As the prince, during his internship in Liaodong, Zhu Cunqu had to write a letter every ten days to let the emperor know what he was doing and what he had done.
Taking the initiative to report was to leave an impression in the emperor's mind so that he would not be forgotten after staying in Shenyang for a long time.
Sometimes, Zhu Cunqu is also indignant.
In the three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, there had never been a prince who was as aggrieved as him.
After finishing the three hundred words of narration, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Opening the emperor's private message from Beijing, he said:
Liaodong and other places are rich in corn, wheat grains, etc., which can supply the capital with two to three million shi, but they can only provide enough food and clothing...
"What's good for sugar cane? What's good for tea? What's good for cotton? Among the people, we need to inquire one by one to understand the people's sentiments. If the farmers are prosperous, the people will be safe, and the Ming Dynasty will naturally be prosperous for thousands of years..."
After reading the letter, the charcoal stove under his feet felt a little cold.
My father felt the same as him and thought about it together.
He immediately crumpled the letter he had just written into a ball, unfolded the paper again, and began to consider it.
"That's all, I'll go and visit tomorrow. I'll stay in the government office all day. How can I have any ideas?"
"Master, my mother later wrote and asked us to go back during the New Year."
The Crown Princess came over and said in a low voice with persuasion.
"Okay." Zhu Cunqu's heart moved.
He suddenly remembered that he had met a country doctor before, and he said that in the North, cold weather affects fertility.
Especially when people from the south move north, they are not accustomed to the local environment.
If I go back to Beijing, I might be able to plant some.
"You clean up, and we will return to the capital in two days."
Zhu Cunqu shook his jade hand and gave instructions.
At night, he stayed with his concubine, Mrs. Liu.
Thinking about the farming in Liaodong, he went to the people early in the morning to inspect the benefits of farming.
"Drink!"
The princess sat upright and whispered softly.
"Yes!" With a soft response, Ms. Liu looked at the yellow-black soup and couldn't help but hold her nose and drink it.
"Don't worry, I understand my sister and have added sugar."
The Crown Princess then smiled, then took her hand and explained: "In another year and a half, I will let it go. My sister will definitely be taken care of by then."
After saying that, she pulled her to sit down, and then the Crown Princess continued to comfort her: "I heard that my sister has a young brother at home?"
"Yes." Mrs. Liu knew that this was a favor and replied in a low voice: "He doesn't like reading and likes to show off his swords and guns."
"In this way, if it is difficult to pass the martial arts examination, you can go to the martial arts hall. When the time comes, you can go to the Guards Department or join the army. It will be very convenient."
Mrs. Liu was shocked. The martial arts hall was a place for nobles and military attachés to train, and ordinary martial arts scholars also had to enter.
Once you join, although you can't compare to Wu Jinshi, you will be a second-class guard of the seventh grade, but the third-class guard of the eighth grade is also something that many people can't hope for.
Once they are sent out, they will be the patrol battalion at the local level, and the deputy battalion at the Beijing camp and border army.
It is simply beyond the reach of ordinary people, but for the Crown Princess, it is just within reach.
Apart from her status as a crown princess, she is still the daughter of Zeng Ying, Marquis of Dongchang, and belongs to the top echelons of power. What does a quota in the martial arts hall count for?
"Thank you for your grace."
"Outside the palace, please call me Madam!"
The Crown Princess chuckled.
After Mrs. Liu went out, the Crown Princess sighed.
"The prince has been married for nearly two years, and if he still has nothing to do, I'm afraid even my mother will not be able to spare me..."
"Are you talking about returning to Beijing this time?"
The old palace maid who was waiting on the side frowned: "My Lady, are you saying that we should summon an army to investigate the crime?"
"Of course."
The Crown Princess's eyes were blank as she said, "Dongchang has so many spies in the palace, how could the emperor and the empress not be clear about it?"
"Before, it could be said that I was seeking a legitimate son, but now I'm afraid I won't be able to do so. Although the prince's status is stable, heirs are also important."
"That's all, after the New Year, I'll let it go!"
"Your Majesty, when we arrive in Liaodong again, the Queen will have nothing to do..." the palace maid said softly.
The Crown Princess looked a little hesitant.
But in the end, she still strengthened her confidence: "There is a direct descendant, but there is no direct descendant. In fact, my son is not the eldest son, but his position cannot be escaped."
In this way, Prince Zhu Cunqu, who was thirty miles out of the city, arrived at a village.
There is no village, only 180 households, and children are not afraid of the cold, playing in the snow.
The most impressive thing is the hills made of straw, which are the main fuel for people to keep warm in winter.
Of course, due to the sparse population in Liaodong, there are still some forests left, enough for ordinary people to pick up disturbed wood.
