Eighteen-year-old Zhu Xiong Ying was already being pressured to have children, but he was used to it. However, Zhu Xiong Ying also felt quite helpless; it wasn't something he could control, and there was nothing he could do if he couldn't conceive.

Old Zhu wasn't going to mince words. He grabbed Zhu Xiong Ying and demanded, "It's been a year and there's still no news. Tell me yourself, what kind of situation is this? What did you promise us?"

"Grandfather, I can't do anything about it either, there's just no movement," Zhu Xiong Ying said helplessly. "This year, there definitely won't be any problems this year."

While drinking tea, Da Zhu suddenly asked, "Ying'er, what about the concubine?"

Zhu Xiong Ying immediately understood and said, "Your son knows all this. The Crown Prince's wife has never made her drink any medicinal soup. Before she gives birth to a legitimate son, it is impossible for the other concubines to conceive."

Old Zhu and Big Zhu immediately nodded in satisfaction, because they both hoped to establish a rule of primogeniture.

Old Zhu, who had just nodded, suddenly remembered something and said dryly, "Ying'er, it's alright if it's the eldest son of a concubine. Just remember the legitimate son yourself."

“It’s better not to do those things. I think we should wait until the Crown Prince’s wife has an heir,” Zhu Xiong Ying said with a smile, then joked, “Grandfather, this is how it is in ordinary families. Even if it’s a son born out of wedlock, there will be trouble. It’s better to have a legitimate eldest son, as it’s more legitimate and there will be fewer ups and downs.”

Zhu Da nodded in satisfaction and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "That's how it should be. Ordinary people fight over family property, which is just a little land and a house. If our royal family gets into chaos, then the whole country will be in turmoil. It's good that Ying'er knows what's good for her."

Da Zhu looked at Zhu Xiong Ying and said, "New Year's Eve is just around the corner, Ying'er should prepare some New Year's gifts to reward the officials. You can show your favors yourself. Your civil and military officials are quite sensible. They just lack experience. If you are willing, you can transfer one or two back after the New Year. It would be better for them to advance in the court."

Old Zhu clapped his hands excitedly and said, "That's how it should be! Most of Ying'er's civil and military officials are newly appointed officials and nobles. They're fine working in a prefecture or county, but outside the court, they lack vision and become petty!"

Zhu Xiong Ying nodded, there was nothing to object to on this point, "Then let Zhuo Jing and Ru Chang enter the court. I have to keep Yan Zhenzhi, he can't leave for the time being. Chen Xuan is also alright, he can also enter the court. He has been in the provinces for a long time, so he is good at handling affairs, but this person is too short-sighted and too shallow."

After a moment of contemplation, Da Zhu said, "Since your people have been transferred, I'll grant you Zhai Shan. This man is quite capable and has some talent. He started as a tribute student and has served as the Director of the Personnel Selection Department. Now he is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiong Ying said speechlessly, "Father, this is not a good idea. Zhai Shan went to Beiping just to gain experience and enhance his credentials. Doing this makes it seem like your son is training your team."

Da Zhu continued, "Zhang Dan is also a good man. In the early years of Hongwu, he was selected as a scholar of classics and conduct and became a professor in the capital. Later, he served as the Crown Prince's Attendant, Left Councilor of the Court of Judicial Review, Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, and Left Councilor of the Provincial Administration Commission. Before that, Yunnan was in turmoil, and Zhang Dan did a very good job in managing the Yunnan government. Now you can go to Tianjin, and let your uncle go to Beiping."

Zhu Xiong Ying felt that these things were arranged in a very orderly manner and that there was nothing particularly difficult about them.

Although Li Shanchang was ill and unable to manage affairs, Zhu Xiong Ying was somewhat worried about Li Qi's abilities. However, there was no shortage of capable and experienced officials in the court who could smoothly take over, so the civil and military officials in the court could rest assured.

Zhu Xiong Ying asked with a smile, "Grandpa Emperor, how much silver has been deposited into the Japanese treasury this year?"

Old Zhu got excited as soon as the topic came up. "A whole million taels! They said it was a huge silver mine, but it's only gotten bigger and bigger. Now there are more craftsmen and miners, and more and more silver being smelted. We estimate that we'll need to bring back three million taels every year."

Zhu Xiong Ying felt that producing three million taels of silver shouldn't be a problem. If possible, he thought further expanding production was also a viable option, something worth looking forward to.

"The hundreds of thousands of taels of silver that have been deposited in Lingnan are quite a lot of gold and silver treasures from these places." Da Zhu smiled and stroked his mustache, saying to Zhu Xiong Ying, "We should also consider the things Ying'er mentioned. Copper coins are not going to be discarded or no longer used, but we don't need to mint more copper coins."

The Ming Dynasty was short of copper, a fact that many people were aware of. To completely abandon copper coins was simply unrealistic.

However, in the present Ming Dynasty, it is advisable to use silver and paper money as the main currencies, supplemented by copper coins or gold. This would be the main circulating currency of the newly constructed Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, Da Zhu also spoke up, "Father, I have discussed this with Ying'er before. In many cases, people do not accept paper money because it cannot be exchanged for copper coins. Now that our Great Ming's treasury is full, we should allow paper money to be exchanged for silver in the future."

Old Zhu pondered carefully, then said thoughtfully, "We know about this, let's wait a bit longer. This is just the beginning; the national treasury isn't even full of silver yet. We can't loosen the reins right now."

“Grandfather, it’s time to do a tally.” Zhu Xiong Ying said earnestly, “Grandfather knows that it’s good to have silver in hand. But in years of famine, even gold can’t buy enough food. Gold or silver can’t be considered food.”

Old Zhu naturally agreed with Zhu Xiong Ying's statement. Having more silver was certainly a good thing, but even more silver wasn't necessarily the answer to everything; sufficient supplies were the key.

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