From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 820

There are no neon lights, no noisy urban prosperity. In the summer of this era, as long as the sky is clear, there will be stars and bright moons, filling the night sky.

The night wind blows, there is no cold, only refreshing coolness.

Xiaoying, that silly kid, ate too much dinner, and fell asleep with her round belly covered.

Zhou Yuan sat on a recliner in the courtyard, quietly looking at the sky, as if he was thinking, or just in a daze.

Li Yu'an got a kitten from somewhere, sat on a chair, stroked the cat's fur, and looked very comfortable.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was very quiet and wonderful.

So much so that Zhuang Xuansu couldn't help but be stunned when he saw this scene.

"You... you think you are here for vacation?"

She strode over and said, "The situation is so tense now. We have to discuss how to break the situation in Ningbo Prefecture. The island bandits are still wreaking havoc in various prefectures. Why hasn't Xiang Yong sent troops yet? What orders did you give him?"

"And Li Zhaolu, he is now the governor of Liangjiang. Shouldn't he personally lead the battle and drive the island bandits out?"

Zhou Yuan looked at the sky and thought for a long time.

Li Yu'an took out peanuts from nowhere and fed the cat comfortably.

The atmosphere fell into silence again.

Zhuang Xuansu looked at the two of them and was about to speak, but found that an inexplicable pressure came over him, and his heart trembled suddenly.

"Talk in the side yard."

The voice was very low, but it was clear in her mind. She looked up and saw Li Yu'an winking at her, then holding the cat out of the yard.

Transmitting sound through the air? She knows this kind of thing that only exists in legends? How high is her martial arts?

Zhuang Xuansu was a little nervous. He glanced at Zhou Yuan before following Li Yu'an out of the yard.

She came to the side yard and couldn't help but said, "What are you two doing..."

Li Yu'an put the kitten down and smiled faintly, "Master Zhuang, are you always so resolute in doing things?"

Pretending to swear, he frowned and said, "What do you mean?"

Li Yu'an didn't intend to tease her, and whispered, "The island pirates, the chaos along the coast, the Portuguese and the Dutch, the warships and the sea, the pirates and trade, the smuggling families, the tangled relationship between the court, the once-in-a-millennium era of civilization change, the critical period for the four-hundred-year-old Jin Dynasty to regain its vitality..."

"Master Zhuang, the situation on the southeast coast is extremely complicated and difficult to sort out. It involves the fate of the country, the future of the nation, and the lives of billions of people."

"The way and scale of handling each matter will have a huge impact here, and there is no chance to regret."

"Everything is on Zhou Yuan alone, so sometimes he needs quiet, you know White?"

Zhuang Xuansu lowered his head and whispered: "I don't mean to make a fuss, I'm just anxious. The situation is now on the verge of danger. Many desperate people have gathered secretly and are planning to rise up."

"The noble families have united again. Even if we infiltrate, we can't get evidence. They are colluding with the island pirates. The goods along the entire coast are embezzled by them..."

"This is the wealth of Dajin, the common wealth of the court and the people. Your Majesty is very anxious."

Li Yu'an smiled and said, "What's the use of your anxiety? In the end, you still have to rely on my little nephew. Don't you still recognize him after so many years? Everything should be centered on him."

As soon as the voice fell, a voice came from the back: "Virgin Sister, Zhuang Sizhu, come in."

Li Yu'an smiled and said, "Look, he knows when to let you speak."

Looking at Li Yu'an's graceful back, Zhuang Xuansu felt indescribable.

She followed him in slowly, looked at Zhou Yuan, and said, "What's the matter?"

Zhou Yuan said, "Currently, the smuggling of goods in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces is dominated by aristocratic families, but the aristocratic families actually hand over the goods to the island pirates, who sell them, right? What I want to ask is that many aristocratic families have not really opened up overseas markets, right?"

