October has passed and it is slowly starting to get a little chilly.
Continuous rain for several days made the streets of the entire capital city muddy.
Ministers from poor families naturally did not have extra money to purchase sedan chairs and bearers, and even renting them was unaffordable.
Then you can only walk on your feet, groping your way down in the dark, and naturally you will be covered in mud.
Of course you can't go to court this time, as it's impolite. The eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department won't care so much and will just record it.
The worst that can happen is a fine of several months' salary.
The already poor family situation will be made even worse.
In desperation, he had to wash himself with water at the Wulong Bridge outside the imperial palace before entering the court.
The breakfast at Wumen made the honest officials from poor families feel warm.
So much so that every day many ministers fell into the lake due to carelessness.
Those who can enter the Fengtian Hall are generally older. In such weather, they would fall ill and stay at home.
"Let's postpone the morning court session for half an hour from now on."
Although Zhu Yuanzhang liked to exploit officials, this was indeed a bit hard for them. After all, they were all Beijing officials who could enter the Fengtian Palace, which meant they had entered the power center of the Ming Dynasty.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Many ministers kowtowed sincerely. The sun was rising very late now, and being able to delay it for half an hour was a very good thing for most officials.
Zhu Ying looked at the drizzle outside the Fengtian Palace and said, "Grandpa, now is the off-season for farming, and the autumn harvest is over. Now the roads inside and outside the capital are in ruins, the rain is flooding, and the mud and water are splashing."
"I would like to ask you to issue an imperial decree to build the capital city."
Zhu Ying had long wanted to build large-scale infrastructure in the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
Now the reputation of the capital is second to none and unique in the entire Ming Dynasty, or in other words, among all the capitals in the world.
But for Zhu Ying, who had experienced the high-rise buildings, clean roads and neatly arranged houses in the future, leaving the palace was like entering a slum.
Even the bustling Qinhuai Street is lined with low houses.
Because most of them are made of wood, they all have a rotten and old smell at first glance. Only the prince's residence in the inner city, the wealthy mansions, and the bluestone walls look a little neater.
The rest of the area was filthy, and in some narrow alleys, no one cleaned up the feces and urine, and the stench was overwhelming.
In addition, the land is not hardened, and except for the stone roads near the inner city of the imperial palace, other places are hard to describe.
This is the true portrayal of the Ming Dynasty capital now.
This is the case in Nanjing, needless to say in other parts of the Ming Dynasty.
Upon hearing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince intended to repair the capital, the ministers immediately became very quiet.
The capital city now, especially on a rainy day like this, is really a torture for everyone, no matter if they are scholars or peddlers, they have suffered for a long time.
It's just that after so many years, I've gotten used to it.
Now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has proposed that there can be better improvements. This involves one's own situation, so who can say no?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it.
The autumn harvest has just passed, the national treasury is full, and the imperial treasury is even richer. It seems that it would be a good idea to spend some money to renovate the entire capital.
"Okay, since this matter was proposed by the eldest grandson, he will be responsible for it. The six ministries should fully cooperate with the crown prince."
Zhu Yuanzhang ordered.
"As your majesty commands."
…
The Huagai Hall is located between the Fengtian Hall and the Jinshen Hall, and is relatively smaller in area.
This was also Zhu Yuanzhang's office on weekdays.
However, when the affairs of the eldest grandson needed to be handled, Zhu Yuanzhang would step aside and go to the larger Jinshen Hall at the back to handle government affairs.
More than ten years ago, this has always been the fixed office location of Crown Prince Zhu Biao.
Now, as the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang's power was gradually transferred to his eldest grandson as it had been in the past, and the same was true for the Huagai Palace.
"There are blueprints for the planning of the capital and beyond. What should the Ministry of Works base its current construction on?"
Zhu Ying summoned the Minister of Works Shen Xi to the Huagai Palace and asked him in detail.
These construction craftsmen are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works.
Shen Xi bowed and said, "Reporting to Your Highness, when the Ministry of Works builds buildings, painters will draw up blueprints, and then craftsmen will cast according to the blueprints. The construction methods are based on the classic book "Kaogong Ji"."
Hearing this, Zhu Ying ordered Guo Zhong to fetch a copy of Kaogong Ji and asked Shen Xi again, "Are there any detailed planning drawings inside and outside the capital?"
