Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 696: Concern and Understanding

After taking the letter, Xu Jingqiu opened it and read it carefully. The letter was written by Zhu Shenzhui himself, and she recognized the handwriting at a glance.

In the letter, Zhu Shenzui first expressed his longing for her and the children, and asked about their life in Yangtou Mountain, the studies of the two children, etc.

After chatting about some family matters, Zhu Shenzhu briefly talked about the war with Huang Taiji of Liaodong and informed Xu Jingqiu of the results of the war. After that, Zhu Shenzhu briefly talked about the situation in the capital. Because this battle was won beautifully, when the news reached the capital, the criticism of Zhu Shenzhu in the capital suddenly decreased a lot, and many people changed their views on Zhu Shenzhu. Even those who were still secretly targeting Zhu Shenzhu or holding back to make trouble stopped. It can be said that this battle was won at the right time and directly consolidated Zhu Shenzhu's position.

Although the situation has improved significantly, the Ming Dynasty still has many problems. Not to mention the problems with foreign enemies, the internal problems alone are still very serious.

The rebellion of bandits such as Gao Yingxiang has not yet been quelled, the victims and ordinary people in various places are still living a hard life, the contradictions between the local and central governments have not been resolved, and coupled with the problems of the military group, the civil group, the gentry group and the aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River, Zhu Shenzui still has a lot to do.

These things cannot be accomplished in a short time, they need to be done step by step. Now he has asked Kang Youfu to return to Shanxi to deal with some things. When this is done, most of the Shanxi merchants, including the Shanxi area and even the nine borders, can be directly controlled by Zhu Shenzhui.

Next, Zhu Shencui will start from the north and gradually deal with various problems, which may take two to three years at the shortest, or perhaps more than ten years at the longest. By that time, the entire Ming Dynasty will be different from what it is now, and most of the changes will be completed according to Zhu Shencui's ideas.

In the capital, Zhu Shencui missed them day and night, but he could not spare the time to visit them. Moreover, the current situation was delicate, and the timing for Xu Jingqiu and her son to come to the capital was not yet ripe. Even the formal canonization was temporarily put on hold for the sake of the court.

But these are temporary. Zhu Shenzhu hopes that Xu Jingqiu can understand him and that they can continue to stay in Yangtou Mountain so that he can do this big thing in the capital. Once they go to the capital now, let alone whether their safety is absolutely guaranteed, if someone secretly attacks them, Zhu Shenzhu will find it difficult to take care of them.

From this point of view, Zhu Shenzhu felt that he had wronged the mother and son, and hoped that Xu Jingqiu could understand. However, Zhu Shenzhu also promised Xu Jingqiu that once the hidden dangers in the capital were resolved, he would take the mother and son to Beijing as soon as possible, and the whole family would be reunited at that time, and there would be no separation again.

The letter was not long and the writing was ordinary, but from the letter, she could feel her husband's thoughts and concerns for her and the children, as well as his deep love. After reading the letter, Xu Jingqiu smiled. She seemed to feel the affection of her husband who was far away in the capital, and her mood became better.

"General Li..."

"I dare not ask Your Majesty to address me like that. Please just call me by my name." While Xu Jingqiu was reading the letter, Li Hu had been standing not far away, waiting quietly, until Xu Jingqiu finished reading the letter and called him.

Li Hu had previously held the position of a centurion. After Zhu Shenzhui became regent, he immediately adjusted the three offices of Shanxi, including the position of the Shanxi Jinyiwei.

Among them, Wang Rong has taken a step further as the commander of Luzhou Guard and is now the commander-in-chief of Shanxi, becoming the head of the Shanxi Guard.

Zhu Shenzhu originally intended to confer a title on his uncle, but was rejected by Wang Rong. You should know that the reason why Zhu Shenzhu was able to achieve what he has today is that Wang Rong's help to him is unparalleled. Whether it was when Wang Rong led the entire Wangjia Village to support Zhu Shenzhu when he first sold private salt, or when he later served as the commander of Luzhou Guard and escorted Zhu Shenzhu in the name of the commander, and even this time when he led the army to capture the capital, Wang Rong made an indelible contribution.

These merits were enough to be conferred a title, not to mention that Wang Rong was Zhu Shencui's uncle, so he deserved to be a marquis, not to mention an earl. However, Wang Rong did not agree, and told Zhu Shencui that it would be better for him not to be conferred a title. Once he was conferred a title, he would become a noble relative, and it would not be so legitimate for him to serve as the commander-in-chief of Shanxi.

Moreover, Wang Rong has only one son, Wang Jinwu. Wang Jinwu is now Zhu Shenzhui's most capable general. He is also in charge of the general of the Beijing camp and has also been given the position of left general. He is already in a high position and has great power among the military generals.

According to Zhu Shenzhu's plan, Wang Jinwu will definitely be granted a title in the future, and he will gradually promote Wang Jinwu to the position of the head of the nobles, and help Zhu Shenzhu win the hearts of the nobles of the Ming Dynasty. If both the father and son of the Wang family are granted titles, this will be counterproductive. The father and son have two titles in the same family, which is not a good thing at present. Instead, they will become the target of public criticism. Therefore, Wang Rong would rather not have this title, and only use the official position to help Zhu Shenzhu control the Shanxi Guard. Wang Rong's reply made Zhu Shenzhu grateful. He did not expect that his uncle would think so much about him, and even think so deeply. After careful consideration, Zhu Shenzhu agreed to Wang Rong's request, and finally did not grant Wang Rong a title. However, when Wang Rong was promoted to the commander of Shanxi, he gave Wang Rong the title of Prince's Junior Teacher and the military rank of General Jianwei from the first rank to show his honor and favor.

