I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 686: An Oriole Sings in the Blue Sky
Zhu Yijun turned around and asked, "What big thing could happen in the harem?"

Wanfu panted and replied, "Your Majesty, I want to answer your question. Concubine Shun is about to give birth."

Zhu Yijun stood up suddenly and said, "I'm about to give birth. Is the letter accurate?"

"In reply to the emperor, all the obstetric doctors in the Imperial Medical Office have arrived at Luqi Pavilion to wait for orders. After their diagnosis, they said it would only take an hour or two."

"Do the Queen Mother and the Empress know?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, I received the news and immediately reported it to the Queen Mother and the Empress. They have already left for Luqi Pavilion. The Empress also asked me to hurry and report it to Your Majesty."

"Well, I'll go take a look at Luqixuan."

Wanfu and Yang Jinshui advised in unison: "Your Majesty, Concubine Shun's childbirth is bloody and unlucky, and it may bring bad luck to you. Please sit here and wait for the news."

"What are you talking about? Giving birth is a life-threatening experience for a woman. Concubine Shun risked her life to give birth to my heir, but I am unwilling to even go to Luqixuan. How ungrateful."

"Your Majesty, Luqixuan has a female medical officer, and no one else can help. Why don't you wait nearby?" Yang Jinshui continued to try to persuade.

"My presence in Luqi Pavilion and my absence in Luqi Pavilion have completely different meanings to Concubine Shun who is giving birth inside. When a woman gives birth, sometimes she is fighting for her life with her last breath. I am here to encourage her.

You don't have to worry, I'll be waiting in the side hall of Luqixuan."

Zhu Yijun glanced at Wanfu and Yang Jinshui, and said meaningfully: "Family and country are the same. Without family, there is no country. If a person doesn't even care about his family, how can he care about the country? If a person doesn't even love his family, how can we expect him to love the people of the world?"

"Your Majesty!"

Yang Jinshui, Wanfu, Qi Yan and other close eunuchs said respectfully together.

"Okay, let's go to Luqixuan. Jinshui will come with us, and we can talk while we walk."

"According to the order."

After leaving Ziguang Pavilion, Zhu Yijun and his party walked quickly along the tree-lined road on the west side of Zhonghai Lake.

"Jinshui, let's continue with the cigarettes. The most expensive brand of cigarettes is called Red Sun, which means 'the red sun rises in the east, shining brightly on the heaven and earth.'"

Yang Jinshui replied hesitantly: "Your Majesty, isn't this brand a bit too big?"

"It is meant to be grand and majestic. It is meant to make people who smoke this cigarette feel ambitious and feel like they are standing on the top of Mount Tai. It is meant to make people who smoke this cigarette feel like they own the world once they smoke this cigarette."

Yang Jinshui was even more confused, "Your Majesty, is this okay?"

"Why not? As I said earlier, the taste of cigarettes is very subjective, and everyone's taste may be different. You may find it unpalatable, but Wanfu may find it very pleasant.

So how do we unify everyone’s tastes? Add value!”

"Value?" Yang Jinshui's eyes flashed, just like Dongfang Bubai who had just seen "The Book of the Sunflower".

“Yes, value.”

"Your Majesty, what is value?" Yang Jinshui looked eager to learn.

“Value, let me give you another analogy.

The price of cigarettes ranges from one cent to five cents, and if you look closely, the difference is actually not that big. But we want to sell cigarettes that cost three cents to 15 cents, 25 cents, and cigarettes that cost five cents to 50 cents. How can we sell them? How can we make smokers accept them?

Wanfu, who was standing by, felt his heart tremble at the sound of what he heard.

A cigarette worth three cents is sold for twenty-five cents? A cigarette worth five cents is sold for fifty cents? Are you selling it with a knife or a gun in your hand and a cannon behind you?
Yang Jinshui said sincerely, "Your Majesty, please give me some pointers."

“So we have to attach different values ​​to different cigarettes.

The five-cent Sanggan River is made of ordinary wrapping paper, printed in black and white, with more words and fewer pictures, and is made to save money. The core value is that it is a cigarette that ordinary people can afford.

Then there is the 10-cent Lugou Bridge and the 15-cent Chaoyang Gate. The wrapping paper is slightly better, the printing on the outside is a little more colorful and a little more exquisite. The core value is that people with a little money can afford them.

Luanhe cigarettes cost 25 cents, have high-quality wrapping paper, are printed in color, and have exquisite patterns. They are cigarettes for extraordinary people.

The 50-cent Red Sun cigarette has the best wrapping paper, the best and most exquisite printing, and the slogan "The red sun rises in the east, and the world shines brightly". It is meant to make people who smoke Red Sun cigarettes smoke something different, a sky with clear clouds, and something extraordinary.

