Well, what Chang Mao said is true. The people of the Ming Dynasty were not that wealthy, and oil and meat were still relatively luxurious. It was normal for many people not to see oil and meat in their daily lives, and being able to sprinkle a few drops of oil was indeed a luxury.

Hearing Chang Mao say this, Zhu Yunying laughed, "That's true, but we still want the people to have enough to eat and wear."

Chang Mao immediately began to flatter him, saying, "Your Majesty cares for the people; that is a blessing for them!"

Zhu Yunying interrupted him directly. Over the years, he had heard too much flattery. "We are the emperor and father, and this is what we should do. In fact, there is plenty of this tree oil in Southeast Asia, so it is not very precious. However, it will inevitably cost some money to transport it to the Ming Dynasty."

This is also a rather helpless situation for Zhu Yunying. The current level of productivity and transportation capacity are limited, so many things can only be thought about.

Zhu Yunying did indeed intend to use palm oil as a supplement to rapeseed oil, and in fact, he did plan to do so. However, this did not mean that the supply of palm oil could be opened up, or that the price of palm oil could be made cheaper so that the people could afford it without any pressure; that was also unrealistic.

At this moment, Chang Mao said, "Your Majesty, I think that many of the garrisons in the south should use tree oil. There are many big-bellied men in the army who can eat a lot. If they have some oil in their stomachs, they can eat two fewer steamed buns."

Upon hearing Chang Mao's words, Zhu Yunying fell silent, realizing that Chang Mao's statement made sense.

Men generally have larger appetites, and there are even some big eaters in the military, which is not surprising. If they don't have enough fat in their stomachs, they can only make up for it by eating more, and they don't stay hungry for long.

However, this matter is not so easy, and ultimately it comes down to issues such as the cost of oil production and transportation. Although some things cannot be judged solely by price, or even if they are costly, they should still be done, it is still necessary to act within one's means.

Zhu Yunying didn't give a definite answer, saying, "What my uncle said makes sense. Let's discuss these matters again later."

Chang Mao didn't say much; he had simply offered his suggestion. Whether the emperor would adopt it was up to the emperor. Moreover, he understood that matters involving the army's finances were no small matter. Such issues would inevitably be discussed in the Five Military Commands and in the imperial court.

Zhu Yunying then said, "Tree sap was also something new at first; many people in our Ming Dynasty had never even heard of it. We don't expect everyone to use it all at once, but Uncle should still prepare some."

Chang Mao said with great confidence, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, over the years our mansion still has some businesses, and many people have given us face. Some restaurants and oil mills are also willing to help us."

There's absolutely no problem with saying that, even though in today's universal values, doing business is considered a very undignified thing. But which of these noble families didn't have some private property?

It's no exaggeration to say that many highly profitable industries are run by powerful and influential people, and ordinary people have no chance to get a share.

Restaurants and oil mills are common and legitimate businesses. Both the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion and the Kaiping Prince's Mansion had such businesses.

As for some members of the imperial clan, they naturally had such businesses, since Zhu Yunying allowed them to engage in commerce. At most, he wouldn't allow some members to amass too much wealth, and he would slightly restrict the businesses of some members.

Chang Mao knew very well that he had enough influence to launch some palm oil without any problem. However, he couldn't afford to disrespect the Duke of Kaiping, because this matter also involved the Prince of Zhongshan's household, and if His Highness the Prince of Wu was displeased, it would be difficult to deal with.

So giving Chang Mao some face would be a win-win situation; otherwise, things will get very difficult!

It seems that Joo Yoon-young doesn't need to worry about some things anymore. Palm oil is indeed a new product, and many people will find it unfamiliar at first. However, promoting it in an unreasonable way can still have some effect.

At this point, there's no point in talking about market rules; in some people's eyes, market rules are no match for imperial power.

Zhu Yunying was quite satisfied with the comparison. Using the simplest and most direct method to help some people quickly understand and accept palm oil was not a bad thing. Consider it a case of overwhelming force with sheer power; it was a good approach.

Moreover, Zhu Yunying understood that many people might not even know that they were consuming palm oil. It was quite normal for them to eat or use it without fully understanding the risks.

With a capable assistant like Chang Mao, Zhu Yunying could rest easy and have much less to worry about.

After a brief discussion about palm oil, Joo Yoon-young had other matters to attend to. Since there were many things he couldn't do directly, he needed Chang Mao to step in. Over the years, Chang Mao had indeed helped Joo Yoon-young with quite a few things.

Looking at Chang Mao, Zhu Yunying asked, "How is the situation in Liaodong?"

Speaking of Liaodong, Chang Mao felt it was a losing proposition. Over the years, the Kaiping Prince's Mansion had invested a considerable amount of resources in Liaodong. Not only the Kaiping Prince's Mansion, but also some members of the Chang faction had invested resources in Liaodong to varying degrees.

The task at hand was naturally to develop Liaodong, something Emperor Yingshi cared about. Even though it was currently proving difficult and unrewarding, he needed to grit his teeth and persevere. After all, many nobles didn't care whether Liaodong would be productive or not; they just wanted to firmly follow His Majesty's lead, which was the most important thing.

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