Taking care of Zhu Yunhuan gave Zhu Ying the same feeling as taking care of a child.

But now his son Zhu Wencheng does not need Zhu Ying to take care of him.

Little Wencheng, who was born in the 28th year of Hongwu, will be three months old in a few months this year.

Sure enough, love can be transferred.

At this time, Zhu Ying also felt the same way as Zhu Yunwen once did.

The old man occupied little Wencheng all day long and seldom came to Kunning Palace. Even for sleeping, he often let little Wencheng sleep in Qianqing Palace.

Even Ye Yueqing can't do it.

Zhu Yuanzhang would also bring him to the morning court and usually let him play in the back hall.

With Zhu Yuanzhang's company day after day, little Wencheng felt particularly familiar and attached to him. Sometimes when he felt bored in the back hall, he would stagger and crawl directly to the Fengtian Hall.

How could the eunuchs and palace maids dare to stop him? Once he was stopped, tears welled up in Xiao Wencheng's eyes and he was about to cry.

This is the apple of your majesty's eye. Crying for him would be a serious sin.

More than a dozen palace maids and eunuchs could only watch as Xiao Wencheng went to the Fengtian Palace.

The palace guards were like statues and no one dared to provoke them.

There was still a ceremony going on in the Fengtian Hall. When they saw the little guy come in, all the ministers fell silent.

If nothing unexpected happens, the little guy in front of him who falls over after taking two steps will be the future heir to the Ming Dynasty.

At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang would usually walk down from the Golden Throne Hall with a smile on his face, then pick up the little guy and return to the dragon throne to continue the court meeting.

After a few visits, the court officials became familiar with each other.

Zhu Yuanzhang's smile never stopped because of Xiao Wencheng's closeness.

Sometimes Zhu Ying also has a headache.

The old man dotes on him too much, and little Wencheng has the potential to become a little bully in the palace. He is simply fearless.

In fact, if you want to educate a child, you must let him know what he can and cannot do from an early age.

Whenever Zhu Ying used his fatherly authority to teach little Wencheng a lesson, Zhu Yuanzhang would always come out to take sides and protect him tightly.

"You weren't spoiled like this back then, and now you're still disciplining your own child. I think you're the one who needs discipline."

"We see that you are doing well now, which means our approach is correct."

The old man spoke so confidently that Zhu Ying couldn't continue.

Could it be that you didn't teach me at all?

However, on this point, the old man refused to give in. No matter how many ideas Zhu Ying had, it was all in vain. He could only let it go for now.

…

Guangzhou government office.

The Crown Prince's itinerary was not too secretive. Even if he was traveling incognito, the local authorities would naturally be able to get some information.

This is also for safety reasons.

However, the prefect Jin Shigui became a little anxious.

"Why did this grandson come to Guangzhou? I have a bad feeling in my heart. I had a nightmare last night and my left eyelid kept twitching when I woke up."

"I feel uneasy today. I hope nothing bad will happen."

The prefect Jin Shigui said to the associate prefect Xiong Xiaoyan next to him.

Tongzhi Xiong Xiaoyan subconsciously flattered him and said, "Your Excellency, the saying is right. The left eyelid twitches for wealth, while the right eyelid twitches for disaster. Your Excellency's left eyelid twitches while the right eyelid does not. This clearly means that wealth will come, not disaster."

"And dreams usually come in the opposite direction, so I think something good is going to happen."

Prefect Jin Shigui shook his head: "That's true, but what I'm most worried about is that the crown prince has gone to Hong Kong Island."

"The Crown Prince pays attention to maritime trade. He must be heading to the seaside when he comes to Guangzhou. You know what the situation is like at the pawnbrokers in Hong Kong. If the Crown Prince sees you, I'm afraid there will be big problems."

The deputy magistrate Xiong Xiaoyan thought for a moment and said, "The magistrate of Xin'an County is your brother-in-law. Even if the crown prince finds out, at most he will be stripped of his official hat."

"He is sensible and will definitely not bring trouble to you. He has made so much money in the past two years. I think it is enough even if he is fired. In the future, your clan will also go through maritime trade, so it is just right for your brother-in-law to take over."

Prefect Jin Shigui nodded and said, "That's right. I have also arranged for people to work at the Hong Kong dental clinic. Most of the blame will be borne by me. The county government will only be held responsible for negligence, but the crime will not be punishable by death."

"However, His Royal Highness is well versed in business and can see through everything. If I ask directly, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to avoid."

"Xiong Tongzhi, go and arrange two fast horses to rush to Xin'an County overnight via the post station and pass on the news that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince may arrive."

"Let them speak with one voice. For the time being, close down the Hong Kong dental clinic and take down its sign. We can discuss everything after the Crown Prince returns to Beijing."

"If there are any foreigners causing trouble, find an excuse to arrest them and put them in jail first."

It is better to be safe than sorry.

Although we have only received news that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived in Guangzhou, the prefect Jin Shigui has already made a contingency plan as soon as possible.

