Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 125 The Emperor's Schemes Are Deeper Than the Sea
Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Li Shanchang was slightly taken aback.

Originally, the emperor marrying the princess to his son was good news for him.

But now, Li Shanchang is not happy at all.

The reason is simple: we are now at a critical moment when the emperor has taken down the Wu Zhen and Wu Liang brothers, and is about to abolish the maritime ban, re-establish the Maritime Trade Office, and vigorously rectify maritime merchants.

I wonder how many people I'll offend this time, and how much trouble I'll cause.

Its impact is no less than that of the previous blank printing case.

It may have offended even more people than the blank seal case.

As for myself, I could say that I was one of these people before.

He had received many gifts from maritime merchants in the past.

At this critical juncture, in order to survive, they had to eliminate any negative impact.

They had already taken out 1.2 million strings of cash to give the emperor an explanation.

At this critical juncture, the emperor then married his daughter to his son, thus establishing a kinship between them.

That makes the matter quite intriguing.

Many people will inevitably hate themselves because of this.

They would blame themselves for this incident, believing that they had informed the emperor.

He told the emperor all the intricacies of the Maritime Trade Office and the maritime merchants.

That's why the emperor launched such a thunderous attack.

This is something I can't explain even if I want to.

Before this, even his own son thought that he was the one who did it.

I tried to explain to my son, but even he didn't believe me.

Now that this has happened, it's like mud falling into your crotch—even if it's not poop, it's still poop.

His reputation will become even worse.

Countless people will hate themselves to the core.

I want to peel off my own skin and eat my own flesh!
And by taking the lead and acting as the target, they could shoulder all of these burdens.

So when the emperor abolishes the maritime ban, re-establishes the Maritime Trade Office, and cracks down on numerous smuggling merchants, he certainly won't be lenient.

The harsher the emperor's punishment, the stronger the resentment people will feel towards him.

Many people will direct most of their hatred onto themselves.

And it wouldn't be attributed to the emperor.

The emperor's move was truly ruthless.

That's outrageous!
Sure enough, I knew the emperor wouldn't be looking for me now!
If it weren't for the fact that they were currently in the Wuying Hall, with the emperor and others in front of him, he wouldn't have needed to consider his reputation.

He's already regretting it and slapping himself in the face.

Just like before, when he secretly did it at home in the middle of the night.

It's all my fault. If I hadn't thought so much beforehand, I would have insisted on challenging the emperor.

Where else could one live such a miserable life?
Even in their old age, they still get dragged out by the emperor and made to take the blame for all sorts of things.

Now look what's happened; the emperor has found a weakness, and he keeps dragging me out for a spin whenever he feels like it.

Over the years, the emperor has truly not changed at all.

Their methods of manipulating people have not only not regressed, but have become even more refined and sophisticated.

The only difference is that previously, emperors mostly used these methods to manipulate Liu Bowen.

Now the situation has reversed; Liu Bowen is safe and sound, and the emperor can come alone.

“Your Majesty, your son is foolish and I fear… I fear he is not worthy of Princess Lin’an.”

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "What's wrong with being a good match or not?"
I think your son is quite good; he's a very smart person.

There's no ambiguity when it comes to important matters.

Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang's heart skipped a beat.

They felt the emperor was implying something.

Indeed, regarding the events in Zhongdu, and even later when he rallied all the officials to oppose the emperor, his son had consistently held opposing views.

"I am naturally more than happy to accept this marriage."

To be able to become in-laws with the Emperor is something I've always dreamed of.

My only concern is that my son is dull-witted and unworthy of Your Highness.

Since Your Majesty does not consider my son foolish and dull-witted, I am naturally more than pleased.

After a moment of modesty, Li Shanchang immediately agreed with a look of deep gratitude.

He seemed particularly happy.

While I may have my own complaints, it's rather inhumane of the emperor to make me take the blame.

But the body is still honest.

Moreover, he understood that ever since he did that in the Empty Seal Case, his only option was to follow the emperor to the bitter end.

