning'er, who else could it be?
"What are you doing?" Zhu Yunxi saw that his wife was also dressed in common clothes and asked, "Where are you from?"
"I've met Your Highness!" Zhao Ning'er was blessed first and said with a smile, "This morning I saw that the old man was going to the fields. I'm my granddaughter-in-law, how can I stay in the house!" After saying that, she said with a smile, "I see that the old man is going to the fields. How can I stay in the house as my granddaughter-in-law?"
When I was a kid, I also did farm work at my grandpa’s house.”
"no!?"
Zhu Yunxi looked at Zhao Ning'er, who had a healthy blush on his face, and then looked at the old man in the field, and suddenly felt that he was a little redundant.
"Old man, please take a rest and eat!" Zhao Ning'er called to Tianli.
"Wait a minute, it's almost over!" the old man replied.
"Don't wait, it will get cold in a while!" Zhao Ning'er said with a smile, "You can do it after eating, my wife will help you!"
If Zhu Yunxi said this, he would probably get a three-word answer, "Go away!"
But when Zhao Ning'er asked, the old man took off the rope from his shoulders with a smile and walked over with his hands behind his back.
"Is this how you and Grandpa Huang talk?" Zhu Yunxi asked in a low voice.
Zhao Ning'er blinked and said with a smile, "Your Highness, don't you know yet? Old man, this is the way to go!"
This girl is more thoughtful than imagined!
The old man treats ministers the same way and treats his family members the same way. And he really just follows the common people. If you call him old man, you will definitely make him happier than calling him your majesty.
Of course, no matter who is involved in this matter! The only one who can get this treatment is Zhu Yunxi himself. Now, Zhao Ning'er is added to the list.
"What good food?" The old man sat down with a smile and said with a smile.
"Stewed tofu with cabbage and pork belly, the soup is milky white!" Zhao Ning'er threw a wet towel, carefully wiped the old man's hands and said with a smile, "There are also fried eggs with green garlic, golden yellow with oil bubbles! My wife just saw the royal meal
There are freshly fried fried dregs over there, so I ordered a bowl of it stewed with garlic, it’s fragrant!”
As he said that, he changed another towel and said, "Master, please look up!"
The old man just closed his eyes and raised his head, letting Zhao Ning'er wipe it again and again.
Zhao Ning'er didn't hesitate, not only wiped the old man's face clean, but also took a small piece from the corner of the old man's eye and ate it.
Zhu Yunxi was stunned when he saw this. This... my position seems to be a bit in jeopardy?
"Eunuch Park, wipe it too!" Zhao Ning'er finished wiping the old man and handed Pu Bucheng a towel.
"I don't dare!" Pu Bucheng didn't dare to answer, but his face was filled with gratitude.
"Are you done over there?" The old man didn't even look at Zhu Yunxi, "Let's sit down and eat together!"
"Yes!" Zhu Yunxi sat down and wanted to get bowls and chopsticks for the old man, but Zhao Ning'er was one step ahead of him.
He wanted to serve rice to the old man again, but Zhao Ning'er had already placed a bowl of rice and beans in front of the old man. By the way, he also put a few cloves of garlic on it.
"I.........."
It’s only been a few days, I’m so redundant!
Zhu Yunxi looked at his diligent wife and didn't know whether he should be happy or what to do.
"Your Highness, sit down, I will serve you a meal!" Zhao Ning'er said with a grin after finishing the old man's work.
"That's pretty cool. You even know how to serve me rice!" Zhu Yunxi felt better and sat down again.
But as soon as he sat down, he heard the old man laughing and scolding, "Let him serve it by himself. He can't do heavy work for less than two taels a day. Why do you have to wait on him for a meal? He doesn't have long hands?" After saying that, he took a big mouthful of bean rice and laughed.
Said, "Smells! Good!"
"My wife watched the people in the imperial kitchen cook this rice. The rice fried in the big iron pot with wood fire is the best!" Zhao Ning'er said, taking out a bowl alone, and then filled it with some stewed tofu and pork belly.
I picked up a few more golden scrambled eggs with my chopsticks.
"You still have me in your heart!" Zhu Yunxi was depressed because he was not being treated by the old man today. Seeing his wife like this, he felt a little better.
But when he reached out to take it, he discovered that the bowl of rice was not for him!
"Eunuch Park, you're tired, eat some!" Zhao Ning'er put her hand on another small table.
"I don't dare!" Pu Bucheng was really shocked. He quickly knelt down and said in fear, "I am a slave who is inferior to a pig or a dog. I don't dare to act like a queen!"
