I'm really not doing business

Chapter 916: The Longevity Sacred Scripture is celebrated everywhere, and the three armies are majestic and peaceful.

The Viceroyalty of Peru was established in Lima around the 23rd year of the Jiajing reign. Its jurisdiction extended from the Isthmus of Panama to the Strait of Magellan. Except for Venezuela, all Spanish colonies in South America were under the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

"It's not smuggling, at most it's a compromise, but it can't be that there is no cooking utensils." Wang Qian said in a low voice. The Governor's Office of Peru still has to do business with the Celestial Empire.

How can it be called smuggling for scholars? It is clearly re-export trade! The Ming Dynasty only needs to pull the goods over and put them in the Ming Pavilion in Lima City. The money and goods will be settled. As for the customs duties, the Ming Dynasty does not need to worry about it.

Zhu Yijun was silent for a moment and then asked, "What about the labor required for the Xinri Canal?"

This is an issue that Zhu Yijun is more concerned about. The attitude of the Viceroyalty of Peru towards the Xinri Canal and the movements of the Xinri Canal may be concealed from mainland Spain, but it can never be concealed from the Viceroyalty of Peru. The Isthmus of Panama is located in the territory of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

The Ming Dynasty was already building Taiyue City and Chonggu Fort. Zhu Yijun seemed to be asking about the shortage of labor needed for the Xinri Canal, but in fact he was asking about the attitude of the Governor-General's Office of Peru.

Wang Qian looked around and confirmed that Ye Xianggao was not recording, then he whispered, "The Governor's Office of Peru said that labor service can be used to pay part of the payment for the goods. After all, some silver will be left for Felipe II's treasure ship."

"As for what Ming uses these laborers for, the Governor-General's Office of Peru is not concerned, just like Ming would not be concerned about the destination of Ming's goods."

The contact between the envoys of the Viceroyalty of Peru and the Ming Dynasty was relatively secret and not easy to make public, and the Ming Dynasty would not publicize it.

Because the Ming Dynasty also has governor-general's offices overseas, the result of the hype may be a boomerang.

Felipe was also well aware that his tariff policy was a helpless move to find an excuse to shirk his defeat and prevent the gold bonds from collapsing too quickly. As long as Peru's rich silver mines continued to import silver into the country, it would be justifiable.

It's all difficult, and we can only do it reluctantly. This phenomenon does not only exist in the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yijun thought about it and chose to agree. The Mingguan system proposed by Liu Ji gave the Ming Dynasty a lot more room for advancement and retreat.

This decision of the Viceroyalty of Peru was not surprising. The Ming Dynasty was opening up the sea in full swing, and with coastal defense inspectors everywhere, it still could not stop smuggling. Moreover, the West was now full of pirates.

Judging from his words and actions, the Governor-General of Peru had only expressed its stance before, but now it has chosen to take action, which means that the Governor-General of Peru intends to bet on both sides.

Zhu Yijun took a look at the newly built Huangpu River Palace. The issue of loyalty to the Governor-General's Office was indeed a matter that needed to be taken seriously. The huge body of water made it very difficult for ground forces to enter. The existence of the ocean was a natural centrifugal force.

This requires two-way efforts from the Ming hinterland and various governor-general's offices.

"Is there any difference between being an official in the local area and being an official in the court?" Zhu Yijun asked with a smile about Wang Qian's experience as an official.

Wang Qian said with a complicated expression: "My biggest feeling as an official in the local area is that from the court to the six rooms of the county government, you can't touch them, don't look at them, don't touch them, don't look at them. Everyone is loyal to the emperor and the country, but as soon as you touch them, you will find that they are all problems."

"At first I thought it was because of the high position and power of the imperial court officials, but when I got to the local areas, even the six offices of the Qingpu County government were like this, as were the three shifts of yamen runners."

"In short, once you get to know them, you'll find that they are all local tyrants. They use their power to obtain all kinds of privileges and do whatever they want."

