Chapter 3: Huzhongtianman (Part 3)
Ever since he witnessed the power of the matchlock gun in the Western Garden, Zhu Youhuan became more interested in reading and writing. He always talked about wanting to follow the emperor to the Western Garden to see the power of the matchlock gun again.
That's much more powerful than her slingshot! If she could be like her grandmother, she would definitely surprise her parents!
Seeing how diligent she was, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess felt much more at ease.
Concubine Zhou, fearing the throne would fall to someone else, urged them to have more grandchildren as soon as possible. Not only did Concubine Zhou do this, but the censors also boldly submitted memorials. The emperor rejected all of them and did not openly discuss the matter. However, the crown prince also had to handle government affairs, so how could he be completely unaware of this?
Although the emperor did not put any pressure on the prince and his wife, the invisible sense of oppression always lingered over their heads. Especially since the prince followed the emperor around, he was the first person to feel the pressure, whether from the emperor or the court officials.
At this moment, he finally understood why his mother had disapproved of his decision. In a marriage with a royal family member, the woman often bore the greater pressure. Furthermore, Wan Zhen'er had married into the royal family, unlike her aunt, Prince Ji, who had sought a husband. Under immense pressure, Wan Zhen'er still had to manage the household for him. And he, simply because he momentarily coveted the unique ease and stability of his wife's embrace, had changed her life like this...
Now all Zhu Jianshen can do is to provide a roof over his head for his wife and daughter and protect them from external storms.
In the 22nd and 23rd years of Yuanguang, Wan Zhen'er gave birth to a son and a daughter, named Zhu Youkai and Zhu Youhang respectively.
When giving birth to Zhu Youhang, Wan Zhen'er almost had a dystocia. If Xu Wangzhi had not been there, she would have been on the verge of death.
In the end, Zhu Youhuan ran to the Qianqing Palace crying, worried that he would become a motherless child. The emperor could not bear it anymore and ordered the Crown Princess to take good care of her health. No one was allowed to mention the matter of childbirth and the appointment of a second concubine. After that, the emperor secretly reprimanded the imperial concubine and told her not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Eastern Palace at will. Only then did the matter gradually fade away.
The emperor knew that having only one child was not a guarantee, but Zhu Jianshen and Wan Zhen'er had a very good relationship, which put them in a dilemma. She could certainly arrange for a concubine to solve the fertility problem, but that would cause other problems.
The emperor preferred Zhu Youhuan as the heir to the throne, mainly because Zhu Youhuan had the advantages of being the eldest grandson of the emperor and a daughter, which was just right for the emperor's future plans.
At this time, intelligence became a secondary factor. Of course, the emperor had already arranged educational resources for Zhu Youhuan. Even if he could not become a genius, at least he would not become a mediocre person.
Even if the results of training the future emperor were really not that good, the emperor still supported a group of new officials, at least to achieve the goal of "the centipede dies but its limbs are still stiff."
She left the seeds and turned over the soil, but it was not her turn to control whether they would bloom and bear fruit. One person could not make fundamental changes to the situation, and the country led by the emperor was destined to perish.
Zhu Yuhuan kept reminding himself in his heart that now he only had the six-word motto of "Do your best and leave the rest to fate".
"Grandma, what is this?"
The emperor was amused when he saw Zhu Youhuan approaching the potted plants in the hall. He deliberately teased her, saying, "Now that you are learning from Master Mu, can't you recognize it?"
Zhu Youhuan looked somewhat apprehensive. She stared at the plants in the pot for a long time before she said, "This... must be something new cultivated by the Academy of Sciences. I've never seen it before." As she spoke, she seemed to understand something and said with sudden realization, "I see. These must be the new grains that the fleet brought back from Pengzhou a while ago! Grandma, am I right?"
Seeing her waiting for praise, the emperor couldn't help but smile and said, "You guessed right. The fleet found these flowers and plants not far from Pengzhou, and they are now trial planting them in Changping, Fengrun and other places. In addition to these exotic flowers and plants, the crew also captured some small animals and sent them to the livestock shed in the palace for care. I will show them to you once they are trained."
"So that's how it is..."
The palace servants moved a round stool and placed it next to the flowerpot. Zhu Youhuan held his chin with both hands, looking at the plants in front of him that he had never seen before. He couldn't help but ask, "These flowers and plants must be very powerful, otherwise grandma wouldn't have planted them in the palace. What is this thing with a long beard? It doesn't look like the wheat that mother mentioned..."
The emperor, who was originally flipping through the memorial, couldn't help but smile upon hearing this and said, "These flowers and plants have their own special features. We'll be able to let them 'show off their talents' later."
