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

Chapter 89 Liaodong Envoy

Zhu Di's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but a trace of doubt remained, and he pressed for an answer.

"Such maneuvering relies entirely on the manipulation of information, whether true or false. Can it truly guarantee a safe profit? If the information leaks or causes unrest among the people, wouldn't it be a losing proposition?"

Lin Yue said confidently, "Your Majesty, rest assured, it's simply a matter of buying low and selling high, and taking what's expensive and getting what's cheap."

The matter of shares can only be handled by the powerful and wealthy; for them, losing some money is of no great importance.

By making preparations for third-party oversight in advance, we naturally avoid taking on any responsibility.

A stock trading market could be set up next to the Yingtian Prefecture Office, supervised by the government, with only silver allowed for transactions, and open to officials, civilians and merchants, to attract people first.

The news must then be released one by one. First, the news of the procurement by the Imperial Palace and the Five Military Commands should be announced by His Majesty through imperial decree to demonstrate his authority.

Once the stock price has risen sufficiently, Your Majesty will sell a portion of the stock and then release information about the Japanese pirates' raids, stating only that the Southeast Coast Guard has begun to appear and some ports have been temporarily closed.

"The stock price will inevitably fall, and Your Majesty can then buy more at the bottom. Repeating this process several times will allow Your Majesty to reap the full benefits of the stock without reducing your shareholding, thus making a substantial profit."

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Zhu Di praised repeatedly. "I will give the order immediately, and have the Five Military Commands, the Imperial Observatory, and the Imperial Medical Academy submit their requests for purchase tomorrow!"

As for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I have ordered Ji Gang to personally oversee the dissemination of the information, ensuring it is completely airtight.

Emperor Yongle thought about it and then felt it wasn't quite right.

"Releasing the news is understandable, but when it comes to selling and buying back shares, it's probably best to do it discreetly. We can't let the imperial treasury handle it directly, which would invite criticism."

"Your Majesty is wise." Lin Yue bowed and replied, "Your Majesty can find someone to take the lead and secretly contact trustworthy merchants to handle the transactions. When making transactions, silver can be exchanged using bank drafts, without involving the name of the government, so that it will be difficult for others to detect."

Once a profit is made, the principal and dividends can be quietly returned to the government treasury.

"That's a good idea. We'll find a suitable person then." Zhu Di nodded.

Zheng He and Hou Xian, who were standing nearby, were deeply shocked. They exchanged a glance and both saw astonishment in each other's eyes.

Zheng He thought to himself, "Scholar Lin is not only knowledgeable in science and engineering, but also has a deep understanding of business and human nature. No wonder His Majesty values ​​him so highly."

Hou Xian sighed, only Lin Yue dared to think and speak such a vicious plan, and even managed to persuade His Majesty. If it were anyone else, they would probably have been charged with "spreading heresy" long ago.

With the stock market matters settled, Zhu Di, due to urgent state affairs, took Hou Xian and set off to return to the palace.

Lin Yue and Zhao Hu walked home along the Qinhuai River.

Just as they arrived outside the Yingtianfu post station, they heard a commotion.

A dozen or so foreigners, dressed in strange clothes and carrying long knives at their waists, were seen pushing, shoving, and cursing the post station official.

A bearded man kicked the clerk to the ground and pointed his whip at his nose while roaring. Several others ransacked the post station's packages.

The official got up and tried to resist, but the foreigners became even more arrogant, whipping his back with a horsewhip and laughing crudely and harshly.

"How dare you!" Lin Yue was furious upon seeing this and quickly stepped forward to rebuke him.

"You are vassals of the Great Ming Dynasty. When you come to the capital to pay tribute, you should abide by the laws of the Great Ming Dynasty. How dare you beat officials and wreak havoc at the post stations right under the emperor's nose! You are truly lawless!"

Upon hearing this, the bearded man turned around, looked Lin Yue up and down, saw that he was dressed in the civil official's uniform, and his eyes were full of contempt. He cursed in broken Chinese.

"You scoundrel, minding your own business! We are envoys from Jianzhou, sent to the capital by the Great Khan. How dare you be so disrespectful to a few petty officials? We've already been beaten, so what? What can you do about it?"

Lin Yue was even angrier. They were actually Jurchens from Liaodong. He hadn't even gone to Korea to kill them yet, and they had already come first.