"A word from them is the law in their government office. A word from them can prevent someone from getting promoted or transferred. A word from them can make a person's lifelong struggle come to nothing and turn it into a joke."

"To oppose him is to oppose the government and the court, and that means to rebel."

Wang Qian had something he didn't say. If things continued like this, sooner or later the Ming Dynasty would be overthrown by the people.

Wang Qian once inquired about commercial taxes. He always felt that the taxes received by the Songjiang government were completely different from the complaints of the people about commercial taxes. The commercial tax of the imperial court was 13% of the value in the hinterland and % for going out to sea. How could such a tax rate cause so many complaints?

Wang Qian could not find out anything from the official circles, so he had to rely on his own connections to find the Shanxi merchants in Songjiang Prefecture. It was only after three rounds of drinks that he learned from these Shanxi merchants that Songjiang Prefecture and the four counties' households had been levying taxes arbitrarily under false pretenses.

The Ming Dynasty was very afraid of these taxes that were cleverly made up. They were afraid that if they didn't pay, the Tax Inspection Office would arrive the next day, and they would generally give in.

The nominal tax rate is only 6%, but the actual tax rate can exceed 20%, and even in the newly established Qingpu County, it is as high as 30%, which shocked Wang Qian.

After a thorough internal investigation, there has been some improvement, but even so, the disease still recurs.

Zhu Yijun frowned and said, "Then Wang Qian, what do you think we should do?"

"I used the performance evaluation system and the civil servant selection system to govern officials, and the Dinghai school system to promote universal education, without caring about my reputation. During the five major cases of the Wanli reign, each was more brutal than the last. Ministers in the court could be killed, and local tyrants were also killed. I tried every possible means, but what can I do?"

"I am not afraid of starting a war. Do you think we should consider imitating the old system of Hongwu, sending corrupt officials to the capital, and establishing a bottom-up supervision mechanism?"

"Your Majesty, you must not!"

Wang Qian waved his hands again and again, looking anxious, "Your Majesty asked about the Ma Sanqiang case. Xu Sihai was called the leader of the Labor Union, but he was actually a labor traitor. However, even though he had killed countless craftsmen, eaten their flesh and drank their blood, many craftsmen still believed that Xu Sihai was a good man and the court was a bad man."

"If we do this, I'm afraid it will be used by people with ulterior motives to bring the Wanli Reform to an abrupt end."

"I have run out of ideas." Zhu Yijun seemed a little helpless. The stronger the medicine, the more effective it was and the stronger its effect was. Zhu Yijun was not afraid of the trouble, but such trouble would not be conducive to the Ming Dynasty becoming great again. He had no better solution.

In fact, judging from the failures of Wang Chonggu and Wang Jiaping in establishing trade unions many times and the failure of the old Hongwu system, this method is not as effective as we thought.

The common people are handing over corrupt officials? I am afraid that within a few days, it will develop into the situation where the powerful and wealthy people are handing over the honest officials who are acting for the people.

"In fact, I think that the current situation is just right." Wang Qian said with a smile: "Killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. If you kill too many people, they will naturally become afraid. If they are afraid, they will naturally lie dormant."

"Your Majesty, you know me. I am a playboy. I think the best way to make people obedient is to make them afraid. As for how to make people afraid, I don't know exactly how to do it."

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "That's true."

Wang Qian did not come to see the emperor to slander him, nor to make him repeat the same mistakes, nor did he pretend to be loyal and rebel, bringing the Wanli Reform to a standstill. He just talked about his views on being an official, and he had no other intention.

The Ming Dynasty's court was full of conservatives, and extreme conservatives at that. Even the reformists headed by Zhang Juzheng were part of the conservative faction. Extreme conservatives naturally opposed all kinds of overly radical policies and decisions.

Because any radical decision will be accompanied by a huge crisis.

Obviously, the policy of requiring the people to hand over corrupt officials to Beijing is too radical. It is a policy that cannot be implemented at all and is nothing but wishful thinking.

September 4th is the birthday of Saint Thomas.

