Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Zhu Yuanzhang had once considered returning to the palace, but this idea gradually faded after Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne.

He knew clearly what he had done to Zhu Yunwen. To be honest, Zhu Yunwen had already done enough by allowing him to live. Returning to the palace? That seemed like a pipe dream.

Of course, even though he knew he might never be able to go back in this lifetime, there were still things he dreamed about, such as returning to the palace.

To his utter surprise, just when he had completely given up hope, Zhu Yunwen suddenly ordered him to return to the palace.

"Has Yunhu forgiven me?" A thought popped into Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, but then he shook his head.

Recalling Zhu Yunwen's appearance just now, it's highly likely that he hasn't completely forgiven him. Otherwise, Zhu Yunwen would have told him directly instead of having Jiang Huan relay the message.

However, although he did not forgive, he knew that his relationship with Zhu Yunwen had eased to some extent, which was obviously a good sign.

"I understand, but let me think about this matter carefully," Zhu Yunwen said softly.

He did want to go back to the palace, but he had to think carefully about whether he would still have freedom after returning. This was a crucial question.

Things were fine before, but after experiencing all of this, he has come to see through some things, such as loneliness. The current situation is what he fears most.

He's currently outside the palace. Although it's not as good as the palace, as long as he's careful, he can live a carefree life, which is quite nice. Especially recently, Tang He often comes to keep him company and talk to him, so he's living a pretty comfortable life.

To be honest, if the palace hadn't been where he had lived for decades, he really wouldn't want to go back. Of course, if he still had freedom after returning to the palace, then going back wouldn't be a problem.

However, the drawbacks of returning to the palace are quite obvious. There are too many people and too many eyes in the palace, making it far safer for him to stay in this small courtyard. Of course, if he were to return to the palace, he was confident that he could hide himself and not be discovered by anyone.

All of this depends on what Zhu Yunwen really means.

If Zhu Yunwen didn't restrict his freedom, everything would be fine, and he could do whatever he wanted. However, if Zhu Yunwen restricted his freedom, he would rather continue to stay in this small courtyard.

Of course, even if he returned to the palace, he would have so-called freedom, but that freedom would be limited. After all, he was now a dead man in the public eye, and under such circumstances, he certainly couldn't be recognized by others after arriving at the palace.

To reduce the chances of being discovered by others, the only option is to reduce the scope of one's activities.

After receiving Zhu Yuanzhang's reply, Jiang Huan cupped his hands in greeting, turned around, and left.

He was very puzzled as to why Zhu Yunwen had him convey such an order, and he didn't know the specific reason.

Of course, he also guessed that this might be a sign of easing tensions between Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunwen.

However, he quickly put these things out of his mind; they were clearly not things he could consider.

"Sigh," Zhu Yuanzhang sighed deeply after watching Jiang Huan leave, his expression somewhat wistful.

He should have been happy about the current situation, after all, it was a move to ease the tension between him and Zhu Yunwen, but for some reason, he felt very complicated at the moment.

He shook his head and lay back down on the bed. Memories flooded his mind. As he pondered these things, the alcohol took effect, and he soon fell into a deep sleep, snoring softly.

There was nothing to say all night, and it was early the next morning.

After Zhu Yunwen finished breakfast, he chatted with Ma Sanbao: "Sanbao, have you ever thought about going on a long voyage?"

As a time traveler, he wouldn't miss any talent. Although Ma Sanbao served him very well, he had already figured out how to truly utilize Ma Sanbao.

Historically, the wealth of the Ming Dynasty during the Yongle era was largely due to Ma Sanbao. Today, Ma Sanbao may be relatively unknown, as many people know him by another name: Zheng He!

During the Yongle era, without Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean, the wealth of the Ming imperial family would never have been so abundant, since neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Zhu Di were particularly skilled in business.

The vast ocean holds countless treasures.

Perhaps this statement is a big exaggeration, but looking at it with a clear head, it's not wrong at all. After all, if you have great strength, going on a long voyage is really like going out to pick up money, and that's absolutely true.

