The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 84 Salt Incentive and Provocation (Seeking 1000+ Subscriptions)

Kuai Yue held a teacup, its celadon porcelain gleaming. When she walked to Lin Yue's desk, she looked up and met his gaze.

As their eyes met, Kuai Yue smiled slightly, her lips curving upwards. Without uttering a word, she gently placed the teacup on his table.

Lin Yue's heart stirred slightly. He turned to look at her, and the two passed each other. Kuai Yue's skirt swept lightly as she slowly retreated from the pavilion.

The cabinet remained quiet, with the officials either looking down at documents or closing their eyes to rest. Except for Lin Yue, everyone appeared very serious.

Lin Yue picked up his teacup, lost in thought.

Zhu Di summoned him to a cabinet meeting and had Kuai Yue serve him tea and water; it seemed he was trying to control him.

Sigh... Zhu Di really got it right; he really was a lecherous man.

There was no way around it; Kuai Yue's figure did indeed resemble that of Teacher Julia, making him unable to resist.

Zhu Di slowly stepped into the Wenyuan Pavilion. His gaze swept across the room and landed on Lin Yue, who was deep in thought in front of his desk, staring blankly at the tea.

Zhu Di chuckled inwardly. As expected, this young man had tasted the sweetness of love. It seemed that the female official from that day had pleased him. He should try to win over more knowledgeable and sensible women in the future.

Winning over ministers is a piece of cake.

Emperor Yongle took his seat in the main seat and said in a deep voice, "I have summoned you all here today to discuss two matters."

First, the salt permit system of the Ming Dynasty needs to be clarified; second, the floods in Jiangnan have just been quelled, but the Japanese pirates have started again, so a strategy of suppression and pacification needs to be devised.

The salt administration is the lifeblood of the nation; let's discuss this matter first.

As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Huai, a Hanlin Academy reader, stepped forward, bowed, and said in a loud voice.

"Your Majesty, salt permits are the foundation of the nation's finances and taxes, and are essential for the military reserves in the border towns and the fullness of the national treasury."

Emperor Taizu Gao established the salt distribution system, which was a good policy. However, nowadays, some local officials are issuing salt permits indiscriminately without corresponding actual salt expenditures. There are even cases of officials and merchants colluding to forge warehouse receipts. Such violations must not be tolerated!

Your Majesty, I believe that the illegally issued salt permits should be immediately recalled, the officials involved should be severely punished, and their property should be confiscated to replenish the national treasury. Only in this way can the authority of the salt law be upheld and similar practices prevented.

Upon hearing that the criticism of salt-induced debauchery was strong, Zhu Di frowned slightly, clearly displeased.

Because he was the one who spearheaded the excessive issuance of these salt permits.

Emperor Yongle thought for a moment, then put on a compassionate and sympathetic expression.

"Your words are incorrect, Mr. Huang. According to the rules of the salt administration, merchants transport grain to the designated granary, and after the government inspects and stores it, they should be given salt permits in accordance with the contract."

If the imperial court accepts grain but withholds salt permits, how is that any different from deceiving and robbing the people?

He raised his voice and said in a deep voice: "Most merchants in the world operate on a small scale. Some even have to sell their land and borrow money to raise enough capital to transport grain to the border areas. They have to endure wind and rain and sleep in the open, which is quite expensive."

If the imperial court were to reclaim the salt permits, and they were not to receive the profits they were entitled to, wouldn't that force them to lose everything and their families to perish?

"I believe this matter should be forgiven as a sign of the court's compassion for merchants and officials. However, from now on, the rules of the market must be strictly observed, and this should not be repeated."

Upon hearing this, the cabinet ministers had virtually no objections, and Yang Rong even bowed in agreement.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and compassionate towards merchants and common people, which is truly a blessing for all people."

Lin Yue remained seated, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Zhu Di, that scoundrel, always said one thing and did another. He would say "this will not happen again," but in reality, he never changed.

Historically, the "open market" policy began during the Yongle reign, which resulted in the excessive and indiscriminate issuance of salt permits. During the Hongwu reign, the annual salt production in Changlu was only about 63,000 permits, but by the Yongle reign, the amount of white salt alone that was paid as tribute reached 2,673 permits.

Not to mention the rampant issuance of various stockpiled salt and regular salt, which completely disrupted the relatively clean salt administration during the Hongwu reign, further exacerbating the already precarious financial situation of the Ming Dynasty.

