Fu had never worried about these things before; even if Zhu Ci never wanted to marry, he didn't care, always feeling that it would be fine once the Little Emperor reached the appropriate age.
However, now he had to start wondering if he should advise the Emperor. But knowing Zhu Ci, if he truly did advise him, the other would certainly be angry.
Fu himself was conflicted, this conflict occasionally bled into his daily life.
Zhu Ci sensed something, but he feigned ignorance and smiled, "Then you are mistaken. Back in our time, we could eat whatever we wanted in winter—watermelons, grapes, cherries.. everything was available. Some were even specifically cultivated to produce in winter. Do you know what they were called?"
Fu rested his chin on top of his head and asked, "What?"
“In a more poetic sense, this is called making things happen through human effort.” Zhu Ci put down the memorial and continued while playing with his fingers, “To put it pragmatically, interests give rise to related industries. As long as there is money to be made, what does the timing of the seasons matter?”
Fu listened and said seriously, "Then I shall have them research sweet grapes that can grow even in winter."
Zhu Ci held his hands, fingers interlaced, said, "Agreed. Once they are cultivated, we can sell them by the piece. It doesn't matter if the grapes are sour at first; we can turn them into canned goods to sell to those wealthy big shots."
Nowadays, the scale of his and Fu's canned goods industry was already enough to rival the textile industry under Zhu Ci's command.
They are both considered luxury goods, while the turnover rate of silk is not particularly fast, canned goods are different.
Zhu Ci had many glass jars made with distinct Great Ming characteristics; his subordinates even produced glass jars shaped like palaces, with yellow glazed tiles on top, red in the middle, black at the bottom.
Even if there were nothing inside, this glass jar could still be considered a work of art.
Not to mention that Zhu Ci even came up with a "wicked" idea, having the artisans create palaces of different sizes and styles, which were then placed inside the gift boxes.
The shapes of the cans in the gift boxes are random; if one collects them all, a complete palace complex can be assembled.
Consumers who collect the entire palace set can even receive a gold-inlaid jade collection card unique to the Great Ming, which is numbered.
There are a total of nine hundred and ninety-nine sets in the entire palace complex.
The combination of limited editions and blind boxes certainly stimulates consumption; initially, these items were only intended for overseas sales.
As it turned out, Zhu Ci later learned that many canned gift boxes had even begun being exported only to be resold domestically, even the canned jars in an ordinary palace within the country had been driven to astronomical prices.
Zhu Ci also found himself caught between laughter and tears. He had originally thought that since the world had only just stabilized and everyone was short on cash, people would need to go out and earn money now.
Furthermore, to prevent massive inflows of silver from causing inflation, Zhu Ci also stipulated that large-scale transactions must be conducted in gold only.
As it turned out, there were quite a lot of wealthy people after all. Since that was the case, Zhu Ci did not hold back and also launched limited-edition blind boxes domestically.
One set still consists of many pieces, some even feature mythological architecture and designs with a Western flair from later eras.
The mythology series still used glazed tiles to imitate white jade; at first, they weren't that realistic, but as the craftsmanship improved, they became more and more lifelike.
Consequently, the Mythological Series also began to command sky-high prices.
So when Fu heard Zhu Ci say they would be made into canned goods, he wasn't worried about his family's sour grapes having no place to go.
As long as these limited-edition jars were available, people would buy them regardless of whether they contained sweet preserves or even just plain sour grapes.
Fu couldn't help but say with emotion, "If Your Majesty were to become a merchant, you would surely become a tycoon."
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "In this world, being a merchant is also unsafe."
Having too much wealth makes one an easy target to be slaughtered like a pig. Back then, Fu's "investment" in Zhu Yousong was partly to find a way to seek revenge, partly to secure a peerage—an official status that would make those coveting his family's fortune hesitate to act.
After he finished speaking, he handed a memorial to Fu and said, "Stamp it."
