The strongest eldest son of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 35 Our empire will surely last for ten thousand generations, forever strong and immortal!

After seeing Hu Weiyong and Zhu Biao off, the Fengtian Hall returned to tranquility. Zhu Yuanzhang sat back on the dragon throne, his eyes resolute, pondering his next plan.

Zhu Yao's surprises went far beyond the Single Whip Method and sweet potatoes; there was also something called "cement," which could pave sturdy and durable roads. If it could be widely adopted, it would surely bring convenience to the world.

He raised his hand to summon the eunuch and ordered in a low voice, "Go, summon the officials of the Ministry of Works to the palace for an audience immediately. Do not delay, and do not make a fuss."

Before long, several officials from the Ministry of Works bowed and entered the Fengtian Hall, knelt and saluted, and shouted in unison, "Your subjects pay homage to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

"Rise," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand, his tone serious. "I have a task for you. Immediately send several officials to Chenzhou to find a shop called Liu's Cement and buy a batch of cement."

He specifically instructed: "The officials sent should not be of too high a rank, such as a clerk or a junior official. Remember, all actions must be kept secret, not publicized, and outsiders must not know about this matter, especially not the Liu family in Chenzhou."

Upon hearing this, the officials of the Ministry of Works, though puzzled, dared not ask further and quickly bowed, replying, "Your Majesty, we obey! We will certainly handle this matter properly and will not leak a single word!"

"In addition," Zhu Yuanzhang added, "after buying the cement, first build a cement road in the palace to test its strength. If it works well, then gradually promote it to all prefectures and cities across the country."

"If you can't make it yourself, you'll have to buy it. If you can't even handle this, watch your heads!"

"We understand!" the Ministry of Works official hurriedly replied, wiping his sweat.

After the Ministry of Works officials left, Zhu Yuanzhang summoned the Ministry of Revenue officials. An eunuch presented the Ministry of Revenue officials with a cloth bag and a sweet potato planting manual.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the cloth bag and slowly said, "This contains a crop called sweet potato. This is a planting manual. You should immediately arrange for people to select a fertile field and carefully plant it according to the methods in the manual. Make sure it is well cultivated."

He paused, then emphasized, "This sweet potato is drought-resistant and can thrive in poor soil. It has an extremely high yield, producing several bushels per acre, far exceeding that of rice and wheat. If it can be widely promoted, it can alleviate the famine suffering of the people. You must pay close attention to this and not slack off."

Upon hearing this, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue were immediately thrown into an uproar, their faces filled with shock. The Minister of Revenue, who was in charge, hurriedly bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, you said... that one mu of sweet potatoes can produce several shi? Is... is that even possible?"

You should know that at that time, even the best paddy fields in the Ming Dynasty could only produce one or two shi of rice per mu. If the yield of sweet potatoes was really that high, it would be a complete fantasy. Several officials from the Ministry of Revenue looked at each other, their eyes filled with doubt, and muttered to themselves, "Could His Majesty have been deceived?"

Zhu Yuanzhang saw through their doubts but didn't offer much explanation. He simply emphasized, "If I say it's possible, then it's possible. You just need to follow my instructions and plant diligently. If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" The Ministry of Revenue officials dared not say another word, hurriedly took the cloth bag and planting manual with both hands, bowed, and withdrew.

As they left the Fengtian Hall, the officials from the Ministry of Revenue breathed a sigh of relief. They whispered amongst themselves, and the Vice Minister of Revenue said in a low voice, "You guys think these sweet potatoes can really yield several shi per mu? Something doesn't seem right to me. Could someone be deliberately deceiving His Majesty?"

Another official chimed in, "Indeed, back then Yang Xian bought some extra-large ears of wheat from the Western Regions, falsely claiming they were superior varieties from the Western Regions, and deceived His Majesty. In the end, he met a tragic end, his head separated from his body. I wonder which villain will dare to use such tricks to deceive His Majesty this time."

