Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 214 Planning and Worry

When Zhu Changluo arrived at the carpentry workshop, Zhu Youxiao was carving a thin piece of wood. Beside Zhu Youxiao, besides his tutor Wu Jiaqi, there was also a middle-aged man dressed as a eunuch.

This eunuch, Wang Zhixin, was the adopted son of Zou Yi, the former chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and the governor of the Eastern Depot. After Zou Yi's successful birth and retirement, he left this young eunuch behind. Zou Yi hoped Wang An could help him. Wang An, of course, wouldn't refuse, and after obtaining the emperor's approval, he sent Wang Zhixin to the Ciqing Palace as the chief eunuch.

When Wang Zhixin saw His Majesty and the Old Ancestor approaching, she immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your servant greets His Majesty. I pay my respects to the Old Ancestor."

Wang Zhixin's kowtow startled Zhu Youxiao, who was concentrating on tinkering with wood. Zhu Youxiao's hands trembled and he almost cut himself with the carving knife. Fortunately, he finally stopped and placed the wood and carving knife steadily on the workbench.

"What kind of wood is this?" Zhu Changluo knew nothing about wood carving.

"Your Majesty, I bow to you." Zhu Youxiao kowtowed to his father politely, and then said, "This is dried basswood."

"Oh. Basswood." Zhu Changluo patted Zhu Youxiao's shoulder and motioned him to stand up. "Is there anything particular about it?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Basswood is a softwood, lightweight, with fine grain and easy to work. It's also oily, wear-resistant, tough, and not prone to cracking, making it ideal for making thin boards. Combined with fish bladder glue, it provides excellent fixing properties, allowing you to quickly create a small, hollow house." Zhu Youxiao paused, then continued, "But it also has its drawbacks: it's not insect-resistant and doesn't resist bending."

"It's true that 'people learn things in order, and they specialize in certain fields.' I've learned that." Zhu Changluo gently rubbed Zhu Youxiao's head and waved to Wang Zhixin, the eunuch in charge of Ciqing Palace, and Wu Jiaqi, the tutor, who were still kneeling on the ground. "You two should stand up too."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Wang Zhixin and Wu Jiaqi kowtowed again to express their gratitude.

"What the hell is this? It's so big, I need four tables together to fit it?" Zhu Changluo didn't deliberately plant spies in Ciqing Palace, nor did he often ask about what was going on there. As long as Zhu Youxiao completed the homework assigned by the teachers on time, he didn't care about anything else.

"Your Majesty, this is the model of the city that I envisioned," Zhu Youxiao replied.

"From Tianjin?" Zhu Changluo walked closer to take a closer look.

"That's right. This is the government office. What I'm thinking is..." Zhu Youxiao followed and started introducing the government office. But he was interrupted before he could say a few words.

"Did anyone else participate in your design?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"No, I obtained the blueprints used in the construction of the two capitals from the Imperial Archives. The widths of the roads, the distribution of open and hidden canals, and the planning of the markets were all based on these." Zhu Youxiao actually wanted to see the construction blueprints or overview maps of a particular prefecture. Unfortunately, the Imperial Archives only had the blueprints for the two capitals.

"I don't understand urban planning, but I can tell you very clearly that this thing of yours is useless." Zhu Changluo pressed his thumb against his middle finger, gathering strength, and then flicked it against the model of the city. "You know what, it's quite sturdy."

"Why, doesn't this look good?" Zhu Youxiao felt that his plan was both beautiful and grand, yet delicate and within the rules.

"What's the use of looking good? Have you ever seen what the mountains, rivers and seas in Tianjin look like?" Zhu Changluo asked back.

"Of course not." Zhu Youxiao shook his head. The farthest place he had ever been was Xu Guangqi's home.

"That's it," Zhu Changluo said, walking to the door and personally pushing it open. "If this thing of yours is just a decoration, I won't say a word against you. I can even find you a magnificent palace to display it in. But your plan needs to be implemented. If you don't understand the distribution of the mountains, rivers, and water networks, and if you don't explore the turbulence of the waves in the sea, you won't know where to shoot this blueprint when the time comes."

"Your Majesty, what you want to ask is, am I just working in isolation?" The sunlight poured in, causing Zhu Youxiao to squint his eyes.

"That's exactly what I mean. We should be pragmatic in our work. No matter how good past experience is, it can only be used as a reference." Zhu Changluo strode out of Xiefang Hall and began to stroll through the garden. "You were here during the meeting in Hongde Hall. My original intention was to hand over everything from site selection to design and construction to the Ministry of Works. But since you want to design and plan it yourself, I won't object. But design is design, and you can't just stay in Xiefang Hall and play with wood, right? Find some time to discuss this with Wang Zuo. Let's also figure out how much it will cost and make a preliminary budget. There's a meeting to discuss money on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, so come along."