Shen Xi replied, "Your Highness, the blueprints for the inner and outer planning of the capital are all stored in the library of the Ministry of Works. If Your Majesty needs them, I will fetch them for you immediately."
Zhu Ying just asked casually, but he didn't expect that there was actually a plan map preserved in the capital.
In fact, Zhu Ying was really ignorant. Not to mention the construction of the capital, even other cities had detailed plans.
However, the current planning map is not overly detailed, and only provides the general direction and positioning. During the construction process, many changes will be made depending on the local conditions.
"If that's the case, then bring it here quickly." Zhu Ying ordered.
Shen Xi said quickly: "As ordered."
Then he hurried to get the drawings.
Zhu Ying began to ponder the transformation of the capital.
The first thing is to harden the ground, which is a must, but it would be a bit difficult to cover it all with stone slabs.
The stone slabs need to be fired, and the production cycle is not short.
The cost of paving the entire capital with stone slabs would probably be no small sum. Even if Zhu Ying did have a lot of money now and could even use the Treasury Notes Division, such a large project would be too extravagant and wasteful.
"It seems that the best way is to use Roman mortar, add sand and gravel, and make a floor similar to concrete."
"It is a difficult problem to harden the ground. Manual compaction is too slow. It would be much easier if we had a soil roller. It would be solid after rolling it back and forth twice."
Thinking of this, Zhu Ying's eyes lit up.
A soil roller is not difficult to make, after all. It's just a big roller, but the power is difficult to get.
"As for the power, if there is no machinery, we can use more human and animal power. Are you still worried that we can't pull it?"
"If four oxen are not enough, then eight. If five people are not enough, then ten. We have to do it anyway, and we have to do it quickly."
Thinking of this, Zhu Ying started painting directly.
After taking a few pictures, Zhu Ying was not satisfied. After all, when it comes to painting, Zhu Ying is good at freehand painting, not realism.
It's just that when the artistic conception is too profound, it is relatively difficult for others to understand.
At least Shen Xi, who brought back the drawings, looked at them for a long time but still couldn't figure out what they meant.
"Do you know what I am drawing?" Zhu Ying asked after putting down his pen.
The painting in front of me is my proudest work among more than ten paintings.
When Shen Xi heard this, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. What could he see out of this pitch-black mass?
If I say I can't see, wouldn't I be offending His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? Will I be able to continue my life in the court from now on?
In a hurry, Shen Xi could only bite the bullet and guess: "Your Highness's paintings have a profound artistic conception, which is beyond my reach. However, from what I have seen, it seems that Your Highness painted a plow used for tilling the fields?"
By guessing, the small black group in the picture looks like a person, or some animal in the front, with a few black lines pulling it, which barely resembles the scene of plowing a field.
When Zhu Ying heard this, he was stunned.
The principle of this earth roller seems to be similar to that of a cow plowing a field.
It's just that one is loosening the soil and the other is compacting the soil.
Thinking of this, Zhu Ying smiled and said, "It is indeed somewhat similar to a plow, but in this respect, it is not used to loosen the soil."
"Minister Shen, please take a look. What I have drawn behind me is a huge iron cylinder. Its purpose is to compact the ground like an ox plowing a field. All it takes is a few oxen to pull the iron cylinder back and forth, and the ground will be compacted in no time."
Zhu Ying paused, frowned and continued, "It's just that it's a bit troublesome to make this iron cylinder. It will probably take a craftsman quite a while to make such a large iron cylinder."
Hearing His Royal Highness' words, Shen Xi added with a heartfelt smile: "Your Highness, if you just want to tamp the ground, although iron cylinders are good, stone pillars can also be used. The center of a large stone pillar can be hollowed out and used for tamping the earth."
When Zhu Ying heard this, he couldn't help but say, "Good idea."
This time, Zhu Ying had a thorough understanding of the wisdom of the ancients.
What he temporarily resides in is foresight, but when it comes to practical implementation, it is slightly lacking.
As the Minister of Works, Shen Xi was in charge of the craftsmen. He was already very familiar with such matters and could draw inferences about other situations with just a little guidance.
Judging from IQ alone, there is no fool among those who can pass the imperial examination.
They were all soldiers and horses that had fought their way out by crossing a single-plank bridge.
"The production of the earth-pressing stone will be handed over to Minister Shen." Zhu Ying said with satisfaction.
Shen Xi immediately expressed his opinion, saying that dozens of aircraft could be manufactured within three days.
