First Minister of Ming Dynasty

Du Guang'an couldn't help but smiled wryly, "Old man, I'm really not a high-ranking official, but this one is different. He's the prime minister of our Ming Dynasty. He has a high position and authority, so he says what he says!"

Hearing this, the old man became even more suspicious, his old eyes were full of suspicion.

The biggest official?

so young?

There is no hair on the mouth, my old man can't believe it!

Fortunately, Jiang Nan was wearing men's clothing for convenience, so the old man didn't see it, otherwise he wouldn't believe it.

"Well... I, I still have to work... You guys, if you don't mind, stay and eat!"

"Need not."

Zhang Ximeng said decisively: "Old man, we still have something to do, and it's really inconvenient to eat...I'll come back when you have something to gain."

The old man was a little embarrassed, and muttered: "Then, how rude! No, it can't be like this."

No matter what the old man said, Zhang Ximeng firmly refused.

The old man can only agree, wait until autumn to treat.

Du Guangan was a little surprised, and secretly asked Zhang Ximeng, "Mr. Zhang, how did you know you were going to refuse?"

Zhang Ximeng said hehe: "It's not that I haven't been to the countryside... The people are simple and honest, and guests from outside must be entertained. Everything in the house will be brought here. Now they are so difficult, if I eat their meal , Some people are going to starve. And I give them something, they will not take it, they will only feel that they are looking down on them. It is better not to bother them."

Du Guang'an nodded, "What Zhang Xiang said is right... But Zhang Xiang promised them to come after Qiuhou... I guess they will keep it in mind. If Zhang Xiang doesn't come by then, I guess they will be disappointed."

Zhang Ximeng smiled, "Who said I won't come? Not only do I want to come, I also want to celebrate the harvest with the big guys... In these few months, the most important thing for us is to build trust with the people , to truly be a family of soldiers and civilians."

Du Guangan's eyes lit up, and his admiration for Zhang Ximeng increased several points.

In fact, counting from Jia Lu's side, Zhang Ximeng and Du Guang'an were not very far away.At the beginning, Du Guangan admired Zhang Ximeng's theory very much. He decided to join the army because he wanted to expel the Hulu, restore China, and make great achievements.

However, by mistake, he embarked on the road of flood control.

It so happened that the road of water control turned out to lead to the same goal, and Zhang Ximeng came together again, which can only be said to be fate!

"Mr. Zhang, it is true that the military and the people are united at the moment, and the top and bottom are integrated... It's just that a smart woman can't live without rice, and she needs money, food, and livestock. You have also seen that the entire village does not even have a single animal. It is all relying on hands and manpower. It is true. too difficult."

Zhang Ximeng nodded vigorously, "I know all of this, don't worry, I will still find a way."

After bidding farewell to Du Guang'an, Zhang Ximeng walked to a few more villages and looked around. He could only say that they were all the same, without exception, all of them were extremely poor and difficult.

Jiang Nan said with emotion: "In the books and dramas, it is often said that the house has four walls, and that is enough to be poor, but when we go to these places, is there any house with a house and four walls?"

Zhang Ximeng smiled helplessly, it was true.

The vast majority of the people live in dilapidated shacks made of wood, weeds, and leaves.

The whole family has only one bowl, which is still broken.

Regardless of boys and girls, all bare buttocks.

They are really naked and starving, there is no exaggeration.

"It is true that we must act quickly to improve people's livelihood as soon as possible. Delaying time is killing people!" Zhang Ximeng lamented.

Jiang Nan smiled slightly, and suddenly said: "Master Zhang, you said that there are so many people living in such misery... What's the point of spending a lot of money just to hold an exaggerated wedding? Will you feel guilty?"

Zhang Ximeng said sincerely, "People are drowning themselves, and others are hungry. Jiang Tiju's realm is really high, Xiaosheng's five bodies are cast on the ground!"

Jiang Nan rolled his eyes at him, what about Xiaosheng?

You're trying to remind me how young you are, aren't you?

