Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"I have another secret mission, which you will also be in charge of."

Lu Chen continued to give instructions,

"Yunyang Prefecture is surrounded by deep mountains. Although the prefecture has been established and the population has been registered for more than 60 years, there are still many hidden households, refugees, bandits and outlaws in the mountainous areas."

Back in Linqing, I was unaware of my origins. Although we built the Crystal Glass Workshop, we only intended to sell it to the Shuangyu Sea Merchants and the Xie family of Yuyao.

They did not intend to organize their own fleet to sail the seas and sell crystal and glassware to the East and West Oceans to obtain higher profits.

But times have changed. Now I am a prince, and I no longer need to worry about so many things.

Organizing a fleet to go to sea requires manpower.

I have already sent someone to Linqing to have Commander Gao select a group of reliable men from among the surplus men of the Thousand Households Office to go south to Ningbo.

These people will become the backbone of the fleet.

But they alone are not enough; the lone fleet needs more manpower.

The displaced people in the mountainous areas of Yunyang Prefecture were a good source of manpower.

Shen Zhui, your secret mission is to secretly recruit mountain people and send them to Chengtian Prefecture to be handed over to Qin Fang.

The workshops of the Prince's Imperial Workshops only produced porcelain and glassware. Even if local officials found out, they would at most impeach me for competing with the people for profit.

The recruitment of mountain people is a sensitive matter, and it could easily give censors an excuse to make trouble. The subordinates you send to handle this matter must be careful to keep it secret, and they must not use the name of the Prince of Ying's residence.

. . .

Fancheng, Lin Residence.

"Chuntao, what are you two whispering about?"

Seeing the maids around her whispering, Chen Yunniang asked.

After spending two days with her in Fancheng, her husband left, telling her before he left that he would come back this month.

After this reunion, she will set off for Ningbo Prefecture to represent her husband in managing the Lin family's maritime trade business.

Chen Yunniang had heard people talk about maritime trade over the years.

The imperial court originally had three maritime trade offices in Ningbo, Fujian, and Guangzhou, where it was permissible to conduct trade through tally and quotas.

However, in the second year of the Jiajing reign, trouble broke out at the Ningbo Maritime Trade Office when two different Japanese fleets arrived at Ningbo Port at the same time.

One team held the Hongzhi tally, and the other team held the Zhengde tally.

The two groups of Japanese soldiers clashed in Ningbo, resulting in numerous deaths.

The current Grand Secretary Xia Yan was then a Censor.

Chen Yunniang still remembered that she had seen this person at home years ago; he was her father's colleague and friend.

It was this official, Xia, who submitted a memorial to the emperor, stating that "the Japanese pirates originated from the trade vessels."

As a result, the imperial court abolished the Maritime Trade Offices in Fujian and Ningbo, retaining only the one in Guangzhou.

However, in Fujian and Ningbo, maritime trade did not stop despite the abolition of the Maritime Trade Office, and many people continued to engage in maritime trade privately.

This matter was not exactly a secret among the common people. Chen Yunniang had heard guests at Cuihua Tower boast that many gentry in Zhejiang and Fujian were secretly involved in maritime trade.

Without the Maritime Trade Office, customs duties no longer needed to be paid, resulting in even greater profits than before.

When Chen Yunniang heard from her husband that the Lin family was also involved in maritime trade, she was not surprised at all.

What was truly unexpected was that they actually asked me to host the event in Ningbo.

How could a woman like myself possibly be in charge of something like this?!

As for violating the imperial edict, that's not a big deal.

Many powerful families were involved in maritime trade, and although the Maritime Trade Office has been closed since the second year of the Jiajing reign (1543) for more than a decade, the imperial court has not punished anyone.

"Auntie, the servants are whispering among themselves about His Highness Prince Ying's selection of a consort."

Upon hearing Chen Yunniang's question, Chuntao quickly came over to answer.

"I grew up in Biyang County. When I was young, I saw the Tang Prince's Mansion in Nanyang selecting concubines. They only selected from a few counties under the jurisdiction of Nanyang Prefecture."

Unlike this time, the Emperor issued an edict to select a consort for His Highness Prince Ying throughout the entire Huguang region.

Several women from Xiangyang Prefecture have also been selected and sent to the provincial capital for the second round of selection.

"His Highness Prince Ying is the Emperor's only younger brother, which makes him different from other vassal kings."

Chen Yunniang chuckled lightly,

"It's quite a coincidence, really. The last time you came to Fancheng, it was just when His Highness the Prince of Ying was passing through Xiangfan on his way to his fiefdom of Yunyang Prefecture."

These past few days, the official wharf in Fancheng has been preparing to welcome the royal procession. It is said that His Highness Prince Ying will be passing through the area again on his way to Chengtian Prefecture. My lord has also sent someone to report that he will be coming to Fancheng again soon.

"Well, there's an even more coincidence: the Emperor issued an edict to select a consort for His Highness the Prince of Ying in Huguang, and my lord's elder brother is also looking for a wife for him..."

Chen Yunniang's speech slowed down, gradually becoming barely audible, and her expression suddenly froze.

"The current emperor has only one younger brother, Prince Ying, and you, sir, only have one elder brother whose word is law..."