Early in the morning, Zhu Yijun had just gotten up and changed into the twelve-chapter robe that he only wore a few times a year. He brought the queen, who was dressed in her best clothes, to the Wenhua Hall of the Huangpu River Palace, waiting for congratulations from the court officials.

When the emperor arrived at the Wenhua Hall, four eunuchs carried the dragon throne and he took the seat. Zhu Yijun sat on the throne and Wang Yaozhuo sat beside him.

When Feng Bao saw His Majesty sitting down, he flicked his whisk, and the layers of palace doors of Wenhua Hall slowly opened.

Feng Bao flicked his whisk again and took a step forward. Two eunuchs opened a long list of gifts. Feng Bao shouted in a hoarse voice, "Xu Wei, the governor of the Nagasaki Governor's Office, Sun Keyi, the director of the Maritime Customs, and Li Chengli, the commander of the Nagasaki Military Commission, present a birthday gift: a long life fire bowl, which costs 160,000 taels of silver!"

The eunuchs passed this message down layer by layer until it reached the Danbi Square of the Wenhua Palace.

One hundred and sixty thousand taels of silver were used to create a gigantic bowl. This bowl was a gilded bowl with ten thousand longevity characters engraved on it. The bowl stood on three legs and emitted a fascinating light under the sun.

Zhu Yijun narrowed his eyes and saw clearly the huge bowl placed on Danbi Square. The Nagasaki Governor-General's Office looked around and saw nothing good to give as a gift, so they gave a silver bowl weighing 10,000 kilograms, which meant longevity.

Zhu Yijun felt it was a pity not to melt the bowl and mint it into silver coins.

Feng Bao looked at the gift list and shouted again, "The Governor of the Luzon Governor-General's Office, Sishui Marquis Guoxing Zhengmao, the Prince Consort Guoxing Zongxin, and Princess Yingjia Zhu Xuanchang presented birthday gifts, twelve Tianbao Jiuru Ruyi birthday plates, made of 120,000 catties of red copper."

There are twelve copper towns in Luzon, each of which uses ten thousand kilograms of copper to cast twelve Tianbao Jiuru Ruyi plates. Tianbao Jiuru comes from "The Book of Songs, Xiaoya", which means like a mountain, like a hill, like a hill, like a mausoleum, like a river, like the moon, like the sun, like the Nanshan Mountain, and like pine and cypress. The nine characters are used together to wish for longevity and good fortune.

The twelve Tianbao Jiuru, in addition to the above nine items, also have the additional dragon plate, fu plate and fu plate.

The dragon coil naturally symbolizes the emperor. The "fu" is a symmetrical pattern of the Chinese character "bow", which means to distinguish right from wrong, to observe the slightest details, and to turn away from evil and pursue good. The "fu" coil is an axe, which means decisiveness and responsibility.

The Qilin Yin family is a family of poetry, literature, rituals, music and nobility. Yin Zhengmao hopes that the emperor can be discerning and not be deceived by the slander of villains. He must make a decision even if he misjudges the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and Luzon. If problems really arise, he must punish them decisively to prevent a catastrophe from happening.

Feng Bao flicked his whisk again and shouted solemnly, "The Governor of the Old Port Governor's Office, Yingyang Hou Zhang Yuanxun, presents a birthday gift, a pine tree for the 99th birthday."

Feng Bao had never seen this longevity pine tree. Compared with previous gifts, this longevity pine tree seemed a bit shabby.

Four eunuchs carried a red silk cloth nearly two people tall and walked into the Wenhua Hall. Then Zhang Hong pulled open the red silk cloth, which attracted the attention of many ministers in the hall.

It is indeed a longevity pine tree, but it is carved. The key point is that gems of various colors are hung on the longevity pine tree, which sparkles brightly under the morning sun and is dazzling.

Jadeite, agate, crystal, ivory, jade, diamond, and gems of various colors are carefully carved into eighty-one treasures, which is the return to the truth.

