The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 101 Rumors and Stocks

The emperor and his ministers discussed for several hours the details of the new banknotes, such as anti-counterfeiting measures, revision of the anti-counterfeiting law, and performance evaluation of officials. Seeing that everything was progressing well, Zhu Di waved his hand.

"The meeting is now adjourned. All of you may return to your duties and proceed with the discussion."

The cabinet ministers bowed and took their leave, but Lin Yue remained in the Wenhua Hall as usual.

Zhu Di stepped down from his throne and teased Lin Yue, saying, "You've been coming to the palace so often these past few days. I thought you were so engrossed in the company of beautiful women that you forgot all about home."

If I hadn't seen you today in Yingtian Prefecture rectifying official corruption and redressing wrongful convictions, I would have truly suspected you'd forgotten the heavy responsibilities on your shoulders.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue smiled calmly, feeling no embarrassment whatsoever.

It's normal for a young man to have a fiery temper. If you were faced with someone with Julia's figure, wouldn't you take a hard look and appreciate her more closely?

However, human energy has its limits; no matter how much you enjoy operating, you can't do it all day long.

However, this is not necessarily the case. In later generations, there was an emperor named Longqing who was very fond of sexual intercourse and frequently took aphrodisiacs. He even had some residue left, and during a meeting, the drug suddenly took effect, causing him to kiss and hug his minister Zhang Juzheng. It was quite a difficult situation for him.

However, a man certainly cannot say he is incapable, so Lin Yue cupped his hands and said righteously and solemnly.

"Your Majesty is too kind. While beauties are lovely, they are not as important as governing the country. Yingtian Prefecture is a crucial area surrounding the capital. Since Your Majesty has entrusted me with this important task, I will naturally not dare to slack off."

Zhu Di laughed heartily and tapped him with his fingertip: "Alright, enough of the nonsense. I'm asking you, how are your preparations for the mission to Korea going? Do you need me to allocate more manpower and supplies?"

Lin Yue immediately replied, "Your Majesty, all preparations for the mission are complete, and the fleet is ready to set sail at any time!"

After giving a detailed report on the fleet's preparations, Lin Yue looked up at Zhu Di and said, "Your Majesty, I have a matter I humbly request permission to discuss."

As an official serving outside the palace, I frequently enter and leave the palace, which is inconsistent with the proper etiquette. I fear this will invite criticism and tarnish Your Majesty's reputation.

"It is inconvenient for the Imperial Pharmacist, Kuai Si, to reside in the palace for so long. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission to allow her to leave the palace and find another place to live, so that I may focus on my duties."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di considered it for a moment and immediately began to politely decline.

"Lin Qing's original residence was too dilapidated, with crumbling walls, which was probably not suitable for living."

The new residence I have bestowed upon you is under construction. The timber and bricks are of the highest quality. Once the craftsmen have completed the work, you will be allowed to move in.

This matter isn't urgent; let's postpone it for now.

Zhu Di thought to himself, "Lin Yue is such a genius, capable of governing the country with his literary skills and fighting with his military prowess. Ordinary methods are not enough to restrain him. Now that we have finally found his weakness of being lustful and sentimental, how can we let him go so easily?"

Keeping the pharmacist in the palace is like holding the reins of control over him. At least until the two have children and their bond deepens, they can be completely at ease letting them leave the palace.

Lin Yue met with Zhu Di, whose attitude was firm but who was unwilling to give up and wanted to continue his request.

Zhu Di then abruptly changed the subject.

Emperor Yongle, with a somber expression, said, "Recently, some rumors have been circulating in Jiangnan, which are quite disturbing."

A folk rhyme even circulated, saying something like, "Swallows fly south, geese fly north, leaves fall, the Huai River dries up, the dragon throne is easy, but the common people suffer."

This is clearly an allusion to my usurpation of the throne through the Jingnan Campaign, intended to incite popular sentiment and create opposition against me.

Zhu Di frowned and said in a deep voice, "Jiangnan is a region of heavy taxation, and the unrest among the people is a serious matter. Lin Yue, do you have any reliable solutions?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue casually replied, "Your Majesty, this matter is simple. The most effective way to deal with rumors is to use rumors to counter rumors."

"Using rumors to counter rumors? What do you mean?" Zhu Di gestured for him to continue.

