Old Zhu had always had complete confidence in his beloved grandson. This was the successor he, Zhu Chongba, had carefully groomed, so naturally he couldn't be bad. Moreover, over the years, even though they occasionally had differing opinions on some matters, Old Zhu had always trusted his grandson implicitly.
Since my grandson brought this up and wasn't trying to whitewash the situation, then he certainly wasn't. Since this isn't some unfounded auspicious omen, then that palm oil must have some merit.
If the grandson said that this was not an intentional attempt to give Feng Cheng a hereditary title, then there certainly wasn't such a thing.
This is Old Zhu, this is his confidence in Zhu Yunying, which has remained basically unchanged over the years.
Although Zhu Yunying was confident, he still had to explain, "Grandfather, I have always enjoyed reading history books, and I have found some things quite interesting. For example, the Kunlun slaves mentioned in the Tang Dynasty history, or the Abbasid Caliphate, those places seem quite interesting. Also, the journey of the monk Xuanzang to India, he visited many places along the way."
Old Zhu chuckled and said, "You're thinking about Kunlun slaves, while your brother is thinking about Silla maids. It seems we've dealt with quite a few Silla maids from his territory."
Zhu Yunying quickly changed the subject, saying, "We've all worked so hard, isn't it all so that they can enjoy life? If the whole family works hard, that would be a good thing. But even if some members of the imperial clan like to enjoy life, it's fine. They can enjoy themselves while we take care of everything, big and small, and be happy in our hearts."
Old Zhu understood this feeling all too well. Back then, he worked day and night not only to govern the Ming Dynasty better, but also to ensure that his descendants could enjoy a good life and not suffer like he did.
It's okay to suffer a little myself, as long as my family is doing well, then it will all be worth it, no matter how hard it is.
The pig continued, "In the early years, we always thought about lifting the sea ban, thinking that during the Song and Yuan dynasties, our Central Plains sent out a lot of good things. Even when the Southern Song Dynasty was in a corner of the country, we never heard of the court being short of money."
The Song Dynasty was truly wealthy; the richness of Bianjing (Kaifeng) was no joke. Despite the constant sending of tributes, the people of the Song Dynasty remained prosperous.
It's important to understand that grain production during the Song Dynasty didn't see a dramatic increase, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun didn't even exist at that time. Despite their relatively small land area, their economy was highly developed, not only because of the Song Dynasty's economic activity, but also because overseas trade played a crucial role.
Old Zhu said somewhat reluctantly, "They say all merchants are cunning. If everyone is busy being a merchant, who will have the mind to farm? What's the use of making a lot of money? That stuff can't fill your stomach."
Old Zhu has always looked down on businessmen, and this hasn't changed in the past or present. And Old Zhu's mindset is quite normal; indeed, in this era, the vast majority of people look down on businessmen.
Ignoring Old Zhu's thoughts, Zhu Yunying continued, "Let's not talk about those things for now. Let's talk about these wild and untamed overseas lands. Whether it was Japan in the past or Southeast Asia now, they were places we looked down on before, but they do have some good things."
Old Zhu fell silent. He knew it was true. In fact, Old Zhu had never imagined that there were so many good things overseas. It was simply unbelievable!
Zhu Yunying also said somewhat jokingly, "In the early years, when we wanted to lift the sea ban, my grandfather was not very willing, but we kept making a fuss, and he softened. We know all of this. If my grandmother and mother hadn't passed away, my grandfather wouldn't have handed the navy over to us back then."
Old Zhu also admitted this, "That's exactly how it is. You were precocious from a young age, and you were more thoughtful than other children. If your grandmother and mother hadn't passed away, we wouldn't have indulged you so much. Your father also said back then that it was just some navy, and he would let you cause trouble if you wanted, but you would just shut up if you couldn't make a name for yourself."
Zhu Yunying said unhappily, "But we've made a name for ourselves. Although we capsized a few ships at the beginning, we brought back a lot of good things from Southeast Asia. We knew that at that time, the navy was in our hands, but later our father took a liking to it, and a lot of things went to him before they even reached us."
Old Zhu laughed heartily and said with great pride, "We never expected you to cause such a stir. What use is it for a little kid like you to have some stuff from that place? It would be better to hand it over to the imperial court, or even better, send it to the imperial treasury. We're not after your money; the imperial court was short of silver at that time."
After Old Zhu finished laughing, he suddenly asked, "To be honest, you're probably going to kill someone, aren't you?"
Zhu Yunying sighed and said sadly, "They say that like father, like son, but what I have to say is that all of my father's illustrious name has been ruined by my descendants. Zhang He was originally the first general under my command, and I originally intended to make it a great story, but now, I almost had to tear down his tombstone."
Zhang He was indeed Zhu Yunying's top general. Although he was virtually unknown among the many brilliant founding generals of the Ming Dynasty at that time, he was still quite capable.
He was, after all, a former deputy commander of the Fuzhou Garrison, who was promoted to vice commissioner of the governor's office for his merits in suppressing Japanese pirates. Moreover, due to the difficult situation of canal transport in Liaodong, he was ordered to open up sea routes and supervise maritime transport affairs.
This was definitely a naval warfare expert who rose to the ranks of senior generals during the Ming Dynasty, and he was also one of Zhu Yunying's right-hand men in managing the South Seas, along with Zhu Shou.
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