Xuanwu Lake.

In the early years of the Hongwu period, Xuanwu Lake became the location of the Yellow Book Library, which stored the national population and land records.

At the same time, the public is also prohibited from entering.

A poem of the time said: Few people come here to store the territory, only the pavilions are left in the setting sun.

However, in the 20th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued another decree to encourage learning.

In the spring of each year, Xuanwu Lake is open to the public, but only those with meritorious service can enter.

In other words, one must at least be a student to be eligible to enter.

Of course, this item doesn’t mean much to the nobles and wealthy families. If you have a distinguished family background, you don’t need to care so much.

A few years passed.

Every spring, this place becomes a place for scholars, young people from wealthy families to enjoy the spring.

Rather than a spring outing, it actually has the meaning of a blind date.

Some unmarried women, including royal family and nobles, can come.

It seems like what Zhu Mingyue wanted was also to come here.

Under the Xuanwu Gate, a carriage drove in and went straight into the Xuanwu Lake.

There are five oases with their own characteristics scattered around Xuanwu Lake, namely Huanzhou, Yingzhou, Liangzhou, Lingzhou and Cuizhou.

Liangzhou, Wenji Pavilion.

Such a good place would naturally have been occupied by someone long ago.

Judging from his clothes, he is probably a student of the Imperial Academy.

But it didn't matter. The Jinyiwei went straight over, drove everyone away, and imprisoned Liangzhou.

"The Jinyiwei cleared the area. What a grand show. No one was allowed to enter the entire Liangzhou Island. I wonder who the important person who came is."

"Who could be that important? It's court time now, and most of the dignitaries are in the palace. From the looks of it, it's nothing more than a captain of the Imperial Guards, bringing his concubine here to enjoy himself."

"Too arrogant, how dare Qianhu do this?"

"What are you afraid of? You rely on your majesty's trust and act recklessly."

"Humph, my father is a fourth-rank minister, but a captain. Today I must go and ask which captain of the Jinyiwei dares to act so recklessly... Hey, why are you pulling me?"

"Are you crazy? These are the Jinyiwei. Not only you, but even your father wouldn't dare to provoke them. If they really target you, you'll be dead or dead."

"My father is an upright official, he is not afraid of them."

"There's no such thing as being on guard against thieves for a thousand days. If you're really targeted, it may not be a good thing. If your father knew, he would probably break your legs."

"I……"

After a long while, this student from the Imperial College who wanted to show off finally hung his head in dejection and did not go over.

The enthusiasm just now was extinguished by the narration of my classmates.

Now when I look towards Liangzhou, I no longer have the impulse.

Inside the Wenji Pavilion.

"Brother, I want to go to Yingzhou to take a look, is that okay?" Zhu Mingyue asked with anticipation.

Zhu Ying teased her: "Okay, then let Yunxun go with you. It's not good for a girl like you to go alone."

Zhu Mingyue was silent for a moment, but then her eyes turned and she said, "Okay, Yunxun, come on, let's go together."

When Zhu Yunhuan heard his sister's cheerful voice, how could he not understand what she was thinking.

But it wouldn't be feasible for him to stay with his elder brother and his wife.

"Okay, let's go together. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and I want to go see them too."

Now it is March, which is the romantic season for cherry blossoms. Although it is not the best time to view them, most of the cherry blossoms have already bloomed.

Looking at the two children leaving, Zhu Ying waved his hand gently, and several Jinyiwei followed after clasping their fists and bowing.

There were only two people left in the pavilion, and even the guarding Jinyiwei turned around tactfully.

Well, love is definitely not something that suits Zhu Ying.

It’s better to talk about something serious.

"Spring ploughing has already begun. I don't trust the officials very much. The Chamber of Commerce can send someone to conduct an undercover investigation."

"We have to ensure that all high-yield crops are distributed to farmers, especially those who don't have land."

When they started talking about business, they immediately found a common topic.

Ye Yueqing nodded and said, "Your Highness, the Chamber of Commerce recently discovered that some foreign officials wanted to secretly obtain the seeds of these crops. Should we provide protection?"

Zhu Ying shook his head and said, "It's not necessary. Even if they take these seeds, it won't make much sense. If they can cultivate and produce in large quantities, it will be a good thing for our Ming Dynasty."

Whether it is the small countries around us or the big countries further away, they are all too poor.

The country was so poor that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even want to conquer it. No one thought there was any benefit in conquering it. Even if it was incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty, it would be a thankless task.

Looking back over the 5,000 years of history of the Central Plains, conquest has never been the main focus.