"When?"
The emperor said calmly, "You will know after your birthday."
Zhu Youhuan was born in autumn, so by the time her birthday comes, the autumn harvest will have been over, and the results can be verified at that time.
Before Zhu Youhuan could ask more, the palace maid had already brought Prince Ji in. Seeing Zhu Youhuan there, she reached out and touched her head, smiling, "Why are you here, Huan'er? Are you taking a day off today?"
"Huan'er greets my great-aunt." After paying his respects, Zhu Youhuan replied politely, "Mister Mu is going to check my endorsement in the Palace of Heavenly Purity today, but the cabinet has something else to do. Huan'er is waiting here for Mister Mu to come back."
Prince Ji had the palace maid beside him hand the manuscript to the emperor, saying, "The customs and practices of Pengzhou brought back by the fleet have all been recorded in a book. Qiu Yang and I have recently assisted the academy in compiling and editing these manuscripts. It can be considered a preliminary book. Sister, please take a look and see if there are any areas for improvement."
Seeing the emperor carefully reading the manuscript, Zhu Youhuan pulled Prince Ji's sleeve and asked, "Grandma, why hasn't my aunt entered the palace? Grandma said that my aunt and uncle are going to Huizhou to be enfeoffed, and then they have to learn to sail, so they can't take me out to play."
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Prince Ji sighed and said, "Aunt Huai has gone to the Nanyang Academy to attend classes. After she finishes her studies, she will play with you, okay? Your aunt told me that Zhao'er will stay in the capital and doesn't need to go to Huizhou Port with us. You children will be together then."
"good--"
The emperor had already glanced through the manuscript in his hand and sighed, "The world outside is indeed different..."
Thanks to the perfume-making equipment also playing a role in the production of seawater filtration equipment, the filtered water now tastes much better and is no longer unpalatable, ensuring the fleet's long-term voyage. The fleet returned to the capital last spring, bringing back a wealth of goods. Not only did the construction of the Pengzhou Outer Prefecture gradually improve, but the fleet also traveled to another new continent, bringing back crops such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn that are now displayed in the palace.
These plants were first planted in Pengzhou for two seasons. Last year, in the 25th year of Yuanguang, Zhang Zhong and others referred to the method used in the Wunong Temple to test the quality of seeds, and screened out a batch of high-quality seeds. They sent them back to the capital together with some living plants and animals, and also attached a booklet describing the basic situation of these animals and plants, and asked the emperor to personally name them.
While the animals and plants brought back to the Ming Dynasty weren't completely new, they were also quite different from the creatures native to the land. Consequently, when the fleet arrived at Tianjin Port last year to unload its cargo, it caused quite a stir. However, at the time, people were so amazed by the unprecedented animals that they paid little attention to the plants that had returned with them.
Thinking of this, the emperor picked up his pen and wrote the word "sweet potato" next to the picture drawn on the booklet.
Zhu Youhuan tilted his head, wondering what exactly the so-called "different" meant.
Although she didn't quite understand why her grandmother was so emotional, she could vaguely hear a sigh in her emotion, but she didn't understand what kind of emotion it was.
Prince Ji comforted him, "There will always be opportunities in the future."
The emperor knew the answer well, so he just smiled at Zhu Youhuan and said, "If there is a chance, we should take our future grandson out for a walk, right?"
Zhu Youhuan exclaimed, "Really? Where are you taking me, Grandma?"
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go out of the palace for a walk today."
"good!"
By this time, most Ming cities were thriving with commerce and factories. Common men were employed in factories crafting armor, firearms, and other tools, while women primarily served in service and manufacturing roles. This was especially true in the capital, where women were increasingly found working in the streets and alleys. The wide-sleeved, loose-fitting clothing that had been gaining popularity in the capital gradually shortened as work became more frequent, mirroring the narrow sleeves of the Hongwu era.
Twenty years ago, it would have been rare for a woman to appear in public like this, but nowadays, people have long been accustomed to such scenes.
There are many jobs in the city, and most of them are now hired instead of labor. Although money will be taken from the hired wages, it is still better than working for the government for free in the past. What's more, one more person means one more cent, so all the laborers in the family, regardless of gender, go into battle.
Seasonal jobs to a certain extent, such as perfume and essential oil manufacturing, are even easier. They can adjust the time men and women in the family spend working outside, and there is no need to worry about no one taking care of housework. Although it is a bit hard work, the salary is also considerable.
