Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 294 The Feudal King's Plea for Help: A Shift of Fortune (Part 2)
Yang Sichang was indeed a little worried about his elderly father.

This was because he knew very well that the current emperor wanted to use rebels to deal with the vassal kings and members of the royal family.

He wholeheartedly agreed with this, and he would have done the same if he were in his shoes!
The princes and members of the imperial family are parasites. If these parasites continue to gnaw at the Ming Dynasty, it will be doomed sooner or later.

Many officials are well aware of this, and many have submitted memorials on it.

However, none of the court officials could find a practical solution.

The current emperor's move is indeed quite ingenious. Since it was the rebels who did it, it has nothing to do with the emperor if they wipe them out!
The problem is that when princes and members of the royal family suffer misfortune, someone always has to take the blame.

Hong Chengchou has already taken the blame for the deaths of the princes and royal families of the Central Plains. If the princes and royal families of Shaanxi were to suffer the same fate, would his father not have to take the blame?
The current emperor may not want his elderly father to take the blame, but the officials in the outer court will not let it go easily.

Why must Hong Chengchou take the blame, while his elderly father doesn't?

He couldn't even think of a reason for that.

He was genuinely worried that his elderly father would end up being the scapegoat.

Unfortunately, since the current emperor has said he will not let his father take the blame, what else can he say?

He knew the current emperor's temperament very well, which was that nothing he said was open to questioning.

His father had warned him about this many times.

He could only suppress his worries about his elderly father and continue to discuss the development of Southeast Asia with the current emperor.

This made Zhu Jue realize that the kid was indeed a promising talent.

This is all because this kid is very familiar with "Complete Treatise on Agriculture" and "Exploitation of the Works of Nature". When he talks about development issues, this kid can understand them and can even come up with practical solutions.

Such talent is extremely rare, especially when it comes to being appointed as governor-general. It can be said that Xiong Wencan and Yang He are not as familiar with the "Complete Treatise on Agriculture" and "Exploitation of the Works of Nature" as this kid. This kid is simply born to be a governor-general.

It just so happens that Yang Sichang has to wait for the Nanyang fleet to return before he can go with them.

He simply let Yang Sichang stay in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and even kept the boy by his side every day, deliberately training him.

The next morning around 9 a.m., he had just finished processing the memorials when he arrived at the shoe factory south of Wanshou Pharmaceutical with Yang Sichang, Zheng Zhilong, Wang Chengen, and Song Yingxing, who had been summoned.

Even though it was freezing cold, the shoe factory was still a beautiful sight.

Leaving aside the crystal-clear ice trees and the magnificent lake that resembles a snowfield, the beautiful palace maids inside the factory alone are a sight to behold.

Of course, Zhu Jue did not bring them to see the palace maids.

After leading everyone on a general tour, he arrived at the factory where shoe boxes were packaged. He picked up a finished shoe and gestured, saying, "Chang Geng, I want to make the uppers of the shoes rubber, and press them out entirely with steam. Do you think there's any problem with that?"

Uh, the shoe upper is also made of rubber?

It seems there shouldn't be any problem pressing this out.

The problem is, these shoes don't seem to last long.

Song Yingxing picked up the other shoe and examined it for a while before carefully gesturing and saying, "Your Majesty, it's no problem to press the whole shoe out of rubber. We just need to have someone carve out this mold."

The problem is that the rubber we insert before using steam pressure can't be in the shape of a shoe. We have to cut the sole and upper into at least two or three pieces to insert them.

This presents a problem: the rubber sole and upper may not be firmly bonded together, and they could crack after wearing them for a while, leaving the sole and upper separate, or even the upper potentially splitting into several pieces.

Yes, as long as the mold can be made, that's fine.

As for the problem of it cracking, there are actually ways to solve it.

Zhu Jue then gestured with the shoes and said, "Chang Geng, we can actually make these shoes simpler. We can just have a sole, a piece of rubber to cover the foot, and we can skip the front, sides, and back of the shoe."

This way, before steam setting, it can be cut into two pieces and inserted. We can cut two slits in the sole piece and thread the upper piece through the slits, making it less likely to crack after steam setting.

Well, it's unlikely to crack if you do it that way.

The problem is, the shoes made this way are really ugly.

Song Yingxing thought for a moment before cautiously saying, "Your Majesty, if we do it this way, the problem of cracking will be solved, but the problem is that the shoes made this way will probably be very ugly. I dare to ask, who would buy such ugly shoes?"

