Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 395 Letter
"It's okay. Merchants are greedy for money and despise righteousness. What Brother Boya said is indeed true. There is nothing to be unacceptable." Seeing Sun Chuanting's embarrassed expression, Zhu Shenzhui smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Besides, merchants are human beings. Since they are human beings, they cannot be generalized. Besides, among merchants, there are shameless people who forget righteousness for the sake of profit, and there are also righteous merchants who serve the country and the people."

"Let's not talk about Hong Gao in the Spring and Autumn Period and Bu Shi in the Western Han Dynasty. Although they were businessmen, their deeds were worthy of the word 'real men'. Let's talk about the Ming Dynasty. The Huizhou merchant Ruan Bi did the same thing. He donated his property to the court to supplement military expenses and strengthen coastal defense, which became a good story at the time. During the Wanli period, Japanese pirates attacked Wuhu, and Ruan Bi even took out gold and silver to reinforce the city wall of Wuhu, protecting the people there, and was praised by later generations."

"There are good and bad businessmen, and the flaws do not outweigh the merits. What does it have to do with others if you scold those dishonest businessmen, Brother Boya?"

"Good! Good! The first one whose flaws do not outweigh its merits!" Sun Chuanting laughed and looked at Zhu Shenzui with admiration in his eyes. He did not expect to hear such words from a businessman. Not to mention businessmen, even ordinary scholars might not be able to say these words. This made Sun Chuanting, who already had a very good impression of Zhu Shenzui, value him even more.

"Brother Wang is right. This person cannot be generalized. Those merchants deserve to die, but it is not just the merchants who do this. Since I started my rebellion in Liaodong, there have been many Ming people who have defected to me. There are even some who are in the Ming Dynasty but secretly communicate with Jiannu and work for them. Yuan Yingtai was defeated because of someone's betrayal. Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen lost Liaodong later because of spies. Otherwise, the situation would not have deteriorated to the extent it did."

"A few businessmen are simply disregarding the greater good for their own benefit, but..." At this point, Sun Chuancheng sighed and showed an expression of powerlessness and hatred. Although he understood that such things were inevitable, he could not change the current situation, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Brother Wang, do you know who is the merchant who secretly smuggled food, fodder and weapons to the Jiannu?"

"What? Brother Boya plans to report this to the court? To put an end to this trouble?"

"Exactly!"

Zhu Shenzhui shook his head slightly and said with a wry smile: "I'm afraid I will disappoint Brother Boya."

"Brother Wang, what do you mean...?"

Zhu Shenzhui said, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I don't even know who is doing this. This is no small matter, and the people who are doing it know that if the news leaks out, they will probably lose their heads, so they naturally do it in a very secretive manner."

"If it wasn't for coincidence, I would have accidentally known that someone was doing this, otherwise I wouldn't have known that there were such bold and reckless people in the world. So if Brother Boya wants to know who it is, I can't do anything about it."

"This..." Sun Chuanting was speechless for a moment. He originally planned to find out from Zhu Shenzhui who was secretly colluding with the Qing army and engaging in smuggling in defiance of the world, but he did not expect Zhu Shenzhui to tell him such an answer.

Sun Chuanting was a little frustrated when he heard this answer, but he could understand Zhu Shenzhui. Zhu Shenzhui was right. This matter was not a trivial matter. Once the news reached the court, it would not only be as simple as losing his head, but also the extermination of his entire family. This crime was no less than rebellion. How could such a big thing not be kept secret? How could outsiders know it so easily?
In addition, Zhu Shenzhui also told Sun Chuanting that such a thing could not be done by a few merchants alone. Sun Chuanting himself was from Shanxi, and he knew how powerful the Shanxi merchants were. Behind those big merchants were intricate relationships, not only among the people and the local people, but also in the court. The network and power behind them were unimaginable to ordinary people, not to mention that Sun Chuanting was now a person who resigned and returned to his hometown. Even if he was still an official in the capital, he could not shake it at all with the level of a mere official in the Ministry of Personnel.

