I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 11: The Big Uncle and the Second Uncle

Zhu Houxuan returned to Cunxin Hall somewhat dejectedly.

"It's so difficult to do something practical!" Zhu Houxun sighed.

He didn't expect that he would encounter so many obstacles just after taking the first step of his plan.

What he didn't expect was that he would have to engage in a house fight first!
He has only seen house fights in women's novels!

He is now only the master of the Jingwang Mansion in name, but in fact he has no control over the Jingwang Mansion at all, because he does not have his own team and has no one he can use.

Although he was confident that he could endure hardships and secretly accumulate strength in the upcoming house fight, and win the house fight in one fell swoop when he was fully prepared, but that would waste a lot of time.

He didn't want to waste so much time on palace fighting, and Concubine Liu was very kind to him, so he didn't want to hurt her. But Concubine Liu was too concerned about the reputation of the Prince of Jing's Mansion and would not let him do anything out of line.

Although Zhu Houxuan had never engaged in power and political struggles, he knew that struggles would make you have more friends and fewer enemies.

The prerequisite is to distinguish who is the enemy and who is the friend. Zhu Houxuan believed that Concubine Liu was definitely not his enemy, but someone he could try to win over.

Zhu Houxuan lay in bed and thought for a long time, but couldn't think of any good solution.

At this time Hou Sen came back, and with him came two wealthy middle-aged men.

"Uncle, uncle, why are you here?" Zhu Houxuan said in surprise.

These two middle-aged men were Concubine Liu’s two younger brothers, named Liu Changshou and Liu Changyuan.

"Didn't you send someone to deliver a letter to us a few days ago, saying that you were going to prepare to develop industry and commerce? Wouldn't your second uncle and I have rushed back immediately?" said the eldest uncle Liu Changshou, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Yes, we as uncles must rush back to help our nephews!" said the second uncle Liu Changyuan with a smile.

"Haha, thank you two uncles for your hard work! Someone, please find a seat and serve tea! Can't you see that you uncles are exhausted?" Zhu Houxun said, raising his voice.

At the same time, he looked at Hou Sen beside him calmly. Hou Sen nodded slightly at him. Zhu Houxuan knew that he had stopped Jin Tong and the others, and he felt a little relieved.

The two uncles were actually the white gloves of the Jing Wang Mansion. They were actually the ones who managed all the industries, both overt and covert, of the Jing Wang Mansion. Zhu Houxuan's plan could not bypass these two uncles, so he sent someone to invite them.

As soon as the eldest uncle sat down, he couldn't wait to say: "My eldest nephew has a new look since he inherited the title of prince! I think it should have been like this a long time ago. Among the more than 20 princely mansions in the Ming Dynasty, our Jingwang Mansion is the worst off. My sister and brother-in-law are too cautious. They don't allow us to do this or that. I don't know how much money they have lost over the years!"

"Yes! Our Jingwang Mansion even collects half a percent less rent than other families. We collect less than the landlords in the countryside. We do this just to have a good reputation, but in the end I think we get nothing. But now that my eldest nephew has become a prince, let's do something big," said the second uncle eagerly.

"Nephew! Just tell me what we should do! My uncles will definitely do their best to help!" The uncle patted his chest.

Seeing that the atmosphere was so lively, Zhu Houxuan put aside what Concubine Liu had said and briefly talked about his plan to start a business.

The two uncles frowned more and more as they listened, and the eldest uncle interrupted Zhu Houxun directly: "My nephew! Who taught you to do business like this? Doing business to make money? Look at the more than 20 princely palaces in the world, which one is doing business? Isn't business something that is done by those peasants with great difficulty? There are so many ways for our palace to make money, why do you have to humiliate yourself like this?"

Zhu Houxuan was stunned by his uncle's words, "Please give me some advice, uncles."

The eldest uncle and the second uncle looked at each other, and the second uncle slowly said, "We are a family, so uncle, just be direct. When doing business, you have to give full play to your own advantages. What do you think are the advantages of our palace?" "Please tell me, uncle!"

"For example, some time ago, five or six hundred merchant ships from various royal palaces went to the Changlu Salt Field to transport salt. When they were fully loaded on the return journey, they even blocked the Grand Canal. Some merchants waited for three years at the Changlu Salt Field with salt permits but were unable to get salt. Then, when the merchant ships from various royal palaces arrived, they pulled five or six hundred ships at once. Why do you think this happened?" said my second uncle slowly.

"Is this true?" Zhu Houxuan said in surprise.

"Of course it's true. The merchant ship of Prince Ning's Mansion passed by Qizhou City a few days ago and went upstream. You didn't see it. There were more than a hundred merchant ships with deep draft and they were all fully loaded. How much money can they make from this alone?" said the uncle with some sorrow.

Prince Ning? Is he the Prince Ning who would rebel later? Has he already started to accumulate financial resources? Zhu Houxuan thought silently. Prince Ning's rebellion was one of the major events he remembered.

"So, why should we engage in industry? Business is all about buying high and selling high. With the golden signboard of Prince Jing's Mansion, we will surely make a profit." The second uncle looked at Zhu Houxuan with sharp eyes.

Zhu Houxuan now understood the hidden meaning of his second uncle. How can a business be profitable without losses? It turned out that he was going to use the power of the Prince of Jing's Mansion to force buying and selling, and bully the market!
Moreover, it sounds like this is the basic operation of each royal palace. Not only do they not produce anything themselves, they also use their power to disrupt normal market activities and seize a large amount of wealth. No wonder the Ming Dynasty's vassal kings have such a bad reputation in later generations!
How can the Ming Dynasty be good with such a group of insects?
Zhu Houxuan suddenly discovered that his two uncles also exuded the scent of insects.

But Zhu Houxun doesn't have anyone available now, so he can only rely on them for now.

And the most urgent task now is to get past Concubine Liu, and these two uncles seem to be two good candidates. Although they don't seem very reliable, maybe they can change Concubine Liu's mind.

Zhu Houxuan then groaned for a moment and said, "Listening to your words today is better than reading for ten years, but I'm afraid your trip will be in vain. I just had a quarrel with my mother about the development of industry and commerce because she doesn't allow me to do this."

"Is this really true?" The two uncles looked at each other.

Then they said in unison: "I'll go and persuade my sister!"

"Then I'll have to trouble my two uncles!" Zhu Houxun smiled and bowed.

After seeing off his two uncles, Zhu Houxuan fell into deep thought. Concubine Liu was a devout Buddhist and was actually quite superstitious. His talk about ghosts and gods today had actually moved Concubine Liu, but the idea of ​​maintaining the reputation of the Prince of Jing's Mansion was too deeply imprinted in Concubine Liu's mind, which led to today's backlash.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to prove that he has indeed obtained the knowledge bestowed by God, and also to prove the validity of this knowledge.

This might change Concubine Liu's attitude.

Thinking of this, Zhu Houxuan stood up and walked out, and Hou Sen hurriedly followed.

"My Lord, where are you going now?"

"Go to Gongzheng Office!"

"Why don't you go? The Toffee is still angry."

"Stop talking nonsense and follow me!"

"Then Your Highness, please take the sedan chair!"

"Why ride in a sedan chair? Go there on your feet!"

(End of this chapter)