Those who waver in the face of adversity rarely end well.

He used to wish the emperor would die quickly, but now he hopes the emperor can live to a ripe old age.

I hope that I will be able to surpass the emperor in the future.

Otherwise, the emperor would have died before him, and Crown Prince Zhu Biao would have been close to many civil officials, and his own status was indeed too high.

If things go wrong in the future, I could be retaliated against.

Their fate will likely be tragic.

"Haha, okay, then it's settled."

Then we set a date and announced it to the world!

This year, with the end of the year fast approaching, getting married is definitely out of the question.

Let's arrange the marriage before the new year, and then choose an auspicious date next year for them to get married.

Li Shanchang expressed his gratitude.

Zhu Yuanzhang's decision to marry his eldest daughter, Princess Lin'an, to Li Qi was based on many considerations.

Of course, it wasn't entirely as Li Shanchang thought, that they wanted to use this move to push Li Shanchang out as a target to be attacked.

Let him draw the blame and take the fall for you.

Besides these, there are other aspects.

One of the biggest reasons is that Li Qi is a decent person.

In her past life, he was her son-in-law. Putting everything else aside, after marrying her daughter, the two of them loved each other dearly, lived in harmony, and treated each other with utmost respect.

Having experienced many things, Zhu Yuanzhang's attitude towards his sons' and daughters' marriages had changed significantly by this time.

I no longer think about how capable my son-in-law and his ilk are.

There were no more expectations.

He felt that as long as his children were happy after they got married and their marriages were harmonious, that was enough.

That's quite rare.

Otherwise, it would be bad if, like the second son in the previous life, he married a woman like Deng, or if Biao'er had a woman like Lü, who could be a venomous snake, by his side, causing unrest in the household.

If they were to abandon Li Qi and find another husband for their daughter, he might not be as good as Li Qi.

Of course, besides that, there was another reason why he decided to marry his daughter to Li Qi again.

The Li Shanchang of today is very different from the Li Shanchang of his previous life.

It's practically impossible for him to get involved in the Hu Weiyong case again in his lifetime.

Compared to his previous life, he had been weakened and stripped of his strength by his own series of methods.

It can be easily controlled by oneself.

Under these circumstances, marrying his daughter to Li Qi would be a good idea.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that Li Shanchang could not be completely defeated, at least not now.

There can be no single dominant voice in the imperial court.

By keeping Li Shanchang in the palace and using the marriage of his daughter as a pretext, they could subtly convey to many that Li Shanchang still enjoyed imperial favor, which would help maintain balance in the court.

That wouldn't lead to so many people being drawn to Hu Weiyong's side.

This move can also, to some extent, reassure the many nobles and officials of Huaixi.

Previously, he was indeed full of murderous intent towards Li Shanchang, wishing he could get rid of him as soon as possible.

But how should I put it, he is governing the country and managing such a large nation.

Politicians cannot simply act based on their own preferences.

For the sake of the bigger picture, there are many things that should be done.

Hu Weiyong remained silent and didn't join in the fun, but in his heart, he was already cursing Li Shanchang.

It was indeed that old dog Li Shanchang who betrayed us to the emperor!
I was just saying, the Imperial Guard, which the emperor established, had been in existence for less than a year. How could it possibly be so thorough and know everything so clearly?

As expected, that old dog Li Shanchang has completely sided with the emperor.

He disregarded everyone's interests for his own sake!

During the Blank Seal Case, they already sold out everyone; now they're using the same old trick again!
There's a difference between something that happens only once and something that happens countless times.

The fact that the emperor is marrying his daughter to the son of that old dog Li Shanchang at this critical juncture is the best evidence of this.

Otherwise, given all the things this old dog had done before, and how much the emperor loathed him, how could he possibly marry his daughter to him?

This Princess Lin'an, although a concubine's daughter, was the eldest concubine's daughter.

Moreover, she was the daughter of the emperor and Consort Sun.

Zhu Hongwu doted on Consort Sun.

