Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 196 Tens of thousands of taels of gold in the far west? This can only be found in Hai Rui!

The manuscript was written in tiny characters: "The Biographies of Merchants" by Sima Qian, which states, "Everyone uses their abilities and exerts their strength to obtain what they desire."

Immediately following, the rightmost page of the scroll bears the words: "Vigorously develop scientific productivity and promote the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty's economy and trade."

The small, official script combined with the French-sounding tone is truly bizarre.

Zhang Juzheng frowned deeply.

Unbeknownst to him, he had also picked up some of his young son's speaking habits and become very proper in his speech.

However, this way of speaking has its advantages: it is concise and clear, and most importantly, it avoids making mistakes.

Thinking of this, Zhang Juzheng paused, then continued writing on the manuscript.

"Firstly, we should develop scientific productivity, elevate the status of craftsmen, and encourage them to improve and promote inventions such as agricultural tools."
Secondly, it promoted economic theories, using Zhang Shiyuan's "The Wealth of Nations" as a blueprint, to further promote commercial development and improve various economic systems.
Thirdly

When he reached this point, Zhang Juzheng paused, seemingly struggling with his decision, before finally writing two large characters with a heavy stroke.

"Go to sea!"

After writing this word, he seemed to have encountered something extremely difficult and could no longer continue writing.

Zhang Juzheng let out a heavy sigh, shook his head, and carefully put the manuscript away.

"What is the En family worried about?"

Shen Shixing, who had been observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Zhang Juzheng turned his gaze to the "honest man" who was also in the Wenyuan Pavilion, and said meaningfully.

What is Ru Mo's opinion on the "opening of the sea"?

"Opening of the fishing season?"

Shen Shixing was somewhat surprised. He thought for a moment and then replied.

"I recall the events surrounding the opening of the sea during the Longqing era, but at that time I was still working as an editor in the Hanlin Academy and was not very familiar with matters of the court."

However, in recent years, the imperial court has benefited from the policy of opening up the sea during the Longqing era in terms of both revenue and expenditure.

After the opening of the sea route, the imperial court could collect a huge amount of 100,000 taels of silver in taxes annually from Yuegang.

That could be considered a good policy.

"It is indeed a good policy, but it will be extremely difficult to take it a step further!"

Zhang Juzheng was somewhat moved.

"Back then, when I and Gao Suqing proposed the policy of opening up the sea, we encountered tremendous resistance."

An official in the imperial court once said, "If the coastal areas are not peaceful, the maritime ban cannot be lifted." Many Confucian scholars also said, "Maritime trade is a secondary occupation," and promoting maritime trade is putting the cart before the horse.

Furthermore, officials in Guangdong and Southern Zhili devised a strategy to delay the opening of the sea routes in order to strengthen coastal defenses and postpone the establishment of the Maritime Trade Office.

The journey was fraught with difficulties, and in the end, it only involved opening ports in Yuegang, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Taicang in Zhili province.

Shen Shixing nodded and said, "Opening up the sea involves many things. I imagine that this maritime trade touches on the interests of many people, and they will inevitably try to obstruct it."

He keenly grasped the meaning behind Zhang Juzheng's words and couldn't help but be somewhat surprised.

"Does the En family intend to bring up the issue of opening the sea again?"

Zhang Juzheng narrowed his eyes: "What does Ru Mo think?"

Shen Shixing couldn't help but worry: "I think that opening up the sea would indeed be beneficial, but it is already difficult to implement the 'Single Whip' policy. If we also push for opening up the sea, I'm afraid we will not be able to take care of both ends."

"That makes some sense."

Zhang Juzheng sighed.

"The idea of ​​opening up trade routes to boost revenue and revitalizing industry and commerce to improve people's livelihoods is very simple, but putting it into practice is extremely difficult."

After thinking for a moment, Shen Shixing continued to remind him.

"The matter of opening up the sea requires careful consideration, but there are some promising developments in the matter of 'revitalizing industry and commerce'."

The students heard that Zhang Tongzhi had recently been promoting his "economic" theories everywhere, and they seemed to have some merit.

Zhang Juzheng was somewhat surprised: "Ru Mo also knew about this?"

"What are you saying, Your Excellency?" Shen Shixing shook his head and smiled helplessly. "Zhang Shiyuan's 'On the Wealth of Nations' has been published in the Wanli Daily for several days recently. Not to mention students, even the common people in Beizhili can probably talk about economics."

The battle of briquettes was truly remarkable.

Even if the Shanxi merchants intended to conceal it, they couldn't hide the fact that they had been utterly defeated.

As a result, the rumors among the people became increasingly fantastical, claiming that Zhang Shiyuan had invited the God of Wealth, which had stolen the fortunes of the Shanxi merchants, and that they were now making a fortune every day.

"So fast?"

Zhang Juzheng was somewhat helpless.

Since the advent of newspapers, the speed at which all kinds of news spread has increased exponentially, which has made these traditional Confucian scholars very uncomfortable.

This spread was so widespread that if a fire broke out in the backyard of an official's house, it could reach a county in Beizhili the next day, becoming a topic of conversation among the common people and scholars.

