Looking at the vast ocean and the impressive team, Zhu Yunwen smiled, while Zhao Qingzhu beside him was even more excited.

So Zhu Yunwen said to Ma Sanbao:

"Now that everything is ready, has the date for setting sail been set?"

Ma Sanbao said:

"It's set for the day after tomorrow, so Your Highness should rest well for the next two days. We'll set off early the day after tomorrow to conquer the stars and the sea."

Zhu Yunwen nodded and said:

"Alright, that'll do for today and tomorrow. I'll also take a trip around this coastal area and see how the people here are doing."

Historically, people in coastal areas have generally never had to worry about food and drink.

The saying goes, "Those who live near the mountains eat from the mountains, and those who live near the sea eat from the sea." The things in the mountains may one day be exhausted, but the things in the sea are inexhaustible.

It is also rich in nutrients and contains plenty of salt.

Therefore, people in coastal areas have always lived relatively well. Now, the Ming Dynasty has established various trade relations with overseas countries, which has provided the people in these coastal areas with a very good way to make money.

Therefore, the people in coastal areas live a better life than those in other places.

Zhu Yunwen toured the coastal counties and found that the conditions there were indeed quite good. Because of a port, people from some Western coastal countries would choose to land at these ports when traveling to the Ming Dynasty.

This naturally led to increased expenses in the area.

If these people are leaving, they will buy things in the county town near this port. This is also an opportunity to increase the income of the local people.

As Zhu Yunwen walked, he sighed with emotion, realizing that thanks to his efforts, the people of the Ming Dynasty were finally living better lives.

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, the accompanying local magistrate immediately spoke up:

“Your Highness is right. Nowadays, the people in our county are living in very good conditions. We should all be grateful to Your Highness for this. Without Your Highness, we wouldn’t even dare to dream of such a life.”

Zhu Yunwen smiled and then asked:

"Although conditions are much better now, there are still poor people. It's impossible to completely eliminate poverty. Tell me, how is the poverty alleviation work progressing here?"

Upon hearing Zhu Yunwen's words, the county magistrate hurriedly said:

"Your Highness, there are indeed poor people, but most of them are widowed, orphaned, or childless. Some of them are old and have no children, so they are poor."

Some families have only one breadwinner, putting them under too much pressure, while others have members with disabilities or illnesses.

In short, most families are poor for a reason, and the government will try to help them solve their difficulties and alleviate their poverty.

But there are also some people who have lofty ambitions but fragile fates. In such a great society, they don't think about making efforts, but only want to get ahead in one step.

Such people are often ambitious but lack practical skills, making it difficult for them to escape poverty in a short period of time.

Zhu Yunwen sighed slightly and said:

“That’s true. Then you can take Zhu to some poor places to see. I also want to learn more about the local poverty and how well the poverty alleviation work is being done.”

The magistrate was not afraid at all upon hearing this, after all, he believed he had done his job well. Since he had done his job well, he naturally had nothing to be ashamed of when facing these investigations and the inspection by the Crown Prince.

So he very attentively led Zhu Yunwen and Zhao Qingzhu towards the outskirts of the local county town.

They entered some impoverished villages. The local magistrate was an honest man, and Zhu Yunwen asked him to take him to some of the poorer areas to inspect the poverty alleviation work.

The magistrate did indeed bring Zhu Yunwen to their area, one of the poorest places.

It was a small village in the county seat. Some young people had already left the village, not that they moved away, but that they went to work in other places under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate.

After all, there are more opportunities now. Whether it's fishing at the seaside, helping out businessmen by the sea, or working in local factories, it's all a good choice.

Therefore, those who remain in the village are mostly people who are unable to work, such as elderly people who have no descendants, or whose descendants are unable to earn money for various reasons, so they stay in the village.

In addition, there are also people with physical disabilities or who are under a lot of pressure who are unable to leave the village.

The magistrate pointed to a small, blue-brick house in a small mountain village and said:

"This family is one of the poorer ones in the village, and it's quite pitiful. A few years ago, the old man's son broke his leg while hunting in the mountains, so the old man has to take care of him instead."

Unable to find a wife and without descendants, the family of three could barely make ends meet. This brick house was a resettlement house built for him by the government after officials from our county came to inspect it and unanimously agreed to pay for it.

Zhu Yunwen nodded in satisfaction and looked at the county magistrate, who was truly doing practical things for the people, with an appreciative gaze.

The magistrate then continued his explanation:

"The other family living near the mountain is also in a rather tragic situation. The whole family consists of people with physical disabilities, so they are unable to do any other work."

Nowadays, most of the time, they can only rely on subsidies from the government. The county government also tries its best to arrange other work for them.

So now, we have food to eat, shelter, and clothing, but we're still poor after all.

Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath and said:

"That's true. These people are poor for various reasons, which is unavoidable. The government should provide them with subsidies."

Upon hearing this, the magistrate suddenly gave a bitter laugh:

"There is another family that is so poor that they can hardly afford to eat. There are two strong men, two old people, a woman, and a little girl in the family."

Logically speaking, such a family should not be poor, but because a scholar in the family is obsessed with passing the imperial examinations, they are poor.

Therefore, they didn't work much on weekdays, so out of a family of five or six, only one person earned money to support them. This made them a relatively poor family.

Zhu Yunwen asked:

“In cases like this, appropriate subsidies can also be provided.”

The magistrate shook his head with a wry smile and said:

“Our county government is not an unreasonable place. There is nothing wrong with that young man wanting to study hard and pass the imperial examinations.”

Therefore, he could not become a labor force in the family, but instead became a major consumer in the family.

The government officials saw it as understandable, so they provided his family with some subsidies.

It's a pity, really. This well-read scholar refused the county government's assistance, citing his unwillingness to accept handouts.

He has backbone. It's a pity for the rest of his family; they have to suffer a lot to stand up for him.

Zhu Yunwen smiled:

"Oh? That sounds interesting. Let's go check out his house!"