The Prosperous Era of Longwan

Feng Bao had his eye on the Burmese gemstone mines. Don’t think that he couldn’t intervene because the emperor was far away.

Don’t forget that the imperial palace of the Ming Empire at that time had to purchase some treasures almost every year. In fact, there were not only rare antiques, calligraphy and paintings, but also pearls and gems.

Although the emperor was young and had not yet chosen a concubine, Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Dowager Li in the harem also liked pearls and jade.

In the early years when Emperor Longqing was in power, they were restricted by the previous dynasty and could not buy their favorite jewelry.

Every time Emperor Longqing ordered the Ministry of Revenue to buy treasures, the outer court would definitely file a memorial to oppose it and ask the royal family to maintain a simple lifestyle.

It often took Emperor Longqing two or three years to successfully get silver from the Ministry of Revenue to change the headgear for the beauties in the harem.

It’s different now. Zhang Juzheng, who is in charge of the outer court, relies on the support of the inner court. Therefore, when the imperial decree was issued in the palace to purchase treasures, it would hint that the Ministry of Revenue should try its best to meet the needs of the inner court.

Does the inner court really need this silver?

Of course there is no shortage. In fact, with the increase of Yuegang income in the past two years, the income of the inner court has also skyrocketed.

However, although the income has increased, the royal family's expenses have also increased greatly.

The expenses of the twelve prisons, four departments, and eight bureaus in the inner court, which are collectively known as the twenty-four yamen, have also risen sharply.

To put it bluntly, no matter how high the royal family's income is, it can't satisfy the appetite of those eunuchs. Eggs that cost a few taels of silver each are not unique to the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, according to the account books left by the Daming Palace, the eggs eaten by Emperor Wanli cost as much as thirty taels of silver each, which is even more than that of the Qing Dynasty.

And some of these businesses are cooperation between eunuchs and merchants, who only share most of the profits, while others are simply the eunuchs' own industries, making money for themselves.

Of course, this kind of behavior of damaging the public and enriching themselves is definitely not only seen in the eunuchs of the inner court. In fact, the amount of materials purchased by the court is even greater, especially the Ministry of Works.

It can be said that as long as you have certain rights in the Ministry of Industry, especially the right to determine the purchaser, the value will be extremely huge.

Many of Wei Guangde's industries, that is, the shares in the business, contain value.

Think about why the Yan family held on to the Ministry of Industry and refused to let go. It was because the benefits were too great, so Yan Shifan, who had tasted the sweetness, was unwilling to give it up anyway.

And officials from Jiangxi also got a share of it more or less.

So now, even if Zhu Heng has decided to leave, he has to help Jiang Zhi get on the horse, so that their small group can continue to benefit from the purchase of the Ministry of Industry.

Behind them are not only Jiangxi officials, but also those chambers of commerce in Jiangxi. The chain of interests is already very large.

As for Feng Bao, he only needs to control the inner court to make a lot of money.

As for the gem mines in Myanmar, it can only be said that those little things are too lovable, and Feng Bao likes them very much.

"Come here."

Feng Bao is going to Wenhua Hall. Today, the little emperor is in class, and he has to go and see it.

However, when he walked outside the Wenhua Palace, he saw the Wenyuan Pavilion opposite, and his heart moved.

He stood still and shouted to the follower behind him.

"Grandpa, what do you want to tell me?"

Most of Feng Bao's godsons have been promoted to some positions in the twenty-four yamen in recent years, and they no longer need to work by his side.

At the same time, they have become Feng Bao's eyes, watching every move in the palace.

Now Feng Bao is surrounded by these godsons who select smart godsons and let them learn by Feng Bao's side.

In fact, it is also an opportunity for Feng Bao to test them to see if they can be used.

Those who can't be used will be sent out of the palace directly.

The palace also has a lot of industries outside, such as imperial farms and ranches.

"Go to the cabinet and ask what Wei Ge Lao is busy with now?"

Feng Bao ordered the little eunuch beside him, and then stepped into the Wenhua Palace.

The little eunuch got the order and ran quickly to the cabinet.

Feng Bao walked lightly and quietly went around to the side hall of Wenhua Hall, where the young emperor Zhu Yijun was taking classes, and hid in the crack of the door to look inside.

The lecturer was lecturing on the top, and the attendant Hanlin was reading books for the young emperor next to him. Zhu Yijun was sitting in his seat, and he seemed to be listening to the class seriously.

Feng Bao nodded slightly. His Majesty was so hardworking. If Empress Dowager Li asked him about it later, he would have something to say.

Suddenly, Feng Bao's sight was blocked. When he looked carefully, a face appeared in front of him in the door.

Feng Bao stepped back two steps and waved his hand. The person inside pushed the door open carefully.

Wenhua Hall was where His Majesty had classes almost every day, so the eunuchs were diligent in cleaning, and the doors and windows were often oiled, so there was almost no sound when the door was opened.

