The weather looks like it's getting colder and colder, and even places like Yingtianfu aren't having an easy time. The damp cold in the south is unbearable, but of course, winters in the north are even harder to endure now, since there's no central heating or anything like that.
Fortunately, Zhu Yunying was the emperor, which meant that there was no need to worry about hunger or cold. Those around him, of course, did not suffer from hunger or cold. If members of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family were to encounter such problems, it would essentially mean that the empire was not only unstable, but also on the verge of collapse.
The Ming Dynasty is currently thriving, so there's no need to worry about many things.
However, the emperor needs to consider not only those around him, but also the common people of the world; these are the things he should care about.
These were no small matters. Even after more than thirty years of diligent governance by the emperor and his officials, they could not claim that hunger and cold would be eradicated throughout the land. In fact, even in Yingtian Prefecture, right under the emperor's nose, some people still suffered during the winter.
Or perhaps what Zhu Yunying needed to do wasn't just to ensure everyone was well-fed and clothed; his concern was ensuring the vast majority of people lived comfortably. But expecting everyone to live well is unrealistic.
Zhu Yunying looked at Ru Chang and said seriously, "Caring for orphans and widows, and supporting the elderly, are the duties of the imperial court. If any official of the Ming Dynasty neglects this matter, they will certainly not escape punishment. Do you understand?"
Ru Chang immediately replied affirmatively, "Your Majesty, I will certainly do my utmost and dare not allow the court's benevolent policies to be harmed."
The Ming Dynasty truly cared about its people, especially the elderly and children.
This was naturally because Zhu Yuanzhang came from a poor background, so he understood the hardships of the people. He himself had lost loved ones to disease and hunger, so he was determined not to let the tragedy of "wanting to care for one's parents but finding them gone" happen to others. To this end, he formulated the national policy of "governing the world with filial piety": to ensure that the elderly have someone to rely on and be cared for in their old age.
This is not just empty talk. When Zhu Yuanzhang first founded the country, he stipulated that: "People over seventy years of age shall be allowed to have one able-bodied person to care for them and shall be exempt from miscellaneous corvée labor."
This allows people to have more energy to work, and children to earn more money to support their elderly parents.
Needless to say, the system of almshouses was even more extensive. The elderly and children who were disabled, had no one to support them, or were from impoverished families could enter almshouses to receive care from the imperial court. This was not a policy unique to Yingtian Prefecture; it was a policy implemented throughout the entire Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yunying understood that even the best policies could sometimes be misinterpreted by lower-level officials or exploited by unscrupulous individuals. However, everyone also knew that they couldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater; the things that needed to be done must be done.
At this time, more supervision and stricter punishment are naturally needed. Although this cannot eradicate all illegal activities, it can at least instill a sense of fear in some people, which is very important.
Ru Chang has some things to do, but as the Minister of Personnel, there are some things that are not within his responsibilities.
However, Lian Zining was different; he was responsible for supervising all officials in the empire, and this was indeed his duty. This also included Song Zhong of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Jiang Huan of the Eastern Depot; they couldn't stay idle at this time, as they had to supervise all officials.
Zhu Yunying had always been very concerned about these henchmen and informants. He wasn't the kind of person who was rigid and inflexible. Even though he seemed to have weakened the Embroidered Uniform Guard a little, he only took back their power to handle cases. He wouldn't let the Embroidered Uniform Guard become as powerful as it had been in previous years, and he only provided some checks and balances on them.
As for the clamor of the civil officials, just listen to it. In any case, Zhu Yunying did not believe that all civil and military officials would be very honest just because there was no supervision. If there were no supervision, some officials would immediately lack restraint and would commit various illegal acts.
After Ru Chang left, Zhu Yunying carefully explained some things to Lian Zining. The sixteen censors were going to be busy; this winter was going to be tough. It wasn't the Little Ice Age, but the cold weather was just going to be very difficult for many people.
Song Zhong scurried to the Wuying Hall, beaming with joy, and said, "Your Majesty, there's some progress on the palm fruit matter."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunying was immediately delighted and asked excitedly, "Oh? Tell me quickly!"
This wasn't Zhu Yunying being naive; it was simply because palm oil was indeed extremely important to the Ming Dynasty. Some previous events had slightly exceeded Zhu Yunying's expectations, but now things were showing some promise, which was naturally very important.
Song Zhong immediately replied, "Your Majesty, palm oil comes from palm fruit. Those fruits are not from ordinary palm trees, but from the wood of the palm tree."
Mughu is actually located in Africa, probably in places like Somalia.
Hearing this, Zhu Yunying couldn't help but laugh. It seemed the Embroidered Uniform Guard had indeed accomplished some things. Their developments in Southeast Asia over the years had indeed had some effect.
This isn't just idle talk; it's a real phenomenon. The Embroidered Uniform Guard's spies have been operating openly and covertly throughout Southeast Asia, and now, needless to say, their network of channels is even more extensive.
This was no small matter for the Ming Dynasty; it was an absolutely major event. The Embroidered Uniform Guard's years of operation had brought the Ming Dynasty a wealth of intelligence about Southeast Asia, including information on various foreign countries and tribes, as well as their customs and specialties.
Besides maintaining connections with some local powerful families, Zhu Yunying also had agents within the Ming Dynasty in the imperial court. These were carefully cultivated by Zhu Yunying, and many people were aware of his intentions regarding Southeast Asia.
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