It was mid-spring, and most people in the capital wore casual clothes. The emperor, dressed in a Taoist robe and a scarf, looking like a scholar, seemed a little out of place. Fortunately, there were quite a few women of the same age as their sisters with children, so they did not make the emperor too conspicuous, nor did they cause too much worry to the female attendants following not far away.
The emperor noticed people around him looking at him from time to time, and he said with a somewhat amused look, "I haven't been out for a long time. I really can't keep up with the style of the capital. I never thought this outfit would be so eye-catching."
Prince Ji seemed to have anticipated this situation. He smiled and teased, "With the booming commerce these days, Tianjin Port is even busier than Tongzhou used to be. People even say 'a scholar is good for nothing.' How can he compare to those traveling merchants who, by paying for the opportunity to go to sea, can double their profits... Even if you really want to be an official, you should get one in the Maritime Affairs Bureau." Then, she consoled him, "You're a little conspicuous walking down the street in this outfit. You'll be fine once you get together in a teahouse. Sister, you don't know, but teahouses are full of storytellers these days, and there are more and more storybooks."
The emperor pondered for a moment, as if he was about to speak, and finally sighed, "Alas... let him be."
Zhu Youhuan was still young, and his heart and eyes were attracted by the snacks and toys sold by street vendors. He pulled the emperor to pay for them.
"Young lady, you really have good taste! This is a large shipment from Tianjin Port. You can't buy it anywhere else!"
The emperor met his granddaughter's expectant gaze, took out a small ingot of silver from his purse, handed it to the merchant to weigh, and said, "Give me three of each of these for my grandchildren."
"Three of each, this money isn't enough." The merchant met the emperor's gaze and said with a bitter face, "This large ship's cargo is fine, but the government charges a lot, so our prices have to change accordingly..."
Prince Ji uttered an exclamation, "Aren't you just trying to raise the price—"
The emperor waved his hand and said, "That's it. Let's buy it quickly and go to the teahouse. Don't delay listening to the book."
After the three of them took the wrapped toys, Prince Ji said, "Although my sister doesn't want Ryukyu to send her any more Zhuozi fans, and has replaced them all with sulfur, raw copper, and tin...but this fan looks much better made than the tribute we sent before, the craftsmanship is on a completely different level. Qiu Yang and I bought two mud-gilt fans a while ago, and they were also exceptionally well made. They're selling for twenty-five taels of silver!"
The emperor held Zhu Youhuan's hand and said, "Before, it was used to fool us. Now it is to be sold to merchants in the Ming Dynasty. Of course, it is different."
Zhu Youhuan fiddled with the fan in her hand and said, "Every time the fleet came back, grandma gave me and my brothers and sisters a lot of good things, but I've never seen any of these..." She blinked, as if she understood something, and said righteously, "They must have bought them secretly without grandma's knowledge, and maybe they didn't even pay for them!"
The Emperor and Prince Ji smiled at each other. The Emperor praised, "Our Huan'er is really clever. Grandmother taught you that this should be called 'smuggling'." She narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "The trend of valuing profit has spread from top to bottom. It needs to be dealt with."
Zhu Youhuan didn't know what his words would bring, so he just asked, "Then... Grandma, are we still going to listen to the story?"
"Of course I have to listen. In recent years, when I have free time, I only watch dramas. I haven't listened to books for a long time."
Speaking of this, Prince Ji became interested and said, "There are a lot of storybooks these days..."
As the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren arrived at the intersection where Taiping Teahouse was located, they saw from afar a lot of people standing at the door, all craning their necks to look inside.
Prince Ji then slapped his head and said, "I forgot that we were going to display the map today."
Zhu Youhuan took a bite of the candy and asked, "Map? What map?"
The emperor sighed and said, "It's the 'Complete Map of the Land and Sea of the Great Ming Dynasty'. It will be faster to create than to compile the 'Strategy of the South Seas'."
Since the fleet's return the previous year, the emperor has ordered the Academy of Sciences to assist the fleet members in redrawing the map, expanding it to include the areas explored so far. This map, the first to focus on areas outside the Ming mainland, includes the outer prefectures of Pengzhou and the newly discovered Nanyang. While the scale is relatively realistic, detail is lacking. Its primary purpose is to help Ming people appreciate the vastness of the world.
"Your Majesty has ordered the temporary publication of three copies of this map: one to be kept in the palace, one to be sent to the Nanyang Academy, and the third to be embroidered by a female worker and hung in the Taiping Teahouse."
Zhu Youhuan became interested and said, "I haven't seen it! I want to see it too!"
The emperor and Prince Ji smiled at each other.
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