Next, it was about the planning and construction within the capital.
The existing drawings are relatively detailed. From the drawings, we can see that the current Ming Dynasty Nanjing City can be roughly divided into four categories.
They are: handicraft area, commercial area, residential area for officials and wealthy families, and scenic and recreational area.
As for the slums, they are naturally moved to the outer city, as people do not have the financial resources to live in the inner city.
Among them, the handicraft area is the largest area in the city.
The majority of residents in Nanjing today are handicraftsmen. The peasant war at the end of the Yuan Dynasty turned most of the slave workers into relatively free craftsmen.
The booming agricultural production in the early Ming Dynasty laid a solid foundation for the development of handicraft industry.
The prosperity of handicrafts has also spawned many new industries, and each stage of product production has gradually become independent.
For example, papermaking and printing, and sugar making and selling.
In the past, papermaking and printing were mostly produced as one unit, but now they are gradually being separated.
The reason why Zhu Ying decided to shut down the sugar factory was largely due to the current prosperity of the sugar industry.
Although the production is a little troublesome, most frosting is made by families, who sell it in the front store and make it in the backyard.
The impact of the frosting factory on the people will leave many families without a place to live.
Zhu Ying naturally does not want the private sector to suffer too great a blow, and must maintain a good environment for private sector development.
Such as winemaking, textiles, clothing, and porcelain.
The impact on private enterprises is not significant, and the main focus is still on military officials and exports.
Today, the handicraft industry has developed into as many as 360 trades.
The saying that "different trades, different worlds" is extremely appropriate now.
Every industry and every profession has its own lingo, which is not universally used. When you first listen to it, you may not even know what language it is.
Chinese characters have multiple pronunciations, and there were many local dialects in the Ming Dynasty, so communication was very difficult.
Only the Huaixi dialect, since Your Majesty spoke it, should be the first thing to learn.
This is passed down from top to bottom. If Your Majesty says this, naturally the ministers must learn it as well. Otherwise, they will not be able to hear the imperial edict clearly, and they will be courting death.
The first step for an official in Beijing is to learn Huaixi dialect.
At present, there are as many as 62 official handicraft industries in the Ming Dynasty that employ shift workers, which shows how prosperous it was.
The handicraft areas were located in the southwest of Nanjing, and most of them were designated by the government, so that each craftsman had his own shop.
Craftsmen are also classified according to their industry.
The place of residence is often called a certain workshop, such as a woodworking workshop, a brocade workshop, etc.
Part of it is also related to geographical advantages. For example, dyeing workshops are mostly located in Liuye Lane and Chuanban Lane, which are close to the low end of water sources and are convenient for use.
Another prosperous area is the commercial district.
Most of the shop owners in the capital are not locals.
Those who live here are generally businessmen from other places. They have large-scale industries and there are also various hometown associations and business gangs gathering here.
But now, most of the entire commercial district is occupied by the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce.
There are also areas for officials and wealthy families, and scenic areas.
These are basically the residences of dignitaries, and the western section of Qinhuai River is it.
Where it intersects with the commercial district is where Zhu Ying Ping'an Teahouse is located.
There are all kinds of brothels and prostitutes everywhere, showing the wealth and prosperity.
The current capital city, judging from the blueprints alone, is already quite bloated. In the commercial and industrial areas, shops have begun to crowd out the streets, and some alleys are difficult to pass through.
This caused some local government carriages to have difficulty passing through. Finally, Zhu Yuanzhang issued a penalty regulation: anyone who encroached on streets and roads to build houses would be beaten with 60 sticks and ordered to restore their old houses.
This stopped the encroachment, but it was not easy to demolish the buildings that had already been built.
This demolition left tens of thousands of people displaced and homeless.
The Ming Dynasty was founded 25 years ago. Nanjing became the capital and people from all over the world flocked here.
Refugees, merchants, scholars, people from all walks of life, all are like this.
Zhu Ying looked at the drawings for a long time, and with Shen Xi's explanation, he also had a clear understanding of the situation in the entire capital.
After a while, Zhu Ying sighed leisurely and said, "Our capital of the Ming Dynasty is the capital of the world. Now that crops such as sweet potatoes have begun to spread, the people will naturally live a more prosperous life in the future."
"With the addition of the land tax, the Ming Dynasty will be strong and prosperous, and the future is promising."
