Newlywed, Zhu Xiong Ying was about to leave Yingtian Prefecture and set off for Beiping again.

Zhu Xiong Ying led a group of people to set off ahead of time, while the Crown Prince's wife, Xu Miao Qing, set off with the main group. Also traveling with them was Zhu Xiong Ying's maternal grandmother, Chang Lan Shi, who was also going to 'settle down' in Beiping.

Zhu Xiong Ying's two aunts also went to Beiping with their families at this time, making them among the earliest members of the imperial family to move to Beiping. This also demonstrates Zhu's determination to move the capital, allowing his two princesses to go with him.

Lian Zining and his group also went along at this time. These were a batch of civil officials assigned to Zhu Xiong Ying. Of course, Lian Zining's status was also special. He could be considered Zhu Xiong Ying's father-in-law, and his legitimate daughter was Zhu Xiong Ying's concubine. Although she would not marry Zhu Xiong Ying until the end of the year, her status had already been established.

In fact, quite a few nobles wanted to settle in Beiping, including Feng Cheng. He would become Zhu Yue's son-in-law and Zhu Xiong Ying's brother-in-law. This could be seen as a reward from Zhu for Feng Cheng's father, Feng Guo Yong, or it could be said to have completely tied the Feng family to Zhu Xiong Ying's cause.

Although Feng Guoyong is dead, his younger brother, Duke Feng Sheng of Song, can be considered a leading figure in the Ming military. He is now stationed in Japan, having captured Iwami, and is currently arranging for artisans to begin mining.

The Ming Dynasty has many things to do, especially in the north, where a person with authority is needed to oversee things. This is not only to keep an eye on Goryeo and Japan, but also on the Tatars in the north, and to prevent them from having any opportunity to act rashly.

Having arrived in Beiping weary from his journey, Zhu Xiong Ying met with the civil and military officials left behind at Fulong Palace, and naturally heard their reports. Many matters required Zhu Xiong Ying to make decisions, which was all part of his duties.

"Spring planting must begin in full swing. The oxen seized from the north must be tamed to ensure that the people of our Great Ming have land to cultivate and oxen to use." Zhu Xiong Ying sat in the main seat and said solemnly, "Today, more than half of the land cleared by the military households must be planted with cotton to ensure that our Great Ming can get through the winter this year."

Yan Zhenzhi was somewhat worried at this moment, "Your Highness, if things continue like this, I'm afraid the grain depots won't be able to keep up."

Zhu Xiong Ying wasn't too worried and said with a smile, "Grain can be transported from the Jiangnan region. The past two years have been relatively favorable, so there's no need to worry about food. We should plant grain as needed in the future. Right now, we need to ensure the winter needs of our Ming Dynasty's border troops during these two seasons."

Although the Ming Dynasty now has coal briquettes, offering more options for surviving the winter compared to the past, coal briquettes are merely firewood for heating and cooking. Cotton clothing and cotton cloth, however, are a different matter; they are directly related to people's livelihoods, and Zhu Xiong Ying dared not be careless.

Moreover, both Japan and Korea are extremely cold and harsh, and the winters there are not easy to endure, so the troops stationed there also need sufficient supplies.

Zhu Xiong Ying also needed to make some choices and decisions. The Jiangnan region was naturally a grain-producing area, with a better foundation there. Cotton, however, was to be planted in the north first, because the demand was higher there.

As the crown prince, and a very opinionated one at that, Zhu Xiong Ying often didn't need his subordinates to have too many ideas. What he needed were people to execute his plans well. After all, Zhu Xiong Ying believed he had a longer-term vision and some plans that seemed quite good.

Zhu Xiong Ying began to attend to political affairs. Having been away from Beiping for almost three months, he now had a lot to do. Although many tasks had been handled by the civil and military officials who remained in charge, or sent to Yingtian Prefecture, there was still a backlog of matters that Zhu Xiong Ying needed to deal with.

The construction of the imperial city, the establishment of Beiping as the capital, local government affairs, and the local matters of the several prefectures under Zhu Xiong Ying's jurisdiction—these were all matters that Zhu Xiong Ying needed to handle properly and could not afford to delay.

After glancing at Huang Zicheng, Zhu Xiong Ying asked, "Have the students from the four barbarian lands made any progress?"

Huang Zicheng immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, those students have long admired the culture of the Central Plains and are now studying diligently. Although those students have a weak foundation, our Imperial Academy has no shortage of learned scholars."

That's fine too. Zhu Xiong Ying really doesn't expect those students from the barbarian lands to take the imperial examinations.

Remembering something, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "I recall, those people are from barbarian lands, so it's normal that they don't understand the customs of our Great Ming. Just guide them properly and don't treat them harshly."

The reason I bring this up is that the Ming Dynasty is far from friendly to its students. Corporal punishment is commonplace, and every year in Yingtian Prefecture, some students commit suicide because they can't bear the pressure. This is not a joke; it's a fact.

Huang Zicheng naturally understood this as well. Indeed, there were quite a few students at the Imperial Academy in Yingtian Prefecture who were forced to study.

However, at the Imperial College in Beiping, some students were not treated so strictly. They were not expected to become top scholars or great Confucian masters. They were simply expected to be familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics and to know about Confucian culture.

Looking at Li Jinglong, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "Cousin, remember to reorganize the border troops. You should have worked hard these days. Our Ming cavalry has made some progress in recent years, but it is still slightly inferior to those Tatars."

Li Jinglong immediately accepted the order, full of confidence, "Your subject obeys the decree, and will certainly reorganize the troops and diligently train the cavalry!"

We must train our cavalry properly, and make them even stronger. The remnants of the Northern Yuan are still quite powerful. Even though the living conditions of some Mongol tribes are harsh and their people are in dire straits, it doesn't mean they have lost their threat.

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