Chapter 111 The monarch and his ministers play against each other
The wupeng boat has approached the dock.

The man called Gongye frowned.

He said to the boatman, "If my guess is correct, this place should be some distance away from the capital. Why is the ship docked here? We want to go to the capital, are you going to send us here?"

The boatman smiled bitterly and said, "Master, I don't know. The docks ahead will be crowded with ships. Passenger and cargo ships will be stuck at the docks. Instead of going further ahead, it is better to get off here and go by land. Otherwise, it will waste time."

The man called "Master" was Xu Da who had returned in triumph.

He had many titles, each of which was terrifying. There was the Duke of Wei, which was a very high position, the Right Prime Minister who held power over the world, and even Zhu Yuanzhang let him serve as the Prince's Tutor.

It can be said that as one of the most meritorious officials in the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang had even prepared for his future. That is, once he, the emperor, passed away, he hoped that his right-hand man could assist the crown prince.

Xu Da couldn't help but frown after hearing what the boatman said.

His first reaction was that the boatman was deceiving him, perhaps because he had already received his fare and was unwilling to continue sailing.

This time he returned triumphantly, but he did not return with the large group of people. On the one hand, he was anxious to return to Beijing first. On the other hand, he felt that it would be too high-profile, and he was not a person who liked to be in the limelight.

Xu Da said unhappily, "I have been in Nanjing for many years, but I have never heard of a dock being blocked. Besides, haven't I seen many docks being built along the way? As more and more docks are built, how can the waterway be more and more blocked?"

The boatman smiled bitterly and said, "My lord, you don't know. The actual situation is like this. Now all the docks in Jiangning are blocked. There are too many ships passing by, especially after passing through the Nanjing Water Gate. It's even more terrifying. I don't know the specific reason."

A man behind Xu Da said coldly, "Are you trying to trick us?"

The boatman said, "What are you talking about? I see you are nobles, so I didn't charge you much for the boat fare when you came. You can go and ask around to find out how much the boat costs now. To be honest, I'm losing money by bringing you here. I've worked so hard sailing here, but I haven't earned enough money to pay for the labor of the hundred households. If I had lied to you, how could I have been so kind as to bring you here?"

Xu Da gently stopped the furious young man behind him, but he felt that the boatman's words were a bit unbelievable and didn't seem true. He just said, "Go ashore."

He immediately led his men ashore, but who would have known... Although this was outside the city of Nanjing, and originally just a desolate eastern suburb, it was now much more lively, with many carriages and horses parked outside the dock.

I even saw someone shouting, "The bus to the East Market of Beijing, the bus to the East Market, it's leaving soon."

"This is for the Confucian Temple. Is there anyone from the Confucian Temple?"

At this moment, Xu Da was really dumbfounded. He found that there were really a lot of people rushing to get on the bus.

The young man behind was honest and quickly called a two-wheeled cart. However, when it came to the price, the driver said, "Thirty-five cents."

This made the young man angry, and he shouted, "Thirty-five cents, you might as well go and rob it."

"What are you talking about!" The driver said, "It takes me more than half an hour to go there, and the price is the same now. If you don't want to do it, I won't give you the ride either."

Xu Da looked slightly unhappy, but he suppressed his anger and said, "Isn't this price a bit high? Although I don't take the bus very often on weekdays, if you make a few trips a day, wouldn't you earn a few hundred coins?"

Seeing Xu Da's gentle words, the driver also became kind and said with a wry smile: "Sir, it's not that I am so mean, it's just that this is the price now. If it's a rainy day, I'm afraid it will be forty or fifty coins. It has to go up now, the wages are rising here in Jiangning County. Only people like me are willing to work hard. If it's other people...tsk tsk...who would be willing to be so contented."

Xu Da became more and more suspicious and asked, "Why is this happening?"

"There is a shortage of workers now. People are needed everywhere. The Hundred Households Office has recruited many people, paying them a monthly salary and providing them with food. They are recruiting workers everywhere. There are also many merchants who are also recruiting people. There is a great shortage of people now..."

"Hundred Households?" Xu Da was slightly stunned: "What is the Hundred Households?"

"Of course it's the Chunhe Palace Hundred Households Office."

When Xu Da heard this, his face changed drastically.

Actually, he is the Prince's Tutor, and can be considered as the Prince's teacher. He actually has a hundred households, and it is under the name of Chunhe Palace. I didn't expect that so many things have happened in the capital after not coming to it for more than a year.

So Xu Da said, "What is this Chunhe Palace Hundred Households Office? Please take us into the city first. I'll give you fifty coins, and we can talk as we go."

The driver smiled and said earnestly, "Thank you very much, sir."

All rickshaw drivers always have a lot to say, because they travel a lot and are well-informed. On the other hand, pulling a rickshaw is a dull life, so if they meet a customer who is willing to listen to their chatter, they will inevitably start talking.

