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

The night in the Forbidden City is deep and desolate.

Inside the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, several tall, gilded bronze lamps illuminated the imperial desk as bright as day.

Emperor Chengping, Zhu Youzhen, sat on the dragon throne, his fingers gently stroking the silk edict that had just been delivered to him on the table.

The turmoil in his eyes lingered for a long time.

"I am ordained by Heaven to rule the four seas..."

"This is truly the view of a pedantic scholar who is ignorant of the overall situation!"

"Those who submit, I will protect with my navy; those who are unruly, I will bombard with my cannons!"

Zhu Youzhen's gaze lingered on the sharp and elegant thin gold script.

Every sentence, every word.

All of these sounds were like the grand tones of a great bell, stirring up the imperial ambition within him.

Since the passing of Grand Tutor Pei Yuan, the entire court seems to have gradually retreated into the thick shell of Confucian morality.

Whenever the Maritime and Commercial Bureau is discussed, the newly appointed Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet always spout words of benevolence and morality, and advocate for the people's well-being.

He was so tired of hearing it that his ears were practically calloused.

He never expected that such a broad-minded and decisive person would be hidden in the stagnant and self-righteous Hanlin Academy!

"What a magnificent article!"

Zhu Youzhen slammed his hand on the imperial desk, his eyes filled with the ecstatic joy of finding a priceless treasure.

"Liu Jin!"

Liu Jin, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who had been waiting respectfully in the corner, hurriedly stepped forward and knelt on the ground.

"This servant is here."

"Go, investigate the person who drafted this edict for me."

Zhu Youzhen pointed to the small characters at the end of the imperial edict.

"Li Changqing, compiler of the Hanlin Academy. I want to know his background, resume, and character. Report to me!"

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Liu Jin dared not delay and scrambled out of the warm pavilion.

The warm pavilion returned to tranquility.

Zhu Youzhen picked up the warm ginseng tea and took a sip.

He felt all the frustration he had been holding in for days over the opening of the Quanzhou Maritime Trade Office dissipate.

The Ming Dynasty ultimately needed such pragmatic individuals who dared to speak frankly about the advantages and disadvantages of the nation.

Before long, Liu Jin ran back, covered in sweat, clutching a thin piece of paper in her hand.

"Your Majesty, we have investigated thoroughly. This Li Changqing is from Songjiang Prefecture and was a third-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the fourth year of the Chengping era. He has been in the Hanlin Academy for a year."

"This man came from a poor family and lived a secluded life. He was known as an honest man in the government office and never argued with anyone."

"Aside from clocking in every day, he would hide in the library reading old records from previous dynasties. He had very few interpersonal relationships, and his colleagues all said that he was gentle and mild-mannered, like a clay or wooden sculpture."

"Soft and gentle? An honest person?"

As Zhu Youzhen listened to Liu Jin's report, a cold, meaningful smile curled at the corner of his lips.

If someone could write such thunderous words as "Those who are unruly, I will strike them with my cannons," then all the generals in the world would be living bodhisattvas who eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures.

"A dog that bites doesn't bark."

Zhu Youzhen slowly rolled up the silk, his eyes revealing the scheming nature of an emperor.

"Those old fogies in the Hanlin Academy thought they had passed this hot potato to a pushover with no connections. Little did they know, this honest man harbored ambitions that could conquer the world."

Zhu Youzhen threw the imperial edict to Liu Jin.

"It's stamped with the imperial seal. Tomorrow morning at court, read it aloud in front of all the officials! Not a single word is to be changed!"

……

The next morning.

Outside Fengtian Gate, dawn breaks.

The dew on the glazed tiles refracted golden light in the morning glow.

The grand assembly was held as scheduled.

The civil and military officials stood on both sides of the steps, all with solemn expressions.

The newly appointed Grand Secretary Zhang Song slightly closed his eyes, holding a tablet in his hands.

He was already planning how to use classical texts to persuade the emperor to rescind his decree to establish a maritime trade office in Quanzhou.

"His Majesty has arrived."

With a loud shout from the Master of Ceremonies of the Court of State Ceremonies, Emperor Chengping, Zhu Youzhen, ascended the throne.

After a round of shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", Zhu Youzhen did not inquire about the affairs of the various departments as usual, but instead gave Liu Jin a look.

