The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 103 Zhu Zhanji

Lin Yue rode his horse to the Forbidden City, and after announcing his arrival, went straight into the Wenhua Hall.

Zhu Di was reviewing memorials at his desk when he saw Lin Aiqing enter and asked, "What urgent matter brings you to the palace at this time, Minister Lin?"

"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report concerning the repair of the Imperial Palace," Lin Yue replied, bowing.

"The palace is under renovation?" Zhu Di put down his pen, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he chuckled.

"All the officials in the court are advising me to practice frugality and govern by doing nothing, but you, on the contrary, are advising me to build a palace? Tell me, how do you plan to decorate it?"

Lin Yue didn't waste any words. He took out a roll of drawing paper from his bag, unfolded it, and laid it on the imperial desk: "Your Majesty, please take a look. This is the construction plan I have proposed."

Floor-to-ceiling windows could be installed in the Qianqing Palace and Wenhua Hall, made of half-zhang square glass panels, framed with nanmu wood, and sealed with tung oil putty, so that they would be bright during the day without the need for candles. A glass greenhouse could be built in the Imperial Garden, with nanmu wood beams and pillars, brass supports, and the whole thing covered with glass, so that flowers and grass could be grown in winter to resist the cold.

There were also ritual vessels used in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, glass ritual vessels modeled after bronze artifacts, and double-layered, heat-resistant tea sets and transparent utensils for daily use.

Zhu Di bent down to examine it closely, his gaze falling on the design of the glass greenhouse, his face filled with shock.

"This glass greenhouse is truly astonishing. How could they even build it? Such a massive structure, entirely covered in glass, just for growing flowers and plants in winter, and for viewing?"

"Your Majesty, it can certainly be done," Lin Yue said. "The Treasure Shipyard and Glass Factory have already expanded their production capacity, with a very high monthly output, so building greenhouses is no problem at all."

Zhu Di nodded upon hearing this, but still hesitated: "Such extravagance must cost a lot of money, right? The court's expenditures are tight right now, and the military pay in the north is already insufficient. Where would we find spare money for such things?"

"Your Majesty is overthinking it. How can this be considered wasteful?" Lin Yue replied calmly.

"Glass factories produce glass using sand and gravel as raw materials, which is inexpensive."

A single floor-to-ceiling window costs five taels of silver, and the total cost of the greenhouse is about three thousand taels, a fraction of the cost of building a palace.

Lin Yue changed the subject, saying, "Moreover, this is also closely related to the glass factory's stock plan. His Majesty's extensive use of glass in the name of the royal family highlights its rarity and practicality. Naturally, the people will vie for glass deeds, and the stock will sell like hotcakes. At that time, the money earned will be more than ten times the cost of repairs."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's face lit up with joy.

The shortage of funds in the Ming Dynasty had long troubled Emperor Yongle, who was a general who was often impulsive. Emperor Yongle had always valued Xia Yuanji highly because of his ability to make money.

Emperor Yongle originally had little hope for the stock plan, but after hearing Lin Yue's words, he became interested.

"Very well, then so be it. I will order the master craftsmen in the palace to assist you."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Lin Yue bowed and accepted the order.

After reporting his work assignment, he didn't want to spend any more time with the old man, so he simply said goodbye.

Lin Yue left the Wenhua Hall and walked along the palace road toward the side hall.

Life is all about eating, drinking, and having fun. Now that I have a beautiful girl who meets all these requirements, of course I want to spend more time with her.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly, and by the palace wall, a large, jet-black tabby cat was lying on a tree branch, basking in the sun.

Seeing this, Lin Yue casually reached out and petted the tabby cat a couple of times. The tabby cat rubbed against his hand gently and purred.

It seems that the tabby cats of hundreds of years ago are not much different from the tabby cats of later generations. Cats are so much better; they live a carefree life and can even sneak into the Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace at will.

"Who are you? I've never seen you before in the palace!" a childish voice rang out.

Lin Yue looked up and saw a child of about six years old standing in front of him, wearing a round-necked robe with a four-clawed python pattern, his hair in a topknot, followed by a group of eunuchs, attendants and guards, quite a grand display.

A thought struck him: In the first year of the Yongle reign, there was probably no one else in the palace who could be so imposing, except for Zhu Di's beloved grandson, Zhu Zhanji.

In the first year of the Yongle reign, Zhu Zhanji was six years old. He later succeeded to the throne as the Xuande Emperor, initiating the "Rule of Renxuan," which involved reducing taxes and corvée labor, reforming officialdom, and bringing the Ming Dynasty to its zenith.

However, this is what is recorded in historical books. In reality, Zhu Zhanji was not a particularly good ruler. During his tenure, he drastically reduced the territory, terminated Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean, abandoned the core control area of ​​Nurgan Regional Military Commission, abandoned Annam (Jiaozhi), abandoned Kaiping Guard, and lost the key barrier of the southern grasslands. This allowed Mongol cavalry to drive straight into the North China Plain, and the northern defense line of the Ming Dynasty moved more than 300 li south, greatly reducing the depth of military defense.