Even so, the prefect Jin Shigui did not completely ignore the matter.

Instead, he asked his servants to prepare the horses.

"I'm going to go see Lord Guan and talk about this matter." Prefect Jin Shigui said as he walked, obviously feeling a little anxious.

He was talking about Guan Xianghai, the governor of Guangdong Province and his immediate superior.

There was no government office in Guangzhou before, but it was divided between Panyu County and Nanhai County.

The city was also the seat of the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office.

Two years ago, due to the booming maritime trade, the two counties developed rapidly and were connected together, so the court established the Guangzhou government.

Jin Shigui was the first prefect of Guangzhou.

The jurisdiction of the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office is not small.

In addition to Guangdong Province, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macao, and Beihai City, Fangchenggang City, Qinzhou City in Guangxi are also included.

In total, it has jurisdiction over ten prefectures, seventy-seven counties, and eight scattered states.

There were two provincial governors in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the left and the right provincial governors, both of whom were second-rank officials and were real frontier officials.

This was because Zhu Ying separated the military and politics, taking away all the military power of the governor and leaving only government affairs. Otherwise, the thirteen governors and twenty-six provincial governors of the Ming Dynasty, even the personal guards, would not have offended him easily.

Guan Xianghai was the Left Governor.

In the Ming Dynasty, the left was respected. The so-called left and right actually meant the principal and deputy. Although their official positions were of the same rank, Guan Xianghai was undoubtedly the top leader and controlled greater power.

The most critical problem of Hong Kong Island is not taxes, but oil and water.

There is a lot of oil and water here, and naturally most of it will flow upwards.

The title of Crown Prince was so scary that it made Jin Shigui tremble with fear.

The office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Ordinary people are not welcome here, and officials from prefectures, states, and counties are not even qualified to enter the yamen.

"Please inform the governor of Guangzhou, Jin Shigui, that he would like to see Lord Guan."

Here, Jin Shigui also has to be polite and well-behaved.

As the saying goes, a higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking official. He is only a fourth-rank official, which is several levels lower than his rank.

"Master Jin, please wait a moment. I will go and report." The gatekeeper would naturally not make things difficult for Jin Shigui. Although there was a saying that there were seventh-rank officials in front of the prime minister, Jin Shigui was a powerful official, so his treatment would naturally be different.

Not long after, the doorman came over to invite Jin Shigui in.

"Master Guan was taking a nap just now. I heard that Master Jin has arrived and is already waiting in the study. Please follow me quickly, Master Jin, and don't keep Master Guan waiting for too long."

Jin Shigui hurried to catch up.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs is not a small office.

It almost feels like a garden in itself.

It is not only used for office purposes, but also the left and right envoys usually live in the yamen.

This was also the Ming Dynasty's regulation for officials. As long as accommodation was provided in the yanei, officials had to live in the yanei unless they were on business trips, reporting on their work or for other reasons, so that government affairs could be handled and summons could be received.

Most government offices are located in halls, but in the provincial government, the halls are basically just for decoration, and officials go to their superiors' study to listen to their instructions.

Jin Shigui comes here quite often, so we are quite familiar with him.

After passing through a few quiet paths, we arrived at the door of Guan Xianghai's study.

There are a lot of things to pay attention to here, because there are two adults living in the Yanei Mansion. If you take the wrong road, you will end up at the governor's residence on the other side.

After entering the door, Jin Shigui closed it and then bowed and said, "Master Guan."

Guan Xianghai is only sixty years old, and being able to sit in this position, he is naturally considered half a founding hero.

This was also due to the Hu Weiyong case, in which a large number of officials were implicated and stepped down, giving Guan Xianghai the opportunity to rise to power.

"You are well-informed. If you didn't come, I would have called you over. Don't bother with those empty words. Just sit down." It was the middle of the day, and it was time for a break. Guan Xianghai naturally knew the purpose of Jin Shigui's visit.

Talking this way also gives people a feeling that everything is under control.

"Sir, I have arranged for people to rush to Xin'an County overnight to stop everything first to avoid any accidents. After all, this is the crown prince." Jin Shigui reported first.

Guan Xianghai put down the scroll in his hand and nodded, saying, "This is the right thing to do. The Crown Prince has been away for ten years and is well versed in some of the dirty tricks. If the Crown Prince sees your shameful deeds, they will probably be dug out."

"Don't think that the fire won't burn you just because you have someone to back you up. These people are not from the Supervisory Office. They won't care about the limits. The Crown Prince has always been thorough in his work."

"I have received the news. It is just as you thought. The prince's itinerary is probably heading to Hong Kong Island."

"Recently, Zhang Bo, the chief steward of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, is contacting various families to prepare for the establishment of the Ming Ocean Trade Chamber of Commerce. Judging from the sea route, Hong Kong Island will undoubtedly be valued by the Crown Prince."

