bullyxtreme Chapter 1025 These are the surnames under the rule of Zhu Chongba!
Chapter 1025 These are the surnames under the rule of Zhu Chongba!
Li Shanchang almost burst out laughing—Liu Bowen was right. Yang Dianfeng had always forbade the people of Ningyang County from getting involved in mining, iron smelting, and other industries, so he must have thought of these problems long ago.
Then the problem is coming.
Judging from Yang Dianfeng's consistent style of doing things, since he had thought of these problems long ago, he must have also come up with a solution.
For example, prohibiting the people of Ningyang County from engaging in the mining and iron smelting industries can be seen as one of the solutions.
So why are we getting so worked up about this?
Just summon Yang the Madman to the palace, have a face-to-face discussion, and have him write a few memorials. Then we can just copy the answers we already have. Wouldn't that solve the problem?
Li Shanchang turned his head and glanced at Liu Bowen, then bowed to Emperor Zhu and said, "Your Majesty, the two people who know the most about steam engines right now are none other than the Imperial Son-in-Law and Chen Mo. Why don't we invite them into the palace to discuss this further?"
Emperor Zhu hummed in agreement, and after careful consideration, he suddenly chuckled and said, "Mr. Shanchang made a very good point just now."
"The steam engine had an impact on the Ming Dynasty that was no different from the replacement of bronze by refined iron."
"This is the biggest change in a thousand years."
"We must be cautious."
"Those who know the most about steam engines are indeed that bastard and Chen Mo."
"Summoning them to the palace for discussion is the quickest way to resolve the issue."
"but……"
Emperor Zhu suddenly changed the subject, saying, "If we go to them for everything, what about us, the emperor and his ministers?"
"Even if we were to seek their advice, at the very least, we, the emperor and his ministers, should know what's going on with the steam locomotives sent from Ningyang County, right?"
"If you ask me, let's not look for them first. Let's go straight out of the palace and the city, and go to the fields of Jiangning and Shangyuan counties to see for ourselves how the people of our Great Ming are farming now. After the steam engine is delivered, let's try it out and use it ourselves."
"Only in this way can policies be formulated that best serve the interests of the people."
What does Mr. Shanchang think?
As Emperor Zhu finished speaking, Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen's eyes lit up.
As the saying goes, listen to the sound of gongs and drums, and listen to the meaning behind words.
Although the leader kept saying that "only by seeing with one's own eyes, trying it out personally, and using it personally can one formulate policies that best serve the interests of the people," was the leader worried that Yang Dianfeng and Chen Mo were fooling him?
The answer is obvious.
No.
If the superior was worried that Yang the Madman would deceive him, he wouldn't have dared to leave the royal command flag in the Prince Consort's residence without taking it back.
If the superiors did not trust Yang the Madman, they would not have entrusted him with the duties of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, let alone allowed him to run rampant.
Moreover, the emperor had witnessed farming firsthand when he was young. Even after becoming emperor, he still cultivated a small plot of land in the palace and planted a few tea trees.
To put it bluntly, those in power are perfectly clear about agricultural matters and don't need to go to the fields to check again.
Therefore, the real meaning behind the superior's words was, "It would be best if we, the ruler and his ministers, could find a way to solve the problem. If we can avoid dealing with that scoundrel, we should avoid him. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble he will cause us."
Thinking of this, Li Shanchang couldn't help but feel sorry for Emperor Zhu—he had been terrified of Yang Dianfeng's antics before he ascended the throne!
……
An emperor, a Grand Secretary, and a Censor—three men who had all personally farmed—came together to a farmland outside the city. They squatted down on the edge of the field like three old farmers, commenting on the farm work.
"The people of Jiangnan are indeed not as good as the people of Ningyang County in terms of farming."
Li Shanchang spoke first, "It's not that the farming skills of the people in Jiangnan are not good, but when it comes to those strange and unusual farming tools, Jiangnan is indeed no match for Ningyang County."
Emperor Zhu unconsciously hummed in agreement, and the corners of his mouth curled up: "That scoundrel, although he's not a good person, he's right about one thing: education is the foundation of a century-long plan."
“In Ningyang County, not only did they vigorously build community schools, they also forced craftsmen and ordinary people to learn to read.”
"Needless to say, Dengzhou Prefecture was doing a great job in both community schools and literacy campaigns, and the university was in full swing."
"Then, all sorts of novel tools began to emerge."
"From the perspective of education alone, not to mention Jiangning County, even the entire Zhili region and the entire Jiangnan region cannot compare with Ningyang County and Dengzhou Prefecture."
Looking at the smug look on Emperor Zhu's face, Li Shanchang couldn't help but think to himself: "You've ascended to the throne, what's there to be so smug about?"
So your son-in-law's abilities are your abilities?
Even if you can copy your son-in-law's homework, every time you copy homework, he will make you suffer and cause you trouble.
The key issue is me, I'm already over sixty years old, and I still have to suffer because of you!
It's just a pity about this old man's head of white hair...
Li Shanchang was grieving over his white hair when Emperor Zhu suddenly stared blankly at the distant land.
In a field, a woman in her forties was leading an ox, while a man of similar forty was behind, holding the plow. A young man of about twenty followed behind, breaking up the larger clods of earth with a hoe.
Further away, two teenagers, with a toddler of about two or three years old, were picking up scattered ears of rice from the ground.
Could it be sorghum stalks?
We were too far away to see what kind of crops the children were picking.
But it's quite nice, because it's clearly a couple doing farm work with their children.
Our Zhu Chongba can now lead the girls and Biao'er to do farm work.
They will never see their father, mother, brother, and sister again.
The Emperor felt a pang of sorrow and unconsciously wiped his eyes before looking at a piece of land further away.
An older woman was carrying a winnowing basket, spreading pieces of white stuff on the ground.
Emperor Zhu recognized the white things in the old woman's hands—taro slices.
The old woman was going to leave the taro in the field to dry in the sun before storing it.
When winter comes, these dried taro roots also serve as a supplement to staple foods.
Because ordinary families couldn't afford to eat rice and wheat flour every meal; they saved them for when clearing land or during spring planting.
When there's not much farm work to do in winter, people often eat taro to fill their stomachs.
Emperor Zhu looked around, then suddenly reached out and wiped the corner of his eye, before laughing self-deprecatingly.
These are the people under the rule of Zhu Chongba.
They even said it was under the emperor's nose, the most virtuous place.
But aren't the common people under the emperor's nose also living a life of hardship not much different from our own when we were young?
If we hadn't actually witnessed the lives of the people in Ningyang County, we might have believed the nonsense spouted by those officials!
Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen tacitly looked away.