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

Chapter 113 Going to Sea

Lin Yue pressed on with curiosity, "Scholar Xie, where has His Majesty exiled you? Could it be Korea?"

Xie Jin nodded with a wry smile and said, "It is indeed Korea."

Lin Yue was a little puzzled: "Exiled to Korea? Since ancient times, exile has always been to the far north, where the land is bitterly cold, or to the south, where the land is shrouded in miasma. How could there be any reason to exile to a vassal state?"

So, you're going to join Zheng He's fleet on a voyage to Korea?

Xie Jin nodded slowly.

A river breeze carrying water vapor blew in, making Xie Jin's disheveled hair fly wildly. He stood under the old locust tree, looking at the giant ship moored at the dock, feeling that the road ahead was uncertain.

Seeing his distraught appearance, Lin Yue simply nodded slightly: "Since Scholar Xie has received the decree, I will not disturb you any longer. Eunuch Zheng is still waiting on the boat, so I will take my leave now."

Having said that, he turned to head deeper into the dock, but then Xie Jin called out from behind, "Lord Lin, why the rush?"

Lin Yue paused and looked back.

Jie Jin sat on the blue stone steps by the river, his back to the shipyard, facing the turbid and surging Yangtze River.

Xie Jin said, "There is still some time before we set sail. Lord Lin, why don't you sit for a moment and listen to this guilty man speak a few words from his heart?"

Lin Yue hesitated for a moment, then finally stepped over and stood beside him.

Xie Jin lowered his eyes, gazing at the undulating waves on the river, and slowly opened his mouth, his voice ethereal: "In the twenty-first year of Hongwu, I passed the imperial examination at the age of nineteen, becoming a third-class Jinshi and entering the Hanlin Academy as a probationary official."

At that time, I was young and impetuous, feeling that my talents should be used for the benefit of the people. So I wrote a ten-thousand-word letter overnight, directly pointing out the harshness of the law, the disturbance caused by land reclamation, and the corruption of officials and gentry. Every word was sharp and incisive.

He chuckled softly, “At first, Emperor Taizu praised me for my talent, but what happened later? He disliked my straightforward words and lack of tact. With one imperial edict, he demoted me to my hometown and sent me to reflect on my mistakes in seclusion. I was imprisoned for eight years.”

After the Jingnan Rebellion, His Majesty ascended the throne and summoned me back to court to join the cabinet and participate in state affairs. I thought it was my time to turn my luck around and realize my ambitions again.

""

He raised his hand and pointed to the robe he was wearing: "But in the end, I only offended His Majesty's wrath again, and ended up being dismissed from office and exiled thousands of miles away."

"Lin Yue, my fate today is nothing other than the disastrous result of acting solely on impulse, lacking understanding of the proper conduct in court, and ultimately driving myself to ruin."

Xie Jin spoke faster and faster: "In this provincial examination, you used an iron fist to crack down on corruption, arresting hundreds of students and turning the world upside down in the Jiangnan scholar community. You even dared to lock up and imprison the son of the Duke of Qi."

Upon hearing of the imperial examination fraud case, His Majesty was furious and ordered the widespread imprisonment.

Xie Jin patted the bluestone and said quietly, "Lin Yue, you are in the right and have done what is right for the people. His Majesty trusts you. But have you ever thought about the principle that too much rigidity leads to breakage?"

With sheer courage and determination, he dared to forge ahead and push all the officials to the opposite side!

But in the imperial court, a single hair can affect the whole situation. Public opinion can melt metal and accumulate to destroy bones. Even if His Majesty protects you for a while, can he protect you for a lifetime?

You've offended everyone—the nobility, the gentry, the civil officials—so that if you make even the slightest mistake in the future, countless people will pounce on you and tear you to shreds!

The river wind blew faster and faster, and the waves crashed against the embankment with a rumbling sound.

Xie Jin spoke faster and faster, his chest heaving violently, as if he were venting all the resentment he had accumulated over half a lifetime in one breath: "His Majesty uses you to break the deeply entrenched power of the Jiangnan gentry, to rectify the examination system, and to put pressure on all officials!"