When Feng Bao saw Shou Song in this state, he immediately no longer felt that the Governor's Mansion in Jiugang was shabby. It was really not shabby at all, and it was even too luxurious.

Feng Bao flicked his whisk again and shouted with a relaxed look, "The Governor of Jinchi Governor's Office, Marquis Shilong Deng Zilong, presents a golden birthday plate weighing nine hundred and ninety-nine kilograms."

The specialty of the Jinchi Governor's Mansion is gold. There is a large golden plate weighing 990 kilograms, with a word "longevity" engraved on it. It is simple and unpretentious, but of extraordinary value.

Deng Zilong had little education, but his life was not as full of rules as in Luzon, nor was it as full of rare things as in the Governor's Office in Old Port.

A big golden plate, His Majesty was very happy.

"I will issue an edict to the four governor-general's offices. There is no need to be so extravagant in the future. The sky is high and the river is long. We should be afraid of making mistakes. You have all worked hard to open up the mountains and forests. It is really not easy to open up the country. If you miss the deadline, it will be a dilemma for the emperor and his subjects. Just send a congratulatory letter. I know what you are thinking." After reading the gifts from the four governor-general's offices, Zhu Yijun issued an imperial decree that there was no need to send birthday gifts.

There are three reasons: Afraid of losing such valuable items. What if the boat capsizes?
Moreover, the governor-general's offices had worked so hard to build their own offices, and it was already difficult for them to take care of themselves.
In the end, both the emperor and his ministers missed the deadline. God didn't care whether Zhu Yijun could celebrate his birthday or not. The wind was so strong that it was possible that the time would be delayed for several months.

The main problem is that it is a bit wasteful. A Wanshou plate made of 160,000 silver coins can be used to build a 20-li highway; a gold plate made of 1,000 jin can be used to issue 300,000 strings of treasure notes; and 120,000 jin of copper can be used to mint 960,000 strings of coins, which can be used by hundreds of thousands of households.

If these are all made into gifts, it will be inconvenient to melt them down, which is a huge waste of social resources.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng led the ministers out of the ranks, bowed their heads and cheered in unison.

In fact, several governor-general's offices had guessed long ago that the Wanli's 17th birthday celebration might be the only time that such precious and luxurious birthday gifts would be presented to His Majesty, and they would ban them from then on.

Your Majesty, who is a frugal person, will definitely issue an order prohibiting extravagance, so the four governor-general offices attach so much importance to it.

Zhu Yijun specifically told Zhang Juzheng that the two capitals and fifteen provinces should all submit congratulatory letters, but not birthday gifts. Zhu Yijun knew the bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty too well. Once he opened a loophole, the subordinates would immediately turn it into a birthday gift and plunder the subordinates. After the four governors-general sent the gifts, the congratulatory letters from the Ming Dynasty bureaucrats were unremarkable. As for whether they were copied or not, Zhu Yijun didn't really care. He just wrote them.

After presenting the congratulatory message, at the request of Grand Censor Shen Li three times, Zhu Yijun walked out of the Wenhua Hall of the Huangpu River Palace, walked out of the hall, and arrived at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests for fasting and offering sacrifices.

Fasting and offering sacrifices is a very tedious process. Zhu Yijun stood for almost half an hour before it was his turn to burn the Qingci. He used the Qingci written by Zhang Guoxiang, the Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, to offer sacrifices to the heaven.

It is somewhat out of place for ministers to write Qingci, but it is very professionally suitable for the Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain to write it.

At the grand banquet at noon, Zhu Yijun drank nine cups, but there was no wine in them, only water. His cup looked very big, but in fact it was just a sip. After the nine-cup ceremony, Zhu Yijun chose to leave. If he continued to stay there, no one would be able to eat or drink well.

After Zhu Yijun left, Fengwang Hall immediately became crowded with people. The emperor returned to the Tonghe Hall, his temporary palace. Tonghe Hall was built in imitation of the Tonghe Palace in Beiya and was Zhu Yijun's real bedroom.