With exquisite porcelain, cloth, and other valuables from the Ming Dynasty, they exchanged them for shiploads of gold and silver treasures. Under such circumstances, it would be truly strange if the Ming Dynasty were not wealthy.

Here's a terrifying truth: Zhu Qizhen's defeat at the Battle of Tumu was partly due to the opening of the seas. These events are probably poorly documented, and even if they are, they're usually just mentioned briefly and glossed over. The reason is simply that the profits involved were too great.

Zheng He told the powerful families of the Ming Dynasty that the Great Exploration was a completely new Silk Road, which made them extremely greedy. For this enormous wealth, they were even willing to kill the emperor. The most famous example is the Longqing Emperor, who died of illness after opening the seas!

The Jiajing Emperor was not ill, the Wanli Emperor was not ill, but the Longqing Emperor in between was ill, which directly corresponds to Zhu Gaochi's illness. Moreover, it directly matches the previous rumors that Zhu Di's rebellion caused his descendants to have hidden illnesses.

Was Emperor Longqing truly ill? Or was he poisoned to death because his plan to open the seas directly impacted the interests of many people?

These matters are impossible to investigate in depth now. However, Longqing was alive and well at other times, but after the lifting of the sea ban, he died of illness. Isn't there something a little suspicious about this?

The Ming Dynasty is hailed as the era with the best ministers. More than a thousand years later, an era of famous ministers emerged again, the most famous of whom was Zhang Juzheng. What does this represent?

Undoubtedly, imperial power had fallen into the hands of court officials or powerful families. Under such circumstances, the Ming Dynasty imposed a maritime ban. But what happened after the Ming Dynasty imposed a maritime ban? Did maritime trade really cease?
Of course not. The Ming Dynasty officially imposed a maritime ban, but maritime smuggling flourished. Were these all small forces? Small merchants?
Stop joking. Do you really think small-time gangs and merchants have the capability to smuggle goods across the sea? And do you really think the Ming Dynasty's customs officers are just for show? Leaving aside their military prowess, they certainly have no problem combating maritime smuggling. But what was the final result? Maritime smuggling flourished, leading to the rise of pirates and Japanese pirates along the Ming coast. To put it bluntly, without maritime smuggling, how could pirates and Japanese pirates have even emerged?
This is a vicious cycle.

Court officials or powerful families pressured the government to ban maritime trade, but behind the scenes they were making a fortune. However, this created another problem: because the Ming Dynasty officially banned maritime trade, it did not have a navy.

Without a navy, maritime smuggling was rampant. What difference was there between this and a child carrying gold through a bustling market? Over time, people began to target these smugglers, and these were the pirates and Japanese pirates who later became known as Wokou.

Of course, it started with pirates. As for the Japanese pirates, that was a rather coincidental factor, because during the Ming Dynasty, Japan was in the North-South War, and some defeated samurai fled to the Ming Dynasty.

Samurai were not commoners; they were used to fighting. However, due to their status, they could not work honestly in the Ming Dynasty. Gradually, they set their sights on smuggling merchants at sea, and over time, they evolved into Wokou, pirates from Japan.

This shows that whether it was pirates or Japanese pirates, they were all attracted by the prosperity of maritime smuggling trade. But even so, those ministers or powerful families who made huge profits from smuggling were still unwilling to let the Ming Dynasty open its seas.

The profits from maritime smuggling are enormous. Although they suffer some losses due to being plundered by pirates and Japanese pirates, they can still reap huge benefits. If the Ming Dynasty chooses to lift the maritime ban, then the Ming Dynasty's navy will inevitably emerge.

Once the Ming Dynasty navy appears, the money generated by maritime trade will flow into the national treasury in a steady stream, or many merchants of all sizes will participate in maritime trade.

Who would spit out a cake they've already eaten for no reason? Impossible. Therefore, even though bandits were rampant along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, there were still people who tried to stop the Ming Dynasty from opening up its seas. This situation gradually led to the bandits along the coast of the Ming Dynasty becoming more and more rampant. Some powerful families even trained their own men to become plundering pirates, and the situation became increasingly deteriorating.

