Chapter 630: Daming, so good! [End]

Bang bang bang.

Three cannon shots were fired.

At the Shanghai Maritime Customs Wharf in Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture.

The venue was cleared early, and a group of officials from the three offices of Jiangsu Province, Songjiang Prefecture, Shanghai County, the Maritime Governor’s Office, and the Shanghai Maritime Customs Office gathered quietly.

With the establishment of Shanghai Maritime Customs that year.

In addition, with the assistance of the Yangtze River shipping, Shanghai County and even the entire Songjiang Prefecture have ushered in an economic growth that continues to this day thanks to overseas trade.

Countless handicraft workshops were established in Songjiang Prefecture.

Along the Yangtze River, various prefectures and counties also ushered in a wave of changes and upgrades in production methods, as if it was destined.

It’s still early.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

A commercial district not far from the Shanghai Maritime Customs Terminal.

Over the years it has been built into a small market town.

Several young men in yisa gathered together and sat at a stall closest to the pier.

The stall owner was a woman in her forties, wearing an indigo satin dress and her hair was wrapped in a piece of cloth of the same color.

A boy of about eleven or twelve was huddled behind the stall with his younger sister. The brother and sister were using the same stool with two books on it.

By flipping through the pages, I could vaguely tell that they were a math book and a Chinese book.

The words “Published by Changping University” are also prominently displayed on the paper.

In the coal stove made of iron sheet wrapped in mud, the honeycomb coal was burning red. The roughly made chimney was erected, trying its best to drive the coal smoke high into the sky.

soon.

The woman brought a bowl of rice noodles with shredded pork cooked in chicken soup to the table.

Then there are the remaining bowls of noodles.

Finally, there is a plate of golden fried rice dumplings with meat filling and a few pieces of glutinous rice cakes.

One of the young men immediately raised his eyebrows.

“Is the shop owner from Luzhou Prefecture?”

The woman showed a simple smile on her face: “In reply to the guest, I am from Luzhou Prefecture.”

The young man nodded, lowered his head silently and ate a rice dumpling, and then started to eat the shredded pork rice noodles.

Another young man, who was also wearing a yisa but had a knife on his waist, asked, “Did the shop owner come to Songjiang Prefecture alone to sell breakfast? Or did he come with his husband?”

“I came with a man.”

There was some sweat on the woman’s face. She wiped her face with the linen cloth that had been washed until it turned white and silky, revealing her slightly yellowed teeth. But when she looked at the two children while doing so, her face was full of joy and expectation.

The young man with the sword hummed and smiled: “I guess your husband is a long-term worker at the dock, and your two children are also studying at the dock school?”

The woman nodded heavily, her hands moving without stopping as she packed up her stall: “Yes! Thanks to the kindness of the court and the government, my man was able to sign a long-term contract at the dock, and he gets a full 1 tael of silver every month! The two children can study at the dock school for free!”

As she spoke, the woman actually began to put her hands together and worship towards the north.

The young man with the sword stopped talking and started to eat his breakfast.

The young man who had first asked the woman about her hometown had already slurped up a bowl of rice noodles with shredded pork, and then wiped his hands and mouth gently and delicately.

“The improvement of social welfare brought about by industrial upgrading and the construction of industrial clusters is a research topic that can be finalized and summarized in the next few days.”

“After returning to Beijing this time, I will be able to submit the summary to the National Affairs Research Office of the Cabinet for review by the Emperor and the cabinet elders.”

Another young man, who was not wearing a yisa but a Confucian robe, shook his head.

“It’s better to wait and submit the summary proposal.”

“There are still a few things I don’t understand, and I think I can research it more thoroughly.”

The young man with the sword was eating noodles while quietly looking up at the two men. He curled his lips and whispered, “You two brothers are at it again… If you have time, you might as well help me correct the outline of the naval construction plan.”

The young man in the yisa stood up and straightened his clothes, then looked at the young man with the sword: “Hasn’t the future direction of the navy been determined long ago? To go to the deep sea and the open ocean? According to this idea, wouldn’t the shipyard have been building ironclad ships a few years ago?”

The young man with the sword did not speak.

The young man in Confucian clothing looked up and rolled his eyes. “Ironclad ships are a solution, but there have been different voices within the navy in recent years. There are some disagreements about whether to sail in the ocean or to have long-arm jurisdiction. If it is just long-distance sailing, the current ironclad ships are enough. But if long-arm jurisdiction is required, new auxiliary warships must be developed to carry ammunition, personnel, and supplies. Finally, on this proposition, we must discuss whether to set up offshore garrisons.”

After saying this, the young man in Confucian robes did not forget to roll his eyes at his brother.

The oldest young man here, Yisa, immediately glared at his younger brother.

Without waiting for him to start his lecture.

There were already voices calling out from the distant dock.

“Worry-free!”

“No worries!”

“And Brother Xun!”

At the same time the sound came.

The three young men saw a middle-aged man wearing armor and a helmet, with a sword on his waist, walking towards them with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

The three of them quickly stood up.

Led by Yan Wuyou, they bowed and saluted.

“Second uncle.”