It's a pity, those who know your identity will probably ignore your age, you're old before you're old, a little old man!

Jiang Nan suddenly looked at Zhang Ximeng and laughed.

Zhang Ximeng was stunned, "I, I am everyone's favorite, and the flowers are blooming, right?"

Jiang Nan was even more speechless. It turns out that this guy has another problem... narcissism, so smug!

Sure enough, if you get close, there are no saints, and Zhang Xianggong is nothing more than that.Jiang Nan chuckled and said, "It's better to go back quickly. It's important to do business. Sell those bonds quickly to raise money to save the people. We must be worthy of the official clothes on our bodies."

Facing the urging from his future wife, Zhang Ximeng did not dare to be lazy.

He quickly wrote down his observations and presented them to Zhu Yuanzhang.

It is not easy to control water in the Central Plains.

"My lord, what we want to do is divert water into rivers and seas, so we need to dig extensive ditches to dredge water... Besides, some low-lying fields must be dug from the outside to raise the land. As for those who really In the low-lying areas, we need to dig deeper, build reservoirs, store water for irrigation, and release floods during the rainy season to prevent the Yellow River from flooding again and destroying farmland."

Zhu Yuanzhang has been doing farm work since he was a child. Although his status has become more and more prestigious in the past few years, he has always done it by himself... He knows very well how much it will cost to dig countless ditches and build thousands or even tens of thousands of reservoirs in the vast Central Plains. energy!

"This is indeed a major event for decades. Mr. Zhang, even if we spend our entire lives, we may not see the day when we are done."

Zhang Ximeng is more open-minded than Zhu Yuanzhang, "Everything is difficult at the beginning, what is needed now is that we start to do it... The flood has lasted for more than a thousand years, and it only takes a few years to solve it. It is too disrespectful to the flood."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, "Sir, what he said is... we have something that we want to tell you about."

"Please speak clearly, my lord."

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "This time, my husband's big wedding, no matter what, we have to celebrate it. I'm afraid drinking will be unavoidable. We want to withdraw the prohibition on alcohol, what do you think, sir?"

Prohibition on alcohol was not original to Lao Zhu. In fact, whenever wars broke out and people were in dire straits, there was a prohibition on alcohol.

During the period of the Three Kingdoms alone, there were five large-scale bans on alcohol.

Cao Cao was banned, Liu Bei was banned, and Zhuge Liang was also banned... It can be seen that this is the consensus of all parties.

Unlike these predecessors, Zhu Yuanzhang's prohibition on alcohol was complete, and for this reason he beheaded one of Hu Dahai's sons...Of course, Lao Zhu's prohibition on alcohol was only aimed at the reality of lack of food and clothing. In Huaxia, he will drink Yanshan Mountain with his officials and get drunk.

Abandoning alcohol prohibition now is reasonable, but it is a little early in the end.

"My lord, what is the meaning of this move?"

Old Zhu paused, and then said: "Someone told us that if the prohibition on alcohol is lifted and merchants are allowed to brew alcohol, it will indeed fill the deficit of the national treasury and quickly raise a sum of money...Sir, you should know that we still don't want to be restricted. Yu merchants!"

"The lord, have you ever thought about how much food consumption will be increased if the ban on alcohol is lifted? What if the price of food increases?" Zhang Ximeng asked rhetorically.

Old Zhu said: "Of course we know this, why don't we ask Mr. if it's possible?"

Zhang Ximeng lowered his head, thought about it seriously, and suddenly came up with an idea.

"My lord, we can change our thinking!" Zhang Ximeng suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and said with a smile, "We will not abolish the prohibition on alcohol, but we stipulate that in the newly restored areas, the grain produced is not within the restrictions of the prohibition on alcohol."

This was a bit convoluted, but Lao Zhu still groaned for a long time before he understood.

"Sir, what you mean is that if the grain is produced in the Central Plains, it can be used to make wine, right?"

"That's right! Lord Shengming!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened, "Sir, there is no food in the Central Plains now!"

