prosperous age

The moment Wei Guangde walked out of Chengtian Gate in his cloud-shaped shoes, the setting sun was burning the golden bricks on the Panlong Imperial Road into red copper. The iron horses of the Hongwu Dynasty hanging on the eaves of the city tower suddenly made a jingling sound, startling him so much that the long sleeves of his official robe rustled.

Wei Guangde looked up and saw the fiery clouds in the sky, so red.

Standing by the Jinshui Bridge, you will see that the white marble lion on the bridge railing is missing half of its face. It is said that it was chiseled away by Liu Jin during the Zhengde period.

The river reflected the mottled vermilion lacquer of Chengtian Gate, and he could not help but look back. The madder roots growing out of the cracks in the palace wall were swaying in the evening breeze, and their roots were deeply rooted in the rammed earth of the Yongle period.

Here, he saw that this two hundred year old empire seemed to be heading towards its twilight years and becoming aging.

In fact, China's history is a process that has been repeated throughout the dynasties.

From its founding, it gradually declined from its reputation and power to be replaced by a new dynasty, and then from strong to weak and then replaced again.

Every time a dynasty is destroyed and rebuilt, it is actually imitating the previous dynasty. Although the system has been slightly modified, the essence remains the same.

For the Ming Dynasty at this moment, as Western countries passed through the ocean and the New World gradually became stronger, a huge external test had already formed.

If we continue as we have been in the past and take things as they come, we will sooner or later be surpassed by Western countries.

Perhaps, this is why he came here, in this era.

Although he was not a qualified time traveler and did not have the courage to make drastic changes, he could still make minor repairs and modifications.

He used to think so.

Now, seeing the dilapidated Forbidden City, Wei Guangde couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

It is so difficult to promote the rebirth of an old empire.

Huge interest groups have already formed, and it is extremely difficult to get them to change.

Just like this majestic Forbidden City, can he make it look brand new?

After just a moment's pause, Shen Shixing quickly walked out of Chengtian Gate and came in front of him and bowed.

"What are you looking at, sir?"

Wei Guangde remained facing the Jinshui River, only turning his head to look at the tower and said, "I suddenly feel that Chengtian Gate is a bit old. The Ministry of Works should find someone to repaint and repair it."

In the past two years, except for the palaces where several nobles in the palace lived, the others have only undergone the most basic maintenance and no major renovations have been carried out.

Of course, this was mainly Zhang Juzheng's idea.

Don’t think that the renovation of the harem should be the responsibility of the inner court. In fact, this work is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works.

Wei Guangde did not interfere much in Zhang Juzheng's life in the Zhang Mansion, but he was really frugal in dealing with the court.

Apart from necessary expenses, save as much as possible.

The expenses in the palace are only focused on a few nobles, and all others have been cut.

Of course, such financial control expenses will not affect the pockets of the eunuchs in the inner court.

With so many people in the palace, the annual procurement expenses are astronomical.

Repairing the imperial palace was the responsibility of the Ministry of Works. Even if they wanted to intervene, they would not gain much benefit and would easily cause dissatisfaction among the previous dynasty and the censors.

When Shen Shixing heard Wei Guangde say that the imperial palace should be renovated, he didn't know what Wei Guangde was thinking.

However, he still thought of the emperor's upcoming wedding, and believed that Wei Guangde planned to carry out a major renovation of the palace in preparation for the wedding.

Yes, the arrival of the envoys from overseas vassal states, if it remains the same as it is now, will have some negative impact on the imperial court.

Therefore, Shen Shixing decisively expressed his support for Wei Guangde's suggestion.

"Your Excellency is right. The palace should be repaired earlier to avoid a rush later."

Wei Guangde listened attentively and immediately understood Shen Shixing's thoughts.

He didn't say much, just nodded slightly.

He raised his hand and pointed at the weeds growing in the cracks between the bricks at the corner of the city wall. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Zhang Juzheng and Zhang Siwei walking out of the palace gate together.

We just met and talked in the Prime Minister's duty room, and unexpectedly we would meet again outside Chengtian Gate.

'Shan Dai, Ru Mo, what are you talking about?'

Zhang Juzheng came up and asked happily.

Wei Guangde continued to point at the red lacquer on the tower and the weeds and said, "I just walked here and saw this scene."

Zhang Juzheng looked over and naturally noticed it.

He had gone in and out before, but he just didn't pay much attention to it. Now that Wei Guangde pointed it out, it was impossible for him not to see it, as he was not blind.

Just for a moment, Zhang Juzheng thought that Wei Guangde was complaining because he stopped the Ministry of Works from repairing the palace wall.

