Chapter 88 Letter from the Sea
The education of the royal heir is a big deal. After all, there are only two children in the main clan, Zhu Shuyuan and Zhu Jianshen. Therefore, whether it is selecting a lecturer or a study companion, it is a big deal.
Han Guilan had already started to educate the two children. The textbooks were the books compiled by Wu Ning and Yu Ying at the order of Zhu Yuhuan. She taught and checked the homework of the siblings every five days, and had the female officials around them teach them on a daily basis. As a result, the two children had a good foundation, were able to recognize and punctuate texts, and began to learn calligraphy.
The calligraphy they copied was from a copybook compiled by Li Chun, a teacher at the imperial farm, at Zhu Yuhuan's request. The two children were able to concentrate on their studies and achieved some success.
Of course, the brother and sister were also a little afraid of Empress Han's gaze and ruler.
Han Guilan was originally a female official serving Zhu Yuhuan, and was specially appointed by Zhu Yuhuan as the "nanny" of the royal heir. Zhou Yingying repeatedly ordered the two naughty children to respect their teacher and treat Han Guilan as the royal mother.
Facts have proved that Han Guilan is indeed a good teacher.
However, Han Guilan now has many affairs to take care of, and the royal family has the necessary procedures for the princes to go out to study, so Zhu Yuhuan should consider sending these two children out to study.
In the past, princes did not have study companions. If anyone was to take on the role of study companion, it would naturally be the eunuchs. For example, Zhu Zhanji once selected many eunuchs to follow Zhu Qizhen. Some of them were of similar age and were responsible for studying, practicing calligraphy, and playing with Zhu Qizhen.
In Zhu Yuhuan's opinion, these two little guys should interact more with their peers, preferably children from ordinary families.
Compared with the royal family, children from ordinary families know things earlier and have a better understanding of some things in daily life, such as basic prices, folk customs and some simple social etiquette.
The royal relatives of the Zhu family are too abstract. Once they leave the capital, they start to go crazy and do anything.
Since King Yi, Zhu Yuhuan received many reports from local officials about the princes causing chaos in their fiefdoms. Zhu Yuhuan's first reaction was a little surprise, so he specially sent people to the local area to verify.
Among this group of people, the lightest offense was the seizure of farmland, the most serious was murder and arson, and there were also outrageous ones, such as gathering together without clothing, raping and looting.
In a rage, Zhu Yuhuan sent this group of people to accompany King Yi and confiscated their property, especially the various gold, silver, cloth and rice rewards given by Zhu Zhanji. Most of them were distributed to the families of the victims, and the rest were taken back to the Nei Chengyun Warehouse to threaten other members of the Zhu family.
In just four years after ascending the throne, Zhu Yuhuan had dealt with at least twenty vassal kings and princes, enough to form a football team in modern times.
In addition to the ready-made example of Zhu Qizhen, Zhu Yuhuan had no trust in royal education, so he was very concerned about the education of the two siblings.
Zhu Yuhuan really didn't want the Zhu family to have any more abstract descendants.
On the day of selecting study partners, Zhu Yuhuan arranged a small banquet in the Imperial Garden to entertain these children from the imperial farm.
These children were already the best students at the Imperial Manor School. Before entering the palace, they were repeatedly warned by the administrators of the Imperial Manor School to be cautious and careful when meeting the emperor, and not to act carelessly like they did in the countryside. Therefore, these children stood obediently opposite Zhu Yuhuan and answered his questions. In addition to the children from the Imperial Manor School, Zhu Yuhuan also selected Zhang Fu's youngest son, Zhang Mao, and grandson, Zhang Jie, to enter the palace as special recruits.
Zhu Shuyuan and Zhu Jianshen didn't know that this banquet was for them to select study partners. It was the first time for them to see so many people of their age, so they were inevitably excited. However, because Zhu Yuhuan and Han Guilan were there, they only looked at the group of children secretly.
There are ten children selected this time, five boys and five girls, each of them has a pretty face and a dignified manner.
Zhu Yuhuan knew that these children were all top students, so he sent Zhu Shuyuan and Zhu Jianshen, brother and sister, to play in the Imperial Garden with these children.
"What do you think of these kids?"
Seeing Zhu Yuhuan gazing at the children in the distance with a smile on his face, Song Cuilian pondered for a moment and said, "Among the women, I think Zhao Rong and Qin Jiao are the best. Your Highness has a lively temperament, so he needs a few older, more stable people to accompany him. Zhao Rong and Qin Jiao are both two years older than Your Highness and have a basic understanding of poetry, so they are suitable. As for Your Highness, Master Li's son at the academy is quite good. I've seen his calligraphy, and it's truly rare for someone of his age to be able to create calligraphy that's a foot in diameter. Li Dongyang's personality is quite lively, so he won't be too dull. As for the next person, why not choose Zhang Mao, who comes from a noble family? He's the oldest and can't inherit the title, so he'll rely on Your Majesty. Naturally, he can also keep an eye on these companions for Your Majesty."