This approach, to put it bluntly, is trading long-term development for short-term peaceful development, and the decision-making is hardly wise.

Looking at the little boy in front of him, Lin Yue wasn't very interested in chatting with him, so he casually replied, "I'm Lin Yue. I don't usually live in the palace, so you naturally don't see me often."

After saying that, he stood up and prepared to continue walking forward.

Unexpectedly, the large tabby cat suddenly leaped and landed directly on his head. Lin Yue was caught off guard, his official hat fell to the ground, his official robe collar was askew, and his hair was disheveled, making him look quite embarrassed.

"Hahahaha!" Zhu Zhanji clapped his hands and laughed, calling out to the tabby cat, "Hua Nu, come down!"

Upon hearing this, the tabby cat obediently jumped off Lin Yue's head and ran to Zhu Zhanji's feet, rubbing against him.

It turns out that the cat was his pet.

The emperors of the Zhu family generally had a wide range of interests. Keeping cats and dogs was commonplace for them, and they even kept tigers, leopards, elephants, and crocodiles.

Lin Yue picked up his official hat and straightened his disheveled clothes, feeling an overwhelming sense of bad luck, and turned to leave.

But Zhu Zhanji became interested and followed this unfamiliar face with his short legs, chattering away and asking questions.

"Your name is Lin Yue? What do you do? Are you a palace guard?"

Lin Yue didn't reply and walked even faster.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhanji thought for a moment and said loudly, "I know, then you, Lin Yue, must be a eunuch in the palace!"

Lin Yue immediately stopped in his tracks. "Damn it, who are you calling a eunuch?"

"No, I'm an official," Lin Yue said, turning around.

"An official? What kind of official? How high-ranking is he?" Zhu Zhanji continued to press.

"Currently serving as the Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, a fourth-rank official should be considered quite high," Lin Yue said.

"A fourth-rank official?" Zhu Zhanji didn't really understand the significance of official rank, but he kept pressing for answers, even grabbing Lin Yue's sleeve to stop him from walking too fast.

"So what exactly is your responsibility? Can you manage the palace maids and eunuchs? Can they leave the palace at will?"

"Your Highness, I am an official of the court, not an eunuch in the palace. I cannot manage the palace maids and eunuchs." Lin Yue had no choice but to reply, "I usually manage the shipyard for shipbuilding, handle cases and redress grievances in Yingtian Prefecture, impeach illegal activities throughout the country, and occasionally give lectures to His Majesty."

Zhu Zhanji's eyes lit up, his face full of envy: "Then you are indeed a high-ranking official, even able to give lectures to your grandfather."

Good Saint Sun thought for a moment, then tugged hard at Lin Yue's sleeve and said, "Lin Yue, I think you are a talented person, and I plan to be your friend."

Will you play cricket fighting with me? I'm really good at it; I can beat everyone in the palace!

Lin Yue refused without hesitation: "No, I have official duties to attend to and no time for cricket fighting."

Zhu Zhanji's face fell, clearly indicating his displeasure.

The large tabby cat at his feet seemed to understand human nature. It arched its body towards Lin Yue, made a "woofing" sound in its throat, and suddenly pounced, its claws almost scratching his leg.

Lin Yue was shocked and quickly retreated, then turned and ran.

"Your Highness, quickly call your cat back! Don't let it scratch people!"

Zhu Zhanji stood there laughing loudly, shouting at him, "Unless you fight crickets with me, I'll have Hua Nu chase you relentlessly!"

Lin Yue was chased all over the place by the tabby cat. Helpless, he had no choice but to raise his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, I'll fight you. Quickly call the cat back!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhanji immediately called out to Hua Nu, a smug smile spreading across his face: "That's more like it! Come on, I'll take you to see my crickets; I guarantee you'll be amazed!"

Lin Yue straightened her disheveled clothes, watching Zhu Zhanji skip and hop forward, and smiled bitterly to herself.

As a transmigrator, I was forced to fight crickets by a six-year-old child and a cat. If word got out, I would become a laughing stock.

Lin Yue was reluctant at first, but after actually playing it, he quickly came to love it.

Did you know that cricket fighting is actually quite fun?

"Lin Yue, come and see!" Zhu Zhanji excitedly picked up a carved wooden jar, lifted the lid, and laughed.

"This is a jade jar bestowed upon me by my imperial grandfather, and inside is my Iron-Headed General!"

Look at its big head and long legs! Last time, even the yellow-spotted tiger from the Duke of Cao's mansion had its leg bitten off by it!

As he spoke, he gently lured the cricket from the jar into the fighting basin with a thin blade of grass.

Lin Yue peered over and saw that the cricket was entirely black, with a round head and strong antennae and limbs; it was indeed a fierce-looking creature.

Lin Yue's interest was piqued, and he took the cricket jar handed to him by the eunuch, imitating Zhu Zhanji by using water chestnuts to attract insects.

Cricket fighting may look simple, but it's actually quite complex.