"This girl is so kind!" The old man said with a smile, holding the rice bowl, "Do you want to scare him to death by serving him rice?"
Zhao Ning'er smiled sweetly, "My daughter-in-law also watched him work with you all morning. In ordinary people's homes, a daughter-in-law should treat the long-term workers well..."
"He's not a human being, what do you care about him!" The old man said with a smile, but after looking at Pu Bucheng, he said for the first time, "You old dog and I have been tired all morning. Our grandson-in-law said so."
Yes, dogs still eat meat during festivals, so please eat them as a reward!"
"Slave!" Pu Bucheng raised his head. The seventh-rank eunuch who was feared by everyone in the palace and the chief eunuch of the internal affairs office was already sobbing, with tears streaming down his face. "Old slave, thank you, Your Majesty! You, old slave, die now.
It’s worth it!”
"Don't say that!" Zhao Ning'er said with a smile, "You are the person who can be used by the old man. If you die, the old man will have to find someone to take care of him. Clothes are not as good as new, and people are not as good as old. You have to live well in order to take care of me.
Good old man!"
"This old slave will still serve his master in the next life!" Pu Bucheng cried out of control.
This scene once again refreshed Zhu Yunxi's understanding.
My daughter-in-law looks honest and lively, but she is actually angry inside!
Suddenly, Zhu Yunxi realized that the old man was also looking at him.
The grandfather and grandson looked at each other, and the old man's eyes were full of teasing smiles. It seemed to be saying, silly grandson, your grandfather found you a smart wife, how about it?
Suddenly, Zhu Yunxi understood. A daughter-in-law who can run a household and manage a large family well, isn't that what the old man wants in his heart?
"Stop being busy! Let's eat together!" Zhu Yunxi sighed inwardly.
"There's no rush, men eat first, why should we women be in a hurry!"
After Zhao Ning'er finished speaking, the old man's eyes turned into slits in laughter.
Immediately, the two men ate a home-cooked meal on the edge of the field. Not to mention, this home-cooked meal was indeed more delicious than those cooked by the unscrupulous cooks in the palace kitchen.
"That old guy Xu Xingzu, who has been cooking all his life, can't cook like this!" The old man ate very quickly. After finishing the meal in a few mouthfuls, he drank tea and began to criticize the old cook who had served him for more than 20 years.
Although the old man regarded the palace maids and eunuchs as human beings, he treated him well as a cook. In his opinion, the loyalty of the cook was more important than the loyalty of the ministers. Back then, the King of Qin was whipped by the old man because he treated the cooks around him unkindly.
"What's the big deal today?" The old man asked Zhu Yunxi after he was full.
"Xin Guogong's military expenditure is short of tens of thousands taels!" Zhu Yunxi said.
"Let the Household Department squeeze it!" The old man frowned, "I've been spending a lot of money recently!"
"Grandpa!" Zhu Yunxi put down the bowl and whispered, "I heard that you are going to renovate Kunning Palace. My grandson will see it. You don't need to see this!"
"Why not?" The old man was unhappy and glared, "Ning'er has just married into our family, and the new daughter-in-law wants to live in a new house. Kunning Palace has been idle for so long, so it's not time to take a good rest! You know, we men are diligent and thrifty.
Those who don’t know think we are stingy!”
"Don't be in a hurry!" Zhu Yunxi said with a smile, "It's just the beginning of the new year, and the household department has no income. It's a time of emptiness, so these tens of thousands taels should be used elsewhere first!"
"Don't worry about it!" the old man said impatiently, "repairing the house is also a business!"
"Old man!"
The atmosphere between the two men was a bit cold, and Zhao Ning'er said, "My wife, I thank you for your love and care. I know you are afraid of wronging my granddaughter-in-law, but I think your highness is right!"
"Being able to marry into this family means that your ancestors are virtuous. Although my daughter-in-law has never read any books and doesn't know any principles, she also knows that being a queen is not about entering the palace to enjoy the blessings. She has to keep her family, country and world in mind!"
"Since money is needed for military and national affairs, the money cannot be spent on repairing the house for the wife!" Zhao Ning'er squatted down, beat the old man's legs, and said with a smile, "Otherwise, the wife will not feel at ease even if she lives in it!
"
The old man pondered for a long time and sighed, "What a good girl, you are so sensible!" After saying that, he glared at Zhu Yunxi, "If you dare to make this girl suffer, how will we deal with you?"