Lin Yue spoke eloquently: "They spread unfavorable rumors, so His Majesty ordered the dissemination of more catchy and popular positive nursery rhymes."

For example, "When the Prince of Yan came, there were no harsh taxes, the floods were quelled, the Japanese pirates were destroyed, and the people were at peace," and then add "The fields were ripe, the granaries were full, the officials were honest, and the world was at peace," and let the children sing it along the streets.

These nursery rhymes not only echoed His Majesty's achievements in reducing taxes and controlling floods after ascending the throne, but were also catchy and easy to spread, covering up those malicious rumors in less than half a month.

He paused, then continued, "In addition, spread some outrageous rumors, such as the Prince of Yan wanting to move the capital to Jiangnan and demolish all the palaces in Yingtian, or that Jiangnan will be exempt from taxes for ten years and that rice will cost one coin and one dou. Such statements are absurd and the people will know they are false as soon as they hear them."

At this time, the imperial court sent officials to refute the rumors, stating that they were misleading and completely unfounded, and also reiterated His Majesty's policies of loving the people like his own children and striving for good governance.

In this way, the people will become suspicious of all rumors, and naturally will not easily believe rumors that slander His Majesty.

This method of deliberately creating false rumors and then publicly debunking them to reshape public opinion is something that later generations have mastered.

In ancient times, most people were busy making a living and had no time to investigate the truth of rumors. They often relied on what they heard and what they heard from others.

Positive nursery rhymes convey good news, outrageous rumors confuse the public, and official clarification establishes authority. With these three measures combined, public opinion will definitely be reversed quickly, and the effect will be outstanding.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! This method is brilliant!"

It avoids creating massive prisons and implicating innocent people, while subtly changing public sentiment. It's far more effective than simply banning rumors and arresting people!

""

Emperor Yongle looked at Lin Yue with admiration: "Lin Yue, your mind is indeed brilliant, much smarter than Ji Gang and his ilk."

Lin Yue glanced sideways upon hearing this. Ji Gang was truly the most loyal of Zhu Di's loyal dogs. Just for a few rumors, Ji Gang actually planned to build up a large prison?

It can only be said that they are indeed worthy of being called the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In the first year of Yongle's reign, they were already eager to make their move and try to wreak havoc on all sides.

Lin Yue met with Zhu Di and found that he only focused on quelling rumors, which seemed inconsistent with his style of making many enemies, engaging in widespread fighting, and acting arrogantly.

So he said loudly, "Your Majesty, merely stopping the rumors is only a temporary solution. If the root cause is not eradicated, trouble will surely arise again in the future!"

The reason why rumors are rampant in Jiangnan is that the gentry and literati generally do not support His Majesty.

During the Jingnan Campaign, most of the people in Jiangnan were former officials and subordinates of Emperor Jianwen. Although the case of Fang Xiaoru shocked the world, it did not win them over.

These people, possessing land and controlling the cultural heritage, with civil officials speaking on their behalf in the court and private schools educating the people in the countryside, wielded immense power. They used nursery rhymes and notes to smear His Majesty, defaming the Jingnan Campaign and misinterpreting the new policies as oppressive measures.

"Such smear campaigns are not a one-off event! There are many officials in Jiangnan. If they distort public opinion, tamper with history books, conceal His Majesty's achievements, and amplify the controversies, in the long run, future generations will only remember His Majesty's faults and forget His Majesty's merits!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's expression suddenly changed.

No one cared more about historical evaluations than Zhu Di!

Almost instantly, Zhu Di's attitude toward the rumors in Jiangnan took a complete 180-degree turn.

Lin Yue is absolutely right. History is written by scholars. If we allow them to arbitrarily distort it, wouldn't I become a traitor cursed for all eternity? This is absolutely intolerable!

"The powerful and influential families in Jiangnan are deeply entrenched, and the gentry have a strong and established power base. How should we deal with this?" Zhu Di asked angrily, clearly captivated by his reputation, just like Lin Yue, who had been captivated by a woman.

Lin Yue immediately replied, "The problems in Jiangnan are already deep-seated, and we should take a multi-pronged approach."

To eliminate the threat from Jiangnan, the first step is to break their monopoly on knowledge!