After finishing speaking, Zhu Ci couldn't help but smack his lips, feeling that he and Fu were working like an assembly line now.
Fu took it and glanced at it, asking, "Does His Majesty only allow the Tumet envoy to attend court?"
Correct. I heard that the Tumet have already absorbed most of the small tribes that used to follow him, so their numbers are quite significant. If they are willing to submit, we could certainly have them perform other tasks.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I only want to make money from foreigners, since there are still big spenders wanting to give me money, then I won't stand on ceremony! Meow works hard at bookkeeping. jpg
Next update at twelve noon~
Chapter 280
Fu asked, "Wu Sangui?"
A man like Wu Sangui isn't worth making a major fuss over. He is already a stray dog now; when the time comes, we only need to reveal some inclinations, the Tumet will naturally find a way to deal with him.
Zhu Ci no longer held Wu Sangui in any regard; Wu Sangui might not even be able to hold his own on the grasslands.
Fu said, "I heard that he seems to have intentions of leaving the Tumet."
Where else can he go? The Ordos Mongols won't take him in easily, if he goes further north, he'll have no choice but to go to Tsarist Russia.
The longer time drags on, the more Wu Sangui will be severely depleted; regardless of him, he will bring about his own destruction.
Zhu Ci did not want to start a major conflict for the sake of Wu Sangui; he only felt it was a pity for the soldiers under Wu Sangui's command, as he did not know how many of them would end up dying in a foreign land.
Fu Jian saw that the Emperor did not care and thus paid no more attention to Wu Sangui, only asking, "Then what does His Majesty want the Tumet Mongols to do?"
Farming," Zhu Ci said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "There is a lot of excellent land over in Inner Mongolia, very suitable for farming.
Fu Weiwei was stunned. "Inner Mongolia?"
Oh, back then we divided them into Inner and Outer Mongolia; we were used to calling them that, so it doesn't matter.
Fu asked after hearing this, "Is it also very cold there? Is it suitable for farming?"
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "The area around Guihua City is located right at the bend of the Yellow River, making it an important irrigation agriculture zone. Actually, it's not just Guihua City; the Dzungar region is as well. It is indeed cold now, but the climate will become warmer in the future."
“Even now, it is only that the growing season is short, not that it cannot be cultivated. Moreover, haven't we bred cold-resistant varieties? These cold-resistant varieties have already gradually adapted to the South, it just so happens that the North is also beginning to see gradual progress.”
When Zhu Ci previously had people cultivate cold-resistant varieties, his requirements were quite high, all in preparation for the North.
As long as the North can achieve an increase in annual crop yields, that will be enough.
There was nothing left but to take it slow; after all, it had only been a few years.
Fu finally realized that Zhu Ci had his sights set on the Mongolian lands, he said thoughtfully, "In that case, it would be best if the Tumet completely submitted."
It will be fine if they simply integrate into the Great Ming as Mongols. If they agree, we will send people to help them with farming and herding; if they do not, they can fend for themselves.
Zhu Ci spoke very casually; before the new year, this was the only relatively important matter facing the Imperial Court.
Although the Tumet Mongols were given a choice, as long as the Tumet Taiji was not a fool, he would have no other choice.
The Tumet Taiji had actually anticipated this long ago; not only had he guessed it himself, but Wu Sangui had also warned him in order to win his trust.
Wu Sangui's original words were: "The Emperor of Great Ming is the youngest, but he is incredibly calculating. He never intended to let the Tumet go from the very beginning; if the Tumet wishes to become independent now, it will only become increasingly difficult."
Of course, Wu Sangui was hinting at the time that the Taiji should join forces with him, so that perhaps they could stand against the Great Ming together.
However, after the Tumet Taiji understood his implication, he couldn't help but want to roll his eyes.
The Manchus and the Golden Clan have both lost; what on earth are you, a stray dog who escaped from the Central Plains, still dreaming of?
The Tumet is only just beginning to see some signs of prosperity; they cannot be led astray.
