"Your Majesty, this is the entire conversation that Duke Cheng Guo had with the Supreme Emperor when he came to Nangong today..."
As a qualified undercover agent, the conversation between Zhu Yi and the Supreme Emperor had been delivered to Qianqing Palace within half an hour of leaving the palace.
Putting down the dense stuff in his hand, Zhu Qiyu touched his chin, feeling slightly surprised.
It has to be said that his brother has made some progress in recent days, and he has actually made plans here.
It should be said that Zhu Qizhen's idea is correct. The current situation is different from the previous life. The Nangong Restoration in the previous life was, to put it bluntly, a desperate attempt when he was forced to a desperate situation. The bet was that Zhu Qiyu was seriously ill and unable to command the imperial army.
Once Zhu Qiyu wakes up from his illness, no matter whether it is the Forbidden Army, the Beijing Camp, the Jinyi Guards, or the Dongchang, any one of them can be mobilized to kill the team of handymen that Shi Heng pulled out from the noble mansions.
I'm afraid even Zhu Qizhen at the time never thought that this kind of risk-taking would be successful, so he would not do it if there were other options.
But it's different now. Although he is still trapped in Nangong, he has the Yulin Guards in charge of Meng Jun, as well as Zhu Yi, Zhang Xi and other noble families to help secretly. There is a prince in the East Palace, and Xu Youzhen among the civil servants. and Zhu Jian.
Under this situation, Zhu Qizhen has many ways to go. From the current point of view, he has made up his mind to regain his position.
In this case, with so many resources in hand, he will definitely not launch a hasty coup like in his previous life, but will accumulate more strength.
In this case, you will face a very serious problem, that is, no money!
Although Nangong lives such a luxurious life, in fact, Nangong just has no money, because Nangong's food and clothing are now all provided by the inner palace.
Although a lot of money was spent, each one had a detailed destination. It was almost impossible to use the property to win over the officials and keep it for one's own use.
Moreover, after several secret struggles in the past, Zhu Qizhen's credibility in the court has almost dropped to a negative number. The current Supreme Emperor is just a figure on paper. , and there is no hope.
Although there is some strength among the nobles, how is it possible to expect these nobles to contribute their efforts just by painting a pie?
Therefore, it is the right time to participate in opening up the sea.
Today's Zhu Qizhen, to put it bluntly, is the banner used by the two princes to gather people's hearts in the court, so that they can have a high-sounding reason when wooing other officials.
After all, there are still many ministers in the court who adhere to the so-called status and etiquette system.
"Your Majesty, the Duke is asking if this matter should be handled with sincerity, or..."
Seeing that the emperor had finished reading the secret memorial, Shu Liang spoke in a low voice.
Although he did not read this secret, Zhu Yi still sent someone to tell him the general content.
The so-called serious approach is to follow the emperor's wishes, fully promote the opening of the sea, and then make profits from it. Of course, besides this, there is another way, which is to go all out obviously, but in fact, use all kinds of methods.
By using these methods, the nobles among them would end up in vain. If the same thing happened again in the future, they would naturally not trust the Supreme Emperor too much.
Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment and said.
"As for Zhu Yi, do whatever you have to do. He is an important person now. It would be a big deal if there is a mistake in his identity. So, just treat him as if he has never told me about this."
"As for the honorable nobles... let's summon Li Xian, the Duke of Feng, and Fan Guang, the uncle of Jing'an, to enter the palace!"
"yes!"
Seeing that the emperor had made a decision, Shu Liang had no doubts and bowed in agreement before retreating.
The hall quickly became quiet, and Zhu Qiyu looked at the dense space in front of him again, with a rare trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.
Zhu Qizhen is right. If we want to open the sea, a series of officials involved with the smugglers along the coast will be a great help.
After all, no matter how great the benefits of smuggling are, they are still smuggling. In terms of volume, it is far from being comparable to open trade after the opening of the sea.
But the question is... why?
Such a group of daring bastards who allowed the Japanese pirates to wreak havoc for personal gain and regarded the law as nothing. Why should he, the great emperor of tomorrow, be allowed to 'cooperate' with them?
They relied on smuggling to make a lot of money, but sat back and watched the Japanese pirates plundering the people along the coast. Not only did they not stop them, but they deceived the superiors and the inferiors to protect them. Such a group of people still thought they could share the benefits of opening up the sea?
dream!