"Although the capital is large at present, the population will only increase in the next few hundred years. How can we show the glory of the Ming Dynasty with such a layout?"
"The only current strategy is to demolish houses, expand the city, build ponds, and reorganize the architectural layout, so that the capital can accommodate all rivers and seas."
Shen Xi was shocked and held his breath when he heard this.
He originally thought that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince just wanted to repair the roads, but he didn't expect that he wanted to completely rebuild the entire capital.
Especially the expansion of the city and the construction of the pond, which can be regarded as the greatest change in Nanjing in thousands of years.
"Your Highness, such a huge scale, the cost is astronomical. Although the national treasury is full and the internal finances are abundant, I am afraid that this scale will be difficult to continue without three to five years."
"If the weather is good every year, there is no need to worry too much. If it is a disaster year, I am afraid it will be too much of a loss, and it will cost the people a lot of money and labor."
Coming back to his senses, Shen Xi knelt down and kowtowed, trying his best to persuade him.
The situation in the Ming Dynasty is just beginning to improve, and if this continues, the national treasury will actually be drained dry.
Zhu Ying helped Shen Xi up and said, "Minister Shen, you are worrying too much. I started my business as a businessman, so of course I understand the expenses. I have already made a plan in mind. Not only will it not cause too much damage to the national treasury, but it may even make a profit."
joke!
The Ming Dynasty had a territory of tens of millions of miles and a population of more than 60 million. If they were to build a Nanjing City, it would cause upheaval in the country and make its foundation unstable.
It would be better for Zhu Ying to commit suicide and go back, instead of being the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.
These basic business methods are not difficult to use from the perspective of future generations.
Shen Xi naturally didn't believe it in his heart, but it was impossible for him to refute His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to his face. He planned in his mind that he would write a memorial and report to His Majesty when he returned.
Zhu Ying did not pay much attention to Shen Xi's expression. He looked at the blueprint for a long time, then pointed at Zhengyang Gate and said, "Starting from Zhengyang Gate, build a 30-meter-long avenue on the left and right sides of the Wulong Bridge Square outside the Imperial Palace. All shops involved in it will be demolished."
"On the left and right sides of the avenue, a unified plan will be built, with three-story small buildings, each ten feet wide, three rooms per floor, and one alley every five floors, starting from Zhengyang Gate and ending at Wai Wulong Square."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi immediately understood.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's idea is to build a main road that leads directly inside and outside, just like the Suzaku Avenue in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty.
Thinking of the prosperous Chang'an recorded in ancient books, Shen Xi couldn't help but be drawn to it.
After being immersed in it for a while, Shen Xi came back to his senses and asked, "After demolishing so many houses, I wonder how the people will be resettled."
Zhu Ying replied directly: "Of course, the size of the demolition should be used to replace the treasure banknotes. The size should be based on the land deed, and no money will be given if it is occupied."
Shen Xi did some calculations in his mind and couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, this amount is so huge, I wonder what the standard should be."
Zhu Ying was calculating in his mind.
According to the blueprint, the distance from Waiwulong Square to Zhengyangmen is about three and a half miles, or 1,750 meters.
About a hundred meters is 175,000 square meters.
In addition, Zhu Ying planned to advance 15 meters on each side of the road to build shops, adding another 52,500 square meters.
The total amount is 227,500 square meters.
After thinking for a while, Zhu Ying said, "Let's charge two strings of cash per square meter on the ground floor, and one string of cash per square meter from the second floor up, to accommodate the people."
Although the current housing prices in the capital are relatively high compared to other places, an ordinary house with an area of about 60 square meters can be purchased for about 45 strings of cash, or about one string of cash per square meter.
The price in the shop is a little higher, but still less than two coins.
This price is a huge profit for the people whose houses are being demolished.
At present, there are about fifty or sixty shops along the street, including the second floor, which can earn nearly a hundred yuan in treasure notes.
It's not difficult to spend a few dozen coins to find a new location.
Zhu Ying also calculated that even if the street area was taken into account, the total would not exceed 500,000 strings of cash.
These are not really big issues for the current Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce. They don't even have to move their bones. The liquid banknotes on the books can be withdrawn at any time, and they will not have any impact on their own business.
Shen Xi opened his mouth slightly.
Hundreds of thousands of banknotes, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince spent them just like that, and it was just the beginning.
Even if Your Majesty wants to renovate the inner court of the Imperial Palace, it usually only costs tens of thousands of coins. Looking at the look on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's face, it seems that he does not care about these hundreds of thousands of coins.
