Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 317 In an Era of Upward Mobility

Nanjing is brightly lit at night.

Zhu Yunfeng took a stroll around the city and saw a completely new look.

The wide roads are neatly constructed, with tall buildings lining both sides, and the landscaping is excellent.

It could even be said that there used to be large areas of greenery, but many places in the city were wastelands, overgrown with weeds, and trees and shrubs grew wildly and without any order.

Now, however, roadside flowerbeds have been built, creating a free park. Camphor and banyan trees have been planted on both sides of the sidewalk, forming a lush, verdant canopy.

Marble embankments have been built along the banks of the Qinhuai River, with a willow tree every few meters along the embankment.

As the evening breeze blows and the setting sun sinks in the distance, people stroll along the riverbank, illuminated by newly built streetlights that cast silhouettes of passersby.

"Crack, click, click!"

Many people were taking pictures along the banks of the Qinhuai River with point-and-shoot cameras, and men and women walked confidently and cheerfully.

With no curfew at night, the bright lights of the streetlights and the entire city allowed Nanjing to begin to experience nightlife, with night markets and entertainment venues gradually emerging.

In the distance behind, the painted boats of the Qinhuai River flowed quietly, with lanterns hanging from their bows. At this moment, the landscape seemed to have transformed into a beautiful painting.

Zhu Yunfeng stopped the car and gazed at the magnificent Qinhuai River in the distance. A gentle breeze blew by, caressing his face, giving him a feeling of being immersed in the days of a small town.

Strictly speaking, Nanjing wasn't really a big city back then.

Apart from the Confucius Temple area, which became a bustling commercial center in later generations, the rest of the area was practically deserted, resembling a wasteland.

But now, less than two years later, skyscrapers are springing up everywhere, and various facilities are becoming increasingly complete.

As construction progressed faster, modern life gradually eroded ancient society.

While current urban housing and commercial areas are primarily supplied to the wealthy in the Ming Dynasty, this does not mean that ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty lack purchasing power.

One of the most significant changes in Nanjing was the construction of numerous factories in the suburbs outside the city, such as steel mills, textile mills, and coal mines.

At the same time, modern construction such as factories, buildings, and urban construction all require workers. To date, more than two million workers have been trained, and there are also many different types of skilled workers.

These workers became the first high-income workers in the Ming Dynasty. The imperial court allocated a large amount of silver dollars, and this year the Ming Central Bank was established to issue paper money, bringing tremendous economic vitality to the people.

When you have money, you have to spend it.

In addition to importing a large number of everyday consumer goods, entertainment consumption is naturally also indispensable.

As the saying goes, it's hard to learn good things, but easy to learn bad ones.

The imperial court is currently gradually banning brothels, but only the sale of sex is prohibited; general activities such as accompanying someone to drink are not.

The result is a combination of the ancient and the modern, with ancient brothels evolving into modern shopping malls.

They can play various instruments and sing.

In addition, mobile phones, computers, and communications are gradually entering the lives of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.

In the past two years, the Ming Dynasty has been undergoing tremendous changes.

After all, the arrival of modern technology was akin to a dimensional reduction attack, with advanced productivity replacing outdated productivity, giving the Ming Dynasty a tremendous shock.

But we can't do it slowly like we did in my country.

For example, first lay power lines, then slowly build roads and buildings, and then introduce pagers, telephones, and mobile phones.

That would be acceptable to the people, but the progress would be too slow.

Besides, those things were obsolete anyway, and they'd have to be replaced in a couple of years, so it's better to go straight to the high-tech stuff we have now.

As night falls, Nanjing is ablaze with color.

Zhu Yunfeng's phone lit up.

He has two SIM cards in his phone, one is a Modern SIM card and the other is a Daming SIM card.

Old Zhu's internal number was nine 5s, symbolizing the supreme status of the emperor.

His is eight eights.

The caller ID showed Jihe.

"Red Mulberry".

"Feng Sang".

"What, not want to spend some time alone with your wife?"

"Come out and have some fun!"

"Where to go?"

"Nanjing Tower!"

"go!"

Zhu Yunfeng thought Ji He was going to take him to a brothel or something.

The result was that we went to Nanjing Tower.

That's understandable, though. After all, they're not young people in their twenties anymore, able to roam the streets and wander around aimlessly. They all have families to support, so such places are naturally unsuitable for them.

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Yunfeng turned the steering wheel and headed towards Zhongshan.

The Nanjing Tower was completed last year, and Zhu Yuanzhang and his entourage personally attended the ceremony. It has now become a landmark building in Nanjing.

The Nanjing Tower is open as usual in the evening and will not close until midnight.

At this moment, the neon lights on the tower are flashing, attracting many people who come to admire it. It is even said that many literati and scholars from Jiangsu and Zhejiang have come to the top of the tower to write poems.