Different customers smoke different cigarettes, so we add different values ​​to them to give them different experiences. The final result is to make them feel that a five-cent Sanggan River is worth the price, and a fifty-cent Red Sun is worth the price. "

Yang Jinshui's eyes sparkled as he said with great admiration, "Your Majesty's words have made me better than reading ten years of books. People all over the world call me the God of Wealth, but in fact they don't know that the real God of Wealth is you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yijun laughed, "Jinshui, you just do it well. If you do it well, the prices of these cigarettes will go up. Luanhe cigarettes may sell for three cents, and Hongri cigarettes may sell for more than six or seven cents.

But remember, the cheapest Sanggan River must be kept at 5 cents, and the Lugou Bridge and Chaoyangmen must be kept at 10 cents and 10.5 cents. Even if the prices of Luanhe and Hongri cigarettes go up to the sky, the prices of these three cigarettes must remain unchanged.

Jinshui, do you know why? "

Yang Jinshui thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, the Sanggan River, Lugou Bridge and Chaoyang Gate are the foundation. Without them, the Luan River and Hongri would be like water without a source and trees without roots."

"Yes!" Zhu Yijun turned to look at Yang Jinshui and nodded approvingly, "These three cigarettes are anchors. There is a difference only when there is a comparison. Without these three cigarettes for comparison, how can we show the superiority of Luanhe and Hongri cigarettes?"

The sunlight shone through the leaves onto Zhu Yijun's face and body. Circles of halos surrounded him, making him dazzling and shining.

Yang Jinshui followed behind him, slightly bent over, with admiration on his face, and followed closely.

Wanfu looked at the two of them with an expression that said I didn’t understand, but I was greatly shocked.

No wonder Yang Jinshui is so highly regarded by the emperor. I can’t even understand the intricacies of making money here, let alone figure it out. But Yang Jinshui can understand it immediately and can draw inferences from it.

Great!

Zhu Yijun continued, "Jinshui, you just said that you were inspired by cigarettes, and you wanted people to be able to smoke anytime and anywhere. Now that we have cigarettes, what should we do if we don't have a fire?"

Yang Jinshui was stunned for a moment, "Your Majesty, don't we still have the fire stick?"

"That thing is inconvenient. We must provide very convenient fire-making tools so that people can smoke anytime and anywhere. Moreover, fire-making tools are used by people at home and outdoors in daily life, so it is also a big business."

Yang Jinshui said respectfully: "I beg Your Majesty to give me some advice."

"The Chemical Research Institute of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory has developed a fire-making device. It is a thin wooden pole with a secret medicine pill added to one end. It can be scratched on a hard paper surface coated with red phosphorus, yellow scales and quartz powder to make a fire that burns for seven or eight seconds, which is enough for general occasions.

There is also a kind of thin paper soaked in paraffin, squeezed into a long stick-like stick. The same secret pill is added to one end, and it can also be scratched on the hard paper to make fire. It can burn for fifteen to twenty seconds and is suitable for sailing, marching, and hunting in the wild.

I named it Match.

Jinshui, go contact the Imperial Observatory and buy the patent for matches and sell them together with cigarettes.

A cigarette without matches is like a cigarette without a soul."

In front of him was Luqixuan. Zhu Yijun stopped for a moment and turned to Yang Jinshui and said, "Jinshui, take good care of the cigarette business. I can tell you this. This business is truly profitable. It will sell well both domestically and abroad.

If this business is successful, the Ming navy and army will dominate the world, and the tobacco tax will be enough!"

Yang Jinshui's eyes widened, and he couldn't believe it at first.

Is the tobacco business so profitable? Not only is it profitable, but the market is also so vast?
I was originally just an ordinary money tree, but I didn't expect that in the emperor's heart, I was a towering money tree. But the emperor never speaks nonsense, which of his words and predictions have not been verified one by one?
The fact that the Emperor dared to say this today shows that the tobacco business really has great potential, a lot of potential!
Yang Jinshui's heart warmed, and she bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your guidance."

Zhu Yijun waved his hand and continued walking forward.

"If you make money, it means that the Shaofu makes money. If the Shaofu makes money, it means that I make money, right? Why are you thanking me? I have to thank you very much!"

As they were talking, the group arrived at the gate of Luqixuan Palace.

Upon hearing the news, Queen Xue Baoqin came out to greet the emperor.

"The Queen is here?"

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is here too, and she's waiting in the front hall."

"The Queen Mother is here too. I want to go and pay my respects to her."

When they arrived at the front hall, Zhu Yijun stepped forward and bowed, "Your son greets the queen mother."

"Why is the emperor here too?" Chen asked the eunuchs and palace maids to help Zhu Yijun up, complaining, "A woman is giving birth, why is the emperor here to join in the fun?"

"Mother, I know the dangers of childbirth for women. Concubine Shun and Concubine Gui risked their lives to give birth to me. It would be unreasonable for me not to come and see them."

Chen looked at Zhu Yijun lovingly, then turned to Xue Baoqin and said, "The queen is a blessed person. The emperor is considerate and caring."