The Minister of Revenue, who was in charge, sighed and waved his hand: "Who cares? His Majesty has already issued the decree. We just need to honestly follow the manual to plant and do our duty. As for the yield, we'll know in the future."

"We only hope that if production doesn't reach such a high level in the future, His Majesty won't blame us. After all, we were just following orders and didn't know anything about it."

The group nodded in agreement, their faces full of worry, but they could only grit their teeth and start planning how to arrange the planting.

After the Ministry of Revenue officials left, only Zhu Yuanzhang remained in the Fengtian Hall. He stood up, walked to the hall entrance, looked at the distant palace walls, and a long-lost relaxed smile appeared on his face. The fatigue of the past few days seemed to have dissipated.

His heart was filled with anticipation as he pondered to himself:

Each of the things Yao'er gave us is a treasure that can change the Ming Dynasty: cement to pave roads, sweet potatoes to relieve famine, and the Single Whip Law to regulate taxes. This time, there shouldn't be any problems, right?

With roads completed, people can travel more easily, and businesses can thrive.

With the promotion of sweet potatoes, people no longer go hungry, the number of refugees decreases, and society can remain stable.

With the implementation of the Single Whip Law, taxation became more transparent, and the national treasury became fuller.

Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with anticipation:

With these, the Ming Dynasty will soon be able to escape its predicament, the people will live in peace and prosperity, the national treasury will be full, and the government will be clean and efficient. A golden age will soon be achieved! Our country will surely last for thousands of generations and be eternally prosperous!

...

Outside Chenzhou city, on the official road.

A procession of carriages slowly approached, with banners fluttering and drums beating loudly. It was the entourage of Zhao Wude, the newly appointed prefect of Chenzhou.

Zhao Wude sat upright in the main sedan chair, his expression arrogant, his gaze sweeping over the scenery along the way with a hint of scrutiny and disdain.

When the carriage arrived near the Liu family manor, Zhao Wude suddenly lifted the curtain, his gaze drawn to the scene before him. His face darkened, filled with displeasure.

Before them stretched a vast expanse of fertile fields, seemingly endless, with neatly arranged ridges and thriving crops. In the center of the fields stood a magnificent manor, with vermilion gates and high walls, and pavilions and towers faintly visible. Its scale was in no way inferior to that of the state government offices.

"Stop!" Prefect Zhao Wude ordered sternly. The carriage slowly came to a halt. He stepped down, pointed at the Liu family manor, and asked in an icy tone, "What kind of place is that? Why does it have such a large manor and tens of thousands of acres of fertile land? Is there such an incredibly wealthy family in Chenzhou?"

The clerk beside him quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said in a low voice, "Reporting to Prefect Zhao Wude, that is the Liu family mansion. The owner was originally an ordinary villager from Chenzhou. More than 20 years ago, he started from scratch and gradually developed his business to the present day, accumulating a huge fortune. He then bought tens of thousands of acres of fertile land and built this manor."

He paused, then added, "By the way, sir, I recently heard that the owner of the Liu family has changed his surname to Zhu. He no longer has the surname Liu, but Zhu."

"Change your surname to Zhu?"

Upon hearing this, the newly appointed prefect Zhao Wude narrowed his eyes, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips. His tone was full of mockery and disdain, "How dare you! The surname Zhu is the imperial surname. How can an ordinary person change it so easily? To dare to change your surname to Zhu without authorization is truly courting death!"

His anger rose, mixed with a touch of curiosity. He ordered his men, "Go and deliver my visiting card to the Liu residence. Tell them that the newly appointed Prefect of Chenzhou, Zhao Wude, has come to pay his respects. I want to see what this guy is capable of, daring to be so arrogant, changing his surname without permission, and possessing such a fortune."

The subordinates quickly responded, carrying the visiting card, and strode towards the Liu residence. Prefect Zhao Wude stood still, waiting arrogantly, already planning to extort money from the Liu family if the owner knew what was good for him.

If he doesn't know what's good for him, then find an excuse to charge him with the crime of misusing the imperial surname and confiscate his property.