"That's why merchants are asked to pay for farming, producing grain and making wine!"

"This...seems to be a good idea." Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his head and thought about it carefully...the profit of drinks is huge, so there is no need to say, Maoxiang Technology, the eternal god!

Especially after ten years of strict alcohol prohibition, a barrel of wine can be exchanged for ten taels of gold.

At this time, whoever has drinks is the God of Wealth.

And now there is finally a gap... The grain in the Central Plains can be used to make wine, and now the Central Plains is short of grain, so let's farm in the Central Plains to produce more grain!

"All the grain grown in the Central Plains can be used to make wine...or at least 20 central plains revival bonds can be purchased to authorize the purchase of grain from the Central Plains to make wine." Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "The total amount of wine production also needs to be controlled. Brew as much as you want. And because it will take more time to harvest grain and make good wine at least until after autumn, or even next spring, we also have room for maneuver.”

Zhang Ximeng’s move is just a transformation of Kaizhongfa. If he can produce 100 million shi of grain and 30 shi of wine, the remaining 70 shi will be a big profit.

Zhu Yuanzhang took it very seriously, "Mr. has thought about everything, bonds, drinks, food, farmland... so many things, Mr. is cleverly twisted together, it is really ingenious!" Old Zhu sighed, he used to dislike Now it seems that the way of merchants really needs to work hard.

There is no doubt that Zhang Ximeng's move is equivalent to pouring a bucket of kerosene on the fire.

It was originally just a wedding invitation, and what the merchants got was just fame.

But if it is tied to wine making, it will be a real benefit, and it is still an irresistible benefit.

This time the bonds will not worry about selling.

"Sir, you are really thoughtful, but it seems a bit wronged, sir, to do this at your wedding."

Zhang Ximeng said with a smile: "I don't know, my lord. Jiang Tiju has told me that if it's just luxurious and empty, with a large number of guests, what's the difference between that kind of wedding and Jin Dynasty fighting for wealth? It's the most vulgar! But if you can save the people, there will be countless people alive. After many years, this wedding will be memorable. I secretly think that Jiang Tiju is very well-informed!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened in surprise, and he smiled after a while: "Sure enough, only Jiang Tiju is worthy of Mr. Zhang! Let's wish you a long life together in advance!"

"Thank you, my lord." Zhang Ximeng.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stop thinking about it, so he got up suddenly, rushed to the front of the table, and said to Zhang Ximeng, "Sir, tell me, what do you want us to write for you... We will cover all the couplets with blessings in your family!"

Chapter 496 Fu Guoyuan Master

"My lord's imperial pen is so precious that I dare not ask for it. If my lord is willing, I can write to my minister that sentence that is not indifferent, there is no way to show my ambition, and if there is no tranquility, there is no way to go!" Zhang Ximeng whispered.

"Indifferent, serene!" Old Zhu said with a smile: "Sir, these two sentences are what Zhuge Wuhou said. To be honest, we thought it was too low, why not write, write..."

Old Zhu thought for a while, then smiled and said: "If you have it, you can call it Zhuge Liang, and Zhang Ximeng will dominate the world, how about it?"

Zhang Ximeng's face turned dark. If he said this in his family, he would be ashamed to death, and would be laughed at by the world.

"My lord, I am now an extremely human minister, assisting the Holy Master, and have the foundation of today. Looking back on the past, only by not forgetting the original heart, indifferent and peaceful, can we be forever. These two words of Zhuge Wuhou are just right for me to encourage myself at all times. "Zhang Ximeng said seriously.

Seeing Zhang Ximeng's resolute attitude, Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "Since Mr. wants it, why don't we write it!"

Speaking of Zhu Yuanzhang waving a large brush, flying like a dragon, he wrote these two sentences, and then Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhang Ximeng, "How is it, how is our calligraphy?"

"My lord has the spirit of swallowing the sun and the moon, and the heart of the nine heavens. The words are like the person, and the person is like the words. The majesty, the world is one person!" Zhang Ximeng praised.