“father……”

“Uncle aunt.”

Yan Hu, who is now nearly 40 years old, has a full beard on his face and stern eyes. He looks at the three young men with a rare smile on his face.

“Still eating?”

“Didn’t you eat enough along the way?”

“Your Majesty’s dragon boat is about to arrive.”

Yan Wuhuan, wearing Confucian robes, looked at his father in front of him and carefully shrank behind his brother.

Yan Wuyou looked calm: “My nephew, Wuhuan and Brother Xun are talking about this investigation.”

Yan Hu’s expression changed immediately and he laughed: “Good… good thing… there is no such thing as an unlearned person… let’s go quickly, don’t be late to welcome the emperor.”

In front of their elders, the three of them no longer had the ease they had before.

Yan Wuyou threw a piece of silver onto the table. As the woman thanked him, the three brothers followed Yan Hu into the dock.

The woman had long seen that the three young men were from wealthy families. She took the money, cleared the table, and then walked to her children and said, “Study hard. If you learn well, you can become a general or a prime minister like them and serve the country in the future.”

When Yan Hu led Yan Wuyou and the other two to the dock, they stood in front of the pier that had been cleared.

On the sea far outside the pier, a huge ship flying the Ming dragon flag had lowered its sails and masts, and was slowly sailing into the pier surrounded by small boats on the pier.

Further out on the sea, there were dozens of ironclad warships slowly sailing, their black gun muzzles pointing toward the open sea.

Amid a salute of gunfire.

The dragon boat pressed towards the dock like a mountain, accompanied by a series of muffled sounds of approaching the shore, and rolled up layers of water mist between the hull and the dock, and finally docked on the pier.

Led by the Jiangsu governor, the governor-general and the heads of the three ministries, as well as officials from the local government of Songjiang Prefecture and various government offices, a large group of people stood waiting under the dragon boat.

After a long time.

With the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot leading the way.

The dock is already filled with dragon flags, sun and moon flags, star flags, etc.

Zhu Yijun, who now had a beard and wore a Yishan crown and a robe with a round collar and narrow sleeves, stepped calmly from the dragon boat to the Shanghai Maritime Customs dock, accompanied by eunuchs such as Feng Bao and cabinet ministers such as Zhang Juzheng.

“Long live the emperor. Long live the emperor. Long live the emperor.”

For a while.

There was a roar of the sea at the pier.

This was not the first time that the emperor sailed south and set foot in the divided Jiangnan Province.

But everyone knows that this is the most significant one.

No one dares to neglect.

Zhu Yijun, who has now taken power, has already mastered the situation.

The Ming emperor was seen leading ministers from inside and outside the capital, walking leisurely among local officials in the south of the Yangtze River.

At last.

Estimated about half an hour.

Only then did the Jiangnan Governor, the Governor-General and the heads of the three departments make a brief government report, and the emperor also personally inquired about the trade data of the Shanghai Maritime Customs in recent years.

Get everything done.

The emperor did not enter the city in person. Instead, he was quietly waiting under the imperial platform that had been set up on the dock, surrounded by a group of officials.

This is also the time.

Zhu Yijun was able to temporarily get rid of the entanglement of Jiangsu officials.

Sitting on the imperial throne, Zhu Yijun looked at the three young men brought by Yan Hu with a playful look.

Chief Minister Zhang Juzheng was standing aside, calculating Jiangsu Province’s fiscal and taxation report for this year with cabinet ministers Wang Xijue, Shen Shixing and others.

Yan Wuyou and the other two stood with their hands behind their backs under the imperial platform.

After a while.

Zhu Yijun coughed lightly and said, “I suddenly checked the accounts a few days ago and found that someone spent tens of thousands of taels of silver on eating and drinking along the way. If it is according to the law, I wonder what crime the cabinet and the three judicial departments would charge them with?”

Yan Wuhuan and Lu Xun immediately looked worried and quietly reached out to pull the corner of Yan Wuyou’s clothes who was standing in the front.

Zhang Juzheng, who was checking the accounts at the side, raised his head with a smile, glanced at the emperor, and then looked at the three young men: “Your Majesty, according to the law, those who eat and drink with public funds are considered corrupt and should be severely punished. The lightest punishment is exile 5,000 miles away and garrison in Qiuci City, the Protectorate of the Western Regions!”

Zhu Yijun immediately showed surprise on his face: “The crime is so serious? Is the Prime Minister deceiving me?”

Zhang Juzheng’s face remained smiling: “If your Majesty is gracious, you can change the punishment to exile to Luzon and serve in the navy for three years.”

Zhu Yijun nodded and smiled, “That’s good. I heard that the navy in Luzon has endless seafood to eat all day long. I have never eaten lobsters, crabs, and sea fish.”

Inside and around the imperial platform, there were only the voices of the emperor and the prime minister.

Everyone is watching the show.