In history, once a dynasty has achieved unification, it will inevitably begin to develop with domestic affairs and people's livelihood.

The same is true for the Ming Dynasty.

However, now only Zhu Ying knows that after thousands of years, this world will usher in unprecedented changes.

In just a few hundred years, the entire world will become completely unfamiliar.

This time, because of Zhu Ying's existence, the prosperity will not happen in the West, but will reverse the destiny. The sun that illuminates the heaven and earth must rise from the East.

The early Ming Dynasty was the best opportunity.

The Little Ice Age has already arrived, and high-yield crops do not need to be found only in Ming Dynasty.

Compared to farming, who in this world can be as powerful as the Ming Dynasty?

Besides, if these small countries around it had enough food, it would be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty.

Trade surplus is no joke.

As long as there is enough military protection, the surrounding wealth will continue to flow into the Ming Dynasty.

Ye Yueqing actually didn't quite understand. In her opinion, whether it was the seeds of high-yield crops or the secret recipe of cement, they must be strictly guarded and not leaked.

But this did not prevent her from supporting the crown prince's decision.

"Your Highness, there is news from the Imperial Guards that Pierma Heima wants to bribe officials, but now he has no money, so he is going to write a letter to the grassland to ask Prince Shaharu for help."

General information would not be directly transmitted to Zhu Ying. Ye Yueqing knew that Zhu Ying had always attached great importance to and paid attention to Pierma Heima.

Zhu Ying laughed and said, "This guy has a good eye."

After thinking for a while, he said, "Let the Royal Guards step up their watch, and notify our personnel on the grassland to keep a close eye on Shaharu's actions."

"Shah Rukh is a talented person. He was able to lead the army to continuously oppress the Golden Horde. It can be seen that he is excellent in all aspects. As for something like cement, as long as he knows about it, he will definitely not let it go."

"A large amount of money will definitely be transported to the capital, and it will be done in secret to integrate all our cavalry in the grasslands and deserts."

"Just wait for the news and snatch them all away for him."

After a pause, Zhu Ying continued, "Pirma Heima is not familiar with the court of the Ming Dynasty, so he will definitely try to find a way to explore. Although he has contacted Yunwen, he probably knows that Yunwen will definitely not help him with this matter."

"Then the only person he can look for is Mr. Zhou."

Ye Yueqing's eyes lit up and she said, "Your Highness means to use a fake cement secret recipe to lure Pierma Heima into the game."

Zhu Ying smiled and shook his head, saying, "The pattern is small, this secret recipe must be real, and this transaction must also be real."

"Let Mr. Zhou make plans and use the real secret recipe to make Pierma Heima pay more money."

"Pirma Heima is short of money now, no problem, let him write an IOU. As long as the money is in place, I will give him the cement secret recipe."

Ye Yueqing hesitated and asked, "If Pier Ma Heima really takes out enough money, will we really give him our cement secret recipe?"

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "In business, sincerity is important. Since the other person has offered this price, why not sell it to him?"

If Timur gets the cement formula, will he build roads on a large scale?

The answer is yes.

With Timur's great talent and strategy, he would definitely build various cement straight roads with Samarkand as the center, just like those in the Ming Dynasty.

His cavalry and his army can reach where they want to go more quickly, and their mobility is more than increased several times.

And the control over the conquered areas can also be greatly enhanced.

From this perspective, Zhu Ying seems to be aiding the enemy.

However, Zhu Ying knew very well that no matter how powerful the Timurid Empire was, as long as Timur died, the entire empire would inevitably fall apart.

It can even be said that the more powerful it is, the faster it will collapse.

The main reason for this is inheritance.

It’s not that Timur’s successors were not good enough, but it was due to his system.

There are precedents for such a system.

No matter how powerful Genghis Khan was, or how large the area he ruled was, the Mongol Empire still left nothing behind.

It has no culture of its own and no unique institutional support.

After all, it was just a flash in the pan.

Zhu Ying was very confident that he could outlive Timur within his lifetime.

Timur is a few years younger than the old man, but even so, he is already fifty-seven years old this year.

Zhu Ying, who is only 19 years old, said she does not feel any pressure at all.

Timur and the Ming Dynasty were so far apart that the only thing they could do was an arms race.

Timur is now, nominally, still a subject of the Ming Dynasty.

Besides, Zhu Ying could think of it.

When the cement formula was passed on to Timur, it would inevitably intensify the escalation of class contradictions.