Lin Yue abruptly stood up, his voice resounding: "Your Majesty, I object!"

Zhu Di raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, that was the case. As long as Lin Yue was around, it would be difficult for anything to go smoothly.

Emperor Yongle said in a deep voice, "What brilliant ideas does Minister Lin have? Please explain in detail."

Lin Yue said loudly, "The Opening-the-Middle Law established in the early years of Hongwu was originally a good strategy for 'reporting the middle, guarding the branches, and trading in the market'."

Merchants transport grain to the border granaries, and the government inspects and stores it before issuing salt permits. This is called "reporting to the central government." Merchants take the permits to the designated salt fields to wait for the salt to be distributed. The number of permits determines the amount of salt to be distributed. This is called "waiting for distribution." After receiving the salt, they go to the designated area to sell it. After selling the salt, they return the permits and return them. This is called "market exchange."

These three aspects are interconnected, ensuring both border reserves and the benefit of merchants and civilians.

He abruptly changed the subject, looked directly at Zhu Di, and began to launch into a tirade.

"However, since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have immediately abolished the established rules of the salt administration system!"

Emperor Taizu Gao issued an ironclad rule that dukes, marquises, earls, and officials of the fourth rank or above in both civil and military affairs were not allowed to allow their family members or servants to engage in the salt trade and plunder the people's profits. He also strictly ordered powerful and noble people not to get involved in the industry, so as to prevent them from competing with the people for profits. This was the foundation of the clean and honest salt administration during the Hongwu reign.

Your Majesty has now openly lifted this ban!

Imperial relatives, high-ranking officials, eunuchs, and close attendants vied for profit, seizing high-quality salt permits with unbridled arrogance and power.

They no longer need to trek across border regions to transport grain; they reap all the profits from the salt industry, completely overturning the laws and regulations established by Emperor Taizu.

Zhu Di's expression darkened slightly, and he was somewhat angry.

You shouldn't insult someone by pointing out their weaknesses. This prince rose to power without money or connections; how could he secure his position without giving some benefits to the powerful?

Emperor Yongle raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "Minister Lin's words are somewhat one-sided."

After the Jingnan Rebellion, the border regions were devastated, and wealthy merchants were unwilling to go there. If it weren't for the assistance of nobles in transporting grain, the border granaries would have been empty long ago. My actions are also for the sake of ensuring the stability of border reserves!

Lin Yue refused to back down and immediately retorted loudly: "Does His Majesty's so-called assistance to the border reserves come on the premise of corrupting the salt laws?"

'

Zhu Di's expression grew increasingly grim.

Lin Yue ignored the accusations and continued to angrily denounce: "The salt administration has now become a distorted system where powerful officials arbitrarily grant salt permits and merchants have to pay for them out of pocket!"

Even if ordinary merchants receive a reward, they can only receive a regular share of the salt. They have to stay at the salt fields and wait for a long time to receive their salt. Some have been waiting for months without receiving a single piece of salt.

When Hongwu established his dynasty and the Kaizhong era began, Guan Zhong's strategy of "salt profits returning a hundredfold to the emperor" was implemented, and merchants flocked to it. The border granaries were full of grain, and salt permits were issued and distributed immediately without any hindrance.

What is the situation now? Trust in salt permits is waning, hopes for trade routes are dwindling, and merchants' enthusiasm for transporting grain and fodder has been greatly diminished.

If this continues, there is a risk that no one will be willing to volunteer for the northern border post!

If this leads to the depletion of military supplies in the border towns, the soldiers going hungry and unable to cope, and the northern border defenses crumbling, how can the foundation of the Ming Dynasty be secure at that time?

Emperor Wu of Han relied heavily on salt administration due to the scarcity of border supplies, which ultimately led to the expansion of his territory. In contrast, the Song Dynasty abandoned the Central Plains due to insufficient border supplies, ultimately resulting in the collapse of the dynasty.

How could Your Majesty follow the example of those who came before and allow the ancestral legacy to be destroyed by the abuses of the salt administration?

"Your Majesty has taken even more reckless and chaotic measures. On the one hand, you have been issuing paper money indiscriminately, causing it to become increasingly worthless and allowing the people to profit from it. On the other hand, you have been trying to reverse the decline of paper money by forcibly implementing the system of paying salt taxes in paper money."

This policy appears to be a way to both "rescue the bankrupt and replenish the borders," but in reality, it completely abolishes the existing preferential treatment for salt-producing households.

