Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said, "I guess they've all seen that Fourth Uncle and the others have established businesses abroad, and they've got their hands on them. Don't they realize that Japan is so poor and impoverished? Could they even endure it there?"

Xu Miaoqing then said, "I met Gao Chi a few days ago. He said that not only is rice scarce in Japan, but there are also few minerals. Many of the Japanese puppet kings even use wooden armor and shields."

Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh and said, "They're not all made of wooden armor and shields, otherwise the Japanese pirates wouldn't have been so rampant a few years ago. They do have some good swords and knives, but their ordinary soldiers' weaponry is definitely not as good as that of our Ming soldiers."

Xu Miaoqing continued, "These days, Gao Chi has been hosting many banquets, mostly for members of the imperial family to inquire about overseas affairs. Although he has learned of the poverty and hardship of Japan, many of his uncles have also set their sights on it. Furthermore, Goryeo is somewhat better off than Japan."

That's not wrong. In fact, in earlier years, Japanese pirates frequently raided Goryeo.

Yi Seong-gye rose to prominence quickly not only because of his family background but also because of his genuine abilities. In addition to guarding and fighting the Busan Three Guards, Yi Seong-gye also frequently fought against Japanese pirates, which brought peace to the Goryeo coast for a time, and the Japanese pirates dared not run rampant as before.

Goryeo was considered a highly desirable country by many. This wasn't just about the four commanderies of Han or Silla; Goryeo was closer to the Central Plains dynasties, and Confucian culture was indeed more prevalent there, with a much stronger foundation.

The royal family is now quite enthusiastic about Goryeo, naturally because they see the influence of its role models.

Although Japan was exhausted, the fourth and eighth princes had established their own kingdom there. They no longer just princes of the Ming Dynasty.

Despite sharing the same bloodline as the Hongwu Emperor, many members of the imperial clan still possessed a degree of pride and ambition. However, within the Ming Dynasty, they could only serve as law-abiding princes, some even holding titles without real power.

The prospect of establishing a kingdom overseas and living a carefree life as a vassal king is incredibly tempting for many. While wealth and status are attainable within the Ming Dynasty, venturing abroad allows one to build a foundation for their descendants, especially with the support of the Ming Dynasty.

Such a business is profitable. Even if the surrounding foreign states seem poor, a king cannot really suffer much hardship and can still enjoy a life of luxury.

Zhu Yunying chatted with Xu Miaoqing with a smile, and naturally, he went to bed relatively early. The emperors of the Ming Dynasty were required to hold morning court sessions, which meant they all rose very early. Therefore, young Zhu might have had such an idea and thought, and Zhu Yunying was even more inclined to do so.

After all, Little Zhu only needed to attend the morning court occasionally, so he didn't find it too troublesome. But Zhu Yunying was different; he attended the morning court much more often and rarely got to sleep in throughout the year.

If the morning court session could be held a little later, Zhu Yunying would absolutely support and approve of it. Unfortunately, the old Zhu was quite insistent on this, worried that changing the time of the morning court session would cause the emperor to neglect his duties and the officials to follow suit.

The main reason, in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, was that the Ming Dynasty was too vast, and naturally, there were too many things to do. Therefore, he needed to get up early to handle state affairs. Zhu Yuanzhang almost wished he didn't have to sleep; he always felt there wasn't enough time. So, getting up early was the best solution.

We have no choice but to persevere. We should go to bed early and get up early to continue preparing for and handling state affairs. This is how a diligent emperor should behave.

Zhu Yunying remains very busy handling political affairs. It seems he now has even more things to worry about.

The autumn tax is naturally a matter of concern. Leaving aside the pilot programs of merging the poll tax into the land tax, even if it's not merging the poll tax into the land tax, the two-tax system implemented in other places also needs attention, as taxes are extremely important to the Ming Dynasty.

Let alone the Ming Dynasty, even the Song Dynasty, which was known for its thriving commerce, was extremely concerned about grain taxes. An agrarian civilization cannot afford to be indifferent to agricultural taxes; it was a matter that required utmost attention.

Taxation has always been a key focus during this period, and the court must address this issue effectively.

Besides these matters, there's also the fact that Goryeo is preparing for a final offensive before winter. Even if they can't surrender Goryeo's capital, they need to keep it under siege, and thus stabilize the defenses at this time.

All of these are major events, and such important matters of state and military importance cannot be taken lightly. Zhu Yunying needs to pay attention to these matters, and naturally, the officials in the court cannot afford to be negligent in the slightest.

We also need to pay attention to the affairs of the two vassal states, Dongri and Fuyue, especially since the crown princes of both vassal states are currently within the territory of the Ming Dynasty. There are many things that need to be clarified.

Regarding the matter of Zhongshan in Ryukyu, the basic framework has just been established, and the relevant departments naturally need to make preparations. A single imperial edict is clearly insufficient; the Ming Dynasty's navy also needs to be prepared to punish any disobedience at any time.

This wasn't some turbulent time; it was simply a matter of everyday life for the emperor. Throughout the year, there were always various things to handle, and this was assuming no unforeseen events occurred.

Of course, it's also because the emperor holds absolute power, and many things are within his control. Otherwise, he would have to contend with his ministers, and there would be no point in worrying about stability; the emperor would be much more exhausted.

Although the prosperous Ming Dynasty had many things to deal with, Zhu Yunying was still pleased, as many matters were handled quite well.

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