Unlike Guan Nei, the areas around cities and villages are just bare with no dead grass.
Facing the young master passing by, the village was very welcoming and the food they served was quite high quality.
At the village chief's house, there is a pot of chicken stewed with mushrooms, pickles, and a pot of wine.
"This is good corn wine."
The village chief smiled and got on the kang, pointed to the yellow wine and said: "People in the city like to drink rice wine. In the countryside, we can only make wine from corn, and the taste is not bad."
Zhu Cunqu took a sip and found that the taste was coarse and not as good as wine brewed from refined grains.
But for the countryside, this farmhouse wax wine, no matter how turbid it is, is still excellent. After all, it costs nothing.
"My father-in-law, besides growing corn, what else do we grow in our village?"
"Like those sweet potatoes, we also grow wheat, and there are some irrigated fields where we grow rice. The price of rice is high——"
The old man rambled on, and after two sips of wine, he couldn't stop.
Corn is indiscriminate of land and prefers warm temperatures, so it is planted in large quantities in Liaodong, and the yield can reach about three hundred catties, with four hundred catties being the peak.
The biggest reason why people in the countryside like corn is the straw.
The straw can be used as feed for cattle, and can also be used as fuel for heating and cooking.
Whether it is wheat or rice, its straw is much smaller than that of corn.
"I'm telling you, we couldn't afford a cow, so we got two pigs. We feed them some swill and sticks on weekdays, and they grow fat and strong..."
The old man said proudly that he had to take Zhu Cunqu to see the pigs in the end.
Zhu Yiqu couldn't laugh or cry.
In Liaodong, the land is fertile and the land is vast and sparsely populated, so that the people's burden is light and they can barely feed themselves and even raise pigs.
This is unimaginable to the people in Guan.
Even if there is only one harvest a year, the nearly two million people in Liaodong can save a large amount of surplus grain.
And grain can be used to make wine.
"One pound of wine brewed outside the Pass will produce one pound more grain within the Pass."
Zhu Cunqu's eyes lit up and he thought of a way to enrich the people of Liaodong.
This is a good thing that benefits the country and the people.
Even further, he thought that he could send people to open a wine shop. With the prince's background and connections, wouldn't it be easy to make money?
Although the expenses of the Prince's Mansion are all paid for with internal funds, everyone wants to have private money.
In this way, no matter what you do, it will be particularly convenient.
…
"The prince is back -"
After half a month's journey by land, the prince's family returned to the capital from Liaodong.
The government and the public have been waiting for the prince who has disappeared for many days.
The senior officials in the eight departments of the cabinet were naturally aware of the whereabouts of the Crown Princess, but the majority of middle and lower-level officials had only a partial understanding of the whereabouts of the Crown Princess. They only knew that the Crown Princess had gone to practice.
Now that the prince had just returned to the capital that loved him, countless carriages and horses stopped at the East Palace, and the imperial ladies lined up to see the prince.
As always, the emperor received the third son, the future successor of the Ming Dynasty.
He hadn't seen her for many days, and a trace of longing lingered in his heart, but when he returned again, the emperor felt a little awkward again.
Looking at the mature face of the prince, it seems to be the result of the northern harvest. It is much rougher, and it also represents the improvement of ability.
At this time, he smiled in his heart, this is the desire for power at work!
There are no two days in the sky, and there are no two masters in the country.
As soon as the prince returned, the civil and military officials had another backbone, so naturally he felt threatened.
The emperor is a political creature, and it is inevitable that his rationality is greater than his sensibility.
"You think well."
The two of them were walking in the corridor, one behind the other. The cold wind was blowing on their faces, but the two people wearing big cloaks did not feel cold at all.
"As the population in Liaodong increases, there will be more arable land. At the same time, a large amount of grain is produced, and wine making is a good way to make money."
Zhu Yixi put his feet on the ground and breathed out hot air. The cold wind blew towards him, which seemed to make his thinking more active.
"The land is vast and the people are sparse, so we can grow some soybeans."
"The squeezed soybean oil is cheap and is loved by the people in the capital. The soybean cake can be fed to pigs, cattle and sheep."
"You can try more."
"Yes!" The prince thought, this is indeed a way to make money.
Liu Afu, who was following along the road, quickly handed him a cup of hot tea.
As soon as he took the tea and felt its temperature, the emperor suddenly stopped.
British people always like to add sugar to their tea.
Sugar is a scarce resource.
In addition to sugar cane, which can easily obtain sugar, beet can also absorb sugar.
Sugar cane from the south and sugar beet from the north are specialty products.
In the three places in the Northeast, Suiyuan and Chahar, sugar beets can be grown and a large amount of sugar can be produced.
As for the sales issue, there is no need to worry.
You must know that people are addicted to sweets. How can Taiwan government satisfy the nearly 200 million people in the Ming Dynasty?