But you caused such a stir in the court and among the people that he immediately transferred you away from the vortex. This was both to protect you from the limelight and to warn you to temper your brilliance!

"The art of rulership has always been about striking a balance between firmness and leniency! Use your strength, but also guard against your arrogance!"

I am the best example! Back then, Emperor Taizu used my talent, but he also guarded against my straightforwardness. When he needed me, he praised me as a talented man, but when he didn't need me, he demoted me back to my hometown with a single imperial edict!

If you continue to be so sharp and showy, without knowing how to restrain yourself, you will eventually suffer the fate of being discarded like a dog after the rabbit is killed and a bow after the birds are gone!

Even if you choose the righteous path, you must know how to conceal your talents and remain humble, lest you follow in my footsteps, ending up with unfulfilled ambitions, exiled to a foreign land, and with no chance of ever rising again.

At this point, Xie Jin suddenly deflated, letting out a long sigh and saying, "The emperors of the Ming Dynasty are truly cruel and ungrateful."

Then, Xie Jin let out several long laughs while looking at the vast river.

"A thousand words express lofty ambitions, yet he refuses to withdraw them even when facing the abyss."

The spirit of a thousand autumns, captured in his writing, flows eastward with the water.

His talent shines as brightly as the sun and moon; who can say this life is over?

"I'd rather be buried in the belly of a river fish than bow before a king or nobleman."

As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned on the stone steps and staggered to his feet: "Hahaha, Xie Jin, if you had known this would happen, why did you have to compromise and suffer such humiliation?"

Lin Yue's heart skipped a beat. What? You, Xie Jin, also want to become a revered poet?

Just as he was about to call out to him, he saw Jin spread his arms and leap like a bird, plunging straight into the surging Yangtze River. "Holy crap!" Lin Yue exclaimed in shock.

As the river churned, the figure of Xie Jin, the talented scholar of the Ming Dynasty, was instantly swallowed by the waves.

Without thinking twice, and without even untying his jade belt and official robe, Lin Yue lunged forward and leaped into the icy, bone-chilling river.

Lin Yue struggled to swim and grabbed Xie Jin's belt, trying to pull him to shore, but a wave crashed over them and they were both submerged.

Seeing Xie Jin and Lin Yue jump into the river one after the other, the craftsmen carrying materials on the shore of the shipyard, the soldiers on duty, and the sailors on the ship were all stunned at first, and then they burst into a frenzy.

"Scholar Lin has fallen into the river! Quick, save him!"

"It's Lord Lin! And Scholar Xie! Everyone who can swim, get in the water!"

Dozens of officers and sailors who knew how to swim jumped into the river, and the Fujian and treasure ships moored at the dock weighed anchor and rowed rapidly toward the spot where the people had fallen into the water.

On the deck of the main ship, Zheng He was checking the list of supplies for the mission, surrounded by a group of commanders, ship captains, and interpreters. Suddenly, he heard a commotion and chaos on the shore. His brows furrowed immediately, and he asked his guards in a deep voice, "What's going on at the dock? Why is there such a commotion?"

The guard rushed to the ship's side, grabbed a running junior officer, and asked what had happened. His face instantly changed, and he hurriedly ran back, shouting, "My lord! Scholar Xie and Lord Lin have both jumped into the river, their fates unknown!"

"What?!" Zheng He was shocked.

What's going on? Why did Xie Jin and Lin Yue jump into the river? Were they having an affair? That can't be right, wasn't Xie Jin exiled to North Korea?

Zheng He, a veteran general of the Jingnan Campaign, was usually as calm and composed as a mountain. But at this moment, his expression changed, and he sternly ordered: "Pass on my order! All ships must move closer to where the person fell into the water! All soldiers and sailors who can swim must do their utmost to rescue him!"

"You must rescue these two scholars as soon as possible. If you fail, everyone involved will be held accountable!"

The process was thrilling, but the result was good. With a large workforce at the shipyard, the ships used their own fishing nets to salvage Xie Jin and Lin Yue.

