Private burning of official kilns was common; what was uncommon was smuggling to foreign merchants through the Directorate of Weaving. Smuggling, too, was common; what was astonishing was the mention of the Directorate of Weaving.
He recalled his last visit to Jingdezhen, when the supervisor of kilns, Shen Chun, had been exceedingly compliant and wise to the ways of the world. How, after only a few months, had this man started smuggling again? This was clearly a defiance of his authority, Zhu Mo. This was highly unusual, indicating that after Prince Yu and Yan Song openly allied, the Yan faction across the empire had become emboldened once more.
At this thought,
He also understood Zhang Juzheng's concern—
This man was exceptionally intelligent, seemingly foreseeing this day? Hence, he had remained indifferent to the porcelain smuggling and had no intention of thoroughly rectifying it. He must have known some inside information about the Directorate of Weaving, realizing that a thorough investigation would inevitably implicate the Directorate of Ceremonial...
But,
Was the Directorate of Weaving truly that corrupt? Where did the problem lie? It couldn't possibly be Lü Fang, could it?
Zhu Mo pondered for a moment, tucked the note into his pocket, and looked at the bewildered Zhang Juzheng, smiling. "Brother Taiyue, this young man wishes to study porcelain with Master He and has found his way to me..."
Zhang Juzheng smiled and nodded. "If he is capable, there's no harm. He could start at the Porcelain Art School... Uh, Zi Xuan, speaking of this, I suggest the Porcelain Art School offer a new course on foreign arts and crafts, so these youths can learn about foreign styles and patterns early on. Perhaps they might truly achieve something in the future?"
Zhu Mo naturally had no objection, but seeing that Zhang Juzheng seemed to have guessed something, he also smiled.
"Brother Taiyue, the Japanese pirates are now subdued, and the sea routes are wide open. It is a time to make money. I plan to have Generals Yu Dayou and Qi Jiguang continue south to suppress bandits and then visit Malacca to ascertain the extent of the Franks' control over the Southeast Asian nations. What do you think?"
Good!
Zhang Juzheng appeared lost in thought, smiling calmly. "The new policies for salt fields, ironworks, and tea plantations should also be steadily implemented..."
The two of them chuckled, each with their own thoughts, and returned to Hangzhou.
...
Zhu Mo immediately went to Guanyin Temple and found Wu Ming and Wu Liang. He showed them the young man's note. Upon reading it, the two simply smiled calmly.
"You know?"
Zhu Mo couldn't help but ask.
"Young Master Zhu, it's a case of the darkest corner being right under the lamp here... Who dares to investigate the Directorate of Weaving? Even we two, without Lord Seven's permission, wouldn't dare to investigate the Directorate of Weaving..."
Wu Ming said with emotion, shaking his head, and continued.
"Young Master Zhu, you treat us brothers as your own, so we won't hide anything from you... Well, in the Directorate of Weaving, Yang Jin is Eunuch Lü's godson. He controls the finances of the Great Ming and has been well-favored by the Emperor for years... Even if we hear something, we pretend not to know..."
Mhm,
Zhu Mo understood. Although he hadn't explicitly stated it, he had made it clear that the problem indeed lay with Yang Jin. It was inconvenient for the two of them to investigate this man, so someone else would have to be sent.
With that in mind,
He suddenly had an idea.
Since they had reached this point, the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard would likely be divided. Incidents like this would become frequent, and investigations would not be so convenient. It seemed he would also need to establish a team to investigate matters that were inconvenient to investigate.
Among the people in his entourage, Li Zhi, Xu Wei, and He Xinyin were not suitable. The most suitable was actually Lü Kun. Because he was the most reliable, his character was impeccable, he was very compassionate and frugal, and his mind was extremely sharp. Even more rare was his ability to hide his brilliance, preferring to appear dull. Such a person was most fitting.
Thinking of this,
He immediately found Lü Kun, and the two of them went boating on West Lake.
After talking for a while, Zhu Mo produced the note.
Lü Kun read it for a while, looked around to ensure no one was present, and asked curiously, "Zi Xuan, the Directorate of Weaving smuggling porcelain? Where does the money earned go?"
This question immediately stumped Zhu Mo. He thought, "Does he think it's for the Emperor?" But he smiled and said, "It's precisely because I don't know that I want you to investigate..."
Lü Kun nodded thoughtfully and said, "Investigating the Directorate of Weaving... Zi Xuan, this matter might require caution..."
Heh,
This man was indeed as steady as could be...
Zhu Mo said calmly.
"I just went to see the Jiangnan Imperial Guard. Wu Ming and Wu Liang only hinted that it was related to the supervisor Yang Jin, but said nothing else... Shujian, we are friends who have shared life and death. You understand the current situation; even people in the Eastern Depot will be divided... As far as I know, Lu Liu, Xu Jiu, and Yu Er, at least these three will not be on my side, and even Zhu Qi is uncertain. Therefore, future matters will be difficult. I want you to lead, and find some people to investigate matters privately. What do you think?"
Lü Kun was deeply moved and said solemnly.
"Zi Xuan, you have been very busy lately, and it's rare for us to have a deep talk... I have also chatted with Mr. He and others privately. The situation has now reached a point of life and death, and every step must be taken with extreme caution... We firmly believe that you, Zhu Zi Xuan, are for the people... There is a saying that must be put forward: as it was then, so it is now. You can rest assured of this."
Mhm,
Zhu Mo was touched again. At critical moments, these were the people who supported him the most, and without reservation.
"Shujian, we want to save the Great Ming and relieve the suffering of all people. Some things must be done, and we cannot fully trust others... Therefore, this matter still needs you to do it?"
Lü Kun nodded and said seriously.
"If I do it, naturally I have no reservations, but I worry that I won't do it well... Moreover, there is one more point, Zi Xuan, you must also consider, that is, the Emperor... If you want to investigate the Directorate of Weaving, I think you must let the Emperor know. I think this might be feasible: ask Mr. He to greet Lan Daoxing again and test the Emperor's intentions?"
Zhu Mo thought, "This man is indeed smarter than ordinary people; he has already seen what others cannot see... Jiajing naturally understands this entire situation better than anyone. Hinting to him will also save someone from sowing discord."
"Good! Shujian is absolutely right. You go find Mr. He now and ask him to go to the capital in person... Then, I will request a title of Vice Minister of War from the court, and detach a thousand-man team from the Firearm Camp, to be attached to the Zhoushan Public Office, nominally as Loyal Martial Guards, also under your command... In addition, all the accounts of my Xiangshan salt field will be handed over to you, and all your needs will be drawn from here... Uh, as for other things I haven't thought of, you think about them, and we'll resolve them together then..."
Lü Kun was an extremely responsible person. After hearing Zhu Mo's words, he realized the dangerous situation and became anxious. After thinking for a long time, he said.
"Well, let's leave it at that for now... I'll think about it for a few days, and then I'll tell you more in detail."
Zhu Mo suddenly felt very emotional and said leisurely.
"Shujian, we can only move forward. No matter what the outcome, we will have fought. Will you regret it?"
Lü Kun smiled and said, "Zi Xuan, the sage traveled through the states, but he was never successful. It can be seen that the path of righteousness has always been like this since ancient times. Moreover, what we seek is the Great Dao. As long as we walk it, we don't need to worry too much about anything else."
Zhu Mo was stunned for a moment, pondered a little, and then smiled faintly.