There is no doubt that Zhu Di will now apply to the Imperial Clan Court for an overseas state.

Once the investiture document is approved, he can begin to set up the inner court.

The process is not important, the key is the talent.

Everyone knows that a country without talent support will not last long, especially in a place like Japan, which is far away from the Ming Dynasty. There are few people who understand Chinese, let alone recruiting local natives.

Therefore, Zhu Di could only start recruiting a large number of talents in the capital, and wait until Japan was conquered, so that he could quickly build his own makeshift team to stabilize the situation.

Li Jinglong was the talent he had long spotted.

Although he was suspected of being a fool in later generations, there is no doubt that in terms of both civil and military skills, Li Jinglong was definitely one of the most talented people in the entire Ming Dynasty.

The most important thing is that he can fight on horseback and govern the country when he is on foot, and he also has rich experience in commerce and trade.

There are very few such talents, even in the current Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di was very clear about these things, and considering his own connections, he would definitely strike first.

Obviously, after hearing what his uncle said, Li Jinglong had no reason to hesitate and said bluntly: "It is my honor that my uncle can look up to me when he goes to build a country. I will definitely not let him down."

Hearing Li Jinglong's ready agreement, Zhu Di was very happy even though he was sure of it. He picked up the teacup and said, "You and I grew up together. Although we are cousins, we are actually as close as brothers."

"It will probably take more than ten years to return to Ming after this trip to Japan. It will take Jinglong a long time."

Zhu Di said with some emotion.

It is actually very difficult to recruit talents to go to Japan together. Those who are a little famous or have a good life in Ming Dynasty will basically be rejected.

In the minds of the Ming people, places like Japan are a barbarian land where people do not understand propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame, and going there would most likely bring disgrace upon themselves.

Recruiting talent is still very difficult.

As the Duke of Cao, a royal relative, and the majesty's nephew, Li Jinglong basically ran rampant throughout the Ming Dynasty.

Except for a few who you need to be a little wary of, there is no need to take the rest of the people seriously.

Giving up a life of wealth and luxury and following him to that barbaric land is an act that absolutely puts righteousness first.

This friendship brought a warm feeling to Zhu Di's heart.

Li Jinglong thought for a moment and continued, "Uncle, I have a few good brothers over there. I'll go and talk to them. They are all good at both literature and martial arts. Maybe I can recruit a few more for you."

Hearing this, Zhu Di was even more moved.

He stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Jinglong."

…

"Nephew, this is the situation for us. You can't just leave it alone. Otherwise, where can I find people? There are a bunch of barbarians in Japan. We have to develop it."

"My reputation has been ruined by that fellow Prince Yan. It must be him who ruined my reputation. Now, no one will pay attention to me even if I shout out loud."

"This is too hard, nephew. You must help your uncle. Your uncle believes in you. As long as you give some advice, this matter can definitely be resolved."

Inside Kunning Palace, Zhu Gang chattered incessantly.

Zhu Ying sat opposite him, feeling quite speechless. He didn't know who had given the King of Jin such a bad idea to pester him.

After a little thought, Zhu Ying immediately had a target, King Qin Zhu Chong.

It has to be said that after meeting Qin Wang Zhu Chong this time, Zhu Ying found that his second uncle, who used to be bewitched by beauty and somewhat decadent and haggard, seemed like a completely different person.

Zhu Ying was very good at judging people, and Zhu Chong's temperament also changed a lot.

Probably the only person who could give such advice to King Jin was King Qin Zhu Chong.

Zhu Gang looked at his nephew who was thinking in front of him and felt ecstatic.

There's hope.

It seems that my second brother has become much more reliable. I was still thinking about finding someone myself, but now I can completely count on my eldest nephew to help me.

Not long after, Zhu Ying said, "I do have an idea here, maybe I can help Uncle San recruit some talents."

Zhu Gang's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "My nephew, what do you think?"

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "Overseas vassal states, talent recruitment meeting."