Song Cuilian's explanation was quite detailed. Zhu Yuhuan pondered for a moment and said, "It does make some sense."
With Zhu Yuhuan around, the title of Duke of Yingguo would definitely belong to Zhang Zhong. Zhang Mao, the son born with the efforts of Zhang Fu, was in an awkward position. The age difference between him and his brother Zhang Zhong was too big to be their father and son, and he and Zhang Zhong were not from the same mother. Considering his son's future, Zhang Fu had specially brought Zhang Mao to show himself in front of Zhu Yuhuan when he went hunting in Nanhaizi. The hidden meaning was clearly audible.
Zhu Yuhuan was sitting in the pavilion when an eunuch came running over, saluted first, and then said, "Your Majesty, there's a report from Nanzhili that the merchants who set off with the fleet from Malacca have returned home under the escort of part of the army. They are now resting in Nanzhili with envoys and tributes from various small countries. The goods have been counted at the port and all sold out. The gold and silver that should have been handed over to the national treasury and the internal transport treasury have also been paid, and they are accompanying the envoys to Beijing. The officials of Nanzhili reported that they would arrange for the merchants and envoys to set off for Beijing by land in five or six days, and the letter would be sent on the second day of April. Here is the letter from Envoy Zhang. I have checked it and the envelope is intact and has not been opened." After that, the letter was handed out and presented to the stone table beside Zhu Yuhuan by the female official.
Zhu Yuhuan calculated the time in her mind. Today was April 16th. The envoys should have rested in Nanzhili for a while before setting off. She said to Song Cuilian, "Order the eunuchs and ladies-in-waiting to go south to welcome the envoys."
"yes."
After the eunuchs left, Zhu Yuhuan murmured to herself, "Finally, there's news from the sea." She then picked up the heavy envelope on the table.
The first part was a routine greeting. Zhu Yuhuan glanced at it and then started reading the rest.
Zhang Zhong simply described the basic course of the fleet, and then gave a detailed introduction to the diplomatic missions to various small countries along the way, along with the specific process of the merchants doing business in the local area with the help of translators.
In the past, when the Ming Dynasty sent envoys to various countries, it often focused on rewarding the local kings and rarely sold goods to the local people. The Ming Dynasty's exquisite items were often only circulated among the nobles. Therefore, when the local kings heard from Zhang Zhong that Ming Dynasty merchants were going to sell goods locally, they were very surprised and even a little angry.
After all, these Ming Dynasty goods were a symbol of status. If non-officials and nobles could also possess them, wouldn't it be a provocation to the king? However, after seeing Zhang Zhong's fleet and the soldiers and officials on duty, the king could only suppress this thought in his heart.
After all, it was only more than ten years since Zheng He last led a fleet on an overseas voyage. The power of the Ming Dynasty at sea during the Yongle period was still there, protecting those who came after him.
For the merchants, this overseas business trip can be described as "smooth".
Although there were some problems in language communication, these merchants were talents carefully selected by Huang Jinfeng and Shen Tingli, and they worked very hard in selling glass, perfume, cloth, soap, etc.
With these two companies as examples, other merchants were able to sell their goods in a similar way, and the process was quite smooth. The only tricky thing was to measure the amount of silver from the locals to see if it was sufficient.
When Zhu Yuhuan saw this, a smile appeared on his face.
With such good news, more merchants would surely be willing to use the government's power to go out to sea and make money. Of course, making money was not enough. Zhu Yuhuan also planned to select some of these merchants to serve as state trade officials, just like the craftsmen of the Academy of Sciences.
In this class society, both businessmen and ordinary people are very fond of official titles. Not only does it sound good when said, but it also makes things easier.
Song Cui Lian, who was standing by, naturally caught this scene. When she heard the eunuch's report just now, she knew that the letter must contain good news. Now, seeing the smile on Zhu Yuhuan's lips, she could confirm this even more.
Zhu Yuhuan continued to read, and Zhang Zhong also mentioned that they had secretly inquired about some things, but did not find the strange objects described by Zhu Yuhuan in various countries. Therefore, they begged Zhu Yuhuan to give them more time, so that the fleet could have more exchanges with various countries to find what Zhu Yuhuan wanted.
After reading this, Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but sigh softly and said, "I guess it's not the time yet..."
Corn, sweet potatoes, etc. probably have not yet been introduced to Southeast Asian countries. If they want them, they probably can only find them in person.