In the later stages, the situation along the coast was completely rotten to the core. The only solution was to destroy everything and rebuild a new dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty was in the midst of a mini ice age, and the power of the Ming court was controlled by ministers. Even if a wise ruler emerged, he could not solve the problems of the Ming Dynasty, which was already riddled with problems. In the end, the Ming Dynasty, like a great ship, sank.

But who knew that the Ming Dynasty's ships were extremely powerful?

Zheng He, during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, made seven voyages to the Western Ocean, bringing immense wealth to the Ming Dynasty. At that time, not to mention pirates and Japanese pirates, the Ming fleet was a force to be reckoned with wherever it went.

Despite its formidable naval power and artillery, the Ming Dynasty was ultimately exhausted by coastal bandits. Alas!
In hindsight, if the wealth from maritime trade had flowed continuously into the Ming Dynasty's treasury and the people, the Ming Dynasty would have been able to weather even the Lesser Ice Age; there is no doubt about that.

An invincible naval fleet can bring far too many benefits.

However, the Ming Dynasty, which clearly possessed an invincible naval fleet, was ultimately ruined by some parasites who leeched off the Ming Dynasty and dragged it into the abyss.

As a time traveler, Zhu Yunwen absolutely could not allow the Ming Dynasty to repeat its mistakes. Anyone who dared to interfere with and monopolize the ocean, no matter who they were, would face death.

Maritime trade belongs to the entire Ming Dynasty and to every citizen of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, this result can also be understood as wealth being distributed among the people in another sense.

By storing wealth among the people, the Ming Dynasty will become increasingly powerful.

If the wealthy and powerful families are allowed to hide their wealth, they will only leech off the Ming Dynasty and eventually drag it down to its doom!

"A long voyage?" Ma Sanbao was stunned when he heard Zhu Yunwen's words, his face full of astonishment.

He was a little confused, unable to understand why Zhu Yunwen would suddenly say such a thing.

Zhu Yunwen ignored the bewildered Ma Sanbao and continued, "The vast sea holds countless treasures. I know you have some knowledge of navigation, so I would like to ask if you are interested in it."

Perhaps there were still people skilled in navigation in the Ming Dynasty, but the world is so vast, how could Zhu Yunwen possibly search for them precisely? Moreover, instead of searching like looking for a needle in a haystack, why not just use Ma Sanbao, who was already there before him?

"This..." Ma Sanbao looked completely bewildered. He knew a little about navigation, but he couldn't quite understand what Zhu Yunwen meant. Why did he suddenly want to go sailing?

Zhu Yunwen didn't say much and waited quietly.

After hesitating for a moment, Ma Sanbao said, "Your Majesty, this servant does indeed know some navigation skills, but..."

"Alright, it's settled then. I trust you!" Zhu Yunwen patted Ma Sanbao on the shoulder.

"Huh?" Ma Sanbao was a little confused.

Seeing this, Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath and continued, "Sanbao, to be honest, I have been considering the matter of navigation for a long time. Do you remember when I asked you to read some books on navigation before?"

Ma Sanbao looked at Zhu Yunwen with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, this servant will absolutely not let you down!"

He figured things out.

Although he was a eunuch, Zhu Yunwen clearly had very high expectations for him.

This deeply moved him. As a eunuch, he was able to lead a fleet out to sea like a general. What a great favor this was!
"I believe you can do a good job!" Zhu Yunwen said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, the King of Annam requests an audience!" At this moment, a young eunuch approached and said respectfully.

Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said, "Bring the person here!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The young eunuch nodded and turned to leave.

Zhu Yunwen glanced at Ma Sanbao beside him and said, "Later, you will go and select some men and make preparations. If there is anything I need, please don't hesitate to ask. I have only one requirement: after setting sail, you must demonstrate the power and prestige of our Great Ming Dynasty." (End of Chapter)