The emperor has his own thoughts and ideas, and the civil and military officials also have their own thoughts and ideas.

Yu Xin seems to have gone all in. Don't be fooled by his status as a veteran official of the Ming Dynasty, having served under both the Hongwu and Ying Shi emperors. He's more than just a two-dynasty elder; he's a high-ranking official, one of the six ministers, wielding immense power and influence.

However, he seemed prepared to take a gamble. He knew Emperor Ying Shi's character and that even if the emperor punished him, it wouldn't be too extreme. So, at this moment, he chose to take a gamble, hoping to escape the court unscathed.

He can no longer care about any so-called legacy or preferential treatment; he must retire gracefully at this time.

Zhu Yunying didn't say anything more about Yu Xin's thoughts and ideas; it was best to keep them to yourself. Revealing them now might not be a good thing.

Dressed in casual clothes, Zhu Yunying appeared calmly in Fengtian Hall, seemingly without any particular thoughts.

This magnificent building, with its double-eaved hip roof, three tiers of Han-style steps, nine bays wide and five bays deep, was where the Ming Dynasty emperors held important ceremonies and received the congratulations of their officials.

However, this imperial palace in Yingtian Prefecture could be abandoned at any time and lose its purpose.

After all, the imperial city of Beiping had been under construction for over a decade, and in recent years, officials, members of the imperial family, wealthy merchants, and gentry had been relocated there one after another. The Forbidden City, modeled after the imperial city of Yingtian Prefecture, was even larger in scale.

While it cannot compare to the Han or Tang palaces of history, it is still quite large. Speaking of Zhu Yuanzhang, he really left many rules for future generations, such as the specifications and style of the imperial mausoleum and the scale of the imperial city.

After all, the Forbidden City was built in the style of the Imperial City of Yingtianfu.

After the officials paid their respects, Zhu Yunying sat firmly on the dragon throne. Yu Xin glanced at Zhu Yunying every now and then, believing that with the emperor's wisdom, Ying Shi would surely discover something. Yu Xin was also prepared, prepared for this last appearance in the capital as Minister of Revenue, and prepared for being dismissed from office.

But now, it seems that many things are not going according to his expectations.

Yu Xin, who was initially confident, seemed to be starting to feel uncertain, as some things seemed to be slightly beyond his control.

Zhu Yunying remained silent, continuing to handle state affairs methodically. His main concerns were the summer harvest, the administration of the Ming Dynasty, and the ruler of the Ryukyu Kingdom of Chuzan, Wu Ning.

It seems that Emperor Yingshi doesn't need to worry about other things for the time being, or rather, it seems that Emperor Yingshi doesn't want to care about other things at all; it's enough to just handle some important matters first.

Everything else can wait. Since Zhu Yunying already knows most of Yu Xin's ideas, he certainly won't let things go according to Yu Xin's plan. Zhu Yunying, with his strong desire for control, also won't allow himself to be led by the nose.

Yan Zhenzhi stepped forward at this moment and said to Zhu Yunying, "Your Majesty, the Longjiang Shipyard has more large ships. However, the navy of our dynasty is large, and we need to replace even more ships. In addition, there are merchant fleets traveling to and from the ocean, so we do not have enough ships."

Zhu Yunying looked at Yan Zhenzhi with a serious expression, "I have heard that the Ministry of Works Academy has trained many shipwrights, yet it is still insufficient?"

Yan Zhenzhi quickly seized the opportunity and began to complain, "Your Majesty, although the court has the Longjiang Shipyard, and also shipyards in Suzhou, Songjiang, Zhenjiang, and other places, the court still faces a significant shortage of warships for its navy, and there is a lack of new ships..."

Yu Xin could no longer contain himself and hurriedly said, "Minister Yan, I know that there are still shipyards in Tianjin and Guangzhou. In addition to the craftsmen in the government offices, we have also recruited many shipwrights from the private sector, yet it is still not enough?"

Having mentioned his profession, Yan Zhenzhi naturally had ample authority and confidence to speak on the matter. Many people already knew what Yu Xin was saying, but that didn't stop Yan Zhenzhi from continuing to pour out his grievances; in fact, he could go even further.

Yan Zhenzhi quickly said, "Minister Yu, although the court has many shipyards, ordinary ships can hardly navigate the open ocean, and they are at risk of capsizing in the slightest storm. Only large ships can be safe on the open ocean."

That's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's basically true. It's not a problem to bully people who don't know much about it.

Yan Zhenzhi continued, “In earlier years, the imperial navy consisted mostly of small boats, which could only sail on large rivers and lakes. The imperial navy sailed to the South Seas, and countless boatmen perished on the ocean. In recent years, although the imperial government has built more large ships, large ships still capsize every year.”

Never underestimate the power of nature. Many people who claim to love the sea actually love the sun and sand. But if they were actually on the vast ocean, they would start to feel fear and dread. Faced with towering waves several meters high, even the largest ship would look like a leaf on the vast sea.

Yan Zhenzhi continued to complain, “Every year, the fleet travels back and forth to Japan to transport silver, and large ships are also needed for supplies such as grain and fodder from Busan and Sanwei. The Nanyang fleet still needs many large ships to transport grain and spices back. Although the imperial court has thousands of ships, it is still not enough.”

Thousands of ships—and these were actually the ships of the Ming Dynasty navy, not including the fleets of some members of the imperial family and nobles.

Zhu Yunying couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Minister Yan is exaggerating. When my grandfather was conquering Chen Youliang, he captured countless large ships. The former Marquis of Zhulu, Zhu Shou, and the former Duke of En, Zhang He, served under me and were able to open up sea routes with small boats to transport grain to Liaodong and other places."

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