"Pull! Pull quickly!" The sailors on the boat shouted in unison, and dozens of people worked together to pull the thick cable tight, dragging the two men out of the river and quickly bringing them to the shore.

Both Xie Jin and Lin Yue swallowed a lot of river water, and both lay on the bank, pale-faced, vomiting water.

After recovering his strength, Xie Jin silently said, "Why did you save me? I didn't ask you for help. Aren't you afraid of losing your life by doing this?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue was furious and exclaimed, "What kind of fairy is this?"

Enraged, he raised his hand and punched Xie Jin hard in the upper abdomen.

The punch was powerful and struck Xie Jin squarely in his waterlogged stomach. Xie Jin cried out in pain and vomited a mouthful of river water, curling up on the ground.

Lin Yue pointed at him and gritted his teeth, angrily saying, "Only a dog would save you!"

I was just instinctively saving someone. If you want to die, then go somewhere far away and find a quiet place. Just don't die in front of me!

Xie Jin knelt on the ground, coughing and vomiting, completely exhausted, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.

Zheng He and his entourage rushed over and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the two men, though disheveled, had at least survived.

He looked at Xie Jin, whose face was ashen, and said in a deep voice, "Scholar Xie, you seem to be determined to die."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jin slowly closed his eyes: "What good is it for a man born into this world if he cannot realize his great ambitions for the world and display his talents in the court, but merely live a life of ignominy?"

Lin Yue had just caught his breath when he heard these words. His anger gradually subsided, and he felt a pang of regret instead.

He was successful in his youth, but suffered a complete defeat in middle age. Fate is cruel.

Master Lin was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see people contemplating suicide. After thinking for a while, he decided to give Xie Jin a dose of inspirational advice, like the poem "Ode to the Cold Kiln," to see if it would have any effect.

So he said loudly, "The weather is unpredictable, and people are subject to misfortune and fortune at any time."

A centipede with a hundred legs cannot outrun a snake; a rooster with two wings cannot fly higher than a crow.

A horse may be able to travel a thousand miles, but it cannot go there without a rider; a person may have lofty ambitions, but they cannot achieve them without good fortune.

It is said that in life, wealth and honor should not corrupt, nor should poverty and hardship sway one's will.

Confucius, a man of unparalleled literary talent, suffered hardship in the state of Chen; Jiang Ziya, a man of exceptional military strategy, fished by the Wei River. Yan Hui died young, yet he was by no means a wicked man; Robber Zhi lived a long life, yet he was not a virtuous one. Emperor Yao, wise and sagacious, had an unworthy son; Gu Sou, foolish and stubborn, had a filial son.

Alas! In this life, one should not indulge in wealth and honor, nor deceive oneself in poverty and hardship. One should accept the cycle of heaven and earth, which repeats itself endlessly.

After reciting the poem, the river breeze carried its lingering sound into the waves.

Xie Jin stood there in a daze for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

"I previously thought that Scholar Lin was a righteous and impartial official, but I never expected that he would have such shallow knowledge."

This poem is crude and vulgar in its language, with a jumble of allusions and no logical structure. It is nothing more than the grumbling of a down-on-his-luck scholar and is utterly unbearable to listen to.

Scholar Lin actually tried to persuade me with such things; he greatly underestimates me, Xie Jin.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue was not annoyed at all. He patted the water off his clothes and said, "Scholar Xie is right. It's just a few common sayings circulating in the streets."

Xie Jin was taken aback. Looking at Lin Yue's open and honest appearance, there was no trace of his previous sorrow and dejection. He stood up with a sense of relief.

He bowed deeply to Lin Yue and said, "Jie Jin has learned a great deal today."

"How can a great man, born into this world, abandon his lofty ambitions because of a temporary setback?" He looked up at the vast river. "This time, on my way to court, I will make a name for myself and never let the world look down on me, Xie Jin."

Seeing that Jin had regained his spirits, Zheng He breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to greet Lin Yue with a cupped-hand salute, saying, "Scholar Lin, the ships, supplies, accompanying officers and soldiers, and interpreters are all ready, and all provisions and water have been loaded onto the ships."