"Logically speaking, with the current development of Hong Kong Island, the county government should have been established long ago. It's only because of your nonsense that I turned a blind eye and dragged it out. Now that the crown prince is here, it can't be dragged on any longer. I have arranged for people to prepare, and have also reported it to the Ministry of Personnel."

"Don't think that the news will pass. It won't. All those who notified you to do so should stop. We also need someone to keep an eye on the affairs of the dental clinics in Hong Kong."

After listening to this, Jin Shigui cursed inwardly, "The old fox."

At least more than half of the money that was handed over went into the old man's pocket, but now he tried to evade all the charges in words and deeds, and took all the credit for it himself.

If something really happened, it would just be a crime of negligence, and it wouldn't even have much impact on his official position.

But he didn’t know whether he could keep the official hat on his head.

Even so, Jin Shigui had no solution at all.

This old fox is very cautious.

Even when the Ming Dynasty was investigating corruption, no one got involved. The key point was that no one had evidence of his corruption.

The old fox will not keep all the money that is offered.

Instead, he followed the instructions of a nephew of the old fox's relative and went to different chambers of commerce to buy antiques, calligraphy and paintings.

These antiques, calligraphy and paintings are, of course, all fake. Everyone knows this clearly, but they still buy them as if they were real.

The so-called chamber of commerce is nothing more than a cover-up, and the money will be laundered slowly after several transfers.

In the end, the money will not go to the old fox, not even to his direct relatives, but to a member of the clan.

Jin Shigui could even guess that before he came over, the old fox must have sent a message to cut off all the lines, so even a thorough investigation would not lead to him.

There aren't even a few valuable ornaments in this study, and you can see that Guan Xianghai's lining has several patches.

He is so honest and incorruptible. No wonder he has been able to stand firm for so many years and even received rewards from Your Majesty.

As of now, even if Guan Xianghai's property was confiscated, all his belongings combined might not be worth a thousand strings of precious coins.

Jin Shigui sometimes couldn't figure it out.

If you don't enjoy life, why would you covet money?

The meals were often yesterday's leftovers, and the clothes were mostly linen, with no silk or satin. How could there be any fun in this life?

Not long after, Jin Shigui came out.

The old fox didn't say it explicitly, but Jin Shigui already knew that things were much more different and serious than he had imagined.

It is unlikely that the Crown Prince will not see it, so the most important thing now is to arrange a retreat and survive.

…

"Brother, it's so lively here. It actually gives me the feeling of being in the capital."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at the densely packed crowd and couldn't help but sigh.

They are now in Guangzhou, and among the people coming and going, there are a lot of foreign faces, just like in the capital.

Its level of prosperity is comparable to that of the capital outside the outer city.

For trade voyages in the South Seas, the closest port is Guangdong, which is undoubtedly the first stop for foreign maritime merchants.

Since the lifting of the maritime ban, Guangzhou has been changing every day. A large number of overseas businessmen have continued to pour in, and the floating population has even reached nearly one-fifth of the local population.

All ships bound for the capital must stop here for replenishment first, and all ports and docks are basically open all night long.

The massive influx of population naturally created many job opportunities.

For many people, making money from foreigners is very quick and comfortable.

The strength of the Ming Dynasty made foreigners from all over the world feel a certain degree of awe when they came here. Basically, most of the foreigners would not bargain when buying or consuming here. They would just pay the price marked and were very honest.

Zhu Ying can be seen walking on the street.

The sesame seed buns that cost a few cents in other places cost ten cents here.

I just went to a random restaurant to have a meal and spent almost thirty strings of treasure notes.

This is because he was accompanied by more than twenty guards.

Zhu Ying saw a table of foreigners with dishes similar to his own, and they paid seven strings of cash for the bill, while his own table only paid five strings of cash.

This is a mad attempt to plunder the foreigners. There is complete discrimination in treatment, and they are not afraid of getting their skin peeled off.

Although it felt great, Zhu Ying knew that it would not last long and would easily ruin the reputation of the Ming Dynasty.

It is obvious that the foreigners all know that they have been cheated, but this situation is very common.

Zhu Ying shook his head secretly.

A relatively fair trading environment is the only way to last. The Ming Dynasty's commodities themselves have great advantages. With rich real estate and self-sufficiency, the Ming Dynasty has a very high trade surplus, so there is no need to do so.

Most of them are just small people who are greedy for profit.

In today's world, the impression of the Ming Dynasty is entirely spread by these overseas businessmen.

On the surface, these overseas businessmen have no choice but to say bad things behind their backs.

What about the Ming Dynasty being so powerful that it oppressed the people of small countries and so on.

If left unchecked, the negative impact will continue to increase, especially the differential treatment will be very detrimental to the Ming Dynasty's absorption of overseas talents.

"It seems that it is time to set up a market supervision and management department. They are used to slaughtering foreigners, and I am afraid that they will not let their own people go."

"These vendors are now not friendly to Chinese people, but they are very enthusiastic when they see foreigners."