"My queen mother is wise, and the emperor really loves me and others."

Chen's eyes moved around Xue Baoqin's face several times, and she felt pity for her.

You are such a miserable queen. If you cannot give birth to a prince, who knows what will happen to you in the end?

The Zhu family has a cold nature that has been passed down from ancestors. Now the emperor loves you and pities you, but if you can't give birth to an heir, this love will fade sooner or later.

Although the emperor is very respectful to me and treats me like his own mother, everyone in the world knows his temper, his determination and courage, and what he has decided cannot be stopped by me, the queen mother, or even his own father when he was alive.

By that time, it will be difficult for me to protect you even if I want to.

Chen sighed softly in her heart, but she still kept a smile on her face. She patted the empty space next to the couch and said, "Queen, please sit next to me, and we two can have a good chat.

Emperor, go have some tea over there and handle whatever happens. You definitely don’t like to hear what we women say.”

"Yes, mother, I will go to the side hall to drink tea and wait."

Zhu Yijun stood on the steps in front of the side hall, his hands in his sleeves, watching the palace maids going in and out of the back hall. The female medical officer came out every once in a while to report the situation to Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Xue.

Wang's painful groans could be faintly heard.

"Tell Concubine Shun that I am outside to encourage her."

"Yes!"

After a while, the moans inside became louder, and roars were heard from time to time.

Zhu Yijun looked up at the sky. It was clear blue and the sun was shining brightly.

"Well, today is a good day. Everything will go well."

Yang Jinshui, who was standing next to him, was about to reply, but Zhu Yijun turned around and asked, "Did you do anything about You Qi?"

Yang Jinshui was stunned for a few seconds, then reacted and answered, "In reply to the emperor, I can do what You Qi asked, but I don't want to do it. The Commercial Investigation Department is a public tool of the Ministry of Finance, not my private tool."

Zhu Yijun continued to put his hands in his sleeves and shrugged his shoulders.

"I believe in Jinshui's character. But this matter is really a little strange. Someone is fanning the flames, and his intentions are sinister!"

Yang Jinshui asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, could it be Zhang Siwei and the others?"

"Before they gained power, they were afraid of chaos in the world and wanted to fish in troubled waters. But now they have been given important positions and know where their own path lies. If they still dare to fan the flames, aren't they destroying their own way out?

Zhang Siwei was not that stupid. He was very smart. After receiving the letter from Mr. Shuda, he rushed to Wuchang without stopping, just to put out the fire.

But his temperament is like this. He is smart but too flexible and lacks resilience. When he sees that things cannot be done and is unwilling to take risks, he immediately retreats. "

Yang Jinshui nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty is wise, and Zhang Siwei and his men don't have the ability to accomplish this."

"Yes, Zhang Siwei doesn't have that ability. So I think this matter is very strange. Who is fanning the flames and stirring up trouble?"

There is no external force that can be blamed now, so there must be someone inside who is secretly making trouble, but who is it?
"Your Majesty, can I go check it out?"

"Investigate, not only you, but Feng Bao and Jinyiwei are also investigating. I know about You Qi, he has a bad character. Master Zhang is such a cautious person, but he keeps this guy around, Jinshui, why do you think so?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know."

"Master Zhang is still a little afraid of me."

Yang Jinshui blinked and understood.

Zhang Juzheng deliberately kept You Qi by his side, learning from Wang Jian and Xiao He's method of seeking safety by defilement of oneself.

How many Hai Gangfengs are there in the Ming Dynasty?

Grand Duke Hai Gangfeng is upright, strong without desires, and very capable in practical matters, but he cannot even enter the cabinet, let alone serve as an advisor.

Why?

You are strong and selfless, so how can the emperor trust you to hand over the power to govern the country?

Then he thought again, not only Master Zhang, but all the civil and military officials are afraid of you, the emperor.
Compared with Emperor Sejong, you are better than him. Not only are you shrewd and scheming, but more importantly, you have the means and courage, and you really dare to take action at the critical moment.

Just as he was thinking about it, a few birds suddenly flew over Luqixuan, chirping and making pleasant sounds.

Zhu Yijun and Yang Jinshui could not help but look up and saw a beautiful bird that did not fly away with them. Instead, it circled a few times on the roof of the main hall of Luqixuan, then stopped on the eaves and chirped as if it was singing.

"what--!"

Suddenly, a roar came from the main hall, and then it became extremely quiet.

Startled by the sound, the bird spread its wings and flew away, disappearing in an instant.

Zhu Yijun watched the bird disappear into the sky. The two palace ladies ran out of the main hall, shouting in surprise.

"She's giving birth! Concubine Shun has given birth!"

Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Xue rushed out from the back door of the front hall.

Queen Mother Chen, who was trembling slightly, asked loudly, "Is it born? OK, is it a boy or a girl?"

(End of this chapter)