Three or four days later, even the scholars of Southern Zhili could recite it fluently.

It's truly alarming.

Zhang Juzheng was still hesitant about whether to promote this "economic" approach.

Now it seems that there was no time for him to hesitate; the news had already spread.

Zhang Juzheng said helplessly, "How does Rumo view the principles of this 'economics'?"

"It seems to be even more sophisticated than this method of commerce," Shen Shixing analyzed. "In your son's words, it's more logical and can withstand experimental verification."

His explanation immediately gave Zhang Juzheng a headache, making him feel as if his mind had been invaded.

Shen Shixing sighed, “Speaking of which, your son recently established the Renmin Medical Hall to promote modern medicine and alleviate the plague, and also set up the Xishan Workshop to benefit the people with briquettes. This reminds me of someone.”

Zhang Juzheng asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

Shen Shixing said meaningfully, "Wang Yangming, the Marquis of Xinjian."

Upon hearing the other party mention this person, Zhang Juzheng was taken aback for a moment, then firmly shook his head and said...

"That brat Zhang Shiyuan? How can he be compared to Yangming Gong?"

Wang Yangming was considered a sage during the Ming Dynasty, and his followers were found throughout the country.

Former Grand Secretary Xu Jie once praised him as having "a literary and military prowess unparalleled in three hundred years."

Zhang Juzheng opposed "empty talk about the philosophy of mind," but he still held a positive attitude towards it.

How could such a "saint" be compared to his own absurd and incompetent young son?
Shen Shixing did not refute, but said with a smile.

“Yangming was praised by people, but in his youth he was also regarded as unorthodox and unconventional. For example, he spent seven days studying bamboo and was obsessed with Taoism and Buddhism. He was even criticized as a madman because of his bold words.”

At the time, no one thought that Yangming Society had achieved the feat of becoming a 'sage'.

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "Shiyuan is far inferior, there's no need to mention him again."

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little helpless. "This child's thoughts are truly unfathomable."

He recalled his conversation with Zhang Yunxiu that day, in which the latter mentioned that Japan had silver mines and that Southeast Asia had abundant spices. Zhang Juzheng had heard of this before.

But the idea that the far west has thousands of taels of gold, even grain yields of dozens of dan per mu, and vast fertile fields is hard to accept.

However, Zhang Yunxiu was almost always able to fulfill the promises he made.

Is the imperial court really going to follow the example of the Yongle Emperor and go to the West to search for some gold mine and grain?

If this were said in the imperial court, it would make him, the chief minister, seem somewhat frivolous.

Shen Shixing asked, "What about this 'opening of the sea'?"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. There's a lot of turmoil in Southern Zhili, and with the rampant floods, even implementing the Single Whip Law is difficult."

This matter of 'opening up the seas' and 'promoting commerce' still needs to be considered carefully in the long run.

There is never a "quick and easy" approach to matters of national importance. With such a large scale, it is absolutely impossible to issue a decree that affects the entire country without some buffer time.

Shen Shixing looked somewhat relieved. He was really afraid that Zhang Juzheng would insist on his own way and immediately promote the "opening up of the seas" and "emphasizing commerce," which would probably lead to another bloody storm in the court.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly smiled and said.

"In my opinion, it's a good thing that Your Majesty doesn't mention promoting this matter."

Zhang Juzheng asked with some doubt: "What makes you say that?"

Shen Shixing explained, "If the government vigorously promotes this matter, it will inevitably attract countless people to oppose it. Those who originally had reservations about the new policy will also rise up to attack it, which will create numerous obstacles."

Let your son do it freely. With his many identities as the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the son of the Grand Secretary, and the Emperor's childhood friend, what can't he do?

Your son has a reputation for being outrageous, so it's understandable that he would do some outrageous things.

If the "opening up of the sea" and "promotion of commerce" are successful, the government will secretly provide support.

If your son makes a mistake, the impact will not be significant, and the En family can still step in to rectify the situation.

This is a win-win solution!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up immediately, and he nodded in agreement.

"You remain silent about these words of strategy for governing the country!"

Then Zhang Juzheng let out a heavy sigh: "Let him be. We will act as we see fit. That brat has stirred up such a turbulent situation that even I can't see things clearly anymore."

He was seeing so many new things that he felt somewhat overwhelmed.

Shen Shixing remembered something else, so he cupped his hands in a gesture of farewell and reminded him.

"Your Excellency, how should the situation in Southern Zhili be handled?"

The mere mention of this matter gave Zhang Juzheng a headache. He pulled out the memorial sent from Southern Zhili and read it over and over again.

Since June, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yangzhou and other places in southern Zhili have experienced continuous torrential rains for half a month, which has caused floods to destroy river embankments in many places.

To make matters worse, famine has recently broken out again in the prefectures of Ping, Qing, Yan, Lin, and Gong under the jurisdiction of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration Commission.

Shen Shixing's words were full of worry: "Last year, the great flood in Southern Zhili had just passed, and this year there has been another great flood. The Taicang Treasury has allocated disaster relief funds three times in a row. Fortunately, the national treasury has been much fuller in recent years, otherwise I really don't know what to use to provide relief to the disaster victims."