In the past, the government provided rice for salt production and exempted workers from miscellaneous labor. Now, this has been replaced by worthless paper money. A salt-producing household can only produce a hundred catties of salt, and the paper money they receive is not even enough to buy half a bushel of millet. Ultimately, salt production becomes unprofitable, their livelihoods are threatened, and their salt-producing efforts are completely destroyed!

Lin Yue pointed at Zhu Di and loudly refuted him, spitting as he spoke, his words sharp and incisive.

"In the eighth year of Hongwu, Emperor Taizu Gao promoted the use of paper money, stipulating that one string of paper money was equivalent to one shi of rice and one tael of silver. At that time, for every salt-producing household that paid one yin of salt, the government would give them two strings and five hundred cash, which was enough to feed a family."

But now, to what extent have the paper money depreciated? A single shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice requires thirty strings of paper money to buy; one string is worth less than a single wen (another unit of dry measure); and three strings of paper money can't even buy a jin (a unit of weight) of salt!

Zhu Di's face remained grim, but he wasn't actually particularly angry.

He was generally used to it. Every time Lin Yue submitted a memorial to advise him, he would launch into a tirade against him, as if he wouldn't stop until he broke Emperor Yongle's defenses.

Over time, Zhu Di came to terms with it. He didn't care whether Lin was angry or not; he would just pretend to be upset in advance and consider it as cooperating with the agreement.

Lin Yue rebuked him sternly.

"Salt farmers work hard to produce salt for a year, but the reward they receive is not even enough to buy half a bushel of rice. Many salt farmers are forced to flee or take the risk of selling their surplus salt privately!"

Your Majesty constantly claims to care for the people, but the kitchen workers are also people; has Your Majesty ever considered their livelihood?

He stepped forward, his gaze sharp and intense, staring directly at Zhu Di.

"This chaos is all because Your Majesty indulges in the desire for war and pursues empty long-term strategies!"

The relocation of the capital to Beiping, the extensive construction of palaces, the northern expeditions to the Gobi Desert, and the voyages to the Western Ocean all squandered billions of treasury funds.

When the national treasury is depleted, salt permits are issued indiscriminately, and paper money is devalued to fill the deficit. Such officials are not only greedy but also worse than bandits!

Today, the salt administration is in decline, the source of national revenue is drying up, border reserves are depleted, the defense of the northern frontier is on the verge of collapse, the people are living in misery, salt producers are fleeing, merchants are going bankrupt, and refugees are everywhere!

If the salt administration is not reformed quickly, the abuses of power by the nobility are eliminated, the credibility of the paper money is stabilized, and the livelihoods of salt producers are not secured, the national treasury will collapse within ten years, the border troops will be without pay, and the common people will have no clothes.

At that time, there were displaced people rising up in rebellion within the country, and foreign tribes lurking outside. The lessons of Qin's downfall due to extravagance and Sui's collapse due to tyranny were not far off. The Ming Dynasty's finances and taxes were collapsing, and the day of its demise was imminent!

The Wenhua Hall was silent. All the cabinet ministers were deeply shocked by Lin Yue's audacious remarks.

As expected of Lin Yuelin, the Imperial Advisor, his method of criticizing His Majesty from such a high level is truly astonishing. We must remember and learn from it so that we can apply it next time.

Huang Huai, who was the first to object, stood there in astonishment. He had not expected Lin Yue to dare to rebuke the emperor so harshly.

It's just a matter of excessive salt production, how did it suddenly escalate to the point of the Ming Dynasty's imminent collapse?

Zhu Di sat in the main seat, thought for a moment, and decided to use a provocation tactic.

He already knew Lin Yue quite well. He wouldn't listen to good advice or bad advice, and he was most susceptible to provocation. The more you told him he was no good, the more he would jump out to prove himself.

Having made up his mind, Emperor Yongle slammed his hand on the throne.

Zhu Di's voice was like thunder, his face was ashen, his short beard trembled with rage, and his eyes flashed with cold light.

"Insolence! You brat, how dare you speak so presumptuously as to say that the Ming Dynasty has perished!"

He pointed at Lin Yue and shouted angrily.

"I inherited the legacy of Emperor Taizu Gao, pacified the country and quelled internal strife, which is why we have the unified state of the world today."

Such outrageous words are a grave crime, punishable by death according to the law!

Zhu Di glared at Lin Yue, his tone becoming increasingly sharp.

"The rise and fall of a nation depends on the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people. How can you, a mere scholar, speak such nonsense?"