Consort Sun had no sons and died of illness. The emperor even ordered her legitimate son, Prince Zhu Su of Wu, to carry a banner for his stepmother, disregarding etiquette.

Now that the emperor and Consort Sun's daughter have married Li Shanchang's son, it is clear that the emperor has great trust in Li Shanchang.

That old dog deserves to die!

Even at such an old age, he still craves power and position.

They were still thinking of competing with me in the imperial court.

Why doesn't that old dog just die?
Hu Weiyong offered his sincerest blessings to Li Shanchang.

……

"Father, state the conditions first, then have Prime Minister Hu summon the merchants to meet us."

Won't this... alert them? Give them time to prepare?

Does this make things more complicated?

After Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang left, in the Hall of Literary Glory, Crown Prince Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked the question that had been bothering him.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Biao'er, after thinking about this matter, we think this is the best way."

Some things require caution; you must never reveal your final hand until the very last moment.

But some things need to be done openly and honestly, with great fanfare.

This maritime trade issue involves too many people and has lasted too long, making it very difficult to resolve.

We think it would be better to state our terms first.

This will prepare these people mentally. When we meet again, many things will be easier to discuss.

Or many of them simply made their choices in advance; some didn't want to meet us, while others did.

We're doing this because we want to conduct a preliminary screening.

Filter out some usable people, and those who are less reliable.

It is important to distinguish between friends and enemies.

This matter has always been difficult to discern.

This is a pretty good opportunity.

Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Zhu Biao nodded and said no more about the matter.

"By the way, Biao'er, after you go back, tell your fourth brother to ask Mr. Song to come to Wuying Hall to see us tomorrow."

As Crown Prince Zhu Biao was about to leave, Zhu Yuanzhang remembered something and looked at Zhu Biao, speaking to him.

Zhu Biao agreed and then left.

He didn't ask his father why he had summoned the fourth prince, because he already knew the answer in his heart.

……

"Ha ha……"

Upon returning to the Secretariat, Hu Weiyong sat there for a while, pondering, before a cold smile appeared on his face.

This time, the emperor's idea was truly out of the blue.

They wanted to abolish the maritime ban, re-establish the Maritime Trade Office, and bring it back to its most profitable state.

This task is difficult in itself.

And yet he is so ungrateful and so eager for quick success.

They're about to increase commercial taxes to 60% of the total tax revenue.

Wouldn't those maritime merchants be outraged?
Does he really think that just because he's the emperor, he can do whatever he wants in all matters?
impossible!

He was able to kill so many officials in the Empty Seal case because he had solid evidence against them.

Moreover, most of these officials did not hold very high positions, and no ordinary people were involved.

But this time it was completely different.

These maritime merchants may have been smuggling, but over the years they have managed to bring many people from the Jiangnan fiefdom under their control.

The number of ordinary people who depend on the maritime merchants for their livelihood is in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions.

Zhu Yuanzhang dared to take action on this matter, and did so drastically.

The world is really going to be in chaos.

This isn't something that can be resolved simply by him sternly.

It's not that easy to solve.

Zhu Chongba was stubborn and self-willed. He became envious when he saw how much money the Maritime Trade Office made during the Yuan Dynasty's heyday.

All they cared about was money; they ignored everything else.

They wouldn't even listen to their own wise and experienced advice on governing the country.

If that's the case, then let's wait and see how the emperor gets his head bruised and bloodied!

Only after suffering setbacks and getting hurt will he learn how things are done and stop acting so recklessly.

Only then can you realize how good your advice was!
With that in mind, he picked up his pen and began to write the proclamation himself.

The imperial edict should be issued to include the emperor's plans for lifting the sea ban, establishing the Maritime Trade Office, and his various ideas for the Maritime Trade Office, including cracking down on smuggling, issuing maritime business licenses, and increasing commercial tax to 60%.

This will be announced to the world.

This was ordered by the emperor. If the emperor isn't afraid of chaos, then he doesn't need to worry too much about this either.

Sometimes, a little chaos is indeed necessary.

Otherwise, the emperor might really think that once he became emperor, he could do whatever he wanted.