Before Lin Yue could finish his angry rebuke, the Jurchen man suddenly raised his whip and lashed it across his face.

With a sharp "smack," a red mark immediately appeared on Lin Yue's left cheek.

"You still dare to commit violence?!" Lin Yue was furious and drew the Han sword bestowed upon him by Emperor Yongle from his waist.

With a flash of sword light, the Jurchen man was caught off guard and his right hand holding the whip was severed at the wrist!

Blood gushed out, and the man screamed in agony. The other Jurchens were shocked by what they saw and drew their swords to surround him, cursing incomprehensible barbarians with fierce eyes.

Lin Yue, carrying his blood-dripping sword, showed no fear and pointed at the Jurchen people, shouting sternly.

"The distinction between Chinese and barbarians is based on propriety! You barbarians, who have received the grace of being enfeoffed by the Great Ming and enjoy the benefits of the court's salary, dare to rebel and oppress the Han people!"

When Emperor Wu of Han conquered the Xiongnu, he punished anyone who dared to violate his borders, no matter how far away they were. When Emperor Taizu of Ming Dynasty expelled the Yuan Dynasty and pacified the country, he also issued an edict that any barbarian who did not submit should be immediately punished!

"You dare to act so recklessly in the Ming Dynasty today? Do you really think our Celestial Empire is without anyone to rely on?"

The onlookers, who already disliked the Jurchens' arrogance, joined in the angry rebukes when Lin Yue shouted at them.

"Well done! These Liaodong barbarians were too arrogant!"

"Lord Lin is right, we can't let them bully us!"

The shouts of cursing rose and fell, creating a powerful and resounding atmosphere.

Enraged by the insults, the Jurchens grabbed their weapons and surrounded Lin Yue.

Lin Yue sneered and drew his sword to meet the attack.

The sound of galloping hooves came rapidly as the patrolling gentry of the Central Military Command and the Imperial Guards arrived. The leader of the Imperial Guards, Li De, was the same person he had encountered by chance in the streets earlier.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers rushed forward and used their spears to separate the two sides.

Li recognized Lin Yue and quickly stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

"Lord Lin, are you alright? These barbarians are not worth your anger. I will escort you back now, and we can handle this place."

Although Li De was a centurion, he knew that this matter involved envoys from foreign vassal states and was a major diplomatic affair. He and his subordinates could not make decisions on their own. They should send Lin Yue, this troublemaker, away first.

"Deal with? How will you deal with it?" Lin Yue glared at Li De and started cursing.

"I had a conflict with these barbarians, and according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, I should have been arrested along with them. Why did you let me go? Do you also intend to let them go?"

The laws of the Ming Dynasty are magnificent, yet they allow barbarians to run rampant in the capital. This is all the fault of you incompetent officials. You are timid and cowardly in the face of trouble, you usually act arrogantly and domineeringly, but when you see foreign vassals, you grovel and allow the Han people to be humiliated.

Lin Yue glanced at the people from Liaodong, sheathed his sword, and shouted angrily at Li De and the others.

"Why don't you take action? The Embroidered Uniform Guard is in charge of arrests and prisons, and the Central Military Commission is responsible for maintaining order in the capital. Since you have the responsibility to make arrests, you should act impartially!"

"For what happened today, I am guilty as well as they are! Immediately take us all to the Imperial Prison of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and hand us over to His Majesty for judgment. Let's see who dares to show favoritism!"

Li De and the captain of the Central Military Command beside him looked at each other, both with troubled expressions.

Left with no other option, Li De waved his hand and said, "Guards! Seize Lord Lin and these Jurchens, take them to prison for temporary detention, and keep them under strict guard. No mistakes are allowed!"

The soldiers rushed forward, and although they dared not torture Lin Yue, they could only take out chains and symbolically bind his wrists.

On the other side, they forcibly dragged the roaring and struggling Jurchen people up and headed towards the Jinyiwei prison.

The onlookers applauded and cheered upon seeing this.

They cursed the Jurchens' backs incessantly, while praising Lin Yue's actions.

The news that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had imprisoned Lin Yue along with the Jurchens from Liaodong reached the palace in no time.

Zhu Di was pondering the Korean situation while looking at the map. Upon hearing this, he put down his vermilion pen, shook his head helplessly, and sighed to Hou Xian, who was standing beside him.

