You were asked to write a political intrigue drama, but you wrote "Da Ming 1566".

Chapter 113 Does the national treasury belong to the Zhu family or the Yan family? Another bombshell!

The heated verbal standoff came to an end. Shen Yishi, who had been relentlessly pressed by Hai Rui and had nowhere left to retreat, finally revealed his last trump card. The banner bearing the seven gilded characters "The Weaving Bureau is Ordered to Provide Disaster Relief" unfurled in the whistling wind of the Qiantang River, fluttering in the breeze.

Hai Rui, standing on the shore, froze on the spot.

In front of the screen, tens of millions of viewers watching the live stream were all simultaneously stunned.

This sudden and shocking reversal, this visually stunning scene, will undoubtedly become one of the most classic moments in the entire series. However, behind this breathtaking spectacle, a huge question arises in everyone's mind: What was Shen Yishi's purpose in doing this?

Shouldn't he have followed the imperial decree and taken advantage of the people of Chun'an's crop failure and desperation to purchase large quantities of land at low prices, thus completing the national policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields? Why did he suddenly play this unexpected trump card of being ordered to provide disaster relief at this critical juncture?

What exactly is going on here?

If all the grain that was painstakingly collected from various places were used to provide relief to the disaster victims in Chun'an, then the plan to annex farmland would be completely ruined. How would Shen Yishi explain the almost impossible task he was carrying to his superiors?

Even someone as meticulous as Hai Rui was filled with the same questions. He suppressed his shock and asked Shen Yishi in a deep voice why he had made such an unexpected move. Shen Yishi, however, remained calm and composed, uttering a series of high-sounding and impeccable words that left Hai Rui with no reason to refute his doubts.

In the end, Hai Rui could only sign his name on the document and officially accept the life-saving grain that Shen Yishi had lent to Chun'an County.

However, outside the script, the layers of doubt still weighed heavily on the hearts of every viewer, lingering for a long time.

They couldn't help but recall the scene from not long ago when Shen Yishi led dozens of grain ships slowly away from the Hangzhou dock. At that time, his eyes showed no trace of the ease of completing a mission; instead, they were filled with a desperate and tragic air, like a cornered beast fighting for its life. Every movement, every glance, silently spoke of his preparedness to die.

This was a man who yearned for the refined life of scholars and poets, longing to compose poems, play music, and create art. But simply because he was born into a merchant family and branded with the stigma of commerce, he was forever deprived of the right to pursue his ideals. Throughout his life, he could only struggle in the mire of fate, firmly bound by the shackles of the times, and trampled upon at will by those high-ranking officials.

When a person is completely convinced that they are doomed to die, all the rules and regulations that bound them their entire lives, and all the fame and fortune they once cared so much about, will vanish in an instant. At that point, will their actions still be merely to complete the tasks assigned to them, or to save their own life and fortune?

"Something's not right. There's definitely something wrong here. Shen Yishi went to such lengths; it couldn't have been just for simple disaster relief." "I have a feeling Shen Yishi is brewing a massive plan, one that will definitely detonate a bombshell that will shake the entire Ming Dynasty." "Chen Yu is playing a long game! I really couldn't have predicted this plot twist!"

The live stream chat was flooded with comments, viewers discussing and speculating about the deeper meaning behind Shen Yishi's actions. Countless seasoned history buffs and plot analysts joined in, racking their brains to guess how Chen Yu would handle Shen Yishi's character. But no matter how wildly they imagined it, they could never have guessed that what was about to happen would far exceed everyone's expectations.

They could never have guessed that this renowned and incredibly wealthy merchant, the richest man in Jiangnan, was now penniless and desperate. His next move would leave those high-ranking officials, who had been eager to confiscate his wealth to fill the enormous deficit in the national treasury, utterly devastated and ashen-faced!

However, Chen Yu naturally wouldn't spoil these details at this moment. This was the climax and most exciting part of the entire plot, and the answer would be revealed at the very end. He gently moved the mouse, shifting the narrative perspective of the script from the turbulent Qiantang River to the heavily guarded Yan Mansion deep within the capital city.

