The next morning.
Dressed in his plain cloth attire, Zhu Mo, accompanied by Xiaoxiao Sheng and Zhu Qi, arrived at the Governor's yamen.
More than twenty officials were present, all prominent figures in Jiangnan. However, Governor Hu Zongxian and Qi Jiguang were notably absent.
Zheng Bichang, as the Governor, personally escorted Zhu Mo to the main hall.
Zhu Mo inwardly scoffed, "Isn't this throwing me to the wolves? I'm just a commoner sitting in the main hall. Won't Yan Shifan have an excuse to target me again? How can I agree to this? Do they think I'm a fool?"
He immediately declined with all his might, "Lord Zheng is the true head of Jiangnan. I am merely a commoner, how could I be qualified to sit there? If Lord Zheng does not sit, I shall have to take my leave..."
This?
All the Jiangnan officials were stunned—
Weren't things fine last night?
How had they changed their tune after just one night's sleep?
Everyone offered an awkward smile and took their seats. Zhu Mo sat to the right of the main hall, holding his teacup and sipping it leisurely.
Zheng Bichang cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, Young Master Zhu, ah, Special Envoy Zhu for disaster relief, your visit to Jiangnan is an honor for all of us. If Young Master Zhu has any instructions, you must all do your utmost to fulfill them to his satisfaction. Do you understand?"
"Your humble servants understand!"
The crowd replied in unison.
After everyone was seated, Zheng Bichang smiled and said to Zhu Mo, "Young Master Zhu, do you have any plans you would like to announce now?"
Zhu Mo, intending to test the waters, immediately said:
"I wonder if the Grand Secretariat has issued you any official dispatches? I am here in Jiangnan as a special envoy for disaster relief, and I have two matters to attend to: first, to issue anti-piracy bonds, and second, to establish a state-run bank... These two matters, though spoken of as two, are essentially one... Have you all heard of my strategies for the court?"
Zheng Bichang, He Maocai, and the others certainly had.
More than ten days ago, Yan Shifan's secret letter had already arrived, ordering everyone to resist in every way possible, force Zhu Mo to yield, and then find an excuse to apprehend him. Afterward, everyone could boldly proceed with his strategies, and so on.
They were all disciples of Yan Shifan, so they naturally understood implicitly. Furthermore, having done such things many times, they had long since developed a tacit understanding and were waiting for Zhu Mo to speak so they could find fault and make things difficult for him.
At this moment, Zhu Mo stated it publicly.
Zheng Bichang produced his prepared response and said:
"Oh, we have all heard! Young Master Zhu is truly talented. We, your colleagues in Jiangnan, are all greatly encouraged. Everyone has expressed their commitment to work together to accomplish this great undertaking. Young Master Zhu can rest assured. Hehehe..."
"Good!"
Zhu Mo continued:
"Then I shall state my steps. If you truly heed the court's command, you will follow my steps..."
"Uh, my first step is to issue anti-piracy bonds, using the raised silver as principal to establish the Great Ming Jiangnan Bank... As for issuing these bonds, I need you to mobilize the wealthy households and encourage them to subscribe! My proposed plan is as follows:
Each bond will have a face value of 100 taels of silver, with an annual interest of 5 li per tael promised. Those who subscribe more than 1000 taels can freely convert them into bank shares after three years...
You all present are from Jiangnan, you should know about business matters, right? This step is simple: I ask all of you to mobilize those wealthy households. Everyone can contribute a little interest for the court's anti-piracy efforts, and at the same time, make money... Isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"
Unexpectedly,
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall fell into silence.
Everyone feigned surprise, their faces filled with confusion.
After a long while,
He Maocai, the Surveillance Vice Commissioner, suddenly said:
"Young Master Zhu, your strategy is indeed brilliant. However, the reality in Jiangnan is quite different... The wealthy households in Jiangnan often lend their money out, managed by various banks. If Young Master Zhu asks them to take out their money to subscribe to bonds with only five li interest, it is likely unfeasible... We, we cannot possibly do it..."
"That's right! That's right!"
"We cannot do it! It's too low..."
"We can't force people to donate their money, can we?"
"That would be forced buying and selling, how can that be allowed?"
"Young Master Zhu, please think again!"
"This step is unfeasible!"
"What if it provokes civil unrest?"
"Whose heads will be chopped off then?!"
"..."
Everyone was Yan's henchmen. Seeing Zheng Bichang and He Maocai fanning the flames, they immediately added fuel to the fire, their words becoming more blatant.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mo's anger surged: Whose heads? Did they want to chop off this one's head?
He carefully observed everyone and felt that they were all emboldened. Looking at Zheng Bichang and He Maocai again, he even saw a hint of a mocking smile on their lips.
Damn!
Then don't blame me...
Zhu Mo's original intention was just to test the waters. This was just the beginning, and the conversation had already stalled. It was evident that Jiangnan was a solid bloc, and a better breakthrough point needed to be found before national policies could be implemented.
At this,
Zhu Mo did not rush to reveal his hand. He said, "Whether the wealthy households in Jiangnan are interested cannot be determined by mere words. I think the Governor's yamen should issue a public notice first to see the market's reaction..."
Zheng Bichang and He Maocai exchanged glances and said, "Young Master Zhu, ah, it's not that we are not executing your strategy, but, but the reality does not permit it... With so many wealthy households in Jiangnan, if civil unrest is provoked, Jiangnan is a key financial region, and its implications are profound..."
"Yes, Young Master Zhu, please allow us to consider it further and come up with a better plan..."
He Maocai also said with feigned concern.
Zhu Mo smiled and said:
"Alright! Then let's discuss it further!"
"Everyone, we shall disperse today!"
Without another word, Zhu Mo strode out, with Zhu Qi and Xiaoxiao Sheng following behind.
...
Upon leaving,
Zhu Mo whispered to Zhu Qi, "Old Seven, you used to be with the Embroidered Uniform Guard... And Li Sanye's two friends, gather them all! Investigate, investigate these people present today, find out who has dirty hands!"
A few days prior, when he was on the boat, he had seen from the system's assessment report that many officials in the Jiangnan bureaucracy were connected to the pirates. This was because many pirates were actually Jiangnan fishermen, either coerced, or a minority acting on their own volition. These individuals had intricate connections with some officials. Moreover, many officials had been doing business with the pirates, including food, weapons, and ships, etc.
With this confidence, he guessed that it would be easy to find concrete evidence on a few people.
Zhu Qi pretended to be troubled and said, "Young Master, I, I haven't done this for a long time, I'm afraid I won't be able to find anything..."
Zhu Mo laughed and said, "Heh, just pretend! You have three days. Old Ding and I will go to West Lake for a stroll and discuss that great book..."
After Zhu Mo and Xiaoxiao Sheng left, Zhu Qi immediately adopted a shrewd and capable demeanor and, in a familiar manner, went to a secluded abandoned courtyard in the bustling market.
Not long after,
Wu Ming and Wu Liang arrived one after another. Later, three more people arrived, all in various disguises.
When everyone was assembled, Zhu Qi directly stated:
"You all know about Li Sanye's secret letter, right?"
"We know."
"Good, Young Master Zhu has asked us to investigate these officials in Jiangnan... Three days! Three days from now, right here, I want complete human and material evidence."
"Your subordinate obeys."