At this moment, Zhu Biao also put down his memorial. Like Old Zhu, he listened attentively to Zhu Xiong Ying's explanations, plans, and preparations.
They would occasionally raise questions to examine Zhu Xiong Ying's preparations, to see if Zhu Xiong Ying truly understood the matter, or to see if Zhu Xiong Ying had been misled by his subordinates.
Emperor Zhu was overjoyed, because his grandson had clearly done in-depth research on reopening the Maritime Trade Office.
Not only did they send people to find some materials from the pre-Yuan and pre-Song periods, but they also sent people to find some officials, guides, merchants, etc. from the pre-Yuan period, and compared and confirmed them one by one. The theoretical work was quite rich and meticulous.
Therefore, selling goods to Japan seems to be a truly profitable business, with potentially huge profits.
The Crown Prince meticulously recorded everything: what items to prepare, where to trade with whom, and at what price. Even slight discrepancies were acceptable, as this was no longer the Yuan Dynasty.
Zhu Xiong Ying also listed out all the potential risks, such as how to navigate the ship, what risks might be encountered at sea, or the loss of ships and cargo.
There are definitely some risks involved, but the potential profits seem higher, which makes it tempting.
Moreover, in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, he didn't necessarily need his grandson to make a lot of money for the royal treasury; he mainly wanted to see how his grandson would perform in this matter.
Smiling, Old Zhu put down the memorial and said, "Ying'er, if we open the Maritime Trade Office, the Japanese pirates along the coast will inevitably rise again. The remnants of Zhang Shicheng and Chen Youliang will also stir up trouble."
"Grandfather, we can ignore those remnants for now. Our Ming Dynasty has stood for twenty years; those people are either old or dead. How many can they possibly remain?!" Zhu Xiong Ying immediately replied. "Besides, we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Your grandson wishes to obtain an imperial decree to inspect the coastal defenses of the southeast..."
Old Zhu immediately interrupted, saying, "In two years, you can start working on your Maritime Trade Office. In two years, I'll have that old fellow Tang He accompany you on your coastal defense inspections. By then, you might be the one to take over the canal and sea transport of our Great Ming Dynasty."
Zhu Biao smiled and said to Zhu Xiong Ying, "I have to prepare for the Northern Expedition and move the capital, so I don't have time to fight the Japanese pirates with you. Whether the Maritime Trade Office can be reopened depends on your ability."
Zhu Xiong Ying was overjoyed and immediately prostrated himself, saying, "Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! May the Emperor Emeritus live a long and prosperous life! Your son thanks Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"
Old Zhu chuckled and gently lifted his foot, kicking Zhu Xiong Ying to the ground. "We won't abdicate! We won't let you be the crown prince! You've been hoping we'd die soon, haven't you!"
“That won’t do. We have a promise that I will accompany my grandfather on his tour of the country!” Zhu Xiong Ying jumped up and went to Old Zhu to say, “When Father Emperor takes charge of the government, the Emperor Emeritus will take the Crown Prince on his tour of the country. We will go to Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan ceremony, and then we will go to our hometown of Fengyang.”
Old Zhu pointed at Zhu Xiong Ying and said with a smile, "Alright, if we ever abdicate, and you refuse to accompany us on our tour of the country, let's see how we deal with you!"
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