Timur would inevitably continue to forcibly conscript slaves for construction, and all the conquered places would have their populations ravaged.

If Timur had built a straight cement road across the Eurasian continent during his lifetime.

Then I really have to thank him.

After this, how much effort will be left?

Thinking of this, Zhu Ying felt that secretly trying to rob the money that Shaharu had transported to the capital seemed petty.

Let’s just grab it.

Timur was only fifty-seven years old after all, and he still had many years to live.

When Timur dies, it will be a very good choice to support Pirmahema to stabilize a piece of territory.

It is reasonable to intervene in name only.

While Zhu Ying was thinking, he didn't realize that the distance between him and Ye Yueqing was getting closer and closer.

…

The news of Zhu Ying and Ye Yueqing's spring outing soon reached Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just left court.

"This kid finally got it. It makes us anxious."

"Jiang Lin, how long is it until the date set by the Imperial Observatory?" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and asked Jiang Lin beside him.

Jiang Li said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the date set by the Imperial Observatory is March 18th, and there are still thirteen days left."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

In another seven or eight days, according to Dasun's budget, Zhengyang Avenue can be fully opened.

However, this time will be delayed to the thirteenth.

It will only be officially opened after the grand ceremony of the Great Sun.

At this time in the Huagai Palace, in addition to Jiang Lin and the eunuch Liu He who holds the seal of the Silijian, the ministers of the five ministries are also present.

Apparently a ceremony was going on.

The matter of the eldest grandson was just a small episode.

"Minister Zhao, please continue talking about spring ploughing." Turning around, Zhu Yuanzhang instructed.

For an agricultural civilization like the Ming Dynasty, spring ploughing at the beginning of each year is the most important time of the year.

This concerns the fortune of the entire Ming Dynasty for the whole year.

Before spring ploughing, people not only have to offer sacrifices and pray, but also pray for good weather and good harvests this year.

In addition, the release of high-yield crop seeds this year is also a very critical issue.

After the Minister of Revenue Zhao Mian bowed, he began to report on his current situation.

Although the number of sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn and other crops seems to be large after last year's autumn war, it is naturally impossible to cultivate them on a full scale for such a vast territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the choice of region is very important.

At present, the main investment areas, according to Zhu Ying’s previous proposal, are mainly in the northwest region.

The two most important places are Shaanxi and Shanxi, which together account for 60%.

The remaining 20% ​​belonged to Northern Zhili.

In the first half of last year, northern Zhili suffered from severe drought and flooding, and food shortages were quite serious.

It’s just because high-yield crops don’t consume water that they only account for 20%.

The remaining 20% ​​was divided equally among the other chief secretaries.

Since other provinces have vast rice-growing areas, it is impossible to destroy farmland to grow these high-yield crops. The main distribution targets are those who do not have land at home.

Among them, farmers who grow crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn will receive preferential policies from the court to reduce taxes by half within three years.

The Ministry of Revenue is now mobilizing all its forces. Not only the local departments, but also the capital has sent a large number of officials to conduct extremely strict inspections of all areas where grain seeds have been distributed.

It is imperative to ensure that grain seeds are delivered in place and that they are planted carefully.

It has to be said that Zhao Mian, who was able to become the Minister of Revenue, was very strict in the designated regulations.

If you don’t have some talent these days, you can’t get by under Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was looking at the memorial filled with regulations and plans while listening to Zhao Mian's story, frowning slightly and nodding slightly from time to time.

Don't underestimate the current Ming Dynasty court.

After Zhu Yuanzhang purged Hu Weiyong and his cliques, the current Ming Dynasty seemed to have no particularly talented people.

But it is actually just a historical record.

Whether compared with the entire 300 years of the Ming Dynasty or with previous dynasties, the ministers in the current Ming court are the best in terms of comprehensive abilities and serving the people, and the government is honest and upright.

Zhu Yuanzhang controlled the government alone. Although this method was extremely tiring, the benefits were also very obvious.

No matter whether it is a matter of size or any kind of emergency military matter, there is never any possibility of procrastination.

It is difficult for officials in the court to get promoted if they have no real talents, and most of them are demoted continuously.

The situation where the capable are promoted and the weak are demoted is very clear in the Ming Dynasty court today.

This is true even for local officials.

As the saying goes, imperial power does not extend to the countryside.

But now Zhu Yuanzhang's edicts were unimpeded and obeyed by everyone, whether in the county or the countryside, or even within the clan.

This is also why most of Zhu Yuanzhang's edicts, except for some official announcements such as sacrifices, were in plain language.