In fact, it is not that the Ministry of Works has not considered these things, but that the Ministry of Works is now operating three major projects at the same time, one is the excavation of the Jiayun Canal, the other is the water of the Yellow River, and the third is the emperor's mausoleum.

Although the emperor was young and the investment in this area was not large, it should still be counted among the major projects of the Ministry of Works.

Not to mention building ships for the navy, both of which require huge amounts of money.

The Ministry of Works has run out of silver for wages, so it has to ask the Ministry of Revenue for money.

For this reason, he interfered with the projects of the Ministry of Works and cut a lot of expenses, even the repair expenses of various government offices in Beijing were cut.

Shen Shixing saw Zhang Juzheng's expression change and immediately interrupted, "It's mainly because your majesty's wedding is approaching, so some projects should be completed sooner rather than later."

Knowing that it was for this and different from what he thought, Zhang Juzheng's expression relaxed.

"The Ministry of Industry can draw up a set of rules before the New Year and start construction after the New Year. We really can't delay any longer."

Thinking about this grand wedding, the court also invited neighboring vassal states to attend the ceremony. Zhang Juzheng knew that this money could not be saved, otherwise it would lose the emperor's face and be a serious sin.

"Let the Ministry of Industry overhaul it."

Wei Guangde said in a low voice.

Zhang Juzheng just nodded slightly, which was considered as his approval of this matter.

Repairing the Forbidden City is no easy task. It requires gathering craftsmen and preparing materials in advance, and nothing can be done carelessly.

Which part to repair first and which part to repair later must be planned and followed according to rules.

In the city of Goa on the west coast of India, Governor Aquila is reading a letter sent back from Lisbon, Portugal, which is a reply from the current King Henry I of Portugal.

The content, naturally, was to authorize Aquila to arrange for an envoy to represent the Kingdom of Portugal to go to the Ming Dynasty to attend the wedding of the Ming Emperor.

Although Portugal is only a small country in Europe with a population of one million, it is now the second most powerful country in Europe after Spain and has vast overseas colonies.

They have established their own colonial outposts in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian Peninsula.

However, it still cannot get rid of the mark of the times.

The colonies occupied by the Portuguese, like those of the Spanish, were built along the coast. Spain had a large population, so its power far exceeded that of Portugal. At this time, Spain had already deeply controlled the area around the Gulf of Mexico and opened up land routes to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

However, Portugal was slightly weaker, so it still used seaports as its strongholds and did not dare to go too deep into inland areas.

However, even so, with the firearms in their hands, they still defeated several kingdoms in India and almost occupied the entire west coast of India, making it the most important area for them to control the Indian Ocean.

In addition, there are several strongholds established in eastern Africa and at the outlet of the Arabian Peninsula connecting the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

Of course, there is also the Malacca region and Macau.

It can be said that although Portugal controlled the Indian Ocean, its control was actually very limited.

After encountering the Ming navy advancing westward, Aquila felt a deep sense of crisis.

In the past, the Southeast Asian region that was influenced by them had been completely controlled by the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty even directly snatched half of the Philippines from the Spaniards. All these demonstrated the strength of the Ming Dynasty, and even the Spaniards did not dare to compete with it.

"Your Majesty has authorized me to contact the Ming Kingdom and send someone to attend the Ming Emperor's wedding. Do you think we should send someone from here or arrange for someone else to go?"

In the Governor's Palace, Aquila and several officials of the Governor's Palace discussed the affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

Although he really wanted to go there in person and see with his own eyes what the legendary Ming Kingdom was like, the recent situation prevented him from leaving Goa.

Yes, the Spaniards discovered the trace of the Golden Hind, and following the route, they found that Spanish warships once entered the Indian Ocean, which was unacceptable to Portugal.

In their view, this was a violation of the Pope's decree.

They, Portugal, have always abided by the division of the Papal Meridian and have never crossed the border into the territory allocated to the Spanish.

It is also because of this situation of mutual vigilance that the Portuguese have never supported accepting notifications from the King of Spain.

Even though King Felipe II of Spain at that time was the son of Princess Isabel of Portugal, after the death of King Sebastian I of Portugal, his great-uncle Cardinal Henry I of Portugal inherited the throne.

As the son of Princess Isabel of Portugal, Felipe II became a candidate for the Portuguese throne alongside Abbot Antonio of Crato, Catalina, Duchess of Braganza, and Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Savoy and Parma.

They are basically grandchildren of King Manuel I of Portugal.