"Yes." Zhu Youxiao responded and then asked, "Didn't the emperor say before that he wouldn't give Master Sun any money if he wanted him?"

"You have a good memory," Zhu Changluo said. "I'm not giving you the money to build a palace. 'Building Tianjin Port City and shifting maritime trade from South China to North China' is the national policy. How are you going to build such a large city without the initial capital?"

"We can sell the land. Aren't those foreigners quite rich?" Zhu Youxiao said.

"Of course, this will solve some of the funding problem. But it's definitely not enough. Military camps, city walls, ironworks, handicraft workshops—there's so much money to be made, and initial investment is inevitable." Zhu Changluo extended his index finger and thumb, rubbing them together like a pen, and said, "I'm going to make a small fortune soon, so there's no need to be so stingy."

Zhu Youxiao imitated his father and made the same gesture, but he didn't understand what it meant. "Is this the East Factory investigating corruption?" he asked.

"Yes." Zhu Changluo affirmed: "From the 24th year of Wanli, when mining supervisors and tax collectors were sent, to last year when I recalled the remaining tax-collecting eunuchs in the form of the late emperor's will, a total of 24 years have passed. These people must have a lot of money in their pockets." The reason for recalling the tax-collecting eunuchs in the form of the late emperor's will was not because the late emperor's will was more authoritative than the emperor's edict, but to save some face for the late emperor.

"How much big money is there?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

"Right now, we only have estimates based on memorials and years of accounts. We'll have to wait for Cui Wensheng's results to determine the exact amount. But it's certainly not small." Zhu Changluo reminisced, then said, "Let me briefly mention a few numbers that left a deep impression on me. In the 27th year of the Wanli reign, the Cabinet's Chief Minister, Zhao Zhigao, submitted a memorial on the mining tax. In his memorial, Zhao Zhigao claimed that the eunuchs who collected the mining tax 'used their positions to exploit the people, defrauding the public and enriching themselves. Only one or two out of ten of their earnings were presented to the emperor, while eight or nine out of ten went into their own pockets.'"

"The Western Factory Inspection Bureau has compiled historical statistics on the transport warehouse's revenues. By the 34th year of the Wanli reign, when the late Emperor issued an edict to withdraw the mining supervisors, the mining supervisors and tax collectors dispatched to various locations had contributed a total of 5.69 million taels of silver to the palace. If we estimate based on Zhao Zhigao's memorial, then these slaves must have pocketed between 40 and 50 million taels of silver."

"So many!" Zhu Youxiao's face was full of horror.

Zhu Changluo shook his head and said, "I don't believe this number. In the 36th year of Wanli, the Ministry of Revenue reported the discrepancies over the years. The revenue and expenditure of Taicang from the 30th to the 35th year of Wanli were counted. During this period, the average annual income of Taicang was around 5 million taels. If this number is accurate, then the silver and money hidden by these mining tax slaves can be equivalent to eight to ten years of Taicang revenue. This is too exaggerated." The financial revenue structure of the Ming Dynasty was very complex, and the revenue of Taicang could not be equated with the national revenue.

In reality, even the Ministry of Revenue's statistics rarely reflected the true state of fiscal revenue and expenditure. From the founding of the Ming Dynasty during the Hongwu reign to the fall of the Chongzhen reign, Ming officials, both central and local, never employed or even recognized the need for consistent accounting methods for economic data. Officials frequently confused receivables with actual revenues. Furthermore, arrears collected in the current year were often arbitrarily applied to any year's accounts, resulting in double counting.

But even so, Zhu Changluo could only accept it for the time being, follow the old rules, and get the state machinery moving first.

"Then isn't Prime Minister Zhao lying?" Zhu Youxiao asked doubtfully.

"It's not necessarily a lie. It may just be an exaggerated statement to attract attention. We can't believe it completely, but it can at least be used as a reference. We can't just believe everything we hear, nor can we trust no one." Zhu Changluo said, "We have to observe, think, and compare." "Your Majesty has good intentions. I understand." Zhu Youxiao agreed deeply and nodded heavily.

"It's not that I have good intentions. I just came here to tell you to talk more with Wang Zuo. Since you asked, I'll just mention it casually." Zhu Changluo said with a warm smile.

"Okay, next time I see Minister Wang, I will discuss this with him." While the various government offices were making copies, the two princes also had to resume their classes.

"Nothing else, I'm leaving." Zhu Changluo nodded and turned around.

"Your son is here to see your father off," said Zhu Youxiao.

"No need, go back and play." Zhu Changluo just waved his hand without turning around.

"Farewell, father." Zhu Youxiao and a group of palace eunuchs knelt down to see him off.