After the dramatic political storm that swept through the Yu Xi Palace, this usually bustling and lively mansion was now witnessing an equally dramatic event. A suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere, like a thick, dark cloud, hung over the Yan family's hall, making everyone present feel suffocated and forced to keep their heads down in silence.

Two stewards dressed in blue cloth robes each held a stack of clean and tidy clothes, standing motionless on either side of the hall's entrance, heads bowed in silent concentration. Luo Longwen and Yan Maoqing, two core members of Yan's faction, also stood with their heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound, quietly standing to the left and right of Yan Shifan below.

Yan Song, seated in the main seat, stared blankly at the roof beams above him, his eyes vacant, as if his very soul had been ripped away. Rain dripped incessantly from his official robes, leaving dark stains on the blue brick floor beneath his feet. Yan Shifan, similarly soaked, sat grimly in a chair beside him, his hands clenched into tight fists.

The more he recalled everything that had just happened in Yuxi Palace, the more difficult it became for him to suppress his grievances and resentment.

What had he done to deserve this? He had been unfairly burdened with such a huge accusation, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

The Jiajing Emperor casually shifted all the blame for the national treasury deficit onto the Yan faction. Were the Yan faction corrupt? The answer is yes. Over the years, they certainly amassed considerable wealth through their power.

But to say that the money they embezzled could cause such a huge deficit in the national treasury would be a tremendous injustice. Putting aside everything else, which of the Jiajing Emperor himself and his pampered relatives wasn't spending money like water, squandering enormous amounts of national wealth?

Yan Shifan grew angrier and more aggrieved the more he thought about it, and finally couldn't help but start calculating the score.

His calculations completely tore away the veil concealing the already riddled flaws in the Ming Dynasty's financial system, exposing the shocking truth nakedly before everyone! [So many vassal kings, and so many people in the empress's palace, yet half of the annual expenses are consumed.]

Last year, palace renovations took up another third of the space.

Even if Yan Shifan were incredibly bold, he would never dare to say such a thing in any other setting.

However, at home, facing his most trusted subordinates and his own father, his long-suppressed resentment finally broke through the dam of reason, causing him to involuntarily speak the truth that had been buried deep in his heart.

Luo Longwen and Yan Maoqing, who were standing to the side, simply lowered their heads silently and did not utter a word. Even Yan Song, who had just been immersed in shock and anger, only slightly moved his eyelids and did not refute Yan Shifan's words.

This already explains everything. Every word of Yan Shifan's calculations was absolutely true, without the slightest exaggeration. Otherwise, given Yan Song's shrewdness, he would have stopped him immediately. And if these calculations are true, then the problems involved are truly shocking.

These two expenditures alone account for five-sixths of the Ming Dynasty's annual fiscal revenue!

Five-sixths of the nation's wealth has already been allocated for specific purposes, leaving only the pitiful one-sixth to scrape together for everything else. Maintaining the entire vast empire's normal operation, feeding millions of soldiers, paying the salaries of officials at all levels, and dealing with various natural and man-made disasters—it would be truly strange if a massive deficit didn't occur with this one-sixth of the fiscal revenue.

From this perspective, while Yan Shifan's faction was indeed corrupt, it was truly unfair to make them bear the full responsibility for the national treasury deficit alone. "The national treasury is empty...they say it's our fault that the national treasury is empty." "They even say that converting rice paddies to mulberry fields is to make up for our deficit..." Yan Shifan became increasingly agitated and aggrieved as he spoke. In the end, this usually arrogant and domineering young Grand Secretary couldn't help but break down in tears.