In the past, Emperor Taizu drove out the barbarians and established his rule over the world. He was the one who had the support of the people and the one to whom the Mandate of Heaven had been bestowed!

You vehemently criticize the collapse of the salt administration, but have you ever considered the devastation of the border regions after the Jingnan Rebellion? If it weren't for my expedient measures, the border granaries would have been empty long ago.

You criticize the devaluation of the paper money, but have you ever considered that both defending against the northern barbarians and providing relief to the south of the Yangtze River required enormous expenditures?

Zhu Di's angry rebuke was like a storm, suppressing all the ministers in the cabinet to the point that they dared not breathe. Only Lin Yue stood there, his face full of arrogance.

Emperor Yongle is really out of control today; he even dared to argue back. He needs to be dealt with severely.

Lin Yue showed no fear and said in a resounding voice, "Every word I have said is true and comes from the bottom of my heart!"

If Your Majesty can finally realize the error of your ways and reform the salt administration, there is still a chance for the Ming Dynasty to turn things around.

If Your Majesty insists on this course of action, I am willing to die to remonstrate with you. If you do not comply, you may cut off my head. I only ask that I not witness the day when the Ming Dynasty collapses.

Zhu Di was furious when he saw Lin Yue standing proudly and defiantly below the steps.

"I have devoted myself to the cause, working tirelessly day and night, all for the sake of stabilizing the Ming Dynasty and bringing peace to the people!"

"Yet all you do is stand here criticizing the emperor and spreading alarmist rumors, treating my good intentions as nonsense!"

His eyes widened in anger, and his tone was sharp.

"The imperial court is currently facing a huge deficit in its finances, and every single item is an expense."

Since you forbid the over-issuance of salt permits, cutting off this emergency route, yet you insist on suppressing the Japanese pirates, how can the court, with no money, no grain, no soldiers, and no pay, accomplish such important tasks?

If you were really asked to come up with a solution, what could you do?

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue was immediately shocked.

What do you mean? Does it mean we're not allowed to fight the Japanese pirates?

How can this be allowed! The Japanese pirates must be fought no matter what, no matter when.

The scoundrels' wicked ways of burning, killing, looting, and harming the Chinese people are truly a national and familial grievance!

If you time-travel and don't fight the Japanese pirates, are you even human?

Lin Yue immediately stepped forward and instantly changed his tune: "Your Majesty is mistaken! The Japanese pirates must be suppressed and the salt administration must be reformed. The two are not only not in conflict, but complement each other!"

"I have long had countermeasures, including methods to eradicate the deep-seated problems in the salt administration and replenish the national treasury, as well as emergency funding to support the suppression of Japanese pirates. These are not empty words!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's expression immediately changed, and he quickly changed his attitude, speaking gently and softly.

"Minister Lin, you already have a foolproof plan, why didn't you say so sooner?"

"The Ming Dynasty does not punish speech. You may speak freely in detail without any reservations. As long as it is feasible, I will fully support it!"

He leaned forward slightly, appearing respectful and attentive.

Lin Yue was completely unaware that he had been manipulated by Zhu Di again. He stood there with his head held high, his gaze sweeping over the ministers in the cabinet, and spoke eloquently.

"Does Your Majesty believe that the method of opening up salt permits is an infallible strategy that will remain unchanged for all time? In fact, it is not so!"

This system, which rigidly adheres to the physical binding of "bartering with salt," is bound by old practices and lacks flexibility, making it unsuitable for the current prosperity of the Ming Dynasty.

In the past, when the border regions lacked food, exchanging salt for millet was a temporary expedient. Now that the world is gradually at peace and merchants are flocking to the area, they are still constrained by the shackles of physical goods transportation, which only increases losses and blocks the source of profit.

To eradicate the abuses of salt and replenish the national treasury, we must break free from the old system, escape the old constraints of salt monopolies, and move towards a new system that separates salt taxes from other taxes.

Our Great Ming Dynasty should emulate the Tang Dynasty's practice of collecting taxes on the spot, and draw inspiration from the Song and Ming Dynasties' system of issuing salt tickets, implementing a policy of parallel taxation on the spot and issuing salt tickets. This is the only long-term solution!

Lin Yue spoke eloquently and logically in the hall.

"The salt fields levied a fixed amount of salt tax based on production volume. After paying the tax, the salt producers could sell their salt freely, no longer bound by the government's collection of taxes."