A feeling of powerlessness surged in his heart. Although Sun Chuanting had the "willingness to kill the enemy", he did not have the ability to do so. This made him extremely frustrated.

Suddenly, Sun Chuanting thought of a solution. Although he had lost his official position and had no possibility of submitting a petition to the court, he also had no reliable connections or background in the court. Even if he submitted a petition, it would probably be of no avail.

But if he couldn't do it, there was someone who might be able to do it! This person was none other than Yuan Chonghuan, a fellow Jinshi.

Now Yuan Chonghuan is the governor of Liaodong and holds the military and political power of Liaodong. If this matter is told to Yuan Chonghuan, I think Yuan Chonghuan will definitely conduct a strict investigation in Liaodong. Even if he cannot catch who is secretly smuggling to the Jiannu, as long as he tightens the fences and guards the pass to block the smuggling channels to the Jiannu, this problem can also be solved.

In addition, it is no small matter that Huang Taiji is now preparing to attack Lin Danhan. The Ming army in Liaodong can take advantage of this opportunity to do something. If Yuan Chonghuan can cooperate with Lin Danhan in Liaodong to attack at the same time when Jiannu sends troops to fight Lin Danhan, it may be effective.

Even if we cannot rebuild the country at that time, it would be great to take this opportunity to recover some of the lost territory. This would be a good thing for the Ming Dynasty. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
The more he thought about it, the happier he felt. Sun Chuanting couldn't help but show his excitement. If Zhu Shenzhui and Wang Jinwu were not still there, he would even want to get up immediately and write a letter to Liaodong.

Zhu Shenzhui and Sun Chuanting hit it off immediately. Although they had different identities, they were both broad-minded and unprejudiced people. Moreover, because of Wang Jinwu, the two sides became relatives, and there was less politeness between outsiders in their conversation.

As the two sides' contact and conversation deepened, they both felt the other's excellence, especially when talking about their views on the political situation. They shared the same opinions on many aspects and felt like they were close friends.

In addition, Sun Chuanting also found that Zhu Shenzhui had a strong sense of the overall situation and his military insights were beyond comparison. During the discussion of the previous Battle of Sarhu and the subsequent battles in Liaodong, Zhu Shenzhui often made surprising remarks, which really touched Sun Chuanting's heart. On a whim, Sun Chuanting simply found a set of Go, using the pieces as soldiers and the board as the sky and earth, and set up a formation on the spot to discuss the military gains and losses of several battles with Zhu Shenzhui.

The more they talked, the more they got along. They argued from time to time while placing the chess pieces. When the argument became intense, their faces turned red. But after the game was over and they discussed it, they looked at each other and laughed, as if the people who had just argued and were now arm in arm were not the same people. Wang Jinwu, who was accompanying the guest at the side, stared blankly, really confused.

In addition to politics and military affairs, the two also discussed economics.

Sun Chuanting had been the head of the Ministry of Personnel, which was responsible for the economy, and he had done a lot of research on the economy. But in this topic, he found that Zhu Shenzhui's research on the economy was far beyond his reach. Although Zhu Shenzhui was just a businessman, his understanding and judgment of the economy were different from those of ordinary people. Many of his words seemed ordinary at first, but after careful consideration, they were insightful. Combined with the actual situation, Sun Chuanting could not help but applaud.

Sun Chuanting was so excited that he even forgot about Wang Jinwu and was chatting with Zhu Shenzhui with great interest. Even after dinner, Sun Chuanting did not want to rest, and he wanted to talk with Zhu Shenzhui for a long time.

Originally, he just wanted to visit Wang Rong and Wang Jinwu, and see his cousin who had just been born. Unexpectedly, he met Sun Chuanting at Wang Jinwu's place. This was a pleasant surprise for Zhu Shenzui.

Because of Sun Chuanting, Zhu Shenzhui stayed at Wang Jinwu's place for two more days, and only said he wanted to go back on the third day. Although Sun Chuanting wanted to keep Zhu Shenzhui for a while longer, it was already late autumn and winter was coming soon, so if he stayed any longer, it would be difficult to travel.

