Zhu Di: My fourth son is a great emperor of all time?

Chapter 95 Seafood is actually a delicacy?
Yes, this is the most popular style of traditional housing in Xunzhou. Many people's ancestral homes are probably like this.

Prince Qi believed that traditional Xunzhou dwellings were not only detrimental to health, but also wasted unnecessary materials during construction.

He stipulated that Xunzhou, being located in a humid and hot area, must have all residential buildings raised underground to insulate against the heat and humidity.

Doors and windows must be sealed with screens to prevent mosquitoes and flies.

The courtyard is paved with blue bricks and is neat and clean.

With these measures in place, the lives of the people of Xunzhou have gradually begun to improve.

[Because everyone noticed that with the cleaner and tidier living conditions, the frequency of illness decreased. Even if they did get sick, they could go to the Qi Prince's General Hospital for treatment. More importantly, Prince Qi had decreed that all medical treatment within the territory would be free of charge!]

what!
There are even places where you can see a doctor without paying!

Those herbal remedies are all wasted. This kid may know how to spend money, but he can't just spend money like that!

Zhu Di, being a capable emperor, immediately grasped the overall picture and considered a series of difficulties. Sitting in his study, he began to worry for Zhu Gaoshuo.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhu Gaoshuo was in his own residence, enjoying the view of the sky.

"Hey, we can save money on building a hospital by using the old Prince Qi's mansion. We can also save on doctors' salaries; these guys are all officials in the capital, and their salaries are all paid by the government. I, the Emperor, am paying for it! Awesome!"

"It's so satisfying to accomplish great things by leveraging other people's strength!"

"I bet my old man is worrying about me right now in the palace. You've spent so much money, where did you get the money from? You're not going to come back and complain about being poor after you've spent it all, are you?"

Thinking of Zhu Di's anxious and agitated state, Zhu Gaoshuo chuckled.

Since the heavens have already exposed his true colors, he'll just wait and see. Remaining unchanged amidst all changes is the best strategy!
The people of Xunzhou are almost penniless and have no food. Any harvest they manage to obtain is immediately subject to taxes and poll fees. The burden of these taxes is already overwhelming them.

Zhu Di frowned. Was his taxation really that heavy?

[Furthermore, some residents left Xunzhou City, hiding in the mountains to become bandits, or sailing out to sea to become thieves!]

Such a thing has actually happened within the borders of the Ming Dynasty!
Banditry is an ominous sign; if allowed to expand in time, it could even shake the very foundations of the dynasty. The Ming Dynasty must not allow this to continue!

The measures taken by Prince Qi upon arriving in Xunzhou improved everyone's living conditions, but also consumed a large amount of silver.

He used his own savings to subsidize everyone!

Zhu Di's eyes lit up.

[Please look at these two silver vases, the exquisitely crafted jade carvings, and the magnificent celadon lotus cups. These were all taken from Prince Qi's private treasury and sold to raise money in order to subsidize the expenses of Xunzhou Prefecture.]

"Fourth..."

Hearing Zhu Di's voice tremble, Gou'er thought that Zhu Di was moved by Prince Qi's benevolent treatment of his people.

To everyone's surprise, Zhu Di frowned and said, "You swindled so many rewards from me! You cheated and swindled so many antiques in the capital! All just to resell them for money!"

Knowing son Moruo father.

Prince Qi, who seems to be able to spend lavishly on his favorite hand-held items, is definitely not as arrogant and decadent as he appears.

His plans were probably so profound and far-reaching that even Zhu Di could not fathom them.

In Beijing, no matter how rare or unusual something is, it always has a price.

Upon hearing that Prince Qi liked it, people naturally sent gifts to him.

Famous calligraphers and painters also befriended him, and it was easy for them to paint a few paintings for him or give him a few calligraphy pieces for free.

These expenses were all forcibly paid out of the Qi Prince's account.

"Hey old man, do these things look familiar to you in the palace?"

Zhu Gaoshuo lay on the daybed in a carefree and unrestrained posture: "Those peach ornaments, I took them. You must have forgotten, right?"

"But seeing you now reminds me." "We have quite a lot of good things in our palace, it would be such a waste to leave them unused."

He knew that, given Zhu Di's temperament, he would certainly not allow him to take a lot of money with him when he went to his fiefdom. Moreover, real gold and silver were heavy and inconvenient to carry, and they were also easy to be robbed on the road.

Instead of selling these decorative items and collectibles on the street, you could gradually resell them for a decent price.

Zhu Gaoshuo knew about this, and so did Zhu Di.

Now, the father and son are each staring at the sky in front of them, mentally calculating each other's reactions and plans.

This is often the case between fathers and sons in the imperial family.

These privately owned resources were originally of interest to Prince Qi, but for the sake of the people of Xunzhou, he sold them all.

[This is how Xunzhou finally received its first round of development funds.]

[Prince Qi said that the flow of funds in an account is like that of a river; it cannot remain stagnant, it must be constantly flowing. Only with a constant inflow and outflow can it last. This principle of governance was taught to him by his elder brother, Renjiao.]

Zhu Di nodded. "The fourth son is not bad. He has learned some real skills from watching the eldest son govern the country."

However, I've also said privately that my older brother is just a bit too stingy.

puff--

Zhu Di had just taken a sip of tea when he spat it all out.

This fourth one!
Prince Qi formulated a development strategy for Xunzhou that focused on increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. The first priority was to increase income. Xunzhou was rich in seafood, but at that time, seafood was not popular and was considered food for the lowly.

Therefore, Prince Qi took the lead in eating seafood and even developed different ways to prepare it!

[Please see spicy sea crab, steamed grouper, stir-fried whelk, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, fish offal with sauce, braised fish maw, coconut cup...]

A variety of dishes flashed past Zhu Di in the sky.

It looks delicious!

This tastes much better than what the imperial kitchen makes!

Zhu Di was furious; his fourth son was eating so well in Xunzhou!
Xunzhou has so many delicious foods?
He started swallowing.

With a gurgling sound, a sound utterly unbecoming of an emperor, his intestines rumbled.

"Your Majesty, this servant will go and prepare the meal."

The dog was indeed considerate; after taking his leave and leaving the hall, the first thing he did was rub his belly.

He was starving too!
I've never seen so much delicious food!

It looks so appetizing.

While the plating may not be as refined as imperial cuisine, it possesses a different kind of rustic charm. Even an ordinary family could probably make something like this.

I just don't know how they managed to create this seasoning.

Several of the spices inside were ones I didn't recognize...

With these thoughts in mind, Gou'er instructed the imperial chef that if there was seafood, he should prepare a couple more dishes.

While the dog was serving the meal, Zhu Di looked at the sky and recited a long list of dishes to himself.

The recipes for these dishes are not secrets; Prince Qi taught all the cooking methods to the people of Xunzhou. He even established specialized training courses for those aspiring to become chefs.

[If someone wishes to seek employment outside the region, Prince Qi will issue them a certificate as a renowned chef of Xun cuisine. Having this certificate signifies that they have gained Prince Qi's approval.]

(End of this chapter)