He hadn't shed a single tear when facing Emperor Jiajing's fury in the Yuxi Palace. But back home, having shed all pretense, the grievances in his heart could no longer be concealed. Seeing Yan Shifan's heartbroken state, the viewers in front of the screen couldn't help but feel a complex sense of sympathy. "Seeing the young Grand Secretary crying like this, he's truly wronged to the core." "He certainly bears responsibility for the national treasury deficit, but it's definitely not the main responsibility. The biggest blame definitely lies with Jiajing and those princes and imperial relatives who only know how to eat, drink, and be merry." "Suddenly, I understand the young Grand Secretary's feelings a bit. Who wouldn't feel wronged in this situation? It's clearly the leader's own fault, but when problems arise, all the blame is pushed onto his subordinates, and he can't even utter a single complaint. That's too frustrating!"

"6

In the hall, Yan Song, Luo Longwen, and Yan Maoqing watched Yan Shifan weeping bitterly, remaining silent. The only sound in the room was Yan Shifan's suppressed sobs.

However, in the next moment, Yan Shifan, who was blinded by resentment and grievance, suddenly blurted out a sentence.

These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly exploding in the hall and leaving the other three people present completely blank-minded and terrified.

Yan Shifan abruptly stood up from his chair, took a deep breath, his hands clenched so tightly the veins bulged, and roared in an almost howling voice, "Tell me! Whose treasury is this—the Zhu family's or our Yan family's?!" The entire hall fell into a deathly silence. The Yan family members in the script were all stunned, their faces drained of color. Yan Song coughed violently, a heart-wrenching cough as if he were coughing up his internal organs. Luo Longwen and Yan Maoqing were terrified, rushing forward, one on each side, gently patting Yan Song's back to help him catch his breath. In the empty hall, Yan Shifan's furious roar and Yan Song's heart-wrenching coughs mingled, echoing for a long time. Outside the script, countless viewers gasped, and the live stream chat was instantly flooded with shocked comments. "My God! Young Grand Secretary, are you crazy? How can you say such things so casually?" "It's over, it's over, this is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family!" "My God, please shut up! I'm sweating bullets just watching you on screen, my clothes are almost soaked with cold sweat!" After experiencing the shocking scene of Shen Yishi suddenly revealing the "Weaving Bureau's Disaster Relief Order" trump card, the audience thought that there wouldn't be any more plot twists that could shock them so much in the near future.

But to everyone's surprise, Shen Yishi's hand already boasted four twos that left everyone dizzy, and then Yan Shifan immediately followed with a royal flush! Yan Shifan's roar was the royal flush that could overturn the entire poker table. Another legendary moment worthy of being recorded in history!

Not only were the ordinary viewers in front of the screen utterly shocked, but even Master Wang, who had already read the script and was fully prepared, felt goosebumps rise all over his body. He turned his head and looked at Chen Yu next to him with the eyes of someone looking at a monster, unable to say a word for a long time.

"This is outrageous! We just finished writing such a brilliant climax, one god-like scene after another. And now, just a few minutes later, two more have appeared in quick succession?"

A sudden surge of immense relief welled up within Master Wang. Thankfully, he hadn't acted rashly and chosen to launch his new drama during what was supposedly a "plot low point" of *Da Ming Dynasty 1566*. If he had, and now faced these two earth-shattering, divine scenes head-on, his drama would likely have been utterly crushed, a veritable public execution!

Thinking of this, Master Wang took a deep breath, and it took him a long time to recover. He reached out and wiped the cold sweat that had appeared on his forehead, and sighed sincerely, "The younger generation is truly formidable." "But this should be over by now, shouldn't it?" Just then, his gaze inadvertently swept across Chen Yu's face. When he saw the expectant, excited, and fervent light in Chen Yu's eyes, Master Wang's heart sank, and he couldn't help but gasp again.

"Holy crap! No way? There's more?" As if hearing his thoughts, Chen Yu turned his head, slowly cracking a meaningful smile at him. Yes, of course there is!

From now on, how could every scene in the following episodes be complete without classic moments and timeless lines? Soon, Yan Song will utter that profound saying that accurately dissects the class nature of the feudal dynasty! Chen Yu's fingers flew across the keyboard, producing crisp and pleasant sounds, and characters appeared on the screen one after another like mercury spilling onto the ground.