After leaving Ciqing Palace and reaching Huiji Gate, Zhu Changluo said to Wang An, "Afterwards, find some irrelevant excuse and call Wang Zhixin to the Qianqing Palace. I have something to ask him."

"Yes." Wang An obeyed the order.

------

A little earlier.

Not long after Zhu Changluo and Wang An said goodbye, Ding Baiying, who heard the noise, came out of her room. She did not go to Zhang Shirui's room next door, but went straight to the reception room. She knew that Zhang Shirui had not returned yet.

When he arrived at the reception room, Ding Baiying found that the door was still open, so he walked straight in.

Ding Baiying saw Zhang Shirui sitting alone in her original position like a puppet, with her head bowed and silent. So she came to her side and called out with concern, "Miss."

Zhang Shirui held the handkerchief Wang An had given her in her hand. Originally indigo, it was now stained a deep crimson. Zhang Shirui came to her senses, raised her head, and forced a smile. "Ah. It's Miss Ding. Please take a seat."

"It's cold outside and there's charcoal burning inside. Please close the door." Ding Baiying turned back and closed the door before sitting down next to Zhang Shirui.

As Ding Baiying sat down, the empty reception room fell silent again. After a long while, Ding Baiying asked knowingly, "Has the envoy returned?"

"He went back. He went back." Even though Zhang Shirui raised her head and returned to an upright sitting position, the fatigue from the inside out was still visible at a glance.

Ding Baiying wanted to comfort Zhang Shirui, but she didn't know how to start, so she just looked at Zhang Shirui's profile and held her slender right hand. When the two hands clasped together, Ding Baiying immediately felt a chill, as if she were holding a piece of soft ice.

Ding Baiying changed her grip to a cupped cup, placing Zhang Shirui's right hand in her palm. She maintained this tilted head and body position until she saw a teardrop the size of a bean gather in thin air and fall silently.

Tears flowed down like strings, but Zhang Shirui never cried out. Ding Baiying felt a little distressed. She stood up slightly and walked to Zhang Shirui and half-knelt on one knee. She leaned over and hugged her shoulders and patted her back gently. "Girl, you can tell me everything you can say. Although I may not be able to help you, it is better to say it out loud than to hold it in."

Zhang Shirui's nose felt sore, and her forced strength completely collapsed. She sobbed and whispered intermittently, "I'm useless. No one can save me. I can't do anything. I can't even die. I have no home to return to!"

Tears burst forth like rain. Soon, Ding Baiying's left shoulder was soaked. After the stormy outburst ended, Ding Baiying finally suggested, "Why don't you come with me? Let's travel the country together."

"No, no. I heard about the important events in the court, and I can't leave." Zhang Shirui let go of Ding Baiying, and a strange red appeared on his pale face.

"It's a secret discussion anyway, so why don't you just keep quiet? No one knows what you know except Mr. Zhu and Mr. Wang." Ding Baiying continued to persuade: "Go to Mr. Zhu and ask for his help. Maybe they can pretend that this never happened."

"Oh, he said something similar. But no, I really can't. I can't go back on my word. I'm staying in Beijing and not going anywhere." Zhang Shirui shook her head stubbornly and said, "Besides, I don't know where Mr. Zhu lives."

"He didn't tell you?" Ding Baiying took the handkerchief from Zhang Shirui's hand and wiped the tears from her face. "Your face is so red."

"No." Zhang Shirui snatched back the handkerchief and wiped herself. "He didn't tell me, and I didn't ask." By the time she had the thought of asking where he lived, Mr. Zhu had already disappeared.

"Oh, then don't ask." Ding Baiying decided to find out for herself. Mr. Zhu had acquaintances in the Jinyiwei, and she also had acquaintances.

"Go away, our employment relationship is over." Zhang Shirui suddenly felt a little dizzy.

"No rush. I'll stay with you for two more days." Ding Baiying felt that Zhang Shirui's face was abnormally red.

"No need. Don't worry, I promised that I wouldn't commit suicide." Zhang Shirui completely accepted Mr. Zhu's statement and thought that no one would care even if she died, and it would only have a counterproductive effect.

"Your head is so hot. Could it be that you have a fever?" Ding Baiying lifted her hair and rested her forehead against Zhang Shirui's.

"It's okay. I'm a Taoist nun and I know a little bit about medicine." As if to prove herself, Zhang Shirui rubbed her eyes and said, "Before, Mr. Zhu said that 'grain energy is stronger than primordial energy'. This is what Zhu Zuo of the Song Dynasty said in 'Classified Collection of Zhu's Medical Prescriptions'. The so-called grain energy is stronger than primordial energy, and the person is fat but not..." Zhang Shirui collapsed backwards and fainted.

"Miss, Zhang Shirui!" Ding Baiying called out twice anxiously, but Zhang Shirui did not respond.

(End of this chapter)