In fact, this was a plan that Zhu Ying had already thought of. From the moment he arranged for the princes to go overseas to establish a country, Zhu Ying had already started making plans in his mind.

After all, in Zhu Ying's heart, he still cared about Zhu Chong, the Prince of Qin, Zhu Gang, the Prince of Jin, and even Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan.

Maybe there was a little conflict between him and Prince of Yan Zhu Di, but in Zhu Ying's mind, this matter had long been a thing of the past. How could he deliberately target Zhu Di? Right? It's impossible, absolutely impossible.

Zhu Ying's purpose in sending the princes to establish overseas countries was not to eliminate the princes' influence on the central court, but to better spread Han culture or expand the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Ying still has this confidence.

This talent recruitment plan was also prepared by Zhu Ying. It would help the princes stabilize their states, develop the economy, and even train and support the army. All of these were supported by Zhu Ying.

"Talent recruitment, nephew, does your Royal Nephew mean that the court should come to help?" Zhu Gang asked with some confusion.

Zhu Ying nodded and said, "That's right. This time we will announce it to the whole country and sincerely invite people of insight from all over the world to go overseas with you uncles to develop. There are many scholars in this world who want a way out."

"For many scholars, the uncles who went overseas to establish a country are also considered the first batch of elders, and there will be many people following them."

Zhu Gang asked, "It's so far away. If you go there, you will have to take your family with you. It will be like being exiled. I'm afraid many people will be hesitant about this."

What Zhu Gang said was indeed correct. Not to mention other things at the moment, at least in the eyes of the officials in the court, going to an overseas vassal state was no different from exile.

Once you leave, you will never come back and will be buried in a foreign land.

Who doesn't want to return to their roots?

"Don't worry." Zhu Ying smiled.

"There are still many scholars in this world, and it doesn't mean that those who don't pass the imperial examination are necessarily bad. There are so many officials in the court, and how many of them are truly admitted through the imperial examination? The key is to look at the individual."

"Maybe I won't pass the imperial examination, but I will have good abilities in governing the local area, teaching students, and educating them."

"For Uncle San, the more people he can recruit to the vassal state, the better. Even if they are just a bunch of sour scholars, it's still very good. After exchanging with the local natives, we must have useful labor. Population is the key."

Listening to his nephew's analysis, Zhu Gang nodded as if he understood it.

If I really want to say whether I understand or not, I am still confused.

For Zhu Gang, who loved fighting, cultural invasion was still a little difficult to understand, but he just knew that his nephew would help him recruit people.

"Just now, my nephew said that all the princes can participate." Zhu Gang asked again.

What he wanted was to severely suppress Prince of Yan Zhu Di in Japan. Now that his nephew said so, it seemed that he was not the only one who thought so.

Zhu Ying explained: "How could I not understand Third Uncle's idea? All uncles can naturally participate in the recruitment of talents. After all, it is organized by the court. If we go too far, it will be unfair."

"But Third Uncle, don't worry. This time when we are building a vassal state overseas, our Qunying Chamber of Commerce will provide the greatest support, not only in terms of money, but also in terms of vassal state construction, talent training, armaments, and even war and intelligence. We will provide the greatest support."

Hearing this, Zhu Gang immediately became happy and even walked over and patted Zhu Ying on the shoulder.

"Uncle San will leave the rest of his life to my nephew."

People like Zhu Gang hated managing internal affairs the most. When he heard that Zhu Ying would make arrangements for all aspects of internal affairs, he naturally felt relieved.

Zhu Gang had tasted the sweetness of success. When he was suppressing the Japanese pirates on the coast of Zhejiang, he didn't have to worry about anything except fighting. The Qunying Chamber of Commerce arranged everything for him.

Even the preparation of various propaganda, food, intelligence, and food supplies.

It can be said that when it came to the coastal areas of Zhejiang, apart from the military, to a large extent, it was all the work of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.

It was also the first time in Zhu Gang’s life that when he entered a county town, he was actually welcomed by the people lining the streets.

That feeling is so refreshing.

Zhu Ying was quite happy to see Zhu Gang.