After the man came out, he also took a look inside. He was relieved that he did not affect the scholar and the young emperor who were giving classes inside.

"Eunuch Feng."

"Chen Ju, you are on duty today."

The person who came out was Chen Ju. Today he was accompanying His Majesty, and he followed him from the Qianqing Palace to the Wenhua Palace, and he was also serving in the palace.

"Yes, Eunuch Feng, these days I and Zhang Hong have been accompanying His Majesty."

Chen Ju replied in a low voice.

"Then why don't you serve properly in there, and you scared me."

Just now Feng Bao was peeking at His Majesty's study, and Chen Ju suddenly popped his head out of the crack in the door, which really scared Feng Bao.

"I saw something strange in the crack in the door, so I came to take a look."

In fact, Feng Bao was peeking in through the crack in the door, blocking the light coming in from outside, so Chen Ju noticed it.

He was also curious, who dared to peek at His Majesty here.

The palace has its own rules. Chen Ju simply thought that the young eunuch serving in Wenhua Palace was curious, so he lay down at the door and looked inside.

He never thought that what caught his eye was Feng Bao's old face.

"Okay, I went to Ciqing Palace when I entered the palace today to see what His Majesty had for breakfast."

Next, Feng Bao asked Chen Ju about the situation after Emperor Wanli got up today, and then let him go in to continue serving.

"Did you find out? Does Lord Wei have anything to do?"

Walking outside Wenhua Palace, Feng Bao saw that the eunuch he sent out had returned, and asked immediately.

"Grandpa, Lord Wei is still on duty to handle official business, and there is no plan to meet with officials.

Not long after Lord Wei entered the duty room today, the clerk beside him went out with a note, and I don't know where he went."

The young eunuch said hurriedly.

In addition to the Zhongshu and clerks in the cabinet, there are also eunuchs responsible for sweeping and cleaning, after all, this is the imperial palace.

However, these people were actually arranged by the Imperial Household Department, and they also had the task of monitoring the cabinet members for the inner court.

"Hand the note out."

Feng Bao nodded and said casually: "Lead the way, I'll go see him."

"Yes."

The eunuch hurriedly led the way, and several people quickly walked into the cabinet.

Feng Bao came to the cabinet, and the news could not be concealed. From the moment he entered the door, everyone in the cabinet saw it.

Wherever he went, all the people in the cabinet put down their jobs and bowed to him.

This is the power of the inner minister, and everyone has to bow in front of him.

"Eunuch Feng, what wind blew you here."

Wei Guangde was still puzzled when he heard the news in the duty room, thinking that the two ladies in the palace disagreed with what happened last night, so they called him over to pass on the message at this time.

"Shan Dai, I just happened to pass by for a little thing, so I came to talk."

Feng Bao smiled, then dismissed the people around him, and only the two of them were left in the room.

Seeing Feng Bao like this, Wei Guangde was shocked and thought something really went wrong.

But even if the palace was worried, at most they could just drag Zhang Juzheng into the palace and talk about it. With Feng Bao as an insider, it should not be difficult to persuade the two women.

Now, Wei Guangde has actually roughly figured out the attitudes of the two people in Ciqing Palace and Cining Palace. They actually know very little, that is, they combine the opinions of many parties and make a final judgment.

Therefore, as long as they can hear what they should hear, they can naturally influence their judgment.

Among them, the right to speak of the nobles in the capital and Feng Bao is very important.

Seeing Wei Guangde's face change slightly, Feng Bao hurriedly smiled and said, "Don't panic, Shandai, what happened last night is a good thing, and the two ladies have no objection."

Feng Bao is very good at doing things, and he first gave Wei Guangde a reassurance.

Wei Guangde was relieved when he heard this, and forced a smile, saying, "Brother Shuanglin came so early, I thought there were different opinions in the palace.

In that case, what is Brother Shuanglin here for?"

Speaking of the latter, Wei Guangde had changed to a relaxed tone and asked directly.

"Has the Ministry of War received the war report from Myanmar? Has the overall situation over there been decided?"

Although there was no one in the room, Feng Bao still lowered his voice and asked.

"I don't have the latest news here yet. I remember there was a war report from Myanmar the day before yesterday. Now Li Chengliang is still chasing the Burmese king Mang Yinglong, but he can't escape and will be caught at any time.

Now there is Yu Dayou's tribe in the south of Myanmar. Where do you think Mang Yinglong can run to?

Will he take Li Chengliang and Yu Dayou to meet in Myanmar?"

Wei Guangde chuckled.

"That means that the overall situation in Myanmar has been decided, and the court will soon begin to arrange for the establishment of a province in Myanmar."

Feng Bao said in a low voice.

"The Prime Minister has no objection. The next step is to let the Ministry of Rites prepare the ceremonials and the Ministry of Personnel select officials."

For such a major event as setting up a province in Myanmar and establishing the Burmese Provincial Administration, it must be announced to the world. The little emperor also has to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer sacrifices, so the Ministry of Rites is asked to prepare the ceremonials before sending officials to govern Myanmar.