So what if it looks bad?
Some things don't need to be concerned with their appearance; as long as they work well, that's enough.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "These shoes are not made for the rich. I want them for the common people of Southeast Asia. Think about it, these shoes are breathable on all four sides, and the rubber is waterproof. You can even walk in the water while wearing them. Even if these shoes are ugly, wouldn't the common people of Southeast Asia want a pair?"

He was actually talking about slippers.

In later generations, slippers became very common; almost all ordinary people in the tropics wore slippers.

Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing thought about it carefully and then nodded repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. The people of Southeast Asia would definitely want a pair of these shoes."

I am very sure of that.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "You should have someone carve a mold and make some samples as soon as possible. Don't use too much material. Two or three ounces of rubber will be enough for a pair of shoes. We can't sell things to ordinary people too expensively. These shoes can only sell for fifty coins a pair at most."

Uh, the profit is too low. Although we can now collect raw rubber ourselves and get about 20 catties for one tael of silver, the cost of two or three taels is more than ten coins. Add in the labor cost, and the profit is less than half.

Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I dare to say that we probably won't make much money this way."

You're wrong. High-end products make money through exorbitant profits, while low-end products make money through volume.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "Think about it, there are at least tens of millions of ordinary people in Southeast Asia. Even if each person buys one pair a year, and the profit per pair is only twenty coins, then the profit over a year would be at least a million taels."

Moreover, these shoes are consumables; they'll break after a few months of wear, and you'll need to wear at least two or three pairs a year.

For these low-profit, ordinary goods, we rely on volume to make money. If we want to increase the volume, we can't sell them at too high a price. As long as the common people in Southeast Asia get used to wearing these shoes, we can still make a profit of several million taels a year, if not more.

Moreover, we can sell not only in Southeast Asia, but everywhere. Just imagine how much more convenient it would be to have a pair of shoes like these when you take a shower.

"If everyone got used to wearing these shoes to shower, earning tens of millions of taels a year wouldn't be a problem for us."

Yes, it's so convenient to take a shower wearing these shoes.

Upon hearing this, Song Yingxing nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise, I understand."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then turned around and asked, "So, Wenruo, do you think these shoes will sell well in Southeast Asia?"

This is natural.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sichang slowly nodded and said, "I think that if the common people over there have the money to buy them, they would definitely want to buy a pair."

Hmm, not bad, you have a good understanding of ordinary people.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and then explained in detail: "The cost of these shoes lies in the rubber. Nowadays, our rubber is all imported from the Americas, and the cost is relatively high."

Actually, rubber can also be grown in Southeast Asia. We have already tried planting it in Qiongzhou Prefecture, and quite a few rubber trees have been planted there. You can definitely promote rubber planting in Southeast Asia.

We're going to cut down trees, right? After we cut down those trees, we'll plant rubber trees. That way, in six or seven years, they'll be able to produce rubber, and the local people will have another source of income.

As for the seeds, you can tell Hongkui to bring them to you from America; he can provide as many as you want.

Your Majesty is truly amazing. You can come up with a way to make money so easily. Not only will we make money, but the common people in Southeast Asia will also benefit.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sichang nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise, I understand."

As they were discussing, Fang Zhenghua suddenly strode in, carrying a memorial, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Qin has sent an urgent report from eight hundred li away."

Did Zhang Xianzhong reach Xi'an so quickly?
Zhu Jue took the memorial and read it. Sure enough, Zhang Xianzhong had already reached Xi'an.

The King of Qin was extremely anxious. He even started cursing Yang He, who neither organized troops to defend the city nor sent soldiers to rescue it. How could Xi'an City be defended?
The cabinet's draft proposals have also begun to attack Yang He, arguing that such an incompetent governor should be dismissed and investigated, and replaced with a capable and efficient official.

These guys probably don't know that this is exactly what he was waiting for.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment and then decisively said, "Ruoyu, draft an imperial edict to dismiss Yang He from his post, investigate him, and bring him back to the capital for trial. Order Hou Xun to be the governor of the three border regions of Shaanxi and to be in charge of suppressing the rebel Zhang Xianzhong."

Ah, should Yang He be dismissed and investigated?
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoyu was taken aback.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sichang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Your Majesty indeed has a way to protect my father. Dismissing him from his post and investigating him is good. Dismissing him from his post and investigating him means that he won't have to bear the blame for the prince's death.

Zhu Jue then instructed, "Zhenghua, immediately send someone to bring Xiuling back."

(End of this chapter)