What's more, Taiwan's white sugar is mostly exported for profit, with less than 30% being sold domestically.
So much so that a pound of brown sugar on the market costs thirty or fifty cents, which is really too dark.
Moreover, sugar is widely used and is also used as military supplies to quickly replenish physical strength.
"Beets." The emperor turned his head and said calmly in his black eyes: "In Shaanxi, ordinary people in Shanxi like to grow beets."
"And beets make sugar."
"I think sugar beets should be grown in the huge Northeast region!"
"I understand!" The prince was inexplicably surprised.
Although wine is profitable, it is not as good as making sugar.
It is said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs can make over one million dollars a year in Taiwan. This is such a terrifying figure.
As long as it's half, no, even 10%, that's still a huge number.
"After you succeed, the nobles in the capital will have a lot of land in Liaodong, and they will definitely follow suit. You have to be prepared."
Zhu Yixi chuckled.
In the face of huge interests, what is a prince? A reserve emperor, who has not yet taken charge of the family!
"Father, what about the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs will also grow sugar beets in Liaodong."
Zhu Yixi said casually: "There are too many benefits from sugar, and the royal family cannot monopolize it. It might as well be let go."
The prince nodded, looking thoughtful.
In fact, Zhu Yixi still has one point to explain.
The widespread use of sugar beets can generate a lot of benefits for the entire north.
He firmly believes that economics determines politics. The closer the local economic ties between the areas north of the Great Wall and those south of the Great Wall, the harder it will be to disconnect them in the future.
If the royal family has a monopoly, it will not last long.
Harem, Kunning Palace.
Queen Sun Xueniang received the Crown Princess.
The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is neither tight nor loose, just average.
After all, it was the emperor who made the final decision in choosing the princess, and the queen had no say.
"The prince is going to Liaodong, which is a bitter and cold place. It would be considered virtuous for you to go there and take good care of him."
Sun Xueniang said softly.
What does it mean?
The Crown Princess thought secretly, but her expression remained unchanged: "This is what a daughter-in-law should do."
"As long as you and your husband love each other, it's rare for a royal family to have such affection. The Crown Princess must cherish it."
Although Sun Xueniang spoke with a smile, the chill in her words made the princess' heart tremble.
She suppressed her anger and really laughed.
"We have been married for nearly two years. Although the prince's family has six or seven concubines, none of them are pregnant. I am extremely anxious."
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"Even His Majesty is anxious to have a grandson.
I’m afraid you don’t know that the Prince of Qin returned to Qin not long ago, and His Majesty was very sad for a long time!”
Sun Xueniang picked up the emperor and spoke with every word. After seeing the embarrassment on the crown prince's face, she didn't say much.
"My daughter-in-law wants it too."
"Kneel down."
The queen sighed and said coldly:
"For us women, especially those who marry into the royal family, having children is what we should do."
"If you don't have children, then you have to find a few who can have children yourself. You can't just live in peace and quiet."
"I'll leave my words here for today. The Crown Princess will think about it carefully."
In this way, the Crown Princess knelt on the ground, leaving her alone in the palace.
Even though the floor heater had been turned on, she felt chilly all over.
This is the rule among the people, and I never thought that she, the Crown Princess, would enjoy it.
Two quarters of an hour later, an old palace maid came over and helped the Crown Princess up: "My Lady, please get up."
"Thank you, aunt!" The Crown Princess showed a forced smile.
The word aunt is mostly used for older palace ladies.
Leaving with difficulty, the Crown Princess took a while to recover.
How could this be hidden from the well-informed inner court? It didn't take long for the news to spread to everyone, but without exception they all said that the Queen had set rules for the Crown Princess.
"What's wrong?" The prince came out of the palace in high spirits and saw the ugly-faced princess.
The Crown Princess shook her head and had no words.
The maid on the side could not withstand the pressure and could only tell the truth.
The prince was quite helpless: "What does it have to do with you if you can't have an heir? Do I have enough concubines?"
Even so, he could not speak to the queen, otherwise he would be reprimanded again.
It would be bad if men interfered with women's affairs.
At noon, the emperor and the queen had dinner together and talked about the princess.
"Women are jealous, no matter how weak their temper is, they can't change it." Queen Sun Xueniang was still angry.
"It's always like this in the palace."
Zhu Yixi could see it.
In fact, the connivance of the emperor and empress also played a large part in the fact that the princess was like this before.
The emperor felt that it was too dangerous to get pregnant and give birth to a child at the age of sixteen when he was still young and not old enough to raise children.
The queen wanted to hold her eldest grandson.
An eldest grandson means an orderly inheritance.
The reason for the urgency now is that the prince is old and the queen is afraid that his position will be unstable.