Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 423 Quiet and Thoughtful
Time flies. After his biological mother, Queen Dowager Wang, passed away in the eleventh year of Taichang, Zhu Changluo became a quiet emperor for four years.

The situation from the eleventh year of Taichang to the end of the fifteenth year of Taichang is just like the situation from the fourth year of Taichang to the seventh year of Taichang: both are focused on one core task.

In the early years, preferential tax exemptions and commercial tax were strictly implemented; in recent years, new policies and reforms have been implemented.

During this time, he was just patiently hammering out new hubs and locations.

Reforms are difficult because they affect the interests of too many people.

But in this era of imperial rule, if the emperor had determination, ability, prestige, and seemed to be in very good health, it would not be so difficult to touch him.

Moreover, the new meritorious officials who were awarded titles in several battles and the eight ministers who were supported in advance by the central government's reform were all tied to him in terms of power, fame and wealth.

In the 14th year of Taichang, Empress Dowager Li also passed away. She had a legendary life, from the Jiajing Dynasty to the Taichang Dynasty, from an ordinary palace maid to the Grand Empress Dowager, she helped two emperors ascend the throne and sit firmly on the throne. In this life, before she died, she only said that she was not afraid of being blamed by her ancestors.

Because she has a great grandson.

Empress Dowager Li passed away at the age of 69. Although this was not a very long life, it was normal.

Why did Prince Lu Zhu Yiliu become so grief-stricken that he fell ill and died this year? Was he really filial?
How could Zhu Changluo remember the exact age of his uncle?
In fact, if Zhu Changluo had not made other arrangements for him, Prince Lu would have followed his mother there soon last year.

Now Zhu Changluo was stunned and only asked: "What did the Lifanyuan say?"

"This is a major event, and the Lifanyuan did not directly draft a bill." Wang An bowed and said, "Prime Minister Ye and Chief Fan Fang request that Your Majesty summon all the ministers and advisors to discuss it together."

"Together?"

Zhu Changluo frowned and stretched out his hand silently.

Wang An immediately and respectfully handed over the letter of credence from the North Korean side, and then stood quietly aside.

The emperor has been on the throne for sixteen years. He is now middle-aged and his beard has grown longer. He looks even more majestic when he is in deep thought like this.

Wang Wei, who was standing not far from the emperor, also secretly glanced at the emperor's profile.

Having been with the emperor for more than five years, Wang Wei was no longer the delicate little girl she once was. Now she was a graceful young lady, with a beauty that could be said to be the best in the Forbidden City, and her talent even surpassed Rong Fei - at least the poems she wrote were beyond the reach of Zhang Juzheng's granddaughter.

But she was still just a lady-in-waiting in the Qianqing Palace, and the emperor had never touched her.

Zhu Changluo thought for a while and then said, "In that case, go tell them. We will discuss this at Huangji Hall at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

After saying that, he stood up, picked up the letter again, and read it as he walked.

Wang An had already left the Qianqing Palace and headed south. Wang Wei saw him pacing and first looked at the tea in the cup on the imperial desk. She stretched out her finger to touch it, then she took it and poured it into a small porcelain jar beside her, then went to the side to brew it again.

In a corner of the warm room, there is now a coal stove. Since it is used by the emperor, it is of course quite exquisite, but the style is similar to those used outside the palace today.

There is always a kettle on the coal stove with hot water in it. If it boils, you can pour it into the thermos.

She also learned about this kind of thing after entering the palace. It turned out that it existed in the Song Dynasty. It was also made of colored glaze, with a wide mouth, long neck and long belly. However, after the Imperial Household Department presented the new model, her brother smiled and said, "If there are street vendors who want to sell tea in bottles like in the Zhao and Song dynasties, I'm afraid their business will be bad."

His Majesty said, “It is not easy to manufacture nowadays. If the price is not cheap, only some people can afford it.”

What I am talking about is naturally the thermos which is more useful.

This new thermos bottle has to use two layers of glass, and the air needs to be pumped out from between the two layers of glass. I heard that it cannot be said to be the "vacuum" that Your Majesty mentioned.

More people use coal stoves: there is no other way. First of all, every family needs a stove. Second, the prices of coal stoves and honeycomb coal are affordable nowadays.

Even coal ash, there are now people who specialize in collecting it. It is fine to use it to make bricks for paving roads and as fertilizer for growing flowers, but two years ago it was discovered that coal ash can also be used to make cement. If it is properly mixed, the cement made is even better. Therefore, just like there are people who specialize in the manure road business in the capital, there are also people who specialize in collecting coal ash.

Wang Wei sat at the tea table next to the coal stove, making tea while looking at the emperor who was slowly pacing and reading the imperial letter.

Now she can't leave the big yard, just like she couldn't leave the small yard five years ago.

But this yard is bigger after all, and what she hears here are no longer the words about how to please men and whet their appetite.

