Daming: Dad, you are really not good at governing the country

Chapter 398: Dimensionality Attack from Jewelers of Vassal States
In the workshop streets of Yingtian Prefecture that exude ancient charm, Ye Chen, the official sent by Zhu Gang to head the Commercial Administration Office, is having a conversation with a group of craftsmen about their livelihood and national policy.

Ye Chen was wearing a green official robe, and although his expression showed a bit of official authority, he also tried to be friendly and listened patiently to the craftsmen's complaints.

A thin, weather-beaten jeweler, with a red face and angry face, shouted: "Sir, we are all honest craftsmen.

I work hard on those jewels every day, hoping to earn some money to make a living.

But now that the court's policy has changed, it's becoming difficult to do business.

There's no guarantee of wages, and our family can barely make ends meet!

Do you, the imperial court, still care about the lives of ordinary people like us?"

After saying that, he sighed heavily, his eyes full of helplessness and resentment.

Ye Chen smiled and bowed repeatedly, saying: "Dear craftsmen, don't worry, the court is concerned about you.

This policy change is actually for the long-term stability and vigorous development of our entire Ming Dynasty.

But His Highness knows all your difficulties.

His Highness is kindhearted and has promised personally that he will try his best to improve everyone's treatment.

As long as you all work together and work together with the court to overcome the current temporary difficulties.

The days ahead will surely get better and better.”

At the same time, Zhu Gang was also very busy in the palace.

He was well aware that the theft of jewels had caused panic among the people.

If this problem is not solved quickly, it will be greatly detrimental to the implementation of this jewelry policy.

So Zhu Gang stepped up his investigation into the theft while decisively issuing a reward for clues.

He stood in the main hall of the Prince of Jin's mansion, with a serious look on his face, and loudly declared to the crowd: "If anyone can provide effective clues, I will reward you with 100 strings of Ming Dynasty treasure notes!
If you can help capture the thieves, you will be rewarded handsomely, in addition to a thousand strings of Ming treasure notes!"

As soon as this order was issued, it was like a huge rock was thrown into a calm lake, instantly causing thousands of waves.

Many people were attracted by the generous reward after hearing about it.

They rushed to Yingtian Prefecture from all over, vying to provide clues to the government.

Among the many people who came forward to provide clues, there was a clever boy named Ah Fu, who made a living by running errands and doing odd jobs in the market.

His eyes lit up when he saw the bounty.

Ah Fu hurried to the government office and breathlessly said to the officer, "Sir, Sir!

I have some clues. I think I have seen the thief gang. They were sneaking around near the ruined temple in the west of the city."

Upon hearing this, the officer did not dare to delay and hurriedly took Ah Fu to see the inspector in charge of the matter.

The inspector made detailed inquiries and felt that the clue was quite valuable, so he quickly reported it to the Prince of Jin's Palace.

In this way, with the tireless efforts and extensive investigations by people like Zhu Gang and A Yu, the traces of the theft gang gradually surfaced.

When Zhu Gang heard the news, he was overjoyed. He slammed the table and shouted, "Great! These thieves are finally showing up!

Come here, summon the Hidden Dragon Guards immediately!
Follow me and attack quickly to catch this gang of thieves in one fell swoop.

Bring back all the stolen jewels for me!"

The Hidden Dragon Guards quickly assembled upon receiving the order, and everyone was in high spirits.

Like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, they, led by Zhu Gang, rushed straight to the hiding place of the thieves.

After a fierce battle, the gang of thieves was caught and all the stolen jewels were recovered.

This swift and decisive action won the thumbs up from the people of Yingtian Prefecture, and also showed everyone Zhu Gang's extraordinary leadership and adaptability. After this incident, the jewelry policy, which had been stagnant due to the theft, continued to move forward steadily under Zhu Gang's efforts.

But who would have thought that this trouble would be like the leeks, which would sprout again after being cut.

Merchants from the sixty-one Southeast Yi countries were delighted when they saw the Ming Dynasty's adjustment of its jewelry policy, as if they had seen a juicy prey.

They felt there was an opportunity and flocked into the Ming market.

That attitude seemed to be about to devour the Ming Dynasty's jewelry business alive.

Merchants from these vassal states brought exotic jewelry styles.

What about necklaces inlaid with exotic gems and earrings with unique shapes.

There are also bracelets with exquisite craftsmanship, each of which exudes novelty.

In addition, their business philosophy was quite novel, with things like buy one get one free and membership system, which dazzled the people of the Ming Dynasty.

This has brought tremendous competitive pressure to local jewelers.

After Zhu Gang learned about this, he frowned and muttered to himself, "These merchants from the vassal states really know how to pick the right time. They specifically look for the moment when we change our policies to cause trouble. Humph!"

He knew in his heart that this was not just a commercial competition, but also a severe test of the Ming Dynasty's jewelry industry policy.

So Zhu Gang decided to find out more about it himself.

He took a few attendants with him and traveled through the streets and alleys of Yingtian Prefecture, visiting local jewelry merchants one by one.

Arriving in front of a large jewelry store, Zhu Gang stepped into the store.

The shopkeeper's surname is Li, and he is a leader in the Yingtianfu jewelry business. At this moment, he is sitting behind the counter and sighing.

Zhu Gang walked forward and patted the counter gently, "Shopkeeper Li, the merchants from the vassal states are coming in with such force that our jewelry business is in turmoil.

We can't just stand by and watch them take away our business.

You have to find ways to improve product quality and provide better services, so that you can be invincible in this fierce competition!"

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Li stood up with a bitter face and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to!
But improving quality and providing better service won’t cost money, right?
This cost... is really too high. My small business cannot afford it."

Zhu Gang waved his hand to interrupt him.

“Don’t worry about the cost.

I will find a way to help you solve some of the problems, just do your best."

When Shopkeeper Li heard this, he was immediately surprised and bowed quickly.

"Thank you, Your Highness. I will do my best and will never let Your Highness down!"

However, this was not the end. While Zhu Gang was busy dealing with the competition from merchants from vassal states, the hidden hostile forces were also not idle.

They are racking their brains to sabotage the implementation of jewelry policy, and these hostile forces are spreading rumors among the people in the market.

They said that once the jewelry policy changed, ordinary people would not be able to afford jewelry in the future, and they also incited people's dissatisfaction with the jewelry policy.

Not only that, these hostile forces also secretly funded some dissatisfied jewelry merchants and encouraged these merchants to unite against the court.

However, Zhu Gang was no pushover and he was keenly aware of these conspiracies and intrigues.

After calling his trusted confidant, Ninth Rank Bai Tang Fang Wenyao, to his side, Zhu Gang sternly ordered, “Go and find out those guys who are secretly plotting this for me. We must not let them succeed.

This jewelry policy is related to the development of the Ming Dynasty, and there is absolutely no room for error!"

(End of this chapter)