My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

To be honest, this incident was quite earth-shattering.

If the laws of the Ming Dynasty were truly followed, the number of people who would die this time would be no less than during the previous tax reforms.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang's gaze towards Xue Guoguan changed completely; his eyes held both shock and relief.

In his eyes, this old man was a real treasure.

I don't know why Chongzhen didn't protect him in the first place, but instead killed him over some trivial matter.

If he were given a suitable position, to be the emperor's executioner, able to strike wherever he is directed, wouldn't that solve many of the court's problems?

But Emperor Chongzhen killed him, which was a terrible waste!

Coming to his senses, Zhu Cilang casually picked up a teacup and slowly took a sip of tea. The warm tea flowed down his throat, slightly calming his emotions.

Then he gently put down his teacup, cleared his throat, and said:
"Grand Secretary Xue, I have noted down everything you just said. It seems that the matter of maritime smuggling is indeed urgent and has reached the point where it must be resolved. I wonder if Grand Secretary Xue has any solutions for this matter? If this matter can be completely resolved, I believe that the tax revenue of our Great Ming Dynasty will become the highest in history, and the national strength will be even greater."

Upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan was just about to elaborate on his views.

But suddenly, at that moment, an urgent shout came from outside the door:
"Your Highness, this matter must not be decided so hastily!"

The sound was like a thunderclap outside, startling the two people inside.

Soon, they both realized that the speaker was none other than Ni Yuanlu.

After all, they all knew that Ni Yuanlu had also come here earlier, but had not yet been summoned.

At that moment, Xue Guoguan could say nothing more. He looked at Zhu Cilang, his eyes seemingly waiting for the crown prince's decision.

Zhu Cilang found it somewhat amusing, because he had been so engrossed in listening to Xue Guoguan's lecture that he had momentarily forgotten that Ni Yuanlu was still waiting outside the door.

Then, a gentle smile appeared on his lips as he said:

"Bring Minister Ni in."

Hearing this, the little girl next to her quickly took small steps toward the door.

He gently pushed open the heavy wooden door, then stood respectfully to the side and said to Ni Yuanlu outside the door:
"Your Excellency, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence."

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang and Xue Guoguan saw Ni Yuanlu stride in anxiously.

His steps were quick and forceful, each step seemingly carrying a deep worry.

As soon as she entered, Ni Yuanlu quickly bowed and greeted her:
"Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but maritime smuggling is a matter of great importance, affecting everything from the smallest detail, and cannot be decided lightly."

"If not handled properly, it could lead to unrest in the south. We have finally managed to quell the war in the north, and the people have only just begun to enjoy a few days of peace. If trouble breaks out in the south again, then our Great Ming will surely fall into chaos once more."

"Moreover, the southern provinces are all major taxpayers for the imperial court, and their annual taxes support the court's various expenditures. We must not allow any chaos to occur. I hope Your Highness will reconsider!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan immediately frowned in displeasure. His already somewhat serious face became even more gloomy, as if it could drip water.

Why did those words sound so harsh to him? It was as if he, the Grand Secretary, was going to turn the South upside down.

Since he came to Zhu Cilang to talk about these things, he must have a solution. Why does Ni Yuanlu look down on him so much?

Thinking of this, Xue Guoguan couldn't help but sneer:

"Minister Ni, aren't you exaggerating? Besides, as the Minister of Revenue and a native of Zhejiang, don't you know about the smuggling activities of Zhejiang merchants? This is no secret; it's been widely discussed in the court. As the Minister of Revenue, how could you be completely unaware of this?"

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu's face immediately turned bright red, as if it had been roasted by fire.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but then became speechless.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally mustered up the courage to say:

"I am aware of this matter, but it involves a wide range of interests and complex networks of relationships. Even I am powerless to do anything about it, so I have not reported it to you."

As Ni Yuanlu spoke, she couldn't help but curse Xue Guoguan several times in her heart.

Because this is something everyone knows, but no one ever brings it up in the open.