"Where's Ruoyu? Hasn't she come back yet?"

The emperor suddenly asked. Wang Wei had just made a new cup of tea. As she put the cup on the imperial desk, she said, "Your Majesty ordered him to go to Zhejiang to pay his respects to Minister Shen. How could he come back so early?"

"...Well, then go find Zou Yi and ask him to call the person who is currently in charge of the inner study."

"Yes."

Zhu Changluo drank tea and was still thinking.

He understood what Li Sancai was hinting at. Although Prince Lu did not amass wealth crazily in Joseon, nor was he blinded by the power of the "king" and really prepared to indulge in the addiction of being a powerful king, what else could he do?

It's just that indulging in sensual pleasures has indeed damaged your health.

Now, Li Sancai and other former Ming officials are worried about a very practical problem: North Korea is still a country in name after all, and the king is young, so of course he can only rely on important officials. But when he grows up, he will certainly try to hold on to his only real power.

Although everyone knew that the Governor-General and the Minister of State Affairs were in charge of Korea, he was of course the king in name only, and the Governor-General and the Minister of State Affairs did not have the courage to call himself the real king of Korea.

By then, with the young and energetic ruler and the old ministers who hold great power, plus possible instigation from local Korean ministers, problems may arise.

Li Sancai was merely hinting at whether the King of Joseon should be changed directly into a prince like the ones in the past who were granted fiefdoms, and Joseon could simply be incorporated into a province.

Ye Xianggao and the others asked for instructions to discuss this together. To put it simply, this is what they meant.

Otherwise, there are many old precedents. Even if the child is young, he can still inherit the title and ascend the throne first, and it will not affect the current political affairs of North Korea.

Of course, another reason why Li Sancai proposed this was that he was afraid that if he continued to serve as the governor, he would violate the emperor's taboo: if the emperor was young, then the power of Li Sancai, the governor, in charge of government affairs would be too great.

After thinking about it, he took his first action.

The emperor's sixth brother Zhu Changrun and seventh brother Zhu Changying hurried over from the clan school.

"My uncle has passed away. You will go to Korea to bury him on my behalf." Zhu Changluo paused for a moment before staring at them. "From now on, you will first gain experience in Korea. Tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock, go to the Huangji Hall to listen to my discussion with the ministers and Tian Zizheng. You will understand by then."

The sixth and seventh sons were both born to the same mother, but their mother had died in the 25th year of Wanli's reign.

The eldest brother is like a father, and now the eldest brother is even the emperor.

After hearing this, they were startled and thanked the emperor for accepting his order.

The fifth brother has been granted the title of Prince of Rui, and is currently in Yunnan with the Duke of Qian to prepare for the invasion of Burma. Although they have not yet married or been granted titles, the emperor has been cultivating them carefully over the past few years and has already mentioned future arrangements.

It's time to start!

The two brothers were of course very excited. When they left, they saw many young eunuchs carrying many volumes to the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Changluo kept reading the many compiled reports from Korea and Japan, and finally leaned back in his chair, while Wang Wei went over to massage his shoulders and neck as if he was used to it.

"Your eldest brother...has been gone for almost two months, right?"

"Yes, the news of Shen Zizheng's death arrived in Beijing in August."

"...He is considered to be very old." Zhu Changluo suddenly felt emotional, "Except for a few people, most of the old ministers who served when I ascended the throne are gone." Wang Wei just listened quietly. The emperor often felt emotional about this from last year to now.

Zhu Changluo had just seen the names of some old people when he was reading those old reports.

It is now the end of the fifteenth year of Taichang. Wang Xijue, Shen Shixing, Shen Yikuan, Li Chengliang, Li Hualong, and Empress Dowager Li...

These people began to pass away one after another, and Zhu Changluo could not help but feel sad.

In addition, there was the news of the death of Prince Lu, his uncle, which came today.

Zhu Changluo's feelings for his uncle were not as deep as his feelings for Zhu Zaiyu. In the 13th year of Taichang, Zhu Zaiyu, the second most learned man in the clan, also passed away. The first one was of course Zhu Changluo, and Zhu Changluo believed that because of his care, Zhu Zaiyu should have lived two or three more years...

But after all, they are all the older generation who have been with him all the way.

Their collective exit also means that they have become the older generation from now on.

As he was thinking about all sorts of things, he smelled a faint fragrance. He opened his eyes and looked at her face, which was as smooth as cream and as soft as a baby's. Zhu Changluo suddenly smiled and said, "At that time, I was only two or three years older than you."

"...Your Majesty is a man of natural talent. I..." She didn't know why the emperor suddenly said this.

"Youth is fleeting, and time flies." Zhu Changluo looked at her, "I don't know if it's because I've been patient for too long, but now I'm getting more and more sentimental."

"Your Majesty is benevolent and filial, and he values ​​the relationship between the ruler and his subjects, but the health of the emperor is more important..."