As for the Three Feudatories of Japan, Zhu Di certainly doesn't need to think too much. He will exclude the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce to a large extent. It is estimated that it will take until they arrive in Japan and experience a period of miserable days before they can face the reality.

As for Zhu Gang's side, it was Zhu Ying who was remotely controlling it.

It’s no different than building your own.

Among them, Zhu Ying discovered a very strange phenomenon.

If it is done in the name of the Ming Dynasty, many people may secretly disobey or even betray the country.

But if it is done in one's own name, or in the name of the Heroes Chamber of Commerce, even if one ignores it for a few years, it is difficult to see any change in loyalty.

Perhaps this is the difference between a big pot of rice and a small bowl of food.

After seeing Zhu Gang off, Zhu Ying was about to review the memorials when he suddenly remembered something.

He asked Guo Zhong, the eunuch who was serving beside him, "During the morning court session, I saw Qi Tai coming back. How come he has not come to report to me at this time? Go and see what is going on."

Guo Zhong bowed and said, "I obey your command."

Qi Tai was transferred to Zhu Ying by Zhu Yuanzhang more than a month ago, and was considered to be the inner court team recommended to Zhu Ying in advance.

After meeting Qi Tai, Zhu Ying arranged to go to Henan to check the situation of land annexation.

The plague there led to famine, which naturally led to landlords annexing land. In order to understand the seriousness of the matter, Qi Tai was sent to investigate in the capacity of an imperial censor.

Qi Tai came back during the morning court session today.

As the morning court session was over but no one had been seen yet, Zhu Ying became a little confused, so he sent Guo Zhong to find out.

Zhu Ying began to review the memorials.

Although the memorials were written by officials, they inevitably used the style of the Spring and Autumn Period when narrating them, but at least one could have an understanding of the general situation.

What Zhu Ying is currently reviewing are the memorials related to Shanxi and Henan.

According to the memorials from Henan, the current situation still involves some famine problems, which is inseparable from the previous plague. However, there is nothing directly related to land annexation in the memorials.

If you pay attention, you can still find it from some subtle details.

For example, in a certain memorial, a county magistrate simply said a few words that a local tycoon reported that he had opened a porridge factory to help the people.

It seems that he is trying to show off his achievements, but if you think about it carefully, it is not difficult to guess that this tycoon has probably annexed too much land, and he is doing good deeds to gain more reputation in the county and protect himself.

In the Ming Dynasty, reputation seemed illusory, but many officials were wary of it. Famous and prestigious families could easily enter the officialdom by being recommended as filial and honest officials, and local officials would give them some respect.

After a long time, Guo Zhong came back.

"Reporting to Your Highness, after leaving the court, Chief Qi fainted on the way to Kunning Palace and is now in the Imperial Hospital."

After hearing what Guo Zhong said, Zhu Ying asked, "He fainted? What did the imperial physician say?"

Guo Zhong bowed and replied, "Your Highness, the answer given by the imperial physician is that Master Qi is short of energy and blood, and is overworked, which is the cause."

Zhu Ying frowned slightly.

The so-called lack of qi and blood means anemia. After all, he is the head of the Ministry of War and has a good salary. How can he be malnourished?

Seeing that His Royal Highness seemed a little confused, Guo Zhong explained, "Your Highness, in fact, situations like this are very common in the palace. Many ministers rush to the palace early to wait for the court session. Sometimes when something important happens, the court session ends late, and some ministers may not be able to hold on."

"The Imperial Hospital is very experienced in dealing with such matters. It won't take long for Director Qi to wake up."

After hearing this, Zhu Ying was speechless.

What does "very experienced" mean? This shows that the Imperial Medical Bureau is very familiar with dealing with such situations.

When a minister faints, almost everything can be arranged into a process.

Zhu Ying had not been in the palace for a long time overall, so this was the first time she heard of such a thing.

Being an official in the Ming Dynasty was really miserable.

Not only was she exploited by the old man, but her salary was low and she had to do more work. If she did not do well, his family would hold a feast for her.