Besides, Zhu Shencui was just passing by. He was still traveling as a businessman and had not yet returned home. He had a wife, children and elderly relatives at home. You couldn't just drag Zhu Shencui away and not let him go, right?

Helplessly, Sun Chuanting could only sigh that time flies. Three days had passed in a flash, and he still had a lot to discuss with Zhu Shenzhui. On the day Zhu Shenzhui left, Sun Chuanting held Zhu Shenzhui's hand and called him "brother". He told Zhu Shenzhui that he would also return to Daizhou soon. If Zhu Shenzhui passed by Daizhou that day, he must remember to look for him and he would definitely welcome him.

After bidding farewell to Sun Chuanting and Wang Jinwu, Zhu Shenzhui left Pingshun and headed towards Pingyang.

After walking along the official road for a while, Zhu Shenzhui subconsciously looked back and saw Sun Chuanting's figure vaguely outside the Shili Pavilion. He couldn't help but feel very moved.

Some interactions between people are hard to explain. Some people have known each other for many years but are just casual acquaintances, while some people have only met once but feel like close friends. Sun Chuanting gave Zhu Shenzhu the latter feeling. Sun Chuanting has always been like this. It is the luck of both of them to meet such a friend, and it is also the arrangement of fate.

After bidding farewell to Zhu Shencui, Sun Chuanting prepared to return to Daizhou, but before leaving, he remembered to write a letter to Yuan Chonghuan, telling him about the smuggling between the Ming Dynasty and the Jiannu, and reminding him that Huang Taiji was about to go to war with Ligdan Khan, and hoped that Yuan Chonghuan would seize the opportunity to create some trouble for Huang Taiji.

After finishing the letter, Sun Chuanting asked someone to deliver it as soon as possible. Then he left Pingshun and returned to Daizhou. On the way back to Daizhou, he was still recalling his conversations with Zhu Shenzhui in the past few days. He was filled with emotion and had a greater desire to encourage talents. He had the idea that if Wei Zhongxian fell one day and he had the possibility to return to Beijing to take up a post, he must recommend talents for the country, especially talents like Zhu Shenzhui. It would be a waste for him to be a merchant. If Zhu Shenzhui could be allowed to serve as an official in the court, maybe one day he would be another Zhang Juzheng who could turn the tide and reform the government.

Just a few days after Zhu Shenzhu returned to Pingyang, Yuan Chonghuan, who was far away in Liaodong, also received a letter from Shanxi.

When Yuan Chonghuan learned that the writer of the letter was Sun Chuanting, he was very happy at first. He and Sun Chuanting were both Jinshi in the same year, and they had a good relationship when they were observing politics and appointing officials. Later, Yuan Chonghuan was transferred to the Ministry of War because of his outstanding performance in the assessment, and Sun Chuanting was also transferred from a county magistrate to the Ministry of Personnel, and they became even more friends.

However, Yuan Chonghuan did not stay in the capital for long. A few months later, he was transferred to Liaodong by Sun Chengzong, the former governor of Ji-Liao, and served as a military supervisor in Shanhaiguan. Then, because of Sun Chengzong's promotion, Yuan Chonghuan was promoted step by step in the past few years. His official position became higher and higher, and the power in his hands became more and more important.

It was not until after the Battle of Ningyuan that Yuan Chonghuan first became the Governor of Liaodong. Later, because of the death of Nurhaci, Yuan Chonghuan took this opportunity to make himself famous, and finally got the official position of Liaodong Jingli.

Compared with Yuan Chonghuan, Sun Chuanting's career was much worse. He worked as the head of the Ministry of Personnel for only one year before he resigned because he could not stand the factional struggles in the court. Yuan Chonghuan was already famous all over the world, while Sun Chuanting was an old friend who had resigned and was unemployed. The two had completely different statuses.

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(End of this chapter)