In the bustling city of Yingtian, Old Zhu felt insignificant, even though he led a rather large group of people.
Sitting at a roadside stall, Old Zhu was getting a bit hungry. Nanjing's ducks are famous; the saying "Nanjing duck dishes are the best in the world" isn't an exaggeration. There are all sorts of ways to cook duck.
Old Zhu, holding his chubby grandson, said with a smile, "Let's have a bowl of duck blood vermicelli soup. We've been craving this ever since we first arrived in Yingtian Prefecture."
Zhu Zhu was somewhat disgusted by the dirty stall, but dared not say anything in front of Old Zhu. Her status as the legitimate daughter did indeed make her more favored, but Zhu Zhu also knew that her father was actually extremely biased and favored sons over daughters.
Zhu Yunying, who had a sword hanging at his waist, also ordered a bowl of duck blood vermicelli soup. As a student, he was allowed to carry a sword. Although swords were sometimes just for decoration, their usefulness should not be underestimated. Zhu Yunying carried the sword naturally in case of emergency; it's always better to have extra protection.
Old Zhu looked at the busy stall owner and asked with a smile, "Old man, how's this business?"
"It's alright, enough to make a living." If it weren't for big customers, or if he wasn't particularly busy, the stall owner might not have paid much attention to him. "Our location is good, enough to support a family."
Old Zhu was in a good mood and continued to ask with a smile, "That's not bad. We used to come from this side and your business seemed to be doing well. I estimate you've made two or three taels of silver this month."
Based on current prices, one tael of silver could buy about two shi of rice, and one shi now is about ninety-five kilograms.
The stall owner immediately laughed and said to Old Zhu, "No, that's not true. If it were only two or three taels a month, we'd be better off than the officials."
Although Zhu Yunying had previously proposed raising the salaries of Ming Dynasty officials, the initial salaries he offered were too low. Currently, a seventh-rank official's salary is only fifty taels of silver per year. In reality, the income of some small vendors is roughly the same.
Of course, not to mention those who are corrupt and break the law, officials also receive other subsidies, so their total income is definitely more than fifty taels.
The stall owner's son and daughter-in-law also came to help. The stall owner had some free time, and when he saw Lao Zhu waving, he smiled and sat down at Lao Zhu's table.
"Brother, judging from your accent, you must be from Linhao, right?" the stall owner said with a smile, looking at Old Zhu and asking, "People from Linhao speak differently than people from Yingtian Prefecture."
Old Zhu was a little excited and said happily, "Yes, we are from Linhao. We followed the army all the way to Yingtian Prefecture and settled here. Our children and grandchildren don't even have the Linhao accent anymore."
The stall owner had also noticed something and said with some envy, "So many outstanding people have come from Linhao. I didn't go out with them when I was young. If I had gone to war with the emperor, I might have become an official too."
The noble families of Huaixi wielded considerable power in the imperial court, and many of the old brothers who followed Zhu Yuanzhang from his hometown were still mid- to low-ranking officials and generals. Of course, countless others died in battle, and to survive until the founding of the Ming Dynasty and stand in the imperial court required both ability and luck.
The duck blood vermicelli soup tasted pretty good, and everyone seemed fairly satisfied. However, this incognito visit was clearly not just about that.
Zhu Yuanzhang was in high spirits. Seeing that the people of the Ming Dynasty were living well, he was filled with pride. He felt that he had completed his mission as emperor and that the Ming Dynasty would surely last for thousands of years.
We arrived at Zhuangyuanlou, a somewhat vulgar name, but there were many such restaurants in Yingtian Prefecture. Perhaps a top scholar actually stayed here, or perhaps it was just for good luck.
"If there is a great joyous occasion, you could hold a special imperial examination," Old Zhu said to Zhu Yunying, looking at the scholars in the restaurant. "We don't need to wait three years to hold an examination; we can hold one next year."
Zhu Yunying chuckled and said to Old Zhu, "We only had one exam this year, and it was a complete mess. It was a special imperial examination, which was perfect timing since we're ascending the throne. As for whether we'll hold another special imperial examination next year, I don't think it's necessary. Unless there's some extremely joyous occasion, we don't plan to hold one."
This can be considered Zhu Yunying's true feelings. Whether or not to hold a special imperial examination was not very important to him. He felt that the number of officials in the Ming Dynasty was already sufficient. The Ming Dynasty also had a considerable reserve of officials. Some candidates who failed the imperial examination could also be selected as officials, and there were also many scholars from the Imperial Academy who could become officials.
Of course, these officials were all at the lower levels, but the Ming Dynasty certainly didn't lack officials. After more than thirty years, the Ming Dynasty had developed well, and the number of scholars was increasing—all good news in Zhu Yunying's eyes, and a sign of the Ming Dynasty's growing strength.
Holding his beloved daughter, Joo Yoon-young was in a good mood, and his daughter was in an even better mood at that moment.
"We don't have to worry about her making a fuss tonight." Zhu Yunying laughed and kissed Zhu Ruyi's little face, saying, "She can't get enough of what she sees after we come out; everything is new and exciting."
Old Zhu nodded, and then said, "Our Yin'er finds everything new and exciting. He's never been out in the world before, just like a country bumpkin. Everything is new and exciting to him."
That's not entirely wrong. Little Zhu lives deep within the palace walls and is relatively unfamiliar with things outside. For him, everything he saw after leaving the palace this time was indeed new and interesting.
"Old man, what day is it?" An old man sitting next to him asked curiously, "The whole family is out. Your family is thriving!"
This touched Old Zhu's nerve, and he introduced them, "Our youngest daughter, our eldest daughter isn't in Yingtian Prefecture. This is our eldest grandson, this is our granddaughter-in-law, and that's his concubine. This little one is our great-grandson."
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