After all, this involves the interests of too many people, and once it is brought to light, it will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions.

Unexpectedly, Xue Guoguan was so reckless that he brought the matter up directly, leaving him speechless.

However, Xue Guoguan showed no mercy in the face of Ni Yuanlu's explanation.

He stared sharply at Ni Yuanlu and said:
"As the Minister of Revenue, instead of finding a solution to this matter, you are preventing me, the Grand Secretary, from doing so. Are you the Minister of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty, or the Minister of Revenue of the Jiangnan nobles? What are your true intentions in obstructing this?"

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu was so angry that her face turned red and the veins on her neck bulged.

Because this is pure slander!

wrong!

That's not quite accurate. While he could guarantee that neither he nor anyone in his family was involved in maritime smuggling, he couldn't guarantee that he hadn't inadvertently become a protector for some smugglers.

After all, he was also a member of the Donglin Party and had connections with some officials in the south, so he might have unwittingly become their protector.

Therefore, for a moment he didn't know what to say in his defense, he was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged, and his hands clenched into fists.

On the other hand, Xue Guoguan was also glaring angrily at Ni Yuanlu. Their eyes met in the air, as if sparks were flying.

The atmosphere between them was tense, as if they were about to come to blows at any moment. The air around them seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe.

Zhu Cilang stood aside, watching the two old men argue, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

These two old men are almost 150 years old combined, and surprisingly they still managed to start arguing, just like two children who wouldn't give in to each other.

However, he quickly spoke up to advise:
"You two need not be like this. I know that you are both pillars of the country and that your actions are all without shame. There is no need to be so confrontational. Since you are both thinking of the future of the Ming Dynasty, you can talk things out."

After saying that, Zhu Cilang gave a wink to the little eunuch beside him.

The young eunuch instantly understood, quickly picked up the teapot, poured Ni Yuanlu a cup of tea, and then presented it with both hands, respectfully saying:
"Lord Ni, please have some tea."

Although the tea was served by a eunuch, Ni Yuanlu knew in his heart that it was actually bestowed upon him by Zhu Cilang.

If we don't drink it, then we're disrespecting the Crown Prince.

Thinking of this, Ni Yuanlu finally suppressed her anger.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The warm tea flowed down his throat, seemingly taking away some of the anger in his heart.

He was then led by a eunuch to a seat to sit down.

However, he was still somewhat angry, because Xue Guoguan's words clearly included him in the category of smuggling merchants, which made him feel very wronged.

Just then, Zhu Cilang suddenly asked:
"Minister Ni, may I ask what brings you here today?"

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu remembered the important reason for her visit today.

He quickly stood up, bowed again, and said:

"Your Highness, I have come today to inquire about this year's overseas grain shipments. At this time last year, the Zheng family's grain had already arrived, and the Ministry of Revenue would send people to inspect it. However, this year it has not arrived yet, and there has been no news. So I have come to inquire about what is going on."

Ni Yuanlu did not mention that the capital's grain reserves were insufficient, because that would make him appear incompetent.

Moreover, he knew that once he got to this point, Zhu Cilang should understand.

Sure enough, the next second, Zhu Cilang pretended to suddenly realize something and said:
"So that's what it is! Minister Ni, please rest assured, I have already made a decision on this matter. However, let's talk about it later. Let's first hear what Grand Secretary Xue has to say about how to deal with maritime smuggling. You are the Minister of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty, so you should have some insights on this matter. Let's listen to them together."

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu was at a loss for words.

Then he said respectfully:
"My minister obeys."

He then sat still, but a hint of worry was visible in his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang looked at Xue Guoguan and said:
"Grand Secretary Xue, please continue."

Upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan's gaze swept across Ni Yuanlu's face, a hint of provocation and confidence in his eyes. He then continued:
"Just now, this old minister explained to His Highness the drawbacks of maritime smuggling and their organizational methods. Now, what I will talk about next is the solution to this matter. The solution is very simple: open the seas, lift all maritime bans, open the door to trade, allow merchants to trade with overseas countries, and vigorously develop the navy."

