Chapter 30 Nothing is impossible
Zhu Zhanji led a group of court officials to lead the army in person, leaving only Prince Xiang and others to govern the country. Unlike others who were nervous about Zhu Zhanji's personal expedition, Zhu Yuhuan was much more relaxed.
For Zhu Zhanji, this was a completely favorable situation and there was no pressure at all. For Zhu Yuhuan, who knew history, it was even simpler. It probably wouldn't be long before Zhu Zhanji would return to Beijing, which would completely establish his prestige as the emperor.
Zhu Yuhuan naturally devoted all his energy to the teahouse mentioned earlier.
What she said was not a joke. After all, she, like Zhu Zhanji, needed to win people's hearts.
Previously, Empress Dowager Zhang asked Zhu Yuhuan to give colored glass to several elderly court officials. The rare and transparent colored glass naturally attracted a lot of people's attention. Although Zhu Yuhuan could not use the "gift from the Empress Dowager" to do business, he could use the colored glass to make other things. In addition, the commonly popular practice was to color the glassware, so the number of products that could be made increased a lot.
Compared to things like soap and perfumed soap, the value of glass has doubled, and the profit is more. Even if a teahouse is built, it will not bring any pressure to the charity. Instead, it will allow those who have received assistance from the charity before to help repair the teahouse.
Zhu Zhanji was naturally extremely happy. In name, this shop had nothing to do with him, but in reality, a lot of the revenue went to him. Even though he was used to seeing gold and silver, he never thought that such a shop would have such a large turnover.
If he had not been ordered by his royal brother to stay behind to serve as regent, Zhu Zhanji would have wanted to take his eldest niece to the best restaurant in the capital to enjoy a delicious meal.
Zhu Yuhuan didn't know what Zhu Zhanji was thinking and was just busy with his own teahouse.
Although Emperor Taizu prohibited business, the economic sources of the princes and princesses depended on grants and rewards from the emperor. However, once real estate such as fields and imperial farms were involved, revenue would inevitably be generated. Therefore, the royal family never engaged in business on the surface, but they all had their own industries.
Seeing that the teahouse would be completed soon, with only some simple decoration and staff training left, Zhu Yuhuan hurriedly found several of his aunts.
After all, several aunts have donated money to the charity, so he should give something back. Besides, there is no need for Zhu Yuhuan to decorate the teahouse himself, so it would be better to ask the aunts to design it, which would make Zhu Yuhuan feel more relaxed.
Outsourcing engineering is a good thing.
However, several princesses were a little surprised. At least in their opinion, it was not their turn to do such a thing.
State affairs belong to the emperor, and family affairs also belong to the emperor, at least the empress is in charge. Only princesses like them seem to have nothing more than to become the gold thread on the edge of the Ming Dynasty brocade.
"Can we really do this?"
Seeing their hesitation, Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "The charity hall is run by women, the shop is run by women, and the teahouse is run by women. Is there anything that women can't do?"
The princesses were all stunned, and a feeling of excitement arose involuntarily in their hearts, but when they thought of the rules and ancestral teachings, the impulse seemed to be suppressed again.
Princess Jiaxing looked around and saw that they were all silent. Finally, she spoke, "I've learned a lot about flower arrangement and painting from Master-mother, so small things like this are naturally easy for me. Now that Huanhuan has said so, will Auntie still refuse you?"
With Princess Jiaxing taking the lead, the others naturally no longer hesitated and agreed.
Zhu Yuhuan met Princess Jiaxing's bright eyes and couldn't help but smile.
Although Princess Jiaxing was the daughter of Empress Dowager Zhang, the education received by the princesses was similar. There was only one ultimate template, which was to be dignified and virtuous. However, the daughter and mother were close, and their words and deeds were similar, which can be regarded as a kind of "nature is hard to change."
As for the operation of the teahouse, Zhu Yuhuan's target group was naturally the dignitaries in the inner city. After all, for ordinary people, drinking tea was just a way to quench their thirst, and only people in the inner city would consider the issue of elegance.
She had also made a special effort to observe the eating habits of the common people before, and found that they were richer than those in the palace. However, this was probably because the period of stability was too short, and the country had only been established not long ago, so productivity had limited development. The meals people ate were relatively simple, and they required that the appearance and taste of the ingredients be consistent, and the same was naturally true for the drinks. It was probably what it meant to "see the mountain as the mountain", which was completely different from the diverse cuisines of later generations.
