Old Zhu seemed to remember something and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "Ying'er, we heard that you sent all the prisoners from Beiping Prefecture to repair roads. And you also conscripted death row inmates and prisoners from the surrounding areas to Beiping Prefecture?"

“Give them a good meal; it’s better than letting them eat rotten food in prison.” Zhu Xiong Ying didn’t hide his thoughts and said, “The Ming Dynasty is still short of manpower. We might as well use those death row inmates. As for those prisoners in distress, we can help them repair roads or do some work. At least it will lessen their sins. As long as they don’t die from exhaustion, that’s fine.”

Old Zhu was silent for a moment, then reminded him, "There are quite a few people in the court talking about this, you'd better be careful."

Old Zhu couldn't help but laugh and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "So you're sending those prisoners to build roads? You captured some prisoners and they're either building roads or digging pits for you to cultivate land?"

“Those pedantic scholars are probably cursing me, saying I’m not promoting the king’s rule.” Zhu Xiong Ying casually reviewed the memorials and said to Old Zhu, “In a couple of days, we’ll go and invite the Duke Yansheng. Your grandson can discuss the classics and doctrines with him.”

The current Duke Yansheng is Kong Ne, the 56th generation Duke Yansheng. He is the second Duke Yansheng of the Ming Dynasty, the first being Kong Xixue, who was enfeoffed in the first year of the Hongwu reign and was also the Duke Yansheng of the Yuan Dynasty.

Old Zhu just smiled and didn't say anything. He wasn't fond of Mencius, nor was he particularly fond of Confucius.

But as an emperor, sometimes one has to learn to compromise, even with a strong personality like Zhu Yuanzhang. When he wanted to remove Mencius from the Confucian Temple, it caused a huge uproar; scholars wouldn't stand for it.

The grandfather and grandson continued reviewing memorials, but Old Zhu, the workaholic, clearly hadn't learned his lesson. His son collapsed from exhaustion, and Old Zhu was naturally heartbroken. However, Old Zhu remained defiant, continuing his highly centralized autocracy.

Wang Chengen instructed the maids and eunuchs to light the candles. Old Zhu was heartbroken, saying, "Just put two here, but light more for the Crown Prince's side to make it brighter."

Zhu Xiong Ying smiled but didn't speak. Old Zhu had always been frugal, and most of the time he felt that enough was enough. Fine clothes and sumptuous food held no appeal for him. Not to mention some dukes and marquises, even ordinary civil and military officials probably lived more luxurious lives than Old Zhu.

"Grandfather, I really don't care about any empty titles," Zhu Xiong Ying said frankly. "Whether you're a wise ruler, a benevolent ruler, or a tyrant, it doesn't matter. Those books are written by Confucian scholars. Those who serve their interests are good emperors, and those who don't are bad emperors. What I care about is that the people live well and the country is strong. That's better than anything else. Besides, the people have their own thoughts, and they can tell."

Old Zhu paused for a moment, then said with a sense of relief, "Don't overestimate the common people. They have no opinions of their own; they all depend on landlords and gentry for their livelihood. Besides, the things you've done won't have an immediate effect. The people can't wait, and they won't wait."

Zhu Xiong Ying naturally understood these things, so he smiled and said, "So I'm thinking that I need to have a long-term plan for the future, such as what goal I want to achieve in ten years and what I should do in five years."

Old Zhu's eyes lit up, and he put down his brush. "Tell me about it. This is a good idea. We need to think long-term. We can't wait until something happens to think about how to solve it. We need to plan ahead."

Five-year plans and ten-year plans are indeed feasible. Zhu Xiong Ying also felt that it was necessary to set some relatively long-term goals and move towards them step by step.

However, Zhu Xiong Ying also knew that this plan couldn't be decided arbitrarily or based on unrealistic ideas. Therefore, even if such a plan were to be formulated, it should be based on the current actual situation, rather than being a reckless act or a fantasy at this time.

Zhu Xiong Ying naturally had no intention of keeping anything from Lao Zhu, and he kept talking to Lao Zhu about the concepts of the five-year plan and the ten-year plan.

In fact, Zhu Rongji certainly had some long-term plans; many of his policies and their implementation were based on long-term planning. It's just that these five-year plans differ somewhat from some of Zhu Rongji's previous practices.

It makes plans for major national construction projects, the distribution of productive forces, and important proportional relationships in the national economy, and sets goals and directions for the long-term development of the national economy...

Old Zhu's plan was not so detailed or thorough, it did not involve any specific areas, or one could say it lacked a comprehensive consideration.

Now, Zhu Yuanzhang is starting to have some ideas. What should the Ming Dynasty be like five years from now?