Nowadays, Neo-Confucianism is prevalent in Jiangnan, and former officials of the Jianwen Emperor such as Fang Xiaoru are all followers of it. They use the doctrine of orthodoxy in Neo-Confucianism to deny the legitimacy of Your Majesty's throne.

Your Majesty should support new learning, refute the rigid arguments of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, construct a completely new system of knowledge, and deprive the literati of Jiangnan of their control over public opinion.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di shook his head repeatedly, a troubled expression on his face.

He grew up among military officers and was illiterate. He didn't even know that the "Yongle" reign title had been used by rebels. How could he possibly have built up any knowledge system?

Emperor Yongle waved his hand: "This plan is too difficult. Is there any other way?"

"In that case, let's start with the economy and cut off its foundation!" Lin Yue said, already prepared.

"The reason why the gentry in Jiangnan could wield such power was due to the system of preferential treatment for gentry. Those with official titles were exempt from taxes and corvée labor. The more land they owned, the less taxes they paid. As their wealth accumulated, they had the confidence to confront the imperial court."

"I have previously proposed abolishing these tax-exempt privileges. If we want to completely subdue the gentry of Jiangnan, we should implement the policy of 'apportioning corvée labor to land tax'!"

"Is this what you mean by 'integrating the poll tax into the land tax' again?" Zhu Di pressed.

Lin Yue further explained: "The so-called 'apportionment of corvée labor into land' means that the corvée silver originally levied based on the number of people is entirely apportioned into the land area, and taxes are levied according to the amount of land."

The gentry, who owned more land, had to pay more taxes, while the common people, who owned less land, paid less or no taxes at all.

In this way, it is both fair and reasonable, and it will also make the gentry reveal their hidden tax sources, weaken their financial resources, and make them unable to support private slaves or interfere in local government affairs!

If they do not follow this strategy, Your Majesty may send troops to suppress them and prevent future troubles.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's brows gradually relaxed, and he slowly nodded.

Although the method of merging the poll tax into the land tax is difficult, it is much more feasible than pursuing academic research.

Regardless of the effectiveness of incorporating corvée labor into land tax, as long as this method is implemented, there will be an excuse to suppress the gentry, and then there will naturally be plenty of ways to deal with them.

Zhu Di paced back and forth, deep in thought. He figured that since the previous tax exemption privileges had been removed, implementing the land tax reform wouldn't be a big deal.

"I have decided that the policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax will be announced and implemented when you go to Jiangnan to suppress the Japanese pirates."

He glanced sideways at Lin Yue, his tone low and menacing: "If anything goes wrong, I grant you permission to act first and report later!"

Lin Yue was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly bowed to accept the order: "Your subject obeys! I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

Execute first, report later! This is what you, Zhu Di, said yourself: execute first, report later!

When you go to Jiangnan, how many gentry will commit crimes, resist law enforcement, or collude with Japanese pirates will be beyond your control, Zhu Di.

Lin Yue secretly resolved that when he went to Jiangnan, he would definitely go deep into the region and kill another wave of enemies. If it weren't for Ji Gang's interference last time, he would have easily killed his way to Yingtian Prefecture.

Historically, Zhu Di's struggle with local forces in Jiangnan was also extremely fierce.

After the Jingnan Campaign, although Zhu Di used swift and decisive methods to execute Fang Xiaoru and other former officials of the Jianwen Emperor, thus intimidating the Jiangnan region, he failed to shake the foundation of the gentry class.

To break free from the constraints of the Jiangnan civil official group, he defied public opinion and moved the capital to Beijing, heavily relied on northern military generals and eunuch groups to counterbalance the Jiangnan civil officials, and even carried out large-scale construction of the Grand Canal to strengthen economic control over Jiangnan.

However, the gentry of Jiangnan still firmly controlled the economic and cultural discourse of the South through the imperial examination system, land consolidation, and commercial monopolies, and the preferential treatment system for gentry was never abolished.

Throughout his life, Zhu Di was unable to truly subdue the forces in Jiangnan. He could only hastily go to Beiping on the nineteenth day of the fourth month of that year, and then the three main halls of the Forbidden City were burned down.

In this power struggle between the North and the South, it can be said that Zhu Di lost.

However, Zhu Di was still very tough. Even if he lost, he would not bow his head. The three main halls were burned down, but once he came to Beiping, he would never return to Nanjing.

Inside the Wenhua Hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Zhu Di pondered for a moment and then asked about other matters.

