The next day, in the Jinyiwei prison.
Xia Yuanji seemed a little confused. He really didn't understand what was going on.
He just went to the Ministry of War next door and asked for information related to yesterday's documents.
After waiting for less than half an hour, he was taken directly to the prison by people from the Jinyiwei Yamen not far away.
The Jinyiwei Prison is a common name for ordinary people, and there is also a more elegant name: the Imperial Prison.
The Imperial Prison is different from the Grand Prison. Although they are both prisons, ordinary criminals are not qualified to enter the Imperial Prison. They can only come in if they are involved in royal events or if the emperor gives the order.
To put it another way, those who can enter the Jinyiwei Prison are not ordinary people.
At this moment, the Jinyiwei came to deliver breakfast. Xia Yuanji hurried to the front of the cell and shouted, "What have I done wrong? How can you Jinyiwei arrest me without permission?"
Xia Yuanji's tone was extremely aggrieved. After he arrived at the cell, he thought about it for a long time and immediately realized that it must be related to the matter of the blank document. It must be the person behind the scenes who took action.
Anyone who dares to use blank documents nowadays must be an extremely powerful person, and he will use some means to imprison himself as soon as he gets the news.
"What a noise, this is your home. I don't care how you got in, but since you're here, you better behave yourself, or I'll have to take care of you."
The jailer scolded and then handed over a few buns. It was none of his business whether he ate them or not.
"My dear, I am the head of the Ministry of Revenue of the Sichuan Provincial Administration. Can you help me pass a message to the Ministry of Revenue?" Xia Yuanji said hurriedly.
The Jinyiwei jailer sneered and said, "Don't mention that you are a director of the Ministry of Revenue of the Provincial Administration Department. In this imperial prison, even many ministers and assistant ministers have been imprisoned. I advise you to stay here peacefully."
"Besides, how could you not know what you have done wrong? Just stay here honestly, and when it comes time for interrogation, tell everything you know. Perhaps you can suffer less punishment." The Jinyiwei jailer in the imperial prison prepared to leave after delivering breakfast.
"I request to see His Majesty." Xia Yuanji said in a deep voice. He believed that as long as he told His Majesty everything, the truth would be revealed and he would be cleared of all charges.
He never thought that he would be sent to the Jinyiwei prison.
Xia Yuanji, who lost his father at an early age, was a diligent and conscientious person who never overstepped the line. During the Hongwu period, although he was appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang, he had not yet truly become independent.
Xia Yuanji is not well-known now, but in history, after the Jingnan Campaign, he was the first Minister of Finance of the Ming Dynasty under Zhu Di, and was a truly capable minister.
Zhu Di was later able to lead his troops to various places in person, but this was inseparable from Xia Yuanji's overall planning and dispatch. Even in the end, it was Xia Yuanji who persuaded Zhu Di to give up the idea of continuing the war.
The History of Ming Dynasty praised Xia Yuanji as "a man of great responsibility" and "a great minister of the clan", saying that his life was "an example for others". It also praised Xia Yuanji with the words in the Book of Documents, which said "seek wise men to assist your successors".
Yao Guangxiao commented on Xia Yuanji: "He is the legacy of ancient people."
To put it in more common terms, Xia Yuanji had the same talents as Heshen of the Qing Dynasty, but his character was far superior to Heshen's.
But it is obvious that in this imperial prison, everyone who comes in protests their injustice, and everyone asks to see His Majesty.
Too lazy to pay attention, the jailer just left.
…
"Is this the sweet potato that my eldest grandson mentioned?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked, picking up an oval potato covered in dirt.
In the courtyard by the Qinhuai River, several carts of grain had already arrived.
"Grandpa, what you are holding is called potato. Sweet potato is this kind, slightly red." Zhu Ying explained without laughing at the old man for not understanding.
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care about the dirt on it at all, and even wiped it with his sleeve. It looked like he wanted to take a bite to try the flavor.
"No, grandpa, potatoes can't be eaten raw. It's easy to cause poisoning, but sweet potatoes are okay." Upon seeing this, Zhu Ying hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.
