The guards of the Farmers' Association couldn't help but sneer as they watched Hu Wenhong, Zhang Xijin, and other wealthy merchants chatting enthusiastically, and then looked at Chairman Chen of the Farmers' Association, who was also relegated to a corner.
"They thought they could soar to the heavens by clinging to Master Hu and Master Zhang, but it turns out they can't escape being dogs."
"People are just pathetic. Instead of being their own masters, they insist on being dogs for others. Who knows how much dog food they've eaten, or how delicious it must be."
"I heard that those barbarians overseas are bragging their heads off about our Great Ming, and no matter how high-ranking or respected they are, they're all desperate to become citizens of the Great Ming. I haven't heard that the Great Ming has given them much dog food, so if you ask me, those who rush to be dogs for Master Hu and Master Zhang aren't necessarily the ones who've eaten dog food."
Constantly being taunted, and with the taunts growing louder and the language becoming more vulgar, Chairman Chen's face gradually lost its composure.
"You bastards, stop throwing words at me!" Chairman Chen said with a flushed face and a deep voice. "I may be a dog for Master Hu and Master Zhang, but how are you any better? You took every bit of benefit that Master Hu and Master Zhang gave you back then. Now that you're dogs, you dislike being dogs? What the hell were you doing before!"
Chairman Chen's words made the faces of the Farmers' Association guards turn red. But Chairman Chen had no intention of letting them off. "If you are so principled, if you want to be human, then it's easy. Just apprehend Master Zhang and Master Hu and take them to the county town to claim rewards. The problem is, with just the few of you, can you apprehend Master Hu and Master Zhang?"
"You brainless fools, use your pig brains to think: if Master Zhang and Master Hu can accomplish such great things, don't they have someone behind them? Master Hu and Master Zhang are connected to the Grand Secretariat. Even if you report them to the Censorate or the Supervising Bureau, it's useless!"
"Besides, do you think this matter today only involves our village? Let me tell you, our village is nothing in the grand plan of Master Hu and Master Zhang! Their plan encompasses the entire Great Ming! The entire Great Ming, understand? Countless villages, townships, even counties and prefectures will be mobilized simultaneously!"
"Our village just got lucky and happened to be used as a resting place. Do you really think it's because our village is indispensable?"
Chairman Chen's words stunned the guards of the Farmers' Association. After all, the things Master Zhang and Master Hu had done were capital offenses. For ordinary people, they would have been scared to death. But Master Zhang and Master Hu dared to hold a grand banquet to celebrate now. If one said they didn't have support behind them, or that they didn't have a sure chance of winning, who would believe it? Chairman Chen continued, "Think about it carefully, from Xia, Shang, and Zhou to Qin and Han, and up to now, in the thousands of years of Chinese dynasties, which emperor did not rule with the help of local gentry and scholars? The emperors of Xia, Shang, and Zhou did, the emperors of Qin and Han did, and even the emperors of that Great Qing did. Why should Emperor Zhu not rely on the local gentry and scholars?"
Chairman Chen concluded, "If Master Zhang and Master Hu succeed, we will at least get some benefits. But if they fail, we will suffer the consequences along with them!"
The remarks from Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin completely broke down Kōkaku Kenjin and Tokugawa Ienari.
Kōkaku Kenjin gritted his teeth and said to Higashiyama Ten’en, "I don't want to hear Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin spouting nonsense anymore!"
After being told this by Higashiyama Ten’en, Kōkaku Kenjin also felt a bit dejected.
As for explicitly stating Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin's roles as spokesmen in the newspapers founded by the Japanese court and the Shogunate…
Under these circumstances, Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin became somewhat difficult to handle.
After a period of silence between father and son, Kōkaku Kenjin finally asked, "Is there any news from the Shogunate?"
Kōkaku Kenjin was slightly taken aback and asked, "Don't they see through Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin's scams?"
When Kōkaku Kenjin asked this, Higashiyama Ten’en didn't know how to answer.
In Japan, being illiterate in Chinese characters and unable to speak fluent Ming official dialect would be collectively mocked by all nobles, daimyo, and lords.
In other words, those daimyo and lords were considered elites in Japan, so how could they not see through Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin's scams?
