“More or less,” Zhu Ci said. “In fact, all the systems already have a prototype; they only need minor adjustments.”
Otherwise, how would this country have been maintained during all those years when Jiajing did nothing?
Fu nodded and said, "It is excellent that Your Majesty has such thoughts, but.. where will the people come from?"
Zhu Ci rubbed his chin and said, "First, we build the framework. As for the rest.. hold the imperial examinations!"
The imperial examination system of the Great Ming had serious issues; they insisted on having these "examiners," so that once a student passed an exam, they would be tied to the examiner as part of the same faction. Isn't that just ridiculous?
Fu Lue nodded and said, "In that case, Your Majesty should first write the imperial decree."
Sigh, no matter how you look at it, people still need to be recruited.
Forget it, regardless of whether people are recruited, he is still the one who decides whether or not to use them.
However.. the Imperial Decree..
Zhu Ci said with an air of indifference, "I'll leave this matter to the Marquis of Huating."
Fu had no objections, after all, an Imperial Decree wasn't something written by the Emperor himself, even the sealing wasn't done by the Emperor personally.
So he said nothing more and drafted an imperial decree on the spot, presenting it and saying, "May Your Majesty review this."
Zhu Ci was also writing a letter; he was writing a letter to Huang Chunyao.
If one had to recruit someone, Huang Chunyao was much better than those useless things in the imperial court.
The people in the Zhiyan Society indeed had substance to their words, they were all people who got things done.
As for whether Huang Chunyao will bring all the members of the Zhiyan Society over.. it doesn't matter. By the time they arrive, the Donglin Party might already be rising from the ashes; why would we lack the Zhiyan Society?
At worst, I'll just put some effort into the Grand Secretariat elections when the time comes.
While Zhu Ci had not yet finished writing the letter to Huang Chunyao, Fu had already finished writing the Imperial Decree. Such efficiency!
Zhu Ci took a look and couldn't help but be impressed; setting aside everything else, Fu's handwriting was truly beautiful.
Standard Guange Style, the handwriting was clear, clean, crisp, possessing a unique beauty that was both elegant and dignified.
Beautiful calligraphy!" Zhu Ci said. "Just looking at your handwriting, you have the talent of a Top Scholar.
Fu Jinshi smiled modestly and said, "Thank you for the Emperor's praise."
Zhu Ci looked straight down, but the more he read, the more the smile faded from his face.
The beginning is still understandable: "I, though humble, have inherited the Great Mandate, yet the Divine Capital has fallen, the late Emperor has sacrificed himself for the state, the imperial lineage is covered in dust. Whenever I think of the imperial tombs overgrown with thorns, the common people suffering in misery, I cannot help but weep tears of blood and lose my appetite in the middle of the night."
It was likely just an expression of his attitude, how much he grieved that the country had fallen into such a state. The only thing he had a slight grievance with was the late Emperor. Never mind.. since he had ascended the throne after the late Emperor's passing, even if he didn't glorify the late Emperor, he couldn't smear him too much.
Moreover, the entire text seems to have only mentioned the late Emperor once; surely Fu Chunsheng did not wish to write much about Zhu Yousong.
Forget it, I'll just endure it.
He continued reading further:
Reflecting deeply on these painful lessons, I realize that the precarious state of the nation is truly due to the discord between the ruler and the subjects, the failure of the administration to follow its fundamental principles. I personally take responsibility for my faults and vow to bring a fresh start to the realm.. When a great edifice is on the verge of collapse, it cannot be saved by a single person; for a restoration to succeed, it must be achieved through collective wisdom. You, who were once high-ranking officials: some fled the fires of war to the rocky valleys.. I shall act with sincerity and seek counsel, cleansing the slanderers and sycophants, washing away all flaws and filth to rebuild the world. This shall be proclaimed throughout the land, so that all may know.
After reading it, Zhu Ci sat there for a long time without moving.
There was nothing he could do; it was mainly because as he kept looking, it felt as if garbled code was appearing before his eyes.
To be fair, I can recognize most of these characters; it's just that when they are grouped together.. I can only grasp the general idea.
Perhaps it was because Zhu Ci had been silent for too long that Fu asked, "Does Your Majesty feel something is amiss? This Imperial Decree is merely a draft; if there is anything improper, it can still be changed."
And this is only a draft?
Zhu Ci struggled to make a difficult choice before deciding to play his hand or show his cards.
Finally, he looked at the drafted Imperial Decree and then at Fu, before looking at Fu with great sincerity and saying, "I don't understand."
“What?” Fu looked at him with a rare expression of astonishment.
Clearly, he had not expected that answer.
That shouldn't be right. Judging by the young Emperor's words and actions, he is clearly not someone who hasn't been educated. How could he not understand?
Zhu Ci said righteously, "Hundreds of years have passed since my time. It is a world reborn after the shattering of mountains and rivers; the books we read are simply different."
Fu frowned. "The heritage was broken? Does the Imperial Court not write official documents?"
Zhu Ci choked on his words. Of course the Imperial Court wrote official documents, but the problem was that he might not even be able to understand them.
Exactly. He recognized every single word, the general meaning was clear enough, but if he wanted to dig deep into the underlying implications.. it wasn't as if everyone with even a little bit of status within the system could necessarily understand them.
He did not want to dwell on this issue, merely saying, "Write it like this."
Fu looked at him, seeing his hesitation, finally sighed, saying, "Your Majesty, you should study."