"Once the scholar boards the ship, we can fire the cannons and set sail. Please, Your Excellency, move to the main ship to discuss the itinerary and defenses along the route."

Lin Yue nodded in agreement, gave Xie Jin a slight bow, and then turned to follow Zheng He toward the most majestic flagship deep within the dock.

The main ship was Zheng He's personal flagship. It had five decks, was 44 zhang long and 18 zhang wide, and was a 5,000-ton ship. The hull was made of hardwood and was as solid as a rock. The deck was brightly decorated with armor and flags fluttering. The cannons on both sides were imposing and awe-inspiring at first glance.

The flag officer at the bow shouted "Yes, sir!" and three cannon shots boomed, shaking the surface of the river.

"Weigh anchor! Raise sails!"

Commands were relayed down the chain of command, and more than a hundred ships moved in unison, hoisting their anchors and breaking through the water, their white sails rising one after another, billowing in the river wind.

The fleet, stretching for more than ten miles, sailed down the Yangtze River, its masts like a forest, its banners obscuring the sky, heading majestically towards the sea.

Lin Yue stood on the observation deck at the top of the main ship, facing the whistling river wind, looking back at the gradually receding city of Nanjing.

The majestic outline of Zijin Mountain faded further and further into the misty waves.

With the vast sky and boundless sea, a surge of heroic spirit arises within him. This time, as he leaves Beijing, he is poised to make great strides and amaze everyone with his skills.

The first priority of this voyage is to head south to the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to quell the Japanese pirates and strike them hard!

As Lin Yue was gazing into the distance from the railing, Zheng He stepped forward and said, "Scholar Lin, the winds on the river and sea are strong and the dew is heavy. You have just fallen into the river and caught a chill. Why don't you come into the cabin for a detailed discussion to avoid harming your health?"

Lin Yue turned around, nodded, and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Eunuch Zheng."

The two turned and descended from the observation deck, entering the middle-level officer's cabin.

Inside the cabin, on a large nanmu wood table, a colorful map of the Ming Dynasty's coastal borders and a map of Korea were already laid out. Brushes, inkstones, and writing implements were arranged on both sides, and documents of the diplomatic envoy's itinerary, rosters of officials and soldiers, and lists of gifts from vassal states were neatly stacked, with heavy copper weights pressing down on each of the four corners, all in an orderly and disciplined manner.

Zheng He sat down and pointed to the nautical chart, saying, "Scholar Lin, please look. This time, we set off from Longjiang, followed the Yangtze River out of Liuhekou into the East China Sea, first arriving at Liujiagang in Taicang for resupply, and then heading north all the way through the Heishuiyang to the Hanjiang estuary in Seoul, Korea."

Three supply ports were set up along the way, and 2,000 government troops were assigned to guard the twelve main treasure ships. There were scout ships in front to explore the way and grain ships behind to support the rear, ensuring that everything was safe and secure.

As for the procedures for issuing imperial edicts, exchanging official credentials, and the audience with the vassal kings after entering Korea, the Ministry of Rites had already drafted regulations.

"Zheng He was a meticulous person. He explained things in a clear and orderly manner, leaving no detail out, which fully demonstrated the composure and competence of the commander-in-chief."

Lin Yue sat at the table, but listened absentmindedly. Although his eyes were on the nautical chart, he did not pay any attention to the itinerary and rituals, and only nodded occasionally.

After Zheng He finished speaking, Lin Yue looked up and pointed to the coastal area of ​​Jiangsu and Zhejiang on the nautical chart.

"Eunuch Zheng, the itinerary and rituals are all minor details. Right now, there is something more important than the mission to Korea that we must do."

""

Zheng He was taken aback, put down his writing brush, and asked, "What is it that you speak of, scholar?"

"The Japanese pirates in Jiangnan must be wiped out!" Lin Yue said firmly. "In recent years, Japanese ronin have colluded with coastal traitors to form pirates. They frequently invade our coastal areas, plunder prefectures and counties, kill our people, steal our property, and burn our villages. The people of the Jiangnan and Zhejiang coastal areas have suffered for a long time."