When he returned to the palace, he immediately took off the Twelve-Chapter Royal Robe, mainly because there were too many accessories hanging on it. He had to walk in a square step, otherwise it would make a lot of jingling noises, which was unbecoming.

"This Longevity Festival needs to be simplified again and again. It's too complicated." Zhu Yijun changed into his own blue uniform and leaned back in the rattan chair, only then did he feel comfortable.

Wang Yaozhuo smiled and said, "I know that you are angry about these red tapes. I prepared longevity noodles. Would you like to have some?"

"Okay." Zhu Yijun sat up. It was not that he didn't celebrate his birthday. Every year on his birthday, he would have a bowl of longevity noodles cooked by Queen Wang herself.

Wang Yaozhuo took a bite and said with a smile, "It's not hot anymore, you can use it."

Everything the emperor eats has to pass through She Yuan's mouth. If it is poisonous, there will really be a river of blood. But should She Yuan taste the longevity noodles cooked by the queen herself?

The Queen did not want to embarrass her servants and would taste the food herself every time, because the Chief Physician had instructed that His Majesty should not eat food that was too hot. This was a legitimate and tacit reason.

"I feel at ease." After eating a bowl of noodles, Zhu Yijun immediately felt much more at ease.

"Husband, Sister Ran is also pregnant. Let Gu Meisheng sleep with her? She has already learned the rules." Wang Yaozhuo finished his small bowl of noodles and then talked about the affairs of the harem with a smile.

Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Okay, my lady, I'll make the arrangements."

In the afternoon of the first day of the Longevity Festival, there will be a Hundred Arts Ceremony, and in the evening there will be the lighting of the Aoshan Mountain. His Majesty the Emperor rarely attends such occasions, and will not grant any rewards, so the Hundred Arts Ceremony will continue until the lighting of the Aoshan Mountain in the evening.

On the day of Wanshou Saint's Day, all cities in the Ming Dynasty will cancel the curfew like during the Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. The whole Shanghai County is brightly lit. The several-meter-high Aoshan starts from the palace, crosses the Huangpu River Bridge, and begins to parade around.

"My lady, why do I feel like I've been fooled by the master?" After watching the lights of Aoshan fade away from the bell and drum tower of the main government office, Zhu Yijun frowned and finally realized that something was wrong.

Wang Yaozhuo asked with some confusion: "Uh, why do you say that, my husband?"

Zhu Yijun pointed in the direction of Xingang and said, "That's Xingang over there."

"My lady, you don't know that the West reduced the amount of silver in the galleon trade, and the Ming Dynasty used the rationing tax system to fight back. The wealthy merchants in Shanghai also chose to raise prices to reduce supply and increase profits, resulting in a lot of goods that should have been shipped out to sea being piled up in Songjiang Prefecture."

"This Longevity Festival, no matter how you look at it, seems to be for consuming all the goods piled up in the warehouse."

Zhu Yijun's birthday was celebrated at night before he realized that Zhang Juzheng had used the three-day holiday for the birthday celebration and held a temple fair on the 15th day just to stimulate consumption! Clear inventory!

Looking at the dazzling array of goods on the streets, the crowds of people, and the endless flow of traffic, Zhu Yijun realized that Zhang Juzheng's purpose was not just the emperor's grace.

"My husband, now that you mention it, it seems like something you would do." Wang Yaozhuo smiled when he heard this. It was almost certain that this was the case.

"Isn't it?" Zhu Yijun shook his head and said, "It's actually quite good. It would be a pity if these goods were piled up in the warehouse and discarded or rotted."

When Zhu Yijun returned to the bedroom, he saw Gu Meisheng, who was a little nervous and blushing. Although the nanny had taught him many rules, he was still a little nervous after all as he was a virgin.

Zhu Yijun asked about Gu Meisheng's situation and talked about her life.

Gu Meisheng was from Suzhou and was also a wealthy family there. She was already twelve years old and fully sensible when she was sold to the human trafficking shop by her father. She was also lucky that the Duke of Wei's mansion happened to be looking for a maid, and the old lady took a liking to her at first sight and raised her in the mansion.