Merchants no longer needed to report grain shipments; they only needed to pay the full amount of salt tax to receive government-issued salt coupons. These coupons could be used to purchase salt at any salt field and were legally circulated throughout the country, thus alleviating the financial burden of delays!

He paused briefly before continuing.

"I believe that the hereditary registration of artisans in the salt-making household should be abolished!"

Since the Hongwu era, salt producers have been bound to the salt fields for generations. The official wages and paper money provided by the government were practically worthless, making it difficult for them to make a living. This led to a constant stream of people fleeing and the rampant smuggling of salt.

Now that the government's strict control over salt production and sales has been abolished, and a contract system has been implemented for salt fields, with all remaining salt production and sales restrictions lifted, salt producers can earn more and make a living through their skills. With this approach, why worry about salt producers fleeing or salt production falling short?

The Ming Dynasty's salt administration system followed the old system of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, establishing a salt register. During the Hongwu era, there were approximately 300,000 salt workers nationwide. Initially, the court provided them with preferential treatment and exempted them from miscellaneous labor, making being a salt worker a relatively good job.

However, like other systems, Zhu Yuanzhang grew old and died, and the job of a kitchen worker quickly became a very torturous one.

Lin Yue's voice resounded throughout the palace.

"At the same time, we must also abolish the monopoly of the powerful and wealthy, and promote the system of universal salt coupons!"

Whether wealthy merchants or small-scale vendors, as long as they paid the full amount of tax, they could obtain a ticket to sell salt, thus drastically lowering the standards for salt merchants.

As a result, market competition intensifies, making private salt trade unprofitable and leading to its gradual decline. Meanwhile, the imperial salt tax revenue will increase rather than decrease due to the expanded coverage.

Furthermore, the salt tax revenue was entirely allocated to the military pay for the nine border regions, to be uniformly allocated by the Ministry of Revenue, and the purchase of grain with silver was used to replace the inefficient in-kind transportation system under the previous system!

He stared intently at Zhu Di and said in a resounding voice.

"This would not only save merchants from the losses of transporting grain over long distances, but also quickly ensure that border reserves are full, greatly reducing institutional losses. Border troops would not have to worry about food shortages, and the court would also save on transportation costs. Wouldn't this be a win-win solution?"

Lin Yue finished speaking in one breath, and the room fell silent.

Zhu Di nodded repeatedly, his face showing approval, but after a moment of contemplation, he frowned and pressed for an answer.

"This strategy sounds feasible. It can not only solve the problem of defense, but also increase salt production and secure the border supplies."

However, the affairs of salt administration are extremely complex, requiring coverage of all aspects of the entire chain, from salt field production statistics and transportation route inspections to prefectural and county retail supervision. These aspects are scattered and interconnected.

Zhu Di suddenly stood up, paced a few steps, and said again: "If we want to implement your plan, we need to recruit more tax officials and patrol clerks."

Even though the Ming Dynasty was known for its efficient and effective administration, such a massive system of control was extremely wasteful.

If oversight is even slightly lacking, saltworks will conceal or fail to report production, merchants will evade taxes, and the resurgence of illegal salt trade will inevitably occur frequently, potentially harming the imperial court's salt tax revenue.

Lin Qing should have known the drawbacks of this policy, so why did he still insist on its implementation?

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue replied calmly and matter-of-factly.

"While we dare not say that this salt-producing method far surpasses the traditional salt-producing method, it can at least avoid the problem of excessive salt production."

Under the new salt law, taxes and tickets were fixed. Merchants received tickets upon paying taxes and could purchase salt with these tickets, ensuring unimpeded circulation.

By contracting out some salt fields to merchants, with clear division of rights and responsibilities and the profits going to them, their diligence in supervising and encouraging production far surpassed that of officials who held positions without doing their jobs.

With the government in charge of salt fields, officials were perfunctory and irresponsible, and salt producers were passive and lazy, resulting in a daily decrease in salt production. Now, with the contract system, merchants will be driven by profit and will surely improve the salt-making methods and strictly investigate shoddy workmanship, thus increasing efficiency.

This is governing business with business, and driving efficiency with profit; such an approach is generally more diligent than that of mediocre officials.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di nodded slowly.

Unsurprisingly, he was once again subjected to sarcastic remarks from Lin Yue, who was referring to Emperor Yongle as someone who was against the excessive issuance of salt permits.

