Yan Shifan continued, "Later, the wokou erupted! They originally came to trade, but you killed them! Wouldn't that cause trouble? So, a Huizhou merchant, Wang Zhi, was chosen as the leader by the merchants. In Lìgǎng, he re-established a trading post and sent several memorials to the court, saying that if the court continued to prohibit maritime trade and treat them as bandits, those merchants would seek protection from the ronin from Kyushu..."
"And the result? Heh, another Fujian-Zhejiang Governor-General, Wang Yu, sent Yu Dayou as his enforcer and dispatched troops to suppress Lìgǎng. So, this Lìgǎng is not simple, it's been attacked several times! After Wang Zhi was defeated, the merchants sought ronin warriors to act as bodyguards, and that's how the wokou came about..."
"Then, the elder worried that the situation would get out of control and sent Hu Zongxian as Governor-General. But this Hu Zongxian, he just loved a bad reputation and didn't exert himself. We pressured him several times, asking him to negotiate with Wang Zhi. But by sheer bad luck, Wang Zhi arrived in Hangzhou to negotiate, only to be arrested by the clean-stream Censor, Wang Bengu, and later executed publicly! httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět"
"Alas, what can be said about the ways of the world? Once Wang Zhi died, both sides naturally fell out. Wang Zhi's adopted son, Mao Lie, went to Otomo Sorin, recruited several thousand ronin, and has been fighting until now. They land, burn, kill, and plunder, becoming enemies of the Great Ming – that's the whole story..."
Mm-hmm,
Everyone had understood.
The writings of the Sage were made from here.
Zhu Wan, who destroyed Shuangyu Port without discrimination, was later impeached and committed suicide; Yu Dayou was dismissed; Wang Yu, who sent troops to attack the Lìgǎng re-established by the people, was later imprisoned and died; Wang Bengu, who was unclear about the situation and rashly killed Wang Zhi, impeached himself shortly after...
It can be seen that trading and wokou are two different things. Those cruel officials' inability to distinguish this point is precisely why the wokou problem has become increasingly serious. Zhu Mo today is no different from Zhu Wan or Wang Yu. Moreover, coincidentally, Yu Dayou is still the enforcer...
Among the assembled crowd,
Zhang Yu, being sharp-minded and concurrently the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, said, "Esteemed Elder, Junior Esteemed Elder, your subordinate, after listening to this, has discovered a clue... This wokou problem, in fact, was originally a civil affair, and later became a military one. It was all caused by some corrupt ministers seeking fame and achievement!"
"The Franks, Japan, Ryukyu, Joseon, and so many merchants trapped on the island by Zhu Mo – this problem must be resolved! If we continue to shout about fighting and killing, once every three days and killing a few every five days, wouldn't the Great Ming be seen as lacking virtue in the world? Today, Prince Yu also said that the Great Ming is a civilized nation that treats other countries with kingly righteousness. Then we must release these merchants! At the same time, we must appease the various countries and explain clearly to them, otherwise, if they stir up trouble and say the Great Ming lacks virtue, it will be very unsightly..."
Exactly, exactly!
Good!
Hahaha!
Everyone echoed in unison.
Yan Shifan smiled and said, "Shi, it is you from the Court of Judicial Review whose writing is indeed excellent! I think we should proceed like this: Tingyi, go and meet those sea merchants from last time again, tell them to clarify things with Soza, and say what needs to be said! The treacherous officials like Zhu Wan and Wang Yu who killed merchants to claim merit in the past – aren't those established iron cases? What is there to fear?"
Hahaha,
Another burst of laughter followed. Everyone suddenly felt that the Yan family was still formidable. As Yan Shifan often said, "Let it rage like a prairie fire, there will always be water to extinguish it." In this Great Ming Empire, only those with high means truly have the final say. What use are all those empty, grand words, no matter how many are spoken?
Luo Longwen secretly glanced at Yan Song, seeing him also smiling, and then said, "Junior Esteemed Elder, according to court practice, any dealings with sea merchants are normally handled by the local Governor-General and Governor. Zhoushan is still under Zhejiang's jurisdiction, so it should be managed by the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili. Currently, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili is still Hu Zongxian... Your subordinate believes that Hu Zongxian has also been resting for a long time and it's time for him to stretch his muscles... Let the envoys go find him first? Junior Esteemed Elder, what do you think?"
Good!
Hahahaha!
Yan Shifan roared with laughter, "Old Luo, you always think along the same lines as me! Excellent, excellent!"
He had deeply reflected on himself during this period and had corrected many of his bad habits. At this moment, he even walked up to Yan Song and whispered, "Father, do you think this is appropriate?"
Yan Song originally wanted to say something more, but couldn't recall it immediately, so he nodded.
Yan Shifan continued, "Tingyi, make it clear to outsiders that the current Emperor is one who cultivates immortality and practices magic. If you want to find the way of the Sage, it must be us! Confucius said, 'deceitful yet not upright.' Let them figure it out themselves!"
Hiss!
Hiss!
The hearts of everyone, which had just settled, began to pound violently again. However, upon further reflection, they felt that these words were indeed insightful and powerful.
The Emperor is obsessed with punishing hearts and has ordered Zhu Mo to implement reforms, stripping the Esteemed Elder of his reputation as a scholar of ornate prose, and enforcing Qin's law upon the realm. If this isn't cultivating immortality and practicing magic, then what is it?
At this moment,
Everyone finally understood.
Yan Song's saying that he would no longer write ornate prose, but focus on writing as the Sage, carried this very meaning. Cultivating immortality and practicing magic, compared to the way of the Sage, was indeed deceitful yet not upright. So, let the Emperor and Zhu Mo pursue their immortal arts, while they would solely focus on this worldly matter of being a Sage. Let's see who ultimately wins the hearts of the people.
...
Yuxi Palace,
That night.
Jiajing meditated for another two hours. Lü Fang served by his side, already breaking out in a sweat.
At some point,
Jiajing suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Lü Fang, who was bustling about, a look of affection on his face. He said leisurely, "Lü Fang, you're getting on in years and can't handle it all yourself. Call Huang Jin and the others to help... Don't overwork yourself alone..."
Lü Fang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this servant is used to it. If I don't move my muscles and bones, I can't sleep soundly at night."
Jiajing nodded, stood up, took a few steps, stretched his arms, and suddenly asked, "Today in the hall, did you pay attention to what they were thinking? Did you not pay enough attention to Wu Feng and Zhu Qi?"
Lü Fang smiled and said, "Your servant did watch. As for these officials, they are both happy and fearful of Your Majesty punishing Yan Song today... Happy because decades of pent-up anger have finally been released, and at the same time, they are fearful. They don't know what they fear, but they are afraid nonetheless..."
Mm,
Jiajing scoffed and sighed leisurely, "Lü Fang, can you imagine? Yan Song dared to write such a poem today?"
Lü Fang was also surprised, but at the time, he felt it was within reason. After all, the Yan family's power had grown beyond imagination, and they were involved in the reforms, making them difficult to deal with. He immediately said, "Your servant feels it is within reason. Yan Song is not like Yang Tinghe; he is straightforward. By laying it all out like this, it is actually good, saving the officials from further confusion..."
A hint of melancholy appeared on Jiajing's face, and he sighed, "I acted too late..."