"This Lin Yue is truly a troublemaker. Yesterday, the court rejected my proposal to return the gift, and today he cut off the hand of a foreign envoy in the street. Tomorrow's court meeting will likely cause another huge uproar."

Hou Xian bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Lord Lin is upright in character, but his actions are too hasty. Although the Jurchens of Liaodong are vassal states, diplomatic relations must still be taken into account. This matter is indeed thorny."

Zhu Di waved his hand: "Alright, keep the man in custody for now, and we'll discuss this matter again at court tomorrow and see what the court officials have to say."

The following day at the court assembly, officials at Fengtian Gate lined up in order of rank.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, the Earl of Pingjiang, Chen Xuan, who is in charge of maritime transport, transported 492,637 shi of grain and fodder to Beijing and Liaodong last month. The grain has been distributed to various granaries and is sufficient to meet the military needs for next spring."

Zhu Di nodded: "Chen Xuan has made meritorious contributions in supervising the grain transport. The Ministry of Revenue shall record his achievements and reward him accordingly in the future."

In recent years, the Grand Canal has flourished, and maritime transport also needs to be strengthened. The capital garrison, along with the garrisons of Zhejiang, Huguang, Jiangxi, and Suzhou, are ordered to build 200 seagoing vessels within three months to supplement the Grand Canal fleet for military and civilian transport needs.

Minister of War Liu Jun stepped forward to receive the imperial decree: "Your subject obeys the decree."

After handling all routine government affairs, Zhu Di glanced at the officials in the hall and said in a deep voice, "If you have anything to report, speak up; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man rushed out from the queue—it was Ma Zhen, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice.

Dressed in the robes of a seventh-rank official, holding a memorial of impeachment, he proclaimed loudly, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to impeach Lin Yue, a Hanlin Academy Reader, whose crimes are numerous. I humbly request Your Majesty to punish him severely!"

Zhu Di raised an eyebrow: "I don't know what it is, please tell me in detail."

Ma Zhen unfolded the memorial and angrily denounced Lin Yue, saying, "Lin Yue is arrogant and rebellious, and has committed numerous crimes!"

The other day in court, His Majesty intended to generously reward the foreign envoys to demonstrate the majesty of the Celestial Empire. However, Lin Yue publicly refuted this, stating that "barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue," and insisted on opposing the return of gifts. This action is unbecoming of the Celestial Empire, chills the hearts of vassal states, and is already a great act of treason!

"Yesterday, outside the post station in Yingtian Prefecture, Lin Yue actually cut off the wrist of the Liaodong Jurchen tribute envoy!"

The Jurchens were vassals of Jianzhou in Liaodong. Their envoys' visits to the capital to pay tribute demonstrated their submission to the Celestial Empire. Lin Yue's actions disregarded diplomatic relations, wantonly undermined the Celestial Empire's prestige, and could potentially trigger border troubles and disrupt peace in all directions!

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and began to bring up old grievances: "Years ago, when Lin Yue went to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief, he used the pretext of embezzlement to execute dozens of local officials and implicate hundreds of Jiangnan gentry families. Such cruelty towards local worthies caused widespread fear and resentment among the people of Jiangnan!"

"I have heard that the Six Ministries are responsible for reviewing, refuting, and impeaching officials. They should speak frankly and report on the merits and demerits of all officials and the government."

Since entering officialdom, Lin Yue has been arrogant and unruly, showing no regard for the law.

He defied His Majesty in the imperial court, bullied foreign vassals in diplomatic relations, and persecuted local gentry. His actions have seriously shaken the foundation of the nation and corrupted the moral order!

If we do not punish them severely, how can we uphold the law of the land? How can we subdue the people? How can we secure the vassal states?

Ma Zhen held the memorial high above his head and proclaimed, "I humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict to dismiss Lin Yue from his post, imprison him, and subject him to severe interrogation and punishment, so that he may be punished as a model for others!"

After listening to Ma Zhen's impeachment, Zhu Di pondered for a moment and felt that there was no need to debate with Ma Zhen.

Ma Zhen's impeachment was quite measured, focusing on diplomacy and decorum, unlike Lin Yue who frequently launched personal attacks against Zhu Di.