Zhang Zhong also mentioned the situation of Malacca's outer prefecture. The drum tower, inner city and warehouse were still usable, but they were a bit dilapidated and needed to be repaired by officials and soldiers. However, they were not left without support. Taking into account the need to tidy up the outer prefecture's city walls, Zhang Zhong asked the merchants who had completed the sale of goods and purchased vassal goods in various countries to return home first, and the rest of the people continued to stay in the outer prefecture to prepare and return to Beijing in the autumn of the fourth year of Yuanguang. He also did not forget to praise Zhu Yuhuan for his foresight and specially gave them eight months of extra food, which came in handy at this time.
When Zhu Yuhuan read this, his mood became more complicated, mixed with a bit of joy.
This was a rare moment of relaxation for Zhu Yuhuan in the past few years since he ascended the throne, and the burden on his shoulders seemed to be lighter.
Since there are sales channels overseas, Zhu Yuhuan can rest assured for the time being. He can have people use the profits from this trading trip and prepare to plan the next trading trip. By the way, he can also send people to escort the grain to the outer prefecture of Malacca to replenish the inventory.
Zhu Shuyuan's voice came from not far away: "Mother! Mother, look!"
Zhu Yuhuan handed the letter to Song Cuilian, who kept it. Then he looked at Zhu Shuyuan who came over with a smile and asked, "What's wrong? What does Yuan'er want to show mother?"
Zhu Shuyuan clasped her hands together, as if something was trapped in her palms. She held it out to Zhu Yuhuan like she was offering a treasure, saying, "Mother, guess what's inside!"
Zhu Yuhuan pretended to be deep in thought, and after a while he smiled and said, "Mother, guess... there's a butterfly inside?"
Zhu Shuyuan carefully opened a gap, and a small head popped out from it. A baby bird was looking around curiously.
Zhu Yuhuan had actually heard the birdsong coming from her palm a long time ago, but she still asked in surprise: "Where did you little birds come from?" Her eyes fell on Zhu Jianshen, and she found that his robe was a little dirty, and the embroidery on it was already snagged. Li Dongyang who was following him was not much better, with two leaves stuck in his hair, which showed that he was also helping Zhu Jianshen "climb up the roof to remove the tiles."
Zhu Yuhuan asked, "Shen'er, did you fall into the bushes?"
Zhu Jianshen felt uneasy, as if he was worried about being scolded. "Mother..."
Zhou Yingying always taught him to have the bearing of a prince, to focus on his studies, not to play around, and to simply ask the palace servants to do anything. But just now, in a moment of urgency, and playing with his peers, he forgot his sense of propriety and personally climbed the tree to rescue the bird.
Zhu Shuyuan, who was standing nearby, said with a smile, "Zhang Mao helped his brother climb up the tree and rescued the bird that was stuck in the branch."
Zhu Yuhuan raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this, looked at Zhang Mao beside him, and asked, "What's going on?"
"The First Prince discovered a baby bird that had fallen from its nest onto a tree branch. The Second Prince was afraid the bird would fall, so he personally climbed the tree and rescued it."
When Zhu Yuhuan saw Zhang Mao's embarrassed look, she knew that Zhu Jianshen's first tree-climbing experience might not be smooth. She couldn't help but smile and waved at Zhu Jianshen.
When Zhu Jianshen came over, Zhu Yuhuan reached out and patted the dust off him. Seeing that he was still a little uneasy, he said, "It's just climbing a tree, what are you afraid of?"
Seeing that there were other people around, Zhu Jianshen pulled Zhu Yuhuan's sleeve. Zhu Yuhuan understood and leaned forward slightly to let him lean closer to his ear.
Zhu Jianshen then whispered, "Mother said that we should behave like the eldest son. The eldest son... shouldn't climb trees, right?"
Zhu Yuhuan then understood why he did that. He was probably afraid that outsiders would hear it and damage Zhou Yingying's reputation.
Zhu Yuhuan praised: "You two siblings were able to discover the injured chick and rescue it personally. It shows that you have not forgotten the kindness that your nanny taught you. Your mother will reward you well." After that, Zhu Yuhuan asked the palace servants to go to the inner transport warehouse to get the reward and send it to the imperial concubine's palace.
The two children's cheeks flushed red after being praised by Zhu Yuhuan.
Zhu Yuhuan looked around at the children and said, "I think you are all very good. I will have the eunuchs arrange accommodation for you. You will take turns accompanying the First and Second Princes to study classics, history, and archery and martial arts. After lunch, I will send you home to meet your families and clean up before entering the palace."
The children were originally worried about being eliminated at some point in time, but they did not expect that the emperor would keep all of them in the end. They all showed joy on their faces and knelt down to express their gratitude.
But the happiest ones were Zhu Shuyuan and Zhu Jianshen. Having so many playmates meant they wouldn't be bored studying anymore.
Zhu Yuhuan waved her hand, signaling them to stand up. Then, she said to the two children beside her, "Emissaries from foreign nations will be arriving in Beijing to pay tribute soon. When the time comes, mother will take you two with her to meet them. Okay?"
"good!"
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