Gu Meisheng didn't particularly hate her father, because the family had fallen into poverty, her mother died of illness, her father was not good at running the business, and the family business fell into several traps and owed a lot of debts. He had no choice but to choose to sell his daughter.

"Later, the old lady sent someone to inquire about it. It turned out that my father hanged himself on the day I left home." Gu Meisheng was even a little sad. She hated her father at first, but later she stopped hating him.

They cruelly sold her in the hope that she could survive, otherwise, who knows how those debt collectors would treat her.

There are different levels of human labor in the human labor industry. Her father found a human labor industry that specialized in finding maids for the mansions of dukes and marquises. This was the best way out her father could find for her.

Before, her father had always wanted to send his daughter to the home of an old friend, but when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, and the family falls into poverty, the so-called old friends are of no use anymore.

Gu Meisheng's current identity is the daughter of Duke Wei. The old lady has only given birth to several stubborn sons in her life and has always wanted a daughter. Gu Meisheng is good at housework and playing the pipa, and is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. That's why the old lady took her in as her adopted daughter and loved her more than her own daughter.

"I have a brother. After our family fell into poverty, he went out to make a living and has been missing ever since." Gu Meisheng was in a low mood. Naturally, she felt a little reluctant when she talked about the past.

Zhu Yijun grabbed Gu Meisheng's hand and said with a smile: "Your brother is in the Governor's Mansion of Jinchi."

"In the seventh year of the Wanli reign, your brother went to Songjiang Prefecture and used the alias Zhao Youcai. He moved goods at the dock and worked as a clerk. Because he was smart and could read and write, he was admitted to the Songjiang Maritime School and became a boat master. After graduation, he joined the Songjiang Navy and later went to Luzon to open up the Jinchi Governor's Office with Marquis Shi Long."

"Your brother has been looking for you, but he never found you."

Gu Meisheng had a hard life, and his brother Gu Huaili's life was not very good either. After he was admitted to Songjiang Maritime Academy, he changed back to his real name. Not long after joining the Songjiang Navy, he was visited by his creditors from that time.

When the lawsuit came, because it involved a financial dispute between the military and civilians, Gu Huaili immediately found it difficult to move forward among the troops.

At that time, Gu Huaili had only two choices: either leave the navy and serve as a boat master on a civilian ship, or be transferred to the Luzon Navy.

Gu Huaili had no choice but to go to the Luzon Navy and then to the Jinchi Governor's Office.

The Imperial Guards will definitely be able to find the person that the Duke of Wei's Mansion cannot find, and since they are going to enter the harem, they naturally have to find out everything clearly.

"He is doing well in the Governor's Mansion of Jinchi. He has married and has two children, a son and a daughter. He now owns 120 hectares of land, 340 laborers, 13 horse herders, 500 horses, 100 cattle, and 1,000 sheep. There are four shops and one workshop on Daguangming Street in Dajinchi." Zhu Yijun talked about Gu Huaili's current situation.

Gu Huaili was the captain of the Jinchi Navy and was considered a prominent figure in the Governor's Office.

Deng Zilong did not treat him unfairly. All the labor service was assigned to the prisoners. When the Dajinchi City was built, it was still a wasteland. The four shops on Daguangming Street were built by Gu Huaili and his men.

There was a severe shortage of people over there. As soon as we got off the boat, we were given 200 acres of land. It was not wasteland, but fertile land. It would become cultivated land after two years of cultivation. There were many dangers in reclaiming wasteland, and the local barbarians were not very friendly.

Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and added, "Oh, yes, he also opened the first elementary school and primary school in Jinchi. There were not many people who could read and write there."

When Gu Meisheng heard that her brother had such an opportunity, she heaved a sigh of relief, smiled and said, "Knowing that my brother is safe, I feel relieved."

As if a stone had fallen from his heart, Gu Meisheng immediately became cheerful, his features became expressive, his posture became charming, and his gaze became graceful.

