Zhu Youxiao couldn't count on his successor to be as wise and powerful as himself, as what if he turned out to be a jerk? At least the imperial recommendation system should be retained, as it would at least be a constraint.
Therefore, based on this thinking, Zhu Youxiao will continue to severely suppress factional disputes and try his best to maintain the system of imperial recommendation. Although the constraints on him are already very small, it will not affect his continued promotion of reform.
While he was drinking tea and thinking, Wang Tigan came in from outside the hall to report that Li Chengcheng came to see him, and he brought Concubine Yu's younger sister with him.
Zhu Youxiao was a little confused, but he still summoned him in, wanting to see how these two people got together and came to the Qianqing Palace.
Li Chengcheng kowtowed as he entered, having realized his mistake even from the outside. Zhang Yu'er had been promoted to Consort Yu and was no longer serving in the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
This made her feel a little anxious, but also envious.
Zhang Yu'er was just a palace maid. She had neither a beautiful face nor high knowledge, but she had such good fortune.
Zhang Wan'er knew nothing else, but she was taught to kowtow before entering the palace. Just like when she was in Changchun Palace, the little girl pecking at rice like a chicken, she kowtowed sincerely.
"Get up!" Zhu Youxiao said calmly, "Li Chengcheng, right? How did you meet Wan'er and bring her to the Qing Palace?"
Li Chengcheng quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't know about Concubine Yu's promotion and thought she was in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. This little sister got lost in the palace..."
Zhu Youxiao understood and waved his hand. Zhang Wan'er walked up to her brother-in-law, the emperor, in confusion and timidity.
"Remember, your sister lives in Changchun Palace." Zhu Youxiao took a handkerchief and wiped the little girl's face with a warm smile. "If you want to see the palace, let the palace maid lead you. Don't run around by yourself."
"Your Majesty, I will remember this: Changchun Palace." Zhang Wan'er blinked her big eyes, nodded vigorously, and smiled, revealing a small gap in her tooth.
Slave? Zhu Youxiao wanted to laugh when he heard the little girl call herself that.
He reached out and touched the small schoolbag Zhang Wan'er was carrying, and told the palace servants to get some candies and snacks to fill it up for the maid. Then he told Wang Tigan, "Have the palace servants take her back. If she takes too long, Concubine Yu will be worried."
"Yes." Wang Tigan agreed, greeted Wan'er with a smile on his face, and led her out of the hall.
Zhu Youxiao withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Chengcheng, who was standing with his head bowed. He said slowly, "I summoned you because I think you have some business skills. The royal business is to supplement the expenses of the palace and provide some benefits to the palace people, but it is not easy to delegate this to outside officials..."
The silver mirror business had been distributed, but Zhu Youxiao retained the capital's share. In addition, he also planned to reorganize Beijing's external weaving and dyeing bureau and build a new factory to manufacture soap.
When you earn money, whether it's used to fund the inner treasury or to do good deeds, you should spend it wisely and generously. If you have the means and the manpower, you can't waste it.
Moreover, it was difficult to get the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds for some expenses. For example, the costs of enrolling orphans, including food, clothing, housing, transportation, and schooling, could only be covered from the internal treasury for the time being.
As for the gold and silver, which were the main annual income of the royal family, more than one million taels, half had been used to quell the rebellion in the southwest, and the other half was estimated to be spent in Liaodong.
Therefore, Zhu Youxiao had to think hard about ways to make money so that he could cover this year's expenses without dipping into his savings.
Li Chengcheng listened carefully and understood the emperor's intention, which was about training palace maids. However, she was not aware that the royal family could be short of money, and she was somewhat surprised.
Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, then said, "I have drawn up some rules. Go to the small table over there and take a good look at them. If you have any questions, write them down and ask me together."
"Yes, I will obey your order." Li Chengcheng bowed and walked slowly to the small table in the corner of the hall. He picked up the documents on the table and started to read them.
Zhu Youxiao saw that Li Chengcheng didn't dare to sit down, so he said in a gentle voice: "I allow you to sit down and watch."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty." Li Chengcheng bowed again and sat down carefully.
Zhu Youxiao reached out and took the notebook on the table. It was written by Xu Guangqi. He opened it and started reading.
Calendar compilation was a priority for successive dynasties, but by the end of the Ming Dynasty, it had clearly fallen behind.
On the one hand, this was due to the rapid development of heliocentric astronomy in Europe at that time, and on the other hand, it was the result of the Ming Dynasty's policy of banning calendar research.
The Datong Calendar implemented in the Ming Dynasty was the successor to the Shoushi Calendar of the Yuan Dynasty. Over time, it became seriously inaccurate.
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