He can then control everything, and everyone listens to him and obeys his every command!

Looking at the proclamation he had written, Hu Weiyong's lips curled up.

This is going to be interesting.

Zhu Yuanzhang made such a grand show of dismissing officials under conditions that even he himself found unacceptable and frowned upon.

One can imagine how the numerous maritime merchants would react.

Fortunately, this time the emperor let Li Shanchang take the lead in handling the matter.

Then Li Shanchang's reputation will be even worse, and he will be even more hated.

After all these events, even if the emperor intends to have Li Shanchang replace him and return to the Secretariat, it is still possible that...

He, too, could not remain prime minister.

At that time, he will face the same predicament he had before.

He has offended everyone.

No one will listen to him.

If no one listens to him, the matter cannot be accomplished.

His position as prime minister was now merely nominal.

……

"Your Highness, may I ask why His Majesty summoned me?"

At the Wenhua Hall, Song Lian looked at Zhu Biao and asked him a question.

Knowing why the emperor has summoned you will allow you to be better prepared when you go to see him.

This will prevent mistakes from happening in a rush.

Zhu Biao said, "I did not ask my father, but today my father betrothed my sister to the eldest son of the Duke of Han."

The fourth prince was highly respected, and the emperor's decision to send him was likely related to this.

"For some wedding rituals, you should ask the fourth son."

Upon hearing Zhu Biao's words, Song Lian thought for a moment and nodded.

I think what Crown Prince Zhu Biao said is probably true.

The emperor's sons had married several times, but this was the first time his daughter had married.

It's perfectly normal to need to ask someone about certain etiquette if you don't understand it.

I do know a little about etiquette.

Song Lian then stopped talking and began to prepare for it.

The emperor's daughter's marriage was a major event; in fact, anything related to the imperial family was never a small matter.

Therefore, after bidding farewell to Zhu Biao, Song Lian returned home and immediately began to study various classic texts, striving to do his best to accomplish the task.

……

"Haha, girl, how's it going?"
I told you, there's absolutely no need to worry about our fourth son, right?
They will definitely do things exceptionally well, beyond our expectations.

"Leave these matters to the fourth brother; let him handle them. We trust him!"

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that his sister was always worried about the fourth prince, so after dealing with these matters, he personally went to tell Empress Ma that the fourth prince had successfully taken control of the situation.

Empress Ma breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to mutter softly to herself.

It's as if they are thanking their ancestors and all the gods and Buddhas.

"This fourth brother is too bold!"
How could you dare to take such a risk!
With only three hundred men, how dare he go into the Japanese naval forces to carry out this mission?
That's over 40,000 people!
"What if things get out of control? What if Wu Zhong doesn't listen to him and turns around and captures him? Wouldn't that ruin the whole thing?"

After the initial joy came a wave of lingering fear.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Sister, we didn't expect the fourth brother to act so drastically."

However, we do know something about Wu Zhong, Wu Zhen's son.

Compared to his father Wu Zhen, he was much more honest and kind.

Let's transfer Wu Zhen away and leave his son there.

With his son around, we believe that many members of the anti-Japanese naval force won't act recklessly.

Zhu Yuanzhang was somewhat proud when he mentioned this.

He had already started making arrangements for the Japanese naval forces a long time ago.

The second, third, fourth, and fifth sons were no longer allowed to study in the main hall.

While it may seem like it's for their benefit, there's actually a backup plan involving Wu Zhong.

Since they were no longer studying there, Wu Zhen, Wu Liang, and the other nobles, as well as their sons who were about the same age as the second son, naturally no longer needed to continue studying at the main hall.

It is only natural to return to their side.

"You, Zhu Chongba! You've got a lot to say!"
Did they even consider that our fourth son would only bring a few personal guards and go to the meeting alone?!

It would have been better if Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't said those words; as soon as he did, Empress Ma's expression suddenly changed.

He grabbed a feather duster and lashed it at Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression immediately changed, and he could no longer feel smug.

