Watching his grandson devour his food, Old Zhu was very attentive, saying, "Eat more, you're still growing, so it's good for you to eat more."
Zhu Yunying raised his head, chewing on a crab claw, "We're not young anymore, we'll be four children soon."
Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu was even happier. He felt that his precious grandson was perfect in every way. He was much more promising than his own "late-born" son, and even more promising than his "devoted" son.
Having many children is also considered by many traditional Chinese people as proof of family harmony and prosperity.
After clinking glasses with Old Zhu and taking a leisurely sip of wine, Zhu Yunying was in a very good mood.
"Today, we heard that the ship from Nantou has returned," Old Zhu said, then sighed and said, "Once this matter becomes public, I reckon there will be a lot of criticism in the future. I'm afraid that history books will condemn you."
"After I die, who cares about the deluge!" Zhu Yunying said confidently, without a care in the world. "We'll do these things. We're not afraid of offending people or being criticized. When we were sent away by the Duke of Yansheng, I reckon those scholars didn't have a good impression of us."
Hearing Zhu Yunying say this, Old Zhu nodded with a smile. "We've been making a fuss about bringing Mencius out of the Confucian Temple, but you've just brought the Duke Yansheng back to his original state. We're just like that, grandfather and grandson. Those scholars feel that we've not only dug up their roots, but also deprived them of their status."
This grandfather and grandson are indeed like that; it would be strange if traditional scholars liked them.
Zhu Yunying continued smugly, saying, "What we've done is even more excessive. Those scholars look down on some craftsmen and officials, and we won't tolerate them. We may not take away their livelihoods, but we've certainly shaken their very foundations."
At this, Old Zhu couldn't help but laugh, feeling that these things were indeed Little Zhu's proudest achievements.
In the past, becoming an official depended on family background and recommendations, making it very difficult for those from poor families to rise in rank. The saying "the upper ranks have no poor scholars, and the lower ranks have no noble families" has considerable basis in fact.
As the imperial examination system continued to improve, many children from humble backgrounds gradually rose to prominence, entering the imperial court and achieving further upward social mobility. However, as many people also know, these individuals were traditional scholars.
However, the Imperial Court has not only provided the Ministry of Works Academy with a great deal of manpower and resources, but has even granted some master craftsmen official positions and titles. This has made many scholars feel that their foundation has been shaken, which is a truly serious matter.
The civil officials felt that their base of support was under attack, but there was nothing they could do, as they were dealing with a strong and opinionated emperor.
Old Zhu was in a good mood and said, "We're just worried about you. Originally, according to our plan and your father's, there were some things you wouldn't have to do, and you wouldn't have to work so hard. But now it's not possible; you have to do all these things."
Zhu Yunying didn't care and said matter-of-factly, "Who told me to be the emperor? I am the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming!"
These things were Zhu Yunying's responsibility, and these were his true feelings. His status was special, and all of this was what he was supposed to do.
Looking at Zhu Yunying, Old Zhu asked, "You'd better be aware that if you really do this, it's likely to cause some trouble later."
Joo Yoon-young has probably opened Pandora's box, which may bring a lot of trouble and even hidden dangers. But Joo Yoon-young doesn't think it's a big deal.
All of this stemmed from confidence in the assimilation capabilities of Han civilization, even though Han civilization seemed to possess a certain degree of exclusivity. However, Zhu Yunying was well aware that the people he had captured were savages from Southeast Asia, making them relatively easy to assimilate.
Looking at Zhu Yunying, Zhu Yunying said, "Right now, all we want is to live as long as our grandfather. We'll do these somewhat unethical things, and we can withstand the pressure. Liaodong won't be developed in a short time. Even in ten or twenty years, we won't see anything. We need to lay a foundation for several decades so that Liaodong can have a solid foundation and our descendants can take over in the future."
Regarding the planning of Liaodong, both Zhu De and Zhu Rongji had certain plans, which were quite similar.
Ultimately, both men valued Liaodong, but Zhu De believed it should serve as a buffer zone. In Zhu De's plan, all of this was preparation for the future; he didn't necessarily intend to develop Liaodong immediately.
After all, he wasn't very optimistic about the development potential of such a harsh and cold place as Liaodong. In the eyes of ordinary people, Liaodong was now a useless place, a barbaric land, an uncivilized place.
As for Zhu Yunying, we can't turn it into a major granary now, nor can we leave it to the wild boars to develop.
Zhu Yunying continued, "I think this time, we should also give some land to the nobles. Your Majesty knows that I wanted to distribute land before, and now the Ming Dynasty has a lot of land. It's just that we need to start trying in Liaodong."
Indeed, the Ming Dynasty currently has a sufficient amount of land overall, and it can even be said that there is more land than people, which is the reality.
However, Zhu Yunying was also quite concerned about the phenomenon of land annexation that had existed throughout history. He wanted to take precautions against such a recurrence.
Old Zhu smiled and nodded, even more satisfied. "Alright, you've basically accomplished everything you wanted to do. Go ahead and do it. We can still keep an eye on things for you. Even if we're gone, with your current power and your cunning, we're not afraid you won't be able to handle things."
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