Thanks to bookworm @_@, Xixiazi, book friends, Yiliwo QD, book friends, Laodaohe, Lin Feng Chris, Lin Dengwan Jiangjun, book friends and other book friends for their rewards and support.

………………………………Dividing line………………………………

The capital, the Forbidden City, and the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

"No need to be polite, please take a seat." Zhu Youxiao put away his wandering thoughts and a warm smile appeared on his face again.

The one kneeling and paying homage was Prince Fu's son Zhu Yousong, Zhu Youxiao's cousin, who had come from Luoyang to bring back his grandmother on behalf of his father.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great grace." After expressing his gratitude, Zhu Yousong stood up and sat down respectfully on the embroidered cushion brought by the palace maid.

He was licentious, immoral, incompetent, and even had the stigma of being called the Toad Emperor. I wonder if this is true, or if it is just a slander by the "gentlemen" of the Donglin and Fushe societies?

Zhu Youxiao once again looked at the "little toad," suppressed all his suspicions, and said softly, "How is the emperor's uncle?"

Zhu Yousong hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My father is in very good health."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "You should move around more when you have nothing to do. Don't stay in the house all the time. It's not good for your health."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will tell my father."

Zhu Youxiao continued, "The Regulations for Imperial Clan and Vassal States have been revised, and a royal academy will be established in the capital. Any royal son or daughter who wishes to achieve something and earn their own living can enroll in a royal academy and learn a skill. Does your younger brother share this ambition?"

Zhu Yousong blinked his eyes and said with a folded hand, "I, your humble servant, also have the heart to serve the country. When I bring my grandmother back, I will ask my father for permission to come to the clan school."

Perfunctory! Zhu Youxiao narrowed his eyes imperceptibly, smiled and said, "That's very good. How can the descendants of the Zhu family sit back and eat the people's blood and sweat for the rest of their lives, without any desire for progress?"

After chatting for a few more sentences, Zhu Youxiao lost interest in continuing to talk to Zhu Yousong, so he ordered Zhu Yousong to leave. He also ordered the palace servants to inform Concubine Zheng that she could get ready to leave the palace.

Zhu Yousong couldn't come to the capital in vain, so he donated 100,000 silver coins to the court to build the Hall of Famous Ministers and the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs. Although Zhu Youxiao accepted the donation, he did not change his original plan.

Zhu Youxiao already had a plan to gradually resolve the parasitic class of the royal family and vassal states, and he did not feel much resentment or shame.

Who made him just have the body of "Zhu" but the soul of "Ye"?

Of course, it is not so simple and easy to teach a group of "pigs" to be self-reliant. Who would be willing to put in the hard work if they can just wait for food to come?

After sending the little toad away, Zhu Youxiao ordered the palace servants to announce the imperial decree of commendation to the great calligrapher Dong Qichang who had returned from his diplomatic mission to Japan.

There are many negative comments about Dong Qichang's character in later generations. One is that he is greedy, and the other is that he is called a bully who runs rampant in the village because of the incident in which the people copied Dong's official position.

But Zhu Youxiao's thinking was different from others, and his views were also different.

Let’s first talk about the incident of the people raiding Dong Huan. It is probably true that Dong Qichang had a son who betrayed his father and who also forced a commoner girl to marry him.

But in the end, the so-called villagers set fire to hundreds of houses and pavilions in Dong's mansion, forcing Dong Qichang to flee in panic to Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Danyang and other places, but they still showed the behavior of a bully.

Think about where the trouble happened, Songjiang Prefecture. Wasn't that exactly where those gentry and scholars were running rampant? Not only were they inciting trouble without regard for the law, they were also writing books and articles about you, perpetuating your infamy!

Besides, Dong Qichang was greedy, so Zhu Youxiao didn't take it seriously. He didn't take bribes, and he made a lot of money with his calligraphy and painting, which was his own ability.

Oh, what other masters of calligraphy and painting regard money as dirt, and never bow to wealth and power, and give calligraphy and painting when asked for, is that called noble character?

But if Dong Qichang didn't start writing unless he received money or generous gifts, would he be considered a greedy and despicable person with bad character?

Who doesn't like money? A gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way.

The boss made his money based on his real ability, so there's nothing wrong with that! Does giving it away for free just because you ask for it mean you're a good person or a gentleman?

As a lecturer of Zhu Youxiao's father, Emperor Guangzong, Lao Dong was made homeless and had to take charge of the Imperial College in the capital, where he was ordered to compile the "Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong".

Zhu Youxiao sent Dong Qichang as an envoy because he was optimistic about his calligraphy and painting. What about Korea and Japan? They all paid homage to the most amazing calligraphy and painting masters of the Celestial Empire.

Facts proved that Zhu Youxiao's choice was quite correct.

The courtesy Master Dong received in Korea and Japan was extremely grand, and the money he received was also extremely large.

Especially in Japan, all the generals and daimyo came rushing to give gifts, just to ask Master Dong to write a calligraphy or painting as a family heirloom.

Of course, Master Dong, despite receiving a mountain of money, didn't forget to send it to the palace first. According to him, whether it was a 30/70 split, a 40/60 split, or even all of it, was up to the Emperor.

Seeing that Master Dong was quite sensible, Zhu Youxiao didn't hesitate to divide the property in half. He also gave Master Dong the title of Minister of Rites and made him the director of the Chancellery.

At the same time, Zhu Youxiao also gave up the idea of ​​locking Old Dong in the room and making a lot of money by writing and painting every day.

The recent income is really gratifying, which makes Zhu Youxiao very happy.

When Li Dan and Yan Siqi came to the court, how could they come with nothing? It would be embarrassing if they took less.

Taking advantage of the residual momentum of suppressing the Wenxiang Sect, he overthrew more than a dozen big gentry in Songjiang and Suzhou prefectures, and confiscated more than 3 million in silver, not counting the land and houses.

Add to that Master Dong’s contribution, as well as the gifts from North Korea and Japan, and the money we made was – great!

The key point was that all this money could be deposited into the inner treasury, becoming his private money. Although the inner treasury had been spent a bit hastily in the past few months, by carefully collecting and shaving it, it hadn't decreased much.

The Ministry of Revenue also saw improvement, and no longer needed to constantly ask Zhu Youxiao for money. This was because the reforms of the new Minister of Revenue, Li Qiyuan, were beginning to bear fruit, with Zhu Youxiao's strong support.

Of course, while seeing the results, Li Qiyuan also offended the interest groups that were parasitic on the body of the Ming Dynasty and sucking blood.

The items that caused the most opposition and criticism were "investigating the empty granaries and school fields in the Inspectorate's Office", "not allowing preferential treatment for Confucian scholars and other officials", "inspecting the tea law", and "inspecting tax deeds".

Faced with the abuse and attacks against Li Qiyuan, the young emperor endorsed him without hesitation, appointed Li Qiyuan as the Prince's Guardian, ordered local officials to implement the orders, and used the court gazette and "Daming Forum" to launch a public opinion counterattack.

The young emperor's confidence is growing, and his temper is getting worse and worse. This is not without reason, but because his control over military power is becoming more and more solid, and his strength is growing stronger and stronger.

Because the Four Guard Battalions and the Warrior Battalion have completed their training and have taken over the entire garrison of the capital. Moreover, they will continue to expand until they replace the Beijing Battalion.

This is the army that Zhu Youxiao can trust. Its combat effectiveness is better than that of the Beijing army. It has sufficient food and wages, and the best equipment.