Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Pei Yuan turned around, his crimson python robe fluttering in the wind, his tone revealing an irresistible domineering and greedy nature.

"Listen carefully. Send every single tribute to the capital to please the Emperor. As for my saving my life and the cost of the cannons..."

Pei Yuan pointed to the Champa merchant ship.

"I have examined the ballast silver in your ship's hull; it is worth at least 100,000 taels. In addition, your Champa Kingdom is rich in rubies and gold mines."

"I'll show you the way."

"From this day forward, all merchant ships of your Champa Kingdom that set sail must fly the escort flag of the Ming Navy as set forth by this official. Each ship shall pay 50,000 taels of silver annually as an escort fee."

"I guarantee that any pirate in the South Seas will stay far away as soon as they see this flag."

"If even a tael of silver is missing..."

Pei Yuan pointed to the still-burning pirate ship wreckage on the distant sea.

"My aim as the Sea-Suppressing God isn't very good. If it accidentally fires into your Champa port, that wouldn't look good."

The Champa envoy slumped on the deck, his face ashen.

Not only do they demand escort fees, but they also ask for 50,000 taels of silver per ship per year!

This kind of bone-sucking and marrow-draining method is a hundred times more ruthless than those Southeast Asian pirates!

But looking at that dark cannon muzzle and recalling that devastating attack, would he dare to say a single word of "no"?

"Our humble state...Our humble state obeys. Upon returning home, we will certainly report to our ruler and pay the escort fee on schedule..."

The envoy responded in a trembling voice.

Pei Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

This was his true purpose in creating an invincible navy.

Not only should we intimidate the surrounding barbarians, but we should also use this domineering and unreasonable method to continuously draw back the wealth of the world to the Ming Dynasty.

His greed as a treacherous official was never limited to those few salt merchants in Jiangnan.

His appetite is for the stars and the sea, for all nations and countries!

"Lu Zheng, send two Fujian ships to escort the envoy to the capital."

Pei Yuan turned around to face the vast sea breeze.

"Order the fleet to turn south. After we've finished sailing through the East China Sea, let's go to the South Seas. Let's see if the rulers of those foreign countries are all as well-mannered and knowledgeable as this envoy."

Bugles sounded in unison.

The massive Ming Dynasty navy carved white trails across the sea as it slowly advanced toward the deeper and more distant southern waters.

……

The fifth year of the Chenghua reign.

Outside the Jiangyin Naval Base Camp at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

Three magnificent treasure ships, resembling floating fortresses, slowly lowered their massive sails, which blotted out the sky, and anchored steadily, surrounded by fifty armed Fujian ships.

The massive ship bobbed and swayed at the confluence of the river and the sea.

The dark, gun barrels on both sides of the ship, still carrying a hint of gunpowder smoke, silently testify to the formidable power of this voyage to the East China Sea.

Pei Yuan did not linger in the military camp.

Fighting and suppressing bandits is something for the soldiers to risk their lives for and earn a better future.

As the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince and Right Commander-in-Chief, he naturally wanted to return to his boudoir and live a comfortable life as a sycophantic official.

Xichun Garden, west of Jinling City.

After an autumn rain, several golden osmanthus trees in the garden were in full bloom, with delicate yellow flowers scattered all over the ground, filling the air with a sweet and lingering fragrance.

Inside the open pavilion overlooking the water.

Pei Yuan changed into a loose, soft, moon-white silk Taoist robe, and didn't even tie his hair up.

She simply held it up casually with a warm, smooth jade hairpin.

He leaned back on the soft couch covered with thick fox fur, holding a small purple clay hand warmer in his hands, listening to the soft sound of rain pattering on the banana leaves outside the window, his expression indescribably lazy and content.

[Ding! Today's attendance complete. Attribute point gained +1.]

"Sir, the water is boiling."

A pretty maidservant, standing nearby, gently lifted the copper kettle from the small red clay stove and poured boiling water into a white porcelain teacup.

The finest Da Hong Pao tea leaves unfurl and swirl in the boiling water, releasing a rich and robust aroma.

Pei Yuan picked up the teacup, slowly skimmed off the foam, and took a small sip.

"This life is much more comfortable than listening to firecrackers at sea."

This immortal being has seen all sorts of storms and waves in these long years.

Now that he's in the body of a treacherous minister, he lives like a god.

If they want to fight, they can just take their giant ships out to sea and fire a few shots.

If you want to enjoy yourself, you can hide in the deep courtyard of this Jinling city, listen to the rain and sip tea.

As for the spittle of those upright censors, it can't even fly over the walls of Xichun Garden.

"grown ups."

Outside the door, Lu Zheng, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, put away his oil-paper umbrella.

He shook off the chill from his body under the eaves before lifting the bamboo curtain and stepping into the open pavilion.

He wasn't holding any urgent military reports, but rather a thick stack of account books.

A strange smile, hard to hide, hung on his face.

"Sit down and talk."

Pei Yuan pointed to the round stool next to him.

Lu Zheng thanked them for the seat, respectfully placed the stack of account books on the table, and then began to report.

"My lord, ever since the news spread that our navy shattered the pirates of the South Seas with a single shot in the East China Sea and collected protection money from the Champa envoy, the business community in Jiangnan has been in complete uproar."

Pei Yuan leaned back on the soft pillows, playing with the purple clay hand warmer in his hand, his eyelids slightly raised.

"Oh? What's wrong? Are those smuggling salt merchants and sea traders afraid that my Sea-Suppressing Deity might misfire and blow up their merchant ships?"

"It's not fear, it's an overwhelming rush to do it!"

Lu Zheng opened the top ledger and pointed to the densely packed names and numbers on it.

"My lord, you don't know. In the past two days, the threshold of Xichun Garden has been almost worn down by those overseas merchants. Wan Dafu took the lead and gathered dozens of wealthy merchants from the Jiangnan region who do overseas trade."

"Not only did they not complain about the high cost of the escort fee, but they also held large amounts of silver notes and cried out that they wanted to buy our Ming Dynasty navy's 'escort flag'."

Even Lu Zheng himself found it somewhat unbelievable when he said this.

In the past, when the imperial court collected taxes, these merchants would try to split every penny in half and complain about being poor every day.

But now, the imperial envoy is openly and brazenly collecting protection money, and they are actually rushing to give him money.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan showed no surprise whatsoever; instead, he let out a knowing chuckle.

"What's so strange about that? Merchants are profit-driven and shrewd in their calculations. In the past, when they went to sea to smuggle, they not only had to guard against the imperial navy's capture, but also had to deal with those ruthless pirates at sea."

"If five out of ten ships return safely after a single transaction, that's considered extremely lucky."

Pei Yuan picked up his teacup, his tone revealing a profound understanding of human nature.

"Now that I have issued them the escort flag, it is tantamount to giving them an official pardon from the Ming Dynasty. With this flag flying, the Ming navy will not arrest them, and the pirates in the South Seas will not dare to provoke them."

"They can earn back the protection money they lost in just two trips at sea. They'd be blind to pass up such a sure-fire way to make money."