"You don't know, this Chunhe Palace Hundred Households Office is really ambitious. Now they are going to renovate many docks in Jiangning County and dredge the river. Not only that, they are also going to build bridges and pave roads, and they won't impose corvée labor."

"No corvée?" Xu Da was caught off guard, and his face showed a look of surprise. He asked in amazement, "How do you do so many things?" The driver said, "We hire workers. A skilled worker gets two taels of silver, a skilled worker gets one tael, and those with special skills can get three or five taels. My dear, you don't know that Jiangning is going crazy now. Everyone has no worries about making a living. In short, Jiangning County is much more lively than before."

Xu Da subconsciously asked: "How much silver does this cost?"

"How would I know?" The driver was silent for a moment, then continued, "But everyone is saying privately that the hundred households have silver, and I'm afraid the monthly expenses are more than a hundred thousand taels..."

Xu Da was so shocked that he was speechless at this time. So many soldiers were fighting outside. This month... excluding the necessary food and fodder, the silver spent was probably not even a fraction of this amount.

He was in a complicated mood, frowned slightly, and then asked: "Is this what Chunhe Palace meant?"

The driver said without thinking: "Of course it was His Royal Highness's intention. If it wasn't His Royal Highness's intention, would a hundred households dare to do such a thing? In my opinion, His Royal Highness is really wise. He has given us a livelihood..."

Along the way, the driver talked a lot. When they stopped at a roadside teahouse to rest, he shouted, paid out seven or eight copper coins, and said, "Give me a bowl of cold tea and two vegetarian pancakes."

Xu Da closed his eyes. The further he got into Nanjing city, the more he noticed that it was especially lively here. There were more vendors selling things on the streets, and more people coming and going. It seemed as if he hadn't seen it for a year and it felt like a lifetime ago.

He kept a slightly gloomy brow, and when he arrived at the destination, he immediately reported for duty at the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War never expected that the Duke of Wei would come back at this time. They were immediately shocked and quickly reported it to the palace.

Soon, an eunuch came out of the palace, panting, and shouted, "Duke Wei, please come to see me quickly. Duke Wei, please come to see me quickly. Your Majesty is very pleased to hear that Duke Wei has come to the capital. Please come to see me immediately without delay."

So Xu Da went straight to Wuying Palace to meet Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang personally came down from the hall, grabbed Xu Da's arm, and said with a smile: "I thought you would come back with the army, but who would have thought you would be in such a hurry. Hahahaha... It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!"

Then he said to the eunuch, "Please take a seat."

Many civil and military officials have come to this hall, all of whom were summoned by Zhu Yuanzhang.

The only other person who could be given a seat in this hall and receive such treatment was Xu Da, in addition to Li Shanchang, who was sitting in the hall in an old and frail manner.

Xu Da bowed and sat down, saying, "I deserve death. When the army arrived in Zhenjiang, I should have reported to the emperor first and then returned to the capital. But I was eager to go home, so I decided to go ahead."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "I and everyone else are looking forward to seeing you. Hu Weiyong mentioned you in his memorial yesterday, saying that you have made an invaluable contribution this time and should be rewarded with a new residence and a great merit hall."

Xu Da raised his eyes and glanced at Hu Weiyong, but his expression was still calm. He shook his head and said, "The reward I have given you is already too great. It is really inappropriate to give you more. Besides, the court is spending money everywhere. There are many things to be done in the world right now. Your Majesty should not waste money anymore. Otherwise, I will feel uneasy."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "What are you talking about? You should be rewarded for your merits."

Xu Da said, "I have discovered many rare things along the way."

"Hmm?" Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to local people's sentiments.

He rose to power because of the collapse of the country, and he knew the plight of the people, which led to the loss of the country by the Tartars. Therefore, he could best understand the truth that water can carry a boat but can also overturn it.

So he said, "Tell me what I want to hear."

Xu Da said, "I came all the way from Zhenjiang and found that the people...are still in poverty and have no food or clothing. Although the world is peaceful, without the scourge of war, the people are still in poor condition. Zhenjiang is already a prosperous place in Jianghuai, but even a place like this is still like this, which really worries me."

After hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's face changed.

He put his hands behind his back and looked back at Li Shanchang: "Is this the case? Is it so difficult? But why is it that the report from Zhenjiang Prefecture... says that the country is peaceful and prosperous?"

Li Shanchang pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this report is a comparison to the scene back then."

Zhu Yuanzhang sneered: "How can I compare myself with the Tartars?"

Xu Da said at this time: "It's just that... I arrived in the capital from Zhenjiang, especially after passing through Jiangning County, I found a completely different scene. Along the way, there are really too many incredible things that make me puzzled."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Xu Da: "Oh?"

(End of this chapter)