The Ming Dynasty started with caution

It's early in the morning, just after Yin hour.

Emperor Hongzhi read through the memorials and began the long daily work of criticizing red works.

After a while, he said dissatisfiedly: "The memorial notes in October are now almost past December before they are sent to the palace."

Xiao Jing glanced secretly. It was Pandan, the master of initiation at Daci'en Temple, who died, and his disciples begged the court for burial.

He said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Dahongshan Mountain, where the Daci'en Temple is located, is far away from the capital.

It's so late now that the roads are blocked by heavy snow. "

Emperor Hongzhi hummed softly and murmured: "How much extravagance does it cost to prepare sacrifices for a grand burial? This case is not allowed."

He couldn't help but think of the time when the late emperor appointed many national masters in order to refine elixirs.

Although Li Mu Province on the edge of the capital was distributed to the frontier.

But in the Jiangnan area, there were still many monks and Taoists who were conferred by the imperial court.

Funerals were all arranged by the court, which did not cost much money, but they were all provided by the people.

Speaking of silver, he thought of the price of silk.

"Should the price of Jiangnan silk have increased?"

Xiao Jing did not dare to answer rashly: "I don't know, your majesty, you are about to go to court..."

Emperor Hongzhi got up and stretched his muscles before heading to Dongnuan Pavilion.

While Yan Chengjin was waiting outside Zuoye Gate, he heard officials discussing the price of silk.

Han Wen was overjoyed. He stood in the cold wind with a smile and talked about the price of silk. Everyone around him heard it.

The Zhang brothers had a sad face. The price of silk had increased, but they sold all the raw silk.

We have to wait until next year's spring silkworms spin silk before we have silk thread to weave.

I heard last night that the price of silk in Jiangnan has increased.

The brothers climbed to the tree by the lake again and jumped into the lake all night, but they did not die.

"Brother, let's go find Yan Chengjin and buy raw silk?"

"If you don't go, you will be in bad luck every time you meet that guy!" Zhang Heling gritted his teeth and growled like a dog.

He couldn't hear the words 'Yan Chengjin'.

Once you hear it, you will have an attack.

Zhang Yanling counted his fingers and said in a low voice, aggrieved, "Brother, we sold 20,000 pieces of raw silk and lost 100,000 taels... we can't survive."

Zhang Heling waved his hand and slapped him in the face, and with a snap, Zhang Yanling was stunned.

No one paid attention to the two brothers, and all the officials consciously kept their distance.

The little eunuch came and announced that he was going to court.

After all the officials entered the palace, Emperor Hongzhi asked, "How is the price of silk at Han Qing's house?"

"Your Majesty, the price of silk has risen to four taels of silver." Han Wen said.

Emperor Hongzhi showed a smile on his face and said: "What Yan Qing's family said is true. After Wang Shouren wiped out the Japanese pirates in the southeast, the price of silk increased."

Zhou Yu and others had their own concerns, and they all knew what was going on.

There must be another merchant ship going to sea.

At this moment, Qin Hong said: "Your Majesty, according to the report from the Zhenhai Guards of Songjiang Prefecture, Japanese pirates have appeared again in the south of the Yangtze River."

Seeing that Emperor Hongzhi was obviously frozen for a moment, he continued: "Your Majesty, don't worry, we are not disturbing the people."

It's good that it hasn't disturbed the people yet, maybe it's just passing by the sea.

The guard post of Songjiang Prefecture had been reorganized by Wang Shouren, so Emperor Hongzhi was relieved.

At this time, a person walked out to the center of the hall. Li Dongyang turned his head and noticed that there was a figure next to him.

If there is nothing important to report, the minister will not come out of the procession.

This is not surprising, after all, there are always a few ministers coming out of the procession every day when they go to court.

The more you walk, the more you get used to it.

But the one who walked out today was Yan Chengjin.

When Emperor Hongzhi saw him, his face became obviously energetic.

Yan Chengjin bowed slightly, saluted in the direction of the throne, and said: "Your Majesty, I think the price of silk can increase five times."