Looking far across the palace walls and pavilions, Zhu Qiyu seemed to see the brother who was pretending to be indulgent, but in fact had long been secretly accumulating strength to return to the throne. There was a strong sense of ridicule in his expression.
It seems that more than a year of living in Yibei has really changed the former Ming emperor. Not only has he lost his dignity and dignity, but now he has lost his face!
In the slightly dark hall, a trace of self-mockery suddenly appeared on Zhu Qiyu's face. Yes, it was not Zhu Qizhen who had changed, but himself. Even after two lives and a hundred years, there was still a hint of indifference in his heart.
hope.
Zhu Qizhen, he is such a person, a person... who is not worthy of being a descendant of his ancestors or the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!
How unfortunate it was that the Ming Dynasty had such a former emperor...
Li Xian arrived very quickly, while Fan Guang was a little slower. After all, Duke Feng's daily life was to perform various sacrifices on behalf of the emperor and act as a qualified mascot. Therefore, when there were no sacrifices, he had nothing to do.
.
Fan Guang is different. He is now in charge of the Beijing camp. Even with daily training, the affairs are busy enough, so naturally things come slower.
"I'm going to pay homage to Your Majesty..."
When the two came to the palace, Zhu Qiyu had already restored his calm expression, gave them a seat with a smile, and then opened his mouth and got straight to the point, saying.
"In recent days, North Korea and China have been discussing the opening of the sea. Have you heard about it?"
After hearing this, the two of them looked at each other, quite surprised. Of course they knew about the opening of the sea, but they didn't take it to heart.
After all, one of them is very laid-back and the other is very busy. Generally speaking, this kind of political affairs is the quarrel between civil servants and has nothing to do with them.
Therefore, they did not expect that the emperor called them here for this matter.
After hesitating for a moment, the two of them were not sure what the emperor meant, so Li Xian stepped forward and said.
"Your Majesty, I have heard a little bit about it. Recently, people in the capital have said that some court officials have reported to the emperor Taizong's voyages to the West. They have talked about the pros and cons of the sea ban, and they think that the sea ban should be opened to save the lives of the people. However, although there are many rumors, there is no such thing.
It’s an accurate belief, so I’ll just listen to it.”
This statement is very consistent with Mr. Li’s style. The main point has nothing to do with me.
So, Zhu Qiyu shook his head, turned to Fan Guang and asked.
"Where's Governor Fan?"
Compared with Li Xian, who has a lot of scheming, Fan Guang is much more upright, Tao.
"Your Majesty, I don't understand these things. However, I have seen the benefits of the mutual trade before. Now there are rumors in the capital that your Majesty is going to open the sea. It must be the same as the mutual trade to increase financial resources for the Ming Dynasty. Your Majesty has the people in mind and has great talents and strategies. Although I
You are a warrior, but you also understand that everything your Majesty does is for the great Ming Dynasty!"
Ah this...
Mr. Li blinked at the side and looked like he had a toothache. Why is this guy so blind?
What should an old man like me do if you pledge your loyalty to me?
There was no choice, Li Xian had no choice but to say quickly.
"Yes, what Governor Fan said is reasonable. Your Majesty has the world at heart. If you want to open the sea, it must be for the sake of the country. Naturally, I will do my best to support it."
Looking at Li Xian's slightly aggrieved look, Zhu Qiyu smiled in his heart, but he didn't care about this little episode and said simply.
"The news you heard is correct, I am planning to lift the sea ban!"
This sentence was said categorically without any hesitation.
Seeing this situation, Fan Guang took the lead and stepped forward and said.
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
Mr. Li, who was still in a daze, was forced to get involved and had no choice but to step forward and agree, but he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
He has nothing else, but he has been in this court for many years. How can he not understand what the emperor wants to do?
But the problem is, it’s not easy to navigate this muddy water!
Thinking of how difficult those civil servants were, Mr. Li felt a headache. Looking at Fan Guang, he couldn't help but feel resentful.
This stupid young man!
As expected, the emperor then looked at them with a serious face and said.
"We are summoned here this time. There is indeed something that needs you to handle..."
Listening to the emperor's words, the expressions of the two people below kept changing. By the time they walked out of the palace door, Mr. Li didn't know whether he should be happy or nervous.
However, looking at the excited Fan Guang next to him, Mr. Li felt a little relieved. After all, there is still a replacement, so... nothing will happen!