When Wei Guangde said this, he couldn't help wondering why Feng Bao was concerned about this matter.

Strictly speaking, this is the responsibility of the cabinet and is not within the scope of the Silijian's authority.

Sure enough, Feng Bao's next words made him feel confused.

"Shandai, I heard that Myanmar is rich in gems and there are many gem mines in its territory.

You don't know that the inner court buys a lot of gems every year."

When Feng Bao mentioned the gem mines, he himself might not know, but the greed in his eyes was already overflowing.

"Haha, Brother Shuanglin, I really don't know much about the gem mines in Myanmar.

But my Ming Dynasty is about to rule Myanmar, and the minerals there are not a matter of a word from the inner court."

Wei Guangde smiled.

He really had no intention of taking the gemstone mine. In fact, the system of the Ming Dynasty was very strange. The government needed to report to the capital for approval before opening a mine, and the power was in the inner court.

This was also the reason why Emperor Wanli later sent mining supervisors everywhere. In the words of later generations, they had the right to issue mining licenses.

Therefore, whether Feng Bao wanted the gemstone mines in Myanmar for the inner court or for himself, it was all handled by the inner court.

As for the local area, Wei Guangde could naturally ask Li Chengliang for help.

In later generations, most of the minerals fell into the hands of warlords in various parts of Myanmar, which were the hands of chieftains in this era.

The minerals in Myanmar under the control of the Ming Dynasty must belong to the Ming Dynasty court.

For the gemstone mines that the inner court and Feng Bao wanted, at most Li Chengliang would send some soldiers to garrison.

"Barbarians are unruly and disobedient to the king."

Feng Bao would have thought of this and said immediately.

"Li Chengliang has a knife in his hand. Let him take care of these gem mines when the time comes."

Wei Guangde didn't mention whose gem mine it was, he just asked Li Chengliang to take care of it, and Feng Bao understood what he meant.

"Brother Shuanglin, it's better to find someone who is familiar with Myanmar to go there as soon as possible and confirm the gem mine as early as possible."

Wei Guangde reminded him kindly.

“That’s right, so that the inner court can reduce the purchase of gems in the future, and it also reduces the expenses for the palace master.

Shandai, you don’t know that the expenses of such a huge palace are really not small. "

Feng Bao finally said with a smile.

"Hey, don't you still have Brother Shuanglin to work on? Just try your best."

Wei Guangde smiled.

"Is there any chamber of commerce in Shandai that is familiar with that place?"

Feng Bao asked again at this time.

“Well, there really isn’t.

However, when the imperial court resumes its rule over Burma, I must also play a role. I will look back and send people there to see if there is any business that can be done. "

Wei Guangde did not consider participating in Myanmar's wealth feast at first. He only considered that Myanmar's special location was very beneficial to the Ming Dynasty.

Now after being reminded by Feng Bao, Wei Guangde is also interested in gold and gem mines in Myanmar.

"Okay, then I will arrange for someone to accompany us and go there together. Maybe we can still do business together.

I wonder if philanthropic loans are feasible? "

Feng Bao was not alone. He had a younger brother and a nephew in his hometown. At this time, they were all ascending to heaven and found idle positions in the court.

In fact, taking a temporary job is just to improve your status.

As for money, no one dislikes having too much money.

This time I approached Wei Guangde, firstly to ask Li Chengliang to help, but also because I wanted to do business with Wei Guangde to make money.

The businesses Wei Guangde chose were said to have good profits every year.

"There's nothing wrong with this. If Brother Shuanglin is willing, we can recruit two more powerful maritime merchants, and we can directly open a chamber of commerce in Myanmar and specialize in business there."

Myanmar has a good location, and the gems it produces are not only sold well in the Ming Dynasty, but also sold in large quantities to the Middle East.

In Wei Guangde's impression, it seems that the entire region from Myanmar to India produces various gemstones.

The reason why I have this impression is because I heard that later generations of Queens of England had gems produced locally on their crowns. It should be said that the quality of the gems produced here is very high.

“It seems that Myanmar not only has gem mines, but there are also a lot of gold, silver and copper deposits there.

If we join forces to do business there, it should be said that it will be very profitable. "

Wei Guangde reminded in a low voice again.

The meaning is obvious. Not only gem mines, but also gold and silver mines can be mined.

When he heard that there were gold and silver mines in Myanmar, Feng Bao's eyes lit up and he couldn't stop smiling.

"Then Myanmar will be keeping an eye on Lao Shan Dai. Let me know when the time comes."

Feng Baogong cupped his hands and said to him.

"It's easy to talk about."

Wei Guangde said happily: "It won't be possible for a while at this time. When things stabilize over there, I estimate that we will send someone over to check the situation in half a year at the earliest."

"All national affairs are top priority, and the inner court will not oppose mining in Myanmar."

Feng Bao put away his smile and said seriously.