Yet, the reality was that they were also fooled by Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin.
"With the name of the Ming Emperor leading the way, no one in Japan, from top to bottom, believes that Inukai Monbu is wrong. Naturally, they won't doubt the truthfulness of anything else he says."
"The situation for Nojiri Nishijin is similar. On the surface, the two of them are completely considering the interests of Japan and the Japanese people. Many daimyo and lords have been fooled by them."
Kōkaku Kenjin was dumbfounded, almost disbelieving what he heard.
This could actually work?
But what did Japan have?
Given Japan's impoverished state, how could commoners and low-born people afford to feed their children eggs and duck eggs? With air?
The rural doctor plan was also the same. Japan had few scholars to begin with, and medical practices were inherited like witchcraft. And they were implementing a rural doctor program?
Go to hell with that nonsense!
As his thoughts grew angrier, Kōkaku Kenjin simply snorted, "Send someone to tell those daimyo and lords who are loyal to the court, tell them that all difficulties are temporary. As long as the threat from the Shogunate is removed, our Japan will one day be like Ming, where children can eat eggs and duck eggs, and every village will have a doctor."
…
While Kōkaku Kenjin and Higashiyama Ten’en were troubled by Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin, Tokugawa Ienari and everyone in the Shogunate were also vexed by Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin. And just like Kōkaku Kenjin's problem, Tokugawa Ienari was well aware that Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin were spokesmen pushed forward by Ming merchants. He also couldn't find a way to deal with them. After all, these two, Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin, if put nicely, were called spokesmen; if put not so nicely, they were dogs.
As the saying goes, when you beat a dog, you must consider its owner. Tokugawa Ienari had a thousand and one ways to get rid of Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin, but he had absolutely no way to deal with the Ming merchants behind them.
Or, one could say: Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin were dogs to the Ming merchants, and weren't those Ming merchants fat pigs nurtured by the Great Ming court?
When beating a dog, you consider the owner. Do you not consider the owner when killing a pig?
Don't be foolish. Killing a pig is a much greater offense!
Tokugawa Ienari knew very well that if he dared to touch those Ming merchants today, the Ming garrison in Japan would raze the entire Shogunate tomorrow to avenge those "pigs."
At that time, perhaps his head, along with Kōkaku Kenjin's foolish head, would be displayed on a display mound to dry in the wind.
The mere thought of a display mound made Tokugawa Ienari sigh, "Ambassador Chen, Ambassador Chen, you've given me a great dilemma!"
Of course, the Ming Ambassador to Japan, Chen Yan, was currently sleeping with a Japanese courtesan and was not in the Shogunate. Thus, Tokugawa Ienari was only venting his resentment towards Watanabe Uemon and Matsushita Ichiban.
Watanabe Uemon, Matsushita Ichiban, and other envoys to Ming also had extremely grim expressions. They simply couldn't understand why the Ming Emperor could do whatever he pleased and achieve whatever he wanted, while the Shogunate was constantly constrained.
When they wanted the daimyo and lords to cooperate with the Shogunate in controlling leprosy, those daimyo and lords pretended to be deaf and mute, only agreeing to cooperate after Tokugawa Ienari, the esteemed Shogun, offered conditions.
Just as they were about to contain leprosy with the cooperation of the daimyo and lords, Inukai Monbu and Nojiri Nishijin jumped out again!
Thinking of the countless difficulties they would face next, Watanabe Uemon couldn't help but exchange a glance with Matsushita Ichiban, then bowed to Tokugawa Ienari and said, "Your Excellency the Shogun, Japan is now constrained everywhere, and the Shogunate is also constrained by those daimyo and lords. It is time for a change!"
When he heard that the Shogunate was constrained everywhere by those daimyo and lords, Tokugawa Ienari was furious. However, upon hearing the phrase "it is time for a change," Tokugawa Ienari's anger completely dissipated.
As the saying goes, your position determines your thoughts.
If Tokugawa Ienari merely wanted to be the Shogun, then Watanabe Uemon's words would be highly inappropriate – the Shogunate being constrained everywhere by daimyo and lords, was that saying the Shogunate was incompetent? Wasn't this indirectly calling me, Tokugawa Ienari, the Shogun, incompetent?