Yan Wuyou was finally helpless, so he took out a memorial from his sleeve, walked up to the emperor and handed it to him, then said in a muffled voice: “Your Majesty, this is a report on the people’s conditions and industries along the river from Songjiang Prefecture to Chengdu Prefecture during our investigation and research along the way out of Beijing, with attached records of the scenic spots and local delicacies along the way…”

Seeing Yan Wuyou finally took out something, Zhu Yijun’s expression relaxed a little. He picked up the application form, skipped the previous content, and turned directly to the last part which recorded local scenic spots, local customs, and food.

Take a few detailed notes.

Only then did he throw it to Zhang Juzheng.

“I am traveling south this time to coordinate with the Cabinet to integrate industries along the Yangtze River and accelerate the upgrading of industries upstream and downstream of the Yangtze River. In order to know the truth about local conditions, you must go there in person and take a look.”

Yan Wuyou lowered his head and curled his lips.

Who doesn’t know who yet.

We all grew up together wearing open-crotch pants.

He had to travel through mountains and rivers, not only to investigate local social conditions and industries, but also to collect local delicacies for him as a foodie.

I do all the hard work myself.

He could get a bargain in a fair and honest way.

The emperor got the local food records he wanted, and Zhang Juzheng got the specific industrial reports along the river.

The atmosphere suddenly changed.

Zhu Yijun also looked towards the sea outside, and his expression became dazed.

“According to the date, the master and his wife should be back soon.”

“This time I will personally take a trip to the Yangtze River. I will take the things you wrote down and take them for a good stroll. You can return to the capital by yourselves.”

Yan Wuyou suddenly looked anxious.

This childhood emperor is really unreasonable!
Let yourself do the hard work.

Now you want to compete with me for my parents?

But don’t wait for him to speak.

There were shouts coming from the dock.

Everyone turned around to look.

I saw a small black dot on the sea in the distance, which had appeared there at some point and was heading towards the pier.

The Ming Dynasty dragon flag hanging at the highest point on the ship was also constantly enlarged and came into view.

The sea off the coast of Shanghai Maritime Customs Terminal.

The first ironclad ship of the Ming Dynasty was constantly reducing its speed and heading towards the dock.

Bow position.

Yan Shaoting, wearing a half-sleeve sweatshirt and an inappropriate wide hat brim with a blue ribbon, had a much darker complexion than before, but also looked more energetic.

Next to him was Lu Wenyan, who was wearing a colorful blue shirt and skirt.

Lu Wenyan, who has now become a first-rank official, has a hair full of flowers and plants, looking fresh, cute and full of vitality.

The outline of the Shanghai Maritime Customs Terminal had already appeared in front of the couple.

Lu Wenyan seemed to be able to see the crowd on the dock.

“Husband, is that the Shanghai Maritime Customs?”

Yan Shaoting nodded: “It’s the Shanghai Maritime Customs.”

“I don’t know if Wuyou and the others are here. I brought them a lot of toys, but I don’t know if they like them.”

Lu Wenyan was already immersed in the joyful mood after her son accepted the gift she brought back.

Yan Shaoting was silent for a moment.

Do you think you can make your son, who thinks he is the greatest genius of the Ming Dynasty, happy by relying on a few giraffes, kangaroos and sloths?
He thought it would be better to give his son the overseas resource distribution map he recorded during this trip, which would make his son happy.

By this time, the two could already see the crowd on the dock.

Lu Wenyan muttered again, “I don’t know if that brat has given birth to a child. Our family hasn’t had any new members in years.”

Yan Shaoting rubbed his old waist unconsciously.

On the dock.

Firecrackers have already started blasting and streamers are flying.

The ironclad ship docked steadily.

At the dock, the emperor had already brought all his civil and military officials under the ironclad ship.

“Your subordinate respectfully welcomes Master Yan back to the country!”

“The young master sailed to the sea in an armored armored vehicle, searched for rare treasures overseas, and listed goods from all over the world. His contributions will be remembered for thousands of years, and his hard work was very heavy. This is recorded in the history of the Ming Dynasty.”

Get off the boat.

There were countless heads in the crowd.

Yan Wuyou and others also squeezed in front of the crowd.

“I respectfully welcome my father and mother back to their country.”

“Nephew respectfully welcomes uncle and aunt back to their country.”

“…”

“Student, Zhu Yijun, respectfully welcomes you, Master, and your wife, to return home on board the ship!”

Ironclad ship, on the lowered bridge ladder.

Yan Shaoting held the hand of Lu Wenyan, his elder sister who had accompanied him at sea for three years, with a smile on his face.

He looked over the familiar faces below the boat.

Look outside the entire pier.

Goods from all over the world gather here, and people from all over the world gather here.

On the distant horizon, along the Yangtze River, are factories with chimneys and huge workshops.

The fields are crisscrossed and farmers are busy farming.

He seemed to see invisible threads connecting the Ming Dynasty with all the nations in the world.

These lines act like blood transfusion tubes, transporting resources from all directions to Ming Dynasty, supplying this ancient oriental country that is thriving and full of vitality.

Step off the ironclad ship.

Yan Shaoting stood on the dock with steady steps.

Facing countless people who are walking towards me with smiles on their faces.

Yan Shaoting also smiled and opened his lips slightly.

“came back.”

“Da Ming…”

“very nice!”

…………

【end】

(End of this chapter)