"Lin Yue, you mentioned the glass factory shares before, saying that they could add a million guan to the national treasury. How are the preparations going?"

The Ministry of Revenue recently reported that the northern army is short of funds; if this matter can be resolved, it will alleviate the immediate crisis.

Lin Yue felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

He had absolutely no recollection of the Glass Man shares matter, hadn't followed up on it at all, and completely forgot about it after boasting about it.

However, Lin Yue remained calm and replied, "Your Majesty, this matter is progressing steadily."

I have already joined forces with Duke Li Jinglong of Cao State to integrate the treasure ships with the artisans of the official kilns under their jurisdiction, inventory the long-standing stock of glass materials, and draft profit-sharing contracts and regulations. All matters will be handled in a structured manner, and the regulations will be officially implemented soon.

I, your humble servant, guarantee with my life that I will generate one million strings of cash for Your Majesty within the year to fund military expenses and disaster relief.

Zhu Di nodded slightly upon hearing this, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"A million strings of cash" should not be underestimated; it is worth considering in the long run.

However, since you will be going to North Korea later, this matter needs to be handed over properly as soon as possible, so as not to delay your trip.

The Japanese pirates in Jiangnan are stirring, and you also need to pacify Korea. Don't let one thing distract you from the other and cause you to miss the real important matter.

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Lin Yue bowed and accepted the order before leaving the Wenhua Hall.

Then he went straight to Zuixianlou to meet Li Jinglong.

As soon as they stepped into the private room on the second floor, they saw Li Jinglong sitting upright by the window, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe.

Upon seeing Lin Yue enter, he quickly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and greeted him with a broad smile: "Lord Lin."

After Lin Yue sat down, without any pleasantries, he went straight to the point and asked, "Duke Cao, how is the matter of the glass contract progressing?"

Do not offer empty words or pretexts; His Majesty has inquired about this matter, and you must provide concrete evidence.

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong hurriedly took out a stack of documents from his sleeve and handed them over, his smile becoming even more earnest: "Since our last parting, I have already taken care of all matters concerning the glass industry."

Lord Lin, please rest assured. Take a look. This is a profit-sharing contract jointly stamped by the Ministry of Revenue and Yingtian Prefecture. This is a list of contracts that have been exchanged. Three hundred and twenty-seven shares have already been sold.

Cabinet members Yang Rong and Yang Shiqi each purchased five shares; Zhang Fu, the Left Commander of the Fifth Guard, bought ten shares; Zhang Fu, Zhu Neng, and other nobles who had contributed to the Jingnan Campaign each purchased twenty shares; and many officials and families in the capital with some wealth also subscribed to the shares.

"He also rented a house on the banks of the Qinhuai River and set up a trading platform there, specializing in the buying and selling of contracts. He assigned trusted family members to oversee the transactions to ensure that the accounts were clear and there were no oversights."

Lin Yue flipped through the documents and saw that the list was densely filled with the names of the subscribers and their shares. He felt a little relieved, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "I didn't expect Duke Cao to be so efficient."

Li Jinglong's dedication was actually a result of his circumstances.

In the first year of the Yongle reign, although he held the prestigious titles of Grand Tutor of Taijing and Duke of Cao, and ranked first among the officials, seemingly enjoying unparalleled honor, he was actually walking on thin ice.

He was originally a former official of the Jianwen Emperor. During the Jingnan Campaign, he led an army of 100,000 men, but suffered repeated defeats. In the end, he opened the Jin Chuan Gate and surrendered to Zhu Di, which is how he gained this immense wealth and power.

However, Zhu Di remained wary of him, and the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign despised him for his "demotion," and the voices of impeachment never ceased, saying that he "occupied a high position in vain and had no merit whatsoever."

Li Jinglong knew that if he could not establish real achievements and gain Zhu Di's true trust, his fate would probably not be pleasant. Therefore, when Lin Yue mentioned the plan to keep the glass in place for a long time, he did his best to carry it out, hoping that his actions of getting closer to Zhu Di would gain the trust of the Yongle Emperor.

"The speed is acceptable, but the method is ultimately clumsy." Lin Yue put down the documents, his tone indifferent.

"With your zero-tolerance mutual selling, when will you be able to completely bind the forces of the Central Plains and the Asian court?"