After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang put down the potatoes in his hand.
At Zhu Ying's signal, Liu Sheng next to him took out a knife, quickly peeled a sweet potato, then knelt on the ground, held the sweet potato in his hands with silk, and respectfully handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.
His raised hands were unusually firm, but his body was shaking constantly.
"I'm not a tiger, so why are you afraid of me? I won't eat you." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and joked.
"Your Majesty, I am nervous. I am shocked by your sacred appearance and am so excited that I cannot control myself." Liu Sheng replied quickly.
"What's there to be excited about? Our eldest grandson has been with you for so many years." Zhu Yuanzhang replied with a smile, then picked up the peeled sweet potato and asked Liu Sheng to stand up.
After Liu Sheng kowtowed again to express his gratitude, he stood up and slightly slightly, standing respectfully. Even so, his legs were still a little weak.
He had never thought that he would see the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty with his own eyes. This was completely different from the kings of those small countries in the Western Regions. He was a real emperor and the ruler of the entire boundless territory of the Ming Dynasty.
What shocked him even more was that his teacher was actually the eldest grandson of the Ming Emperor. Excited, thrilled, nervous, and all other words were unable to describe Liu Sheng's feelings at the moment.
Naturally, the one who shared the same mood as him was Li Xiucai who was standing next to him.
There was nothing but ecstasy in Li Xiucai's eyes. He guessed right. It turned out that the boss could really cover the sky with one hand in the Ming Dynasty.
No, it's not that he can cover the sky with one hand, but that the Dong family is the sky of this Ming Dynasty.
Li Xiucai, who understood the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, could easily think that after the death of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it was very likely that the Dong family would be the successor to the Ming Dynasty.
"This sweet potato tastes sweet, it's quite good." Zhu Yuanzhang finished a sweet potato in a few bites and then said with a smile.
"For dinner tonight, I will prepare a feast of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn for grandpa," Zhu Ying replied.
Zhu Yuanzhang was very interested when he heard this. When he was about to agree, his peripheral vision happened to sweep over these grains. He paused for a moment and said, "Forget it. We'll just eat them for the freshness. It's better to plant these grains as soon as possible."
"If we plant crops earlier, we can distribute them earlier. For the two of us, this grain is a chance to survive, but for the people, it is a chance to survive."
Zhu Yuanzhang said with some regret that he was not an emperor who was greedy for pleasure.
Zhu Ying nodded when he heard this and said to the old man, "Grandpa, all of my subordinates know how to grow crops. Let's find a place to grow crops first. After a few months, we can distribute the seeds on a large scale."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction. It was no exaggeration to call these crops in front of him the treasures of the entire Ming Dynasty. Countless people would live because of them in the future.
He was not in a hurry to tell his eldest grandson that it would be done in his name. There were not many grain seeds now, and after planting one season, his grandson would become famous all over the world.
In Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, he had even thought of how to spread his eldest grandson's reputation.
These high-yield crops have arrived, and Zhu Ying has gradually figured out the old man's character over the past few days.
Or perhaps the most important thing is the old man's attitude towards himself.
After dinner, Zhu Ying began to discuss the establishment of many schools in the study.
The first batch of schools to be opened was the Agricultural School.
It is called a school, but in fact it is equivalent to the concept of a research institute in later generations. It is a real government office of the Ming Dynasty and also has official ranks.
If Ming Dynasty wants to become truly prosperous, food is absolutely a crucial issue.
Although potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn can alleviate the phenomenon of starvation to a certain extent, other crops such as wheat, corn, and rice cannot be abandoned.
The key to these crops is fertilizer. Although fertilizer cannot be developed all at once, we have to start researching it eventually.
The second is the School of Craftsmen, which is used for the planning and construction of the Ming Dynasty, and the School of Engineering, which is used for the design and use of tools of the Ming Dynasty.
There is also a separate firearms school.
This is the true meaning that the Ming Dynasty turned the research on firearms into a complete discipline. The subsequent development of the matchlock gun was one aspect, and more of the same research included cannons.