On weekdays, he almost always went to court on an empty stomach.

Zhu Ying was very clear that not eating breakfast for a long time would cause great harm, especially for many old officials in Beijing.

Nowadays, many officials in Beijing suffer from various diseases, and it is unlikely that they can recover their health.

Sometimes a minor illness can take a person away.

After thinking for a while, Zhu Ying instructed Guo Zhong: "Pass on my order to clear the Duanmen Hall and put long tables on both sides."

"Send a message to the Ministry of Rites. From tomorrow on, before the ministers arrive, place enough breakfast on both sides of the Duanmen Hall for the officials to eat."

"The expenses involved are counted as part of the treasury."

In fact, most of the court officials during the Hongwu period were good officials who truly served the people.

To be able to stand in the court of the Ming Dynasty's capital, one must have solid knowledge, and each of them is an indispensable asset to the Ming Dynasty.

Duanmen is located after the Waiwulong Bridge and in front of Fengtianmen.

Arranging a breakfast buffet here would not have much impact. The most important thing is that it will be convenient for officials to go to court.

As the saying goes, the emperor has no shortage of hungry soldiers. Now that they have become officials in Beijing, their salaries cannot be increased, but it won't be a big problem to slightly increase their benefits.

The old man often gave free meals, but they were always after the morning court session, when the ministers were so hungry that they felt dizzy.

After having a full stomach, you will be more energetic at the court meeting.

As for Qi Tai, Zhu Ying sent a message to him, asking him to go back and rest after waking up, as the land annexation issue could not be resolved in a day or two.

Now, after reviewing the memorials, Zhu Ying began to prepare a talent recruitment plan on a blank piece of paper.

No one in the entire Ming Dynasty had experience in this area, so Zhu Ying had to fight in the first battle alone.

The next morning.

Qi Tai woke up from his bed and got up in a hurry before dawn.

He slept well yesterday, and the Imperial Medical Bureau arranged some supplements according to the order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so Qi Tai felt much more energetic today.

I didn't pay any attention to the rumbling sound in my stomach, I had already gotten used to it.

After washing up, he hurried to the palace.

Qi Tai's family didn't have much money, so they lived far away.

It's very lively when you go out, with many vendors, especially vegetable vendors, who are already jumping on their shoulder poles to grab stalls.

After passing the outer city, the inner city became much quieter.

Sedan chairs passed by one after another, they were all officials going to court.

Qi Tai's sedan stopped not long after entering the inner city.

There are many sedan chairs here, all belonging to officials. When you get here, you can only walk.

Along the way, Qi Tai greeted familiar officials and they all traveled together.

In front of Chengtian Gate, most officials stopped, straightened their clothes, and then walked through the gate and continued forward.

"Hey, why is this Duanmen so noisy?"

Just after passing Chengtian Gate, he heard a loud noise and what seemed to be crying. Qi Tai couldn't help feeling confused.

The official who was traveling with him said, "Let's go and take a look. I wonder if someone has had an unfortunate accident."

Qi Tai nodded. It was not uncommon for one or two officials to die suddenly during court hours.

But as they got closer, suddenly an enticing fragrance wafted over, causing the many officials, who were already starving, to swallow subconsciously.

After looking at each other, without thinking too much, the following officials quickened their pace and headed forward.

When we arrived at the Duanmen Gate, we saw that the Duanmen Hall was crowded with officials on both sides, and there were long benches and tables in the middle. Many officials were eating breakfast in this open and aboveboard.

The officials behind were confused at once. What was going on?

Immediately, an eunuch came over to explain: "My Lords, this is the order of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince takes pity on the health of all the Lords and specially arranges breakfast at Duanmen for all the Lords to enjoy."

"Please come in quickly. If you enjoy it for too long, it will delay the morning court session, which will be bad."

Hearing this, all the officials felt a warm current flowing through their hearts, their eyes became moist, and some elderly ministers even knelt down and shouted: "The future of our Ming Dynasty is promising, the future is promising!"