However, Tumet Taiji did not explicitly refuse Wu Sangui, but instead acted indecisive and hesitant to keep him at bay.
He did not need Wu Sangui, but he did need the men under Wu Sangui's command.
Unfortunately, most of them were Han people, making it difficult for them to get along with the tribesmen.
However, even if they could not be sheltered, Wu Sangui and his subordinates still held great value; if they were presented to the Emperor, he would surely be pleased.
The Tumet Taiji made preparations on multiple fronts, even intending to travel to the capital to pay his respects in person.
However, no sooner had he led the mission and the tribute into the interior, than Wu Sangui arrived with his troops, prepared to annex the Tumet.
Wu Sangui did not raise his troops recklessly; he had long ago thoroughly investigated all the circumstances in Guihua City, even scouting out the exact location where the enemy was stockpiling firearms.
When he raised his troops, his army headed straight for the firearms storage site, but when they arrived there, they found they had come up empty-handed.
Upon receiving the news, Wu Sangui made a decisive decision and said, "Go!"
There is only one reason why the firearms cannot be found: either the opponent has moved the firearms, or the information released from the start was fake news.
Whichever it was, it meant that the Tumet was not only on guard against them, but was even prepared to annex him.
Wu Sangui was not unaware, but even if he had noticed, there was nothing he could do. He was far too unfamiliar with the grasslands; he needed a place to settle down to understand the situation of the grasslands, most importantly, the routes.
The winter grasslands were a vast expanse of withered yellow; being in the midst of them, one had no idea which direction to head. Without a map or a guide, one would be trapped here for good.
Of course, Wu Sangui could also travel along the Yellow River, but there were many tribes around the Yellow River, he had nowhere to stay.
Unfortunately, now that things have come to this, since he cannot seize Guihua City, he can only leave.
Otherwise, given the Tumet's closeness to Great Ming, he would eventually be sabotaged by the Tumet Taiji.
Wu Sangui's reaction could not be called slow, yet it was still too late.
In the direction he chose to flee, a squad of Ming Army soldiers armed with Rapid-fire Guns suddenly appeared.
It's over.
In that instant, Wu Sangui had only this one thought in his mind, at the same time, he also found it incredible.
Wu Sangui had never realized there were Ming Army troops in Guihua City; when did they arrive? How many of them were there?
Wu Sangui could not judge; he cautiously halted his charge, preparing to take a detour.
As a result, while taking a detour, he fell into another Tumet trap; yes, the Tumet had never intended to let him go from the very beginning.
Until he was taken prisoner, Wu Sangui did not understand how he had failed to notice the arrival of the Ming Army.
When he was brought to the Guihua City Prefect's Office, he saw at a glance that the Tumet Taiji was chatting and laughing with a Ming Army general.
Wu Sangui's eyes instantly bulged with rage; the Tumet Taiji actually hadn't left; he had only been making a show of it to deceive him!
“General Lu, I leave this man to you.”
Lu Zheng glanced at Wu Sangui and said, "His Highness the Prince of Yue will report the merits of the Tumet Mongols to His Majesty truthfully, so please rest assured, Taiji."
The Prince of Yue? Fu?
Wu Sangui had to think for a moment before he remembered who this Prince of Yue was.
The Tumet Mongols did not intentionally hide such matters. At the time, Wu Sangui had merely sneered at it, believing that the Great Ming would fall sooner or later, that for a mere merchant to be first enfeoffed as a Marquis and then as a Prince was nothing short of a joke.
However, no matter what he had thought before, he knew now that once he fell into Fu's hands, his life would surely be forfeit.
Wu Sangui struggled to say something, but unfortunately, his mouth had already been gagged, no matter how anxious he became, he could not utter a single word.
Lu Zheng walked up to Wu Sangui and looked down at him. Facing Wu Sangui's gaze full of hatred, he didn't say a word more, simply waving his hand and saying, "Go!"