However, he had to admit that Lin Yue's words made sense. The new salt law could at least avoid the most fatal flaw of the open market law, and could be considered a fundamental solution for the time being.

Now that a fundamental solution had been found, Zhu Di thought for a moment and decided to ask for a temporary way to raise money.

Since Lin Yue has the ability, he should be used and consulted more. Emperor Yongle did have the ability to recognize talent.

"This law will be discussed for the time being. Whether to implement it or not, I need to discuss it with the Ministry of Revenue again."

However, the immediate problem is that the imperial treasury is empty and food supplies are scarce. Jiangnan is also suffering from floods. Although the flood control efforts in Jiangnan have been somewhat effective, the river channels are not completely cleared of silt, and the transport of grain is obstructed. Even if there is money, it is difficult to allocate food supplies to the border towns in time to suppress the Japanese pirates.

Lin Yue, you have both strongly advocated for salt reform and the suppression of Japanese pirates. Now, what should be done with this temporary measure?

As he spoke, Zhu Di looked expectantly at Lin Yue.

Speak up, Doraemon! The Ming Dynasty has countless problems that need your solutions.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue's face showed a hint of surprise, then he frowned slightly and looked at Zhu Di with astonishment.

"At the previous court assembly, I clearly stated that the transparent glass and telescopes jointly produced by the Treasure Shipyard and Liulichang are rare and precious items."

Telescopes were sold to border generals, princes, and wealthy merchants; even at a price of a thousand taels of silver, demand still exceeded supply. The transparent glass could be used to make utensils.

Decorating palaces yields profits a hundred times greater than ordinary goods.

With such a steady stream of revenue, isn't this a good solution that addresses both the symptoms and the root cause?

Lin Yue continued urgently, "Although Jiangnan suffered from floods and poor harvests, our Great Ming Dynasty has a vast territory, and Huguang, Jiangxi, and Shandong have always been known as granaries, with plenty of surplus grain in good years."

As long as Liulichang generates sufficient revenue, the imperial court will purchase it at a high price in silver and then transport it to Jiangnan via the Grand Canal. There will be no worry about a shortage of food supplies.

When I was supervising the waterway management in Jiangnan, I had already dredged the silted-up section of the upper reaches of the Wusong River. According to Minister Xia's water management strategy of diverting the Wusong River into the Liu River and guiding it into the Pu River, there is absolutely no reason why the waterway cannot be cleared before August!

With the waterways open, grain transport becomes much smoother, making the transfer of supplies twice as efficient.

Historically, Xia Yuanji spent three years controlling the floods, mainly because the Jiangnan region was ravaged by floods. When he arrived in the area, his first priority was disaster relief, followed by surveying the area and formulating strategies, before he could begin flood control.

Lin Yue has now blocked the overflowing and leaking waterways in various parts of Jiangnan, drawn up detailed plans for river dredging in advance, and optimized the method of "building dikes, dredging rivers, and setting sluice gates" by drawing on the experience of his predecessors, saving a lot of redundant work in the early preparation and post-disaster relief.

Lin Yue also left more than 100,000 organized laborers in Jiangnan. As long as Xia Yuanji performs his duties normally, he will definitely be able to quickly control the floods.

Zhu Di sat upright in the main seat, his expression still calm, as if he had already anticipated his words.

As soon as Lin Yue finished speaking, Emperor Yongle slowly opened his mouth and suddenly became concerned about Lin Yue's health.

"Lin Qing has just recovered from a serious illness and is still weak. Please do not be so impatient."

The Imperial Pharmacopoeia recently prepared a new herbal paste for strengthening the body and replenishing vital energy. I have already ordered someone to send it to you. You must take it on time every day and not slack off.”

C

Zhu Di glanced sideways at Lin Yue, whose expression had changed slightly, and calmly said.

As the ancients said, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

While transparent glass and telescopes can be profitable, building factories and expanding production, as well as selling the glass, will take time, making it difficult to fill the military supply gap in the short term.

Moreover, I have other plans for dealing with the revenue from Liulichang, so it cannot be touched for the time being.

Zhu Di looked at Lin Yue and asked, "The matter of suppressing the Japanese pirates is of utmost urgency. The people of Jiangnan are eagerly awaiting our arrival. If the court cannot send troops quickly, it may lose the support of the people."

"Lin Yue, since you strongly advocate suppressing the Japanese pirates, you must have other brilliant contingency plans. Why don't you tell me them as well?"

As I said before, Doraemon, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, please come up with a brilliant solution!