Zhu Di then waved his hand and said, "The truth of this matter is difficult to determine."

It's difficult to judge based on just one side's account. Summon Lin Yue to the court for a confrontation!

Before long, Lin Yue, dressed in casual clothes, strode into Fengtian Gate.

Before he could even perform the proper greeting, Zhu Di asked a question.

"Lin Yue, is it true that someone has impeached you for provoking the Jurchen envoy from Liaodong and disrupting diplomatic relations?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Lin Yue immediately retorted loudly.

"What I did was to protect the people of the Ming Dynasty and punish the barbarian villains. How could that be considered provocation?"

Who is barking and raving in the hall, uttering such senseless words?

He looked up at Zhu Di, and following Zhu Di's gaze, accurately locked onto Ma Zhen in the queue.

Seeing this, Ma Zhen did not back down and immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"It is I who impeach you! Diplomatic relations are a matter of great importance to the nation. Although the Liaodong Jurchens are vassal states, they represent a region of people. Lin Yue's public beheading of their envoy's hand disrupts diplomatic relations and could easily trigger border troubles!"

In the past, when King Mu of Zhou campaigned against the Rui Rong, the distant regions did not come to pay their respects. This was precisely because he had underestimated the foreign vassals. Such a lesson should not be ignored!

Lin Yue, enraged, laughed and pointed his spear at Ma Zhen, his voice sharp and stern: "Disrupting your mother and servant's diplomatic relations!"

Ma Zhen, you're just a monkey in a crown! You've read a few books of sages and become so arrogant that you don't know your place!

Mencius clearly stated, "The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important." Emperor Gaozu of the Ming Dynasty admonished his descendants, "I fear that future generations will rely on the strong to bully the weak and lose sight of their original purpose." The fundamental principle is to prioritize the people!

He took two steps forward and thrust his sword at Ma Zhen: "Is the dignity of foreign envoys more important than the lives of the people of my Great Ming?"

The post station staff in Liaodong received only seven taels of silver a year, yet they had to bear the enormous expenses of the Jurchen mission. The Jurchen mission wantonly abused the post station staff, and countless people and animals were injured. The post station staff had no choice but to sell their children.

The tribute paid by the Jurchens of Liaodong was a tragic event born of the blood and tears of the people of Liaodong. This tragedy occurred in Liaodong, which is now part of my dynasty.

"You show such indifference to the suffering of the common people; have you perhaps wasted all your time studying the classics?"

Ma Zhen's face flushed crimson, and he retorted sharply, "Lin Yue, don't spread alarmist rumors here!"

The tributary system is the foundation of a nation. The Western Zhou Dynasty's system of tributary states was established by selecting virtuous officials to serve as a bulwark for Zhou, and it was through this system that the order of the world was maintained!

Receiving a few envoys and spending a little money and grain is the right way to benefit China and bring peace to the country. How can it be considered ignoring suffering?

Although the Jurchens may occasionally be arrogant, they are ultimately a subjugated nation. Killing their envoy would discourage them from becoming vassals. If they fail to come to the border and cause trouble, can you bear the responsibility?

Your harassment of foreign envoys is nothing more than a display of momentary courage; this deliberate disruption of diplomatic relations is merely an attempt to exonerate your arrogant actions!

Lin Yue pointed at Ma Zhen and shouted, "The righteous path? I think it's the path that will ruin the country!"

When the Jurchens paid tribute, they were not subservient vassals; from the beginning, they were ferocious beasts that sucked the blood and flesh of the people of Liaodong and were waiting to be sold!

In the early days of the Han Dynasty, when the Han Dynasty was first established, it made peace with the Xiongnu by offering tribute and marriage alliances. However, in return, the Xiongnu killed and captured more than 10,000 people in the two commanderies of Yunzhong and Liaodong every year. It was your foolish idea of ​​"feeding the wolves with the people's blood" that caused the border people to be displaced!

Erma Zhen only knew how to talk big, but turned a blind eye to the blood and tears of the people. He was full of benevolence and morality, but in reality, he was a scoundrel!

"You hold the position of Censor-in-Chief, responsible for refuting and impeaching officials, yet you only know how to whitewash the truth and flatter foreign powers. This is truly an act of treason for personal gain, no different from Qin Hui of the Song Dynasty!"