I am the prince of the Ming Dynasty, I don't give up

Chapter 87 Sleeping with the Emperor

According to the current productivity level, administrative efficiency and transportation costs of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao simply could not save enough money and food to attack Mongolia.

At this time, many people in several northern provinces of the Ming Dynasty were bankrupt due to their horse and grain policies. Not only did the people not want to fight the Mongols, but they killed officials and rebelled against the court.

The military system had been corrupted for a long time, military farms were wantonly occupied, and many soldiers became tenants, making it difficult for them to live a good life.
Now, many provinces in Ming Dynasty are experiencing rebellion, and the treasury is becoming increasingly empty.
Even the Battle of Yingzhou, which was highly controversial in later generations, was a battle in which the Mongols went south to plunder, and then the two sides fought a battle in Yingzhou, which was considered a home defensive battle. At that time, the Ming Dynasty simply did not have the national strength to take the initiative to attack.

But what Zhu Houxuan said was not wrong. It would be impossible to defeat the Mongols if we did not take the initiative to attack and passively defended at home every day.

All of the Ming Dynasty’s problems really come down to the word money.

Money may not be able to solve all of the Ming Dynasty’s problems, but it can solve most of them.

Zhu Houxuan went through so much trouble just to get to the word "money".

If he were asked to engage in politics and play tricks with the officials in the court, even if he had the memories of later generations, he would not be able to beat the people of today.

But if we ask who is the one who can make the most money in this era, Zhu Houxun would have to stand up and say, "It is me."

He did want to improve his relationship with Zhu Houzhao, but countless historical lessons told him that relying solely on personal relationships would definitely not be solid, as people are fickle, so he had to form a community of interests with Zhu Houzhao again.

Zhu Houzhao's face really darkened, and he didn't know what to say.

Zhu Houxuan said quickly: "If my brother wants to fight against Mongolia, I am willing to donate all the wealth of the Jingwang Mansion to help my brother achieve great things."

After hearing this, Zhu Houzhao's face really improved a lot, and he said: "I appreciate your kindness, but the wealth in your palace is just a drop in the bucket compared to the money and food needed to attack Mongolia!"

Zhu Houxuan did not refute again. His status was sensitive and he could not directly say to Zhu Houzhao: "Brother, give me some power and I will help you make money! Let you fight Mongolia."

That would only backfire and make him suspicious, so he could only influence Zhu Houzhao subtly, make him realize his economic capabilities, let him come up with such ideas himself, and make him beg him to come out and help. This was his main purpose of coming to Beijing.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Let Eunuch Ma build more imperial farms and shops. Slowly we will be able to save enough money and food to fight Mongolia," Qian Ning said flatteringly.

When Zhu Houxuan heard the words "Imperial Farm and Imperial Store", his expression became a little colder.

Zhu Houzhao smiled again after hearing this, "Let's not talk about that. My brother is coming to the Leopard Room today, I want to entertain him well, and everyone should come and drink with me."

The food and wine were soon served, and Zhu Houzhao picked up the wine glass with great enthusiasm, "Come, come, everyone, drink this glass to the full."

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the venue became lively. Zhu Houzhao even jumped out and performed a set of sword techniques, making the atmosphere even more intense.

After dinner, Zhu Houxuan wanted to say goodbye and return to the Princes' Hall because it was already dark.

But Zhu Houzhao pulled Zhu Houxun aside to chat. Zhu Houxun was naturally not afraid. As a time traveler, he had been exposed to too much information in the information society. This information covered everything from all over the world, and he could talk to Zhu Houzhao about anything. From time to time, they would say thought-provoking words, which made Zhu Houzhao more energetic as they talked.

But Zhu Houxun couldn't hold it anymore and started yawning continuously.

"Brother, what do you think the places further north than Mobei are like?" Zhu Houzhao asked the new question with great interest, but he did not get a response from Zhu Houxuan for a long time.

When I turned around, I found Zhu Houxuan half leaning against the chair, motionless.
"Brother, my dear brother! Are you asleep?" Zhu Houzhao asked softly.

"Um. You say," Zhu Houxuan said sleepily.

"Brother, what do you think the places further north than Mobei are like?" "Do you think the Mongolians eat mutton every day on the grassland?"

Zhu Houzhao asked two more questions in succession, but still got no response.

"Brother, brother!" Zhu Houzhao called.

"Well, what did you just ask?" Zhu Houxuan asked in an ambiguous tone.

"Do the Mongols eat mutton every day on the grassland?" Zhu Houzhao perked up.

"Let me say one last word."

"What is it like in places further north than Mobei?"

"One more sentence." Zhu Houxuan's voice was still unclear.

Zhu Houzhao was stunned. He had forgotten what he had asked in the previous sentence. After thinking for a while, he said uncertainly: "Are you asleep?"

"Asleep!" Zhu Houxuan answered very clearly, then turned around, turned his back to Zhu Houzhao and fell into a deep sleep.

Zhu Houzhao was stunned. This was the first time he encountered such a situation. In the past, when he would chat with people, they would be trembling with fear and serve them carefully. But this person, on the other hand, fell asleep early.

But the miraculous thing was that Zhu Houzhao did not feel any anger in his heart. He stared at Zhu Houxuan sleeping soundly, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.
The next day, Zhu Houxun did not wake up until noon.

As soon as I woke up, I felt something pressing on my legs. I looked down and found that it was Zhu Houzhao. He was actually sleeping soundly with his arms around my feet.

He looked up again and found that he was lying on a gorgeously decorated bed. The bed was not big and it was a bit crowded for two big men to sleep on it. The sides of the bed were carved with intricate patterns.

It took Zhu Houxuan three seconds to come back to his senses and figure out where he was and what was going on.
Then he suddenly became nervous, and this nervousness caused him to step on Zhu Houzhao's face.

Zhu Houzhao's hands loosened when they were stepped on while he was sleeping, which gave Zhu Houxuan the opportunity to retract his feet.

Zhu Houxuan didn't care about Zhu Houzhao, but began to check his clothes nervously.

Fortunately, my clothes were not messy and I didn’t feel any strange feeling behind me.

This made Zhu Houzhao feel relieved. He was not making a fuss out of nothing. In this era when boycotts were very popular, boys had to protect themselves when going out. There was also a folk legend that Zhu Houzhao was not particular about gender.

Zhu Houzhao, who was stepped on by him, turned over and continued to sleep soundly.
In this way, Zhu Houxuan was kept in the Leopard Room for three consecutive days. During these three days, Zhu Houxuan felt like a complete stranger, accompanying the master to eat, play, and sleep all day long.

There were many times when he wanted to ask Zhu Houzhao whether it was because the empress in the palace was not beautiful enough or the concubines in the harem were not charming enough that she had to hold him in her arms while sleeping all day?

This made Zhu Houxuan begin to doubt whether Zhu Houzhao had some problems with his abilities.

Zhu Houxun, who had stayed in the Leopard Room for three days, did not dare to stay any longer because Zhu Houzhao had not attended court for several days.

Zhu Houxuan was afraid that if he stayed for a few more days, there would be rumors in the capital that he was "slandering and seducing the emperor with his seductiveness."

In addition, the people from the Prince of Jing's Mansion who were staying in the Princes' Halls were also very worried about Zhu Houxun who had been away for three days and had not returned. Qin Ming actually found himself outside the Leopard Room.

So Zhu Houxuan quickly found an excuse to sneak out of the Leopard Room.
(End of this chapter)