In all fairness, Zhang Ximeng's words are a bit exaggerated, but these old Zhu has continued to read and write, and his cultural level has improved quite amazingly. This calligraphy, among the famous masters, is at the upper-middle level.

Considering that Lao Zhu started to read and write, he had already missed the best time, and he relied on hard work to make up for his weakness, so he was really talented.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang had to deal with so many government affairs every day, and he used soldiers to fight wars, and he was also governed by officials with money and food. He took up all his time and took time to study calligraphy, which is really unusual.

Zhang Ximeng readily accepted and prepared to take it back.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yuanzhang actually stopped him, "Sir, don't worry, this is your wedding day, the gift we want to give you still needs to be carefully framed, so it's nothing to just take it back! You just wait for us to fix it for you That's it."

Zhang Ximeng took a peek at Lao Zhu, always feeling that Zhu Yuanzhang had a conspiracy, and on the day of the wedding, he would probably do the whole job!Keep your eyes open.

But Zhang Ximeng had no choice but to agree.

Zhu Yuanzhang then said again: "Sir, we haven't asked you yet, what are you going to do about this marriage? It stands to reason that you still have elders in your clan, and Jiang Tiju also has parents and relatives. For a major marriage, it is natural that relatives on both sides should be present. But right now Are you in Kaifeng again, do you want to take someone over? Or return to Yingtian to hold a wedding?"

Zhang Ximeng said: "My lord, there is no need to bother. I have discussed with Jiang Tiju, and she has already written a letter to her family. It is only necessary for the two elders to agree to bless them. There is no need for the two elders to come in person. The minister is not willing to bother, so just To get married in Kaifeng, I'll send someone over to bring Jiang Tiju over, and then the couple will worship and get married, and just entertain the guests."

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered slightly, but it was simple, but it was also a way.After all, both Zhang Ximeng and Jiang Nan have important responsibilities, and they want to use their marriage to sell national debts to open up the situation for the governance of the Central Plains.

If you have to follow the old etiquette and invite all your relatives over, then if you make a fuss, it will mess up the rhythm.

"Okay then, let's do what you want." Old Zhu said again: "We also checked the almanac. After ten days, it will be an auspicious day. Would you like it, sir?"

"Ten days?"

Zhang Ximeng pondered for a moment, getting married so soon?That's okay too!It's meaningless to delay for a long time, "Then there will be Lord Lao."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed loudly, "don't worry sir, we will definitely give you a simple, grand, festive and lively wedding! Sir, just wait to be your bridegroom official!"

Zhang Ximeng could hear something unusual in Lao Zhu's laughter, and this marriage would definitely be something he would never forget.

But Zhang Ximeng couldn't guess what was unusual about it.

He wanted to find out, let alone other people, even Zhu Ying kept his mouth shut, and would rather be spanked by Zhang Ximeng than confide a word.

Zhang Ximeng had no choice but to secretly inquire about Jiang Nan, wanting to ask if she had any news.

Jiang Nan was immersed in the accounts all day long, collecting all kinds of data, and there were too many things she needed to review, and she was extremely busy.

He replied to Zhang Ximeng with a bunch of ledgers.

I only received a set of Fengguanxia pendants from Yingtian, so I thought it would not be too much trouble, since Prime Minister Zhang is free, he can pay more attention to state affairs.

After Zhang Ximeng glanced at it, he smiled helplessly.

I married a workaholic!

What else can I do?Help her share it!My daughter-in-law hurts herself.

Of course, Zhang Ximeng's ability to work is not something to boast about. He locked himself in his study, sorting out the household registration albums of various places, and the money and grain... Reviewing and approving the construction of reservoirs and ditches, he was extremely busy.

In ten days, it really passed easily.

Zhang Ximeng hid in the small building and became unified. Outside, the world was already turned upside down, and the situation changed.

For a list of bearers, all the generals were almost on the verge of a fight.