Cannons and gunpowder are also indispensable. Zhu Ying clearly understands that a single matchlock gun is not an invincible weapon. For example, sieges and water stations naturally require cannons.
There is no great need for a medical school. It would be better to directly restructure the Imperial Medical Bureau.
In the Imperial College, we can also add more teachers and categories of these related subjects.
Only in this way can we truly enhance the overall national strength of the entire Ming Dynasty from multiple aspects, rather than just studying firearms and only thinking about expanding territory.
"I am very pleased with your thoughts. I can see that although you, my great grandson, are also thinking about conquering the territory like me, you have not relaxed on domestic affairs."
"We have agreed to everything you said. When the time comes, you can contact the Ministry of Revenue to see if there is anything they need. You can do it anywhere." Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes. He was a little full, so he took a sip of tea after he finished speaking.
"I have already made up my mind about these things. Only regarding the Agricultural School, I would like to borrow one person from grandpa." Zhu Ying replied.
"Oh, who does the eldest grandson want?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked curiously. It was obvious that the eldest grandson would have summoned ordinary people directly, but the fact that he could specifically say it meant that there were other connections.
"Grandpa, it's my fifth uncle." Zhu Ying replied directly.
King Zhu Su of Zhou was a vassal king and could not stay there casually. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's previous arrangements, the vassal kings all had their own vassal tasks and could not leave at will.
All matters concerning the vassal kings must be approved by the emperor, so Zhu Yingcai said this specifically.
Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised to hear about the fifth son Zhu Su. Although the fifth son was not doing his job properly, his medical skills were indeed good. When Zhu Yuanzhang had him under house arrest, the fifth son had been concentrating on writing books.
This is completely different from the second brother Zhu Chong, who has a more calm temperament.
Zhu Yuanzhang had once been suspicious about the matter between Lao Wu and Feng Sheng, but now it seems that there is not much of a problem.
The main reason is that now that the eldest grandson has returned, there have been changes. The military generals who once made contributions have new roles, so Zhu Yuanzhang is now much less concerned about the military generals.
"Since the eldest grandson thinks that the fifth son is good, let's tell him and ask him to start the agricultural school with the eldest grandson first. As for the fiefdom."
"Humph, his mind is all on medical books. It doesn't make much difference whether he is in the fiefdom or not. Let Youdun Suner handle it."
Zhu Yuanzhang made the final decision immediately. Even if the fifth son returned to his fiefdom and continued to take care of those flowers and plants, it would be better to do something serious with the eldest grandson. If he could really achieve something, it would be considered good.
Zhu Yuanzhang was very worried about these sons, after all, they were his own flesh and blood.
Being a vassal king but liking to be a doctor was considered by Zhu Yuanzhang as a waste of time.
With the old man's approval, Zhu Ying began to plan.
…
The next morning, Zhu Ying arranged to plant these crops near the military camp.
Zhu Ying's original intention was to let the old man arrange for the Ministry of Revenue to take over, but the old man disagreed, saying that the people in the Ministry of Revenue were inexperienced and that it would be more reliable to have people from his eldest grandson's own team to avoid mistakes.
Zhu Ying didn't think much about it, and went straight to Zhu Su's palace after finishing the job.
"Scholar, I am not dreaming, my teacher is really the eldest grandson of the Emperor." Even after waking up from a nap in the yard, he watched his teacher leave surrounded by many Jinyiwei and imperial guards.
Liu Sheng said in disbelief.
Such a change is really jaw-dropping.
Liu Sheng, who was familiar with the business of the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce under his teacher, knew very well that most of the businesses his teacher was engaged in were banned by the Ming Dynasty.
There are endless ways to smuggle various types of smuggling, especially the smuggling of snowflake salt.
At this moment Liu Sheng suddenly remembered that it seemed that many officials in the Ming Dynasty had accepted tributes from their teacher.
Thinking of this, Liu Sheng couldn't help but smile strangely.