Zhu Ci didn't care at all: "Stop messing around, when would I have time to read?"
Fu said nothing, but instead personally brought a stack of books in the afternoon and placed them on Zhu Ci's desk.
Zhu Ci was shocked. "No, brother, are you serious?"
Your Majesty, please mind your words." Fu glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty should look through these books first; if there is anything you do not understand, you may ask this official.
Zhu Ci stared blankly at him. "What madness are you talking about? How could I possibly have time to read? Besides, it's not like I'm illiterate."
“The people under Your Majesty's command can learn to read while fighting; does Your Majesty truly not even have time for reading?”
Zhu Ci..
I never expected that one day I would fall into a pit I dug myself.
Seeing that Zhu Ci still wanted to say something, Fu delivered a killing blow: "If Your Majesty cannot even understand the previous Imperial Decree, how will you handle future memorial reports or face your ministers? And how will you select the Top Scholar during the imperial examinations?"
Zhu Ci..
That was true; although the subordinates would select the excellent examination papers, if he couldn't even understand them, it would be somewhat irresponsible to just pick them at random when the time came.
He said with melancholy, "But I really don't have the time. The Tartars outnumber us. If they aren't fighting now, they must be waiting for Red-coated Cannons. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to use Red-coated Cannons for city defense; we must have new firearms."
He has been busy improving firearms these past two days, although it has only been through theoretical calculations on paper and the actual production has not yet fully begun.
Fu said nothing, merely watching him quietly with those pale blue eyes.
Zhu Ci was watched by him for a while, could only surrender, saying, "Fine, fine, I'll read it."
Ah, how I miss the days when Fu Cai would communicate with him while wearing a veiled bamboo hat.
Zhu Ci took a quick glance at those books and helplessly set aside all three hundred and ten of them: "I just don't understand some of the allusions and terminology very well; there is no need to start reading from children's books."
Fu said no more; after putting away all the primers, he said, "Your Majesty need not trouble himself with trivial matters. This subject shall take his leave."
Zhu Ci reached out and said, "Wait, have all the craftsmen for making firearms arrived?"
Fu Ying replied, "They have all arrived and have already set up a temporary firearms workshop in the southwest corner. The residents there have been evacuated, so Your Majesty need not worry."
Zhu Ci cleared his throat lightly. "I.. I have a series of blueprints here; take them to them first."
Fu paused, then walked over to take the new blueprints.
The new blueprints were, of course, not new either; except for the only one he had never seen before, all the others had been sold to him by his Emperor.
There were no issues with the design or the materials.
Zhu Ci looked down at the book while stealing glances at Fu's expression. Theoretically speaking, Fu shouldn't understand any of this, right?
After reading it, Fu looked thoughtful. "So the method of making the powder is different."
Wait, how do you actually understand this?
Zhu Ci looked up and met his gaze.
Hehe.
Didn't expect that, did you? He still had an ace up his sleeve.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I'm only good at fighting and killing; don't come to me for things like governing a country. I'd rather just be an arbitration mascot. Cat Judge picks up the gavel. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 98
Fortunately, Fu did not intend to argue with him, merely holding the new blueprints and asking, "Is this.. a Flying Sand Cylinder?"
Zhu Ci placed the book on the desk and said, "Correct. The lethality of this thing might not be as high as a cluster rocket, but it can effectively harass the Tartars."
He paused and said, "So far, the only thing capable of suppressing the Hongyi Cannon is the Dingyuan General Bronze Cannon that Wu Sangui once created, but you know how long it takes to manufacture artillery. It is difficult to use them in the short term, so I modified the Flying Sand Cylinder. This type of rocket has limited power, but it can blind the enemy. Not only that, but it can also fly back on its own, which can save resources to the greatest extent possible."
Red-coated Cannons are highly dependent on artillerymen; if it is impossible to destroy the Hongyi Cannons, then targeting the artillerymen is also a viable option.
Fu glanced at the Flying Sand Cylinder and then at the Dingyuan General Bronze Cannon, suddenly asking, "Does Your Majesty know of even better firearms?"
Zhu Ci knew what he wanted to ask and said bluntly, "They cannot be made right now; industrial technology is insufficient."
Everything right now relies almost entirely on manual labor; there are insufficient standardized processes, even if there were, comparing human manual error to that of machines would be somewhat inappropriate.
Moreover, besides manual labor, the greatest constraint is the lack of electricity.
None of these can be resolved in the short term; the most important thing for developing productivity is to have a stable society.
Fu nodded in agreement without regret after hearing this, saying, "I will instruct them to try their best to produce Flying Sand Cylinders."
Zhu Ci immediately said, "Once they are finished, tell me—ahem, tell me, for I want to go and test them personally to make adjustments."
Fu put on a veiled bamboo hat and said while stepping back, "Let's wait until Your Majesty has finished reading that book in your hands."
Zhu Ci looked at the *Longwen Bianying* in his hands and instantly felt a sense of despair.
Fu discovered that his little Emperor was truly intelligent.
This intelligence refers not just to his good memory, but more so to his comprehension and his ability to draw inferences from a single example.
Regarding this, Zhu Ci stated that he simply had not studied in depth, which did not mean he was truly illiterate.
The book "Longwen Bianying" essentially compiles various allusions from the "Twenty-Four Histories," many of which are stories that have become well-known to later generations.
Of course, there is a difference between knowing these stories and being able to use them flexibly.
Zhu Ci tried hard to recall when he had last flexibly applied this knowledge of allusions.