You need to use water chestnuts to gently tease the cricket's antennae to "dump the grass" and arouse its anger, then tease its cerci to "tug at its tail" and provoke it to attack. Throughout the process, you need to be quick and nimble, keeping your own cricket under control while also finding the right moment to attack the enemy's weakness.

Although it was Lin Yue's first time playing, he found it more and more interesting. Watching the two crickets writhing and biting each other in the basin, he completely forgot his previous reluctance.

"Lin Yue, you have to use water chestnuts to pick its teeth at an angle!" Zhu Zhanji squatted down beside him, giving instructions like a little adult.

"If you keep poking it like that, it'll just pull back!"

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, and his "Iron-Headed General" suddenly leaped forward and bit Lin Yue's cricket's foreleg.

"Wow, that's some serious skill!" Lin Yue frowned, shaking the water chestnut in his hand, but he couldn't get his cricket out of its predicament no matter what he did.

Just as the Iron-Headed General was about to bite down on his own insect's neck, Lin Yue turned his head and glanced sideways, then quietly hooked his foot on Zhu Zhanji's stool and pulled it sharply.

"thump!"

Zhu Zhanji was caught off guard and fell to the ground, landing on his buttocks.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Yue swiftly flicked his wrist, using the water chestnut to sharply lift the tail of Iron-Headed General, and then pulled it to the side. His own cricket immediately turned around and pounced on its soft abdomen, biting down and refusing to let go.

"Hahaha! I won! I won!" Lin Yue laughed loudly, slapped his thigh and stood up, pretending to say this to Zhu Zhanji who had gotten up.

"Your Highness, you are still too inexperienced."

Cricket fighting is like governing a country; it requires not only real skill but also flexibility. Children who want to beat adults will need several years of practice.

Zhu Zhanji rubbed his bottom, his face flushed, and angrily cursed.

"You're cheating! You're not a proper official at all; you're a scoundrel who resorts to underhanded tactics even in cricket fighting. What kind of skill is that!"

The large tabby cat beside him seemed to understand its master's anger, and it arched its back at Lin Yue, letting out a low growl.

Lin Yue chuckled, unconcerned, and simply spread his arms in front of him, pushing back and forth, saying slowly, "If you're bad, practice more! If you can't handle it, don't play!"

Upon hearing this, the six-year-old Zhu Zhanji was extremely aggrieved and showed signs of bursting into tears.

Seeing this, Lin Yue quickly stopped mocking and said in a serious tone.

"Just kidding. I've always been an upright person and never resort to underhanded tactics. This is called assessing the situation."

Adapt to changing circumstances!

If all officials are like this, where are there any truly upright gentlemen?

If this really caused the good grandson great suffering, Zhu Di would surely have to expel him from the palace.

Lin Yue leaned down and stared at Zhu Zhanji, spouting nonsense with righteous indignation, trying to divert Zhu Zhanji's attention.

"In the imperial court, the intrigue and backstabbing are a hundred times more dangerous than fighting crickets. Do you really think those ministers who read the classics every day are truly loyal?"

They're either after fame or profit; one in a hundred truly cares for the people. Without flexibility and cunning, they would have been devoured long ago, leaving not even bones!

Zhu Zhanji was stunned; he didn't know why Lin Yue wanted to say these things.

They were just fighting crickets, why are they suddenly spouting profound truths?

Although he didn't understand why, Zhu Zhanji's attention was quickly diverted. It can only be said that many times, it doesn't matter whether the methods are crude or not, as long as they work.

Zhu Zhanji's eyes widened in surprise. "But the teacher said that officials are all scholars who have studied the classics and should take loyalty to the emperor and love for the people as their duty. They are all upright gentlemen."

Having grown up in the inner palace, he was surrounded by members of the royal family and very upright teachers like Ru. Lin Yue was practically the first outsider he had ever met.

Lin Yue remained noncommittal, saying, "Your Highness is His Majesty's eldest grandson and the Crown Prince's eldest son. If I may be so bold, Your Highness will most likely inherit the throne in the future."

To become an emperor, one must first understand one thing: most officials are not good people.

They speak eloquently to your face, but who knows what they're plotting behind your back? Like Cai Jing, the treacherous minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, who claimed to be managing the country's finances and bringing prosperity, but in reality, he was only trying to curry favor with the emperor and consolidate his own power, caring nothing for the lives of the common people.

In fact, Cai Jing did have some patriotism, but his lust for power and his desire to curry favor with the emperor were also true.

"Then... if the officials aren't good people, how can the country be governed?" Zhu Zhanji asked after a long pause.

Lin Yue was somewhat surprised. How could a mere six-year-old child be thinking about how to govern the world?

Using the characteristics of a certain peer who murdered his entire family, Lin Yue could say that Zhu Zhanji, at a young age, already possessed the thinking style of an emperor.

Instead of answering directly, he asked, "Your Highness, if you were the emperor and encountered officials who didn't seem like good people, what would you do?"

Zhu Zhanji thought for a moment, puffed out his chest, and said matter-of-factly, "I'll dismiss them all and replace them with truly upright gentlemen to hold high office, and kill all those corrupt officials!"

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