Zhuang Xuansu nodded and said, "Yes, Zhejiang merchants are different from Chaozhou merchants. Although they are all businessmen and value interests, Zhejiang merchants are obviously much smarter. They are more inclined to immediate and practical interests, and they can compromise many things for this interest."

"Chaozhou merchants value long-term experience more. In order to make things more stable and down-to-earth, they often open up the market and build a foundation by themselves. They would rather make less money and last for a long time, accumulating a good reputation."

Zhou Yuan was silent for a long time.

Then he said, "Today I received a message from Ye Qingying. She should be in Dongfan Island now."

"I don't know how she got in. Maybe she was a merchant disguised as a supplier, or maybe she bribed the island's purchasing staff... In any case, she is in danger now."

"She gaveThe intelligence is that the Dutch on Dongfan Island intend to attack Zhangzhou and land. "

"Before this, our enemy at sea was the Portuguese, and we had always been in a state of not interfering with the Dutch."

"Now, they have officially become an open enemy."

Zhuang Xuansu's expression also became ugly. She understood Zhou Yuan's worries.

And Zhou Yuan continued: "The intelligence says that Dongfan Island wants to retaliate, but in fact there is no problem of revenge."

"The Dutch landing operation means a trend. The Western powers can no longer hold back the trend of wanting to divide the interests of Dajin. This is just the beginning. It means that more powers will come in in the future."

"Maybe England, maybe France, or maybe other powers."

"And our Dajin is still in the rising black iron age, and there is still a long way to go."

Zhou Yuan looked at the sky and said lightly: "We are not prepared for anything. We can't take on the turbulent waves and the surging trend of this world. "

"Even, it is very difficult for us to maintain warships. The cost of repairing the warships in the brief collision with the Portuguese was as high as 300,000 taels of silver."

"A country or a nation cannot maintain a high level of military strength for a long time without strong economic strength, and cannot withstand such long-term and high military expenditures."

"And the reality tells us that we must not only maintain the current investment, but also increase investment, continue to produce and build warships, and continuously accelerate the enlightenment process of industrialization."

Speaking of this, he took a deep breath and said: "So this time in the battle of Ningbo Prefecture, we must deal with all the noble families, island pirates, sea pirates and Portuguese to prepare for our opening to the sea."

"Without opening to the sea, there will be no money."

"Without money, there is no future."

Zhuang Xuansu's heart trembled slightly. She realized at this moment that the things she was thinking about were too superficial, and her vision was not as far-sighted as Zhou Yuan's. She looked at it comprehensively.

She whispered: "What should I do? "

Zhou Yuan said: "I want to write a letter to His Majesty, you have to send it to the capital as quickly as possible."

Zhuang Xuansu nodded, and suddenly asked: "Where is she? Where is the Holy Mother of No Life?"

Zhou Yuan did not answer, but walked towards the study.

Zhuang Xuansu hurriedly followed, only to find that the Holy Mother of No Life was already grinding ink.

Zhou Yuan picked up the pen and wrote: "The situation along the coast is very complicated, and the future trend is not optimistic. The turbulent waves of the world have already hit, and the Great Jin has no choice but to fight back and catch up. "

"The functions of the six ministries can no longer meet the needs of the new era, and the functions of the Ministry of Households can no longer support the development of the commercial economy in the new era."

"Please ask the eldest sister to immediately issue an order to summon Zhao Cheng, the governor of the Salt Administration, to Beijing, to enter the cabinet, and to establish the Ministry of Commerce, appointing him as the Minister of Commerce, and forming a team to open the sea. ”

“After the battle on the southeast coast is over, the Jin Dynasty will immediately open the sea, and use the prosperity of the southeast to drive the prosperity of the Jin Dynasty, achieve comprehensive economic development, and then affect the development of military, culture and other aspects. ”

“The civilization of the world is in an unprecedented period of great change. The Jin Dynasty has fallen behind and must not sink. ”

“This matter cannot be discussed and must be implemented immediately. ”