Take Zhu Yuhuan herself for example, she often drinks thirst water, which is actually freshly squeezed juice. The juice is the same color as the fruit, and she hardly makes any decorations, except for carefully selecting some containers to hold the juice.
Of course, being able to drink juice in this era is a luxury in itself.
Furthermore, Shuntian's location in the north, practically close to the border, led to a different culinary style than in Yingtian, leaning towards Shandong cuisine, with rich flavors and a clear influence from the northern Tatars. While Zhu Di himself set an example by abstaining from beef and milk, his concubines, princes, and other relatives all received milk, and even ordinary people drank milk and secretly ate beef.
Zhu Yuhuan thought about it and decided to try out modern milk teas first, combining them with the most popular seasonal foods and slightly modifying the flavors. Besides the most common teas and modern milk teas and fruit teas, the teahouse would introduce new drinks based on the season to create a new ambiance.
The decoration of the teahouse prepared by the princesses soon came to fruition. The overall style was indeed elegant and handsome. Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh when he saw it. It was a pity that his aunts didn't go to the modern world to participate in some decoration programs such as exchanging spaces. This was a classic Chinese style.
In particular, they all grew up in Yingtian, have a relatively good understanding of the customs and culture of the south, and have a relatively elegant and quiet aesthetic, which is almost the same as Zhu Yuhuan's goals.
Zhu Yuhuan ran to the palace gate several times in a month, so it was inevitable that he would bump into officials in the court. However, most of them seemed not to see Zhu Yuhuan. Even when Zhu Yuhuan stood there carelessly, they just glanced at him and left, which made Zhu Yuhuan a little confused.
Zhu Zhanji shouldn't have told the officials about Zhu Yuhuan's casual entry and exit of the palace with the ivory token. Shouldn't she have been severely scolded for being caught in the act? Why did everyone seem to turn a blind eye to her?
In line with the principle of getting to the bottom of things, Zhu Yuhuan simply waited on the palace road and soon saw the person he was waiting for, who was none other than Chen Shan, the Minister of Revenue who stayed in the capital with Prince Xiang and Prince Zheng.
Although the name sounds unfamiliar, it is quite familiar to Zhu Yuhuan. This is because Chen Shan once served as Zhu Zhanji's lecturer and was also considered the emperor's teacher. As for the relationship, Zhu Yuhuan is not very clear, but Chen Shan has a good relationship with his grandfather. When Chen Shan fell off a horse and was injured, Zhu Gaochi even made medicine and wine for him. This incident appeared as a must-read material in Zhu Yuhuan's course on respecting teachers, and she had heard the palace people around her talk about it several times.
So even though Chen Shan didn't know her, Zhu Yuhuan actually knew a little about Chen Shan.
Chen Shan, who was stopped, was a little surprised. He didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to take the initiative to come forward, and he didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to recognize him.
He had heard that Princess Shunde studied like a prince, and even sneaked out of the palace to run a charity, but this matter had been approved by His Majesty, so as a minister, he naturally couldn't say anything. But he didn't expect Zhu Yuhuan to recognize him and come to him.
"I greet the princess."
Zhu Yuhuan said openly, "Mr. Chen is my father's teacher, and naturally my elder as well. No need to be polite."
Chen Shan was startled by her words and said hurriedly, "Princess, your words are really embarrassing..."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't hide anything and asked curiously, "Mr. Chen, why do you all seem to ignore me? I've been in and out of the palace quite frequently lately, so quite a few people must have seen me. Why hasn't anyone come forward to complain? Are they waiting for my father to come back and complain to me in person?"
She was mentally prepared to be criticized, but why did no one say a word? It made her mental preparation for so long go in vain.
Chen Shan was sweating profusely after hearing her words, and hurriedly said, "That's not the case..."
Zhu Yuhuan saw that he was avoiding the topic, but he gradually understood what was going on.
Chen Shan and Yang Shiqi were of similar age, and Chen Shan started serving as an official in the late Hongwu period. Everyone knew that Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Di, and even Zhu Gaochi were not easy kings to talk to. Although Zhu Zhanji was still young when he ascended the throne, he was able to lead an expedition against his uncle in person, which showed that he had abundant martial virtues, and killing one or two ministers would not be a big deal.
If the emperor doesn't speak, who dares to speak? Life is still precious...
Zhu Yuhuan gave him an understanding look, then said, "Thank you for your hard work, sir..."