The Ming navy entering the Indian Ocean was enough to give him a headache, not to mention that the Spanish seemed to be ready to make a move as well.

No matter which party the conflict breaks out with, he, as the highest commander of Portugal in the Indian Ocean, cannot leave Goa and must be ready to deal with complex situations at any time.

"At the moment, the most suitable person is His Excellency Amur of Macau to represent the kingdom in the capital of Ming."

An official suggested.

He didn't speak a lot of nonsense. Whether it was the governor of Malacca or other places, it was best for them to stay in their own areas and deal with various situations at this time.

Relatively speaking, Macau is in the Ming Dynasty, so it is not only convenient to depart from there, but also because Amur has experience dealing with Ming officials, he is more familiar with the Ming people.

Also, if a conflict broke out with Spain, other places might be attacked, but Macau would not, as it would receive protection from the Ming Navy.

They had already seen the Ming fleet sailing to the West. In terms of scale, they would need to mobilize all of Portugal's naval ships in the Indian Ocean to match it.

It is said that the Ming Dynasty already has a navy of this size in its homeland, and what arrived was just a fleet.

"Macau, Amur."

Aquila nodded after hearing the suggestion. He had this idea before, so he could fully understand the deeper meaning of his subordinate's words.

Although it is not stated explicitly, I think everyone can understand it.

"What about you? Do you have any other opinions?"

Aquila looked at the other people and asked.

"No."

"agree."

No one else spoke out to object unless there was a better candidate.

Although the kingdom did not appoint a governor to govern Macau, the Governor's Office of Goa sent officials there to organize local businessmen to jointly manage the city in the form of a council.

After all, Macau was just a place they leased, not one they had occupied.

The annual rent of five hundred taels of silver was a small matter. Relying on the Eastern route from Lisbon, Portugal to Goa, India, then to Macau, China, and finally arriving at Nagasaki, Japan, the gold and silver earned every year was countless, so naturally he did not take it seriously.

The Portuguese now do not dare to underestimate the Ming Dynasty. After all, as they live there and constantly come into contact with the Ming Dynasty, they have already learned about the terrifying power of this Eastern Empire.

If they had not relied on the ocean, even with the addition of Spain, they would probably not be a match for the Ming Dynasty.

"The Nanman Daimyo has recently been looking to our merchants to buy cannons, and they hope we can sell some to them."

An official suddenly spoke up, apparently he was the official in charge of the Governor-General's trade with East Asia.

The Nanman he mentioned was actually Wakoku. Even though the Portuguese already had a special term to refer to Japan at that time, they still called Japan Nanman when communicating.

Nanman, in fact, this word comes from China. It was the name given to ethnic minorities in the south in ancient China. Later, it was borrowed by Japan to refer to Southeast Asia.

Portuguese merchant ships came from there, so the Japanese called the Portuguese "Nanban" at the beginning.

Correspondingly, although Portugal used the name of Japan in official documents for the purpose of distinction, it also referred to Japan as "Nanman" when communicating.

"Not for sale."

Aquila decisively rejected this idea. Cannons were also precious to Portugal at that time, and the value of making cannons was not low.

Even though reselling the cannons could generate huge profits, it would be a greater threat to Portugal than if they were copied by Japan.

In fact, although there were Japanese daimyo who were open to Western merchants, there were also stubborn daimyo, especially merchants who exchanged large amounts of gold from Japan.

The outflow of gold has affected the price of gold and silver in Japan. This is also one of the root causes of the subsequent conflicts between Japan and Western merchants. Not only religion, but also real interests are involved.

It can be said that the relatively low gold and silver prices in East Asia at this time were being exploited by foreign merchants to gain more profits.

However, it is now somewhat difficult to redeem gold from the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty did not interfere too much with silver, but it has begun to control gold and prohibits the exchange of gold and taking it away.

At this time, the Ming court had already consciously collected gold. Although the court had no money, the Changying Treasury had some.

Directly exchange gold and silver for gold, mint them into gold coins and deposit them in the Changying Treasury, which does not increase the burden on the Ministry of Revenue at all.

By collecting and minting coins in this way, the Ministry of Revenue can also obtain considerable profits.

Driven by interests, government offices across the country naturally took active action, vying to perform in front of the officials in the capital.

It can be said that the plan to establish gold reserves originally proposed by Wei Guangde has actually been implemented and is progressing extremely rapidly.

"Tell all merchants that anyone who dares to sell cannons to the southern barbarians will be severely punished."

Aquila gave the highest instructions, "Send a letter to Macau as soon as possible, and send the king's letter and gifts as well." (End of this chapter)