Liu Jin understood immediately. Holding the silk edict wrapped with the imperial seal, he quickly walked to the edge of the steps and stood still.

He cleared his throat, and his sharp yet penetrating voice suddenly rang out in the sky above Fengtianmen Square.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have received the mandate from Heaven to rule the four seas..."

At first, the officials didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just ordinary polite talk.

However, as Liu Jin read the edict with dramatic intonation, its contents struck the hearts of all the upright civil officials like heavy hammer blows.

"...The officials reported that the establishment of the maritime trade vessels was a way to compete with the people for profit... This is truly the view of a corrupt scholar who is ignorant of the overall situation of the world!"

Upon hearing the words "the views of a pedantic scholar," Grand Secretary Zhang Song's hand trembled violently, nearly dropping his jade tablet to the ground.

The other censors of the Censorate looked at each other in disbelief and shock.

How could such words appear in the official documents of the mighty Ming Dynasty!

This is a direct insult directed at them, the cabinet ministers!

Liu Jin continued reading, and her voice grew increasingly louder.

"...Those who submit will be protected by my navy; those who are unruly will be met with my cannons. My orders are as firm as mountains, and the whole world obeys them."

Anyone who dares to use ancestral rules to make unwarranted comments or obstruct the process will be considered a traitor to the country and will be severely punished!

"So be it!"

After the song was finished, a deathly silence fell outside Fengtian Gate.

Only the sound of the flags fluttering in the morning breeze echoed across the empty square.

This is a declaration of war brimming with murderous intent!

It was a declaration of war against the foreign lands, and even more so, a declaration of war against the conservative civil officials in the court!

After a brief silence, an uncontrollable uproar suddenly erupted from the court officials.

"Absurd! How can such vulgar and uncivilized language be used as an imperial edict to proclaim to the world!"

"Who drafted this edict! This is clearly leading the Emperor into the unjust act of waging endless wars!"

A censor from the Censorate, his eyes red, rushed out of the ranks, knelt down with a thud, and shouted:

"Your Majesty! This edict is full of self-interest, its entire text reeks of war, and utterly lacks the benevolence of our Holy Dynasty! I implore Your Majesty to investigate who drafted this edict, punish them for their grave disrespect, and have the edict rewritten!"

Zhang Song also stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, the Hanlin Academy is a place of noble character, traditionally valuing elegant and correct writing and profound reasoning. This edict is crude in language and heavy with hostility, truly disgracing the Ming Dynasty. We earnestly hope Your Majesty will consider this!"

Zhu Youzhen sat upright on the dragon throne, looking down at the indignant civil officials below.

Instead of showing anger, he raised his head and let out a hearty laugh.

"Disgraceful? Deeply hostile?"

Zhu Youzhen stood up, looked down at the officials below, and spoke in a cold and stern voice.

"I think this edict is exceptionally well written! Every word is precious, and every sentence hits the nail on the head! The dignity of the Ming Dynasty is not upheld by a few pedantic articles, but by the silver from trade with all the world and by the mighty ships and cannons!"

He waved the wide sleeves of his dragon robe and shouted sternly.

"Yesterday I issued an edict ordering the Hanlin Academy to draft it, and you all made excuses. Now that someone has spoken my mind, you all come here to make noise again!"

"Liu Jin, tell them, who drafted this edict?"

Liu Jin stepped forward and announced loudly, "This edict was drafted by Li Changqing, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy!"

Li Changqing?

The entire court was taken aback.

The ministers of the six ministries and the high-ranking officials of the nine ministerial offices searched their minds for the name, but found no recollection of it.

The Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy was drenched in sweat.

He just couldn't understand it. That kind-hearted man who was usually so quiet and reserved, always hiding in his old books drinking tea.

How dare you write such a shocking article!

At the head of the line of military and pragmatic officials, Song Yin, the Minister of Revenue, had a glint of something unusual in his sharp eyes.

Having spent over a decade navigating the complexities of officialdom, he considered himself well-versed in practical matters.

Upon hearing this imperial edict today, the domineering tone and thorough analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of trade routes revealed between the lines gave him a vague sense of déjà vu.

This style of doing things is so similar to that of the old man who single-handedly created the Royal Trading Company.