She was about to say goodbye when Zhu Zhanji's voice came from not far away, saying, "Minister Chen is here too."
When Zhu Yuhuan saw that he was still smoothing his dragon robe with his hand, he knew that his fifth uncle had probably originally planned to come by carriage, but when he saw Chen Shan was there, he changed his mind and walked.
"I have seen King Xiang."
"Huanhuan has met Uncle Five."
Zhu Zhanji patted Zhu Yuhuan's head with a smile and said, "Don't be polite, we're family." He looked at Chen Shan beside him and asked, "Why are you stopping Minister Chen? There are still many affairs in the capital that need his attention."
Chen Shan understood and immediately said, "I'll go ahead."
Seeing his hurriedly leaving figure gradually disappear into the distance, Zhu Zhanji finally said, "This Minister Chen is extremely strict. He is very different from those people who taught you to read."
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said, "I'm just asking casually. An answer would be great, but no answer is also fine."
"What do you want to ask?"
Zhu Yuhuan expressed his doubts. Zhu Zhanji was surprised and asked, "Didn't my brother tell you?"
Zhu Yuhuan was a little confused and asked, "What did Daddy say to me?"
Zhu Zhanji heard the obvious doubt in her tone, so he bent down and put his arm around Zhu Yuhuan's shoulders, whispering, "When my royal brother said this, not many people were around. My second brother and I were present at the time. He was saying that the farm tools you were working on were, after all, the royal father's idea. When he returns from the expedition to Le'an, he'll start establishing and abolishing some government offices, promoting farm tools like he was promoting greenhouses."
Zhu Yuhuan was slightly stunned and thought to himself that it was no wonder that the female officials had no information at all. It turned out that this matter was revealed to the officials before departure. Zhu Zhanji valued the eunuchs and deliberately ignored the female officials. Naturally, the female officials could not get such important news.
Zhu Zhanji likely considered making detailed arrangements after his return from the expedition. After all, such a major event naturally required the emperor's personal attention to every detail. However, Zhu Zhanji not only had to open new government offices but also cut redundant departments. The two events were also connected, making it difficult not to wonder whether Zhu Yuhuan's innovations were the reason for Zhu Zhanji's decision to cut departments and officials. Thus, the pressure of the idle time fell entirely on Zhu Yuhuan, as no one dared to challenge the emperor.
"No wonder no one paid any attention to me. It turns out they were all waiting for Daddy to come back and deal with me..."
Zhu Zhanji patted Zhu Yuhuan on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid. We are family. Even if there is a memorial from the Imperial Censor, the Emperor will definitely protect you first."
Zhu Yuhuan didn't care. Zhu Zhanji protected her because what she did was in line with Zhu Zhanji's interests and considerations. It would be ridiculous if she took it seriously.
"Don't worry, Uncle Wu, I'm not that timid."
Seeing her expression unchanged, Zhu Zhanji assumed she didn't think much of it, which was fine with her. He then turned to the topic of things outside the palace and said, "Why didn't you discuss your teahouse with me? You only asked me for the storefront. I thought you were planning to open a branch."
Zhu Yuhuan chuckled and said, "After the teahouse officially opens, I will definitely give Uncle Wu a lot of money. However, this time, it was thanks to the ideas of the aunts that I was able to open the teahouse. From now on, the account books will be handed over to the aunts on a regular basis."
There was no need to hide the fact that the business was profitable from Empress Dowager Zhang. It would be better to be frank. This would make Empress Dowager Zhang feel more at ease with the three of them. After all, it was not a good thing to tell others about the business. As long as it did not compete with the people for profit, it would not be considered an obstruction to state affairs. Both Empress Dowager Zhang and Zhu Zhanji would turn a blind eye. Moreover, the meat fell into their own pot, so why bother to be so petty?
Hearing her mention her sisters, Zhu Zhanji was stunned at first, then said: "That's good, they don't have much to do on weekdays anyway, this teahouse can help them kill time."
Zhu Yuhuan pulled Zhu Zhanji's sleeve and said, "If Fifth Uncle invites people for tea, how about we go to our teahouse?"
Zhu Zhanji patted his chest and readily promised, "No problem! It just so happens that when I was looking for ancient books, I met several storytellers and musicians. I'll bring them to your place for tea later!"
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but complain in his heart, what kind of people does his fifth uncle associate with?
Rather than reassuring Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Yuhuan felt that he really enjoyed these romantic affairs.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