This is an era where the past and present intertwine.

Nanjing is moving towards modernization, with skyscrapers rising one after another, and cars, trains, high-speed rail and even airplanes under construction.

In the vast rest of the Ming Dynasty, apart from a very few cities that are undergoing changes, other places still lack electricity and internet, maintaining the rustic style of ancient rural towns and cities.

The world is changing, and the tide of time will inevitably roll forward.

The Nanjing Tower is nearly 400 meters tall. You can take an elevator to the top, and there are restaurants and sky gardens inside, offering beautiful views.

However, tourists are usually only allowed to go up to a height of fifty or sixty meters, because the straight-line distance from here to the palace is only 5 kilometers. If you go too high, you can overlook the entire palace, so going to the upper floors is not allowed.

However, Zhu Yunfeng and Ji He were not among them. The two went straight to the highest point, which is 350 meters high, and sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window to see the entire city of Nanjing.

Although it's far away, looking at the lights of thousands of homes still evokes a strong feeling.

The two drank some beer.

The evening breeze blew by, brushing against their hair. Unbeknownst to them, they were already in their thirties.

"Time flies so fast."

"Sigh, I thought we Gen Z kids were always just little kids."

"The post-90s generation thought the same way, but now they are all over 40, and it's the post-10s generation's turn to dominate."

"Where's the fourth child?"

"I just sent him a message, and he's at home with his wife and kids."

"hey-hey."

Zhu Yunfeng smiled.

Although Zhu Di had many concubines, he had a very good relationship with Xu Miaoyun. Since he had been away from home for so long, Zhu Di wanted to spend time with Empress Ma, and naturally, he wanted to spend time with Xu Miaoyun as well.

On the other hand, although he also has wives, he has eight, and they are all political marriages. His feelings for them are just so-so, and he doesn't even know which one to stay with.

However, he treats his wives very well, fulfilling their every need and spoiling them, never letting them suffer any grievances.

I was planning to go home this year to prepare for pregnancy.

I'm about to have a baby.

"Life."

Ji He picked up a bottle of Snow Beer, gulped down two mouthfuls, and said, "It just passed by so easily."

"You're still living that life, at least you have money and power, and you don't have many worries."

"Rich people also have troubles."

What's bothering you?

"I don't know, I just feel like life isn't right."

"Go to hell you."

Zhu Yunfeng laughed and scolded, and also raised his glass.

The hustle and bustle is over; it's time to live a normal life.

a few days later.

Everything seemed to have returned to calm.

After returning from the Southern Ming, Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor) couldn't stay idle. Occasionally, he would visit Zhu Di (the Yongle Emperor) with Empress Ma. Zhu Di was now their closest relative.

It was mainly because Zhu Di (Emperor Yongle) was good at handling things.

He already knew that Zhu Yunfeng and his group came from six hundred years in the future by checking the production dates of the goods sent to the Yongle Dynasty, and thus he also knew the truth.

So whenever he had free time, he would come over to pay his respects to Empress Ma, trying to please her. And as the emperor, a middle-aged man in his forties, he shamelessly went to see Zhu Biao every day.

It's just that Zhu Yuanzhang was often away, having gone to Hongwu; otherwise, he would definitely have bothered him every day.

Since Zhu Di was so good at providing emotional value, Zhu Yuanzhang (the old Zhu) naturally couldn't be lacking either.

Now, after you come back, go visit Zhu Di and take a stroll around. While you're at it, give him a big hand and let him do some construction for them.

In the end, the one who benefited the most was naturally the modern side.

Time slowly passed and May arrived.

It was the height of summer, and the weather was getting hotter, but the Qianqing Palace was very cool.

At this moment, the main gate was tightly closed, and the air conditioner in the room kept the temperature at around 18 degrees Celsius. In the study in the back hall, Old Zhu was sitting at his desk reading documents.

The data is stored on the computer.

There is now a desktop computer on his desk.

Even emperors need to keep up with the times.

While paper documents are certainly not obsolete, computer documents are more convenient.

Anyway, there are no computer hackers in this world. Even if there is a network, it is under high control and it is impossible to break into his computer.

In the few days since his return, Zhu Yuanzhang has been very busy. He first had to contact the modern side, and then he had to meet with Zhu Di and many of Hongwu's ministers.

After learning about the developments in Hongwu's region during his eight months in the Southern Ming, he finally had a few days of peace.

But actually, it's not exactly a quiet time.

He also needs to review the materials and understand the details of the many projects he has been working on with Hyundai over the past eight months.

"Grand Ancestor, did you call me?"

Just then, Zhu Yunfeng pushed open the study door and walked in, plopping down on the sofa opposite the desk.

He looked around; the room was empty, neither Zhu Biao nor Zhu Di were there.

"Ah."

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I called you here to ask for your help. I need you to send people from your Yunfeng Group to Yongle."