"What are you thinking about? You're laughing so creepily." Li Xiucai wanted to say something, but he saw Liu Sheng's eyes were in a daze, and then he started to laugh with a crooked mouth.
Liu Sheng came back to his senses and said, "What do you think will happen to the border officials and the salt officials who are on good terms with the teacher? These people have collected a lot of things from us every year, and they are all very rich."
Li Xiucai said, "Old Liu, let's not talk about anything else. You should be more careful about what you say in the future. This is the Ming Dynasty, not those barbaric places in the Western Regions. You can't just call me teacher casually. You have to call me Your Highness."
Li Xiucai's tone was a little sour. Liu Sheng, this old guy, is already in his sixties or seventies, but he still calls him teacher all the time.
It didn’t matter in the past, but what is the Dong family’s current status? He is the eldest grandson of the Ming Dynasty and the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
By this calculation, Liu Sheng and other former disciples of the Dong family would become disciples of the emperor.
How could Li Xiucai, who had studied hard for many years, understand this?
After giving a warning, Li Xiucai replied with some disdain: "Given the boss's temperament, I'm afraid these people will not have a good ending. Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty hates corrupt officials the most. I don't know how many officials have fallen because of this corruption."
"Those who have received money from their employers may not even be able to pay back the principal and interest."
Hearing this, Liu Sheng sneered.
Thinking of how arrogant those officials were when he asked them to do things for him before, Liu Sheng suddenly felt extremely comfortable.
…
Zhou Wangfu,
Zhu Su was still studying medical books, with a pen in his hand, taking notes at any time.
Even when Zhu Ying walked to the desk, he didn't notice anything.
"It turns out that not everyone can reach such a high level."
Upon seeing this, Zhu Ying was quite impressed. Zhu Su's achievements were world-famous and very high.
Without disturbing anyone, Zhu Ying just sat in front of Zhu Su, waiting quietly for the servant to bring her tea.
It's not about being respectful to the wise, but Zhu Ying thinks that there is no need to disturb someone who has reached such a high level of scholarship.
School matters cannot be resolved in a short period of time.
After more than half an hour, perhaps because his neck was a little uncomfortable, Zhu Su looked up.
"Nephew, why are you here? When did you come?" Zhu Su looked up and saw Zhu Ying sitting opposite him. He was completely stunned.
"I haven't been here for long. I saw my fifth uncle was studying, so I didn't disturb him." Zhu Ying replied with a smile.
"This is really, ah... It's my fault. I kept you waiting for a long time." Zhu Su said embarrassedly.
To Zhu Ying, the current Zhu Su is somewhat like an old otaku, but as a vassal king, he also has a certain bearing, but his love for him is very deep.
"There's no need to be so particular about these things between you and me, uncle and nephew. If we're too polite, we'll lose the feeling of being a family." Zhu Ying replied with a smile in a gentle tone.
Hearing the family say this, Zhu Su seemed somewhat moved.
His father, or his other brothers, hardly ever told him these things.
"By the way, I came here this time because I have something important that I would like to ask your fifth uncle for help with." Zhu Ying said directly without beating around the bush.
"Your Majesty, please feel free to speak your mind. I will do anything I can do without hesitation." Zhu Su said confidently, the touching feeling just now still lingering in his heart.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying told Zhu Su about the establishment of the Agricultural School and even went into detail about the methods of rice cultivation.
For example, pest control, fertilizers, etc.
Zhu Su's eyes lit up after hearing these words.
Zhu Su likes plants, all plants, including rice and even many wild vegetables. Zhu Su conducts experiments himself to determine which plants are edible and which are not.
The words here may be a little cruel, and later records about Zhu Su also show that he was known for his brutality.
Different from Shennong who tasted hundreds of herbs, Zhu Su let others do the experiments on his behalf, usually prisoners, and sometimes servants, and then observed the situation.
After all, Zhu Su was a vassal king. There was no shortage of people in his vassal state of Kaifeng and the former palace of the Song Dynasty. If he gave them some money and food, many people would come voluntarily.