"You are so serious. You were cuter back then, and you dared to jump around on the imperial boat."

Zhu Changluo suddenly patted his knees and stood up: "Well, it's time to take action! Time is running out. I'm afraid that if I continue to wait patiently like this, I will become less and less motivated in the future! Go to the Fan concubines in each palace and ask them to send another letter to the clan. Next year, I will take them to Chengde again."

"Yes..." Wang Wei obeyed the order obediently.

Zhu Changluo tapped her forehead and said, "Take you with you too! Two years ago, when Xu Xiake came back from Qinghai, look at how bright your eyes were!"

Wang Wei was suddenly embarrassed: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I am just..."

"Go and pass on the message."

Zhu Changluo still had a smile on his face as he watched her leave awkwardly, his eyes fixed on her back.

Suddenly I felt more youthful and energetic.

He was not in a hurry, after all, he could take whatever he wanted.

On the other hand, what he just said is also very true.

After being quiet for a while and gradually approaching my forties, I am becoming more and more sentimental and lazy.

So he ordered someone to convey the imperial edict: the preliminary plan was to go to Chengde next year, and to stop by the Institute of Machinery on the way.

After five years of prototyping, testing and improvement, it’s time to put a little more pressure on them.

Zhu Changluo hopes that this steam engine can be truly practical next year, and its efficiency and stability can reach the standards that allow it to be used in more scenarios.

The "old juren" who will take part in the imperial examination next year have already arrived in the capital, and some of them have their eyes widened even more.

Although he is an old juren, nowadays those over 35 are no longer given the opportunity to take the jinshi examination - just go find an official job first, there are plenty of positions anyway.

But even those who had been to the capital three years ago could only look at the somewhat unfamiliar capital in shock at this moment.

"Brother Li, I have read your notes. Is this the case in the capital?"

"...The last time I came to take the exam, it was a really dirt road." He knew that his companion was talking about the road in front of him. After all, it was very conspicuous.

"... Could this be the cement road?" Someone stamped his feet twice, "Why is this cement road so hard?"

"Isn't it said that every winter, the capital is filled with smoke and dust?"

At this time, the servants of a small shop came out carrying a basket full of burnt honeycomb coal, and the coal delivery man set up a hand-pushed tricycle.

A man who looked like an accountant was counting the number of honeycomb briquettes on the cart and shouting, "Hurry up and move it to the kitchen. Hey, your Wangji's coal is not as good as last year! How come it cracks when you just squeeze it? Did you mix more mud into it?"

"...Master, I am just a coal deliveryman..."

"I'll give you a receipt for 220 cakes. Take it back and ask your manager to come over. This is outrageous! You can't fool such a big customer. I might as well spend more money and buy it from the Imperial Coal Yard!"

How could the person who delivered the coal dare to accept it like this? He quickly sent one back to ask the person in charge to come.

No matter what, we have to unload the goods first.

The candidates had already entered a teahouse nearby and saw a coal stove in the lobby with a kettle of steaming water on it.

While exclaiming in amazement, he asked the waiter.

"Now the palace doesn't use charcoal anymore! This coal cake is durable! Three or four pieces a day is enough, two pieces is also fine! Did you come from Jiangnan to take the exam? More and more people are using this now."

"Brother Li, why didn't I see you mention it in your notes?"

"...When I was younger brother..."

The waiter laughed out loud after hearing this. "Three years ago, there really weren't many. Only the rich could afford it. Now it's different. There's more coal in Tangshan, so the price has dropped. Now there are at least 40 or 50 famous coal briquette factories in the counties of Kyoto."

After that, he sighed: "But it's a little harder to buy this year. I heard that there will be heavy snow again this winter."

"... Could it be that a dishonest businessman spread rumors and raised the price?"

"How dare they!" The waiter said with disdain, "This is what the Academy of Sciences and the Imperial Observatory published in the newspaper! This year may be colder than the winter of the tenth year of Taichang. You are all scholars. Here, our shop always has morning newspapers."

Only then did they notice a small shelf next to the counter. They went over to greet the shopkeeper, took a copy, and saw that there was indeed an article on the second page.

"The Executive Yuan sent a letter to all provinces, urging them to focus on keeping warm this winter and crack down on coal and charcoal merchants who raise prices."

They were looking at a section of data provided by the Imperial Observatory: a comparison of the temperature measured on the same day this year with the same day in the past five years.

"…Luckily we arrived in Beijing early. I'm afraid many of the new candidates wouldn't be able to make it to the capital."

They congratulated each other and felt a little bit expectant.

If there are fewer people, there will naturally be fewer competitors.

Now they actually hope that it will start snowing earlier and the Caohe River will freeze sooner.

Far away in the northern desert, 25-year-old Lindan Batur stood at the door of his Khan’s tent and looked up at the Eternal Sky.

It’s only October and there’s already so much snow!

(End of this chapter)