No... shouldn't my own sister praise me for my far-sightedness after I said all this?

Why would my own sister think this way?

A woman's mind is truly hard to fathom.

The angle from which we look at things is often so unpredictable, catching us off guard.

"Girl, no, no, why would I do such a thing?"
We were just thinking that with the fourth brother around, he could better command the people in the Chaohu naval force.

Many people in the Japanese naval forces, out of respect for his status as a prince, dared not act too recklessly.

Wu Zhong and he were classmates and had a good relationship.

With the fourth brother around, he didn't dare to act too recklessly in many ways.

But we really didn't expect the fourth brother to be so brave.

To do such a thing.

"Girl, I'm innocent, girl!"

As Zhu Yuanzhang ran and dodged, he turned to explain to Empress Ma.

Inside the Kunning Palace, chicken feathers flew everywhere, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere...

……

"Your subject Song Lian pays his respects to Your Majesty and inquires about your health."

The next day, after the morning court session, Song Lian went to the Wuying Hall.

He heard the gatekeeper, Eunuch Wang, announce that he could come in and meet him.

Song Lian then walked into the Wuying Hall.

Upon entering, he immediately bowed and greeted Zhu Yuanzhang with exceptional respect and meticulousness.

"I am well."

"Someone, prepare a seat for Mr. Song."

Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.

Immediately, someone stepped forward and brought over a jindung (a type of scepter) for Song Lian to sit on.

Only then did Song Lian glance around the hall.

One glance was enough to make me pause slightly in surprise.

Because besides him, there was another person dressed in official robes sitting in this hall.

This person was none other than Song Ne, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

Why did the emperor summon this northern barbarian?
What etiquette do the Northern Barbarians know?

Although they both share the surname Song and are quite old, Song Ne is even older than Song Lian.

However, Song Lian and Song Ne had no relation to each other.

Two people, one from the south and the other from the north.

Song Lian was a master of Confucianism and a literary leader recognized by countless Confucian scholars.

Song Ne was also highly accomplished in his studies, and could be considered one of the most outstanding scholars in the north.

It's normal for people to look down on each other.

"Mr. Song, we have already betrothed our daughter to the eldest son of the Korean royal family."

Mr. Song will need to put in some effort to figure out what gifts are needed for the engagement and wedding.

Upon hearing this, Song Lian remained completely calm.

After all, he had made preparations in advance.

They started talking right there, effortlessly recounting various allusions and the origins of etiquette.
In a short while, four solutions were presented.

After saying this, Song Lian glanced at Song Ne without making it obvious.

He felt that he would definitely outperform Song Ne in this aspect.

It is evident that even great Confucian scholars are often not immune to the tendency to compete for superiority.

Song Ne sat there, eyes downcast, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

"Well done, Mr. Song is indeed very knowledgeable."

Let's proceed with the second plan then.

"This one seems more suitable; it's less complicated, yet it takes all aspects into account."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled as he finalized the etiquette, and also praised Song Lian.

Song Lian felt much better.

"However, Mr. Song, there are some other things besides these that we asked you to come here today."

Is there anything else?

Song Lian was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

This... His Highness the Crown Prince didn't tell me this beforehand.

"Your Majesty, may I ask what is the matter?"

He bowed his hands in salute.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "It's nothing serious."

It would have been better if Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't said those words; once he did, Song Lian's heart couldn't help but jump.

You can't always trust what the emperor says; you have to listen to it in reverse.

The more trivial the matter, the more likely it is to escalate into a major incident.

Could it be... related to shipping and maritime trade?

But... these things have nothing to do with me, right?

He himself was just a scholar who wrote articles and taught the prince to read.

The rest did not participate.

Even if there are many other connections involved in this Maritime Trade Office matter, it won't affect me personally.

For a moment, Song Lian's mind was in a mess, unable to figure out what the emperor was really up to.

Looking at Song Ne, who was sitting silently to the side, he became even more unsure of what the emperor meant.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't keep them in suspense and immediately began to explain the situation...

(End of this chapter)