"But I'm afraid I can't stay in the capital for long. At the latest, after my elder brother is buried, I must return to my fiefdom."
Zhu Su was very interested, as this was very much in line with his interests. Moreover, he learned from Zhu Ying that this school would gather a large number of people who shared the same interests as him.
He is not a doctor, and he has told others this many times, but many people simply do not understand the difference.
He felt a sense of recognition from Zhu Ying's words.
This damn sense of identity made Zhu Su feel like abandoning his status as a vassal king and following Zhu Ying to build the Agricultural Hall.
After all, Zhu Ying had won the honorary title of gold medal lecturer in his previous life, and he had done a lot of research on the rhythm of conversation, especially the words to arouse other people's interest.
Not to mention Zhu Su, or almost everyone in the Ming Dynasty today, are limited by their vision and are far from being comparable to Zhu Ying in terms of knowledge.
In the blueprint described by Zhu Ying, Zhu Su will lead tens of thousands of students and colleagues to research high-yield rice and even insecticides and fertilizers that can make the land extremely fertile.
Aren’t these Zhu Su’s current ambitions? It can even be said that these of General Zhu Ying are even more advanced than Zhu Su’s ambitions, and are a realm that Zhu Su himself has never thought of.
"Uncle Wu, don't worry. I've already told Grandpa that he also supports the establishment of the Agricultural School. And Grandpa also asked me to tell you something."
"He believes in you."
When Zhu Ying heard Zhu Su's concerns, he spoke directly, and then said the four words that Zhu Su cared about the most.
The first half was joy. When he heard those four words, Zhu Su was suddenly stunned and his eyes were instantly wet.
How much he wanted to get his father's approval. Over the years, ever since he started to like medical books, his father had been very disappointed in him and had told him many times to focus on his work.
He knew that his father loved him, otherwise he would not have given Kaifeng to him as a fiefdom.
When he was nine years old, he was granted the land of Wu, which was a place rich in financial resources of the Ming Dynasty. This shows how much his father valued him.
It’s just that he really likes herbs themselves. It’s a natural liking for him, and he’s addicted to them and can’t help himself.
During that meeting with his father-in-law, he just wanted to go to Fengyang to find some medicinal herbs, but his father began to doubt him, and even demoted him to Yunnan, and then recalled to the capital to be confined.
He also knew that the reason his father summoned him back to the capital was because he was afraid that life in places like Yunnan would be too hard and would make him suffer.
Zhu Su had been in poor health since childhood, and his father was worried about him.
But Zhu Su felt cold in his heart at that time.
His father kept talking about family affection, but he didn't trust him so much that Zhu Su never went out of the house and was completely immersed in books.
Three years later, he finally heard his father say this.
Seeing King Zhou Zhu Su crying like a tearful man in front of him, Zhu Ying felt a little sad.
Whether it is Zhu Di, or others such as Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang, or even other younger princes.
Everyone admires Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang from the bottom of their hearts.
In their hearts, their fathers have been their idols since childhood, especially the older princes who have been enfeoffed.
No matter how strong he is externally, he is as docile as a sheep in front of his father.
After a while, Zhu Su finally responded and said apologetically, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, nephew."
Zhu Ying said softly, "Uncle Wu, I can understand. In fact, in Grandpa's heart, all the uncles are like the palms and backs of his hands. They are all flesh and blood. How can Grandpa not feel distressed?"
After hearing this, the gap between Zhu Su and his father suddenly disappeared, and his whole mental outlook became somewhat different.
It looks like the feeling of going from an otaku to an elite white-collar worker.
"Since the emperor father has agreed to this matter, then I have nothing to hesitate about. I will leave it to my nephew to decide what to do next." Zhu Su said, changing his previous decadent tone.
Zhu Ying also nodded heavily and said, "The Agricultural School is related to the livelihood of the people of the world. Whether the people of the Ming Dynasty can have enough food in the future, I will leave it to my uncle."
After he finished speaking, Zhu Ying bowed deeply to Zhou Wang Zhu Su.
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