But Tokugawa Ienari was no longer satisfied with just being the Shogun; his gaze had already shifted to the throne of the King of Japan.
For Tokugawa Ienari, who wanted and felt he was about to become the King of Japan, Watanabe Uemon's words were worth considering. Could the Emperor of Ming act with impunity and revive or abolish things, and couldn't I, Tokugawa Ienari, truly grasp Japan and become the supreme ruler, second only to heaven?
Thinking of this, Tokugawa Ienari asked in a deep voice, "Mr. Watanabe, what do you mean by that?"
Upon hearing the address "Mr. Watanabe," Watanabe Uemon's somewhat anxious heart stabilized.
The gamble paid off!
As an envoy to Ming who had studied in the Great Ming, Watanabe Uemon naturally knew that his words were inappropriate. However, the fundamental reason Watanabe Uemon spoke such inappropriate words was because he was gambling. He was gambling that Tokugawa Ienari wanted to become the true ruler of Japan!
Suppressing his excitement, Watanabe Uemon bowed and replied, "Your Excellency the Shogun is also well-read. Therefore, Your Excellency must know the history of the Chinese dynasties."
Therefore, a large crowd of onlookers also gathered outside Yongcheng County Office, even more lively than a court trial scene in historical dramas.
If this continued, the people of the Great Ming would no longer fear officials, and would even be eager to come to the county office to watch the excitement.
The people especially enjoyed seeing officials interrogate those corrupt gentry.
This made the onlookers very curious.
What an eye-opener!
And Zhu Jinsong did not disappoint these people.
This was nothing like what was written in the plays!
Gao Dajin quickly bowed low and said, "Your Majesty, have mercy! This commoner is truly wronged!"
Gao Dajin bowed even lower.
After finishing reading, Ke Zhiming sealed the letter and once again sent it back to the desk in front of Zhu Jinsong.
Zhu Jinsong said, "Come, explain to me what this letter is about?"
As Xu Yaozong began to act, the onlookers outside the hall also became excited, shouting, "Beat him to death! Beat him to death!"
But who would have thought that there was such a far-reaching plan behind it?
Seeing that trouble was about to erupt, Zhu Jinsong immediately slammed the gavel and shouted, "Quiet!"
While the crowd was stunned, Zhu Jinsong loudly declared, "I am here. Do you think I will let these clowns have an easy time?"
Only then did the crowd realize that the person seated in the hall was the current Emperor.
Zhu Jinsong called the fool the "idiot" who was currently beating Gao Dajin, Xu Yaozong.
But as he laughed, Gao Dajin suddenly couldn't laugh anymore, because Zhu Jinsong was still staring at him expressionlessly.
A pearl covered in dust?
What right did Gao Dajin have to be like that!
Zhu Jinsong shook his head and asked the censorate official standing in the hall, "According to the law, what crime should Gao Dajin be punished for?"
As Zhu Jinsong finished speaking, the crowd of onlookers below the hall cheered happily, "Well killed!"
"Gao the villain deserves to die!"
"He deserves it!"
But as they cheered, the slogans turned into a unified "Long live the Emperor!"
And Zhu Jinsong wrote an article and sent it back to the capital by express courier.
"Increasing workers' wages to encourage longer working hours, what secrets are hidden behind this?"
Therefore, rather than saying Gao Dajin was a bad seed, it was more appropriate to say he was both stupid and wicked.
…
After finally leaving Yongcheng County, Zhu Jinsong continued his journey south.
Zhu Jinsong shook his head and asked the censorate official standing in the hall, "According to the law, what crime should Gao Dajin be punished for?"
As Zhu Jinsong finished speaking, the crowd of onlookers below the hall cheered happily, "Well killed!"
"Gao the villain deserves to die!"
"He deserves it!"
But as they cheered, the slogans turned into a unified "Long live the Emperor!"
And Zhu Jinsong wrote an article and sent it back to the capital by express courier.
Therefore, rather than saying Gao Dajin was a bad seed, it was more appropriate to say he was both stupid and wicked.
Heavenly Emperor's Noble Lineage reminds you: Please remember to collect it after reading.