A few days later, in the morning, several more officials from the Department of Science and Technology began to talk about how the maritime ban was an ancestral system and should continue to be enforced.
The elders were listening, feeling like their ears were getting calluses. During this time, news in the capital spread wildly, so that many officials came to the court one after another, and they all began to talk about the sea ban. The emperor did not mention it. If the sea is opened, they will do the opposite and demand the strengthening of sea bans every day.
According to the usual practice, the emperor should have fooled around for a while, and then the court was over. Everyone went back to their homes to have breakfast. Many elders had already begun to figure out what to eat today.
However, at this moment, Chen Yi from the Ministry of Revenue stood up. As soon as he came out of the queue without saying a word, many ministers present immediately cheered up.
News from the capital spreads quickly, so naturally it is not without origin. Since the news about the opening of the sea has come out, it is probably true. The only difference is when it was revealed in the court.
There is no doubt that the one who has the most reason to propose the opening of the sea is the Hubu. Moreover, according to the order of the announcement, the Hubu should be the first to make the announcement. Now that the morning is coming to an end, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance has come out. Column, this is the only possibility.
Sure enough, in full view of everyone, Chen Yi walked to the hall, took out a memorial he had prepared long ago from his sleeve, handed it over his head, and said.
"Your Majesty, I have this report!"
A minister with a sharp eye could see at a glance, standing nearby, a few small characters written on the cover of the memorial...
"Please allow sea trade"!
There was a commotion in the palace, and many people started talking. The memorial was submitted to the imperial case. The emperor unfolded it and looked at it for a few times. Then, he handed it to the eunuch next to him and asked him to read it out in front of everyone.
"... During the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the coastal products were abundant. Even when Taizu founded the country, he also set up a municipal shipping department to control the tribute and trade of overseas countries..."
Following the eunuch's loud voice, the expressions of the officials in the palace varied, and low voices of discussion arose one after another.
This memorial finally confirms the recent rumors in Beijing that the imperial court is indeed going to open sea!
Of course, Taizu had a sea ban system, but Hu Bu did not openly oppose the sea ban. In this memorial, Hu Bu first discussed the benefits gained from maritime trade during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and then discussed the Ming Dynasty's coastal policy , and finally settled on the Tiju Ship Division established by Taizu.
Yes, although the Ming Dynasty had a maritime ban, it also had an agency like the Municipal Shipping Department to manage maritime trade affairs. This sounds contradictory, but it is the fact.
The Municipal Shipping Department of the Ming Dynasty was first established in the first year of Wu Dynasty. It was abolished for a while and continues to this day. There are still three municipal shipping departments in Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang.
However, the Ming Dynasty's Shibosi was different from previous generations, mainly reflected in two points. One is that it was an organization managed by eunuchs. According to the canon system, the Shibosi was a court yamen. It could be followed by the Yongle period.
In the first year of the year, Emperor Taizong ordered the eunuchs to supervise the Shibosi, which became an inner court yamen, in which all affairs were handled by the eunuchs. Although there were officials, they were not affiliated with the state yamen.
In addition, the second difference is that the role of the Municipal Shipping Department has changed from being mainly in charge of trade to receiving tribute envoys. This is related to the maritime ban policy. The Ming Dynasty did not allow private individuals to go to sea for trade, and the official
There is no corresponding organization to conduct trade. Only the Municipal Shipping Department is responsible for trade management. If merchants from other countries want to trade in the Ming Dynasty, they must hold a survey issued by the Ming Dynasty. The management of these surveys is very strict. In addition,
Private trade was not allowed, so gradually, there was no trade.
Later, after Emperor Taizong succeeded to the throne, he ordered Zheng He to sail to the Western Seas to enhance the country's prestige and re-establish tributary relations with many overseas countries. Only then did the Shipping Department receive attention, and its main role turned to receiving tribute envoys. At the same time, it also
Take care of the small trade brought about by tribute.
If the Ministry of Revenue wants to open the sea (Chen Yi???), then the sea ban policy is a hurdle that cannot be bypassed, so it is definitely not possible to raise it directly.
The Ministry of Revenue's countermeasure was to start with the Municipal Shipping Department, first emphasize the importance of maritime trade and tribute, and propose that the level of the Municipal Shipping Department should be upgraded and directly managed by the governor's Yamen.
At the same time, following the example of Zheng He's voyages to the West, with Huangdian as the representative, we expanded official trade with overseas countries...