As soon as he said this, Ni Yuanlu suddenly stood up, his movement so sudden that it startled everyone around him.

He then loudly refuted:

“This is absolutely unacceptable! Grand Secretary Xue, you make it sound so simple. Do you know what it would mean if the sea ban were completely lifted? It would mean that the South would be in turmoil and everyone would live in fear! The people of the South have been living peaceful lives. Once the sea ban is lifted, various forces will mingle together, which will inevitably lead to chaos.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Guoguan sneered and said:

"What are you saying? How can the South be in turmoil and everyone be in danger after the opening of the sea? As long as they do business well and pay their taxes properly, the court will naturally protect them. How can they be in danger? Minister Ni, aren't you going too far? We are opening the sea to promote trade and develop the economy. As long as it is managed properly, it will surely bring prosperity to the South."

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu refuted it again:

"Why does our Great Ming Dynasty ban the sea? Does Grand Secretary Xue not know? It's because of the rampant Japanese pirates! Those Japanese pirates are like jackals, constantly harassing our coastal areas, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities. Our Great Ming Dynasty has a vast sea area and a long coastline, making it impossible to deploy defenses in real time. If we lift all sea bans, what will we do when the Japanese pirates come again?"

“Besides the Japanese pirates, there are also pirates from the South Seas who are eyeing our Great Ming. These pirates are cunning and ruthless and often plunder merchant ships at sea. If we do this, won’t they take advantage of our weakness? If this happens, our Great Ming will surely suffer and the people will be plunged into misery.”

It must be said that Ni Yuanlu's words make a lot of sense. In fact, the reason why the Ming Dynasty kept the sea ban was because Japanese pirates and pirates from overseas would harass coastal cities from time to time, causing great disasters to the local people, which forced the implementation of the sea ban.

However, this has resulted in the domestic economy lagging behind other countries, putting the country at a complete disadvantage in future trade wars.

Much wealth and resources that could have been obtained through overseas trade were lost due to the maritime ban.

Just then, Xue Guoguan retorted again:
"Minister Ni should know about the opening of the sea to Fujian, right? The ports in the Fujian area have been open for more than eighty years. Have you ever heard of any Japanese pirates or other pirates causing trouble?"

Hearing this, Ni Yuanlu could only bite the bullet and say:

"That's not true."

Xue Guoguan said:
"Of course not, because the Fujian area is protected by Zheng Zhilong. Zheng Zhilong is brave and resourceful. His navy roams the seas and is awe-inspiring. This is why the Fujian area is peaceful. Even if there are villains who dare to offend our Great Ming, they will be repelled by Zheng Zhilong."

"Since our Great Ming can produce one Zheng Zhilong, why can't it produce a second or a third? As long as we vigorously develop the navy, cultivate more generals like Zheng Zhilong, and train an elite naval force, the Japanese pirates and piracy will be nothing to fear."

"As for the silver needed to develop the navy, it can also be obtained through trade. After the lifting of the sea ban, overseas trade will flourish, and the court can collect a large amount of customs duties from trade. These funds can be used to support the construction of the navy and will not have any impact on the court's finances."

This left Ni Yuanlu speechless, but he couldn't help but retort again:
"Grand Secretary Xue, you make it sound so easy, but have you ever considered that the smuggling by southern merchants has far-reaching implications? Most of the nobles and officials in the south are involved, and even some officials in the imperial court have been implicated."

"If you want to resolve this matter, how do you intend to deal with them? Do you want to exterminate them as before? If you do that, what might those officials and nobles do to protect themselves? They might unite and form a powerful force to oppose the court. Is that what you want to see? Or do you want Your Majesty to order them all killed?"

This was what Ni Yuanlu was most worried about. He wasn't actually against opening the sea routes; he was just afraid that the imperial court would face another unprecedented purge! (End of Chapter)