Apart from Wang Rong, Li Hu and others were also given official titles. Li Hu had now replaced Wang Rong as the commander of Luzhou Guard and the third-rank general Zhaoyong. This was also the reason why Xu Jingqiu called him General Li, but how could Li Hu be so arrogant in front of Xu Jingqiu?
Xu Jingqiu smiled faintly. Since Li Hu refused to let her call him general, she should just stick to the old title. She and Li Hu had known each other for quite some time and she knew that he was a straightforward man without many twists and turns. If she still called him general, Li Hu would probably feel even more uneasy.

"Does the Regent want you to convey anything to me?" Xu Jingqiu asked.

An expression of admiration appeared on Li Hu's face. Before he went to take up the post in Luzhou Wei, he had met Xu Jingqiu at Yangtou Mountain. Li Hu had always respected Xu Jingqiu, and he was also deeply impressed by Xu Jingqiu's intelligence, wisdom and magnanimity.

Many times, Li Hu thought that only a wonderful woman like Xu Jingqiu could be worthy of Zhu Shenzhui, and it was because of such a mistress that Zhu Shenzhui could achieve such a career. The couple complemented each other, which was simply a match made in heaven, which was something that ordinary people could not envy.

"My princess, the regent did have something to tell me to deliver to you..." Li Hu said immediately. Zhu Shenzhui asked Kang Youfu to take the letter directly to Luzhou Guard. It also contained Zhu Shenzhui's oral message. After all, some words were not convenient to express in the letter. Once the letter was lost or something unexpected happened, it would inevitably cause trouble.

Li Hu told Xu Jingqiu that with the end of the war in the north, the Ming Dynasty won its first major victory in nearly a decade and defended the Great Wall. After winning the battle, the court's attitude towards Zhu Shenzhui changed greatly, but at the same time, there were still many people who had other ideas.

This time Kang Youfu was asked to come to Shanxi, on the one hand, to deal with the affairs of Hengtong General Merchants. Hengtong was about to be split up. In the future, Hengtong would be divided into three parts. The most important of them was the Royal Bank of Ming Dynasty, which would be established mainly with Hengtong Bank as the main body. In the future, this Royal Bank would be an important institution of Ming Dynasty, undertake the business of banknotes, and directly issue silver bills for circulation throughout the world. In the future, silver bills would not only be limited to various commercial banks, the gentry class and large-scale commercial transactions, but also to ordinary people. The denominations of silver bills would also be differentiated to replace the previous use of treasure notes.

In addition, the Ming Royal Bank will also be responsible for other businesses, which are very complicated and even have some functions of the Ministry of Revenue. This matter is still in preparation, and Kang Youfu cannot say too much, and Li Hu knows even less.

As for the other part, Hengtong will divide the trade into two parts, with foreign trade under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while ordinary trade will still be handled by the Hengtong General Merchants. However, this part of the General Merchants will no longer be directly managed by Kang Youfu in the future. As a vassal industry of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it is no different from an ordinary business.

In addition, there are a series of other policy adjustments, which are being prepared in the capital. This matter is too big to be expressed through paper money, so it can only be conveyed through Kang Youfu. Especially in Shandong, considering Xu Xiancheng, Zhu Shenzhu specifically asked Xu Jingqiu to rest assured that Xu Xiancheng would return to the capital soon, and he would discuss this matter with Xu Xiancheng and then implement it secretly. If everything goes well, it should be completed within half a year.

By that time, the situation in the capital will be much better, and Zhu Shenzhui will consider letting Xu Jingqiu and the two children go to the capital to reunite. Now the time is not right, and he hopes Xu Jingqiu can understand his difficulties. Of course, if Xu Jingqiu is unwilling to wait and insists on going, Zhu Shenzhui hopes that Kang Youfu will escort her to the capital after he has dealt with the Shanxi affairs to ensure her safety.

After listening to Li Hu's words, Xu Jingqiu nodded slightly. What Li Hu said was almost what she expected, but what exactly was this Imperial Household Department, and what was Zhu Shenzhu's intention in splitting up Hengtong? Because Li Hu himself didn't know much, Xu Jingqiu couldn't figure it out for a while.

But this is not a big problem. Kang Youfu will come to Yangtou Mountain before returning to Beijing. Then you can just ask Kang Youfu directly. In addition, Xu Jingqiu is most concerned about Zhu Shenzhui's situation in the capital, including his safety. She carefully asked about the information in the capital. Li Hu told her what he knew and comforted Xu Jingqiu that she didn't have to worry. Now Zhu Shenzhui is very safe in the palace. All the guards are Mongolians and confidants. There is absolutely no problem with food, clothing, housing and transportation. The Beijing Camp is also controlled by their own people. Even if someone wants to make trouble, it is impossible.

"Mongols? Although Mongolians are reliable, they are difficult to serve..." Xu Jingqiu frowned and asked Li Hu directly, "Doesn't my husband have maids or other people to serve him?"

"Definitely not!" Li Hu answered without thinking. He thought Xu Jingqiu was worried that Zhu Shenzhui had other women in the capital, which made her uneasy. But Xu Jingqiu was not an ordinary woman. She was not thinking about these things at all. She was just afraid that these Mongols could not take good care of her husband.

(End of this chapter)