"Your Highness, is it too much to resettle the civilians?" Shen Xi couldn't help but say.
In Shen Xi's opinion, for government affairs, ten or twenty strings of cash per household would be enough, so how could they make more money?
Zhu Ying smiled and said, "This is nothing. If we sell all the shops on both sides of this avenue, we will have everything."
Shen Xi asked curiously, "I wonder how many square meters you plan to sell in your new store."
Zhu Ying raised the corners of his mouth and stretched out two fingers.
Shen Xi frowned and said, "Two guan notes for one square seems a bit too cheap. If we take into account the three layers of the same price, it's not much different."
Each room of the new house is 50 square meters, and if there are three rooms on the first floor, each floor will have 150 square meters, for a total of 450 square meters on three floors.
Nine hundred treasure notes per floor.
Converted into market price, it is about six hundred silver pieces.
As far as the market conditions in Beijing are concerned, it is already relatively low.
After all, it is around Zhengyang Avenue, and the area beyond is the most prosperous area.
Zhu Ying heard this and shook his head slowly, saying, "How can two taels of banknotes be accepted? I want twenty taels of banknotes per side, and the same price for all three levels."
Shen Xi's thoughtful expression suddenly stiffened.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is so nice. He could have just robbed the money, but he still gave away a three-story building.
Zhu Yingke didn't care about that and continued, "So if we calculate it this way, we can get more than 3 million treasure notes from the sale of all of them. Even if we add in the ground repairs and house construction, there should still be some left."
Thinking of this, Zhu Ying pondered and said again: "We'll see how much is left when the time comes. If it's not enough, I'll add some more and repair the Zhengyang Gate. Even in this inner court, some places need more repairs, as they seem a bit old."
Seeing that His Royal Highness seemed to be in a sweet dream, Shen Xi could not help but interrupt him and said, "Your Highness, the price of this is about 13,000 guan of banknotes per floor. Even if converted to the market price, it will cost nearly 10,000 taels of silver."
"How could there be so many rich people who could afford such houses? This is beyond my imagination."
As the Minister of Works, Shen Xi's annual salary, including rice, banknotes, silk, etc., totaled no more than 1,500 taels of silver.
He is a minister of the second rank. Now that there is no prime minister, his actual power is already ranked first among all officials, along with other ministers, and he holds a high position and great authority.
Even so, one would have to go without food and drink for nearly seven years, and the remaining salary would be enough to buy these three small buildings.
Zhu Ying stood up, walked to the side of Shen Xi, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile: "Minister Shen, go and look around when you have time. Not to mention the capital, even if you only count Jiangnan, those rich gentry are enough to buy it out."
"There are so many business groups in the Ming Dynasty. Ten thousand taels of silver is nothing in front of the business groups of one province."
"There is no purchase restriction for this small building. Just wait for the news to spread. Minister Shen, just wait and see. Within three days, all of them will be sold out."
Poverty limited Shen Xi's imagination.
So he still didn't believe His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. He had already made up his mind and decided to report to His Majesty when he returned.
Zhu Ying looked at Shen Xi's expression and roughly guessed what was going on, so he said meaningfully: "This matter should be handled as soon as possible. Minister Shen should follow what I just said and issue specific rules, and then let Grandpa review them."
"Once the approval comes, we will coordinate the measurement."
Shen Xi bowed deeply and said, "I obey your Highness' orders."
Watching Shen Xi leave, Zhu Ying smiled lightly, not caring much.
He knew in his heart that the old man would not say much with such a small amount of money.
Besides, the old man is also a face-conscious person. Zhengyang Avenue is several miles long and thirty feet or a hundred meters wide.
This is undoubtedly what the old man likes.
In the future, when foreign officials come to Beijing, they will naturally be shocked, just like the scene during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty when all nations came to pay tribute, demonstrating the grandeur of the Ming Dynasty.
To put it another way, this is called political correctness.
The most important thing is that no money was taken from the national treasury. Even if the house cannot be sold later, the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce will naturally pay for it.
However, how could these houses and shops not have anything to sell?
Zhu Ying had already made up his mind. He just waited for the plan to be announced, and then directly sent the notice through the post station, urgently notified all the prefectures, and started pre-sales right away.
Of course Zhu Ying can guarantee that this is definitely not an unfinished building.
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