But this can't go on forever.

"Shaanxi must not slacken its efforts in allocating disaster relief funds. The plight of displaced people is already severe. If there are further instances of cannibalism and starving people fleeing, Shaanxi will surely descend into chaos!"

Zhang Juzheng appeared very determined.

"Yangzhou floods"

At this point, he hesitated slightly, frowning as he looked at Shen Shixing.

"Yin Yangshi has been in office in Southern Zhili for more than a month. Has he found any clues?"

The investigation into the "bow measuring case" had been ongoing for months without any progress, which greatly worried Zhang Juzheng.

What's the use of allocating more disaster relief funds if they don't reach the disaster victims?

How can Zhang Juzheng be at ease if the Southern Zhili region is not thoroughly investigated?
Minister Yin, Shen Shixing, seemed somewhat conflicted. "It's not easy for him. Initially, as the Minister of Justice in Nanjing, it was really difficult for him to get things done. Later, the position of Governor of Yingtian was added, but just as he was investigating the Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou, he was smeared with the accusation of 'colluding with the Japanese pirates'."

The various prefectures of Southern Zhili are deeply entrenched, making their dismantling virtually impossible.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang established the position of Yingtian Governor in order to strengthen the administration of Southern Zhili. The governor was stationed in Suzhou Prefecture and was in charge of the Jiangnan region.

The governor of Yingtian was equivalent to the top official in the Southern Zhili region. He could not only coordinate local affairs, but also investigate corruption among local officials.

Even so, Yin Zhengmao still found it difficult to carry out his investigation, which shows how serious the collusion between local officials and gentry in Southern Zhili was.

Zhang Juzheng sighed and said, "Southern Zhili is the source of wealth for our Great Ming Dynasty. It is a hotbed of civil service examinations and scholarly examinations. Officials and gentry are deeply entrenched. The Jiangnan gentry have held official positions for generations, and their cronies are spread throughout the prefectures and counties."

Sending Yin Yangshi alone to investigate the "bow-measuring case" is really putting too much pressure on him.

Why didn't Zhang Juzheng just give Yin Zhengmao the position of Governor of Yingtian?

Isn't it because they're afraid of alerting the enemy?

However, Yin Zhengmao was ultimately too impatient. After several attempts, he not only failed to gather any evidence but also got himself into a lot of trouble.

Shen Shixing said, "Since the beginning of this month, more than forty cases of large and small bow-making have been thoroughly investigated in Beizhili. After all, it is under the emperor's nose, so the court can control it better. But Nanzhili is thousands of miles away from the capital, so it is really difficult to take care of it."

Zhang Juzheng frowned and pondered, saying, "The officialdom in Southern Zhili is corrupt. Ling Yunyi, the Minister of War, also served as the Governor of Yingtian and tried to reform the canal transport, but he also failed. This is not something that one person can handle."

“Prefect En,” Shen Shixing said, raising an eyebrow. “Prefect En seems to be considering sending more officials?”

Zhang Juzheng countered with, "Does Ru Mo have someone in mind?"

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Shixing shook his head, sighed, and said, "It's a difficult choice. This person must be capable, selfless, and not belong to the Jiangnan gentry faction, nor be misled by others."

Shen Shixing looked very conflicted. There were many officials in the capital, and many officials under Zhang's faction, but if he really had to choose one person to punish the chaos in Southern Zhili, it would be really difficult to select one.

In fact, Shen Shixing still had someone in mind.

That was Zhang Juzheng's good son, Zhang Yunxiu, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

If he were allowed to go, the Jiangnan gentry might be eliminated, but the Southern Zhili region would likely be thrown into turmoil.

Just as Shen Shixing was struggling with his decision, Zhang Juzheng smiled and said something.

"What Ru Mo just said—that someone is capable, unaffiliated, selfless, and not easily swayed—reminds me of someone."

Seeing Shen Shixing's puzzled expression, Zhang Juzheng leisurely picked up his pen and wrote a single character on the manuscript paper in front of him.

Shen Shixing stared intently at Zhang Juzheng's brushstrokes. Upon seeing that character, his pupils dilated suddenly, and he looked at the other man in disbelief.

"Hai Bijia? Hai Gangfeng!"

He blurted it out without thinking.

"Didn't the En family describe him as 'too extreme and disrupting the overall situation'?"

　Note 1: According to the records of "Biographies of Ming Dynasty in Yuyao Old Records", Wang Yangming was enshrined in the Temple of Confucius in the twelfth year of the Wanli reign, which shows that he had a high status in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

　　Note 2: Zhang Juzheng's evaluation of Hai Rui can be found in "Reply to Wang Ningzhai, Governor of Yunnan": "Hai Rui's virtue is trusted by the world. However, he is too extreme and seeks to govern too quickly. Most of his measures are absurd. For example, he wanted to completely change the old land tax system in Jiangnan without considering the situation or the benefits. He only wanted to use his personal reputation to disrupt the overall situation of the country. This is not the work of someone who understands governance."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)