"You can let Ji He handle this little matter, okay?"

Zhu Yunfeng waved his hand lazily: "Now the group is managed by the couple."

"You bastard."

Old Zhu said unhappily, "You're completely sidelined now, aren't you afraid they'll take over your company?"

“It’s impossible to be sidelined. It’s not listed on the stock exchange, so I still hold real power.”

Zhu Yunfeng pursed his lips.

He knew, of course, that he couldn't be sidelined; Old Zhu was just trying to scare him.

It's obvious to anyone with a brain that Zhu Yuanzhang didn't send the modern forces to help the Yongle Dynasty, but instead sent himself, which undoubtedly meant he wanted to control the situation.

Otherwise, if Zhu Di had bypassed him and gone directly to cooperate with the modern side, there would have been nothing he could do.

"You're so lazy, forget it."

Old Zhu was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

"Now that we have money, let's enjoy life."

Zhu Yunfeng said with a grin.

"If you're not going to work, then come with me to have some fun during the reigns of the Jiajing and Wanli emperors."

Old Zhu leaned back in his chair and said calmly.

"Oh?"

Zhu Yunfeng suddenly jumped up from his chair and asked, "Are you going to visit the Jiajing or Wanli emperors?"

"Yes, those places are all part of my Great Ming Dynasty, why can't I go there?"

"Of course I'll go."

Zhu Yunfeng naturally knew that Old Zhu had a strong desire for control.

Now they have gone to the reigns of Jianwen, Yongle, Hongxi, Xuande, Zhengtong, Jingtai, Tianshun, Chongzhen, and the Southern Ming.

I haven't been to the Chenghua, Hongzhi, Zhengde, Jiajing, Longqing, Wanli, Taichang, and Tianqi dynasties.

Although there are so many worlds, the resources available for Old Zhu to seize are already countless and inexhaustible.

But that did not prevent him from establishing his authority.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's vision, all of the Ming Dynasty's world must become the world's hegemon, with Hongwu as the leader.

As Hongwu became even more prosperous and powerful, he passed the throne down to the next generation, ensuring that other parts of the Ming Dynasty also became prosperous and powerful.

In this way, every world would be under the rule of the Han people, and every world would be the domain of the Ming Dynasty, possessing endless territory, endless wealth, and endless military power.

The ultimate future will inevitably be the stars and the sea.

"Ah."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "Go and make arrangements. Send someone to Yongle to finalize the cooperation. In a while, come with me to Jiajing's place for a visit."

"How do I get there?"

Zhu Yunfeng scratched his head: "Jiajing's place is already Changsha. It would take one or two months to get to Beijing."

"Let's get an airplane."

Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "I'll go and buy a small military transport plane. That should be enough, right?"

"Brilliant."

Zhu Yunfeng gave a thumbs up and said, "Your Majesty is truly a great man."

Transport planes are not something that just anyone can get their hands on.

While many express delivery or logistics companies have civilian transport aircraft, military transport aircraft are different.

Only Zhu could pull it off by negotiating a partnership with Modern. Otherwise, even Yunfeng Group, now a giant with assets worth hundreds of billions, wouldn't have the capability to do so.

"father."

Just then, Zhu Biao walked in.

"Just in time."

Zhu Yuanzhang gestured for him to sit down and said, "I've seen what you've been doing lately, and it's quite good. What are your plans for the future?"

"The current policy?"

"Ah."

"The necessary policies are already in place."

Zhu Biao shook his head and said, "Encouraging childbirth, developing industry, and emigrating overseas are all proceeding in an orderly manner."

"Ah."

Old Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "One must take things one step at a time. Let's settle things domestically first and then carry out major domestic development."

"That's what I think too, but we still have to take care of so many interests overseas."

Zhu Biao said, "We need to send a lot of people there, including those from the South Continent and the Middle East. Otherwise, there will definitely be trouble there."

"You just have to figure it out."

Old Zhu has wholeheartedly delegated power to Zhu Biao.

The Ming Dynasty is developing very well now.

The data looks really good.

The population has increased dramatically in the last nine years. With the imperial court encouraging childbirth, the number of births in the 9th year of the Hongwu reign reached 337 million last year.

Don't be fooled by this seemingly small number; the total population of the Ming Dynasty is currently less than 8000 million.

According to the "Treatise on Food and Commodities" in the History of Ming, the official population at that time was 6054 million. Including the hidden population, the total population did not exceed 6500 million.

However, things have changed dramatically. The birth rate has reached a peak, which, if multiplied by ten, is equivalent to less than 8 million people, with 3370 million births, approaching my country's population birth peak in 1963.

In addition, steel production, economic development, social changes, and various overseas military operations are all developing in a positive direction, and many things have been done very well.

The whole era is moving upwards, so what could Old Zhu possibly be dissatisfied with?
(End of this chapter)