In the main hall, it could be described as dead silence.

The most terrifying thing is that when the hall becomes silent, you happen to fart without any sound cover.

Liu Jian's old face turned red: "Old minister, I have lost my composure."

The ministers use silk in their homes, and their understanding of the price of silk is like that of firewood, rice, oil and salt.

The silk was so expensive that it only cost six taels of silver.

Five times is twenty taels!

The thoughts of the ministers quickly returned to Yan Chengjin's words.

"Silk made with skill is not worth so much silver." Han Wen said.

Skilled silk is the cooked silk produced after the raw silk is cooked and degummed.

After it is dried, use a large smooth clam shell to scrape it all over until it shines.

Every ten kilograms of raw silk will become about seven kilograms after being cooked skillfully.

Therefore, it is more expensive than ordinary silk.

Zhang Heling angrily scolded: "Don't interrupt. Let Yan Chengjin finish. We two brothers want to hear it."

Zhang Yanling nodded happily, raised his ears, and waited for Yan Chengjin to continue.

Li Dongyang was vaguely curious, and this person would not make a blind move.

If you say five times, it must be more than five times.

Emperor Hongzhi said with unclear meaning: "Let's talk about Yan Qing's family."

"By opening the gateway of the Overland Silk Road and allowing merchants to go out of the Ming Dynasty and trade with countries in the Western Regions, the price of silk will definitely rise. I estimate it will be more than five times." Yan Chengjin said.

Ma Wensheng's face froze and he exclaimed: "If this happens, wouldn't it mean that the sea ban has been opened!"

During the Hongwu period, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the implementation of a maritime ban in order to prevent pirates from intruding.

When Zheng He went to the Western Seas, although he took his fleet to the Western countries, he was still not allowed to trade privately.

The sea ban is not only on the seaside, but also on land.

To be cautious, Yan Chengjin decided to open the Silk Road first.

Most of the ministers in the court came from the Jiangnan area. Although they secretly violated the maritime ban, they had no interest in the northwest.

The journey from Jiangnan to the northwest is long and it is very easy to encounter bandits.

And the cost of hiring carriages is very high.

The tea-horse trade in the northwest began in the Tang Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, was interrupted in the Yuan Dynasty, and began to decline in the Ming Dynasty.

Fewer and fewer people are going west to do business.

Yan Chengjin analyzed these and dared to speak frankly: "There are still many differences, and this will greatly benefit the commercial taxes in the northwest.

May I ask Lord Han, how much autumn grain has been collected in the prefectures in the northwest?"

Han Wen said: "The northwest is desolate, and the total is naturally less than the number of one prefecture in Jiangnan."

Yan Chengjin said: "If merchants start to transport goods to the northwest, they will have to pay taxes when passing through the Chaoguan.

In addition to silk, Liangxiang has many new and exotic goods that can be transported to the Western Regions.

If the Western Regions countries trade with each other again, the northwest of the Ming Dynasty will gradually prosper."

Only when the court is rich can the people become rich.

The ministers were talking loudly, after all, it involved the maritime ban.

The censors all knew the temper of this boy, and now it seemed that the maritime ban in the northwest would be lifted.

Maybe one day, the maritime ban in the southeast would also be lifted.

This opening cannot be opened.

First, several censors in the Hanyuan knelt down, and then the doctors and chief clerks of the six ministries knelt down one after another.

"Opening the sea is against the ancestral system, please think twice, Your Majesty!"

"Yan Chengjin is a young man who has just started his career. What does he know? At the beginning, the Ming Dynasty could not bear the invasion of bandits, so it closed the road of economic and trade.

Now opening it again, isn't it putting the cart before the horse?"

The Zhang brothers also knelt in the crowd and participated in the court discussion rarely.

Some old actors even sobbed slightly.

Liu Jian nodded and said, "I think that if the Silk Road cannot be opened and the countries in the Western Regions are constantly at war, how can we trade?"