Gu Meisheng snuggled in the emperor's arms and talked about some interesting things she had experienced. After she finished speaking, she suddenly raised her head and asked in a low voice with bright eyes: "Husband, on such a good day, do you want to chat all the time?"

Let’s chat for a while longer, the day will be over, today is the Emperor’s birthday!
The two fought until midnight before they finally stopped.

Zhu Yijun practiced martial arts all year round and had excellent physical strength. When Gu Meisheng was still half asleep, Zhu Yijun had already had breakfast, washed up, changed into military uniform, and went to participate in the second day's schedule of the Wanshou Festival. In the morning, there was a military horse review, and in the afternoon, there was a naval review.

The weather was nice and clear, and Songjiang Prefecture, which usually loves rain, did not have rain or fog to disturb the emperor's birthday celebration.

Qi Jiguang, the Minister of Military Affairs, is the person in charge of today's review. Chen Lin is the assistant minister of military affairs, Zhang Juzheng is the governor-general of military affairs, Wang Chonggu is the assistant, the general, the prime minister, the second prime minister, and the naval general are the persons in charge of this review.

"Sir, this is your second time as the governor-general." Zhu Yijun arrived at the Chengtian Gate Tower of the temporary palace. There was a royal tent at the Chengtian Gate, which was the Yuewu Gate where the military parade was held today.

Starting from the second year of the Wanli reign, a spring review was held every March, and a naval review was held in Tianjin Prefecture every October. During the Wanli period, Zhang Juzheng never served as the governor-general of military affairs, but always served as the Minister of War.

Zhang Juzheng bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty is wise, this is indeed the second time. The last time was in August of the third year of Longqing."

In March of the second year of the Longqing reign, Zhang Juzheng requested Emperor Longqing to review the troops on the grounds that "our ancestors had a grand review ceremony, and I beg you to personally review it." Emperor Longqing agreed, and in August of the third year of the Longqing reign, the Longqing Grand Review was held.

It was originally agreed that the Emperor would personally review the troops to boost the morale of the weak and encourage the soldiers. The military review should be conducted regularly in August every year. However, it was never held as scheduled. The reasons for this were quite complicated. Some of them were due to the fact that the previous emperor did not like government affairs, the court was in deficit, and there was opposition from the censors.

"Let's get ready and start." Zhu Yijun nodded. He glanced at the city gate. In the third year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng was at Chengtian Gate of Beiya. He helped Zhu Yijun onto the horse and sent him to the Beijing camp to review the military horses.

After that, for fourteen years, he would go to the Beijing camp every day without fail as long as he had nothing to do.

Zhu Yijun walked up to Chengtian Gate step by step and stood under the imperial tent, with dragon flags fluttering beside him. From Chengtian Gate to the Huangpu River Bridge, there were elite soldiers from the Beijing camp wearing iron armor. Each of them held his head high and stood straight. As he stood there, an aura of majesty and murderous intent was overwhelming.

When Zhu Yijun was practicing martial arts, he thought, maybe, possibly, probably, should, there would really be such a day in the Ming Dynasty, a day when the Ming army would shine with majesty!
And now, that day has arrived.

Zhu Yijun was wearing full armor and a helmet. He stood as straight as a soldier, stretched out his hand and then clenched his fist, saying loudly: "The Ming army is mighty!"

"Your Majesty, it's mighty!"

"Your Majesty, it's mighty!"

"Your Majesty, it's mighty!"

The voices of the 12,000 soldiers on parade gathered together, and their cheers were like thunder, reaching the sky.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng was so obsessed with the Emperor's Birthday and mentioned it again and again was actually just for the sake of reviewing the Xuanwei vinegar and making dumplings. The other purposes were just incidental.

The group of powerful and wealthy people, wealthy businessmen, famous scholars, local celebrities, and bureaucrats who were watching the ceremony must truly see what kind of power the Emperor holds in his hands.

Only when you truly see it will you consider whether you can afford the cost when doing things.

(End of this chapter)